🎱 Josh Branchaud ✨
@jbranchaud.bsky.social
Free-Range Software Dev and Consultant ✨ PostgreSQL • Ruby on Rails • TypeScript • React ✨ 🏃🐈🍹🎱 (he/him) | Chicago | Work with me: visualmode.dev
Pinned
The Ruby language and community have given me so much, so I thought I'd give a little something back as #RubyConf wraps.
Introducing Ruby Operator Lookup!
A one-stop directory for all the operators and symbols you'll see in Ruby programs. There are sooo many 😅
www.visualmode.dev/ruby-operators
Introducing Ruby Operator Lookup!
A one-stop directory for all the operators and symbols you'll see in Ruby programs. There are sooo many 😅
www.visualmode.dev/ruby-operators
We have a crossword puzzle book that we take on road trips, camping, and other kinds of travel.
Whenever we complete a puzzle, we write the date, who contributed, and a note about where we are and what we're up to.
It's fun to flip back through and reminisce.
Whenever we complete a puzzle, we write the date, who contributed, and a note about where we are and what we're up to.
It's fun to flip back through and reminisce.
November 11, 2025 at 10:08 PM
We have a crossword puzzle book that we take on road trips, camping, and other kinds of travel.
Whenever we complete a puzzle, we write the date, who contributed, and a note about where we are and what we're up to.
It's fun to flip back through and reminisce.
Whenever we complete a puzzle, we write the date, who contributed, and a note about where we are and what we're up to.
It's fun to flip back through and reminisce.
I use the equivalent of this syntax in Ruby all the time. It’s a nice pattern.
TIL about the JS "Declarations in Conditionals" proposal
This lets you write const/let inside if/while block
Curious, would you use this?
I think I like it, could make code slightly less verbose and still explicit
(TC39 stage 1, will be presented for stage 2 next week)
github.com/tc39/proposa...
This lets you write const/let inside if/while block
Curious, would you use this?
I think I like it, could make code slightly less verbose and still explicit
(TC39 stage 1, will be presented for stage 2 next week)
github.com/tc39/proposa...
November 10, 2025 at 6:55 PM
I use the equivalent of this syntax in Ruby all the time. It’s a nice pattern.
I’ve got to figure out a space heater for my office. HVAC isn’t pushing enough warm air into that room.
I like the idea of the oil-filled radiator style — slower but more energy efficient.
Their top pick (Vornado) sounds nice tho 🤔
www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...
I like the idea of the oil-filled radiator style — slower but more energy efficient.
Their top pick (Vornado) sounds nice tho 🤔
www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...
The Best Space Heaters
Warm up a room and boost your home’s heating system with space heaters we’ve tested firsthand.
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:47 PM
I’ve got to figure out a space heater for my office. HVAC isn’t pushing enough warm air into that room.
I like the idea of the oil-filled radiator style — slower but more energy efficient.
Their top pick (Vornado) sounds nice tho 🤔
www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...
I like the idea of the oil-filled radiator style — slower but more energy efficient.
Their top pick (Vornado) sounds nice tho 🤔
www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...
Pretty cool that MacOS has a built-in command that you invoke. from the CLI to tell your display and system to not go to sleep — useful if you have stuff running and then go to grab some lunch.
github.com/jbranchaud/t...
github.com/jbranchaud/t...
github.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Pretty cool that MacOS has a built-in command that you invoke. from the CLI to tell your display and system to not go to sleep — useful if you have stuff running and then go to grab some lunch.
github.com/jbranchaud/t...
github.com/jbranchaud/t...
Chicago Weather: always overpromising and underdelivering.
November 10, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Chicago Weather: always overpromising and underdelivering.
Incredible — I would have never imagined @chess.com doing a brand collab with old school RuneScape.
November 10, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Incredible — I would have never imagined @chess.com doing a brand collab with old school RuneScape.
Reposted by 🎱 Josh Branchaud ✨
“I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time.”
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 5:26 PM
“I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time.”
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
“Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start”
November 6, 2025 at 9:19 PM
“Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start”
🎉 Super proud to have hit the 5 year mark of VisualMode and being an independent software developer.
