johnro

Author: johnro

  • My Life Without a Computer

    My Life Without a Computer

    Daily writing prompt
    Your life without a computer: what does it look like?
    View all responses

    If I’m being honest, my life without a computer would look completely different. And I don’t just mean a Windows PC or a Mac — let’s lump in smartphones, tablets, and all the other smart devices too. Otherwise, it’s kind of boring, right?

    I rely on computers for everything — work, communication, entertainment, even creativity. Without one, I basically wouldn’t have my career. I’m a software engineer, so no computer means no code, no programs, no job. I probably would’ve ended up as an author or something like that, which was my original dream growing up.

    But here’s the thing: life without a computer wouldn’t necessarily be all bad. The last time I didn’t own one was in the early ’90s, when I was just a kid. Life was so much simpler then. If you wanted to see friends, you arranged a time and place — and actually showed up. If someone called your house and you weren’t home, you just missed the call. You memorized phone numbers. You went outside for fun. And honestly? There were no endless streams of short video clips melting your attention span.

    My free time would probably shift a lot. Maybe more TV, more books, more family events. I’d be more active. Probably healthier too. Sure, I’d miss the digital world if computers suddenly vanished one day, but if they had never been invented at all, I’d just lean into analog hobbies and not know what I was missing.

    And stress? I bet I’d have less of it. Computers — and especially the internet — made life faster, noisier, and more anxious. Sometimes I think we all need a break from screens just to breathe a little easier.

    So is life without a computer a step backward? Yeah, kind of. But it’s also a rediscovery of simplicity. Some days I really do miss those simpler, pre-computer days.

    Funny how thinking about this makes me feel old. But maybe that’s just the nostalgia talking.

  • The Korean Folktale of the Gumiho and the Fox Tail in the Moonlight

    The Korean Folktale of the Gumiho and the Fox Tail in the Moonlight

    In Korean folklore, few figures inspire as much fear and fascination as the gumiho (구미호) — the legendary nine-tailed fox. Unlike its Japanese cousin, the kitsune, or the Chinese huli jing, the Korean gumiho has long been portrayed as a dangerous, flesh-eating creature. With the ability to transform into a stunningly beautiful woman, the gumiho uses seduction and trickery to prey upon unsuspecting humans. Many folktales feature her disguises being exposed — often by a small slip, such as her tail peeking out under the moonlight.

    One of the eeriest stories passed down through generations is known as “The Tale of the Fox Tail in the Moonlight.”

    (more…)
  • Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety

    Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety

    When I first started out as a software engineer, I thought I could just keep my head down and focus on code. And for a while, that was true. But as I advanced in my career, I noticed the role was changing. Software engineering isn’t just about writing code—it’s also about communicating, collaborating, designing systems, and getting your ideas across clearly.

    That means that yes, public speaking becomes part of the job. Not in a “you’re on stage every week” kind of way, but in the occasional presentation, design review, or knowledge-sharing session. And because those opportunities are infrequent—especially for ICs—it’s hard to get into a rhythm. You’re often dusting off your presentation nerves every single time. Unless you’re at a higher level where you’re constantly in meetings, cross-team discussions, and stakeholder presentations, public speaking tends to feel more like a pop quiz than a practiced skill.

    I’ve always hated public speaking. But as I’ve grown in my career, I’ve been asked—sometimes “voluntold”—to speak up more often. So I’ve been learning to cope with the discomfort.

    (more…)
  • Catching Issues Before Customers Do

    Catching Issues Before Customers Do

    About ten years into my career, I had the opportunity to work on a large-scale, business-critical talent management software system. One part of the platform I focused on was the application workflow — the feature where candidates applied for jobs.

    This workflow might sound straightforward, but it was mission-critical. If it broke, candidates couldn’t apply, customers missed out on talent, and everyone lost valuable time. The challenge was that candidates themselves rarely reported errors; instead, our clients would eventually notice and file a bug report. By then, the damage had already been done.

