I just created a tool called Name Checker. The idea is if you want to create a new project and don’t want to check all the places (npm, apt, GitHub) for a name collision, you can just use this tool instead. I started working on this because I noticed on HN folks sometimes create a new company and SAAS and they didn’t notice that the name was already taken. I intentionally have not checked (the irony) to see if a tool like this exists, because it seems like with over 8 billion people on the planet there will always be someone that got there more quickly. That shouldn’t prevent me from making something even better, but it tends to discourage me from even starting. So… check, but don’t check :) ...

I’ve heard recently that a good way to learn is to write, that writing forces you to think and organize your thoughts and to create new connections while contemplating what to write next. It may have been the prevalence of screens in my last few years that convinced me that I could learn solely through passive consumption. Watching a video can be a good intro to a subject, but it’s no substitute for the slow and thoughtful act of writing and thinking. ...