DEV Community: Alex Walker

What will your coronavirus story be?

Alex Walker — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 17:53:59 +0000

A plea for self-isolation from a UK-based developer who has contracted COVID-19

I had a slight cough for two or three days this week, then on Wednesday I started feeling really poorly. All my muscles (no jokes, please) were aching and I had a fever. My chest was particularly hot (I said, no jokes).

Later that night the shortness of breath started. I was in bed, reading, trying to get to sleep, and every so often I would have to consciously take a deep gulp of air. Reminding your body to breathe is a strange thing and all of a sudden I’m thinking, ‘Fucking hell, what if I forget to breathe while I’m asleep?’

Having this morbid notion in your head isn’t conducive to a restful night. I even changed into a nicer pair of pants in case that was how they, you know, found me.

I think I got about two or three hours’ sleep, then woke up in the gloaming feeling gloamingly wretched. I WhatsApped my friends to warn them that I was infected, although we hadn’t had any physical contact for the best part of two weeks. I also thoughtfully informed them that I had just thrown up.

And then, over the next 36 hours - as I worked my way through Shadow of the Tomb Raider and had the occasional doze - the symptoms quietly went away. It’s now Friday and I’m exhausted, still a little bit achy, still a bit coughy, but there’s no fever and I can breathe as much air as a person would want to after two days sweating while concealed in a small flat.

Assuming Tomb Raider haven’t added an extra degree of realism and shipped every game with a dose of Peruvian jungle fever, I think its reasonable to assume I just experienced a coronavirus in the high covids. It was unpleasant, at times it was scary, but it was over very quickly.

Three points to this outburst of over-sharing:

1) I’ve been self-isolating already for two weeks and before getting ill my only ventures outside were walks to the local shops, which is presumably where I picked it up along with my fair share of essential items. I’m not aware of there being any kind of significant outbreak in my local area, so clearly it doesn’t take a lot of contact with the outside world to risk infection. I will, of course, continue to self-isolate as per NHS guidelines.

2) I’m a relatively young and fit man (for the final time, no jokes!) and although I probably could have slept in my tatty pants without fear of posthumous humiliation, it was very obvious that the virus was capable of exacerbating respiratory problems to dangerous levels.

3) The virus was briefer and less gross than some things I’ve had as an adult (oh norovirus, how we miss you). No doubt my untoward dread was increased by the inescapable news coverage of this crisis. Ultimately, it wasn’t that bad.

But you know what would be really bad? If I’d been to the pub, gone out for meals, visited my parent, met with clients at their offices, done a session at the gym (okay, now I am just making them up...) in the last fortnight, because now I’d know I had been infectious the whole time and it would be too late to do anything about it. The symptoms may only last 48 hours, but the guilt, well...

And look, I know some people can’t self-isolate for various legitimate reasons, and that’s fine. But if you can, you should. For most people, self-imposed quarantine will be nearly as unpleasant as catching the virus itself and it’ll certainly last longer. Don’t think about that. Think about the person you want to be in X months when this is all over.

I’m one of the lucky ones, not only to be capable of surviving the disease but also to get it out of the way early doors (assuming that you can’t get reinfected). I already know what my coronavirus story is going to be. All I can hope now is that I don’t have to add any tragic footnotes about family or friends.

Think about your own coronavirus story. By the end of the year, we’ll all have them. And we’ll spend the rest of our lives sharing them because this event is going to define an era. Do you really want your coronavirus story to start, ‘They told us not to go out, but I decided to go to the pub anyway...’?

Ways to talk about code (to people who don't code) #01: CSS, SQL, JavaScript

Alex Walker — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 22:01:21 +0000

English - like all languages - is a code. It was developed over time to convey meaning, ask questions and prompt actions using a variety of symbols, conventions and expressions. Pretty similar to JavaScript then.

But using plain English to explain JS makes as much sense as using CSS to explain a piece of classical music.

Fortunately the coding language of English includes a handy framework called Metaphor™. This blog series, metaphorically speaking, is a guide to utilising Metaphor™ to describe some of the principles and use-cases of the common web development languages to both beginner programmers and colleagues who regard computer code as impenetrable alien gobbledygook.

No Metaphor™ project is ever perfect, but they are all open source and collaborative, so hopefully you will be able to adapt my source code to your own uses, as well as make a few contributions yourself...

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)

Techopedia says:

A standard that describes the formatting of markup language pages (HTML, XHTML, XML, etc). Enables developers to separate content and visual elements for greater page control and flexibility.

