Why You Should Learn To Code…Javascript

Over the last year and a half, there’s been a lot of activity in the independent study space specifically focused around “teaching people to code”. During this time, several well known programs have launched including MIT’s SICP on OpenCourseWare, Codeacdemy, and most recently the re-launched CS curriculum on Kahn Academy. These resources, including the others available, are all fantastic but they often leave new students wondering what language to learn and why.

Questions like this usually end up causing heated discussions between seasoned developers because there isn’t a single “right answer”. Personally, I think that learning to code using Javascript is an excellent choice for several reasons (in no particular order).

Its accessible

One of the most frustrating aspects of learning to code is getting started. For many people, this will be the first time they’ll have to install unfamiliar software (compilers, interpreters, IDEs, etc.) which often have cryptic error messages. On top of this, experimenting with certain languages may involve connecting to remote servers, setting up databases, and simultaneously learning the command line.

In contrast, running Javascript code typically only contains a modern browser because they all contain Javascript interpreters. Practically, this means that a new student only needs a text editor and a browser to start working with Javascript.

Another benefit to having Javascript available in your web browser is that it facilitates tight feedback loops and encourages collaboration. Students are able to easily read a lesson, write some code, see the results, and update their code all on the same page. In addition, because of this low friction students can easily share and collaborate on code.

Its immediately useful

This is really my opinion, but I think learning Javascript provides you the shortest path to being able to write code that will be personally useful to you. Because of the availability of Javascript and the ubiquity of the Internet, many “easy” problems can be solved with a couple of lines of Javascript.

A quick anecdote, a friend of mine was looking to pull together a list of universities in the US and ran across this list via the University of Texas. She looked at the list and realized it was going to take hours to manually go through the list to copy and paste each entry into a single cell of a spreadsheet. She sent me over the list and asked if I had any “tricks” to save her some time in putting together the spreadsheet. Turns out, she could extract all the institution names into a list with four lines of Javascript – . (Ok I cheated and used jQuery but stick with me.)

Any programming language would have been able to achieve the same result, but the gap between sitting down and “learning to code” and extracting the list would of been longer in almost any other language.

It make sense (for the most part)

For the most part, Javascript as a language is reasonably easy to follow and doesn’t suffer from to many weird quirks. Sure there’s a book titled Javascript: The Good Parts and a handful of weird equality quirks but for the most part straight Javascript usually works as intended. In addition to this, the types of errors new Javascript users encounter tend to be more straightforward and their messages are usually a bit more user friendly.

Interested in taking the dive? Head over to Code Academy or the CS curriculum on Kahn Academy to get started!

from BostInno http://bostinno.com/channels/why-you-should-learn-to-code-javascript/

Apple wins patents for AppleTV nav, DVR features

Apple was recently granted a patent (no. 8,243,017) that describes a video device with an onscreen menu, a recording feature and a channel navigation system. Patently Apple hypothesizes that this patent describes a way the Apple TV could be used to display, record and control the playback of cable TV programming.

One figure in the document clearly shows a video device that sits in between your cable set top box and your TV. It includes menu options to display an onscreen guide that lets you choose between television programs like Lost, Nature and Desperate Housewives. Another figure shows a channel navigation menu that's populated with shows from HBO, CBS and Discovery. There are also references to a DVR-like recording feature.

The patent was originally filed in Q4 2006 and published this week by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Apple wins patents for AppleTV nav, DVR features originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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from TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog http://www.tuaw.com/2012/08/15/apple-wins-patents-for-appletv-nav-dvr-features/

Write Your Resume Like a Recruiter to Boost Your Chances of Getting Hired [Job Search]

When a recruiter or hiring manager looks at your resume, they're looking for how well you fit the job opening and how much of an impact you'll make if you get hired, so your resume should match. Focus on the relevant skills you have to offer and your big accomplishments to boost the chance you'll beat the competition land an interview. More »


from Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5934911/write-your-resume-like-a-recruiter-to-boost-you...

The Definitive Guide to Wrapping Your Headphones Without Losing Your Mind [Video]

Wrapping up your earbuds always ends up being an ordeal: they come undone in your bag, they get tangled, and are just a big pain in the butt. Wouldn't it be nice if tangled headphones were a thing of the past? Here's a look at a few ways to wrap up your headphones without the frustration. More »


from Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5930624/the-definitive-guide-to-wrapping-your-headphone...

Apple's 2006 Ideas for DVR and Television Interface Reappear in Newly-Granted Patent

Back in March 2008, an Apple patent application was published showing concepts for digital video recorder (DVR) and other television-related interfaces. While the focus of the patent application was actually on menu overlays appearing on top of video content, it did generate a fair amount of interest as evidence that Apple was at least thinking about how it could make television software more intuitive. The document dated back to a provisional patent application filed by Apple on September 11, 2006, the day before Apple first introduced its "iTV" set-top box that launched a few months later as the original Apple TV.


