This tide pool, about the size of an adult hand, is home to a tiny crab hiding inside a hollow within the rock. Can you spot it? (mbnov)

Repairing is better than replacing or even recycling. When it comes to minimizing the damage we do to the world and the resources available to future generations, there is simply no question. Every device in our household gets a second life, whenever possible. (mbnov)

When the storm winds abate and the clouds lighten, place the sun at your back in case enough rays of light have emerged to reveal one of nature’s best surprises. (mbnov)

Chicago is an amazing place. I wish more cities were as thoughtful about where and how to build as this town’s Merchants Club, whose members commissioned the Burnham Plan, which recommended preserving the lakefront for public use. (mbnov)

This MBNov Word Series is more than halfway finished and I hear fans are looking forward to seeing a Superb owl soon. I aim to please.

I love how the kids bring home rocks from all kinds of outings. As our collection has grown, I must admit that we have encouraged them to be more selective. (mbnov)

The murky waters along a shoreline are a great place for tadpoles to avoid becoming a meal long enough to become frogs. (mbnov)

Sticking out one’s neck is considered risky behavior for a human, but if you’re a blue heron that’s how you eat so you do it every day. (mbnov)

This whole article resonates with my experience, but especially this:

When you’re responsible for everything, you see a bigger picture. You hear directly from users about design decisions you thought were smart. You hear from yourself when a dependency upgrade is difficult because of a web of intertwined dependencies. It’s humbling. But you learn.

I think this is the aspect I enjoy most about full stack development. Providing a whole solution, rather than just a piece of it, is tremendously powerful. It becomes possible to bring all parts of a system into harmony, every component working toward the same goal.

As a technologist and a humanist, I frequently think about many forms of the word able. My aim is to use technology as a tool to enable people to do great things. It makes me sad when I see technology employed to limit someone’s capabilities. (mbnov)