Technical Concepts for Non-Developers, Part 3 – HTTP & HTTPS

When we’re navigating the internet, we’re really just moving between different URLs. A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is often called a web address because it works like an address in the real world — it helps your computer navigate to the webpage you want to see. URLs can be a little trickier to decipher than […]

Screen-Free Mindfulness – 4 Ways to Be More Mindful Without an App

Now more than ever, we hear calls to be mindful. Dealing with work stress? Try mindfulness. Your kids driving you crazy? Ditto. Your relationship stale? You guessed it — try mindfulness. I’m on board with mindfulness, but I’m not with the “solution” offered: an app. The Problem with Mindfulness Apps Don’t get me wrong, I […]

Three Ways to Understand & Adapt to Your New Company’s Culture

One of the goals of Atomic’s Accelerator program is to help new hires not only transition from college to professional life but also to learn about Atomic and its culture. This culture-learning process has frequently reminded me of the opportunities I had in undergrad to study abroad. I learned a lot about assimilating to new […]

Developing a Growth Mindset when Receiving Feedback

In both our careers and personal lives, we receive feedback in many ways. We love to hear appreciation for a job well done, but when it comes to advice based on things we could change or improve, it can get complicated. Personal bias can trigger us into being dismissive and, as a result, inhibit an […]

Explore the World! Take a Code Vacation

Everybody needs an occasional vacation — time set aside to relax, recharge, get inspired, expand your horizons, etc. You don’t need to travel far to get these things, but it certainly helps to move yourself out of familiar territory. As a programmer, it’s also important to occasionally get away from the codebases you use on […]

My Network Upgrades with UniFi & Xfinity for Better At-Home Work and School

Most home networks are fine for watching TV, playing video games, and casual web browsing. Your internet service provides all the equipment and bandwidth necessary for you to be “connected.” What I had set up at home certainly used to fit within that “good enough” category. That’s no longer true. Since the pandemic started, I’ve […]

How to Update DuckDNS via LinuxServer.io’s Docker Image

For the past year, I’ve been using Duck DNS to get a free subdomain for my home. Duck DNS points a DNS (a subdomain of duckdns.org) to an IP of your choice. Since my ISP changes my IP address occasionally, I need a way to keep Duck DNS up to date. Today, I’m going to […]

How to Run Plex via LinuxServer.io’s Docker Image

Late last year, I bought a Blu-ray/DVD drive for my home computer and ripped all the movies and television shows I have on physical disks. The files are now stored on the NAS running in my local network. I can watch that media on just about any device in my house using Plex, a wonderful […]

How I Stayed Focused & Motivated While Working Solo

Atomic makers work in teams, and our developers pair program quite a bit. I’ve come to understand the value of pair programming as a teaching and learning activity since joining Atomic. But recently, I’ve realized a new benefit of pairing: staying focused and motivated. For the last two weeks, I’ve been working solo to wrap […]

4 Ways to Hold On to a Growth Mindset in the Face of Failure or Criticism

Just because you believe in the benefits of having a growth mindset doesn’t mean you’re not plagued with thoughts like, “I’m just bad at this,” or, “They are so talented; I’ll never be as good as they are.” Carol Dweck, the psychologist who coined the term, acknowledges that maintaining a growth mindset is challenging: “We […]

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