Dave Cross
@davorg.davecross.co.uk
Geek. Lefty. Atheist. Skeptic. Rationalist. Secularist. Humanist. Republican (UK Meaning!). Music lover. Writer. Genealogist.
People have been talking about Perl's rather impressive improvement in the TIOBE index over recent months. I dug into the data.
tiobe.perlhacks.com
tiobe.perlhacks.com
Perl in the TIOBE Index
tiobe.perlhacks.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:38 PM
People have been talking about Perl's rather impressive improvement in the TIOBE index over recent months. I dug into the data.
tiobe.perlhacks.com
tiobe.perlhacks.com
I've just been (mildly) bitten by a Markdown gotcha. Who can work out what problem this commit fixed?
github.com/davorg/davec...
github.com/davorg/davec...
January 7, 2026 at 1:58 PM
I've just been (mildly) bitten by a Markdown gotcha. Who can work out what problem this commit fixed?
github.com/davorg/davec...
github.com/davorg/davec...
I'm rather enjoying this conversation with a scammer (even though I know it's, ultimately, pointless) 🙂
January 7, 2026 at 11:53 AM
I'm rather enjoying this conversation with a scammer (even though I know it's, ultimately, pointless) 🙂
I really don't want to come across as a lifestyle guru or some kind of finance bro, but I wrote down some things I was thinking about over the weekend.
davorg.medium.com/retirement-i...
davorg.medium.com/retirement-i...
Retirement isn’t a date, it’s a dial
How to make work optional long before you reach pension age.
davorg.medium.com
January 5, 2026 at 12:51 PM
I really don't want to come across as a lifestyle guru or some kind of finance bro, but I wrote down some things I was thinking about over the weekend.
davorg.medium.com/retirement-i...
davorg.medium.com/retirement-i...
Here's the newsletter I sent out to subscribers on New Year's Eve.
davecross.substack.com/p/books-and-...
davecross.substack.com/p/books-and-...
Books and websites and clouds, oh my!
And totally failing to stick to "one thing at a time"
davecross.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Here's the newsletter I sent out to subscribers on New Year's Eve.
davecross.substack.com/p/books-and-...
davecross.substack.com/p/books-and-...
A command-line program I use constantly. Maybe you'll find it useful too.
perlhacks.com/2026/01/apph...
perlhacks.com/2026/01/apph...
App::HTTPThis: the tiny web server I keep reaching for - Perl Hacks
Whenever I’m building a static website, I almost never start by reaching for Apache, nginx, Docker, or anything that feels like “proper infrastructure”. Nine times out of ten I just want a directory s...
perlhacks.com
January 4, 2026 at 1:54 PM
A command-line program I use constantly. Maybe you'll find it useful too.
perlhacks.com/2026/01/apph...
perlhacks.com/2026/01/apph...
This week's entry in "The Horsell Transmissions" was published this morning.
horsell.substack.com/p/extract-2-...
horsell.substack.com/p/extract-2-...
Extract 2: Horsell Common - Hatch Open
A Checklist Completed Under Damp Conditions
horsell.substack.com
January 4, 2026 at 11:22 AM
This week's entry in "The Horsell Transmissions" was published this morning.
horsell.substack.com/p/extract-2-...
horsell.substack.com/p/extract-2-...
Maybe it's not the right day to mention this. But if you're planning some kind of "giving up a particular pleasure for January" exercise starting tomorrow, then Dave's Dry January tracker will tell you how far through it you are.
davorg.dev/january/
davorg.dev/january/
Dave's January Tracker
davorg.dev
December 31, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Maybe it's not the right day to mention this. But if you're planning some kind of "giving up a particular pleasure for January" exercise starting tomorrow, then Dave's Dry January tracker will tell you how far through it you are.
davorg.dev/january/
davorg.dev/january/
I've written a little more about my new Substack project - The Horsell Transmissions
open.substack.com/pub/horsell/...
open.substack.com/pub/horsell/...
A Note on the Provenance of the Documents
I have learned, over the years, that there are two reliable ways to acquire a thing you do not fully understand.
open.substack.com
December 29, 2025 at 8:51 PM
I've written a little more about my new Substack project - The Horsell Transmissions
open.substack.com/pub/horsell/...
open.substack.com/pub/horsell/...
A silly new project for the new year.
