My Review of Seven Languages, Seven Weeks, the beginning

Last time I blogged about Seven Languages, Seven Weeks, the beginning, I was thrilled at how much you folks liked the book - which I got week before it went on sale on Amazon. I like to pre-order books especially when I know they will be classics like The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Collector's Edition. Since then it has been on my shelf gathering dust until now. Although I attempted to read it immediately I received it, I didn't really spend as much time as I wanted on it because work, other books and family commitments got in the way.

If you didn't know about Seven Languages, Seven Weeks, the beginning, it is written by Bruce Tate of Pragmatic Programmer fame - he's also the author of many other books highly regarded books including Better, Faster, Lighter Java.

This book covers seven languages over seven weeks (which is a big challenge) - breaking them into very manageable size for you to cover each of the languages in one week. What I love about this book is that it covers some of the latest top languages (Clojure, Haskell, Io, Prolog, Scala, Erlang, and Ruby). For those who already know other languages like Java, Python and C++, you will definitely enjoy reading this book. Once you've finished and attempted all the problems accompaning each of the languages, you will be ready to use them in anger.

Like I said in the initial blog post, I'm very happy that Python or Java was not used in this book - you don't want to be relearning the language you already use; so the use of these new languages is a wise move. It has been in my todo list to learn new languages, so when this book came on the radar, I could not contain my excitement. If you are a serious developer you will benefit immensely from this book as it will allow you to expand your programming knowledge and add these languages to your toolbox.

If like me you love programming languages, then you will love this book.

Developing Android Applications with Adobe AIR

If you want to use your ActionScript skills to build mobile applications for the Android OS, this Developing Android Apps with Adobe AIR guide will show you how to use the unique programming environment, architecture, and tools in the Adobe AIR for Android SDK. You'll get practical hands-on experience on a wide range of development topics, from device-specific features to optimization techniques and best practices -- including how expand your mobile development experience beyond Android to other platforms.
Developing Android Apps with Adobe AIR takes you through the entire development process, with ready-to-run example code that implements each feature discussed, including:

• Touch and gesture events, and screen orientation
• Saving and retrieving data on the device
• Features such as geolocation and the accelerometer
• Animation, scrolling, device resolution, and vector images versus bitmaps
• Architecture for one screen at a time and breadcrumb navigation
• Advanced topics, such as security, custom views, and optimization

About the Author

Veronique Brossier is Senior Flash Engineer at MTVNetworks and adjunct professor at ITP/New York University. She has worked on applications for the world of art and entertainment, including The New York Visitor Center and the 9/11 Memorial site for Local Projects, NickLab for R/Greenberg Associates, Cartoon Network Online, the Hall of Biodiversity at the American Museum of National History, and many more.

The Materials I Used to Learn Python

The last time I posted a piece about how to download totally free Python ebooks and other materials, someone emailed me and wanted to know how I got into Python Programming as a lady. Like most things I have done so far in my life, it started when I was in school and didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. Luckily of me, one of the classes in school those days included a class in introduction to computers.

It was there that we first got exposed to programming in Modula-2. I picked it quite quickly that I was writing and debugging my own code properly within days of learning the language. It felt surprisingly natural and exciting to anything I had ever done. Imagine coming to class explaining to my colleagues how to get their programs to run. I was always moving from one desk to the other just helping people to get their program running. The buzz I got was awesome. The go-to girl :)

Fast forward several years later...having used Java, Perl, and C++, I thought I would learn Python Programming. I had many project  ideals and wanted to work on some of them with Python and learn the language in the process. I did a bit of research and found wikiversity's introduction to computer science - managed by the same folks behind Wikipedia. This is good for beginners new to programming in general and Python in particular. Being a veteran of programming languages, I didn't find it too useful as it caters for beginners. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to learn from that site if you are new to programming in general. In fact, it has a number of quality links to other resources you might find quite handy. You should get a solid understanding of programming background, problem-solving and what algorithms are.

That said, you might find  Head First Programming to be a nice place to start learning python - it uses Python as the main language to teach the basics of programming. This is what I always recommend to those who enjoy having exercises at the end of every chapter. This  Head First Programming  assumes that you are just starting off in programming; as such approaches it from a teacher-student perspective. Be sure to look around for bargains, but you can pick one up for $12 on Amazon.

