http://www.blog.dannynet.net/archives/27
Like I wrote earlier, it's frustrating to learn a new language when you don't get to use it straight away. So I've come up with 10 creative ways that will get you started today with making big money (or fame) with your newly acquired Ruby skills.
1. Convince the company where you're currently doing a Java project (you are, aren't you?) that they should hire you to convert their corporate website or intranet to Ruby on Rails. Use terms like 'enterprise ready', 'cluster aware', 'web 2.0′, 'TCO', 'ROI', and you're in business! Now you'll only have to tell the 5 Java coders who are currently maintaining these sites fulltime, why they're losing their jobs thanks to you…
2. Take a weekend off to write the successor to del.icio.us in Ruby - now that Yahoo bought it, there will be plenty of people looking for an ad-free alternative (so you should wait a bit before selling it to Google).
3. Start your own line of merchandising around the world-famous foxes. Sure, there's the t-shirts already, but I'm talking about a much bigger picture here: cute pluche foxes, fox mugs, fox mousepads, fox gloves, fox pens, fox caps, fox laptop bags… And all this royalty-free, thanks to the generosity of Why!
4. You could always go earn your money in a decent way: write the next big Ruby book (we're still missing The Ruby Bible, The Complete Ruby, Ruby in Action, Data Structures in Ruby and Algorithms in Ruby, to name a few). Actually, books won't make you rich, so you'll have to complement your income by doing training sessions and presentations on Ruby.
5. File a patent (in the USA of course) describing a method to "combine a really simple but powerful computer language(TM) with a framework that utilises conventions and best practices to speed up development, in order to create dynamic, hypertextually linked pages with information to be displayed electronically." While you're at it, trademark the names Ruby, Rails, Rake, Gem etcetera. And don't forget to trademark the foxes!
6. Start a language war with the 'non-converts' (the Java people) over some aspect of the language where you know Ruby will win hands down. For example, compare Ruby's 'throw-it-all-in' kind of apis with Java's 'if-you-can-code-around-it-we-shall-not-include-it' ones. All this will hopefully establish your name as a Ruby guru.
7. Become a supermodel slash Ruby programmer and start blogging about yourself. Ask Anina for tips. Maybe it won't make you rich (unless you're really a super supermodel), but you'll certainly acquire fame and glory as you'll get invited to every Ruby related event and get drooled over by the entire Ruby community. That is, assuming you're female. If not, move on to #8.
8. Set up your country's Ruby user group. I suspect that this will not work in Japan or the USA, but the Netherlands, for example, lack any form of organized Ruby user networking. (I hereby claim the name Dutch Ruby User Group, although I'm not too sure abou the acronym.) Will it make you rich? Well, with the user group comes the magazine, the yearly conference (RubyPolis?), the member fees, the sponsoring from consultancy firms who are desperately trying to find Ruby coders… There's got to be money in there somewhere.
9. There's a whole lot of Java-related websites around that will be needing a Ruby equivalent in the time to come. There's your rguru.com, rubyalmanac.com, therubyside.com… they're all for grabs! You won't have to think hard what to put on them, and building them won't cost a lot of time either - provided you'll use Rails of course.
10. In your Ruby blog (which I assume you already have), include lots of 10 item lists. "The 10 Best Practices For Ruby Coding", "10 Reasons For Choosing Ruby Over Java", "10 More Ways To Extend the Array Class", "The 7 Deadly Sins of Ruby Programming" (7 is okay too). These lists have proven to be a guaranteed crowd puller for blogs. Don't forget to plaster your blog with ads though, or you'll never reach six figures!
10:15 PM
Ever wanted to go around in that shiny blue armor called rune? Or want to be able to buy almost everything you see? Well it is possible without having to sit and mine or fish all day. Just follow the steps to buying and selling items.
Steps
- You first need to start off with the best item you have. Even if its bronze you can work with it. You take the bronze item and see if you can find another level the same as you with slightly better armor and see if they will bargain for one of their better metal items.
