About the Author
I'm Stephan, a Linux user with a passion for open-source, UI/UX design, and exploring what makes fiction work.
In my spare time, I focus on (and write about):
- Programming (mainly in Python and Rust)
- Retrocomputing (mostly DOS but, as of January 2023, I also own a machine running Mac OS 9.2)
- Reading and Reviewing Fiction
- The odd bit of UI/UX design or literary theory
For notification of significant updates to existing posts, consider following me on Mastodon.
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Author Archives: Stephan Sokolow
Downloading YouTube Subtitles
A few days ago, for the first time, I wanted to save the YouTube subtitles/closed captions for a video. (It was a Russian newscast about the trolololo guy which wasn’t hard-subbed) Unfortunately, I only had tools in hand for downloading … Continue reading
Posted in Web Wandering & Opinion
18 Comments
Using Twig with Fat-Free Framework: Why and How
Having used Fat-Free Framework 2.x for a little while now, I’m still generally quite happy with it… aside from one thing. The built-in templating engine’s syntax doesn’t offer many advantages over raw PHP, it’s more verbose in certain common cases, … Continue reading
Posted in Geek Stuff
11 Comments
Setting Custom Game Icons in Desura
I just discovered Desura’s Linux client and, given the opportunity to have a DRM-free package repository system for my Humble Bundle games, I jumped at the chance. Of course, I still wanted to keep all my games together in one … Continue reading
Posted in Geek Stuff
2 Comments
Good Villain, Bad Villain
The difference between a well-done villain like Ursula in Disney’s The Little Mermaid and a poorly done one like Rasputin in Don Bluth’s Anastasia is actually pretty simple. With a well-done villain, you can understand and sympathize with whatever made … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
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Freeman’s Mind, Humor, And Themes As A Writing Aid
From a structural standpoint, one of the biggest reasons Freeman’s Mind works so well as humor is that, in the Half-Life story, Ross Scott’s version of Gordon Freeman embodies not one or even two, but three humorous juxtapositions which can … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
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My Sites: Now 100% Google-free (FeedBurner excepted)
I’ve been meaning to minimize Google’s ability to track me and my visitors for quite a while now, but this post about Google+ which I stumbled across recently came as an appropriately timed reminder. I’d like to announce that every … Continue reading
Posted in Geek Stuff
4 Comments
WordPress: Flushing Spam Comments Quickly
While I love a well-configured copy of Spam Karma 2 as an effortless way to keep my blog free of spam, it doesn’t seem to have a way to automatically purge/expire comments after they sit in the spam bin for a … Continue reading
Posted in Geek Stuff
2 Comments