If you prefer to read online, I would suggest you check out Dive Into Python - there's a free online version - or you could download the PDF onto your computer. What I like about the PDF version is that it comes with searchable feature making it possible to jump around the huge file using the table of content.


I had the link to the MIT Open Courseware program, but can't seem to remember where I bookmarked it. I will post here when I bump into it again. But in the mean time, if any of you know the link please post it in the comment.

The book I have now that I'm working my way through as we speak is  Programming Python - it is the latest version published in 2011, updated for Python 3 and still manages to cover all the advance topics you would expect. Try and get a copy if you can

Using Version Control with Git

Seeing how fast technologies move on, I have decided to get my hands on Git and learn how it works. During my years of software engineering, I have used everything from CVS to Subversion - so I know how these tools and technologies work. They all have areas where they shine, and other areas where they could be better. So, that is why I'm looking to try out this Git system.

You might want to see How Software Professionals Are Making Money Online.

I've heard a lot of good things about it - I figured one of the best ways to get started is create a free account on Github and download the client for your platform. I work on both Windows and Ubuntu Linux, downloading for these platforms is very easy especially for Windows. Here's a link on how to download and install it on your platform. There's nothing particularly difficult about getting started, just follow the simple installation process and you will be running in no time. Another thing I did after installation was fork an exiting project and start from there...easier than starting all over with a new project.

Although there are lots of free materials online for learning to use, I prefer to use books when there's no access to the internet. Apart from that, I like collecting books especially when they are the first edition of their niche; which Version Control with Git is.

I only just started using it and can't really tell how useful the book is, this is my first day of using it so in a couple of days to come I should be able to post my experience and thoughts. Remember you don't have to get the book, you can read the free online version of the book by bookmarking it on your computer. This allows you to  get the up to date version every time the official documentation is updated.

But of like me you like to buy books and display them on your bookshelve after reading, then you should buy a copy. I saw it on Amazon for $10 - so check in case the price has gone down since last week.

The IT Jobs Are Exploding in 2011. Are You Ready?

Despite the state of the economy and the financial industry, it looks like the IT industry is seeing one of the biggest growth in the whole of the services industry. We have been hiring new staff members, and the forecast is that that trend is only going to keep improving.

You might want to see How Software Professionals Are Making Money Online.

As these jobs are coming fast and thick, are you ready to take advantage and see your earning grow as well? If you have not thought about improving your skills, I think now is the best time to really start considering it. There are more jobs in emerging technologies and languages like Scala, Python and NoSQL - as always, these jobs require new skills, so it is imperative that you keep learning.

One way to see how these new generation languages are spreading in the industry is to take a look at one of the top freelancing sites - Odesk.com. Some of the jobs on that site require that you use any of these latest technologies. There's no excuse not to update your skills...if you rely on the C/C++ you learnt over 10 years ago, you will soon become a dinosaur and quickly become extinct. But if that's not an option, you could start today. It all starts with a search online for sites that offer certificates on Python, Perl, Database and Linux/Unix administration, Java, PHP/SQL, client-side, Web, .Net, and Open Source programming.

The cool thing is that you can use tools like FREE Transcender demos! to help you learn all of these technologies for free from the comfort of your home. Most of developers I know use these tool and it has changed their life and massively broaden their job prospect.

Don't wait for some young college graduate to come and knock you off your job, download one of these FREE Transcender demos! videos and start learning to program for free.

The Harmony Project - Where is it Today?

Back in 2005, I was fresh out of university where I was finishing my post graduate program. I had the whole time in the world to spend on open source projects and other personal stuff. It was then I managed to write the only commercial software I have ever written on my own and marketed it.

I still remember clearly remember where I was when I first heard about Harmony project; I was on the Underground Tube train and read about it in Computing magazine. When I got home I checked out the site, within weeks of that initial encounter quickly joined the project...working on testing and documentation. Soon after joining the project I posted this message almost a day to the day I posted it 6 years ago.

