Posts from 2017

Be a Builder, Not a Barrier
November 20, 2017
Over the past few years, I’ve had the chance to talk with multiple designers about their work and what their environment is like. And perhaps I was naive, but I was surprised at the number of times I heard that they were told by developers that X feature they wanted to do was “not possible.” Then when I would ask more about the requirements of X feature, I would often be boggled by how simple the request often was. So that got me thinking, “Why are developers often so quick to say no to what designers want?”
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Take Inspiration from Another Source
November 19, 2017
I had a friend who recommended that I watch “Your Name” a while back. So I went ahead and purchased the blu-ray not knowing whether or not I’d like it, but I trusted his recommendation nonetheless. Well, it finally came in and I just finished watching it. And I am just in absolute awe at the moment. (Don’t worry. There won’t be any spoilers in this post.)
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The Impermanent Nature of Our Work
November 13, 2017
Over this past weekend, I had the incredible opportunity of visiting Harry Potter world in Orlando, Florida for the first time! For those who don't know, I'm a huge Harry Potter nerd and to be able to get my robe at Madam Malkin's and then buy my wand at Ollivander's was absolutely magical. That said, while I spent my time in the park, I couldn't help but be blown away by the attention of detail and work that was put into the recreation of Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. And for whatever reason, it suddenly gave me this moment of reflection on the impermanent nature of our work.
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The Power of Repetition
November 9, 2017
Now that I had solved the Rubik's cube, one would think that I would never touch a Rubik's cube again. However, if my accomplishment was merely solving the cube once, this wouldn't really be a note worthy achievement. Because at the end of the day, my goal was to be able to solve any standard Rubik's cube without any instructions. So the last few days have been an interesting exploration into the power of repetition and there is value to doing the same thing over and over again.
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Underestimating Reverse Engineering
November 8, 2017
When I first encountered my first Rubik's cube, I was fascinated by the numerous colors and patterns. Like many others, the fact that was a three dimensional puzzle had a certain beauty to it that caused me to obsess over it for some time. Yet while I would eventually be successful with solving the first two layers on my own, the final layer always eluded me.
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I Can Solve a Rubik's Cube!
November 7, 2017
For my entire life, I've always envied those who could solve a Rubik's cube. Not only did I have a level of respect for what I thought would be an impossible task, but there was also a part of me that wanted to be able to join that "elite" group of people. Well, I'm proud to say that I can solve a Rubik's cube!
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Why I Switched from Sublime to VS Code
November 6, 2017
Let me begin by stating that I have a been a hardcore Sublime Text user for the past 3 years. Not only did I spend $80 on a full license, but I also purchased Wes Bos' Sublime Text Power User guide for $45 so I could get even better at it. In other words, I was committed to the tool and had invested the time and money in it.
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A Single Obsession
November 5, 2017
For those who don't know me, I'm a compulsive learner. I enjoy ramping up on new topics and since my interests are rather diverse, this leads me to often be pulled in eight different directions at once. And that's not an exaggeration in the slightest. The number of projects that were started with an initial burst of excitement and possibility often got quickly replaced by another which left a trail of project husks behind me.
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My Thoughts on "Full Stack"
November 4, 2017
Being a full-stack developer is all the craze right now. It seems like all bootcamps with web developer programs are selling people on the idea of being full-stack. And to top it off, it seems like a lot of companies are interested in hiring them. So one might conclude that more developers should try to become full-stack right? Nope. I think not.
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So I Converted to Tabs...
November 3, 2017
For those who watch Silicon Valley, you might remember this hilarious scene where Richard is dating a girl who uses spaces instead of tabs and there's hilarity that ensues as they do work next to one another. Now, this is a topic that plenty of developers have gotten plenty heated over. And while I love an enthusiastic debate over little details like this from time to time, it's certainly not one of those things that I'd be willing to die on a hill for. Nonetheless, I wanted to write a post about my history with the topic and why I ended up on tabs.
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