With Apple's rumored plans for a television set continuing to gain momentum, Patently Apple notes that a reappearance of the patent as it has finally been granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will once again spark interest in Apple's television plans.



Beyond a number of figures showing Apple's concepts for television menus, the patent also contains reference to the use of an iPod-like device as a remote control for the television content.


The idea of an Apple television set has been circulating for a number of years, with Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster being one of the strongest proponents of such a device. The rumors gained considerable steam late last year with the publication of Steve Jobs' authorized biography, in which he was quoted as saying he had "finally cracked" how to create a truly easy-to-use television built around the "simplest user interface you could imagine". That revelation was quickly followed with a report from The New York Times claiming that Apple was looking to launch a Siri-powered television set by late 2012 or early 2013. Additional rumors have trickled out since that time, although they have slowed considerably in recent months as attention has focused on the iPhone.


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from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - Front Page http://www.macrumors.com/2012/08/14/apples-2006-ideas-for-dvr-and-television-...

Mountain Growl Pushes Growl Notifications to Notification Center and Keeps Full Growl Support [Mac Downloads]

OS X Mountain Lion: Notification Center on Mountain Lion is a a great place to keep track of all your notifications, but we're still waiting for the notification app Growl to update to support Mountain Lion. While we're waiting, Mountain Growl is a free app that pushes Growl data to Notification Center, but still manages to retain full Growl support. More »


from Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5934556/mountain-growl-pushes-growl-notifications-to-no...

Cherry MX Mechanical Keyboard Switches Compared

crookedvulture writes "Keyboards with mechanical key switches are enjoying a renaissance of sorts. They're prized by gamers, coders, and writers alike, and Cherry's MX switches are the most popular on newer models. There are MX blue, brown, black, and red switches, each with a different tactile feel and audible note. This comparison of four otherwise identical Rosewill keyboards details how each switch type feels and sounds, complete with audio recordings of the various colors in action. Recommended reading for anyone considering a mechanical keyboard or one of the Rosewills, which cost about $100. Looks like the removable USB cord on these particular models is prone to breakage."

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from Slashdot http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/08/14/1326208/cherry-mx-mechanical-keyb...

Official Olympics numbers: online engagement was mostly mobile

Now that the Olympic Games is over, Alex Balfour, the Cricinfo co-founder who has spent the last six years as head of London 2012 new media, has compiled these slideshow stats summarising engagement through with the local organising committee’s 77 digital products.

We have already reported strong mobile figures from the BBC (a third of web visits, a tenth of video streams) and NBC (16 percent of web users, 45 percent of video requests).

But Balfour’s stats show even higher mobile engagement - 60 percent of visits to the official London2012.com site and apps came from mobile devices.

That ratio is so high partly because the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) had several apps in circulation! As well as the London2012.com websites. But mobile web in isolation took over half of weekend web traffic.

In all, the London2012.com site clocked about three times more users than the BBC Sport effort.

Read on for more official end-of-games data on how London 2012 fared with social media, location-based engagement, email marketing and more…


from GigaOM http://paidcontent.org/2012/08/14/official-olympics-numbers-online-engagement...

Conversation starter Branch opens to the public

Branch, the communications service that has won the backing of two Twitter founders, is now exiting private beta as it looks to become a hub for online interaction. Last month, I profiled the company and its young Princeton drop-out founder Josh Miller, who explained that Branch was trying to be an open tool for communication and collaboration, similar to what Google Wave was trying to be.

Branch allows users to pull others into conversations that can be preserved and made public. Users can initiate a conversation by inviting a person via email or through Twitter or through a bookmarklet that can turn a tweet or URL into a conversation. More recently, Branch has enabled the ability for people to view videos, photos and gifs inside a conversation. And it’s introduced a “branching” feature to build new branches from existing conversations.

Miller said in a blog post that he’s hoping to spur on more dinner table dialogues instead of monologues, which is what much of the Internet is built on. He said it can be used for deep discussions about big issues, sharing advice or just hanging out. ”We want it to be a place for you to talk about all the things that are happening in your world,” he wrote.

New York City-based Branch earlier this year partnered with Obvious Corp., the startup from Twitter founders Biz Stone and Ev Williams, who joined in a $2 million fundraising round along with other investors including SV Angel, Betaworks, Lerer Ventures and others.

As Miller told me, he isn’t trying to push one use of Branch but is hoping that users will figure all kinds of applications for it, much in the way that Twitter has evolved in the hands of users. But that is also a danger, he admitted, because there isn’t one clear use case above others. We’ll see if Branch can catch on as an IM replacement, comments alternative or publishing platform or perhaps something we haven’t thought of.


from GigaOM http://gigaom.com/2012/08/13/communication-hub-branch-opens-to-the-public/?ut...