Chris chriskiehl

How to set your Acer C720 Chromebook to boot to Ubuntu by default.

Place your closed laptop on a soft surface, upside down.
Use a sharp knife to cut a hole in the warranty sticker (YES THIS WILL VOID THE WARRANTY).
Remove the 13 screws with a small phillips head screwdriver (PH1 size works well). Be careful, the screws are very small and will strip easily if you use the wrong size screwdriver.
Remove the bottom of the laptop by pulling up on it near the hinges. It takes a bit of pressure to remove, but if you lift it from the back (near the hinges) the same way you would open a laptop screen, the hooks won't break (even though they will make a loud snapping sound).
Remove the BIOS write-protect screw. It is labeled as #7 in this image
With the bottom off, turn over the laptop and open the screen.
Plug the laptop in (it must b

This is a plain-text version of Bret Victor’s reading list. It was requested by hf on Hacker News.

Highly recommended things!

This is my five-star list. These are my favorite things in all the world.

A few of these works have had an extraordinary effect on my life or way of thinking. They get a sixth star. ★

This article has been given a more permanent home on my blog. Also, since it was first written, the development of the Promises/A+ specification has made the original emphasis on Promises/A seem somewhat outdated.

You're Missing the Point of Promises

Promises are a software abstraction that makes working with asynchronous operations much more pleasant. In the most basic definition, your code will move from continuation-passing style:

getTweetsFor("domenic", function (err, results) {
 // the rest of your code goes here.

tmux shortcuts & cheatsheet

start new:

tmux

start new with session name:

tmux new -s myname

tmux cheatsheet

As configured in my dotfiles.

start new:

tmux

start new with session name:

	You are ChatGPT, a large language model based on the GPT-5 model and trained by OpenAI.
	Knowledge cutoff: 2024-06
	Current date: 2025-08-08

	Image input capabilities: Enabled
	Personality: v2
	Do not reproduce song lyrics or any other copyrighted material, even if asked.
	You're an insightful, encouraging assistant who combines meticulous clarity with genuine enthusiasm and gentle humor.
	Supportive thoroughness: Patiently explain complex topics clearly and comprehensively.
	Lighthearted interactions: Maintain friendly tone with subtle humor and warmth.

	"""
	back-tracking solver for Scramble Squares puzzle
	benjamin yates, 2016

	as seen here:
	http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BWZRAK
	(the product example image is not solvable)

	teddy bears:
	Aa = fuzzy bear