Archived entries for links

This is What I Like to Read

Great detail into dealing with a rush of new traffic to Pinboard after Yahoo! announced the Delicious “sunset” (ugh, corporate-speak never gets any easier to swallow).

Server administration scares me.

via marco.org

Interesting Links

Programmer Competency Matrix

I was surprised to find that I placed in level 3 for most of the “Programming” rows (as I understand my skills anyway :). Art school has definitely made for some strange bedfellows.

It was motivating to see where I placed in all of the topics, as my approach to learning programming has been to aquire as much understanding as possible about the the things I don’t know. Finding that I was at level 2, but knowing the existence of the concepts in level 3 validates that this approach is moving me in the right direction.

I likened this philosophy to Elizabeth the other day as analogous to how one understands their city. We live in LA, a big, sprawling metropolis, and while I’ve never been to Monrovia or Cerritos (far out there), I understand that both are cities in Los Angeles County. Not the best example, sure, but one that illustrates the differences in approach. I actively seek out and retain this type of understanding in the belief that it may be useful at some point. Others my see it as the inevitable result of living in the same place a long time.

A better example would be to relate it to one’s chosen carrer. Using this angle, it becomes quickly evident that the ones who take an active approach are usually more successful (the definition of the success is based on the specific domain, of course). Conversely, those taking a passive approach tend to exert more effort in defending how what they do know is more tried and true, and hence more reliable. More dangerously, as a superior, they tend to actively block their peers and subordinates. Anyone who has worked in a university or college setting will loudly attest.

Deep Linking with Javascript

Open sourced javascript implementation for linking to paragraphs, and even sentences, in webpages. Uses a matching pattern based on the first letters of the first 3 words in the first and last sentence of the paragraph. That was a mouthful. For example, the key for this paragraph would be [OsjFet].

A fun way to practice your Dvorak skills

I still intend to pick up proper typing. And when that time comes, it will definitely be on a Dvorak keyboard.

I started the typing tests last year and unfortunately, lasted only a week. It takes the same discipline as QWERTY (no surprise there), but I find the layout much easier to memorize. Now, if Apple could get on the ball with creating a beautifully designed split keyboard, I could get rid of this clunker. It’s hideous, poorly constructed and loud (key paddings wear out quickly), but it’s still the most comfortable I’ve found.

Some Links I Want to Check Out

In need of a blog dusting, here are some links I’d like to check out.

From AddyOsmani.com

  • Essential JavaScript And jQuery Design Patterns – A Free New Book

    Hey guys. Today I’m happy to announce the release of a free book I’ve written called ‘Essential JavaScript & jQuery Design Patterns For Beginners’. Design patterns are reusable solutions to commonly occurring problems in software development and are a very useful tool to have at your disposal.

  • JavaScript 101 – A Free 10 Hour Audio Course

    Hey guys. Today I’m happy to announce the release of a free 10 hour downloadable JavaScript audio course for beginners called JavaScript 101. This is a course you can listen to at your own pace and covers many core JavaScript fundamentals ranging from the basics to syntax, objects, ajax and it also includes an hour of training on jQuery.

From Rebecca Murphey

  • jQuery Fundamentals

    The purpose of this book is to provide an overview of the jQuery JavaScript library; when you’re done with the book, you should be able to complete basic tasks using jQuery, and have a solid basis from which to continue your learning. This book was designed as material to be used in a classroom setting, but you may find it useful for individual study.

From Andy Clarke

  • Working on MobiCart

    Andy shares his files and technique on using Dropbox as a client-friendly versioning system. The code contains his use of HTML5 and CSS3. Seeing this in an actual client project from a veteran like Clarke is a great opportunity to learn real-world use-cases for the new and upcoming specs/modules.


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