Articles

Getting YouTube audio in your Podcast app of choice EN
On owning software EN
WIRLW - CW52 | what I read last week EN
WIRLW - CW51 | what I read last week EN
WIRLW - CW50 | what I read last week EN
WIRLW - CW49 | what I read last week EN
WIRLW - CW48 | what I read last week EN
WIRLW - CW45 | what I read last week EN
WIRLW - CW44 | what I read last week EN
WIRLW - CW43 | what I read last week EN

Today, I discovered a YouTube video that primarily featured someone discussing a topic—essentially a podcast. However, the recording wasn't available in podcast format. Instead of using youtube-dl to copy the audio file to my device, I searched for a simpler method. Surprisingly, I found an incredibly straightforward solution that made me wonder why I hadn't come across it earlier.

First, you need to sign up for Huffduffer. Next, take the URL of the YouTube video to huffduff-video. Once the download and conversion at huffduff-video are complete, it automatically redirects you to Huffduffer. The final step involves obtaining the RSS feed URL from Huffduffer (e.g., https://huffduffer.com/<username>/rss) and adding it to your preferred Podcast app.

That's it. :)

Bonus: If you have any other audio files publicly available on the internet, you can also add those to Huffduffer and listen to them in your Podcast app without having to deal with local files.


SaaS vs. On-Prem

The Evolving Landscape of Software: A Critical Look at On-Prem vs. SaaS

In an era where technology continually reshapes how we interact with software, the debate between On-Premises (On-Prem) and Software as a Service (SaaS) models remains more relevant than ever. Avdi Grimm's article on software ownership (On “owning” software - avdi.codes) that I read some days ago provides a compelling perspective on this topic. However, it's crucial to explore the other side of the coin. In this post, we'll dive into the core arguments presented by Grimm and offer a different viewpoint, shaped by firsthand experiences in the software industry.

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Nothing, because I still needed this week to recover, reflect and take care of other things.


Nothing, because Covid put me out of business.


Normally I only include material written in English in my weekly edition. Nevertheless I found an article so interesting/important to share that I decided to prefix articles in German in the future so that readers not interested can skip them easily.


For different reasons I struggled this week to use the desired amount of time for meaningful reading. That's why this week's WIRLW only contains two links.

  • Using Paper for Everyday Tasks - Xe Iaso
    In the end I guess notes on paper beat every other system of information/task keeping. Admittedly information exchange with other (digital) system isn't very convenient. On the other hand paper simply works. Any time, any place. So next time when somebody is looking for a tool for personal organization they should perhaps consider paper.

  • Why you should have your own website
    Basically everybody should a personal website and be it just for having some kind of digital business card. The most common excuses are debunked by this text. So just go for it!


  • Staying warm: What does an unheated room do to your body? - BBC News
    That's an interesting finding. I wasn't aware before that the temperature also affects how capable one's brain is.

    "Science tells us that 18 degrees is the tipping point... the body is now working to defend that core temperature," Prof Bailey shouts over the droning fans.

    Especially that the body already starts doing that already below 18 degrees.

  • The IndieWeb for Everyone | Max Böck
    Now that the blue bird seems to be going down or at least is turning into burning trash can, it seems to be more important than ever that people are aware of the fact that it might be a good idea to own your content. But a higher independence comes together with a high barrier of adaption. I guess we as folks working in the IT industry need to be more aware of the fact that things which are obvious for us and not even remotely understandable to people outside our "bubble".

  • How to communicate effectively as a developer
    I guess most of the recommendation can also be applied to different professions.

    Taking writing seriously at work or in your organization and putting in the effort to delight the reader will, over time, compound into a massive body of quality writing that benefits everyone. It is a literal win-win-win

    During my half-year self-reflection I also realized that I need to be more concise when asking questions, especially providing the right context. The things you write and send to others are always for them and not for you. Keep that in mind when writing the next piece of information.

  • The Microwave Economy - David Perell
    I found this one especially interesting for two reasons.

    1. The historical background of the word 'solitude'.
    2. Somehow the key message resonates very good with the book "Four Thousand Weeks" by Oliver Burkeman.

      “The effect of convenience isn’t just that a given activity starts to feel less valuable, but that we stop engaging in certain valuable activities altogether, in favour of more convenient ones.”

      — Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks

    It's also one of the things I realized this year while reading the book. Not everything has to be just convenient. With convenience we often loose the ability to see the value in certain things. More or less the exact same reasoning David Perell uses in his essay.


Because of going on vacation this will be last WIRLW for the next two weeks. A new issue of it will be published in CW48.


  • Reconfiguring Your Life To Amplify Sources Of Value - YouTube
    An interesting prediction Cal Newport makes here. I'm curious to see whether these will actually come true in the next few years. Personally, I don't think the probability is low.

  • The SAFe Delusion – Information for decision-makers considering the SAFe framework
    From my point of view we have an inflation of frameworks in the IT industry. Be it programming, project management or other frameworks. Don't get my wrong it's very useful to have an orientation when you start to conquer a new domain. On the other hand I've seen to many people literally just sticking with the book. Any deviation is not tolerated in these cases even though it would be beneficial for the business outcome. Therefore I really like the approach of having the right information at hand to then make an informed decision on choosing a framework.

  • Things your manager might not know
    Managing up often has a bad connotation. But from my point of view there is nothing wrong in providing your manager the right information an the right time. This article explains when and how one can do that especially to improve the overall outcome of your team.

  • xahteiwi.eu – Scaling the flat organization
    A flat hierarchy is appealing to many. It provides a feeling of equality. But looking at organizational costs of such a structure it becomes quite obvious that it won't scale well above a certain threshold. Proven with the help of some simple math.


  • Folge 122 - DORA Metriken & Accelerate mit Felix Müller (German content)
    The content of this streamed recording is pretty good. They try to provide an overview what business can do to improve developer velocity. How these initiatives can be measured and what pitfalls to avoid.

  • Dad Bod on Twitter: "I dedicate this to all people who say "it sounds like a small task"." / Twitter
    The diagram from the quote tweet is just an excellent example why a small change/little feature might not be a small change. I just ran into this situation on the weekend. Wanted to implement a small helper tool for myself but after a quick head start I ran in the exact same problem that the amount of things to implement became bigger and bigger. In the end I stepped back and found another solution for my specific requirement.

  • SBOMs: An Overhyped Concept That Won't Secure Your Software Supply Chain
    This one is more or less a follow up to last week's WIRLW, especially Kelsey Hightower's talk. The point being made in this article is that it's nice that we have a starting point for SBOMs but there is still a lot of work todo before we have a mature solution. And probably this mature solution will not be SBOM but something for which no specification exists at all today.

  • Why we're leaving the cloud
    This one is a controversial. The discussion about possible savings/spending more money when going to the cloud seems to be ongoing for ages. As is so often the case, it is the details that decide, for example, what kind of workload you want to handle. It's definitely worth reading the David Heinemeier Hansson article and to understand his argument as he's also pointing out even more arguments. Even ones which affect us as a society.

  • Why Do They Think That? – Essays you didn’t want to read
    ⚠️ WARNING: This one is a long read (~23 min. according to Instapaper).
    This essay tries to explain why (some) people are bothered by other people protecting themselves from Covid. The arguments are much more complex (and longer) then could be summarized here in a few words. Therefore, I really recommend reading this essay yourself if you are interested in this topic.