Starting to look at TDD again

Yesterday, with the help of Google Gemini, I created a small test project to start trying my hand again at test-driven development with Node.js, Express, Mocha, and Chai. After I was able to get the small project to run, I created a starter project as a Github repo, so I can have the same starting point for new projects. Enjoy!

Some thoughts on linkblogging

As I have written in the past week, I have a number of linkblogs and linkblog sites:

Liveblog47 – Links to liveblogs covering the current Trump administration
Linkblog – A place for my links
AndySylvester.com – my links category
KamalaCampaignTimeline – a single page site of links to media during the Kamala Harris presidential campaign

I have used different tools for these sites, but I consider all of them to be linkblogs of one kind or another. Many people have linkblogs. However, this week, Dave Winer says that he “had to do a definitive linkblog“. Really? Like there is such a thing. Is there a “definitive blog”? Dave has commented on how people should not start a group “whose name says you own the future of something that is open” (podcasting), or what constitutes the open social web. Please – let’s have a little humility here. Linkblogs are everywhere and have lots of variety, just like regular blogs. No need to add the adjective “definitive” here…

Dave Winer writes today about “a nice social web that builds on simple open formats”. I think that is already here – The Feed Network! Nothing else to do to make this happen…

I see that Dave Winer has added linkblogging as a WordLand feature – nice! However, I think it is a bit of a “reach” to say WordLand creates a “definitive” linkblog – more on this later…

Tara Calashain of ResearchBuzz has created a great RSS web app called No Kings TV, which displays news and YouTube videos from 20 regions in the US, and has a button for “Protest News”. Check it out!

I have used stock WordPress as a linkblogging tool (used a category). I also have a nice tool for linkblogging (see demo here). I also have a Hugo-based linkblog. No lack of options!

I am interested in seeing what Dave Winer is going to do with WordLand as a linkblogging tool. It can already be used as a linkblogging tool, but I think he wants the RSS feed to be something that is different from what WordPress generates.

My thoughts on the Los Angeles protests

As I posted earlier today, the Monday protest were handled by local law enforcement. The National Guard and Marines were not needed. Trump should back off on this, but he will not. Sounds like there is a hearing scheduled for Thursday on California’s suit against Trump.

I am against violence and property damage. I am also against unrestricted actions to sweep up people off the streets and deporting them to foreign countries without due process. In my opinion, this is what the protests are about. The actions of ICE in Los Angeles were the ignition point.

I live in the Portland, Oregon area, and I covered the 2020 protests on Portland Protest News. To me, the reason why protests continued for so long is that there has been a demonstrated evidence of racist behavior by the Portland Police Bureau, and people had had enough. Were there bad actors? Sure. Were there people inciting violence? Yes. But there was also the Wall of Moms, there were other protesters of the racist behavior who were peaceful. Was there attempts to defuse the situation? Not really.

Protests are spreading across the nation. No Kings protests are being planned across the nation. There is a growing number of people who are protesting the actions of the Trump adminstration.