I continue to work with great clients on challenging projects. In particular I’m enjoying some recent modern Rails apps — this stack still has a big future.
www.visualmode.dev
I continue to work with great clients on challenging projects. In particular I’m enjoying some recent modern Rails apps — this stack still has a big future.
www.visualmode.dev
VisualMode - Small-batch software development and consulting
Your business is built on software. You need that software to run like a well-oiled machine so that you can keep moving forward. VisualMode can help. We bring cross-discipline, full-stack expertise to...
www.visualmode.dev
November 3, 2025 at 11:23 PM
🎉 Super proud to have hit the 5 year mark of VisualMode and being an independent software developer.
I continue to work with great clients on challenging projects. In particular I’m enjoying some recent modern Rails apps — this stack still has a big future.
www.visualmode.dev
I continue to work with great clients on challenging projects. In particular I’m enjoying some recent modern Rails apps — this stack still has a big future.
www.visualmode.dev
One of my worst habits is feeling too precious about my Chrome tabs and never closing them until there are dozens or even 100+.
Wanting to give Hammerspoon (MacOS scripted automation tooling) a spin, I figured this would be a good task to take on.
Here's ChromeTabSaver!
github.com/jbranchaud/d...
Wanting to give Hammerspoon (MacOS scripted automation tooling) a spin, I figured this would be a good task to take on.
Here's ChromeTabSaver!
github.com/jbranchaud/d...
github.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:29 PM
One of my worst habits is feeling too precious about my Chrome tabs and never closing them until there are dozens or even 100+.
Wanting to give Hammerspoon (MacOS scripted automation tooling) a spin, I figured this would be a good task to take on.
Here's ChromeTabSaver!
github.com/jbranchaud/d...
Wanting to give Hammerspoon (MacOS scripted automation tooling) a spin, I figured this would be a good task to take on.
Here's ChromeTabSaver!
github.com/jbranchaud/d...
One of my all-time favorite albums — Daft Punk’s Alive 2007
November 2, 2025 at 10:43 PM
One of my all-time favorite albums — Daft Punk’s Alive 2007
Intel MBP running Rails app unit test suite: 2min 23sec
M4 Max MBP running Rails app unit test suite: 12sec
Wowow 🤩🏎️
M4 Max MBP running Rails app unit test suite: 12sec
Wowow 🤩🏎️
November 2, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Intel MBP running Rails app unit test suite: 2min 23sec
M4 Max MBP running Rails app unit test suite: 12sec
Wowow 🤩🏎️
M4 Max MBP running Rails app unit test suite: 12sec
Wowow 🤩🏎️
If you want to do *online* database schema migrations without degrading the performance of your system, the Expand and Contract Pattern is a great approach. And generally a great pattern to know about.
www.prisma.io/dataguide/ty...
www.prisma.io/dataguide/ty...
Using the expand and contract pattern | Prisma's Data Guide
In this article, we introduce the expand and contract pattern to help migrate data and clients to a new schema.
www.prisma.io
October 31, 2025 at 6:52 PM
If you want to do *online* database schema migrations without degrading the performance of your system, the Expand and Contract Pattern is a great approach. And generally a great pattern to know about.
www.prisma.io/dataguide/ty...
www.prisma.io/dataguide/ty...
I finally figured out that in VSCode/Cursor, if I hit cmd+p and type out the name of a file I want to create, I'll eventually filter everything else out and have a single option to create that file and the intervening directories if necessary.
October 30, 2025 at 6:42 PM
I finally figured out that in VSCode/Cursor, if I hit cmd+p and type out the name of a file I want to create, I'll eventually filter everything else out and have a single option to create that file and the intervening directories if necessary.
Reposted by 🎱 Josh Branchaud ✨
*because of terrorism
Commentary: Just six months ago, my daughter would beg me for cotton candy from one of the after-school vendors, and we’d stay on the playground a little longer before heading home. Now, the vendors are gone, the playground is closed and the small routines have quietly disappeared because of fear.
Allison Pleas: Fear of ICE is stealing the simple moments in my Chicago neighborhood
The environment around my daughter’s predominantly Latino school has changed: The vendors are gone and the playground is closed.
trib.al
October 30, 2025 at 6:30 PM
*because of terrorism
Reposted by 🎱 Josh Branchaud ✨
No one should have to put up with this shit but in particular kids should not have to put up with this shit
Indoor trick-or-treat events. Candy dropoffs. Neighbors patrolling with whistles.
This is how Chicagoans are helping kids have a safe and ICE-free Halloween this year: blockclubchi.co/47qJSzi.
This is how Chicagoans are helping kids have a safe and ICE-free Halloween this year: blockclubchi.co/47qJSzi.