    (more…)
  • The Importance of Networking for Landing Jobs

    The Importance of Networking for Landing Jobs

    When I look back on my career, one pattern stands out clearly: most of my jobs came through networking, not cold applications. In fact, only a handful of times have I landed a role purely on my own. More often, it was a referral, a past colleague, or a connection who opened the door.

    Even my very first part-time job came through referral. My second, a full-time role, was the same. The job after that was one of the few I landed on my own. Then came two more through referrals, then another I got on my own. My current role came through a recruiter reaching out directly. Across all these transitions, one thing is consistent: networking has helped me move quickly from job to job, leaving no gaps.

    And it wasn’t just about getting offers faster. It was about people I had worked with before recognizing me as someone reliable and easy to work with, and choosing to vouch for me. That’s a powerful thing.

    (more…)
  • The Ballerina and the Mirror

    The Ballerina and the Mirror

    Growing Up with Scary Stories

    When I was young, I loved scary stories. They were more than just entertainment — they were a kind of shared ritual among friends, told in hushed voices to see who would flinch first. Some of those tales have faded from memory, but others have stuck with me for decades.

    One that still lingers is a story about a ballerina and a mirror. I don’t remember every detail perfectly, but I remember enough — and the twist ending is what still makes me shiver today.

    (more…)
  • The Window Girl Who Still Haunts Me

    The Window Girl Who Still Haunts Me

    Growing Up with Scary Stories

    When I was young, I loved scary stories. I couldn’t get enough of them — the whispered tales at night, the way friends would try to out-scare each other, the mix of laughter and fear when someone jumped at the perfect moment. Most of those stories I’ve forgotten with time, but there’s one that still lingers in the back of my mind. Even now, years later, it creeps me out just thinking about it.

    It’s a story I heard from friends, passed along like a piece of playground folklore. The details may have shifted over time, but the image at its heart has never left me: a girl in a window, smiling.

    (more…)
  • From Reactive to Proactive: My “Light Bulb” Moment With Monitoring

    From Reactive to Proactive: My “Light Bulb” Moment With Monitoring

    About ten years into my career, I had one of those rare light bulb moments that completely reshaped how I approached engineering. Until then, I’d mostly thought of my role in terms of building features, fixing bugs, and keeping things moving. But thanks to a push from a colleague in product, I began to see things differently — not just as an engineer, but as someone responsible for the experience of real people using what we built.

    (more…)
  • Staying Professional When It’s Easier Not To

    Staying Professional When It’s Easier Not To

    Early in my career, I worked closely with a colleague who, for reasons I’ll never fully understand, decided I was “their person.” Whenever something came up — a bug to chase down, a query to run, data to pull — they’d come straight to me. At first, it felt flattering. Being needed always carries a certain weight, especially when you’re new. But over time, the relationship started to drift into something a little more complicated.

    This colleague grew comfortable enough with me to share their unfiltered thoughts about others on the team. They would complain when people spoke up too much in meetings or grumble about how slowly someone worked. One day, they sent me a message complaining about a teammate taking too long to finish a task. And for the first time, I pushed back.

    I said: “She does take time, but she does complete her work.”

    Not exactly a bold speech, but it was enough to draw a line. The response I got back was a crunchy face emoji — one of those moments where you know instantly you’ve embarrassed someone. From that point on, they stopped venting to me about other people. But they also went cold. Conversations turned short. The easy rapport we’d built evaporated.

    (more…)
  • Overcoming Fitness Setbacks: My Return to the Gym

    Overcoming Fitness Setbacks: My Return to the Gym

    Back in the pre-COVID days, I was living my best fitness life. Thanks to Gympass (basically Classpass’s cousin), I had the golden ticket: unlimited access to gyms, fitness classes, and even cryotherapy. And the best part? I was paying about $150 a month for what easily felt like $900 worth of value. It was probably the best company perk I ever had.

    My weekly routine looked something like this: four HIIT classes at CircuitWorks, three cryotherapy sessions, and a sense of satisfaction at the end of it. Then COVID came along and flipped the table.

    (more…)