DEV Community: Valentine

From Learning the Basics to Finally Writing Ruby Code

Valentine — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 04:49:17 +0000

My journey with Ruby has been an interesting transition from simply learning programming concepts to finally sitting down and writing Ruby code myself.
When I first started learning Ruby, I spent most of my time trying to understand the fundamentals: variables, methods, parameters, arguments, scope, classes, modules, and method chaining. At first, some of these concepts seemed simple when explained, but writing them myself made me realize that understanding code and actually producing working code are two different things.
Today felt like an important step forward.
I finally spent time experimenting with Ruby directly inside IRB (Interactive Ruby). Instead of only reading examples, I started defining my own methods, calling them, making mistakes, changing the code, and observing how Ruby behaved.
One of the methods I experimented with was a simple cube function:
def cube(num)
num * num * num
end

puts cube(3)

Output:
27

It is a small piece of code, but there is a lot happening here. num is the parameter, 3 is the argument, and Ruby evaluates the expression and returns 27.
I also experimented with Ruby's return behavior:
def cube(num)
num * num * num
2
end

This returns 2, not 27, because Ruby automatically returns the last evaluated expression in a method unless we explicitly use return.
Then I tried:
def cube(num)
return num * num * num
2
end

This returns 27 because once Ruby reaches return, the method stops executing.
These experiments are helping me understand something important about learning programming: mistakes are part of the process. Sometimes changing one line and seeing an unexpected result teaches me more than simply reading the correct solution.
I'm still learning Ruby, and there is a lot more ahead, especially as I move deeper into object-oriented programming and Ruby on Rails. But I'm happy with the progress so far.
From asking "What exactly is a parameter?" and "What's the difference between a parameter and an argument?" to actually writing and testing methods in IRB — that's progress.
The journey continues. One method, one error, and one lesson at a time.

WordPress: Where “Just a Simple Website” Begins

Valentine — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 20:31:08 +0000

When I first started working with WordPress, I thought it would be straightforward.

Create a page. Add some HTML and CSS. Customize it. Done.

Then came the plugins.

Then the themes.

Then the widgets.

Then the mysterious moment when you change one setting and suddenly ask yourself:

“What did I just break?”

That’s one thing I’ve come to enjoy about WordPress. It makes you curious.

You start exploring how themes work, how plugins extend functionality, how the frontend connects with the backend, and how small changes can affect an entire website.

It has also reminded me that being a developer isn't only about writing code. It's about understanding systems, troubleshooting problems, experimenting, and learning from what breaks.

Sometimes you build something that works perfectly.

Sometimes you break it.

Then you fix it.

And somehow, you learn more from the second experience.

Still learning WordPress, still experimenting, and definitely still breaking things occasionally.

That's part of the journey.

What was the first thing you broke while learning web development?

WordPress #WebDevelopment #WebDev #Programming #LearningToCode #DevJourney #DEVCommunity

Exploring AI for Humanitarian Impact at the Ubuntu Voice Hackathon

Valentine — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 04:39:59 +0000

I’m excited to be participating in the Ubuntu Voice Hackathon, where we are exploring how technology and Artificial Intelligence can support communities facing humanitarian emergencies.
Ubuntu Voice is designed as a low-bandwidth emergency-information and peace-support platform that connects users to community-specific AI agents. These agents use trusted documents to provide grounded information and support through both web chat and WhatsApp.
One of the most interesting parts of the project is how it combines several technologies and concepts:
AI and RAG — using trusted documents to provide relevant, grounded responses.
Community-specific AI agents — where each agent can focus on a specific country, region, organization, or humanitarian issue.
Emergency classification — identifying reports related to:
Rights Violations
Casualties
Displacements
Severe Hunger
Data monitoring and visualization — using statistics and maps to monitor reported incidents by category and location.
AI evaluation — testing whether responses are correct, relevant, grounded in the available knowledge base, and based on relevant retrieved information.
As part of the hackathon, I’m also exploring humanitarian crisis contexts such as Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Yemen, and thinking about how AI systems can responsibly support access to trusted information in challenging environments.
What I find most interesting is that this is not only about making an AI chatbot that can answer questions. It is also about asking important questions:
Can the AI be trusted?
Does it answer from the correct knowledge base?
Can it avoid hallucinating information?
Can emergency reports be classified correctly?
What happens when the system receives incorrect, incomplete, or ambiguous information?
For me, this hackathon is an opportunity to learn more about AI systems, RAG, embeddings, AI evaluation, security testing, emergency data, and building technology that can potentially create meaningful social impact.
Looking forward to learning, experimenting, finding bugs, and collaborating with other innovators throughout the hackathon.

