Today I Learned

2026-08-14
Lecture Friday: Compression

I kind of feel bad sharing this from my lecture backlog because it seems every professional YouTube creator is suddenly talking about how AI and compression are related. However, here's a video not in that sphere of influence if you, like me, just really want to know more about the nerdy details involved in compression applications in real, well, applications. Things like using UDP packet lengths as a way of encoding extra zero bytes between packets.

If you're interested in the state of the art, I know Fabrice Bellard released v3.3 of NNCP not too long ago. Just know, it's probably not a good daily driver. It's designed for maximum compression over English text with less regard for the memory and time required. Again, compression is all an intelligence game.

2026-08-07
Lecture Friday: Animation Bootcamp: An Indie Approach to Procedural Animation

I don't do a lot of animating, but this technique makes it really approachable. I love the game animator's Hippocratic Oath, "First, do no harm to the gameplay."

2026-08-06
I'm Switching My Phone From Android to Linux

I'm not there yet but it's coming.

2026-08-03
If You Build It, They Will Come

Can confirm, this is absolutely the way. Run events for communities you're involved with over years. It's totally worth it for all the social benefits it bestows even if it means donating half your PTO or some of your hobby money to make it happen.