It was a great project - I spent most of my time working on it, answering questions in the IRC, keeping the documentations up to date...doing all that whilst still holding down a full time job else where. Sadly, it wasn't until the when Sun rejected our request for the testing kit that some of the guys became disillusioned.

I changed job, got married and started a family. All these did not give me the time to spend on the project, so I slowly lost focus and interest. It was not until this morning that one of the little reminders on my desktop popped up with a link to this post.

Not sure harmony is doing great, but would have been cool if they managed to persuade the then Sun to hand over the testing kit.

Mastering Regular Expressions Should Be In Your Toolbox

If you work with Python or Perl on a daily basis, chances are that you will have used a great amount of Regular Expression for manipulating text as part of your project. For Perl programmers, regular expression is a major part of the language and you are expected to master it if you are to succeed using the language, but for others, you will only use it now and again on some projects that require it; so you may end up not requiring to know a lot of regex.

However, for most beginners, one thing they find quite challenging with programming is getting to grips with regular expression - even some experienced folks out there still find themselves struggling with it. It does not matter how long you have been programming, if you are not making use of this feature as part of your everyday project, it is easy to forget the syntax altogether. To make matters worse, most programming books do not cover it, instead they just make a passing reference to it. So if you have a need to use it in anger, you will most likely use one of the best and widely used resources.

Mastering Regular Expressions is one of the most highly recommended books on Regular expressions out there today. This book starts by looking out how regular expressions work and sets out to explore how you can create them in C#, Java, Javascript, Ruby, Python, PHP, Perl, VB.NET.

I have had this book on my shelf for as long as I can remember, only recently went back to it because of the recent heavy lifting work I'm doing in Python. The cool thing about Regular Expression is that it works across languages - you don't have to learn it all over again for each language. It is one of the few things in programming that is the same no matter what language you choose.

The writing style is great, it shows you clear examples on how regular expressions work and how to use them. It has definitely helped me to become a better Engineer. The cool thing about this book is, unlike most other one out there, it focuses wholly on Regular Expressions. It covers everything you will need to know regardless of language and platform. It does not matter how long you've been programming, this important feature for text manipulation is a vital programming aspect that everyone should master.

It doesn't matter what programming language you work with, if you are looking for ways to learn how regular expressions work, I highly recommend getting a copy of Jeffrey Friedl's book

Kanban by David J Anderson

I've been in and around IT/software development for 10 years, and familiar with the Waterfall, Agile, Scrum and Kanban (or so I thought) methods. This was a very in-depth book on Kanban, opening me eyes to a much wider world than just being a task board. First 3/4 or so is focused on Kanban specifically, with good implementation ideas, and then the rest brings in quality practices and other areas of software development and how they connect or work within a Kanban environment.

My one gripe (besides the book's price) would be that this book is primarily for managers with the authority to implement serious change, which is ironic given the focus on the employee-empowering benefits of the discipline. Would have been nice to have some thoughts on how to introduce it without the WIP limits and negotiations with other teams; a way for line employees to push for change and prove the concept of task visibility, flow, throughput and bottlenecks w/o having to make externally visible changes right off the bat.

The way it's presented in this book, seems to be targeted at groups that are really struggling with their existing processes or already have a continuous improvement culture. I think the folks kind of muddling through with an existing process might find the "switching costs" to be pretty high.

Why My Server Is Still Offline!

It's been almost 5 months now since I took my server offline. A lot has happened since then: moved home, changed work and google has updated their algo. This has been the longest time that my server has been offline. The few times I previously took it down was when I had a new hardware and was struggling to migrate vital sensitive data across; then a few days later, it was back up.

But this time, after moving city and home, I decided to give it while before powering back up, during this offline period, I have been loosing revenue ofcourse. The server had 12 sites hosted in it and it had thousands  of pages indexed. These are the pages I worked hard to create and promote. So having them offline not only deny people great content and resources, it also costs me some nice and decent income as well.

The main reason why I have not brought it online since has been because of time and upto date hardware. The current hardware is a bit dated and showing its age...some weird sound come through now and again. So, I plan to get a much newer hardware before I can dust it off again.

Another reason is that I run a VOIP server as well, and that requires constant monitoring - which I can't afford at the moment. As you can see, there's a lot of work before it can be running again. But hopefully things should be back to normal before the middle of the year.