- When you get that see if you can trade for something a little better like if it is an iron helmet ask some one if they will trade you their legs for it. From their you could try and trade thhe legs for for iron plate mail. Now you have gone from about 100 gp to 500 gp.
- The next thing you should do is scrounge up a few items and trade your iron plate for steel legs. With that you can use you scrounged items and get a steel plate.
- Now just go over these steps starting from any type of armor. Soon you will have more money and save up to buy rune.
- From rune you can trade for loads of items that you want which will help you be rich.
Tips
- Learn the prices of all items your interested in. This helps so you can buy or sell for less or more than the original price so you get a deal.
- Be carful with items you dont know the price of. You could get ripped off.
Warnings
- People will not buy if the item is overpriced; if you do not know the price of the item, go to a general store and right click the item you are trying to sell and select "Value."
10:09 PM
Welcome to goowy - your personal webtop.
- IM with your buddies from aol, msn, yahoo and icq
- Upload, manage and share your files online (1GB FREE)
- Manage your email, contacts and calendar (2GB FREE)
- Organize your web data with a personalized start page
- Play games
9:35 PM
The suggestions included:
- Lifehacker - The 300-pound grandmother of productivity blogs (and I mean that in a good way - I love Lifehacker). "Computers make us more productive. Yeah, right. Lifehacker recommends the software downloads and web sites that actually save time. Don't live to geek; geek to live."
- Scott H. Young ("Get the most out of your life!") - Written by a recent high-school graduate! "While you may not have the same obsessive passion for personal development that I do, I hope that what knowledge and enthusiasm I can share from my own research and personal experiences can help you make steps towards making your life the best it can be."
- To-Done ("Working to Live") - "To-Done is a regularly updated collection of thoughts, writings, tips, tricks and information on personal productivity, work/life balance and getting things done." Discontinued, though periodic columns appear at Lifehacker.
- I Will Teach You to Be Rich is Ramit Sethi's excellent weblog about personal finance and entrepreneurship.
- Manager Tools - "Manager Tools is a weekly podcast focused on helping you become a more effective manager and leader. Each week we'll be talking about new tools and easy techniques you can use to help achieve your management and career objectives."
- Open Loops ("Because it's your time.") - A weblog about efficiency and productivity.
- Slacker Manager ("Paving the path of least resistance, so you don't trip and fall.") - A weblog for slackers who work as a living. "When you let a slacker do something they enjoy - and pay them for it - you've got the worlds best employee on your hands."
- The Lazy Way to Success - "Hard work is passé. The paradigm-shifting concept is "Smart Laziness" - where success comes through cleverly avoiding work but still getting the job done. In this oasis, we celebrate those magical ways where doing less accomplishes more. "
- Chris Brogan features a "daily dose of ideas about self-improvement and creativity."
- Productivity Goal, which is "a discussion about work productivity, time management organization, tools and tips."
- Tricks of the Trade - Matthew Baldwin's list of "professional secrets from those in the know".
- What's the Next Action? ("A weblog about Getting Things Done") - "This weblog deals with everything GTD and the five phases of project planning as written by Dave Allen in his book "Getting Things Done". I will try to record and publish my thoughts and experiences with this system to really "Get Things Done" in my personal and professional life."
- Getting Back to Work: A Personal Productivity Toolkit, which is actually a single blog entry, but a useful one.
Since asking the question, I discovered Guy Kawasaki's Signum Sine Tinnitu, a weblog on entrepreneurship and marketing. These are all great sites, but most seem to focus on the "getting things done" aspect of personal development. I was hoping for more suggestions. Maybe there aren't any other quality sites.
9:26 PM
Author:Matthew Stibbe
http://www.badlanguage.net/?p=199
I am not what you would call a morning person. I'm a writer, for heaven's sake! But recently,when I've had a lot of work stacking up and I've added a blog into my daily routine, it felt as if there simply weren't enough hours in the day. So I decided to make a habit of getting up earlier. This is how I did it:
- Decided what time I wanted to get up. In my case 6am so that I could do a couple of hours, write my blog and catch up my email before everyone else started work (and started sending me emails and phoning me). The point is to set a time and stick to it.
