DEV Community: shushugah

Creating a telegram bot

shushugah — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 20:00:48 +0000

I maintain a website which has a signup form for people to get in touch. We also have a private Telegram group chat we maintain, where we add people. In addition, we have a separate moderator/vetting group chat, where we discuss who to add.

First we need to create a Telegram bot, with a unique username. Open up Telegram's official "BotFather" which will prompt you to give your bot a unique username (url) and also visual name. You can later update its photos etc..
Once the bot is created, you will get a token which looks something like 434348934:AAEWdklsdjskljdklsd and it will have a username.
Add the bot to your group chat (using the username).
You will also need the channel_id for your group chat. This can be tricky to find. If it is a public group chat with a url format of t.me/group_name it will be @group_name. Otherwise, you will need to open telegram in a web browser on your desktop at web.telegram.org. Open the group chat you want, and look for the url in the browser. It might look like https://web.telegram.org/k/#-406703443746. Note the - sign, which is included. Depending on whether it is new, either -406703443746 will work, or prepending it with 100 so -100406703443746 is the channel_id.
You can use either Zapier, Pipedream, IFTT or n8n to connect your website forms with telegram.
On Pipedream I was able to make it work, using v2 markdown, whereas for Zapier I had to use HTML format, because it didn't parse markdown well. Do note, that the valid HTML elements for Telegram API are <b>, <pre>, <a> and <i> as of November 2023.

Other hiccups I had are "forwarding" telegram messages only refers to forwarding existing telegram messages, as opposed to creating a message.

What other pain points did you discover? I created this blog-post, because I didn't find any one tutorial that helped me. So perhaps this will be useful for you.

Monkey patching and undoing patching in Ruby tests

shushugah — Wed, 27 May 2020 17:33:33 +0000

This was a really neat way of monkey patching method definitions in our ruby tests, without leaving any side effects.



require 'test_helper'
class ComplexTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
  describe 'with an API call half a second later' do
    before do
      Complex.singleton_class.send(:alias_method, :old_api, :api)
      Complex.send(:define_singleton_method, :api) do |_arg1|
        sleep(0.5)
        OpenStruct.new(status: 'succeeded'])
      end

    it 'succeeds' do
     assert Complex.operation
    end

    after do
      Complex.singleton_class.send(:alias_method, :api, :old_api)
    end
  end
end

# inside our complex.rb file, it remains the same

module Complex
  def self.api(argument1)
    # do fancy stuff
  end

  def self.operation
    # more stuff
    api(arg1)
  end
end

Do you want to support Amazon workers?

shushugah — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:10:15 +0000

Amazon is going through a historic moment now, with so many people relying on it during the Corona crisis, from buying food/supplies, to watching Netflix thanks to AWS hosting. Yet, while Bezos is making record profits, workers at fulfillment center workers are speaking out against unsanitary conditions. One of them, Chris Smalls was fired and smeared by Amazon executives. As people in tech, we have an obligation to hold our industry accountable and speak up! Join Tech Workers of Amazon, Google and other companies with a photo campaign of solidarity. We'll go live on April 13th. Sign up below to get a reminder, and learn more about the campaign!

Every person helps!

https://forms.gle/KcjUAmjCMRSxXibg6

Why is GitHub supporting Child Separation Agency?

shushugah — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 17:34:56 +0000

I love using GitHub products, but was shocked when I found out they do business with child separation agencies like ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement). Will you join GitHubbers (employees of GitHub) and I in asking @GitHub and their CEO Nat Friedman to drop ICE as a client and never work with such agencies again?

Favourite open source boxing match?

shushugah — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 16:03:36 +0000

Does anyone know an open source html/js boxing game? I am running an activist campaign next week, with a boxing game theme between Berlin and a corporation. The simpler/goofier it is, the better! I have limited time, but am familiar with Ruby, Javascript, HTML and CSS.

Post your favorite open source boxing games and their source code!

