February 7th marked the death of John Perry Barlow. He founded the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) and wrote lyrics for the Grateful Dead (occasionally). He was a remarkable man who fought for the freedom of the Internet. Here is a list of principles that adults should follow. I’m 25 now and trying my best to make him proud:
1. Be patient. No matter what. 2. Don’t badmouth: Assign responsibility, not blame. Say nothing of another you wouldn’t say to him. 3. Never assume the motives of others are, to them, less noble than yours are to you. 4. Expand your sense of the possible. 5. Don’t trouble yourself with matters you truly cannot change. 6. Expect no more of anyone than you can deliver yourself. 7. Tolerate ambiguity. 8. Laugh at yourself frequently. 9. Concern yourself with what is right rather than who is right. 10. Never forget that, no matter how certain, you might be wrong. 11. Give up blood sports. 12. Remember that your life belongs to others as well. Don’t risk it frivolously. 13. Never lie to anyone for any reason. (Lies of omission are sometimes exempt.) 14. Learn the needs of those around you and respect them. 15. Avoid the pursuit of happiness. Seek to define your mission and pursue that. 16. Reduce your use of the first personal pronoun. 17. Praise at least as often as you disparage. 18. Admit your errors freely and soon. 19. Become less suspicious of joy. 20. Understand humility. 21. Remember that love forgives everything. 22. Foster dignity. 23. Live memorably. 24. Love yourself. 25. Endure.
Ah programming. You’re a designer who always wanted to start but you never found the courage. Sure, you know how to write a bit of HTML/CSS. But you know deep down this is not the real deal. Fear not my fellow friends. Here I am going to share some resources to help you learn JavaScript—once and for all.
A couple of months back, I started learning CoffeeScript in order to create Framer prototypes. (CoffeeScript is a simpler way to write JavaScript and is thus a little simpler to learn, check it out on their website.) More recently, I realised I needed to learn JavaScript for WUT Design, the design and development shop I cofounded.
A million things will be easier when you know JavaScript. Obviously, you’ll be able to write small programs and you’ll feel great about it. But it’ll also be easier for you to learn node.js (to write server-side code) and Swift (to write iOS apps) and Python (to, you know, take things to another level).
What about design though?
Knowing how to write simple programs makes you a more rounded, better-equipped designer. You will know more precisely what you can do and what you cannot do. You will help developers understand your work. You’ll win time and gratitude.
It is like feeling the wood that is going to be the base material for your next piece of furniture. Nobody is asking you to open a woodworking shop. Yet, to better understand it, you still need to feel it.
Convinced? Good.
Alright, for some tips:
Build something. Only building something useful or fun will motivate you enough to withstand the simultaneous feelings of joy and pain that come from learning how to write programs. Don’t count on Codecademy, etc., to learn. Do you have a unique twist on the sempiternal todo list? Did you always dream about creating a Twitter bot? Project-oriented learning will yield far more fruitful result than theoretical learning. The best combination? Read a bit, then work. Rinse, repeat, you’ll get better in no time.
Don’t copy and paste the code, write it. You will obviously use code that was written by other peeps. You’ll be tempted to copy and paste but this will not help. When you write the code, you feel that you’re actually doing something. This will fuel both motivation and understanding.
Break your program into small bits with pen and paper. This is not something I read very frequently but it was super useful for me. When you want to write an app, break down the idea in small bits. It’ll help you organise your work and measure progress.
And now, here are a few resources:
The Mozilla Developer Network. Forget about W3Schools. Read anything and everything on MDN. They have awesome introductory sections. The reason MDN is good is because it’s a wiki. Anyone with better knowledge can update the page and give better information.
Eloquent JavaScript. It’s a great introductory book on JavaScript that also lays out some fundamentals of programming. Sometimes, the writing is poetic. Consume it!
Google + StackOverflow. Here’s a killer combo for you. Never hesitate to google your way out of your problem. Try to use the most precise vocabulary for your request and you will most probably find a relevant StackOverflow thread.
JSFiddle. Want to quickly write a program and don’t want to upload it to your server? JSFiddle is here for you. Run your program, tidy it up and iterate with this superb service.
The Chrome Dev Tools. Download Chrome and open the dev tools by pressing CTRL+CMD+J. You’ll have a console and everything you need to inspect your code.
A shorthand for designing UI flows, courtesy of Ryan Singer, designer and cofounder of Basecamp.
It’s very simple, you write above the line what hte user sees, and below what they do. Then draw an arrow and repeat for the next step.
I’ve been doing that for quite some time now, I didn’t know other people did. It’s great advice.
I made it my mission to discover the specific reasons for iOS battery drainage. This article is a product of my years of research and anecdotal evidence I gathered in the hundreds of Genius Bar appointments I took during my time as a Genius and iOS technician, as well as testing on my personal devices and the devices of my friends.
This is the definitive guide to increasing iPhone battery life. Read it and share it.
Take perfect photos every time. According to CJ Chilvers, technique and gear doesn’t matter. All good photographs tell a story, with a compelling subject, for you.
Water aids in digestion, makes your skin look healthier, helps you feel more full so you don’t overeat, keeps your kidneys healthy (so they can properly flush out toxins), and contributes to regular healthy bowel movements. You lose out on those benefits if you don’t stay hydrated.
A nicely curated list of tips, tricks and details from the one and only Federico Viticci over at Macstories.
Ever wonder why old time writers like Hemingway seem so much better than the 21st century crop? It’s because they were plastered out of their mind and kept sentences short and passionate. Also, no fucking semicolons.
The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well.
Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters and woolly speeches.
Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well. Here are 10 hints:
1. Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing. Read it three times.
2. Write the way you talk. Naturally.
3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
4. Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.
5. Never write more than two pages on any subject.
6. Check your quotations.
7. Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning—and then edit it.
8. If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it.
9. Before you send your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.
10. If you want ACTION, don’t write. Go and tell the guy what you want.
From the original Mad Man.
We all know that humans are wired to listen to stories, and metaphors abound for the narrative structures that work best to engage people. When I think about compelling presentations, I think about taking an audience on a journey. A successful talk is a little miracle—people see the world differently afterward.
How to give a killer presentation by TED’s curator Chris Anderson.
