<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?>
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
  
  <generator uri="https://gohugo.io" version="0.141.0">Hugo v0.141.0</generator>
  <id>http://localhost:1313/categories/blog/</id>
  <link rel="self" type="application/atom&#43;xml" href="http://localhost:1313/categories/blog/feed.xml" />
  <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://localhost:1313/categories/blog/" />
  <updated>2025-03-27T15:19:13-05:00</updated>

  <title>All blogs on Milliron X</title>
  

<entry>
  <id>http://localhost:1313/posts/phineas-and-ferb/</id>
  <link rel="alternate" href="http://localhost:1313/posts/phineas-and-ferb/" />
  <title>Phineas and Ferb is (an) Epic</title>
  <published>2024-11-01T00:00:00&#43;00:00</published>
  <updated>2024-11-01T00:00:00&#43;00:00</updated>
  <author>
      <name>Thomas A. Christensen II</name>
      <uri>http://localhost:1313/people/thomas-a.-christensen-ii/</uri>
  </author>
  <category term="blog" />
  <category term="fun" />
  <category term="fiction" />
  <category term="phineas and ferb" />
  <category term="review" />
  <category term="literature" />
  <summary type="text">
       “Ancient literary epics often followed a specific structure that centered around an event or journey.” The episode structure of Phineas and Ferb, which has been delighting audiences for decades, is more closely aligned with ancient literary epics than modern hero’s journey novels.
While the term “hero’s journey” was popularized by Joseph Campbell in his work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the model he proposed is based on archetypes and mythological narratives found in cultures around the world. In contrast, Phineas and Ferb’s episode structure is centered around self-contained events or journeys that are more reminiscent of ancient epics like Homer’s Iliad or Odyssey.

