Alex Chan
alexwlchan.net
Alex Chan
@alexwlchan.net
340 followers 41 following 230 posts
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Doing my own syntax highlighting (finally): alexwlchan.net/2025/syntax-...

I’ve redesigned the syntax highlighting on my blog to use a smaller colour palette, so I wrote a bit about what I’ve changed, how it works, and why I think it’s better.
Doing my own syntax highlighting (finally)
I've redesigned my syntax highlighting scheme to use a smaller colour palette. Here's what I've changed, how it works, and why I think it's better.
alexwlchan.net
I got to visit a dear friend on Friday, we walked around a forest near her house and got to catch up

(And then I accidentally got on the wrong train home and ended up in Brighton, which undermines my credibility as a transport nerd but makes for a funny story)
You are correct

I regret that I retain as much Harry Potter knowledge as I do; I do recall that’s the name of the quill shop
Creating a personal wrapper around yt-dlp: alexwlchan.net/2025/yt-dlp-...

I’ve written a new script which calls yt-dlp with my preferred options, so I don’t have to copy my configuration across different projects.
@jonnelledge.bsky.social Spotted in St Pancras Waterstones 👀
were it not out of stock, I was genuinely consider ordering this and shipping it to you and just never saying anything
treat it like garlic

when the recipe says “one craft store container” replace it with “one industrial oil barrel“
Linking to text fragments with a bookmarklet: alexwlchan.net/2025/text-fr...

I’ve written a bookmarklet that lets me link to specific text on a web page.
as opposed to their Swiss neighbours, who have been careless enough to invade Liechtenstein on three separate occasions
@garius.bsky.social I vaguely remember reading one of your threads where you said somebody like “so-and-so had no experience, and by the end of the night, nobody who witnessed their actions would believe it” – but I’m struggling to find it.

Any chance you remember what I’m talking about?
is it white and “gold” or black and “blue”
Reposted by Alex Chan
Resizing images in Rust – now with EXIF orientation support: alexwlchan.net/2025/create-...

I wrote about a new version of Rust’s image crate, which adds support for EXIF orientation. Now I can resize images without mangling their rotation. 🥳
Resizing images in Rust – now with EXIF orientation support
A new version of Rust's image crate has support for EXIF orientation, which allows me to resize images without mangling their rotation.
alexwlchan.net
Resizing images in Rust – now with EXIF orientation support: alexwlchan.net/2025/create-...

I wrote about a new version of Rust’s image crate, which adds support for EXIF orientation. Now I can resize images without mangling their rotation. 🥳
Resizing images in Rust – now with EXIF orientation support
A new version of Rust's image crate has support for EXIF orientation, which allows me to resize images without mangling their rotation.
alexwlchan.net
maybe someone thinks you’ll be the reason for the emergency alert /lh
On a lighter note, I did some digging around the history of Morse code: alexwlchan.net/til/2025/aro...

* The @ symbol was added in 2004
* It’s probably the first symbol since WWII
* It has a delightful name in French
* Punctuation in Morse code has some surprising other omissions
Using vcrpy to test HTTP interactions in Python: alexwlchan.net/2025/testing...

How I record HTTP requests to get fast, reliable, and consistent tests, and the patterns I use in a production codebase. 📼
Using vcrpy to test HTTP interactions in Python
How I record HTTP requests to get fast, reliable, and consistent tests, and the patterns I use in a production codebase.
alexwlchan.net
The idea of cats roaming to get dinners in multiple households was the subject of one of my favourite books when I was a child, I am delighted as an adult to discover this is founded in reality
sure why not

you around this weekend?

(I start a new job on Tuesday and will then become temporarily less available)
guy who is a noted fan of waffles: wow so you love bathtubs
Eleanor Medhurst has just posted about her withdrawal on Instagram: www.instagram.com/p/DNOMzrUMhsf/
three-episode arc devoted entirely to the workplace politics of the Grunnings drill firm
Now I’m second-guessing myself

I can’t remember if I’ve actually seen this before, or if I dreamt it 😂

Let’s cross our fingers and hope we’re talking about the same thing