The Horsell Transmissions: Recovered Mars–Earth transmissions from 1898, translated and annotated. Procedure, panic, and the planet’s smallest citizens.
horsell.substack.com
The Horsell Transmissions: Recovered Mars–Earth transmissions from 1898, translated and annotated. Procedure, panic, and the planet’s smallest citizens.
horsell.substack.com
The Horsell Transmissions | Dave Cross | Substack
Recovered fragments of intercepted Mars–Earth transmissions from the summer of 1898, translated and annotated as a campaign log of the Horsell landing: what the Martians thought they were doing, what ...
horsell.substack.com
December 28, 2025 at 6:16 PM
A silly new project for the new year.
The Horsell Transmissions: Recovered Mars–Earth transmissions from 1898, translated and annotated. Procedure, panic, and the planet’s smallest citizens.
horsell.substack.com
The Horsell Transmissions: Recovered Mars–Earth transmissions from 1898, translated and annotated. Procedure, panic, and the planet’s smallest citizens.
horsell.substack.com
In an end-of-year cinema rush, I saw "Hamnet" yesterday and "David Bowie: The Final Act" today. I need to see fewer films about death :-/
December 27, 2025 at 5:25 PM
In an end-of-year cinema rush, I saw "Hamnet" yesterday and "David Bowie: The Final Act" today. I need to see fewer films about death :-/
Happy Christmas, everyone.
I'm not sure how I managed it[*], but I got to Christmas Day without being Whamaggeddoned.
[*] Probably not going into a shop during the Christmas period was a big help.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gm...
I'm not sure how I managed it[*], but I got to Christmas Day without being Whamaggeddoned.
[*] Probably not going into a shop during the Christmas period was a big help.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gm...
Wham! - Last Christmas (Official Video)
YouTube video by WhamVEVO
www.youtube.com
December 25, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Happy Christmas, everyone.
I'm not sure how I managed it[*], but I got to Christmas Day without being Whamaggeddoned.
[*] Probably not going into a shop during the Christmas period was a big help.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gm...
I'm not sure how I managed it[*], but I got to Christmas Day without being Whamaggeddoned.
[*] Probably not going into a shop during the Christmas period was a big help.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gm...
For many years, I used this photo as part of the Magnum Solutions branding. It was on business cards, my website and talk slides. Google Photos "On This Day" has just reminded me that it was taken 20 years ago today.
It's the Castlerigg Stone Circle, just outside of Keswick in the Lake District.
It's the Castlerigg Stone Circle, just outside of Keswick in the Lake District.
December 24, 2025 at 12:17 PM
For many years, I used this photo as part of the Magnum Solutions branding. It was on business cards, my website and talk slides. Google Photos "On This Day" has just reminded me that it was taken 20 years ago today.
It's the Castlerigg Stone Circle, just outside of Keswick in the Lake District.
It's the Castlerigg Stone Circle, just outside of Keswick in the Lake District.
At the start of this year, Jekyll was something that I disliked so much that I started writing my own static site generator in Perl.
Today, I uploaded my first Jekyll plugin to RubyGems. It's been a weird year.
rubygems.org/gems/jekyll-...
Today, I uploaded my first Jekyll plugin to RubyGems. It's been a weird year.
rubygems.org/gems/jekyll-...
jekyll-taxonomy-redirects | RubyGems.org | your community gem host
rubygems.org
December 22, 2025 at 5:48 PM
At the start of this year, Jekyll was something that I disliked so much that I started writing my own static site generator in Perl.
Today, I uploaded my first Jekyll plugin to RubyGems. It's been a weird year.
rubygems.org/gems/jekyll-...
Today, I uploaded my first Jekyll plugin to RubyGems. It's been a weird year.
rubygems.org/gems/jekyll-...
Today, I'm being annoyed by companies that see you browsing their site and use that as an excuse to send a "Did you forget something?" email. Looking at you, Grind
December 16, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Today, I'm being annoyed by companies that see you browsing their site and use that as an excuse to send a "Did you forget something?" email. Looking at you, Grind
A peek behind the curtain at Perl School Publishing (maybe useful to other people who might want to publish an ebook)
perlhacks.com/2025/12/behi...
perlhacks.com/2025/12/behi...
Behind the scenes at Perl School Publishing - Perl Hacks
We’ve just published a new Perl School book: Design Patterns in Modern Perl by Mohammad Sajid Anwar. It’s been a while since we last released a new title, and in the meantime, the world of eBooks has ...
perlhacks.com
December 14, 2025 at 6:05 PM
A peek behind the curtain at Perl School Publishing (maybe useful to other people who might want to publish an ebook)
perlhacks.com/2025/12/behi...
perlhacks.com/2025/12/behi...
