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.
Get productive with test-driven development in Rails with
Everyday Rails Testing
with RSpec! Learn how to test with confidence through core fundamentals and
simple, readable tests that pass.
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.
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—you know, the ones we used to see stapled
to electric posts, fences, and anywhere bills could be posted. I've collected these over the years,
primarily in the Lawrence, Kansas, and Seattle, Washington areas.
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
- The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance (W. Timothy Gallwey; Random House Trade Paperbacks)
- The Art of Pacing: A Guide to Balancing Short-Term Demands with Long-Term Thriving (Elizabeth Svoboda; Simon Element / Simon Acumen)
- I Told You So!: Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled, and Imprisoned for Being Right (Matt Kaplan; St. Martin's Press)
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.