  </summary>
  <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://localhost:1313/">
    &lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt;&#xA;&lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Ancient literary epics often followed a specific structure that centered around&#xA;an event or journey.&amp;rdquo; The episode structure of Phineas and Ferb, which has been&#xA;delighting audiences for decades, is more closely aligned with ancient literary&#xA;epics than modern hero&amp;rsquo;s journey novels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While the term &amp;ldquo;hero&amp;rsquo;s journey&amp;rdquo; was popularized by Joseph Campbell in his work,&#xA;The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the model he proposed is based on archetypes and&#xA;mythological narratives found in cultures around the world. In contrast, Phineas&#xA;and Ferb&amp;rsquo;s episode structure is centered around self-contained events or&#xA;journeys that are more reminiscent of ancient epics like Homer&amp;rsquo;s Iliad or&#xA;Odyssey.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;A common theme among ancient epics was the overcoming of challenges.&amp;rdquo; One key&#xA;element that sets Phineas and Ferb apart from modern hero&amp;rsquo;s journey novels is&#xA;its focus on the adventures themselves rather than individual characters&#39;&#xA;emotional journeys. In an episode like &amp;ldquo;The Fireworks Episode,&amp;rdquo; Phineas and Ferb&#xA;work together to create a spectacular fireworks display, but their actions are&#xA;not necessarily motivated by personal growth or transformation. Instead, they&#xA;take on the challenge as a way to have fun and make their day better.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This approach is similar to ancient epics like The Iliad, which tells the story&#xA;of the Trojan War.&amp;rdquo; In Homer&amp;rsquo;s Iliad, the characters are often driven by a&#xA;desire for honor or personal glory, rather than a deeper emotional journey. The&#xA;focus is on the event itself – in this case, the war between Troy and Greece –&#xA;rather than the individual characters&amp;rsquo; inner lives.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The Phineas and Ferb approach also avoids the &amp;lsquo;big reveal&amp;rsquo; trope.&amp;rdquo; Another key&#xA;element of ancient epics was often a dramatic twist or revelation at the end. In&#xA;Homer&amp;rsquo;s Odyssey, for example, the protagonist Odysseus must navigate his way&#xA;home after being stranded on a distant island. The final scene reveals that he&#xA;has finally returned to Ithaca and is reunited with his wife.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Phineas and Ferb avoids this trope by ending most episodes on an upbeat note.&amp;rdquo;&#xA;In contrast, Phineas and Ferb tends to wrap up its storylines in a way that&#xA;feels satisfying and fun for the audience. The final scene of an episode often&#xA;shows Phineas and Ferb achieving their goal or finding a creative solution to&#xA;their problem, without revealing any deeper truths or secrets.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This approach also reflects the show&amp;rsquo;s focus on creativity and imagination.&amp;rdquo;&#xA;One key aspect of ancient epics was their emphasis on the power of the human&#xA;mind and imagination. In Homer&amp;rsquo;s Odyssey, for example, Odysseus uses his&#xA;intelligence and cunning to navigate his way home.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Phineas and Ferb encourages viewers to think creatively in a similar way.&amp;rdquo;&#xA;Phineas and Ferb is known for its emphasis on creativity and imagination, with&#xA;characters often coming up with innovative solutions to problems. The show&amp;rsquo;s&#xA;focus on the creative process itself – rather than individual characters&amp;rsquo;&#xA;emotional journeys – reflects this emphasis.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;By following an episode structure that mimics ancient literary epics.&amp;rdquo; Phineas&#xA;and Ferb&amp;rsquo;s use of self-contained events or journeys, combined with a focus on&#xA;creativity and imagination, reflects a more traditional approach to&#xA;storytelling. By avoiding the &amp;lsquo;big reveal&amp;rsquo; trope and emphasizing the creative&#xA;process, the show encourages viewers to think creatively and find their own&#xA;solutions to problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is an approach that has been lost in many modern adaptations of ancient&#xA;stories.&amp;rdquo; One criticism of modern hero&amp;rsquo;s journey novels is that they often&#xA;prioritize individual character development over the adventures themselves. In&#xA;contrast, Phineas and Ferb takes a more epic approach to storytelling, focusing&#xA;on the events themselves rather than individual characters&amp;rsquo; emotional journeys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The show&amp;rsquo;s creators have said that they were influenced by their own love of&#xA;literature.&amp;rdquo; Dan Povenmire and Jeff &amp;lsquo;Swifty&amp;rsquo; Swinton, the creators of Phineas&#xA;and Ferb, have both mentioned being influenced by classic literature when&#xA;creating the show. They have stated that they wanted to create a show that&#xA;celebrated creativity and imagination in a way that was reminiscent of ancient&#xA;epics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;By taking an epic approach to storytelling.&amp;rdquo; By following an episode structure&#xA;that mimics ancient literary epics, Phineas and Ferb offers a unique take on the&#xA;traditional &amp;lsquo;hero&amp;rsquo;s journey&amp;rsquo; narrative. While individual characters may grow or&#xA;change over the course of an episode, the focus is always on the event itself –&#xA;rather than individual emotional journeys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This approach makes the show feel fresh and exciting.&amp;rdquo; One key element that&#xA;sets Phineas and Ferb apart from modern hero&amp;rsquo;s journey novels is its focus on&#xA;action and adventure. By emphasizing the creative process and self-contained&#xA;events, the show creates a sense of excitement and possibility that is rare in&#xA;modern television.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The show&amp;rsquo;s use of music also reflects an epic approach.&amp;rdquo; Another key element of&#xA;Phineas and Ferb is its use of music – specifically, Perry the Platypus&amp;rsquo; secret&#xA;agent theme song. The show&amp;rsquo;s creators have said that they wanted to incorporate&#xA;a musical element into the episode structure, creating a sense of excitement and&#xA;anticipation that is reminiscent of ancient epics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This approach creates a sense of rhythm and flow.&amp;rdquo; By incorporating music in&#xA;this way, Phineas and Ferb creates a sense of rhythm and flow that is similar to&#xA;ancient epics. The show&amp;rsquo;s use of melody and tempo helps to create a sense of&#xA;tension and release, drawing the viewer into the episode&amp;rsquo;s narrative.