Graphics advice for a dev?

shushugah — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 23:02:46 +0000

I want to learn how to edit PSD/AI (Photoshop/Adobe Illustrator) files, but have no background in design. I am a software engineer who can break stuff and abuse Google presentation for graphics, but I cannot make basic memes without either css or using those spammy MemeGenerators 😆

What were your favorite resources, blog posts, videos to learn basic design? For smaller tasks, like changing text (keeping same font) or changing color in a certain layer, would GIMP be enough?

Hacktoberfest from a n00b maintainer perspective

shushugah — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 11:43:18 +0000

I am the maintainer of two projects.

A Jekyll plugin that enables internationalization called jekyll-multiple-languages-plugin. I became a maintainer of it several months ago, because I started using it myself and saw it was not actively maintained despite being the most used i18n plugin for jekyll. Most of my activities involve responding to issues, encouraging pull requests and answering questions. I am still struggling with finding a road map.

The other project is Tech Workers Coalition. I founded the Berlin Chapter, and wanted to learn more about the other chapters through their website, which I saw was hosted on Github. It's a decentralized movement, with many thoughtful and active folks.

At first I was mostly creating pull requests, but I find I enjoy giving feedback and reviewing other people's work, because it gives me a sense that we are growing as a contributor community. It's not just code, but also text and descriptions.

You can see some of the website projects and issues here: https://github.com/techworkersco/

What is stopping you from joining a union?

shushugah — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 18:09:39 +0000

If you search for union on this site, you will find mostly articles about SQL join queries, but more and more programmers are interested in joining one.

Kickstarter is the latest tech company to go public in their unionizing campaign, and they have asked people to support them in getting management to recognize them

Kickstarter United

@ksr_united

Today KSRU officially requested voluntary recognition of our union, and we are waiting to see if it will be granted. We stand firm in our commitment not to call for any boycotts, but we need your help.

17:19 PM - 02 Oct 2019

3000 6497

Should we form a labor union?

Steve Belovarich ・ Jul 25 '19 ・ 5 min read

#discuss #healthydebate

General thoughts about Unions

Artur Muniz ・ Jul 31 '19 ・ 2 min read

#discuss

Developer is the next blue collar job

stereobooster ・ Oct 21 '18 ・ 6 min read

#career #discuss

Will software ever become "blue collar" work?

Ben Halpern ・ Jul 15 '19 ・ 1 min read

#discuss #career

Climate Strike

shushugah — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 16:17:32 +0000

There's a climate crisis and tech workers are walking out

Originally posted on Tech Workers Coalition

On September 20th 2019, millions of people will mobilize across the globe in the largest ever #ClimateStrike, led by students, workers, and people who care about a livable future. As tech workers, we have a responsibility to hold our employers accountable and to be part of the solution, not the problem.

Here is how you can participate

On September 20, join a protest near you, as an individual or even better, with your co-workers.
You can find a list of over 3,000 local marches happening as part of the Global Climate Strike here.

Tech workers from across companies will be meeting up before these marches, then joining their local march together. Find a tech worker location and meeting time here. (If you don't see your city listed, feel free to add it in this form. We'll make sure it gets on to the list).
Before September 20, talk to your colleagues, post to your company slack or message board, share on Twitter, and let people know why you're joining the Global Climate Strike. Use the hashtag #TechClimateStrike.
On September 20, post photos of the walkout in your city with the hashtag #TechClimateStrike, preferably while wearing your company's branded clothing. If you're walking out with other tech workers, post a group photo (with everyone's consent, of course).

Tech's dirty role in climate change

The tech industry cultivates a "green" public image, but it is in fact a major contributor to climate change. Here are three ways tech is contributing to the climate crisis:

Tech's hidden carbon footprint

The tech industry has a massive carbon footprint, often obscured behind jargon like "cloud computing" or "bitcoin mining", along with depictions of code and automation as abstract and immaterial.

