I've blogged at
Left of the Dev (formerly Everyday Rails)
since 2010. It's about whatever's grabbing my attention right now as a software developer,
with a healthy blend of pragmatic and fun.
Bandageman Studios
is my extremely serious video game empire. Or maybe it's just an excuse for me to learn video game development through silly little games about obscure Pacific Northwest cryptids, and/or my dog.
Get productive with test-driven development in Rails with
Everyday Rails Testing
with RSpec! Learn how to test with confidence through core fundamentals and
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Low Overhead Industries
is my woodworking side project, currently focused on fun
trinkets created from ordinary scrap wood. Just a lightly-populated online shop for now, hopefully more in 2026.
Sound Refound is an online gallery
of promotional flyers for concerts. I've collected these over the years,
primarily in the Lawrence, Kansas, and Seattle, Washington areas.
👋 I do not subscribe to mainstream social media platforms, so as an independent author and artist, I really appreciate your support! If I've shared anything here you find amusing or interesting, please share it in kind with your friends, family, and colleagues. You can follow my projects on Mastodon or Bluesky. 🤗
Recent posts
- January 2026 updates: New shops and projects abound!
- New game from Bandageman Studios: Some People Call Him the Space Cowboy
- Announcing Bandageman Studios, my extremely serious take on video game development
Now reading
- Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World (Anne-Laure Le Cunff; Avery)
- 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think (Laura Vanderkam; Portfolio)
- Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist (Liz Pelly; Atria/One Signal Publishers)
Biography
I'm Aaron Sumner: Hackity-hack woodworker, low-and-slow cooker, tiny-scale gardener, Jayhawk, run/walk/runner, and cat herder, currently residing in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. Also: A former league bowler and Olympic speed walker.
I still write a lot of code in my role as a Software Engineering Manager at O’Reilly Media. Some of the other times I write about writing software as an independent technical author at Left of the Dev.
Previous stops include Astoria, Oregon; Lawrence, Kansas; Seattle, Washington; and Jersey County, Illinois.
All of the above statements are true.