The purpose of the downloader function is not about downloading, but about getting the file in a state where it can be shared amongst the other functions within the Tape Index natural language processing flow. Since each step needs to reference the file being processed, it’s much faster and efficient to not have to download it every time it’s required. Here’s a refresher of the NLP flow…
Read More90% of startups fail. This appears to be an accepted statistical fact. But is it really? I believe it’s possibly one of the most misleading statistics out there. When I was writing a post on How To Properly Evaluate the Risk and Rewards of Startups I had this 90% statistic in my head and thought it was going to be really damning evidence. Turns out it’s not as it seems…
Read MoreAs mentioned before, Modal is a powerful serverless computing platform. These means that code (functions) can be called on demand and only run for as long as the function requires. In many cases, this method of computing can be significantly cheaper and more scalable than other solutions. Since Tape Index needs to take advantage of GPU cores for certain aspects of its NLP flow, Modal is an ideal and cost-effective solution for running GPU enabled servers on demand…
Read MoreIf you’re familiar with serverless computing especially functions as a service (FaaS) like AWS Lambda or DigitalOcean Functions, you might be aware of the limitations that these services have. Limitations usually revolve around compute power, runtime environments and the additional packages you might be able to install to get a function running. For Tape Index and its natural language processing (NLP) flow, I quickly hit all those limitations from the start. In my searching for alternative solutions I came across Modal. Modal is similar to serverless functions, but fits more in line with what I would consider a serverless application…
Read MoreI’m today years old when I learned about Tailscale and I hope you find yourself in the same position as well†. In the life of every SaaS product there comes a time when you have to release your infrastructure into the real world. It goes without saying that security is paramount here. Depending on the knowledge and size of the team it’s possible that some things like security might get put off. Security by obscurity is the name of the game…
Read MoreI quit my job and started freelancing in June of 2023. With any sudden massive move like that, it’s impossible to predict what kind of projects will show up, but I was super pleased when the opportunity to join Bumper as their fractional CTO came along…
Read MoreI love digital devices and gadgets of all shapes and sizes. I also love the tangible nature of things not digital. When “devices” didn’t exist I used to journal – a lot. I still have most of my journals and one day I’ll bring myself to read them, or maybe my children will. At some point in my life I stopped journaling. I didn’t switch to typing things out on a phone or computer, I just stopped. I’ve tried many times to resume with a physical paper journal, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it…
Read MoreOver the past few months I’ve been building out Tape Index – a radically simple organizational system designed for content creators. Indexing literally everything and anything that someone uploads, regardless of file format, is core to keeping things simple. To accomplish this, Tape Index needs to support transcription and natural language processing (NLP) right from the start. I am also self-funding Tape Index, so whatever solution I use can’t break the bank, specifically my wallet…
Read MorePodcaster and Simplecaster Luke Brawner has been working on a massive multipart podcast project called Breakin’ Hearts. He has accumulated digital reams of research, audio, video, photos and transcripts that at some point he will need to sift through. Even if he was the most organized person in the world, finding all the right clips to tell the perfect story is still a monumental task. In the most ideal scenario he would have organized all of his folders and files with the proper naming conventions…
Read MoreI am convinced that saving costs while running a startup is an undervalued skill. Unless actively managed, costs will quickly bloat out of control and sink a startup. Developers often talk about technical debt, but there’s an equally dangerous phrase I call technical obligation. Technical obligation also has an equally dangerous side affect, financial obligation...
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