In reality, tech's computational infrastructure is estimated to emit as much carbon as aviation, representing a shockingly large percentage of global emissions. A recent study found that creating just one advanced AI model contributes five times as much carbon dioxide as an average American car over its lifetime, from creation to breakdown. And this doesn't count the global supply chains and manufacturing needed to produce hardware and consumer devices, from mining to shipping to e-waste disposal. When we look beyond the hype, we see an industry hiding behind greenwashing and marketing, hoping its significant contribution to climate change will go unnoticed.

Tech's collaboration with Big Oil accelerates climate change

The big players in tech -- specifically Google, Microsoft and Amazon -- contribute to climate change through partnerships with the oil and gas industries. These three companies combined have billions of dollars of contracts with big oil. They license infrastructure, engineering resources, and AI capabilities to fossil fuel companies, promising to make extraction "more efficient". At the 2018 Amazon re:Invent conference, Amazon hosted a session called "Predicting the Next Oil Field in Seconds with Machine Learning." In the same year, Microsoft's theme at one of its conferences was "Empowering Oil & Gas with AI". Google now has an Energy division, created specifically to court oil and gas companies. This all translates to accelerating climate change, directly working against the goal of a livable future, which requires fossil fuel reserves remain unused and "in the ground".

Tech's repression of climate refugees and frontline communities

The environmental justice movement, backed by a mountain of data, makes it clear that people of color, poor people, and those living in developing countries are on the front lines of climate change. Extreme weather displaced a record 7 million people in the first half of 2019 alone. The recent devastation in the Bahamas and Puerto Rico are sobering examples, and the decision by the current US administration to deny temporary protected status to climate refugees from the Bahamas sets a chilling precedent. These are the communities that will need shelter and assistance from the countries and rich individuals who bear the most responsibility for carbon emissions. Instead, we see a pattern of exclusion and oppression emerging, aided by the tech industry.

Amazon, Palantir, and other companies are already selling technology that is being used to police, surveil, and track vulnerable communities in the US, and people seeking shelter and asylum at the border. These technologies are used to police and surveil frontline populations, and are a core part of an infrastructure designed to exclude those in need, and shield those most responsible from accountability.

Demands

We demand that our employers across the tech industry act with boldness and urgency, and commit to:

Zero carbon emissions by 2030
Zero contracts with fossil fuel companies
Zero funding of climate denial lobbying or other efforts
Zero harm to climate refugees and frontline communities

Companies whose workers are joining the strike

Social media

Amazon: https://twitter.com/AMZNforClimate
Facebook: https://twitter.com/FBClimateAction
Google: https://twitter.com/GoogleWAC
Microsoft: https://twitter.com/MsWorkers4
Square: https://twitter.com/SquareWorkers
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TwtAction
Tech Workers Coalition: https://twitter.com/techworkersco

What I learned after applying for 100 jobs

shushugah — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 19:43:15 +0000

Between August 2014 and July 2019 I applied for over 100 jobs.

Like most people, I find job hunting incredibly stressful. Yet, I am also extremely passionate about having a roof over my head, being able to purchase food and other necessities within a capitalist society.

Initially I was not very good at motivating myself to apply for jobs, so I decided to approach it more methodically and document my progress.

Using a simple spreadsheet (google sheets) I tracked the following fields:

Location, Company, URL, Role, Date Applied, 1st Interview...

Depending on whether an interview was active, rejected or awaiting a response, I color coded them green or red.

Below is a chart with the breakdown of the number of jobs I applied for over the years with some more info about the interview process itself.

(Source code for image can be found here)

After completing a 5 month web development bootcamp (Flatiron School) with no college degree to boot, I landed my first freelance contract in 2014 as a data analyst for DemocracyWorks in Brooklyn, New York.