We can say:

Imagine you have hired an interior decorator to completely make-over your house. You've got very specific taste and want the job to be done exactly to your specification, but unfortunately you're going on holiday the only week the decorator is available.

To make sure things go according to your plan, you create a folder containing detailed descriptions of various styles you want used throughout the house: a recurring colour motif, a certain style of picture frame, a particular lighting effect, and so on.

You give each 'style' a codename, aka a 'class', sometimes creating several variations on a style for use in different contexts. Then you go round your house and pencil the names of one or more classes onto each 'element' of your house (walls, floor, skirting board, etc).

This is exactly what CSS files and class names in HTML do. Of course, how closely your instructions are going to be followed depends on the quality of the decorator. Unfortunately the metaphor breaks down here because the user chooses the decorator when they pick a web browser, which is a bit like redecorating your home every time you have house guests. Fortunately browser standards and support are better now than ever, so you are far less likely to let a cowboy like Internet Explorer 8 loose in your home.

SQL (Structured Query Language)

Wikipedia says:

A domain-specific language used in programming and designed for managing data held in a relational database management system (RDBMS), or for stream processing in a relational data stream management system (RDSMS).

We can say:

Imagine all of the internet is down and you desperately need to send a spreadsheet to someone on the other side of the world (perhaps because this particular spreadsheet will help them fix the whole world's internet!).

Fortunately the phones are still working, so you call up your colleague and begin telling them how to manually recreate the spreadsheet at their end.

You'd start by saying something like, "Yo, create a table called 'customers' with these column headers…"

Then, "Ok homie, now insert the following values into 'customers', column by column, row by row…"

Occasionally your contact might respond with an error: "Hold up dawg, you be trippin' - you can't insert a text value into this column! A minute ago you told my ass it should only contain numbers, fool!"

When the spreadsheet is completely transcribed, someone else in another part of the world comes on the line: "Fo' shizzle, get me the 'name', 'email' and 'address' column values from the 'customers' table where the ID is equal to X."

This - authentic urban slang aside - is how SQL works, except it is written instead of spoken. An SQL file or script contains instructions of how to construct, amend and/or read a database and the only real difference between SQL code and an actual conversation is that you probably wouldn't shout your CREATE, INSERT and GET commands over the phone, unless you a trill hustler, y'all!

JavaScript

MDN says:

A lightweight, interpreted, or just-in-time compiled programming language with first-class functions […] a prototype-based, multi-paradigm, dynamic language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and declarative styles.

We can say:

Imagine you are the director of a play. When you start rehearsing, you're naturally going to need to give all your actors instructions for what they should do. But there's a catch - this play involves lots of audience participation.

So for each actor, you need to second-guess what the audience members might say or do when they interact with the performance. For each point of interaction, you'll ask the actors to listen for the input from the audience, then define what actions they should take, allowing for certain parameters and specifying a default behaviour where applicable.

You might also tell the actors to play off each other, so when one cast member performs a certain action, another player is going to react to it in some predetermined way, possibly setting off a sequence of events crucial to the plot.

This is basically what JavaScript does - it literally scripts the cues and the directions that alter a web page or app's 'performance' depending on the input from the audience, who in this case is probably a single user.

This can range from a simple 'curtain up' cue like window.onload to complex instructions such as: "If the audience member asks you to recite a speech and you know the speech, recite the speech; else ask them to choose another speech from your repertoire; if they don't come up with any sensible suggestions, do the 'What a piece of work is man' bit from Hamlet and hope for the best..."

More of this blog series to come…
Header image courtesy of NESA by Makers.
Follow me on Twitter for many more extended metaphors.

Five tactics for learning, memory and, erm, what was that last one…?

Alex Walker — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 15:23:14 +0000

Believe it or not, I’m not into blogging for the riches and fame. In fact the main reason I write blogs is to help me process and retain stuff I’ve been researching. Hunting through a book for a quote you can’t quite remember or a graph you want to reproduce (as I have done below) is a great way to refresh your memory on what you read several months or years ago. It’s almost as if those teachers who made you write endless essays about old books knew what they were doing!

Anyway, here are five other learning techniques I find useful and which I hope I’ve presented in a way that makes them easy for you to recall…

1. Don’t take notes, take notice

Note-taking during a talk, presentation or seminar is obviously a classic learning method, but never just copy the speaker’s words verbatim. Try to rephrase them as you go along and add any thoughts of your own. This will help you understand the meaning better and also make it stick in your memory. (If you do want an exact transcript of the talk, most speakers will post links to notes and slides after the event. And you can always record it yourself.)

