Advanced Ruby Features

I have decided that buying a mac is going to be unavoidable. I never thought that I would own a mac, but Windows 8, their lack of interest in what's best for the user, and the inability to create apps for iPhones and iPads make owning one a necessity as a developer. Windows 8 even blocks you from running Ubuntu side by side with it and I'm still trying to decided whether or not I want to add this third party software to my system that will allow me to to this. [it's been 2 days] I'm seriously disappointed in Microsoft...shopping for macs online today was so depressing.

Two weeks ago I went to Octane and there was this chick there with a mac 

who sat on facebook for two hours...all of my nope, every bit.

I've been taking it kind of easy on myself this week, I think. That last chapter was a little bit taxing, interesting, but taxing. I had to take my time and take it in pieces so that I could retain as much as possible. The chapter that I just finished in my book was about advanced Ruby topics [whew!].  It took me a few days to get through it, just because I was trying extra hard to take everything in [probably not the best idea ever]. This is probably one of those chapters that I'm going to have to go back and read again...and again.  My favorite topics were probably the ones about Win32API and win32ole. I'm definitely going to have to learn more about that stuff.

Topics that I remain weak on are threads, fibers, and RubyInline, although RubyInline is awesome and I need to learn a lot more about that...and new languages. Being able to use C in ruby for hyperspace in your programs is sweet and I am also very interested in using any and all other languages with RubyInline. I'm extra excited about learning other languages now, even though I probably won't start anything new until 2015. It will probably be my New Year's Resolution. This year's resolution was learning to code[killing it, btw].

In the next chapter, that I've already started ;), I'm going to be making a bot, like Eliza. It's supposed to bring most of the stuff that I've learned in the book, so far, together, and it should be pretty interesting. I'm looking forward to working on it more tonight... after I do a little bit more Hindi. Hopefully, this will be great review for the things that I have already learned and clear up some of the topics that I was fuzzy on going through the book.

Post #1

...so I decided to start writing this blog to become a better person.

I just finished reading Post Office, by Charles Burkowski last night night on the advice from James Auchter through his blog/mailing list.  The purpose is to work on my writing and learn from other people who are interested in the same things that I am.

I have a goal to become an internet/software developer...I'm starting from scratch.  Toward that end, I have done most of the tutorials on codeacademy.com and I am currently reading The Book of Ruby.  I feel like I'm learning a lot and I can do most simple things, such as, conditionals, methods, classes, etc., but I don't really consider myself a programmer, just yet.  Though reading The Book of Ruby,  I have decided that there are a number of edits that could be made to that book to make it easier for people who are new to programming.   I imagine myself doing that one day, once I actually learn the language.  Maybe I'll write my own book one day, who knows.

While I was working on the python tutorials on on code academy, I would post my achievements on twitter.  I was probably doing this just to make people think I was cool or something, but I tell myself that I am doing it to prod one of my friendswho follow me on twitter into picking up programming so that I would have a someone to discuss this stuff with.   Anyway, what happened was that I got a new follower who directed my to the CodeEval website.  This is one of my new favorite things and I am currently working on my first challenge on the site.  I needed this, for a little bit of direction in my learning.

Anyway, if you've read this far...that's awesome.  Keep reading my blog and comment often; we're into the same stuff.  I will be grateful for any advice and be happy to give mine...I'll try really hard not to be weird. Other things that I do are foreign languages, movies, cool tv shows, astronomy, and go to the gym.  I like most forms of music.