Luke Kanies

I’m a tech founder and recovering SysAdmin. I helped found DevOps and grew up in open source. These days I am convalescing from a decade of physical and mental neglect while running Puppet.

I sometimes write about startups, founders, and other topics I like.

I am an angel investor, mostly in areas of expertise (infrastructure and dev tools) and interest (local first software and power tools).

I am generally default-accept on first conversations.

Public Key

npub1wfztvdvglqzfq7a830ngzkl7e4svl0jepdwqfrp55zxxdvc8rmaqma7ysy

NIP-05 Address

lkanies_at_hachyderm.io@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs8y39kxky0spys0wnche5pt0lv6cx0hevskhqy3s62prrxkvr3a7sltfh5f

Author Public Key

npub1wfztvdvglqzfq7a830ngzkl7e4svl0jepdwqfrp55zxxdvc8rmaqma7ysy

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Last Notes

2024-09-18 23:35:38

Pretty excited to see Patagonia launch a waxed canvas jacket.
Nearly all bags and jackets made with coated polymers (ie plastic coated with forever plastic) would be better with waxed canvas. A little heavier, but more durable, more maintainable, and far more attractive.
Patagonia's New Waxed Cotton Jacket Looks Like a Classic in the Making https://www.gearpatrol.com/outdoors/patagonia-lightweight-waxed-cotton-jacket/

2024-09-13 21:44:54

It’s important that every American understand:
The fugitive slave act was the last straw that finally triggered the civil war.
And republicans are trying to enforce the equivalent today for abortion.
The last time they did this it literally broke our country.
https://c.im/@msbellows/113131179091029037

2024-09-13 05:42:27

This article fundamentally changed how I look at weird inauthentic smiles, especially on people not steeped in American culture.
AI and the American Smile https://medium.com/@socialcreature/ai-and-the-american-smile-76d23a0fbfaf
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/113/128/646/016/067/390/original/cf3c969be4ae4367.png

2024-09-09 17:38:10

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@npub1psd…9sr7 I did not see it specifically mentioned, but I assume the new ultra contains the same internals as the new watch?
Seems crazy if not. And I would hope it also includes the new screen size

2024-09-02 06:46:26

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@npub1xl5…wsca thanks!
(I did not say I was a *good* landscape photographer, just that it is what I tend to do. 👀)
I am regularly I,pressed by how well you set up your product shoots. It is clearly a well honed skill.

2024-07-21 23:26:51

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@npub1typ…c8hh I dunno. I’ve never seen anyone mention cringe comedy specifically, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen people@discuss this kind of reaction to some things

2024-07-21 03:47:06

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@npub1typ…c8hh fwiw I am autistic, and it is definitely the cause for me.
My kids are also autistic and have the exact same response to cringe comedy.

2024-07-21 01:47:00

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@npub1typ…c8hh I have that same “leave the room before I even notice” allergic response to all cringe comedy, but have not yet had it to music.

2024-06-30 05:28:38

Blondie vs The Doors
https://youtu.be/dnhKPw2NXIw

2024-06-23 21:08:11

This reminds me of the first big lesson I learned from a senior engineer at BladeLogic :
“What does it matter what the user thinks? They already bought the software.”
That lesson, of course, was that many “senior” engineers should never have commit rights to any software, ever, and most companies are wildly incompetent at knowing what skills and attitudes make someone senior.
I honestly enjoyed making sure no one at Puppet had that kind of attitude.
https://social.vivaldi.net/@lproven/112667807561365685

2024-06-23 20:10:34

This is an unbelievable self-own.
“Of course it’s not a bug to delete your home directory when deleting tmp files. Idiot. Moron.”
“Look someone did weird stuff with our tool, and there’s absolutely nothing we are willing to do to make that not result in catastrophic data loss.
What’s that? Oh, yeah, no, it would be trivial to stop this horrific mistake.
We just won’t.”
https://mastodon.social/@mhoye/112637753156424485