Back in 1984, when "Resurrection of the Daleks" was first broadcast, I knew little about Shad Thames (it was "that dodgy area to the east of Tower Bridge"). But having spent a couple of years working at Zoopla, I now know it very well.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WAB...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WAB...
The Fifth Doctor vs. the Daleks | The Collection: Season 21 Announcement Trailer | Doctor Who
YouTube video by Doctor Who
www.youtube.com
December 4, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Back in 1984, when "Resurrection of the Daleks" was first broadcast, I knew little about Shad Thames (it was "that dodgy area to the east of Tower Bridge"). But having spent a couple of years working at Zoopla, I now know it very well.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WAB...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WAB...
David Bowie was my top artist in Spotify Wrapped - but not one of his songs made my top 100 playlist.
Anyway, if you're interested in what I've been listening to this year, here's the playlist.
open.spotify.com/playlist/37i...
Anyway, if you're interested in what I've been listening to this year, here's the playlist.
open.spotify.com/playlist/37i...
Dave Cross's Top Songs 2025
open.spotify.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:34 AM
David Bowie was my top artist in Spotify Wrapped - but not one of his songs made my top 100 playlist.
Anyway, if you're interested in what I've been listening to this year, here's the playlist.
open.spotify.com/playlist/37i...
Anyway, if you're interested in what I've been listening to this year, here's the playlist.
open.spotify.com/playlist/37i...
I've been writing Advent Calendar posts about Pixie the Elf for a few years now. So I thought it was time she had her own website.
pixie.perlhacks.com
pixie.perlhacks.com
Pixie the Elf writes Perl
Pixie the Elf is a cheerful Perl hacker at the North Pole. This page collects all of her Perl Advent calendar stories in one place.
pixie.perlhacks.com
December 3, 2025 at 12:23 PM
I've been writing Advent Calendar posts about Pixie the Elf for a few years now. So I thought it was time she had her own website.
pixie.perlhacks.com
pixie.perlhacks.com
Perl Advent Calendar 2025 -
All I Want for Christmas Is the Right Aspect Ratio
perladvent.org
December 2, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Five years ago today, the cables at the Arecibo Observatory went "ping" in a spectacular fashion.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3AA...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3AA...
Arecibo Observatory - drone and ground view during the collapse & pre-collapse historical footage
YouTube video by MechDesignTV
www.youtube.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Five years ago today, the cables at the Arecibo Observatory went "ping" in a spectacular fashion.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3AA...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3AA...
I hinted that Perl School was about to wake up. I can now tell you that we've published "Design Patterns in Modern Perl" by Mohammad Sajid Anwar. More details (and Amazon and LeanPub links) on the page below.
perlschool.com/books/design...
perlschool.com/books/design...
Design Patterns in Modern Perl - Perl School Publishing
Design Patterns in Modern Perl shows how classic object-oriented patterns look in today’s Perl. Using core Perl, Moo and Object::Pad, Mohammad Sajid Anwar builds real, tested examples, helping you cho...
perlschool.com
November 29, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I hinted that Perl School was about to wake up. I can now tell you that we've published "Design Patterns in Modern Perl" by Mohammad Sajid Anwar. More details (and Amazon and LeanPub links) on the page below.
perlschool.com/books/design...
perlschool.com/books/design...
Interesting corner of British political history. It was 35 years ago today that Thatcher announced she was withdrawing from the Tory leadership election (and would, therefore, no longer be PM).
The last 15 years have given me far more respect for her than I ever had at the time.
The last 15 years have given me far more respect for her than I ever had at the time.
November 22, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Interesting corner of British political history. It was 35 years ago today that Thatcher announced she was withdrawing from the Tory leadership election (and would, therefore, no longer be PM).
The last 15 years have given me far more respect for her than I ever had at the time.
The last 15 years have given me far more respect for her than I ever had at the time.
I have actual real work that I should be getting on with. But, first, I needed to get this out of my head.
davorg.medium.com/ms-fnd-in-a-...
davorg.medium.com/ms-fnd-in-a-...
MS Fnd in a Modl
Or, The Day the Corpus Collapsed
davorg.medium.com
November 16, 2025 at 9:29 AM
I have actual real work that I should be getting on with. But, first, I needed to get this out of my head.
davorg.medium.com/ms-fnd-in-a-...
davorg.medium.com/ms-fnd-in-a-...