October 30, 2025 at 5:04 PM
No one should have to put up with this shit but in particular kids should not have to put up with this shit
Reposted by 🎱 Josh Branchaud ✨
heartbreaking and infuriating
October 30, 2025 at 2:14 PM
heartbreaking and infuriating
Reposted by 🎱 Josh Branchaud ✨
Border Patrol officers stand outside their vehicles at a gas station near Bridgeport Tuesday in Chicago. Earlier in the day students from Little Village Lawndale High School held a walk out to protest recent immigration enforcement actions in the area.
October 28, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Border Patrol officers stand outside their vehicles at a gas station near Bridgeport Tuesday in Chicago. Earlier in the day students from Little Village Lawndale High School held a walk out to protest recent immigration enforcement actions in the area.
I'm finding I like my tooling way better when I make (Neo)Vim act more like an IDE than when I make an IDE act more like (Neo)Vim.
October 28, 2025 at 10:28 PM
I'm finding I like my tooling way better when I make (Neo)Vim act more like an IDE than when I make an IDE act more like (Neo)Vim.
I know a big part of this is probably due to not having 200 chrome tabs open (yet), but the difference in battery life between my 2020 Intel MBP and this new M4 MBP is astounding.
October 26, 2025 at 11:04 PM
I know a big part of this is probably due to not having 200 chrome tabs open (yet), but the difference in battery life between my 2020 Intel MBP and this new M4 MBP is astounding.
Always fun to browse this list of fzf utility functions, especially the ones for git.
`fbr` (for displaying a quick picker of recent git branches) is a favorite
github.com/junegunn/fzf...
`fbr` (for displaying a quick picker of recent git branches) is a favorite
github.com/junegunn/fzf...
Examples
:cherry_blossom: A command-line fuzzy finder. Contribute to junegunn/fzf development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
October 26, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Always fun to browse this list of fzf utility functions, especially the ones for git.
`fbr` (for displaying a quick picker of recent git branches) is a favorite
github.com/junegunn/fzf...
`fbr` (for displaying a quick picker of recent git branches) is a favorite
github.com/junegunn/fzf...
A friend and their 2y/o kid got hit with teargas while out for a walk in their neighborhood this morning.
How has it become so routine for these reckless ICE thugs to snatch our neighbors and lob chemical weapons onto residential streets while they do it.
This is everyday across Chicago right now.
How has it become so routine for these reckless ICE thugs to snatch our neighbors and lob chemical weapons onto residential streets while they do it.
This is everyday across Chicago right now.
October 25, 2025 at 5:36 PM
A friend and their 2y/o kid got hit with teargas while out for a walk in their neighborhood this morning.
How has it become so routine for these reckless ICE thugs to snatch our neighbors and lob chemical weapons onto residential streets while they do it.
This is everyday across Chicago right now.
How has it become so routine for these reckless ICE thugs to snatch our neighbors and lob chemical weapons onto residential streets while they do it.
This is everyday across Chicago right now.
idea: a code formatter for template files, but in really specific circumstances it removes a couple text characters here and there
October 24, 2025 at 7:24 PM
idea: a code formatter for template files, but in really specific circumstances it removes a couple text characters here and there
Reposted by 🎱 Josh Branchaud ✨
it’s beyond comprehension that scenes like this have become routine in chicago.
masked soldiers are carelessly lobbing chemical weapons—that are banned from use during warfare—on random residential streets.
this is the third time feds have tear-gassed residents in chicago *this week!*
masked soldiers are carelessly lobbing chemical weapons—that are banned from use during warfare—on random residential streets.
this is the third time feds have tear-gassed residents in chicago *this week!*
Video from witness here from the moment CBP gassed neighbors who had gathered outside after the kidnapping.
Agent rolls a canister at the crowd out of the window of their car as they reverse away from people with whistles and bikes.
Agent rolls a canister at the crowd out of the window of their car as they reverse away from people with whistles and bikes.
October 24, 2025 at 6:55 PM
it’s beyond comprehension that scenes like this have become routine in chicago.
masked soldiers are carelessly lobbing chemical weapons—that are banned from use during warfare—on random residential streets.
this is the third time feds have tear-gassed residents in chicago *this week!*
masked soldiers are carelessly lobbing chemical weapons—that are banned from use during warfare—on random residential streets.
this is the third time feds have tear-gassed residents in chicago *this week!*