- Set myself a goal. Initially, I aimed to get up early every weekday for a month. I read somewhere that if you can make a new routine stick for a month, it becomes a self-sustaining habit. It proved true in this case.
- Promised myself a reward. I always wanted to learn clay pigeon shooting so I promised myself I would book a day's shooting if I got up early for a month.
- Tracked my progress using Joe's Goals. The more I use this little website app, the more I like it. I used to track these kinds of routine, habitual things using recurring tasks in Outlook but it was a bit fiddly and, addicted as I am, I didn't have Outlook open all the time. I also used a little Post-it note on my monitor and ticked off the days, convict-style.
- Get clothes, computer and breakfast ready the night before. Don't want to trip over everything trying to do basic tasks when I'm half-asleep.
- Alarms. I set my beside alarm for 0600 - and this is the clever psychology - I also set my telephone to ring at 0605 but I put the phone on the other side of the room so that I have to get out of bed to stop it ringing. In the UK, you dial *55*0605# to do this. What happens is this: either I wake up and cancel the alarm or I get up and answer the call to stop it ringing. First, we're strongly programmed to answer the phone*. Second, I'm very strongly programmed not to wake my wife up! A ringing phone will do this so I have powerful motivators at work: guilt and fear. This technique works every time but I had previously reserved it for early morning trips to the airport and things like that.
- Naps. Sleep is like money in the bank. If you overdraw by getting up early, you have to pay in some other time. Initially, I did this by having short naps after lunch. I suspect that over time the body adjusts to less sleep - most army people get by on less sleep than the rest of us, for example - but this seems to happen over a longer period than a month.
- Earlier nights. In the long run, going to bed an hour or so earlier and having lie-ins on weekends meant that I was getting the right amount of sleep. Like jet lag the adjustment is a little painful but it only took a week or two to get used to the new routine.
- Boast widely about your new early-birdiness. It makes feel good to tell people 'oh I get up at 6am'. Also, my friend Stuart says 'we are the stories we tell about ourselves.' If I describe myself as a punctual, early-rising, efficiency robot then maybe that's what I'll become (when I'm not a bohemain, enterpreneurial writer genius ).
- Always leave them wanting more! (See my post on writing top ten lists.)
To cut a long story short. It worked! I wake up at six, feel fresh and hop right out of bed without any alarms or bribery. I get two or three extra prime working hours a day.
None of this is rocket science, but I reckon if it can turn a lay-a-bed writer into a member of the dawn chorus, it's got to be worth sharing. Your mileage may vary.
* This is the source of the classic joke: "The phone rang in the absent-minded professor's house at 3am and he got up to answer it. Wrong number! 'Sorry to disturb you,' said the embarassed called. 'Oh, that's alright, I had to get up to answer the phone anyhow,' replied the absent-minded professor." (The old ones are the best.)
Technorati : GTD, alarm, goals, habits, productivity, sleep
Del.icio.us : GTD, alarm, goals, habits, productivity, sleep
9:22 PM
Here's a common myth: to be a successful creative person, all you need is talent. It's a nice myth to believe in, because "talent" suggests a divine or evolutionary genetic gift. So if you have talented DNA, you're special and can be a cool creative person. If not, you're destined to be an accountant. After working for the past three years at MetaDesign, I've noticed that this troubling notion of talent has very little to do with the success of a junior designer who's just starting out. Instead, the ones who survive and last more than six months, practice these 7 habits:
- Work quickly, produce a lot
- Attend to details
- Be versatile
- Make an effort to learn
- Anticipate problems
- Set goals
- Display a positive attitude
1. Work quickly, produce a lot
In a design studio with large collaborative projects, time is money. So being fast is paramount to your survival. The studio relies on your speed in two areas: idea generation and production:
Idea generation
Let's face it, being a junior designer means your final work won't be great. Fortunately, design is more than just the artifacts you produce; it's about ideas. The quicker you can generate ideas, the more value you bring to the design studio. Keep this in mind:
- In early phases of a project, worry more about generating a lot of ideas instead of being perfect
- Generate many distinct ideas rather than variations of the same idea. (I still have a hard time with this one)
- Don't be afraid of dumb ideas
Production
