Catching up

[flexagon]

Hunh. Yesterday I did the first reading (and self-test) for the Sun Java Programmer Certification test. I can see right now it's going to be a major pain in the ass. While you don't have to program for this test, you have to know a lot of nitpicky details: have all the keywords memorized, be able to spot compiler errors by reading code, know the valid ways of assigning a char, stuff like that. Ohboyohboy. :b

As for the LJ quiet... I've been doing a lot of living and not really knowing what to write about it. I keep typing stuff and deleting it. I'm enjoying my last little while at work; my boss has put me on the task of editing/organizing a user manual and basically told me to do as much or as little as I feel like. Luckily for him, I pretty much can't resist fixing a broken document, so I've been doing some work. I'm taking this Friday, next Monday and next Friday off though, and not stressing too hard onsite either, so we're not talking a lot of work. Oh, and I sacrificed another Weds night to team-leading for the Dale Carnegie institute. It strikes me that while I expect to benefit from that myself, it really is volunteer work... and while I already resent how long my Wednesdays are, the helping-people thing feels pretty good. There there, nervous people... be calm. You can do it. You can get at least to my level. Trust K-teacher, who is truly on your side.

As of yesterday I am also the happy recipient of mugs from both jg26 and bluechromis... one made-to-order and the other a welcome surprise. Thanks guys! I probably wasn't verbally effusive enough about them when I got them, since my main concern at the time was to stash them away so they couldn't be dashed to the brick sidewalk by mistake, but I looked at them both for a long time later. Have no fear, they will get lots of use. :)

I'm reading The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint and liking it a lot better than I liked Moonheart or Dreams Underfoot, so far. And when I'm done with that I'm going to reread Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, at least if I don't get sidetracked into Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. And some more stuff about C++ and templates. Tra la... I like these long weekends I'm planning. I need to not chill quite as much this time though, and spend some time getting my life in order, since it'll be my last chance for a while.

Comments

[hiddenbear.livejournal.com]

you have to know a lot of nitpicky details
Are the later readings about real things, or is it all minor nitpicky things? Is the end result of the certification test an indicator that you know the details of the language, or that you are a good programmer?

[flexagon]

Details of the language + familiarity with a few basic APIs/interfaces such as Math. The next test, the Developer test, is perhaps one that proves a bit more about your programming, as you actually have to write a program and send it in. However, annoying as nitpicks can be, I do think knowing all the details lends a depth to one's programming knowledge that I won't be sorry to have.

[webrat.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the certification test. I don't blame you for thinking that you better cool it with the LJ for the next job. At the same time, it's kind of spooky quiet around here. o.O

Anyway, it's cool that you got the mugs from blue and j. :) Where's the pictures? :p

[flexagon]

I don't necessarily have to cool it with the LJ overall... I've been posting from home sometimes anyway. And there's the whole "do personal stuff on your lunch hour" concept. The only question is how much I'll really do it.

A picture (of J's mug especially) would be worth a thousand words--or 500 at least. I'll see if we ever figured out what was wrong with the digicam and can take pix again.

[jg26.livejournal.com]

I think I took pix of them... I just need to get them posted somehow.

[flexagon]

Yeah, like I teach you basic HTML and we get you a domain name!
*boingboing* Can we, can we, hmmm? :D

I can point you to the best tutorial in the world, and teach you how to FTP... we could have you up very quickly.

[jg26.livejournal.com]

Fedora Core (and probably any Linux distro) comes w/ plenty of docs on how to do HTML... And they have lots of web development environments (that I'll probably shun to use VI, just to 'keep it real'). It all seems easy enough, though I have next to no experience. The hiccup on webrat's post today was just me being particularly careless.

That said... I'd love a computer learning project with someone!!! I'm even still kind of a loner in this.

It would probably be a fun thing to build a computer to be a web server (since my desktop has been booted in Microsoft mode for a while).

The main thing that's stopping me is time. I spend so little free time in front of a computer these days. I seem to have fallen into a much more analog reality. ;)

[flexagon]

Yeah, I think sometimes about getting a Linux box and setting myself up with a server. But I'd be paying more for a static IP address monthly than it costs me to have my domain hosted through godaddy, and I don't already have the box, even, so... eh. No reason to.

HTML is super-easy. Since my brief flirtation with javascript last year went nowhere, I probably want to learn CSS and so forth. Right now my website style is slightly archaic--the good news being that I can do the basic stuff in my sleep, so at least it isn't a timesink.

Analog reality? Bad news, man. Be strong, kick the habit. :o

Kidding, kidding...

dynamic dns providers

[hiddenbear.livejournal.com]

I've heard very good things about dyndns.org. Okay things about dyndns.com.
They both provide dynamic dns services so that you don't have to pay for a static IP.

me too?

[hiddenbear.livejournal.com]

I could use a pointer to the 'best tutorial in the world'. There's always little details that I forget!

Sure...

[flexagon]

Flexagon's favorite HTML Tutorial :)

Thanks for the dyndns reminder. I knew there was some way around the static IP thing but couldn't remember. Anyway, I still don't want to shell out for a box, so *shrug*

[artana.livejournal.com]

On a completely different note, you really liked Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix enough to re read it? I only ask because the huge gaping plot holes I saw left me with a bad taste in my mouth. And I loved every book up until this one.

So, if there is something redeeming about it, I'm all ears and extremely curious.

[flexagon]

I didn't like it quite as much as 3 and 4... but there's a lot I don't remember (most plot holes included, I'm sure) because I only have read it once. I've read each of the others at least twice, and with the detail JKR puts in there, I think it's necessary for me if I'm to have a good knowledge of the story. The first time I read it I was so focused on the plot, you know? So the second time is to go slower and reinforce my knowledge, as well as to enjoy.

Hmm, that took longer to say than it should've.