Make time after a conference or meet-up (perhaps a few days later) to go over your notes and try to summarise them. Transfer the points you jotted down to another format, such as a to-do list or a blog about the event. Share and compare notes with a colleague. The more you engage with the ideas, the more readily you will be able to apply them to a relevant situation.

2. Just doodle it!

Don’t underestimate the power of doodles. A silly drawing might seem like a bit of fun or a potential distraction, but it can be yet another way of engaging with an idea. Ultimately anything you learn from a talk or a tutorial will be applied in a completely different format, ranging from a line of code to a conversation. Drawing pictures to represent ideas…

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…helps us get better at applying our knowledge in different contexts.

Doodles will also help those with a strong visual memory recall the ‘shape’ of a page of notes, which in turn helps us remember the information. The doodles can be completely abstract if you prefer. You can also draw with your words, writing in different sizes or unconventional alignments. Underline things, draw arrows between related points… just scribble!

3. Other things you can do(odle)

If you’re an auditory rather than a visual learner (see here for the VAK model of learning styles), doodle with sounds; make up a song, poem or a joke about what you’re trying to remember. These may or may not be things you want to share with colleagues, but the important thing is hooking the knowledge to a memory. Ancient story-tellers used rhyme and melody to make their tales more memorable and many of us can still recall educational ditties we learnt at school.

A kinesthetic learner – someone who learns through physical experiences – will benefit from props and role-playing, which is essentially another way of doodling with an idea. Proponents of different project methodologies have taken to using Lego (other building toys are available) to explain collaboration because abstract concepts like Agile or Gitflow can leave behind people who don’t dig graphs.

Whatever your primary style of learning, you should always experiment with others. Again, the goal is to become good at transferring what you learn into different contexts. Imagine you have to explain what you have learnt to someone with a different learning style (as you will inevitably have to do at some point).

You should also consider that different learning styles will work better for different topics. If you want to learn how to network more effectively with strangers at a conference, does it make more sense to read a book or do some role-playing? This might make you feel very uneasy, but be aware that it isn’t your natural learning style and later try to reframe what you take away in a style that you are more comfortable with.

4. Get practical

If you’re learning a new library – or a new language even – don’t just follow the ‘Hello World!’ and tic-tac-toe examples in tutorials. As soon as you think you are capable (and by this point you’re probably not, but don’t worry about that) try to apply your learnings to a personal side project, ideally something with a practical use or commercial potential. Maybe now is the time to make a rough prototype of that billion-dollar app you’ve got in the back of your mind!

The whole reason for learning new coding skills is to solve real-world problems, not prove we can copy and paste. Simply having knowledge isn’t enough; we need to utilise that knowledge to overcome challenges. That’s how we provide value to our clients.

At the same time, be aware of the Dunning–Kruger effect and don’t allow yourself to think that, because your first app worked, you’re now a master of this tech. Check out what people who really are masters in their field are doing and humbly accept that you still have so much left to learn.

5. Reminisce like it’s going out of fashion

From time to time, revisit your old projects. Poke around the code, reflect on what you did then and consider how you would do it now. If you would do things exactly the same, you’re not learning enough! The ideal outcome of this nostalgia is that you want to delete every line and start again from scratch. It doesn’t mean you failed last time, it just means you’re so much better now (and can be even better in the future).

Revisiting old work, even if it turns out to be pretty neat, is also a helpful tactic for retaining previously acquired skills. In the 1980s, Piotr Wozniak created the SuperMemo system, computer software that boosted learning by re-presenting information at increasing intervals (1 day, 10 days, 30, 60, etc):

Basically, what you learn today you will forget tomorrow, in a few weeks or several months if you don’t revise it. So, bookmark this post, then set some calendar reminders to come back to it later.

And in the meantime go off and do some doodles about the main themes!

Header image doodles courtesy of absurd.design
You are unlikely to learn anything of use by following me on Twitter

Five productivity tactics for a less stressful day

Alex Walker — Wed, 20 Feb 2019 15:34:00 +0000

A colleague recently described me in a LinkedIn recommendation as “one of the most organised developers I’ve had the pleasure of working with”.

I’m not telling you this to boast. I never set out to be super organised and didn’t really spend much time thinking about productivity when I started my dev career.

In fact, it has only recently occurred to me that the ‘organisation’ others see is just a bunch of things I started doing to make my working day less stressful.

But if these habits help me be more productive and less stressed, perhaps they can help you too…

1. Take a break… with the washing-up bowl

I’m currently freelancing and the temptation to forgo regular breaks is strong when your own time is literally money. But it is depressing to slave away for hours straight only to find, when it’s finally time to relax after work, that there is a mountain of laundry to do.

