What? Asteroid mining?
Delta-V
Hey everyone,
Typically, I prefer reading non-fiction books, or rather 'listening' to them, given my fondness for audiobooks. But the past few weeks have been an exception. I picked up two books that frequently surfaced on platforms like Hacker News: 'Delta-V' and 'Critical Mass' by Daniel Suarez. One reviewer fittingly described them as "The Martian on steroids", and I couldn't agree more.
Daniel Suarez is known for his techno-thrillers that delve into the implications of modern technology. Both "Delta-V" and "Critical Mass" are among his notable works. These novels are about a space adventure set in the near future.
The title "Delta-V" refers to a term in astrodynamics for a 'change in velocity', which is a fitting metaphor for the rapid advancements in space exploration depicted in the book. The books revolve around the commercial exploitation of an asteroid, highlighting the challenges and dangers of deep space exploration. They also discuss the potential economic benefits of asteroid mining and the broader implications for humanity's future in space.
"Critical Mass" describes how to establish the first spin-gravity station in deep space, the first orbiting solar power satellite and refinery, and historic infrastructure on the moon's surface — all of which could alleviate a deepening ecological, political, and economic crisis back on Earth, and prove that space-based industry is not only profitable, but possibly humanity's best hope for a livable, peaceful future.
The books are well-researched and offer a plausible look at the next frontier of human exploration. By the way, if you read them, make sure you read them in that order.
Last month's progress
The vastness and unknowns of space in "Delta-V" and "Critical Mass" remind me a bit of the challenges of launching a new software product. There are always new problems, but yet, somewhere a solution can be found. I've always believed in the power of continuous learning and adaptation. The past weeks have been filled with coding, debugging, and more coding. The good news? I've made significant progress.
Ruby on Rails Mastery
Remember when I mentioned my journey with Bubble.io? Well, I've reached a point where I can confidently say I'm as proficient in Ruby on Rails as I was with Bubble.io. There's still much to learn, and I'll never be a 10X programmer (more like a 0.5X programmer).
The Power of Boilerplate: One of the game-changers in this journey has been the use of boilerplate code. It's like having a head start in a race. With boilerplate code, I've been able to leverage pre-existing solutions, allowing me to focus on the unique aspects of my projects.
What's next?
Server Migration: The next step is moving my SafeAssistant.Online product from my laptop to a VPS. I'm currently weighing the pros and cons of platforms like Heroku and Render.com. While they do come with a price tag, they offer ease of deployment and built-in security.
New Ideas Brewing: With my confidence growing, I'm excited to start exploring new ideas. The world of software is vast, and there's always something new to learn and implement. Stay tuned for more updates on this front!
And with each passing day, the pieces of the puzzle are falling into place.
Thank you for following this journey. Your support and feedback are invaluable. Here's to more coding, more learning, and more progress!
P.S. I should be able to get this darn debugger working in VSCode. I mean, how hard can it be? The protagonists in the books I'm reading are building rocket ships in space!