Intro to CS, Python-style

zvi pointed out an interesting community: intro_to_cs.

The community is for people following along a series of lectures from MIT (all information freely available online). And it uses Python, which I have been meaning to pick up.

No programming experience necessary.

I am nervous because it's been a while since I did anything even remotely resembling the rigors of academics. Classes! Study! Lectures! Commitments! Stuff! But I am excited, too.

Signal boost: Kiva loans to the Philippines for blog comments

via hatman on kiva

there's a blogger out there who has pledged $5 in Kiva loans to the Philippines for every comment on this blog.

I'm leaving a comment right now :)

(Thanks foxfirefey for pointing me to the entry!)

Eastwick

I can't decide what to think about Eastwick. It feels like I should like it, but it also feels like it bores me.

Hmm.

enterprise java

I am discovering, to my absolute horror that enterprise Java is a lot like myself: often has a point, but unable to get there without going on long rambling tangents; requires a lot of structure to hold itself together; loves, loves, loves to scatter and repeat itself everywhere.

I am reading tutorials on how to set up and use JPA. Sooooo many things that need to be set up before you can even test whether you can, say, connect to a database. And at that, all the articles make it a point to emphasize how wow, the new API makes life so much easier and better more convenient and faster than before (perhaps I shall one day see the difference, the way I did when I was being frustrated by maven's complexity, and then had to use ant briefly, which made me realize what all the fuss about maven was about)

I definitely cannot mistake what I am doing as anything other than work. Which is not a bad thing! I have plenty of toys to play with on my off time :)

Less frustrating, more flexible, more lightweight, more exciting, more practical, toys.

A day's worth of Twitter ($6.00)

10:32:47	—	boing boing is weirdly addicting. oops...
12:27:15	—	heeheehee. okay, I definitely have too long subjects in the bugs I filed (two so far are cut off in changelog subject)
12:33:27	—	setting up kiva. Trying to figure out how I can set up PayPal, first
13:45:20	—	Oh! there is a showing of RENT here some time next year. Trying to figure if I can find someone to go with to watch.
16:41:11	—	@yvi_thinks ironic. Quacks hurt people who are at their most vulnerable. Hope this wakes up her victims to the truth before it is too late
22:16:52	—	@zarhooie Oh yeah. There are some cereals you can eat dry; that is not one of them.

Total: 6 tweets

You can find me as afuna on Twitter.