What I have found gripping

• Going over the code of a new project and its RSpec tests

• Thoughtful and actionable feedback

• Ruby does not include a library for handling inflections e.g. pluralization, singularization etc. One needs to install a gem called activesupport for that purpose. Once added, it is possible to run the code below:

What I have found gripping

What I have found gripping

What I have found gripping

• Picking a problem to solve, then investigating ways to solve it with the understanding that prioritising it over others still leaves room to address those afterwards

• Context continues to matter when it comes to technical solutions and ways of working

• Connecting across difference remains necessary, as this allows for broader perspectives on just about anything. In my view, it takes effort and humility, but it’s worth it

• Finding where you feel welcome and genuinely included, still matters

• Communities of practice making it possible for folks of all backgrounds to join, learn and contribute are worth getting inspiration from

What I have found gripping

What I have found gripping

What I have found gripping

• Planning a code walkthrough

• Finding what’s helpful in doing so

• Synthesising what I have learned through small experiments and projects

• Making do with a heatwave leading to some school closures locally
  

What I have found gripping

• Deploying a small project combining new skills I have been building and a topic I’m learning about

• In Ruby, the Time object contains the date and time since the Unix epoch (1 January 1970). I can create a Time object in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) before checking what day it is:

What I have found gripping

• A carefully thought out ramp up process makes it easier for new joiners to contribute to a codebase regardless of their experience level

• The better a project is documented, the easier it will be to contribute to

• PRs (Pull Requests) can also be used to teach and learn

• Knowing how to ask for help takes practice as does knowing how to give help. Providing actionable feedback on both makes a difference too

What I have read

What I have found gripping

• ViewComponent is a library to isolate common UI patterns for reuse, helping to improve the quality and consistency of Rails applications

• It’s possible to use a git command called git commit --amend to edit one’s last commit and another git add -p to view changes one commit at a time. P is for patch.

• Finding a tried and tested course for micro-learning makes a difference even more when it’s highly recommended by folks from communities

What I have read

What I have found gripping

• Creating things from scratch brings some excitement

• Live coding also means making music using code

• ASGI stands for Asynchronous Server Gateway Interface

• Diversifying lineups requires building and nurturing diverse networks to reach as many potential speakers as possible

• Quality coaching leads to engaging and memorable performances for new speakers

• Creating the right conditions for folks to tell their stories on their own terms makes a difference too

• Carving space for making contributions means trying different ways of doing things and finding what works in a given context

What I have read

What I have found gripping

What I have found gripping

• There are advantages to doing rather than outsourcing one’s skills to AI

• Getting out of one’s comfort zone leads to new learnings

• Asynchronous code reviews can facilitate progress

• Returning to a generative art project and considering what to add to it for the sake of it

What I have read

What I have found gripping

• Converting a JavaScript project into a TypeScript one through going through error messages and asking for feedback
• Adding acceptance tests to a project with RSpec
• Emerging alternatives to softwares one might be used to seem promising. The teams shaping them also matter, especially those bringing together folks from different backgrounds with complementary and (at times) rare skillsets

What I have read

What I have found gripping

• In Ruby programming, the class Struct creates a class that can store and fetch values. See an example from irb below:

Book = Struct.new('Book', :title, :author, :year)
Book = Struct.new('Book', 'Sula', 'Toni Morrison', '1973')
Book.inspect
=> "Struct::Book"
Book.members
=> [:Sula, :"Toni Morrison", :"1973"]

What I have found gripping

• The following terminal command outputs a detailed list of files and directories including hidden ones. It means list all:

  ls -la
  

• Parsing a URL using Ruby then extracting a domain name with different approaches before choosing one that will allow for code readability

• Bouncing ideas off other people is thrilling

• In Rails, the debug helper will print out variables

debug

What I have found gripping

• Diversifying one’s sources of learning is wonderful

• WSGI is an acronym for Web Server Gateway Interface

• This line of code in Python will initialize a Flask web app

  app = Flask(__name__)
  

• The Flask class handles all the web requests, routing and responses

• The Pylint error message Missing function or method docstring means that a docstring (short for a document string) needs to be added to the function. Once a docstring is included, the error disappears. See the example below:

  def print_python_version():
      """Function printing python version."""
      print(sys.version)
  

What I have found gripping

What I have found gripping

• Logging what’s done well helps maintain perspective

• Making contributions visible leaves room for celebrating them and providing actionable feedback whenever necessary

• A team’s health influences its outcomes whether they be positive or negative

• Identifying what is missing in a process before amending it to improve it further is exciting