For the last couple of weeks I’ve been developing and working completely remotely. Removed from my office, removed from my resources and often while in remote locations from the car with my family as we travel from destination to destination. It’s been enjoyable to be part of everything the family is doing but it has not been without difficulty. For example, it can be hard to debug complex problems with kids unhappy in the back seat or to read a terminal session with the sun washing out the screen. It can also be challenging to be working via SSH and have the connection drop because we travel through an area without data connectivity.

Those sorts of problems aside, the one thing I miss most is my reference library. I’ve amassed a number of books that are helpful references for obscure bits of knowledge I don’t keep locked away in my mind. Last year I travelled with my books and never used them. This year, however, I’ve found myself wanting them in a couple of instances while working. While I can use Google for the majority of the code snips and shortcuts I would need, it’s a highly inefficient, to continually switch windows. I’ve contemplated signing up for O’Reilly Safari but have found digital books don’t save any time over Google and the $22.99 or more per month seems expensive for materials generally available elsewhere and locatable through Google.