Plurrrr

Avoiding Webscraping Throttling Using Python and Tor as a Proxy

I do not condone the use of this information for creating illegal web crawlers. This was more an informational exercise and I wanted to share it with others. Another thing to note is that some sites are able to automatically block IP’s that are Tor exit nodes, so this may not work for some sites that go to these measures.

Source: Avoiding Webscraping Throttling Using Python and Tor as a Proxy.

I've used Tor as a proxy several times in the past for web scraping projects so I read this article with interest.

The Shell Easy Bird Guide

In the afternoon I bought "De 'easy' vogel gids van heel Europa", the Dutch translation of "The Shell Easy Bird Guide", in a second-hand shop.

The book is in an excellent condition and I couldn't resist buying it for just one euro. The book is written by Rob Hume and illustrated by Peter Hayman.

Fastest Way to Load Data Into PostgreSQL Using Python

In this article we explore the best way to import messy data from remote source into PostgreSQL.

In the evening I read Fastest Way to Load Data Into PostgreSQL Using Python by Haki Benita. A very interesting read; recommended.

Candy and hardware

In the afternoon a package arrived. It had several bags of Dutch licorice and two pieces of hardware; gifts from Paul in return for some Perl programming.

The first piece of hardware is a tiny camera; SQ11 mini DV. I used VLC to test it after connecting the camera to my Mac mini, and it works.

The second piece of hardware is a NodeMCU V3, an open source IoT platform. I have to look into how to program / use this little device.

Thanks Paul!

Five JavaScript bad coding habits to unlearn right now

In this post, I describe 5 common bad coding habits in JavaScript. And importantly I will present my actionable recommendations on how to get rid of these habits.

In the evening I read 5 JavaScript bad coding habits to unlearn right now, an article by Dmitri Pavlutin. As I use more and more JavaScript in a large project for a customer I want stay up to date with this language and of course avoid bad coding habits.

A Skull Bone Discovered in Greece May Alter the Story of Human Prehistory

The bone, found in a cave, is the oldest modern human fossil ever discovered in Europe. It hints that humans began leaving Africa far earlier than once thought.

In the evening I read A Skull Bone Discovered in Greece May Alter the Story of Human Prehistory, an article by Carl Zimmer. A very interesting read. I still have Carl Zimmer's book, She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity on my books wishlist. Maybe next month.

Coding Without Comments

if your feel your code is too complex to understand without comments, your code is probably just bad. Rewrite it until it doesn't need comments any more. If, at the end of that effort, you still feel comments are necessary, then by all means, add comments … carefully.

The above quote comes from an article by Coding Horror's Jeff Atwood; Coding Without Comments, which I read in the evening.

Cat Colors — Get the Fascinating Facts Behind Cat Coats & Patterns

Modifying genes means endless possibilities for cat colors and patterns. From tabby cats to pointed patterns to tricolors like calicos, let’s learn more!

As you might have noticed my posts here now and then consist of cat photos; I love cats. I can't currently keep one, but love to read up on cats. Hence, in the evening I read Susan Logan McCracken's article Cat Colors — Get the Fascinating Facts Behind Cat Coats & Patterns. I learnt a lot from this great post.

Avoiding Booleans

In the evening I read Avoiding Booleans an article by Jeff Atwood. An interesting read.

Intro Guide to Dockerfile Best Practices

There are over one million Dockerfiles on GitHub today, but not all Dockerfiles are created equally. Efficiency is critical, and this blog series will cover five areas for Dockerfile best practices to help you write better Dockerfiles: incremental build time, image size, maintainability, security and repeatability.

In the evening I read the first in a series of blog posts by Tibor Vass: Intro Guide to Dockerfile Best Practices. A great read; I look forward to the rest of the series.