RubyGeek

The Chicago Google office volunteered to host and feed the Python meeting this month. Everybody I say this to, says “I didn’t know that Google had a Chicago office!?!” as if Google should make a full page annoucment when they open an office somewhere. I admit, I went partly to see what it was like and Python is on my radar of languages to learn next.

Brian Ray talked about operator overloading in Python, which is always cool to overload something. Then the Google guys gave an overview of Google Code and touched on things like Big Tables (of which I knew nothing). Then my buddy Jason Huggins (Selenium guy) talked about Selenium and showed off his freaking cool MAC laptop and virtual machines. I have got to see if I can do that on mine.

I had to leave early to catch the 9:20 train.. but such is life.

I accepted a job at www.info.com …. a pretty nifty search engine company in downtown chicago. Its quite interesting work!

I finally WROTE again.. for a contest over at CodeSnipers. Vote if you want

I have some plans to write some more after my past three months of hermit mode. I guess, I was just soooooooo busy hitting the perl that I didn’t keep up with much anything. I even missed the July Issue of Linux Journal, with sexy ruby man (not my words, a friend calls him that!) DHH .. Maybe I can find someone to loan me a copy.

Well … I had to leave my Perl/Ruby job because of financial difficulties of the company on Monday. But I still learned a ton of stuff and worked with some great people. When I left I had a job offer and another possible one, so it wasn’t too upsetting to leave. SO - only one day of unemployment. I would have been very worried leaving and not having any options for employment.

So it seems that my fate is PHP but its all good. I guess I’m just a language freak .. I like perl, ruby too! Next is Python or maybe… smalltalk..

Instead of using Preview Template when I was creating a new template, I went ahead and saved.. I pasted in the wrong template and major borkage occured. So.. what the heck, I just picked a new design. Not done yet…

I’m looking for a new web host HiVelocity won’t fix the
problem with me emailing AOL. I want to have access as root(or a tech support that will
assist me when I want to make changes), at least 20 some domains (none very high traffic).
I need PHP, MySQL, Ruby, Rails, Python and Perl.

I want to spend around 40-70 a month.

I’ve been recommened to Dreamhost and I’ve been
looking at RailsPlayGround.

Any suggestions?

I want to do something like this:

SELECT h.username AS user
FROM userdata AS h
WHERE user=”nstowe”;

I am using the ALIAS of h.username, in my WHERE.

I’m using MySQL.

It doesn’t work, although I would of thought it would. Any ideas? is this same for Oracle, PG?

I’ve been reading and I think its pretty good. One thing Scott talks about is solving problems. How bad ideas lead to good ideas. Many times I have written code only to come back the next day and go HEY, I can do that function beter.

He has a quote from Ernest Hemmingway:
“I write 99 pieces of shit for every one page of masterpiece.”

I found that kinda funny..and true.

Another point he made was about figuring out what problem are you trying to solve? He said he goes around talking to his employees, and occasionaly asks what problem they are trying to solve? In fact, he said he made it into a poster and hung it up above his desk.

Sometimes when I am just plain stuck on something. I’ll sit down and write out my problem on plain old paper, write out some possible solutions — even when they seem kinda dumb, because although I haven’t realized it before reading this book … bad ideas lead to good ideas. Stepping away from the keyboard lets me think without emails popping up and the sudden urges to go read some blogs.

Anyways, so far I recommend this book

Been busy over at CodeSnipers.

I wrote some posts about ruby, comparing it to PHP. Its pretty interesting to see how they compare, the readers and fellow bloggers have been really helpful in pointing out additional ways to do things as well.

I’ve been “branching” out and going to user group meetings. Next week I have the Chicago Macromedia user group meeting on monday. The topic is interesting to me, I tried making components with Flash 5, it was pretty hard. Hopefully its easier now.

Tuesday is the Perlmongers group, the Ruby Meetup group is crashing the Perlmongers group. I’m going with a few perl friends, one of them already in the group. She says she’ll show me what the “one true language” is all about. Hehe.. I’ve done some perl, just haven’t been really into it. I think its rather cryptic. The Ruby guys are going to present Rails to the group, and the Perlmongers is going to present Catalyist. It will be a BATTLE OF THE FRAMEWORKS. My friends and are I going to get a sandwich before the meeting.

Wednesday is the PHP UG meeting.. but.. seeing as I won’t get home till 10 or 11 each night from the other two meetings.. I think I might be too tired.

I guess I’m just tired of being the lone developer at work and I want to meet and talk about programming. I like to discuss design patterns, security, frameworks..etc. Its fun.

OH yeah, to you comment spammers. You suck.

I find it sort of spooky that the letters of my name N O L A are also the abbreviations for an area that they say might become the next atlantis. The town is under water and more water expected.

I remembered the company where I get my domain name from, DirectNIC was in NO, LA. So I loaded up their webpage today and found a link to a blog of one of the employees who is hold up there in the office.

His Blog:
http://mgno.com/

I chatted with him on IM a few minutes. Its the real deal.

I find myself feeling helpless like on 9-11. Sitting and watching TV and feeling numb.

Updated: updated the link to his blog. I know *some* say he’s stupid for staying, but he is safe, he’s smart and he’s been able to help at least a few people. I think that takes more courage than running.

I did a review for CodeSnipers.com .. see here:

CodeSnipers.com - Software Review: UltraEdit 11 and Ultra Edit Studio 5