2024-06-03 13:12:11

My (nearly 80yo) parents are taking care of of my sister’s #actuallyautistic teenager. She was unfortunately never provided with the tools autistic kids need to survive. And even though my parents raised multiple autistic kids (including me), they mostly left us to figure it out rather than actively teaching us to survive in this world.
I would love some recommendations of books that will help them better understand the autistic experience, and hopefully help them help her navigate it

2024-05-06 17:42:49

As I look back through my photos, every landscape taken by an iPhone since about the iPhone X is super obvious, and not terribly attractive.
It’s trying so hard to do HDR stuff that it’s creating a whole new look, one that I don’t terribly enjoy.
Some models (12 pro, I think) feel like they never took a good photo. But the rest just all produce this hyper processed look.
Are they better than missing the photo? I guess. But there has to be a middle ground, right?
#photography

2024-05-04 00:38:15

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@npub1km9…rh4n I learned how to be a programmer while building puppet. It did pretty ok.
It’s not about the tech.

2024-04-30 22:37:03

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@npub1rky…0xq2 exactly.
It’s been happening off and on for a while. Like, probably since ivory came out?

2024-04-30 22:32:40

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@npub1c5c…644a wood across a trail usually means the trail managers are trying to prevent usage.
But, not always.

2024-04-30 19:26:19

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@npub1rky…0xq2 I just ran into the problem with this post:
https://birds.town/@BelfastRoadster/112360827504887069
It did not load in ivory, but it@loads fine on the hachyderm web site.

2024-04-30 07:13:20

@npub1rky…0xq2 I regularly get image previews, but when I click on the image I get a blank screen. Is there any way to force the image to download?

2024-04-22 07:24:09

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@npub1xl5…wsca I stopped watching when the race officials made sure Hamilton didn’t get the record.
And max is insufferable, so not about to start now.

2024-04-08 07:33:48

This is a solid article on how to think about shooting RAW vs jog photographs.
The RAW vs JPEG Debate Needs to End… Again https://fujixweekly.com/2022/08/30/the-raw-vs-jpeg-debate-needs-to-end-again/
#photography
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/234/438/844/123/153/original/c9c5c2c789a6f99b.png

2024-03-25 06:06:34

I shoot on #fujifilm X cameras, all jpg.
I manage my photos in Lightroom, mostly in the new version but sometimes in “classic”.
I am considering shooting raw+jpg, so I can do extra crap to my favorite photos.
I want my hobby to be *taking* photos, not *editing* them, so I would only ever edit a few photos.
I see this as a chance to get a bit more out of a few special photos.
But *every* post is some photog saying “jpgs are stupid, never ever take them. Edit everything always.”
#photography

2024-03-20 03:11:11

God I hate the terms “full frame” and “crop sensor”.
Ansel Adams would call every digital camera ever made a “crop sensor”.
These sensor sizes have names. Just use them.
35mm provides actual information. “Full frame” does not. APS-C provides information. “Crop sensor” does not.
“Crop factor” is especially galling. Is it really easier to do math from an arbitrary base than to just tell me what the stats are?
#camera #photography

2024-03-19 21:19:07

“In earlier times the individual worker's possession of a watch was seen as breaching the principle that working time belongs to the management. It was not unusual once for factory owners to forbid workers to bring their own watches to work. The present-day practice o f presenting a retiring employee with a gold watch symbolizes the emancipation of the worker from this kind of control: hence-forth his time is, quite literally, his own.”
- Cheats at Work, Gerald Mars
!!
from “Sabotage at work”

2024-03-17 22:54:19

Yeah there are some *slight* differences between bulldozing houses to make freeways and putting up paint and concrete to make bike lanes.
Major Transit Official Compares Building Bike and Bus Lanes to Bulldozing Neighborhoods for Freeways https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3wpev/major-transit-official-compares-building-bike-and-bus-lanes-to-bulldozing-neighborhoods-for-freeways
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/113/487/673/215/567/original/16b98e8933360f5d.png

2024-03-17 07:31:51

I know almost nothing about npm, but I know this is where this story takes an insane turn that Gödel would be proud and ashamed of.
iykyk
npm install everything, and the complete and utter chaos that follows https://boehs.org/node/npm-everything
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/109/860/338/669/701/original/058d00970c6c00cd.png

2024-03-11 08:06:25

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@npub1qgr…jzss those are great photos. Thanks!

