43 karma · joined June 19, 2008
[ my public key: https://keybase.io/jroufa; my proof: https://keybase.io/jroufa/sigs/3oEp9BADzF1N3AHZzRC5rNbYzawknpg5Q1x3dB2T1qA ]
If you're looking for something lighter, perhaps check out Time Ships by the same author. This was the only authorized sequel to the legendary classic The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.
David Brin's Uplift series is brilliantly written, and personifies non-human characters wonderfully.
Heinlein has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, and his writing always makes me giddy.
The depth of his exploration of the human condition through the continuation of H.G. Wells' classic just floored me. My jaw was dropped practically from page one.
I'd love to see what you and your friends are doing with open data. I'm finding it difficult to stay motivated in my own area, with few developers and little free time.
Glad to see that people world over are investing time in open data. :)
I worked for a year at a newspaper and built apps and stuff like that -- it was the most fulfilling work I've ever done and I wish the situation had been able to work out. If I ever get a chance to do real news apps again, I would jump on it. Enjoy your opportunity, Anders, and be prepared to show your work.
Sometimes, the phrase "if you build it, they will come" is applicable. If you build something that shows you CAN build something, show it to the right people and you will attract attention.
Some inspiration: http://blog.apps.chicagotribune.com/ http://blog.apps.npr.org/ https://source.opennews.org/en-US/ http://flowingdata.com/
Not digging against you, but this might (though, imho it shouldn't) be a barrier to entry to newcomers. I've simply resigned myself to editing the one line it takes to complete the tutorial every step of the way... Though in retrospect I think I probably could have just forked it and updated that line myself for a permanent fix... :)
We'll be releasing frequent UX and content updates over the course of the next couple months as we develop new features and add more tutorials. Please feel free to make suggestions; all are welcome! :)
I plan on adding a feedback form to the search page when there are no results, so that users can suggest more music to add. That's at the top of my list for things to do today actually. Right now we've got about 1000 tutorials, but we're planning on adding more soon, of other instruments and more songs. Guitar will be the next instrument added.
As to the pages with dead videos, there should be a link under each video that says "Broken video?", that will pop up a feedback form.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/07/20117232155...
Also, Ron Paul has some words of wisdom on this topic. He has been saying the same thing his entire career and people keep calling him crazy. I think it's about time we listen.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-22/default-now-or-suff...
I got started on this when I decided to start working for myself actually. Now that I have a say in my schedule, the pressure of "getting there" practically doesn't exist! With that out of the way I only do what I enjoy doing and it allows me to take the time I need. I get to spend time each day on ME because I don't have to answer to THEM.
Good luck mate! Freeing myself from the cyclical struggle was the best thing I've ever done. It wasn't nor is easy but it's worth it for all the benefit I've seen!
Two years of my life could (and would) have been better spent working in a field I love on projects I enjoy with people that constantly push me to excel but because of the rejection I experienced (mostly in my own head, mind you) in the first half of 2008, I froze and was unable to get past it. Well, thank [insert higher power of choice here] for that because this year I'm back on the horse and 2011 brings nothing but amazing potential and a blank slate every day for me to fill.
To anyone stuck where I was: Keep pushing forward. When you realize that the rejection is your own head working against you, you'll finally feel free. It gets different!
Oh yeah, and I climbed a mountain this year. Next year I'm going to climb two.
Read Javascript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford. After reading this, I can't help but agree that JS has always gotten a bad rep and been undervalued. It really can be an elegant language, and Crockford found the perfect way to demonstrate that.
This. I have a short list of 3-4 references and 3-4 gigs that I've done that I use with all my potential new clients. This covers pretty much any scenario I have the capability to handle on my own. Aside from that, I don't much advertise my other work unless it applies. I'd rather talk about the potential new client's issues and how I've dealt with them in the past, in specifics, than talk of a job gone wrong that has nothing to do with their need.
I guess where I disagree with all of this is in my implementation. I choose to provide services (as a consultant) rather than goods (in the form of modules or themes). I can't disagree with the result though, as the end is often the same.
Sorry for my attack on the thread; I suppose what I really wanted to do was ask a question and I didn't know how. Thank you ktsmith for being patient enough to help me along. :)