Building the things that nobody is asking for
I'm Olaf Alders. I write software for the web. I'm a White Camel Award winner. Currently building My Mind is Racing — every run, swim, ride and race — all in one calendar.
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How I Spent My Perl Toolchain Summit v2026 (Vienna)
The Perl Toolchain Summit is an annual event, held in Europe, where work on improving the Perl toolchain takes place. In 2026 we met in Vienna, Austria. It was my first trip to the city and my 11th PTS in total.
No Clothing? No Problem
Clothing-optional runs are niche events, but if you enjoy running and you’re also the kind of person who gets stressed trying to choose an outfit, these might be just what you’re looking for. And with names like “Bare Buns”, “White Tail” and “Chilly Cheeks”, what’s …
The Perl Advent Calendar 2026 CFP Is Open
It’s that time of year again: season 27 of The Perl Advent Calendar and the Call for Papers is open. This year I’m compressing the timeline: article ideas by Oct 15, articles completed by end of (my) day on Nov 1. If you’ve never written an article for the calendar before, this is an excellent time to …
MetaCPAN Dark Mode
MetaCPAN turns 16 in November, and it now has dark mode. You won’t see the toggle on every page just yet — it’ll appear across the site as the Fastly cache refreshes.
git worktree gotchas
git worktrees are no longer a niche tool, but they still come with some gotchas. You may need to tweak your logic for finding the root of your repository when in a linked worktree, and you may need to revisit how you configure your git hooks (like pre-commit).
Find a Terry Fox Run Near You
It’s Terry Fox Run season, when a lot of cancer research fundraising (and running and walking) happens. I’ve just added hundreds of Terry Fox runs to My Mind is Racing, so you can find one in your province or territory.