Start before you’re ready

I’ve never quite been ready for anything, I guess.  I just start.

I could never possibly predict all the things that I would encounter when starting something, let alone prep for them.  If I did that, I’d find something and say “err, nope.  I don’t think I’ll be doing this.  Too hard.”  That means I’d completely lose out on learning something (or being forced to, which happens quite a bit).

My dad likes to say “When you have the money, you don’t have time.  When you have time, you don’t have the money.  If you want to go do something, go do it!  Don’t wait!”  It’s taken me to sea, various cities, racing, flying, and a couple of careers.

Like @jlyman said, “It means take a chance, take a leap of faith.”

Well said.  If you’re a christian then it definitely means lean into your faith.

Phobias

Javascript used to scare me.  I simply didn’t understand it, or what was going on.  I had done pretty well just using plug-ins and off-the-shelf solutions.  It was silly but I was comfortable in my phobia.  “This crap doesn’t make sense and I’m not a genius.” and the excuse machine that I maintained well just kept on producing. So there came I time where I was cornered and had to write some custom JS.  “Fine” I said, “whatever gets me through this.”  So I got it to work.  “That’s it?  Why was I afraid of this?”.  I recognized that there isn’t any magic going on, just a logical proceedure.  Phobia removed.

This led to forcing myself to logically review other bits of code, be it JS, PHP, Rails, Python, etc.  There’s always a pattern.  They’re always doing something pretty logical.  For those times where I have no clue, I’m forced to remind myself that “Hey, a human mind built this, so a human mind can solve it”.

Logical thought doesn’t exactly result from any particular training.  It’s just a valuable habit.

A habit that’s deadly against phobias.

Dilligence

I’m helping a student go through the Iron Yard code academy.  It’s good because I not only share what helped me, but I remember the hopeless and lost feeling that came right before those great ‘AHA!’ moments.

So I got to go along for the ride, giving advice, pointing to references, and doing what I can short of giving him the answer.  That’s really what I wanted to do, but he wouldn’t really learn if I did that.

Yesterday they were off from school so he attended 3 different study groups to try and get a handle on some javascript.  All of this is new to him, he just started last week!

Yesterday I was swamped at work and couldn’t help out much so I had to keep putting him off until I got home.  Even then I was so exhausted from work (and sore from running this weekend) that I forgot until about 9pm.

I had a few emails that went like this:

“Hey I’m struggling with this, what’s a callback?”

“Dude I don’t know where to start, have any go-to pointers?”

“I’m going to my 3rd study group today, still don’t have a clue”

Before I could write back, he sent me one more:

“Hey man we figured it out!  I’m so happy that this worked out! We just didn’t give up and now it works! Check out my github and comment!”

This is the best email I could get!  I didn’t help him, he figured it out!  Getting news like this is a breath of fresh air and now I’m revisiting it while telling you.

Nice way to kick off this Tuesday!

“Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse, wouldn’t quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out. Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that second mouse.”

Yes he is…

and in the news

http://www.wired.com/2015/01/president-obama-waging-war-hackers/?mbid=social_twitter

If you read the above article, hasn’t it pretty much always been this way?

So what constitues a ‘hacker’?  Is it the ability to program?  Is it just having a basic enough understanding of the terminal to throw commands at linux?  Is having kali enough to be arrested nowadays?

I live across the street from some pretty sharp CS majors and I have to scan my wireless a lot.  I live in a small 4 unit building and supply internet to the other 3 tenants, so needless to say I don’t want 10 other people on there as well. So I use a few tools to keep things safe and routinely look for entry points.  I’m breaking into my own network.

So from the point of view of my neighbors, since I provide internet to them and defend it as much as I can, just having the idea that I can slip into their computers and have a look – can they bring legal action against me? We’re all friends, but who’s to say one of them gets mad and calls the cops saying I broke into their computer?  No evidence of intrusion exists.

Maybe the evidence would be the tools I keep on the computers.  Maybe I should delete them and hide my head in the sand and just trust that no one will jump on our wifi again.

Maybe we should all stay inside, lock the doors, and hope nothing ever happens.

Come on.

How about this, if only there were a freely distributed version of linux that has pen testing already built in?  What if it’s so easy you don’t have to really know what’s up?  What if we just give it to a whole bunch of people, in which case everyone will have at least some basic defense with the option of learning how to protect yourself.

Oh, this has been around?

So everyone’s a hacker I guess.  Hey, if you have terminal on your computer then you’re a hacker.

Didn’t even know it did ya?

If I’m off base, feel free to correct me.  I’m no activist, just observing.

State of the Dev Community

I really do enjoy being a developer!  I mean I’m getting into it more and more each day!  It’s complicated and you have to master several concepts just to get moving but there’s such a great and helpful community around you!

When I got serious into development and decided to make it a profession I immediately ran into a roadblock.  I started at community college and it was so ultra-competitive- which isn’t bad – but no one would share information with anyone.  This is probably because there were about 50(?) of us competing for about 10 jobs.  I really felt like I was on an island and I would have to figure out everything myself.

My last semester I had an instructor who obviously loved teaching.  He taught our network security class.  Talk about someone who really embodied the open-source idea – he wanted ALL of us to know what he knew and build upon it.  That spirit completely engulfed the class and we weren’t trying to beat each other up anymore.

Fast-forward 2 years, after going through code school, I’m working in a start-up where we’re doing a few things new to me.  I’m on deadlines and I’ve got to perform because there’s only 4 of us on the creative team!  Luckily community is huge.  There is always someone who’s been in your shoes before and are willing to take a few minutes to help out!  This really spurrs the idea that ’sky is the limit’.  It’s great!  It’s a great feeling when you can help someone else out as well!

