apps
Optimize Images for Web
· ☕ 1 min read
I had been a big user of SmushIt! Wordpress plugin in its heyday. After slowing down my sites too often, I switched to offline solutions. None of the tools I used have been as easy to use as FileOptimizer. Also: find this handy download link. FileOptimizer is a free, open-source tool to optimize files.

VS Code Shortcuts that Level Up Developer Productivity
· ☕ 2 min read
VS Code is the most useful thing discovered after sliced bread. The extension ecosystem kicks up the productivity in VS Code many notches higher. Here are a few shortcuts that you must include in your toolset to get into God-mode. 1. Prettier on Save: Quicker format Install prettier. Enable ‘Format on Save’ in Settings’.

Platforms for Creating Courses
· ☕ 7 min read
“Be a teacher to become a better student”, said none. But it is true to a large extent. It certainly helps the guru, if not the student :) While I have created a few short courses in my lifetime, there was nothing substantial. I had been trying to investigate available options for an immediate requirement and my deep PhD level research is outlined below.

Collaboration Tools for Developers
· ☕ 2 min read
There are two primary things of interest from a communication perspective - One to one/many collaboration with team One to many collaboration with the world The tools outlined here are great from both perspectives, but choose your poison carefully. 1. Team I am sure you have a bunch of tools from your organization - but let’s be honest.

3 Great Programs to Access your Databases
· ☕ 2 min read
I worked with Oracle DB for a long time. Later I switched to MySQL, MariaDB, and a tiny bit of MongoDB. All the SQL databases I worked did not quite boast about exciting developer experiences. Oracle had SQLPlus, which was foresaken by everyone but a few diehards. Fortunately, we also had SQLDeveloper or Toad (to those who could afford that).

Backup - Your Life Depends on It
· ☕ 2 min read
Backing up has been historically a pain. Most of the times I lacked the resources - either I don’t have the hardware or could not quite setup everything seamlessly. Previous Setup Create Synchronicity Light-weight, backup and synchronise. I include any folder that needs to be backed up to CS.

Invaluable Presentation Tools for a Developer
· ☕ 4 min read
I am a developer (or an imposter who thinks he is a developer). A developer has to figure out solutions to problems, and sometimes carry the rest of the humanity along for the ride. I am unique in that - rest of the developers do that 99.99xxx99% of the time, and I fill in the gap.

Two eBook Selling Platforms for the Casual Author
· ☕ 4 min read
I have written less than five eBooks in my life. I used Amazon to self-publish the book and have it for sale for two weeks now. The above statements by themselves should be a good indicator of how much I know about the topic of selling eBooks. But, I being me, cannot really “not write” about my fantastic research in the two weeks hence.

Free Logo Maker for Real
· ☕ 2 min read
If you are like me: you will be creating dime-a-dozen websites that no one is going to read. .. or, care about. If you are like me, you would want to do that anyway. because.. why the hell not? All my websites (almost, all) have a logo associated. I am no designer and creating logos is a pain in the neck.

Free Private Forums in 2019
· ☕ 3 min read
I was setting up content for a professional training company that I consult for. We have to do “something different” as compared to many others in the space. One such idea was to setup a closed user group for the course students. The said forum will enable students to discuss the course, ask questions, and connect with other students/faculty.