TIL
TIL about Istanbul, the JS code coverage tool, while looking to add it to a project
Fun side fact: one of the associated CLIs is called NYC, and that feels like a They Might Be Giants song
TIL that non-profits in the US are (broadly) not required to issue donation statements. It’s considered the duty of the donor to keep receipts
This fascinated me, from a data and records perspective, and in the realm of norms.
TIL that the React Compiler effectively turns all props etc into a useMemo call
This makes sense when considering the nature of the compiler, but isn’t immediately obvious without using the playground
I learned this because we had an undefined access bug in a render prop that started throwing errors with the compiler, since all “dependencies” are evaluated on first render
We ended up solving it by converting the original file to Typescript. That kind of rigid syntax checking helps when a follow-up tool will be modifying the end result that much
TIL that Seahawk is “a nickname for the osprey because of its talons that are uniquely fit to catch fish”
TIL that Ned Brower (who plays Nurse Jesse on The Pitt) is a real life ER nurse!
Thanks to The Prestige TV Podcast for the info
TIL that the center of a curling target is called a “button.” Great way to start this Olympics
TIL a little bit about Expo Config plugins. One of the apps I’m working on has a decent list of them since it was converted to CNG after being around for a couple of years.
It’s interesting to read them, make sense of them, and get started writing my own (I’m stuck on node path issues)
TIL that emacs has built in quoted-printable decoding: lars.ingebrigtsen.no/2026/02/0…
TIL about the frequent antics of Alice Roosevelt. I’m reading You Didn’t Hear This From Me, which is a delight on all fronts.
It’s a through line of the book, the way that women’s behavior and interaction with each other is scrutinized so distinctly from men. It’s obvious in a brief reading of Wikipedia that Alice was a far more scandalous topic than any man of similar behavior would be.
I think sometimes about how our societal standards begin with calling behavior odd or off-color, and eventually cause people to feel like total outcasts, which in turn drives even more aberrant behavior. I see its presence when I engage with this story
TIL that Bad Bunny won the Grammy for album of the year. I try to listen to the big Grammy winners every year, and it’s a thrill to be pushed so far outside my normal tastes.
I don’t know enough about the genre to fully understand what’s groundbreaking about his work, but there are simply no shortage of bangers
TIL about the idea of a Union church, which is an English speaking Christian church in a foreign country that isn’t associated with any particular denomination
There’s something to observe there, about taking some measure of consumerism and choice away and discovering what really matters to you
TIL about the red-shouldered bug. We saw a surprising number of them at the pickleball courts, and based on their behavior it’s mating season.
My recent travel inspired me to pay more attention to local wildlife, so I took some pictures and found the name this evening
TIL about the band Four Tet, a recommendation from my friend Geo. Very cool electronic music, particularly well suited to working
He brought me to Waterloo Records during our recent trip to Austin
TIL about true mirrors, which are specially constructed multi-pane mirrors that are non-reversing so you see your reflection the way others see you. If they were at all practical (i.e. not requiring significant depth) I would love to have one
I learned this during a fun visit to the Museum of Illusions
TIL that the first Yeti store was in Austin, Texas. I walked there with a coworker today, and they even have a bar as part of the store.
TIL that the first bridge across the Colorado River in Austin, Texas was a pontoon bridge
All my gratitude to the Austin landmark signage
TIL about The Five Dysfunctions of a Team during a managers retreat for work.
I’m excited to engage with the ideas, and probably read the whole book soon. I recognize some of the dysfunction on my team, and the hierarchical structure offers a helpful path towards building the way I want to work
TIL about the process of de-icing a runway
I flew into Austin for work today, and landing was delayed by an hour for an iced runway. Since I’m from California, I know so little about cold weather management. It’s always such a broadening experience to learn things like this
TIL a bunch of fun facts about Tapei 101. Some before, some during watching the Honnold climb
Most interesting to me were the damper mechanism at the top and the “bamboo box” design, and how those “boxes” make it a good building for free climbing
TIL a little bit about dog breed standards. Apparently there is only a 3 inch height window in which a Golden Retriever could even be considered in a show ring (and in that case, probably a breeder as well).
I learned all this in conjunction with a visit to a breeder today. I was amazed by how beautiful and well behaved these puppies were