The state of the dev community?  Very good and getting better!

If you’re a developer – remember to pay it forward and help someone.  It’ll completely make their day and they’ll do it for someone else as well.

Blog Maintenance

So the first thing on my list was to actually categorize my posts.  This will definitely force me to focus on a few things rather than ‘everything in the world’.  As I was going through the few posts I have and reorganizing, I noticed that I’ve really not strayed much from a couple of subjects.  It kind of makes me feel very one-dimensional.  Left to my own devices, I would be randomly blogging about everything.

Organization has been a part of the #10daysbetterblog process from the beginning.  I’m consciously trying to stay within a few subjects, writing on a 20 minute timer, resisting starting a blog for each and every interest I have.  Talk about a quick way to spread yourself thin!  I wouldn’t have time to think!

I obviously use wordpress and have the standard metrics that come with it.  I haven’t messed around with that at all.  I did look at them today and I’m not sure if there’s a traffic pattern at all so far.  However, being in this course is making me more aware of such things.  I’m not sure how to use tags, are they for search engines?  I’ll have to read up on that one.

I like today’s project because after organizing a bit, I have a more clear picture on what I should be writing.

Optimal Writing Environment

In search of an optimal writing environment, I’ve noticed that I have 2 different places I like to write.

I’ve recently re-started my tech blog and the best way for me to write that blog better is when I’m actually at work.  I work at a start-up where I can put on my headphones and go to writing about what I was working on, gripes I have about a technology, or my latest experiments with a new technology.  At work, I’m in the weeds of it all.  I feel more like a war reporter on the front line! “This is Andrew reporting from the experiment with Docker!  I don’t really know what’s going on, but it seems I have a virtual dev environment that seems to get all the required files!  This is weird!”

My other set up is very much like Saddington’s.  I have a stand-up desk and wireless headphones.  Wireless because I have to pace around the apartment and think on what I’m writing about.  Music has to mostly be just instrumental because I tend to focus on lyrics and I’ll get distracted. I have a very minimalisticly decorated loft and that seems to help me focus on the task at hand.  If I see a mess or clothes on the floor, I’ll stop what I’m doing and take care of it.  Usually that will wreck my workflow for a few minutes.

I do my best work around lunch or early afternoon, preferrably near a window.  Always have to be able to look outside. I don’t know why but that helps a lot!

That’s a pretty accurate rundown of my writing environment.  I’m definitely open to suggestions, as I’m always experimenting!

Why I Write

This is a good question.  Why do I write?  I’ve not thought much about that, ever.

First thing that comes to mind is when I find things I’ve written in the past, I rediscover that era of my life.  I remember situations that were going on, my thoughts on what paths I should take, and what music I was into at that time.  No matter what I read from my past, I can recall what band I was into at that time!

Second, and this is happening as I write this, writing makes me think instead of going through the motions.  I have to pause and take stock in where I am and what I’m doing.   I can better examine the things I have ahead of me, being projects, work, or why would I really consider spending $1500 on a new road bicycle?

Lastly, I started blogging again to help out others.  This is mainly because I’d been contacted a few times about my coding school reviews.  Going through the Iron Yard coding academy, I really could’ve used an outside source who’s been there.  If I’m just someone who can relate to the students and give a little guidence, then that would be great! I’m also a long distance runner and I’ve been given several tips that are very beneficial, but often times when I share them with other runners it’s news to them.  If I can put those tips on a blog then several people can benefit.

For a long time I didn’t really see blogging or twitter as much more than a platform for people to glorify themselves.  I completely missed out on the benefits of public writing and the good things that it can provide.

Take it easy!

10 Days to a Better Blog

Taking up a new challenge today!  For the next 10 days I am taking part in a course to improve my blogging.  It’s something I’ve struggled to maintain ever since going to The Iron Yard coding academy this summer.  Time to tackle blogging head-on!

So I’m making my commitment public via Twitter.  If you’re reading this, feel free to bug me and make me keep my word.  Parts of today’s assignment are making your commitment public, not self-editing, holding myself to a timer, and hitting that “Publish” button.

Getting back into blogging is one of my resolutions.  I only made a couple this year. One of them being “Learn a couple of new javascript frameworks so you can better choose which framework will fit what project”.  I have been using jQuery mainly, just to get things moving.  I know there are more efficient frameworks (Angular.js comes to mind…), however I’m not as well versed in them to tackle the jobs at work.

Ok I think that’ll about do it for today, my lunch is about over!

Take it easy!

TIY 2015!

Finally got around to getting desk.pm and getting this blog in gear!

So it sounds like The Iron Yard is kicking off another class!  I’m so glad that so many people are taking the challenge and changing their lives!  It’s definitely an exciting road, one that I’m so glad I took!

Not having much of a programming background, I was skeptical about the whole process. I just didn’t see how I would be marketable after only 3 months.  My plan was just to do exactly what I was asked and not to worry about imaginary scenes of failure.

It is extremely eye opening how much is possible with this course!  You literally have only the sky as your limit!  Making mock-ups and learning javascript was fun, but the real fun for me was all the different frameworks.  It’s really intimidating at first, but you start seeing patterns and realizing what the language designers were going for.  It’s opened doors for me very quickly.  For instance, I am learning ember.js this week in order to help with another startup that’s only about 2 months old.  That’s exciting!!

I can honestly say going through The Iron Yard has enriched my life and given me creative opportunities that I had long ago dismissed due to the fact that I had no CS degree.  What a difference a few months and hard work has made!

Good luck to the new classes!  You won’t regret it!

-and thanks to you John for making this very cool app!