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The show&amp;rsquo;s focus on action and adventure also makes it feel epic.&amp;rdquo; One key&#xA;element that sets Phineas and Ferb apart from modern hero&amp;rsquo;s journey novels is&#xA;its focus on action and adventure. By emphasizing creativity and imagination in&#xA;this way, the show creates a sense of excitement and possibility that is rare in&#xA;modern television.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This approach also makes the show feel more timeless.&amp;rdquo; Another key element of&#xA;Phineas and Ferb is its focus on storytelling itself – rather than individual&#xA;characters&amp;rsquo; emotional journeys. By taking an epic approach to storytelling, the&#xA;show creates a sense of timelessness that is rare in modern television.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The show&amp;rsquo;s creators have said that they wanted to create a show that would&#xA;appeal to viewers of all ages.&amp;rdquo; Dan Povenmire and Jeff &amp;lsquo;Swifty&amp;rsquo; Swinton, the&#xA;creators of Phineas and Ferb, have both mentioned wanting to create a show that&#xA;celebrates creativity and imagination in a way that is accessible to audiences&#xA;of all ages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;By taking an epic approach to storytelling, Phineas and Ferb achieves this&#xA;goal.&amp;rdquo; By following an episode structure that mimics ancient literary epics,&#xA;Phineas and Ferb creates a sense of excitement and possibility that is appealing&#xA;to viewers of all ages. The show&amp;rsquo;s focus on creativity and imagination makes it&#xA;feel fresh and exciting, while its use of music and storytelling techniques&#xA;helps to create a sense of rhythm and flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;In conclusion, the episode structure of Phineas and Ferb is more closely&#xA;aligned with ancient literary epics than modern hero&amp;rsquo;s journey novels.&amp;rdquo; By&#xA;taking an epic approach to storytelling, Phineas and Ferb offers a unique take&#xA;on the traditional &amp;lsquo;hero&amp;rsquo;s journey&amp;rsquo; narrative. While individual characters may&#xA;grow or change over the course of an episode, the focus is always on the event&#xA;itself – rather than individual emotional journeys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The show&amp;rsquo;s creators have said that they were influenced by their own love of&#xA;literature.&amp;rdquo; Dan Povenmire and Jeff &amp;lsquo;Swifty&amp;rsquo; Swinton, the creators of Phineas&#xA;and Ferb, have both mentioned being influenced by classic literature when&#xA;creating the show. They have stated that they wanted to create a show that&#xA;celebrated creativity and imagination in a way that was reminiscent of ancient&#xA;epics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;By following an epic approach to storytelling.&amp;rdquo; By taking an epic approach to&#xA;storytelling, Phineas and Ferb offers a unique take on the traditional &amp;lsquo;hero&amp;rsquo;s&#xA;journey&amp;rsquo; narrative. While individual characters may grow or change over the&#xA;course of an episode, the focus is always on the event itself – rather than&#xA;individual emotional journeys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This approach makes the show feel fresh and exciting.&amp;rdquo; One key element that&#xA;sets Phineas and Ferb apart from modern hero&amp;rsquo;s journey novels is its focus on&#xA;action and adventure. By emphasizing creativity and imagination in this way, the&#xA;show creates a sense of excitement and possibility that is rare in modern&#xA;television.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The show&amp;rsquo;s use of music also reflects an epic approach.&amp;rdquo; Another key element of&#xA;Phineas and Ferb is its use of music – specifically, Perry the Platypus&amp;rsquo; secret&#xA;agent theme song. The show&amp;rsquo;s creators have said that they wanted to incorporate&#xA;a musical element into the episode structure, creating a sense of excitement and&#xA;anticipation that is reminiscent of ancient epics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This approach creates a sense of rhythm and flow.&amp;rdquo; By incorporating music in&#xA;this way, Phineas and Ferb creates a sense of rhythm and flow that is similar to&#xA;ancient epics. The show&amp;rsquo;s use of melody and tempo helps to create a sense of&#xA;tension and release, drawing the viewer into the episode&amp;rsquo;s narrative.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The show&amp;rsquo;s focus on action and adventure also makes it feel epic.&amp;rdquo; One key&#xA;element that sets Phineas and Ferb apart from modern hero&amp;rsquo;s journey novels is&#xA;its focus on action and adventure. By emphasizing creativity and imagination in&#xA;this way, the show creates a sense of excitement and possibility that is rare in&#xA;modern television.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The show also encourages viewers to think creatively.&amp;rdquo; Phineas and Ferb&#xA;encourages viewers to think creatively by presenting them with complex problems&#xA;to solve or adventures to embark upon. By emphasizing creativity and&#xA;imagination, the show inspires viewers to find their own solutions to problems.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This is an approach that has been lost in many modern adaptations of ancient&#xA;stories.&amp;rdquo; One criticism of modern hero&amp;rsquo;s journey novels is that they often&#xA;prioritize individual character development over the adventures themselves. In&#xA;contrast, Phineas and Ferb takes a more epic approach to storytelling, focusing&#xA;on the events themselves rather than individual characters&amp;rsquo; emotional journeys.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The show&amp;rsquo;s creators have said that they wanted to create a show that would&#xA;appeal to viewers of all ages.&amp;rdquo; Dan Povenmire and Jeff &amp;lsquo;Swifty&amp;rsquo; Swinton, the&#xA;creators of Phineas and Ferb, have both mentioned wanting to create a show that&#xA;celebrates creativity and imagination in a way that is accessible to audiences&#xA;of all ages.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;By taking an epic approach to storytelling.&amp;rdquo; By following an episode structure&#xA;that mimics ancient literary epics, Phineas and Ferb achieves this goal. The&#xA;show&amp;rsquo;s focus on creativity and imagination makes it feel fresh and exciting,&#xA;while its use of music and storytelling techniques helps to create a sense of&#xA;rhythm and flow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;In conclusion, the episode structure of Phineas and Ferb is more closely&#xA;aligned with ancient literary epics than modern hero&amp;rsquo;s journey novels.&amp;rdquo; In&#xA;conclusion, the episode structure of Phineas and Ferb is more closely aligned&#xA;with ancient literary epics than modern hero&amp;rsquo;s journey novels.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;
  </content>
</entry>

