Author: Don

Why nothing’s impossible

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“Nothing’s impossible. There are just people that aren’t willing.”

There are certainly people who don’t know how to accomplish certain things. Those challenges that they can’t overcome. Those are the people who will give up and say it can’t be done.

Nothing’s impossible. Sending people to Mars today is certainly technically challenging. But if you’re willing it’s definitely achievable. To get there you just need the drive and the fortitude to ask for help.

Nothing’s get under my skin more than someone in a position of authority who you would think also has the experience to go with it saying that something in impossible. From a business sense, it may not be doable. From a financial sense, perhaps not within budget. But to simply say it’s impossible and stop there makes no sense.

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Development Sandbox: Building A Better Math.pow() Function

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I remember a long time ago I had read an article comparing two keys on a classic calculator. Someone had asked why the [Xy] key where y is equal to 2 is slower than the [X2] key. So I thought I’d have a look at the JVM’s equivalent function, Math.pow(). But also I wanted to see if I could create a better version of that function. Continue reading “Development Sandbox: Building A Better Math.pow() Function” →

Ways to Learn a New Programming Language

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Every programmer should be learning a new programming language on a regular basis. That’s every three, six or twelve months. For me, I like to vary my languages by paradigm. Object Oriented Programming. Functional Programming. Declarative versus Imperative Programming. Compiled Languages versus Scripting Languages. Dynamic versus Static Programming languages. There are two reasons I want to learn new languages. One, I like to apply what I’ve learned from one paradigm and apply it to my current situation. Second, I like to stay up to date on the needs of the industry and be ready for whatever may come. Continue reading “Ways to Learn a New Programming Language” →

WTF Machine Learning Algorithm???

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I order almost everything from this one online retailer. It’s convenient. Prices are competitive. And very often their free shipping option arrives within five days. I have ordered enough from them that I have received some weird packaging. All of it has been okay. Until now. I placed a very small order and this is what I got it in.  Continue reading “WTF Machine Learning Algorithm???” →

Development Sandbox: My Coding Guidelines

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Great programming is a balancing act between writing good, readable and organized code. Good code is fast, efficient and memory conscious. Good code is also very easy to read and to understand. But also the way the code is organized is of the utmost importance. It’s a balancing act because sometimes fast and ugly code needs to give way to readable code. A single linear function that’s optimized to the nines may be super efficient. But it’s also a maintenance nightmare. Continue reading “Development Sandbox: My Coding Guidelines” →

Amazing Science Channels on YouTube

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There are so many people out in the world who know a lot about the things I know nothing about. Many share their knowledge on YouTube through mostly professionally made videos. Some are quirky, others are funny. But all know their stuff and explain it well.
 
Below are all the channels I love to watch regularly. But these are by no means everything I watch. There is a lot of content on YouTube that I watch that isn’t listed below.

Continue reading “Amazing Science Channels on YouTube” →

Development Sandbox: Coding Patterns

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Java is a habit-forming programming language. After a few years, good programmers find efficient ways to code. They’ll accept the programming language’s shortcomings. And they’ll make the best of a not-so-good situation. Pair programming and code reviews have provided a means for programmers to share ideas. They learn from each other to write better and cleaner code. It’s a social experiment of sorts. The more you are exposed to other developers and their code, the more your skills improve. It’s an evolution. Continue reading “Development Sandbox: Coding Patterns” →

Development Sandbox: Int to String Conversion

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Recently, while reviewing some legacy code I discovered a trick a developer had used to convert an integer to a string. The developer did this because the function only accepted a string as a parameter. As developers, often we look for succinct ways to code thinking that less code is faster. The interesting thing about the code is that it was the slowest of all the tests I had done. In all my efforts, I found five different ways to code to a conversion of an integer to a string. Continue reading “Development Sandbox: Int to String Conversion” →

What’s your personality type?

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If you care about becoming a better version of you the answer to that question doesn’t matter. I’m one to always read those questionnaires that offer to provide insights into the type of person you. Are you have to do is answer a bunch of simple questions. And lo and behold, the questionnaire defined you to a Tee. Other people may rave about how perfectly they were categorized. Continue reading “What’s your personality type?” →

Three things I learned Investing in Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies

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A couple of weeks ago I invested in several cryptocurrencies. The entry barrier is really low compared to other investment vehicles. Due to its volatility, it’s easier to invest disposable income and then say goodbye to it. Then came the learning. Bitcoin. Cryptocurrencies. Blockchain. ICOs. There’s a lot to learn. And with some time it’s easy to understand what makes it tick. Here are three things I learned about investing in cryptocurrencies. Continue reading “Three things I learned Investing in Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies” →