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If you get 10 minutes into this talk and decide you don't really like the topic, the topic will change! If you don't like the speaker, well ... there's no accounting for taste.

The Cobbler's Production Console Has No Shoes. Don't give all your great stuff to your end-users, build something nice for yourself as well. We'll look at a few of the things I've built for myself at LivingSocial and hopefully will inspire you to do the same.

Do-It-Yourself Mocks and Fixtures. Big projects need some custom love. factory_girl, ActiveRecord fixtures and mocha demo nice, but sometimes they wear out their welcome in a big code base. How hard could it be to do yourself? Let's find out! It might be easier than you think.

Track yer Big Stuff without screwing up production with Humperdink. With over 2500 translation keys in one app, we decided to build out some tooling to track at runtime what was and wasn't being used so we could prune out the dead stuff.

ALL THE ANALOGIES We've all tried to wield the construction analogy to help figure out what the heck it is we do. Let's get creative and think of 10 other ways that don't quite capture it either.

Help us caption & translate this video!

http://amara.org/v/FG3q/

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In his lightning talk at the Big Ruby 2014 event, Chris Morris, a senior engineer at LivingSocial, shares insights into the importance of developing tools for oneself as a developer. He emphasizes building personal automation solutions rather than relying solely on existing tools for end users.

**Key Points Discussed:**
- **Introduction and Background**: Morris highlights his experience with LivingSocial's payment systems, which handle millions of API calls daily. He mentions the challenges faced while managing production support under strict PCI regulations.  
- **Building Developer Tools**: He shares his journey of creating various console tools to simplify repetitive tasks. Examples include:
  - **Using Pry**: He enhanced the Ruby development experience by integrating Pry, improving data readability through features like pretty-printing and history retention.
  - **Batch Classes**: Morris created batch classes that simplify handling arrays returned from Rails, using method missing magic to enhance code readability and save time.  
  - **Text-Table Gem**: He implemented a gem for formatting outputs into clean, tabular formats.  
- **Email Automation**: Morris developed a method to send quick emails via Mailgun directly, bypassing the complexities of ActionMailer.  
- **Troubleshooting Tools**: He built functionality for Braintree that assists with troubleshooting payment systems, allowing efficient comparisons and resolution of issues.  
- **Log Analysis Scripts**: Utilizing shell scripting to grep through logs proved effective in organized data management without access to traditional log aggregators.
- **Fixtures and Mocks**: He reflects on challenges with standard libraries like FactoryGirl and Mocha, advocating for clarity and simplicity in managing test data and mocks.
- **Internationalization Tool**: Morris discusses the development of Humperdink, a tool for tracking translation keys in real-time, which is crucial for managing unused translations in a large application. 
- **Coverband**: He mentions the open-source code coverage tool that helps in tracking active parts of code in production, guiding developer focus during enhancements.
- **Final Thoughts**: Chris wraps up by drawing an analogy between software development and continual refinement, encouraging developers to create personal tools to enhance their productivity.

**Main Takeaways:**  
- Building custom tools can significantly simplify developer workflows and enhance efficiency.
- Continuous iteration and improvement can lead to valuable solutions.  
- Morris encourages developers to explore creating their own automation rather than relying on existing off-the-shelf solutions.

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