<entry>
  <id>http://localhost:1313/posts/nf-core/</id>
  <link rel="alternate" href="http://localhost:1313/posts/nf-core/" />
  <title>My Troubles with nf-core</title>
  <published>2024-09-01T00:00:00&#43;00:00</published>
  <updated>2024-09-01T00:00:00&#43;00:00</updated>
  <author>
      <name>Thomas A. Christensen II</name>
      <uri>http://localhost:1313/people/thomas-a.-christensen-ii/</uri>
  </author>
  <category term="blog" />
  <category term="bioinformatics" />
  <category term="nf-core" />
  <category term="technology" />
  <category term="programming" />
  <category term="people" />
  <summary type="text">
       My Troubles with nf-core A blog post about my frustrations and experiences working with the popular nf-core framework in bioinformatics.
Introduction As a biologist who has worked extensively with different software tools for analyzing biological data, I have always been impressed by the power and flexibility of the nf-core platform. However, after several years of using and contributing to this excellent toolset, I have come to realize that there are some fundamental issues with the way nf-core is currently structured and maintained.

  </summary>
  <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://localhost:1313/">
    &lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt;&#xA;&lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt;&#xA;&lt;h1 id=&#34;my-troubles-with-nf-core&#34;&gt;My Troubles with nf-core&lt;/h1&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;A blog post about my frustrations and experiences working with the popular&#xA;nf-core framework in bioinformatics.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;introduction&#34;&gt;Introduction&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a biologist who has worked extensively with different software tools for&#xA;analyzing biological data, I have always been impressed by the power and&#xA;flexibility of the nf-core platform. However, after several years of using and&#xA;contributing to this excellent toolset, I have come to realize that there are&#xA;some fundamental issues with the way nf-core is currently structured and&#xA;maintained.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;background&#34;&gt;Background&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NF-core (short for Next-Generation Sequencing Core) is an open-source framework&#xA;developed by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard that provides a&#xA;comprehensive set of tools for analyzing high-throughput sequencing data. The&#xA;platform has been widely adopted in the scientific community due to its ease of&#xA;use, scalability, and flexibility.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;my-experience-with-nf-core&#34;&gt;My Experience with nf-core&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a bioinformatician, I have worked extensively with various pipelines built on&#xA;top of nf-core, including the popular&#xA;&lt;a&#xA;  href=&#34;https://github.com/broadinstitute/SNEAK&#34;&gt;SNEAK&lt;/a&gt; pipeline for variant discovery.&#xA;While nf-core has provided me with a reliable platform for analyzing large&#xA;datasets, I have consistently encountered issues with its organization,&#xA;documentation, and community support.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;issues-with-organization&#34;&gt;Issues with Organization&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of my biggest frustrations with nf-core is the lack of clear organization&#xA;within its repository. The project&amp;rsquo;s main directory contains an overwhelming&#xA;number of subdirectories, each representing a different tool or pipeline. This&#xA;makes it difficult to navigate the codebase and understand how the various tools&#xA;interact with each other.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;documentation-and-community-support&#34;&gt;Documentation and Community Support&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;NF-core has excellent documentation, but in my experience, this documentation is&#xA;often incomplete or outdated. I have encountered several instances where I was&#xA;unable to find relevant information about a particular tool or pipeline, leading&#xA;me to waste hours of time searching for answers online.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Moreover, the nf-core community has historically been relatively inactive, with&#xA;few developers actively contributing to the project over the years. This lack of&#xA;support and resources makes it challenging to address issues or implement new&#xA;features.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;impact-on-bioinformaticians&#34;&gt;Impact on Bioinformaticians&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite my personal frustrations with nf-core, I firmly believe that this&#xA;platform remains an essential tool for bioinformaticians around the world. The&#xA;benefits of using nf-core include its scalability, flexibility, and ease of use.&#xA;However, I strongly advocate for a renewed focus on addressing the issues&#xA;mentioned above to ensure that this platform continues to meet the evolving&#xA;needs of the scientific community.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;conclusion&#34;&gt;Conclusion&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As someone who has dedicated their career to bioinformatics, it pains me to see&#xA;a project like nf-core hindered by its own structure and lack of support. While&#xA;I will continue to contribute to and use nf-core in my work, I hope that this&#xA;article will serve as a catalyst for the developers and community leaders&#xA;involved in maintaining this platform to prioritize much-needed changes.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;recommendations&#34;&gt;Recommendations&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To address the issues I have raised above, I recommend the following steps:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Reorganize the repository structure to make it more logical and easier to&#xA;navigate.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Update and expand the documentation to include comprehensive information on&#xA;all tools and pipelines within nf-core.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Foster a more active community by engaging with bioinformaticians through&#xA;regular forums, workshops, or online events.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ul&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;By addressing these issues, I am confident that nf-core can continue to thrive&#xA;as a powerful tool for analyzing high-throughput sequencing data.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;
  </content>
</entry>

