On occasion, I post quippy "pro tips" to Mastodon using the hashtag #ProTip. When I do, I try to be somewhat witty, but snark overcomes me, because they are often written at a moment when I experience the very problem I am describing. They seem like suitable topics upon which to expound, and I frequently think I should write about them. Then, I don't.

It's the time of the year, Advent of Code is in swing. I am behind, having only just completed day 3. And of course, the obvious solution is a regular expression.

"It's a new year, so who knows? Maybe I'll post some things more frequently." That was last year. In January. Almost two years ago. Clearly, I don't know what I'm talking about. Though, to be fair, I did say maybe.

It's a new year, so who knows? Maybe I'll post some things more frequently. Not that I expect anyone will read this, besides me. Anyway, here are some things I did in 2022.

I keep saying I am going to make this site prettier, but then I get busier with other things. So, while I'm busy not making this prettier, I'll tell you some stories about how not to implement multi-factor authentication. (Side note: I hate multi-factor authentication. More about that later.)

In offering technical assistance to a local non-profit organization and a church, I have the pleasure of using some services built by folks that helpfully make multi-factor authentication worse than it has to be. These services are: Xero, Twilio, and Mailchimp. If you want to build a system that doesn't piss off the user while still adding a thin veil of security, learn what not to do from these three.