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
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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 Etsy 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.
Recent posts
- Announcing Bandageman Studios, my extremely serious take on video game development
- What I'm up to (September 2025)
- What I'm up to (March 2025)
Now reading
- Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run (Peter Ames Carlin; Doubleday)
- Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less (Revised and Updated) (Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, & Roy Schwartz; Workman Publishing Company)
- Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy (Mary Roach; W. W. Norton & Company)
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.