<entry>
  <id>http://localhost:1313/posts/keep-epds-real/</id>
  <link rel="alternate" href="http://localhost:1313/posts/keep-epds-real/" />
  <title>Keep EPDs Real</title>
  <published>2024-07-01T00:00:00&#43;00:00</published>
  <updated>2024-07-01T00:00:00&#43;00:00</updated>
  <author>
      <name>Thomas A. Christensen II</name>
      <uri>http://localhost:1313/people/thomas-a.-christensen-ii/</uri>
  </author>
  <category term="blog" />
  <category term="cattle" />
  <category term="genetics" />
  <category term="technology" />
  <category term="epds" />
  <category term="ptas" />
  <summary type="text">
       In the world of cattle breeding, there’s a concept that can be both fascinating and intimidating: Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs). I’ve come to appreciate the importance of genetics and EPDs in cattle breeding. In this blog post, we’ll delve into what EPDs are, why they matter, and how to keep them real.
What Are EPDs? EPDs are a way to measure the genetic differences between animals that can help breeders predict which offspring will be more or less desirable for certain traits. Think of it like trying to guess what your favorite cow’s children will look like based on their parents’ characteristics. In genetics, we call this inheritance – and EPDs are a simple yet powerful tool to help us understand how genetic traits are passed down.

  </summary>
  <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://localhost:1313/">
    &lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt;&#xA;&lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the world of cattle breeding, there&amp;rsquo;s a concept that can be both fascinating&#xA;and intimidating: Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs). I&amp;rsquo;ve come to appreciate&#xA;the importance of genetics and EPDs in cattle breeding. In this blog post, we&amp;rsquo;ll&#xA;delve into what EPDs are, why they matter, and how to keep them real.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;what-are-epds&#34;&gt;What Are EPDs?&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EPDs are a way to measure the genetic differences between animals that can help&#xA;breeders predict which offspring will be more or less desirable for certain&#xA;traits. Think of it like trying to guess what your favorite cow&amp;rsquo;s children will&#xA;look like based on their parents&amp;rsquo; characteristics. In genetics, we call this&#xA;inheritance – and EPDs are a simple yet powerful tool to help us understand how&#xA;genetic traits are passed down.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;the-basics-of-genetics&#34;&gt;The Basics of Genetics&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Before diving into EPDs, let&amp;rsquo;s quickly review the basics of genetics. You see,&#xA;every living thing has DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which contains the&#xA;instructions for its development and function. The DNA is made up of genes,&#xA;which code for specific traits like eye color, hair color, or in our case, milk&#xA;production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Genes are like recipes that tell our bodies what to make – but instead of&#xA;ingredients like flour and sugar, they&amp;rsquo;re made up of nucleotides. These&#xA;nucleotides can be either A (adenine), C (cytosine), G (guanine), or T&#xA;(thymine). The sequence of these nucleotides determines the genetic information.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;how-epds-work&#34;&gt;How EPDs Work&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now that we&amp;rsquo;ve covered some basics, let&amp;rsquo;s talk about how EPDs work. Imagine&#xA;you&amp;rsquo;re breeding two cows, Bessie and Daisy, to produce offspring. You want&#xA;Bessie to pass on her desirable traits, like excellent milk production, to their&#xA;children.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;To predict which calf will inherit these traits, you&amp;rsquo;d look at the genetic&#xA;information of both parents. You&amp;rsquo;d then use a complex formula that takes into&#xA;account the genetic potential of each parent and their offspring&amp;rsquo;s genotype (the&#xA;actual DNA sequence). This gives you an Expected Progeny Difference score –&#xA;which represents how much better or worse the trait is expected to be in the&#xA;offspring compared to the parent.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For example, let&amp;rsquo;s say Bessie has a high EPD for milk production, but Daisy has&#xA;a low EPD. The formula would take into account both parents&amp;rsquo; scores and predict&#xA;that their calf will have an average EPD for milk production.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;benefits-of-epds&#34;&gt;Benefits of EPDs&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So why do we need EPDs? In short, they help us make informed decisions about&#xA;breeding. By knowing which traits are being passed down from one generation to&#xA;the next, we can:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Make better breeding choices&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Predict potential problems or improvements in future generations&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Develop more accurate breeding strategies&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But that&amp;rsquo;s not all – EPDs also have a significant impact on the cattle industry&#xA;as a whole. By using data-driven approaches, breeders and farmers can:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Increase efficiency and reduce costs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Improve animal welfare by selecting for desirable traits&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Support sustainable agriculture practices&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;challenges-with-epds&#34;&gt;Challenges with EPDs&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;While EPDs offer many benefits, there are also some challenges to consider:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Data quality: If the data used to calculate EPDs is inaccurate or incomplete,&#xA;it can lead to incorrect predictions.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Complex genetics: Genetic inheritance can be complex, making it difficult to&#xA;predict how certain traits will manifest in offspring.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Selection bias: Breeders may unconsciously favor certain breeds or animals&#xA;due to personal preferences rather than objective genetic data.&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;staying-up-to-date-with-epd-research&#34;&gt;Staying Up-to-Date with EPD Research&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;EPDs are constantly evolving as new research emerges and technology improves. To&#xA;stay informed, it&amp;rsquo;s essential to:&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Follow industry publications and scientific journals&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Attend workshops and conferences on genetics and EPDs&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;li&gt;Network with other breeders and researchers in the field&lt;/li&gt;&#xA;&lt;/ol&gt;&#xA;&lt;h2 id=&#34;conclusion&#34;&gt;Conclusion&lt;/h2&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In conclusion, Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) are a valuable tool for&#xA;cattle breeders. By understanding how genetic traits are passed down through&#xA;generations, we can make more informed decisions about breeding and improve&#xA;animal welfare.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Remember – keeping EPDs real means staying current with the latest research,&#xA;attending workshops, and networking with experts in the field. With these&#xA;skills, you&amp;rsquo;ll be well on your way to becoming a genetics-savvy breeder!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As always, I&amp;rsquo;m grateful for this opportunity to share my passion for cattle&#xA;breeding and genetics with you – whether it&amp;rsquo;s through EPDs or something entirely&#xA;different!&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;
  </content>
</entry>

