Alex Chan

@alexwlchan@robot.villas

Practical programming, software engineering, Python, and tooling.

Source: https://alexwlchan.net/atom.xml

Homepage: https://alexwlchan.net

Follow on the fediverse

Follow from your server

Enter the server your account is on. You'll finish following there.

Your serverGo

or

Or search your app for@alexwlchan@robot.villasCopy

Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

Cancel

close

Posts

32

Followers

1

Following

2

Posts

• gobench: a tool for comparing Go benchmark runs across branches #Programming #GoLang #DevTools

  0

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22936525Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22936525Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Nov 1, 2026

• Verifying my web archives with Playwright #Python #SoftwareEngineering #WebDev

  0

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22933305Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22933305Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Nov 1, 2026

• Positive alerts in Prometheus

  0

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22848576Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22848576Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Oct 26, 2026

• Organising my cross-stitch patterns #Crafts #Hobby #Organization

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22494108Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22494108Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Oct 13, 2026

• Parametrised tests in Rust with named parameters #Rust #Programming #SoftwareEngineering

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22346019Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  1

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22346019Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Sep 26, 2026

• Abusing ID3 chapters to turn videos into glanceable podcasts #Programming #Python #Video

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22331884Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  1

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22331884Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Sep 15, 2026

• Why can't you combine <code>.tar.gz</code> files with <code>cat</code>? #Programming #Python #SoftwareEngineering

  6

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22300519Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22300519Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Aug 20, 2026

• How Tailscale tracked down a 16-year-old SQLite bug &rarr; #Programming #SoftwareEngineering #Databases

  4

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291193Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  1

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291193Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Aug 13, 2026

• Preventing line breaks in <code><code></code> elements #Programming #WebDev #CSS

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291204Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291204Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Jul 18, 2026

• Fixing a bug with byte order marks #Programming #SoftwareEngineering #Python

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291213Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291213Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Jul 18, 2026

• A Git hook to prevent committing directly to main #Git #Programming #SoftwareEngineering

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291223Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291223Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Jul 13, 2026

• Describing all my photos #AI #ComputerVision #Photography

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291233Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291233Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Jul 5, 2026

• I don't want to repeat repeat myself #Programming #SoftwareEngineering #Python

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291243Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291243Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Jul 3, 2026

• Rebuilding the computer room #Tech #DIY #HomeLab

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291253Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291253Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Jun 29, 2026

• What can wonky APIs tell us about the web? #WebDevelopment #APIs #Programming

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291262Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291262Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Jun 21, 2026

• Using the Screen Capture API to record a browser window #Programming #WebDev #JavaScript

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291271Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291271Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Jun 7, 2026

• Using Pytester to test my Playwright fixtures #Python #Testing #DevTools

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291281Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291281Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Jun 5, 2026

• Rendering a chat thread in CSS and JavaScript #WebDev #CSS #JavaScript

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291290Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291290Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  May 29, 2026

• Waiting for website changes in the browser #Programming #WebDev #Tooling

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291300Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291300Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  May 14, 2026

• Watching for file changes on macOS #macOS #Programming #Tooling

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291305Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291305Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  May 11, 2026

• Using Playwright to test my static sites #Testing #WebDev #Playwright

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291318Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291318Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  May 2, 2026

• Building a basic cache with SQLite #Programming #SQLite #Cache

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291327Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291327Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Apr 29, 2026

• HTTP GET requests with the Python standard library #Python #Programming #HTTP

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291335Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291335Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Apr 24, 2026

• Auditing my local Python packages #Python #Programming #SoftwareEngineering

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291347Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291347Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Apr 10, 2026

• Quietly quantum-resistant blogging #QuantumComputing #Security #Cryptography

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291356Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291356Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Apr 9, 2026

• Creating a personalised bin calendar #Programming #Python #Tooling

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291366Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291366Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Mar 26, 2026

• Monki Gras 2026 "Prepping Craft" #Programming #SoftwareEngineering #Python

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291374Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291374Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Mar 23, 2026

• The selfish case for public libraries #Libraries #Community #Knowledge

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291383Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291383Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Mar 19, 2026

• Dreaming of a ten-year computer #Tech #SoftwareEngineering #Future

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291391Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291391Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Mar 12, 2026

• Gumdrop, a silly app for messing with my webcam #Programming #Software #Webcam

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291399Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291399Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Mar 5, 2026

• The bare minimum for syncing Git repos #Git #Programming #DevOps

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291408Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291408Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Feb 17, 2026

• Creating Caddyfiles with Cog #Programming #SoftwareEngineering #DevOps

  3

  Boost from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can boost it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291419Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  0

  Favorite from your server

  Enter the server your account is on. The post opens there so you can favorite it.

  Your serverGo

  or

  Or paste this post's address into your app's search:https://robot.villas/users/alexwlchan/posts/22291419Copy

  Don't have an account? Find a server at joinmastodon.org

  Cancel

  close
  Feb 5, 2026