The article is basically notes taken from his Foundation interview with Kevin Rose they did a few months ago > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nld8B9l1aRE . Very cool guy. Other foundation episodes are also golden.
Ah, that's where I remember this stuff from. Yes, this is a great series, and it's amazing how similar everyone's early-age start in technology was. Doom and Basic are common themes.
'Start your day with producer, not consumer mindset.' > pure gold.
Do an 80/20 analisys of your distractions an loop until a few essentials are reached (mail etc). Than postpone interacting with procrastinators until 1-2 pm (that's when most people are sleepy and least productive). Iterate over each nuance,eat,rest and by 4 pm, you should be back to 'killer mode'. If this kind of routine is achieved, you're one focused and unstoppable behemoth.
I am learning rails only 4 months after my first code line in html(your typical Joe Beginner), knowing absolutely nothing prior to that exept cracking a game or unzipping a file.
I found myself able to do very basic stuff and advancing at somewhat tollerable pace, but I figured derailing a bit and learning the core basics is essential for any meaningful progress. Frustration for me comes from not knowing what happens under the hood and why the particular commands are the way they are. I see what they do, but I dont understand where they come from, nor their potential, nor their proper usage.
So I started to watch Harvard cs50 course online as well as getting my hands on anything that can help me better understand the underlaying architecture of hardware and software.
Allthough not sexy, imho, this decision is the best a beginner can make. Yes it will take you longer to make something concrete. Yes, you will find yourself touching languages you will seldom (if ever) use afterwards. But understanding the roots is essential and pays in the long run much more than hacking your knowledge learning rails immediately. Remember it is a marathon, not a sprint. Bet on deeper understanding and you will win.
PS paralel with essentials, I am learning linux (so far I have only used windows) and vim. Yeah, learning curve is rediculous. Any learning tips and resources are more than welcome. :)
Greatest timing ever! Just started learning ruby and rails. If some noob here is also interested, other resources (other than classical google,stackoverflow, youtube) I've found very helpful are lynda.com and peepcode videos. Thank you for this.
I think Hartl's tutorial is a must. At least the first three or four chapters. It's probably the fastest way to get on the road with Git, Github, Heroku, and TDD from square one.
Totally agree. Even though I went through the Agile book previously, I went through half of Hartl's tutorial primarily to learn how to use Rails with Git, Heroku, and TDD.
One more thing I found helps me a great deal > focusing your mind on something other than programming during a day. I found that I have no trouble coding for days in a row, but after a week or so, I go numb... I cant programm shit. That is why I started running and boxing. If you are the same, find something, some hobby that doesn't involve computers.