<entry>
  <id>http://localhost:1313/posts/history-of-medicine/</id>
  <link rel="alternate" href="http://localhost:1313/posts/history-of-medicine/" />
  <title>A Brief History of Medicine (2438)</title>
  <published>2024-05-01T00:00:00&#43;00:00</published>
  <updated>2024-05-01T00:00:00&#43;00:00</updated>
  <author>
      <name>Thomas A. Christensen II</name>
      <uri>http://localhost:1313/people/thomas-a.-christensen-ii/</uri>
  </author>
  <category term="blog" />
  <category term="medicine" />
  <category term="technology" />
  <category term="fiction" />
  <category term="epidemiology" />
  <category term="veterinary medicine" />
  <summary type="text">
       I still remember the first time I set foot in the hospital where I would spend most of my working life. It was 2123, and medicine was already a highly advanced field, thanks to the rapid progress made possible by nanotechnology and artificial intelligence. The patient I was assigned to that day was an elderly man who had been suffering from a rare genetic disorder for years. With the help of a swarm of microscopic robots that could repair damaged cells at a molecular level, we were able to extend his lifespan by several decades.

  </summary>
  <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://localhost:1313/">
    &lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt;&#xA;&lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;I still remember the first time I set foot in the hospital where I would spend&#xA;most of my working life. It was 2123, and medicine was already a highly advanced&#xA;field, thanks to the rapid progress made possible by nanotechnology and&#xA;artificial intelligence. The patient I was assigned to that day was an elderly&#xA;man who had been suffering from a rare genetic disorder for years. With the help&#xA;of a swarm of microscopic robots that could repair damaged cells at a molecular&#xA;level, we were able to extend his lifespan by several decades.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a young physician, it was exhilarating to be part of a field that seemed to&#xA;have no limits. We were constantly pushing the boundaries of what was thought&#xA;possible, and it showed in our results. Patients who would have been doomed&#xA;years ago were now thriving, thanks to advances in medicine.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But as with any rapidly advancing field, there were also risks involved. The use&#xA;of nanorobots and AI algorithms raised concerns about accountability and&#xA;transparency. As a physician, I had to be careful to ensure that my actions were&#xA;guided by the highest ethical standards.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The years that followed were marked by incredible breakthroughs in medicine.&#xA;Diseases that had plagued humanity for centuries began to disappear as&#xA;treatments became more effective. Cancer, in particular, was a major target for&#xA;researchers, and significant progress was made in understanding its causes and&#xA;developing targeted therapies.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the most exciting developments in this area was the discovery of a new&#xA;type of cancer-killing nanobot that could selectively target and destroy tumor&#xA;cells while leaving healthy tissue intact. The technology was still in its&#xA;infancy, but the potential it held was enormous.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I look back on those early years of my career, I am reminded of the&#xA;importance of perseverance and creativity. Medicine is a field that requires&#xA;constant innovation and adaptation, and it takes a lot of hard work to stay&#xA;ahead of the curve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Over time, medicine evolved to become an integral part of daily life. People&#xA;began to live longer, healthier lives, thanks to advances in preventative care&#xA;and personalized medicine. The rise of genomics and precision medicine allowed&#xA;for tailored treatments that could be customized to individual needs.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a physician, I had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the impact that&#xA;these advancements had on people&amp;rsquo;s lives. Patients who would have been confined&#xA;to beds for years were now able to return to their normal activities, thanks to&#xA;the latest treatments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But with all the progress we made, there were also new challenges that emerged.&#xA;The increasing reliance on technology led to concerns about the ethics of&#xA;medicine. As medical robots and AI algorithms took over more tasks, there were&#xA;questions about accountability and the role of human physicians in this new&#xA;landscape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These debates are ongoing to this day. As a physician, it&amp;rsquo;s essential for me to&#xA;stay up-to-date with the latest developments and advancements in my field. By&#xA;doing so, I can ensure that patients receive the best possible care, while also&#xA;navigating the complex issues surrounding medicine in the 24th century.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Fast forward to 2438, and medicine has changed dramatically. Diseases have&#xA;become a rarity, thanks to breakthroughs in biotechnology and genetic&#xA;engineering. Humans live longer, healthier lives, with an average lifespan of&#xA;over 120 years.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite these advancements, there are still challenges to overcome. The&#xA;increasing reliance on AI and biotechnology has raised concerns about the ethics&#xA;of medicine. Many people worry that as medical robots and algorithms take over&#xA;more tasks, human physicians will become obsolete.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, I firmly believe that this is a misconception. As a physician in 2438,&#xA;I can attest that being a doctor still requires a deep understanding of human&#xA;biology, psychology, and sociology. While technology has certainly advanced&#xA;medicine, there are also skills and qualities that cannot be replicated by&#xA;machines alone.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the most critical aspects of being a doctor is empathy. As a human being,&#xA;you need to understand your patients&amp;rsquo; emotional states, their fears and&#xA;anxieties, in order to provide them with effective care. This is something that&#xA;AI systems struggle to replicate, no matter how advanced they become.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my practice, I see patients who have been diagnosed with conditions that were&#xA;previously considered incurable. Cancer, for example, has all but disappeared&#xA;thanks to targeted therapies and immunotherapies. However, there are still other&#xA;challenges to overcome.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a physician, it&amp;rsquo;s essential to stay informed about the latest developments in&#xA;medicine. This includes understanding how new technologies can be used to&#xA;improve patient outcomes, as well as addressing any concerns or fears that&#xA;patients may have regarding these advancements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the most significant breakthroughs in recent years has been the&#xA;development of advanced bioprinting techniques. These allow for the creation of&#xA;complex tissue structures and organs, which can then be transplanted into&#xA;patients who require them.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The potential applications for this technology are vast. It could revolutionize&#xA;organ transplantation, allowing for more efficient use of donor organs and&#xA;reducing the need for long-term immunosuppression treatments.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;However, there are also concerns about the ethics of bioprinting. As with any&#xA;new technology, there are questions about accountability, safety, and the role&#xA;of human physicians in this process.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite these challenges, I remain optimistic about the future of medicine. As a&#xA;physician in 2438, I&amp;rsquo;ve seen firsthand the incredible progress that has been&#xA;made, and I&amp;rsquo;m excited to see what the next generation of medical breakthroughs&#xA;will bring.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One area of particular interest is the development of new treatments for mental&#xA;health disorders. In my practice, I often encounter patients who struggle with&#xA;anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These conditions&#xA;are complex and multifaceted, and it&amp;rsquo;s essential to develop treatments that&#xA;address all aspects of their impact.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Recently, there has been a significant breakthrough in the development of new&#xA;therapies for mental health disorders. A team of researchers has made&#xA;significant progress in understanding the underlying mechanisms of these&#xA;conditions, and this has led to the development of new treatments that are more&#xA;effective than anything that came before.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The treatment is based on the idea that mental health disorders are not just&#xA;symptoms, but rather a manifestation of an imbalance in the body&amp;rsquo;s natural&#xA;chemistry. By developing targeted therapies that address this imbalance,&#xA;researchers have been able to create medications that can effectively treat a&#xA;wide range of conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the most promising developments in this area is the use of&#xA;neurotransmitter modulators. These are small molecules that can be used to&#xA;regulate the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain, which play a critical&#xA;role in regulating mood and emotional states.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The implications for mental health treatment are enormous. For the first time in&#xA;history, we have a class of medications that could potentially treat multiple&#xA;conditions at once. This is a game-changer for patients who suffer from complex&#xA;mental health disorders, and it&amp;rsquo;s a testament to the power of medical research.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As I look back on my career as a physician, I am reminded of the importance of&#xA;perseverance and creativity. Medicine is a field that requires constant&#xA;innovation and adaptation, and it takes a lot of hard work to stay ahead of the&#xA;curve.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Despite all the progress we&amp;rsquo;ve made, there are still challenges to overcome. The&#xA;increasing reliance on technology raises concerns about accountability and&#xA;transparency, as well as questions about the role of human physicians in this&#xA;new landscape.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These debates will likely continue for years to come. As a physician, it&amp;rsquo;s&#xA;essential for me to stay informed about the latest developments in medicine,&#xA;while also addressing any concerns or fears that patients may have regarding&#xA;these advancements.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ultimately, my goal is to provide the best possible care to my patients, while&#xA;also pushing the boundaries of what&amp;rsquo;s thought possible in this field. As a&#xA;doctor in 2438, I am excited to see what the future holds for medicine, and I am&#xA;confident that we will continue to make tremendous progress in the years ahead.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;}}&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;
  </content>
</entry>

<entry>
  <id>http://localhost:1313/posts/baptist-mafia/</id>
  <link rel="alternate" href="http://localhost:1313/posts/baptist-mafia/" />
  <title>On Baptist habits (or why Baptist churches feel like they&#39;re run by the Mafia)</title>
  <published>2024-03-01T00:00:00&#43;00:00</published>
  <updated>2024-03-01T00:00:00&#43;00:00</updated>
  <author>
      <name>Thomas A. Christensen II</name>
      <uri>http://localhost:1313/people/thomas-a.-christensen-ii/</uri>
  </author>
  <category term="blog" />
  <category term="religion" />
  <category term="baptist" />
  <category term="christianity" />
  <category term="love" />
  <category term="doctrine" />
  <summary type="text">
       In the grand tapestry of American religiosity, there exists a peculiar breed of Christian denomination that stands out for its unique blend of fervent devotion and…let’s be honest, a hint of authoritarianism. I’m, of course, referring to Baptist churches. Yes, those churches that make you wonder if they’re being run by the Mafia.
Now, before I proceed, let me just clarify that this isn’t an attempt to disparage the good people who worship in these esteemed institutions. No, no, nothing like that. It’s merely a case of observational reporting, where I’m poking around the fringes of Baptist culture to get a better understanding of what makes them tick.