In 2015, I relocated to the Netherlands and shortly after, Berlin, Germany. While moving to Europe was great for my mental health, it disrupted my momentum. I had to rebuild my networks and familiarize myself in a new environment, with different professional norms. I am an EU citizen, so I was really privileged, otherwise my lack of university education let alone a high school diploma would have been an obstacle to obtaining a visa. I was terrified of getting rejected, so I applied for a paltry four jobs in 2015, so it's not surprising that I was rejected from all four. I barely had any feedback loop to learn from. That time, however, was not wasted. I went traveling that year with my savings and also explored other programming languages and technologies. I also got more involved with different meet-ups and slack user groups, in particular Ruby User Group Berlin and WeAllJS

In 2016, again, I barely applied for any jobs (six in total), but I got lucky and was accepted to two of them. One was a short term contract and the other was a longer-term job at a wonderful company called DaWanda where I worked for 18 months until it went bankrupt.

In 2018 I got more bold and applied for 43 jobs, landed screening interviews with 14 of them, and a further 10 secondary/third interviews, before accepting a job at Curated Shopping Group. I also was flown in for interviews on two separate occasions, which I used as an opportunity to visit family. One was at GitHub's Headquarters in San Francisco, and the other interview at a company I am forbidden from naming, due to my Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) 🤷🏻‍♂️

In 2019, I was fired, two weeks before my probation period ended (usually 6 months in Germany) with two weeks notice so I had to find a job quickly.

In the following 2 months, I applied for another 41 jobs, which resulted in 16 interviews with 12 different companies, before I accepted an offer at a mobility sharing company called ShareNow, which was formed in a merger between Daimler's car2go and BMW's DriveNow.

I am currently working in this office now in the heart of Berlin with a gorgeous view.

image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Some of my key findings.

A third of all companies got back to me at least for a screening interview. Some took days, others (especially larger companies) took months. On two occasions, I interviewed the same interviewer twice, in two different companies about a year apart!
With the exception of a few larger companies e.g. Babbel, Github and Thoughtbot, all the companies I interviewed made a decision in two interviews or less (not including a screening interview).
Most companies are quite disorganized. Some companies try to filter candidates out with difficult application processes, automated IQ tests and online challenges, while others have buzzword driven interviews. The best ones took the time to read my resume and get to know me as a person.
My shortest interview cycle was 5 days and my longest was 7 months!
I have applied for the same job multiple times and got further in the interview process the second time. In short, don't be afraid to apply for jobs you really want again and again! And remember, to have fun. It's mostly a crap shoot!

What advice do you have and how many jobs have you applied for?

Gitlab 'hacks'

shushugah — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 23:36:53 +0000

Ever wanted to look 'productive' on Gitlab? Paste this into your console. What are your favourite git related hacks? 😜

colors = [`rgb(172, 213, 242)`,
`rgb(127, 168, 201)`,
`rgb(82, 123, 160)`,
`rgb(37, 78, 119)`]

$(".user-contrib-cell").each(function(){ $(this).attr("fill", colors[Math.floor(Math.random()*colors.length)])})

See image below for results!

Why choose a platform when you can have both? 💩

Thanks to lukeshiru for their vanilla javascript solutions + GitHub script!

Comment Not Found

What are your benefits like?

shushugah — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 18:22:39 +0000

What are the benefits like in your industry and local town?

In Berlin, Germany where I am currently based, by law for all employees we have

unlimited sick leave
paid parental leave
minimum of 20 vacation days for 40-hour workweek

Typically the probation period is 6 months, which means you can be fired with a two week notice period for any reason. However, afterwards, it's much harder, and you're entitled to warnings for most violations and a 3 month notice period.

In addition, many software engineering jobs in Berlin offer additional vacation and small benefits like free drinks such as club mate.

and Tischtennis (table tennis) as you can see from my tweet below!

***Sommerpause*** // I am Germany

@i_amgermany

You can tell I work in a startup because we have a tischtennis inside the office. We’re basically glorified children. -Y

09:15 AM - 11 Mar 2019

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