Project Code Grasp

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Start Date:

January 26, 2010

Project Status:

In Progress

Projected End Date:

May 1, 2010

Final Product(s):

skills needed to write an iPhone app

The Project:

I've been programming since about 1995. I taught myself Perl, using the quite appropriately named Teach Yourself Perl in 21 Days. I may have done it in a few less. Perl inevitably led to PHP, the language that I've been using since about 1999. I've gotten much better through the years, but it's pretty much been PHP, pretty much web programming for the past decade. I haven't had much desire to learn a new programming language. In fact, I've made active efforts for the past few years to put myself in a position in which I can have a good career withOUT having to keep up with programming languages.

Then I got an iPhone.

And my brain started thinking about all the cool things I could write. But, it wasn't worth the effort to learn a whole new language, especially one that was not web-based and required a sizeable learning curve. Then I switched switched banks. Why does this matter? Because my new bank uses a system of free ATMs that can't be searched for in iPhone maps because they're at different banks (and 7-Elevens). So I found a data set of the ATMs and made an iPhone web app that allows me to find my ATMs. And it was really fun to have something I wrote on my iPhone home screen.

That was it. I believe I bought Beginning iPhone 3 Development within the week. I'm now going through the slow process of learning a new language, in hopes that I can make my ATM app a native iPhone app. Along the way I've picked up two more ideas for apps. By the time I can write one, I'll probably have a couple more.

Project Code Grasp is my project to learn how to write iPhone apps. When I get there, there will be app-specific projects following soon after.

Project Updates:

Project Code Grasp Update: The Art of Learning

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Project:

Code Grasp

Project Update #2

One of the joys of any project is learning something new. For me, in fact, that is the drive behind most projects; my brain feeds on problem solving and projects give me the opportunity to figure things out. Perhaps this is why I have never been able to transfer my appreciation of creating things to cooking. I'm sure many would argue that it's all about problem solving, or learning new techniques, but for me, it relies too heavily on following standard practices with a limited number of options. I'd much rather spend an hour trying to figure out how to bring my Twitter feed in to a Drupal block on this site's sidebar (note: not an abstract example) than putting the same amount of time into preparing a meal where my only really challenge or learning opportunity comes when it's time to season. Technique improvement has definite limitations in its ability to inspire me.

What does this have to do with anything? I bring this up to say that I am struggling with Project Code Grasp. Over the past week or so, I have put far more time, energy, and thought into Project Here. This is worth noting, considering that NO ONE LOOKS AT THIS SITE. I was originally planning on creating this site to be a sort of repository for things I'm working on, an easy way to share updates with the few friends or family members who might be interested in what I'm working on. But it by no means was meant to be a dominant project in my life. I have actually not told anyone about the site, so spending time on it should beg a number of questions. Yet, this morning, the first thing I did (and more importantly, the first thing I wanted to do) was work on configuring summary breaks in Drupal. Even now, I sat down to work on my Code Grasp learning, and instead find myself writing a project update.

Project Code Grasp Update: Sometimes You Have To Go Backwards to Go Forwards

Friday, March 12, 2010

Project:

Code Grasp

Project Update #1

One of my favorite signs in the NYC subway system is the one that reads "Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards." My real favorite is "If you see something, say something", but that's for another day. The "backwards" sign goes on to explain that, in some stations, in order to reach a platform for the train on the other side without leaving the station, you need to go against the direction you want to go to reach a station that allows you to transfer to the correct platform, and thus, the correct train.

Well, that's where I find myself; going backwards to go forwards. Somewhere around Chapter 7 of my book, I realized that I was not learning as much as I was hoping to. I was learning to recreate pretty much the specific thing the book was instructing me to do, but I wasn't learning much of the why or the how. With a goal of being able to write my own unique apps, I need to understand a bit more context to what I was doing.

I've now taken a step back, and am reading a book that takes a much more beginner's approach than the "Beginning" book I started with. It's going to slow my project down considerably. And I'm fully expecting to see iPhone 4.0 and the iPad (ordered mine today) both come out before I can write an iPhone 3.0 app. But if I ever have hopes of writing for those platforms, I need a better understanding of the language.

Here I am, hoping on the subway train going in the opposite direction of where I want to be. Not to take the metaphor too far, but hopefully I catch an express train at the next stop.

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Project Code Grasp

Project Code Grasp Update: The Art of Learning

Project Code Grasp Update: Sometimes You Have To Go Backwards to Go Forwards

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