Technical articles, research notes, proof-of-concepts and other writing on security, infrastructure, systems, open-source software and policy.

How I calculate read time

Read time is estimated dynamically rather than using a flat words-per-minute figure. I start with a base speed by writing type then adjust for how airy or dense the piece is.

Notes use a base speed of 230 WPM, article uses 210 WPM and research or PoC work uses 190 WPM. The estimate then adds +5 WPM per major heading, capped at +20 and +3 WPM per substantial text break, capped at +12.

It subtracts 8 WPM for each genuine fenced code block, 6 WPM for each markdown table and 5 WPM for each embedded image. The adjusted speed never drops below 140 WPM and the final read time is the word count divided by that adjusted speed, rounded up to the next minute. Inline code styling on its own does not count as a code-block penalty.

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The feed lives at /rss.xml and includes published writing entries only, using the latest revision of each piece rather than every historical version.

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