Great ideas are useless if you can't show them off quickly. On the other hand, if your ideas aren't great, other designers may rely on you to execute their ideas. This all means you need to be well-versed in the most commonly used software applications and prototyping methods in your studio. You don't need to know them like the back of your hand (but it helps). You just need to know enough to meet the possible demands of the studio. To become more proficient you must:
- Seek help by asking another designer how to do something, Googling for answers, or finding a manual
- Keep updated on product announcements, tutorials, and updates
- Try-out and adopt new software
- Read blogs like this one for tips and tricks
2. Attend to details
Successful junior designers take great care in preparing files. They pay attention to pixels and picas, check spelling, remove unneeded files, and strive to make it easier for someone else to understand their work. Nothing will annoy your supervisor or creative director more than having to clean up sloppy work. Some tips:
- In programs with layers, such as Photoshop and InDesign, name and order your layers with a logical naming convention. Delete any layers and ruler guides that are unnecessary
- If you have linked or placed images in a file, make sure they work when you package them for your creative director to review. Linked images should also be named according to a logical naming convention
- Make it easy for your manager to give you feedback by making a list of specific questions you need answered to take the project to the next step
3. Be versatile
Versatile and flexible designers can weather the economic ups and downs of a design studio, because they can be staffed to more types of projects. A sure-fire way to shoot yourself in the foot is by saying, "I don't do web" or "I don't do print." You'll be seen as a diva and won't last long. Effective designers instead say, "I don't know how yet, but I want to learn how to do it." Eventually, you will learn new skills, and more importantly ways to adapt these skills to new demands.
4. Make an effort to learn
To be versatile, you must learn new skills all the time. Effective and successful designers are lifelong learners. They are curious, enthusiastic, and passionate about design and want to learn more. This passion translates to better job satisfaction and productivity. They also:
- Seek out mentors
- Choose jobs based on those that let them learn the most. (when you've stopped learning, it's probably time to leave)
- Read and write
- Have projects outside of work (such as cute productivity blogs)
- Participate in the design communities by attending lectures and other events.
- Keep up with technology
- Are early adopters
5. Anticipate problems
Junior designers can make themselves indispensable by recognizing and anticipating things that create problems for their managers. For example, you might:
- Point out potential production issues that might delay the project
- If you need more time to do a task, tell your managers early on so they can rearrange the schedule
- Alert managers when work falls out of the project scope
6. Set goals
To be an effective designer, you must be goal-oriented. Set goals for yourself, and discuss them with a manager who can help you achieve these goals. This is especially important during performance reviews. These goals can relate to:
- Skills you want to learn
- Responsibilities you want to have
- Types of projects you want to work on
7. Display a positive attitude
Design studios can be riddled with changes in staff, project requirements, and even company vision. Even in times of change and uncertainty, it's important to remain positive. Nobody likes a grump. Here are some ways of showing a positive attitude:
- No matter how junior you are, mentor others by sharing information you've learned
- Identify problems in the studio, and find ways to make them go away
- Ask what you can do to help
- Avoid gossip and talking ill of fellow coworkers, clients, and competing studios
Do you have any other habits or qualities that I've missed or overlook? Want to elaborate more on some of these habits? Disagree? Don't hesitate to post in the comments!
9:19 PM
Learn how to speak and write more smoothly with the Handbook of Common Errors in English.
Literally thousands of common errors in the spoken and written English language are covered here, anything from the difference between an attorney and lawyer, to the meaning of adapt vs. adopt. An excellent resource for both non-native English speakers and natural English speakers alike; I certainly learned a lot.
Common Errors in English
What is an error in English?
The concept of language errors is a fuzzy one. I'll leave to linguists the technical definitions. Here we're concerned only with deviations from the standard use of English as judged by sophisticated users such as professional writers, editors, teachers, and literate executives and personnel officers. The aim of this site is to help you avoid low grades, lost employment opportunities, lost business, and titters of amusement at the way you write or speak.