There are two problems here. First, breaks are really important. Second, nobody wants to do domestic chores after a long working day.

I solve both problems by taking myself away from my desk every couple of hours to do some household task like washing dishes or hoovering. This has several benefits:

I’m giving both my eyes and brain a rest from coding.
Physically moving away from the desk is good for your body.
Little jobs around the place get done instead of piling up and encroaching on leisure time.
The chores I’m doing are usually tedious enough to refresh my enthusiasm for work.
We all know how often we solve troublesome problems when we distract ourselves with inconsequential activities.

This strategy can also be employed in an office, with an added advantage: empty the dishwasher, rinse a few mugs or take the bins out and you’re not only getting your screen break but also gaining Brownie Points with your co-workers!

(Seth Godin has a variation on this tip, which is to break from demanding creative tasks by doing some dull office admin, what he calls a “productive choice”).

2. Bureaucracy is unavoidable, but that’s okay

Whether you work for yourself or an employer, ancillary tasks – replying to emails, checking Slack and Basecamp, logging time, filling in expense claims – can seem like a drag, but remember these are all part of your job.

Few professionals are able to do what they enjoy / excel at without some unpleasant bureaucracy. But instead of seeing admin as an interruption that must be gotten out of the way so you can get back to your ‘real’ work, welcome the opportunity to rest your brain a little and know that by keeping on top of little chores you are making efficiency gains.

The best way to minimise this necessary evil is simply to get it done at periodic intervals. Ignoring your inbox all day will only lead to more angst when you realise you’ve got 10 emails to reply to before you can clock off for the night. Those emails could have been dealt with in 10 relaxing breaks during a productive day.

3. Admin time is not learning time

Part of your morning routine probably involves checking various websites and social media platforms. It’s great to follow other pros and industry news feeds, but keeping up with shared articles can be time-consuming.

Instead of trying to read everything as you come across it, you should put it aside for later. It’s fine to skim read emails, but you shouldn’t skim your learning. If something is worth taking in, you need the time to properly absorb it and you are unlikely to get this first thing in the morning.

Use bookmarks on your browser or one of the numerous read-it-later apps to build up a backlog of news stories, blog posts and how-to guides. Then, when you’ve got some downtime, put your feet up and see which items on your ‘to read’ list take your fancy. You’ll absorb the information much better when you are relaxed and not dealing with other pressures.

4. ‘Time has told me…’

You are probably already tracking your time with something like Harvest or Toggl. But if you think this is just a way to convert your hours to client billables, you are missing out on some very valuable information. Make the most of this data by analysing it yourself.

One technique is to compare the hours you estimated at the start of the project with what you actually ended up doing. This isn’t about beating yourself up for missing deadlines or going over budget – the purpose is to cast light on misconceptions you might have about your own way of working. Sometimes we think we are quicker at certain tasks than we actually are; sometimes we’re better than we think.

Another method I’ve used is to plot a representative sample of my work (i.e. a week or month’s timelog) against the Covey Matrix, which compares importance and urgency of tasks. If you are doing lots of non-important tasks as a matter of urgency, the next important (and fairly urgent) job you should do is re-prioritise your daily grind.

And if the admin your employer has you doing really stresses you out, you can only unburden yourself if you are armed with the facts. Show them how much time you’re wasting on trivial matters and they should help you reduce the load or delegate it.

5. The productivity of paper people

Sometimes it can seem like supposedly organised people waste a lot of time with things like notepads, to-do lists, diaries, calendars, year-planners, post-it notes, white boards… you get the idea.

The logical thing would be to streamline all of this information into one digital system. I mean, Google can do all this for you, so why waste all that paper and ink?

But the reason I have a multimedia approach to planning my work is that there is something about the physical processes involved that improves focus. For one thing, writing something down on a piece of paper will help you remember it better, especially if you have a dominant visual memory.

It’s also much harder to ignore something that is right there in front of you. A post-it on your monitor won’t be missed – a digital calendar notification might easily get lost amongst email alerts and other junk. And how easy is it to open our Trello lists on a tab that disappears in the clutter of our task bar for the rest of the day?

The other big advantage of the paper to-do list – if you’re anything like me, anyway – is the satisfaction you get in marking things ‘done’. Digital alternatives are very useful, but nothing beats the feeling of physically ticking something off.

With that, I’m now going to tick off an item in my diary for today – “Write about stress-reducing productivity tactics on dev.to” – then start on that laundry pile…