2024-02-29 19:09:27

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@npub1psd…9sr7 for me it’s felt more like 30% of my iq (which is hopefully materially larger than 6).
I’m mostly over it now, but it was brutal.
I would totally believe it resulted in a lifelong loss of 5% or so, though. Maybe even larger. I’m certainly still not normal.

2024-02-28 20:17:37

Studies have shown that people who ride e-bikes get more exercise than those who ride pedal bikes. “Researchers have discovered that when riders find it less grueling, they tend to go on longer rides.”
https://kottke.org/24/02/0044076-studies-have-shown-that-p

2024-02-14 00:38:33

I’m very confused by the people who are upset that the fediverse is federating

2024-02-08 08:04:41

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@npub1r7v…qwpu he has one of my favorite quotes:
I don’t always know what I’m talking about, but I’m pretty much always sure that I’m right.
Words to live by.

2024-02-06 19:07:05

Good. Wage theft is far larger than theft by individual citizens, yet it is barely enforced and written about even less.
Props to ProPublica giving it some of the attention it deserves. I’d love to see the average media org write about this and civil forfeiture (which steals more from people than burglary), rather than all the BS claims about shoplifting killing stores.
Proposed Wage Theft Legislation Would Strip Violators of Their Ability to Do Business in New York https://www.propublica.org/article/wage-theft-law-new-york-violators-doing-business
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/111/886/101/697/533/902/original/b4955c7ba08dff07.png

2024-02-06 01:28:53

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@npub14uk…2erc like 95% of white soccer players in the uk have this haircut. Many of the black guys do, too, although I think a maybe smaller percentage. But it seems completely pervasive there. Weird it’s not better known here.
Like, it’s so common someone went viral making fun of the subset of fade + north face jacket:
https://www.balls.ie/the-rewind/irish-tiktok-comedian-hilariously-explains-skin-fade-north-face-combo-533851
(The video is hilarious enough it deserved to go viral.)

2024-02-03 00:35:48

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@npub1scr…teus if you’ve been working on getting it done for 4 years… you should just buy a rekeying kit and do it yourself (if possible, based on your lock).
It’s not super easy, and can be finicky. But it’s not technically challenging at all (again, depending on the lock). And it has saved me tons of time being able to do it myself sometimes.

2024-01-28 21:12:57

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@npub1alm…57vz also… “half of all gen-z wash hands almost every time they use the bathroom or eat”?
Ten times daily is not very often, if you just do that.

2024-01-20 06:30:35

One of my nephews just reached out to me because he’s looking for a coding job and could use some help. And I quote:
“Most entry level or junior jobs require three years of experience”
WTF?
I wish I were surprised. But I am still appalled.
(If you’re looking for remote hard working entry level js/react programmers, my nephew in Chattanooga would like to talk.)

2024-01-15 02:32:59

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@npub1scr…teus I often have to cover my side view mirror with my hand, because huge truck headlights are stabbing me through it

2024-01-14 10:40:42

Parable of the Sower is the most scarily prescient book I have ever read, or can imagine existing.
How Octavia Butler Told the Future https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/octavia-butlers-guide-surviving-apocalypse/677106/

2024-01-07 00:05:12

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@npub1typ…c8hh @npub1vj3…xycc it is *fantastic*

2024-01-06 21:07:43

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@npub1typ…c8hh @npub1vj3…xycc looks like a great pairing with Normal Accidents:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_Accidents
That had a huge influence on how I thought about systems like traffic and software

2024-01-01 20:17:25

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@npub1scr…teus sorry for the invasion of your space.
I cannot compare it to the RX1 because I have not used that one. But Fuji’s X100 series cameries are great. Super small, beautiful color, great fixed lens.
Borrowing one convinced me to swap my whole Olympus system for Fuji.
I gave mine to a friend when his kid was born, and I miss it.
At the other end of the spectrum, people love the Leica Q series. Not as pocketable, but with the right jacket…

2023-12-25 01:07:56

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@npub1typ…c8hh whew knew metal could be so slow?