The only consolation I have is that most of the previously indexed pages are still online, all the backlinks are still there ageing and getting juiced up; but the only thing left now is when the server comes back online.

Free Python Programming Books

One of the things new programmers find very hard is where and what books can be recommended. I spend some of my free time mostly on the Python Tutor list helping out there to answer questions; and sometimes help these new Python programmers deal with anything they happen to be having trouble with like some Python gotchas and cryptic error messages they can't understand.

By far the most common question we see is more about what free books and websites we could point them to. For some people, these online resources can be a great help because they don't have to pay for them. So, they can use them as reference as well as study material to master the language. I use them myself - in fact, I've had them in my bookmark for a very long time - going back to check up on one thing or another now and again.

So, with that in mind, I thought I would post here some of the free Python Programming Books I use myself in hopes that others might find it useful.

1. Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python
2. The Django Book
3. Building Skills in Python
4. Data Structures and Algorithms with Object-Oriented Design Patterns in Python
5. The Pylons Book
6. Dive into Python
7. An Introduction to Tkinter

There are more out there - as I discover them, I will make sure to update this list. Of course some of you have bookmarks of your favourite Python books - would be great if you could share them here as well.

For those who are lucky enough to have one of those Amazon Kinde 3G, you could also consider downloading free ebooks to your device for free. See here for details and links 

Update: Andre has sent us a link to Learn Python The Hard Way -  You can take the online course as well as download the free copy of this book to your computer..Great for absolute beginners - complete with exercises at the end of each topic.

New Panasonic VIERA TC-P50GT25 50-inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV

I bought this TV at Fry's Electronics, the price was $899.00 I could not believe my good fortune. A few years ago I tested a tcp-50g25 with very similar specifications at Paul's TV at the time the price was $1500, and I would have paid it if had I had the money. I spoke to a Panasonic technician as to what the difference between this TV and the more expensive tc-p50vt25, and he said not much other than 24hz frame rate handling, and some minor issues, IE. 1 less hdmi input, no 3d glasses.

This TV is without peer at this price range for having both 3d and just superb 1080p picture quality!
If you are buying a TV do not allow yourself to view any TV unless you see this, or any TV in both Blue Ray 1080p, and Digital Broadcast 1080i, If not do not conclude the TV is good or bad, or any TV that you are evaluating.

You can not tell what the quality of the TV is! Standard Def. will not tell you, it will not be quite as good, nor will a DVD be very good either, so beware this pitfall.  3d on this TV is good, but not as good as 2d in brightness and because of the yellow tint, but is still very satisfying. This TV likely dissipates 350 watts of power but that still is not terrible for this size a TV.
The sound is not very impressive, connect the tv to at least a 5.1 system. For some reason the TV does not send 5.1 out its optical port so you have to use a new amp with 7.1 or use your blu-ray players output to a 5.1 amp or 5.1 decoder amp combo.

Utube is good on the TV, the TV does not decode Divx when smart media is inserted into the smart media port. The DLNA does not recognize a lot of media on a computer, but a HDMI ported computer easily connect to it so this is not a huge issue.

View this TV in "Vivid" mode only or make sure your are in a completely dark room. In a show room make they put the TV in "Vivid" mode other wise the TV will look dull. The TV is not designed to be in a bright environment.

Also beware of Fry's "special financing", they neglected to put it on our receipt, so we had to fight to get the 0% interest for a year deal because of their mistake. So if you are smart wait for a sale and buy this TV for $900 and make sure you is buying at Fry's Electronics get the "special financing" in writing.

You could in fact pick one up right now on Amazon - there's a special deal going right now.

Inexpensive and worth every penny

I live in a converted warehouse loft and 90% of my floor space is old pine and maple hardwood flooring (sealed). Given that the amount of floor space is easily 1000+ sq. feet, mopping has been a huge chore and one that I don't enjoy doing - mostly because it never seems to really get the floor that clean and it seems to take forever.

