My blog. Personal thoughts, anecdotes, and musings.
For those that don’t know, I am a Development Editor for PragProg and have written a couple of books, but I’ve kept this list pretty objective. These are the books I think every developer should own.
Land The Tech Job You Love This is honestly one of my favorite books, and I’ve bought many copies of this for people I know looking for jobs. If you’re a college student or just starting out in your career, this is a great guide for getting a great job instead of just a job.
Writing
Published August 11, 2011
For those that don’t know, I’m back to writing again. This time, I’m working with four others, and we’re almost done. Look for an announcement shortly. Very exciting times.
Well, here we are with just two days to go before the end of the 2011 RPM Challenge and I’m basically done. It’s been a really difficult month for me with the stuff going on in Wisconsin, and honestly this contest was a great way to escape. When I couldn’t sleep, I worked on music. When I was frustrated with a governor who’s so hell-bent on the bottom line that he’ll take away heath insurance from limited term employees, I’d work on music.
I’m participating in the RPM Challenge{.popup} in February. I’ll be working hard to complete an album’s worth of material in just 28 days. I haven’t had much time over the last few years to work on my music, so this is my chance to “put up or shut up.” in regards to my music.
I don’t have to write the material during the contest, but I am not allowed to record anything.
Blog TLC
Published January 5, 2011
It occurred to me that since I tend to do a lot of stuff on Twitter (and occasionally on Facebook), I don’t use this blog for much. So here’s a quick recap of the last few months.
I’ve spent the fall continuing to work at the University on some relatively unimpressive stuff while my student interns get to have all the fun. I also wrapped up the HTML5 and CSS3 book which is now shipping to homes, offices, and bookstores worldwide.
This week I start my new part-time job as a Development Editor at the Pragmatic Bookshelf{.popup}, the publisher I’ve worked with on my last two books. They’re wonderful people, and I’m honored to have the chance to work with them to help authors bring their books to completion.
For those unfamiliar, a Development Editor works with an author to help guide the book’s progress. It’s part content editor, and part project manager.
My current book HTML5 and CSS3: Develop With Tomorrow’s Standards Today{.popup} is now available as a “beta book” download from the Pragmatic Bookshelf. Beta books are a great way to read a book before it’s finished and participate in shaping the book before it reaches production. Buyers get to read the book early, participate in forums and submit errata, and in exchange they get updates about every two weeks and a final copy of the book once it’s done.
Some students and friends of mine have been out looking for jobs lately, and as developers, it’s not always clear what you should wear. Dress too nicely and you’ll look like you won’t fit in. Dress too casually and you run the risk of insulting people or appearing that you don’t care enough to dress up for a job interview.
Obviously the first thing you could do is just ask someone who currently works there what you should wear for an interview.
A good read.
Published December 29, 2009
Reading my book, just received from the printers. I just received my copies of my book today, and that brings this chapter of my life to a close. Three years of work, two rewrites, a lot of frustration, and close to 3000 copies sold so far. I’m pretty proud of this book, and while there are a ton of things I’d do differently, I am glad I don’t have to do a third rewrite.
I got a new toy for my birthday this year, and have been spending a little time getting to know how it works.
Shuffling on the Kaossilator from Brian Hogan on Vimeo.
The Korg Kaossilator is a really simple device with only a few buttons and a touchpad. It’s a blast to play with and easy enough that anyone can make some cool stuff with it.
This was actually me testing out some video equipment in preparation for a podcast i am planning to do, but my external camera won’t stay on unless I am actually recording something – using it as a firewire camera doesn’t work for more than 5 minutes at a time.