2023-12-19 01:15:23

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@npub1typ…c8hh I basically only ever drink it while driving, so I’d say: a quick way to get weirdly flavored caffeine in a small can, and it’s nearly always available (but even worse tasting) sugar-free.
On long road trips I bounce between (much preferred) unsweetened iced tea, diet mtn dew (high school memories), and Red Bull. The latter is the *only* drink consistently available in a non-plastic container, is not a huge volume, and is reasonably tolerable.
Otherwise it’s plastic bottles all day 😣

2023-12-16 04:53:32

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@npub1r7v…qwpu only one?!?!
Subhumans. Listened to them every day in high school. Was never the same.

2023-12-14 00:59:08

We’re in an epidemic of right-wing terror. Won’t someone tell the press? https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/12/were-in-an-epidemic-of-right-wing-terror-wont-someone-tell-the-press/
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/111/576/058/916/074/836/original/c7cf2c5fea43c7b6.png

2023-12-01 01:52:00

My EV Is Big and Strong https://www.curbed.com/2023/02/super-bowl-will-ferrell-gm-electric-vehicle-macho.html
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/111/502/656/764/876/247/original/7403366c1da59ca1.png

2023-11-27 01:29:18

Honestly mystified why people are offended that pineapple — or any other food that is independently delicious — would be added to pizza.
I can see people not wanting to eat it. But offended that I do want to? Why?
Hell. I don’t eat animals. But you don’t see me flipping out at all your pepperoni and sausage, so filled with dead animals and horrifying chemicals.
What are you, an 8th grader?

2023-11-26 04:18:50

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@npub1pfg…6y7c @npub1typ…c8hh telling cyclists not to get hit by cars is like telling women not to get raped.
Yes, they can make a difference. But the real need is for systemic change around the people actually doing the harm.
This is all defensive cycling, and is a good idea. But I dislike the framing.

2023-11-18 17:51:59

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@npub1wc7…gyhe @npub1typ…c8hh I’ve always been surprised by the people who think writing stuff down in to-do lists is for helping you get them done.
No. Duh. It’s so you can stop thinking about it.

2023-10-25 03:51:57

Around 2000, I worked with a guy who was old-school datacenter. Old school. He judged you on the *wraps* you used to tie the cables in the racks. He used waxed cotton string. Zero zip ties. And everything he did was *pristine*. It was perfect.
Unless everyone you work with is that good, that considerate, that opinionated, about every layer of the stack… you should not build or manage your own datacenters. And that was just *how you tie the cables*.
Wait, is cloud bad? https://newsletter.goodtechthings.com/p/wait-is-cloud-bad
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/111/293/622/970/223/165/original/bb4d802b95784793.png

2023-10-07 18:08:08

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@npub1c5c…644a glad you made it back safely. And yeah, those shots are great

2023-08-26 17:55:23

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@npub1aga…u8vx @npub1jgm…jmz3 @npub1r7v…qwpu they did eventually. But they did not always mean that, in all subcultures.

2023-08-26 07:20:49

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@npub1jgm…jmz3 @npub1r7v…qwpu I lost a foot race when I was 14.
I was wearing random cheap boots from the JC Penney catalog in 1988 or so, and the other guy was wearing 14eye docs (o blood with barred laces because turns out he was kind of a racist asshole).
He handily beat me.
I’ve always been slow. But his docs were way less clunky than my generic boots..
So… it is all relative. And in the end, they’re not bad.

2023-08-18 01:20:42

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@npub1vqm…ccpx one thing I love about DDG is the bang-bangs:
!g == google search
!w == Wikipedia search
There are a bunch, but those are the ones I use.
So, easy shortcut to google when you know you need it.
I used to use it a lot, but less and less now.

2023-08-07 16:52:31

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@npub1c5c…644a I love this trail. My first time on it, the hills across the river were dusted with snow (and the trail had snow and ice on top). Made it even more pretty.
But I especially love that shot down to on switchbacks.