After reading the reviews online and shopping around, I came across the Eureka 313A Enviro Hard-Surface Floor Steamer. It was well liked by the people who own it and use it, and at around $65, I couldn't say no. The 313A arrived within a few days, was well packaged and the assembly and instructions were simple and straightforward (seriously, if you can put water in a tea kettle, you can use the Eureka 313A). Within minutes of receiving the steamer, I was putting it to the test on the kitchen section of the floor (easily the area of the loft that gets the most traffic and builds up the most dirt).

The Eureka 313A Enviro Hard-Surface Floor Steamer heats up quickly and does a FANTASTIC job of cleaning and the fact that it doesn't use ANY chemicals in the process makes the air I breathe safer and healthier. Remember the first time you used a Swiffer instead of a broom, and you were totally disgusted and amazed at how much garbage your broom was leaving behind?? Well, that's what using the Eureka instead of a mop was like - the floor was visibly cleaner than it had ever been with a mop, sanitized, didn't smell like any cleaning chemicals and had a nice, natural sheen.

After steam cleaning all of the floors and leaving the house for a while, upon returning home and opening the door, the air in the apartment even smelled a little fresher, cleaner. You're going to be amazed (and probably pretty grossed out) by what this thing will pick up off your floors.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

There has already been a lot of discussion in the media and online about this memoir of a Chinese American mother's strict parenting practices. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is honest, informative, interesting and entertaining, and I believe Chua is making fun of herself and her strict, "Chinese" style of parenting as much as she is promoting her methods.

While I wouldn't suggest that Chua's very controlling parenting philosophies be universally adopted, I think she makes some good points that are worth thinking about. For instance, since it takes hard work to get good at anything, and since being good at something makes it more fun, Chua believes pushing your child to work hard is a way of making them ultimately happier. Also, Chua points out that her view of her daughters is complimentary. She drives them so hard because she sees them as strong. She feels that always letting a child give up is bad for their self-esteem and doesn't prepare them for the future.

That said, by the end of the book even Chua admits her approach doesn't always work. Her younger daughter Lulu pushed back with great defiance against Chua's controlling manner, but even Lulu admits she's glad her mother forced her to work hard when she was younger. It's not hard to see that Lulu's success at tennis and "improv" comedy, pastimes her mother did not sanction, is at least partly due to the determination and drive her mother helped instill in her.

Lulu's older sister Sophia had a long, well written letter to her mother published in the January 17, 2011 edition of the New York Post. In it Sophia thanked her mother in detail for how she was raised. Among other things Sophia said is that far from turning her into a robot she believes her mother's strict methods have helped her be an independent thinker.

Totally Free kindle Books!

Last week, I blogged about free Kindle ebooks that I read on my Android phone using the free Amazon Kindle app. The app is free for reading kindle ebooks on your phone if you don't have the Kindle device itself. I had Kindle 3G last year, but it's broken now and can't afford to replace it.

Here's a comprehensive list of free books that you can start downloading right away. The books work the same on the Android app as it does on Kindle - there's no difference. The only concern I have with reading on mobile devices is size of the texts - they could damage your eyes if used regularly. If you have the money, you could pick one shiny Kindle up or just look around for a used one. Other than that, it works just as great.

Click the link and scroll to the middle of the page, to the right hand side is the Search box if you have any particular title you'd like to search for. They are updated daily - so be sure to bookmark the page.

Enjoy.

The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and a Fortune Sharing Your Advice

Brendon Burchard is a Masterful Teacher and Trainer. His message and delivery has helped me and aided countless thousands of others to discover and enhance our voice, clearly define our message, and to properly package and present it to our audience and the world at large. For me, the journey has taken many years, tens of thousands of dollars and countless mistakes. Thankfully, there is now a roadmap and a framework that paves the way to sharing one's message with the world in a more effective and more fulfilling way.

In his latest 'Golden Ticket', "The Millionaire Messenger", Brendon Burchard has accomplished an incredible milestone having synthesized and distilled his many years of experience on the expert journey to GREATER INFLUENCE, IMPACT and BIGGER INCOME into a simple, easy to follow checklist. The result is a treasure trove of wisdom, insight and perspective rarely delivered in such an easily accessable format (without the tuition of years of searching and thousands of dollars).