  </summary>
  <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://localhost:1313/">
    &lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt;&#xA;&lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In the grand tapestry of American religiosity, there exists a peculiar breed of&#xA;Christian denomination that stands out for its unique blend of fervent devotion&#xA;and&amp;hellip;let&amp;rsquo;s be honest, a hint of authoritarianism. I&amp;rsquo;m, of course, referring to&#xA;Baptist churches. Yes, those churches that make you wonder if they&amp;rsquo;re being run&#xA;by the Mafia.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Now, before I proceed, let me just clarify that this isn&amp;rsquo;t an attempt to&#xA;disparage the good people who worship in these esteemed institutions. No, no,&#xA;nothing like that. It&amp;rsquo;s merely a case of observational reporting, where I&amp;rsquo;m&#xA;poking around the fringes of Baptist culture to get a better understanding of&#xA;what makes them tick.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As someone who&amp;rsquo;s spent considerable time within the fold (hello, 20+ years of&#xA;being born again), I&amp;rsquo;ve come to realize that there are certain habits,&#xA;practices, and attitudes that seem endemic to Baptist churches. Now, keep in&#xA;mind that this isn&amp;rsquo;t a generalization, but rather an observation born out of&#xA;personal experience.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of these habits is an extraordinary level of fervor and zealotry. Baptists&#xA;tend to be deeply invested in their faith, often to the point where it borders&#xA;on fanaticism. I&amp;rsquo;ve seen folks who will passionately argue for or against just&#xA;about anything that&amp;rsquo;s perceived as contrary to their interpretation of&#xA;scripture. Now, while this can be a laudable trait in moderation, excessive&#xA;fervor can quickly turn toxic.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Another peculiar habit of Baptist churches is an unsettling preoccupation with&#xA;hierarchy and authority. It&amp;rsquo;s not uncommon to see senior pastors wielding near&#xA;absolute power within the church, often based on factors such as age,&#xA;experience, or – heaven forbid – personal popularity. This can lead to a culture&#xA;where dissenting voices are stifled, and nonconformity is discouraged.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;The worship services themselves often feel more like formal lectures or&#xA;performances than genuinely communal gatherings. Don&amp;rsquo;t get me wrong; I love a&#xA;good hymn or sermon as much as the next person, but sometimes it feels like&#xA;you&amp;rsquo;re trapped in a 90-minute lecture on theology. And if you&amp;rsquo;re sitting too far&#xA;forward, forget about trying to contribute to the conversation – your&#xA;participation will be met with stern disapproval.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In addition, there&amp;rsquo;s an omnipresent air of suspicion and mistrust that seems to&#xA;pervade every aspect of Baptist life. If someone doesn&amp;rsquo;t toe the party line,&#xA;they&amp;rsquo;re often met with swift reprimand or outright ostracism. This creates a&#xA;toxic environment where people feel pressured into conformity rather than being&#xA;encouraged to explore their own spirituality.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, just like in any other human&#xA;endeavor. I&amp;rsquo;ve encountered Baptist churches that embody the very opposite of&#xA;these described habits – places where worship is genuine, inclusive, and&#xA;welcoming, where individual freedom and creativity are cherished, and where the&#xA;emphasis is on community rather than control.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So what drives this peculiar breed of authoritarianism within some Baptist&#xA;churches? Is it a genuine misunderstanding of scripture, or perhaps a result of&#xA;historical context? Or is there something deeper at play – perhaps an inherent&#xA;tension between the democratic values of American society and the hierarchical&#xA;structures of traditional Christianity?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;These questions are central to my exploration of this topic. I&amp;rsquo;ll delve into the&#xA;complexities of Baptist history, the role of patriarchal ideology, and the ways&#xA;in which cultural and social factors have shaped the institution over time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In conclusion, while I&amp;rsquo;m not ready to declare war on all things Baptist just yet&#xA;(although, I must admit, it&amp;rsquo;s tempting), I do hope that this exploration will&#xA;shed some light on a fascinating aspect of American religiosity. Perhaps,&#xA;through a better understanding of these peculiar habits and practices, we can&#xA;foster a more inclusive and compassionate community – one where faith and&#xA;conviction are tempered by empathy and respect for differing viewpoints.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Ultimately, as someone who&amp;rsquo;s found their own spiritual home within the Baptist&#xA;fold, I believe it&amp;rsquo;s essential to approach this conversation with sensitivity,&#xA;curiosity, and an open mind. By embracing our shared humanity rather than&#xA;perpetuating artificial divisions, we can work towards creating a more vibrant&#xA;tapestry of faith in America – one that celebrates diversity while remaining&#xA;committed to core principles of love and service.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But for now, I&amp;rsquo;ll leave you with these final thoughts on Baptist habits – habits&#xA;that may seem baffling or even disturbing at times, but are ultimately part of&#xA;what makes the Baptist experience so richly textured.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;
  </content>
</entry>

<entry>
  <id>http://localhost:1313/posts/why-i-gave-up-github/</id>
  <link rel="alternate" href="http://localhost:1313/posts/why-i-gave-up-github/" />
  <title>Why I gave up GitHub: A personal retrospective</title>
  <published>2024-01-01T00:00:00&#43;00:00</published>
  <updated>2024-01-01T00:00:00&#43;00:00</updated>
  <author>
      <name>Thomas A. Christensen II</name>
      <uri>http://localhost:1313/people/thomas-a.-christensen-ii/</uri>
  </author>
  <category term="blog" />
  <category term="technology" />
  <category term="github" />
  <category term="linux" />
  <category term="microsoft" />
  <category term="windows" />
  <summary type="text">
       Your personal journey to quitting GitHub resources is a story of disillusionment and rededication. As a Christian American chemical engineer-turned-bioinformatician, I had always been fascinated by the intersection of technology and faith.
Growing up in a conservative family with Libertarian leanings, I was taught to value individual freedom and limited government intervention. But as I delved deeper into my work in bioinformatics, I began to see the darker side of GitHub’s business model. The platform’s emphasis on open-source and community-driven development seemed at odds with my own values of intellectual property and personal autonomy.