2023-08-05 03:07:13

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@npub1xr8…3q0g @npub1r7f…jcd9 sorry, these people have been making hot sauce, with chiles and tomatoes, around Adelaide, for almost 200 years?
I cannot imagine I could get this in Portland, OR. But sounds amazing.
(I was 100% going to ask if you had a stove, because hot tomato sauce is very easy to attain.)

2023-08-05 01:38:58

Wow. What a note to attach to an article.
https://lingo.lol/@Neverfadingwood/110826104304469376
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/110/834/452/887/111/069/original/d589b5c2708082bd.jpg

2023-07-31 08:34:33

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@npub1psd…9sr7 @npub18d2…gznn “mannotate”: mansplain your docs

2023-07-15 13:36:41

Rail is going to be so crucial for the next century worldwide, this is good news:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-14/inside-amtrak-s-75-billion-plan-to-revive-us-train-travel
But man it just shows how crazy far we are behind our peers.

2023-06-27 22:16:35

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@npub1psd…9sr7 @npub1hy9…56r3 hmm, having now looked, I’m not sure I got what I was supposed to out of it. But it’s obviously very well represented.

2023-06-27 16:31:29

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@npub1psd…9sr7 @npub1hy9…56r3 tvtropes?
If you’ve not seen them… you’re in for a (time consuming) treat. :)
https://tvtropes.org/
I believe Star Trek shows up plenty, but it’s about all TV, not just them.
You’ll never look at media the same way.
(It’s part of what made me appreciate Red Shirts so much.)

2023-06-27 14:56:41

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@npub1psd…9sr7 I know this was humor, but in response to your awesome history of whether your books pass the Bechdel test, I also recommend the Mako Mori test:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mako_Mori_test
It’s much harder than the Bechdel test, but also completely orthogonal (i.e., a story could pass either one, neither, or both).
All of these are fun/rarely passed, too, like the Sexy Lamp test:
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/feminist-tests-judge-movies

2023-06-19 17:03:31

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@npub13z6…p8ce i don’t know Toronto’s bike theft situation — I’ve only ridden through the park out past the waterfront — but even in NYC many people find a way to ride.
But obviously you have to be comfortable. If you’re not, it would be a bummer but it happens

2023-06-19 03:32:04

What You Don’t Understand About E-Bikes Until You Ride One https://slate.com/business/2023/06/e-bike-buying-changed-my-life.html
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/110/568/768/828/481/398/original/6b33446619e51e98.png
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/110/568/769/025/594/091/original/e1f116ad4d70287f.jpeg

2023-05-21 02:45:25

Every day I get to show someone the Falkirk wheel is a good day
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkirk_Wheel

2023-05-16 19:52:31

@npub15ml…2w4s what is your new tv again?
You told me on Twitter but I deleted everything there. And I cannot seem to find any mention of the specific model in ATP logs. I keep thinking I have it figured out, but there seems to be a lot of complexity and variety in models.
Thanks!

2023-05-09 08:39:30

There are like 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 in this one little paragraph.
In Norway, the Electric Vehicle Future Has Already Arrived https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/08/business/energy-environment/norway-electric-vehicles.html
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/110/337/823/182/555/741/original/43cb42fec308e81b.png

2023-05-03 22:43:00

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@npub1pqk…z65u @npub1gsm…5y8l as a former holder of a legacy blue check mark (I wrote key software twitter used in infrastructure)…
I think you are doing them quite a disservice. I would never give Musk money for twitter. And the blue check mark now means absolutely nothing other than you pay.
If it were just a means of confirming you are who you say you are, then many would have stuck with it.
But there’s zero actual verification now. So you can and do have impersonators with check marks

2023-05-03 02:57:36

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@npub1f7z…j038 @npub1c5c…644a I’m pretty sure I have some shots of my family floating under that bridge, with the light reflecting off the water onto the underside of the bridge. One of my favorite pics of the whole trip.
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/110/302/504/576/721/632/original/9cded4ecce140e2a.jpeg