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Mika Flowers

Self-taught dev. Creator of Mochi, a native Linux desktop pet. I build Linux/web tools and write about them. Open to software engineering and technical writing roles.

Location Alexandria, Virginia Joined Joined on  github website

Education

Self-taught Software Developer

Pronouns

she/her

Work

Freelance Technical Writer · Independent Software Developer · Open Source Builder

JavaScript
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2 Week Community Wellness Streak
Community Favorite 4
Next.js
Python
1 Week Community Wellness Streak
Community Favorite 2
Writing Debut
I Write on a 2006 iMac and Code on a $200 Laptop

Linux breathes new life into old hardware

I Write on a 2006 iMac and Code on a $200 Laptop

BERJAYA BERJAYA BERJAYA 48
Comments 18
4 min read

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What "best practice" did you quietly stop following?

Developers debate dropping early abstraction

What "best practice" did you quietly stop following?

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Comments 27
1 min read
I Put a Local LLM in Charge of a Colony and Asked It to Tell the Truth. It Didn't.

A single prompt tweak changes everything

I Put a Local LLM in Charge of a Colony and Asked It to Tell the Truth. It Didn't.

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Comments 6
8 min read
I Made 866 Commits in 5 Weeks. My Understanding Didn't Keep Up.

The widening gap between output and comprehension

I Made 866 Commits in 5 Weeks. My Understanding Didn't Keep Up.

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Comments 22
7 min read
How One "Generate Draft" Button Changed the Design of My Writing Tool

Removes tab clutter for devs

How One "Generate Draft" Button Changed the Design of My Writing Tool

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Comments 19
4 min read
I Applied to 59 Tech Jobs in 14 Days. Here's What Actually Happened

Treating the job search like a data system

I Applied to 59 Tech Jobs in 14 Days. Here's What Actually Happened

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Comments 11
7 min read
The Version of Me Who Looks Better on Paper Doesn't Exist

Retail experience builds better developers

The Version of Me Who Looks Better on Paper Doesn't Exist

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Comments 14
6 min read
AI Is Making Me Faster. I Don’t Want It to Make Me Worse.

Commenters debate preserving deep reasoning skills

AI Is Making Me Faster. I Don’t Want It to Make Me Worse.

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Comments 10
5 min read
I Stopped Measuring My Programming Ability by How Much Code I Write.

Reframing developer worth beyond raw output

I Stopped Measuring My Programming Ability by How Much Code I Write.

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Comments 9
5 min read
They Invited Me to Apply. Two Days Later, They Rejected Me.

They Invited Me to Apply. Two Days Later, They Rejected Me.

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Comments 4
3 min read
I Tried to Prompt a 3D DEV Library Into Existence. Then I Had to Build My Own Level Editor.

Sanity Challenge Path Two Submission

I Tried to Prompt a 3D DEV Library Into Existence. Then I Had to Build My Own Level Editor.

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Picked as gem Comments 10
13 min read
I Got Rejected 2 Minutes After Applying. So Much for 'Skills-Based Hiring.'

ATS resume filters spark fierce debate among devs

I Got Rejected 2 Minutes After Applying. So Much for 'Skills-Based Hiring.'

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Comments 18
4 min read
How I Actually Learn New Skills (No Tutorial Required)

How I Actually Learn New Skills (No Tutorial Required)

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Comments 4
2 min read
My AI Agent's Skill Declared Nothing. It Still Read 9 Files, Ran 7 Processes, and Got Blocked 3 Times.

My AI Agent's Skill Declared Nothing. It Still Read 9 Files, Ran 7 Processes, and Got Blocked 3 Times.

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Comments 2
8 min read
Can Two Local AI Agents Build an App Without Me? I Gave Them 6 Rounds to Find Out

Can Two Local AI Agents Build an App Without Me? I Gave Them 6 Rounds to Find Out

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Comments 5
8 min read
8 Posts by Women on DEV That Deserve More Than a Once-a-Year Spotlight

Real technical deep dives over token spotlights

8 Posts by Women on DEV That Deserve More Than a Once-a-Year Spotlight

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Picked as gem Comments 32
4 min read
Devlog: I Built a 3D Library in Three.js Without a Level Editor — So I Made My Own

Shifting from code to a visual editor

Devlog: I Built a 3D Library in Three.js Without a Level Editor — So I Made My Own

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Comments 17
6 min read
Calculators Were the Original "AI Cheating Panic" — And We're Doing It All Again

Calculators Were the Original "AI Cheating Panic" — And We're Doing It All Again

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Comments 2
3 min read
why on earth does the Claude logo still look like a sphincter?

why on earth does the Claude logo still look like a sphincter?

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Comments
4 min read
nobody teaches you software architecture. you just break something enough times.

nobody teaches you software architecture. you just break something enough times.

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Comments 2
3 min read
AI Is Making You a Worse Engineer and a Better Employee

Compares velocity to skill depreciation

AI Is Making You a Worse Engineer and a Better Employee

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Comments 14
3 min read
Stop Building Portfolio Projects. They're Making You Worse.

Stop Building Portfolio Projects. They're Making You Worse.

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Comments 7
3 min read
Job-Hunting With a Resume That Doesn't Look Like a Resume

Job-Hunting With a Resume That Doesn't Look Like a Resume

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Comments 1
4 min read
Walking Into Tech Like It's On Fire (Because, Kind Of, It Is)

Walking Into Tech Like It's On Fire (Because, Kind Of, It Is)

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3 min read
Your AI Agent Has Too Many Permissions: A Practical Guide to Not Getting Burned

Your AI Agent Has Too Many Permissions: A Practical Guide to Not Getting Burned

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Comments 3
5 min read
The Sycophancy Problem: Why AI Keeps Agreeing With You (And Why That's Actually a Bug)

The Sycophancy Problem: Why AI Keeps Agreeing With You (And Why That's Actually a Bug)

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Comments 1
5 min read
Vibe Coding Was Never Going to Be the Future. Architecture Is.

Vibe Coding Was Never Going to Be the Future. Architecture Is.

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Comments 3
3 min read
How I Built a GNOME Utility to Disable My Laptop Keyboard (and What I Learned About Linux Input Devices)

How I Built a GNOME Utility to Disable My Laptop Keyboard (and What I Learned About Linux Input Devices)

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Comments
5 min read
I Spent 8 Years Managing a Grocery Store. Then I Taught Myself to Ship Linux Apps.

Unconventional path from retail floor to Linux dev

I Spent 8 Years Managing a Grocery Store. Then I Taught Myself to Ship Linux Apps.

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3 min read
Why I Had to Learn About State Machines to Build a Desktop Pet

Why I Had to Learn About State Machines to Build a Desktop Pet

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2 min read
I Built a Desktop Pet That Actually Feels at Home on Linux

I Built a Desktop Pet That Actually Feels at Home on Linux

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Comments 3
4 min read
Breaking Down the Door

Breaking Down the Door

Comments 2
5 min read
A Tiny Linux Desktop Companion — and Wayland and GTK Kept Getting in the Way

A Tiny Linux Desktop Companion — and Wayland and GTK Kept Getting in the Way

BERJAYA 1
Comments 1
9 min read
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