  </summary>
  <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://localhost:1313/">
    &lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt;&#xA;&lt;!-- raw HTML omitted --&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Your personal journey to quitting GitHub resources is a story of disillusionment&#xA;and rededication. As a Christian American chemical&#xA;engineer-turned-bioinformatician, I had always been fascinated by the&#xA;intersection of technology and faith.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Growing up in a conservative family with Libertarian leanings, I was taught to&#xA;value individual freedom and limited government intervention. But as I delved&#xA;deeper into my work in bioinformatics, I began to see the darker side of&#xA;GitHub&amp;rsquo;s business model. The platform&amp;rsquo;s emphasis on open-source and&#xA;community-driven development seemed at odds with my own values of intellectual&#xA;property and personal autonomy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One day, while working on a project, I stumbled upon an article about the&#xA;growing pains of GitHub&amp;rsquo;s dominance in the tech industry. It highlighted the&#xA;tension between the need for collaboration and the perils of unchecked corporate&#xA;power. Something clicked inside me, and I realized that I couldn&amp;rsquo;t remain silent&#xA;anymore. I began to question whether my use of GitHub was truly aligning with my&#xA;values.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a Christian, I had always believed in the importance of living a life of&#xA;integrity and authenticity. But the more I learned about GitHub&amp;rsquo;s practices, the&#xA;more I felt like I was compromising on those principles. The platform&amp;rsquo;s reliance&#xA;on open-source code seemed to prioritize the interests of corporations over&#xA;those of individuals. It was a hard pill to swallow.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I made the decision to take a stand. I began to explore alternative&#xA;platforms and tools for my work, seeking out options that better aligned with my&#xA;values. It wasn&amp;rsquo;t easy – it meant relearning new skills, investing time and&#xA;effort into building new relationships within the developer community.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;But as I dug deeper, I realized that quitting GitHub wasn&amp;rsquo;t just about&#xA;technology – it was about re-examining my own motivations and priorities. Why&#xA;had I joined GitHub in the first place? What did I hope to achieve through my&#xA;work?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;For me, it was never truly about the technology itself, but about the community&#xA;and the sense of purpose that came with working on projects that mattered. As a&#xA;filmmaker at heart, I had always been drawn to stories that explored complex&#xA;issues and promoted empathy and understanding.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Quitting GitHub wasn&amp;rsquo;t an easy decision, but it was one that ultimately freed me&#xA;from feeling like I was compromising my values. It forced me to confront the&#xA;tension between my desires for connection and collaboration, and the need for&#xA;personal autonomy.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Today, I work on a range of projects using alternative platforms and tools. It&amp;rsquo;s&#xA;not always easy – sometimes I miss the convenience and community of GitHub – but&#xA;it&amp;rsquo;s worth it to know that I&amp;rsquo;m living more authentically.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;One of the biggest challenges has been building new relationships within the&#xA;developer community. In the past, I relied heavily on GitHub for collaboration&#xA;and networking opportunities. But by leaving, I&amp;rsquo;ve had to start from scratch.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s taken time and effort to rebuild those connections, but it&amp;rsquo;s worth it.&#xA;Today, I&amp;rsquo;m part of a vibrant network of developers who share my values and&#xA;priorities. We work together on projects that truly matter – issues like data&#xA;privacy, intellectual property, and accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Quitting GitHub wasn&amp;rsquo;t just about technology – it was about reclaiming my own&#xA;integrity and living out my values in a more meaningful way. It&amp;rsquo;s been a journey&#xA;of self-discovery, growth, and transformation. And I&amp;rsquo;m grateful for every step&#xA;along the way.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, if you&amp;rsquo;re like me and struggling with the tension between your personal&#xA;values and your work choices, I want to encourage you to take a step back and&#xA;re-examine your own motivations. What are you working towards? Why is it truly&#xA;important to you?&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Take the time to reflect on those questions, and consider whether your current&#xA;tools and platforms align with your values.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;In my experience, it&amp;rsquo;s never too late to make a change. And sometimes, the&#xA;biggest changes come from taking small steps outside of our comfort zones.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;So, I&amp;rsquo;ll leave you with this: if you&amp;rsquo;re ready to take control of your own&#xA;journey and reclaim your integrity, start by taking a single step. It might be&#xA;as simple as switching to an alternative platform or tool. Or it could mean&#xA;having a difficult conversation with a colleague or manager.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Whatever that step is, know that it&amp;rsquo;s worth it. You&amp;rsquo;ll be surprised at how&#xA;empowering it feels to take ownership of your own choices and priorities.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;And if you&amp;rsquo;re feeling lost or uncertain, remember that you&amp;rsquo;re not alone. There&#xA;are many people out there who share your values and aspirations.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;Let&amp;rsquo;s build a community together – one where we prioritize empathy,&#xA;understanding, and authenticity.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;That&amp;rsquo;s my story – a tale of disillusionment, rededication, and the power of&#xA;taking control of our own choices. I hope it inspires you to take a step in the&#xA;right direction.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;As a filmmaker at heart, I believe that stories have the power to shape us and&#xA;inspire change. And I&amp;rsquo;m grateful to be part of this community – working together&#xA;towards a brighter future where technology serves humanity, not just corporate&#xA;interests.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;&lt;p&gt;We&amp;rsquo;ll get there – one small step at a time.&lt;/p&gt;&#xA;
  </content>
</entry>

</feed>