The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. The journey to the fulfilment that comes from sharing your message with the world in a bigger way to make a bigger difference begins with the 10 Steps Burchard succinctly lays out in "The Millionaire Messenger". This blueprint is most assuredly the gift of another 'Golden Ticket' to all who appropriate and apply the message delivered by "The Millionaire Messenger."

This One Will Blow Your Mind!

This image is mind bending... See it and try to work out how they did it
See it here

Poke the Box

Seth Godin has been making the same plea in the last several books. "We Need You To Lead Us" was the subtitle of Tribes. Using reverse-psychology, Linchpin asked "Are You Indispensable?" to prod us into action. "I sell fireworks," he says at the beginning of Small Is The New Big in talking about how his writing encourages those with great ideas to get them done.

In Poke The Box, Seth removes the whatever directional intent there may have been in those prior works and imploring us to do something, anything. There are no barriers left.

Inger Kklekacz isn't photographing the Portland's live music scene because someone told her to. Modern Skirts' Gramahawk album was made up of music they wanted to make and a label didn't.The King's Sixth Finger didn't make sense to publishers, but it didn't stop Jolby. Amanda Hocking didn't wait to get picked and she sold 900,000 copies of her books.

If you are already doing, you don't need Poke The Box.

The Sims Medieval - Limited Edition Revisited

The Sims Medieval - Wow, I'm thrilled at the level of excitement that my initial blog post on The Sims Medieval - Limited Edition created. A few weeks ago, just after putting up a post about my experience with the game, several other blogs and sites syndicated the post sending traffic here in the process.

What is interesting is that, although I had been playing computer and video games since 1998, I never really spent own money on any game. Virtually all the games I've played were either borrowed, given to me or played with friends at their place.

But this time, thing were different - I thought I would buy it after seeing this short trailer on Amazon.com website. This turned out to be a very wise decision, because days after owning a copy of this The Sims Medieval - Limited Edition, I posted the said review and things started rolling from there. I now own 4 more copies of the best games out there including Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Collector's Edition and some more on the way.

I'm not someone who usually spend money of games, but that changes the moment I found out the fun, excitement and fulfillment one gets from owning one of the highly sort after collector items in the video game world.

I don't know how long the excitement will last, but one thing is for sure: I will keep having fun while I still have it.

I can't recommend it enough, if you too have a few change to spend, I strongly suggest you get one now. Not only because it is one of the best games ever made, but you are investing in one of the coolest collector's items out there.

Get it NOW!

My New Kindle Wireless Reading Device

I didn't think I'd ever want an e-reader, because I love reading "real" books too much. But now that I own a Kindle 3, I can't imagine my life without it! I still read "real" books, but I can download magazines, email my kindle newspaper articles I want to check out, email my kindle work documents I need to read, and keep many books with me at all times. It comes in so handy to take out a "book" of short stories when I'm in line at the post office, or bring up a book while i'm in the doctor's office waiting room!

One of the things that most surprised me about the Kindle is how many really great books are offered in the Amazon Kindle Store for free! I thought it would just be old books with expired copyrights, but there really are a lot of new books that Amazon offers for free as part of a promotion!

Also, another thing I was pleasantly surprised about is that you can always download the whole first chapter of ANY book for free, and then buy the rest of the book (and download it automatically) if you like it! This is so nice, because many times as soon as you start reading a book you know it's not going to be something you're interested in.

Overall, if you're on the fence about this product, I say go for it! It will only IMPROVE your reading life!

Get your now

I really like this book for many reasons:

First it is about Perl and how to make most out of Perl. Perl 5 has been blessed with some great additions in CPAN, which are not covered in most other Perl books (at least not in those I read so far). This book explains those additions and some concepts behind them. It is interesting and informative.

Second it was written in the true Perl spirit which is in the open, i.e., you could go to the books website and get the chapters still in draft. So there is feedback and improvement already in this first edition. With other books you have to wait for the second edition to have those things.

Third it shows that Perl 5 is not an old-fashioned language that cannot compete with the new hip languages, but Perl 5 still has a future. You just have to write the right kind of Perl code and the book explains how to do this.

In summary, if you like Perl 5, I'd say you will like this book.

Modern Perl