But isn't one person's mistake another's standard usage?
Often enough, but if your standard usage causes other people to consider you stupid or ignorant, you may want to consider changing it. You have the right to express yourself in any manner you please, but if you wish to communicate effectively, you should use nonstandard English only when you intend to, rather than fall into it because you don't know any better.
Why don't you cover all important points of grammar?
Other sites do this; mine is dedicated to errors in usage. This is not a site dealing with grammar in general.
I'm learning English as a second language. Will this site help me improve my English?
Very likely, though it's really aimed at the most common errors of native speakers. The errors others make in English differ according to the characteristics of their first languages. Speakers of other languages tend to make some specific errors that are uncommon among native speakers, so you may also want to consult sites dealing specifically with English as a second language (see http://www.cln.org/subjects/esl_cur.html and http://esl.about.com/education/adulted/esl/). There is also a Help Desk for ESL students at Washington State University at http://www.wsu.edu/~gordonl/ESL/. An outstanding book you may want to order is Ann Raimes' Keys for Writers.
Aren't some of these points awfully picky?
This is a relative matter. One person's gaffe is another's peccadillo. Some common complaints about usage strike me as too persnickety, but I'm just discussing mistakes in English that happen to bother me. Feel free to create your own page listing your own pet peeves, but I welcome suggestions for additions to these pages. First, read the Commonly Made Suggestions page, and if you still want to write me, please do so, after reading the instructions on that page.
What gives you the right to say what an error in English is?
I could take the easy way out and say I'm a professor of English and do this sort of thing for a living. True, but my Ph.D. is in comparative literature, not composition or linguistics, and I teach courses in the history of ideas rather than language as such. But I admire good writing and try to encourage it in my students.
I found a word you criticized in the dictionary!
You will find certain words or phrases criticized here listed in dictionaries. Note carefully labels like dial. (dialectical), nonstandard, and obsolete before assuming that the dictionary is endorsing them. The primary job of a dictionary is to track how people actually use language. Dictionaries differ among themselves on how much guidance to usage they provide; but the goal of a usage guide like this is substantially different: to protect you against patterns which are regarded by substantial numbers of well-educated people as nonstandard.
Why do you discuss mainly American usage?
Because I'm an American, my students are mostly American, most English-speaking Web users are Americans, and American English is quickly becoming an international standard. I am slowly reworking the site to take note of American deviations from standard British practice. However, the job is complicated by the fact that Canadians, Australians, and many others often follow patterns somewhere between the two. If the standard usage where you are differs from what is described here, tell me about it; and if I think it's important to do so, I'll note that fact. Meanwhile, just assume that this site is primarily about American English. If you feel tempted to argue with me, click here first.
Does it oppress immigrants and subjugated minorities to insist on the use of standard English?
Language standards can certainly be used for oppressive purposes, but most speakers and writers of all races and classes want to use language in a way that will impress others. The fact is that the world is full of teachers, employers, and other authorities who may penalize you for your nonstandard use of the English language. Feel free to denounce these people if you wish; but if you need their good opinion to get ahead, you'd be wise to learn standard English. Note that I often suggest differing usages as appropriate depending on the setting: spoken vs. written, informal vs. formal; slang is often highly appropriate. In fact, most of the errors discussed on this site are common in the writing of privileged middle-class Americans, and some are characteristic of people with advanced degrees and considerable intellectual attainments. However you come down on this issue, note that the great advantage of an open Web-based educational site like this is that it's voluntary: take what you want and leave the rest. It's interesting that I have received hundreds of messages from non-native speakers thanking me for these pages and none from such people complaining that my pages discriminate against them.
But you made a mistake yourself!
We all do, from time to time. If you think you've found an error in my own writing, first read the "Commonly Made Suggestions" page, then follow the instructions on that page if you still think I need correcting. I've changed many aspects of these pages in response to such mail; even if I disagree with you, I try to do so politely. If you write me, please don't call me "Brian." My given name is Paul.
Technorati : good, speak
Del.icio.us : good, speak
4:14 PM