UbuntuVoice #Hackathon #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #RAG #HumanitarianTech #TechForGood #MachineLearning #SoftwareDevelopment #Innovation #KenyaTech

Building a Full-Stack Project with Blockchain Security: My 3-Week Journey

Valentine — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 04:37:26 +0000

Over the past three weeks, I’ve been fully immersed in building a complete full-stack application—and I can confidently say it has been one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences in my development journey so far.

The Goal

The objective was simple but ambitious:
Build a fully functional application with both frontend and backend, while exploring new technologies and pushing beyond my comfort zone.

What I Built

By the end of the project, I successfully developed:

A fully working frontend interface
A robust backend system
Secure data handling and communication between both layers

This project wasn’t just about making things work—it was about building something efficient, secure, and scalable.

Exploring Blockchain for Security

One of the most exciting parts of this project was integrating blockchain technology to enhance security.

This was my first time working with blockchain in a practical project, and it gave me a new perspective on:

Data integrity
Secure transactions
Trustless systems

Implementing this feature pushed me to learn quickly and think differently about application security.

Database Choice: MongoDB

For the database, I used MongoDB during testing—and it performed exceptionally well.

It handled key functionalities such as:

Admin authentication
Staff data management
Message storage and retrieval

MongoDB’s flexibility and performance made it a great fit for the project, especially when dealing with dynamic data structures.

Challenges & Lessons Learned

Like any real project, this journey came with its fair share of challenges:

Debugging backend errors
Managing data flow between frontend and backend
Learning and implementing new technologies (especially blockchain)

But each challenge became a learning opportunity. I gained hands-on experience in:

Problem-solving under pressure
Structuring a scalable backend
Writing cleaner, more maintainable code

Final Thoughts

Completing this project feels like a major milestone for me.

It wasn’t just about finishing—it was about growth. I explored new tools, improved my skills, and built something I’m genuinely proud of.

This experience has motivated me to keep building, keep learning, and keep pushing my limits as a developer.

Building a Bitcoin Project: Challenges and Simple Solutions

Valentine — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 17:31:54 +0000

My journey building a Bitcoin project and what I learned along the way.

Introduction

I recently worked on a Bitcoin project to solve a simple problem:

How can people easily use Bitcoin and convert it into cash?

In places like Kenya, people use mobile money every day. But Bitcoin is still hard to use.

So I decided to build a simple system where users can:

Send and receive Bitcoin
Convert Bitcoin to cash
Withdraw through agents

💡 The Idea

The project is a Bitcoin-to-cash system.

What it does:

Send and receive Bitcoin
Convert Bitcoin to local money (KES)
Allow withdrawals through agents

The goal is to make Bitcoin easy for normal people.

⚠️ Challenges I'M

1. Lightning Network is Hard

Hard to set up
Payments sometimes fail
Not beginner-friendly

Solution:

I started with simple wallet APIs and focused on user experience first.

2. Internet Problems

Slow or unstable internet
Transactions can fail

Solution:

Used lightweight systems and added retry handling.

3. Converting Bitcoin to Cash

No direct way to mobile money
Bitcoin price changes a lot

Solution:

Used exchange rate APIs and created an agent system.

4. Security Issues

Risk of losing funds
Trust issues

Solution:

Did not store private keys and added transaction confirmation.

5. User Understanding

Bitcoin is hard for beginners

Solution:

Kept everything simple and easy to understand.

🧠 What I Learned

Solve real problems
Keep things simple
Focus on users
Start small (MVP first)

🔮 What’s Next?

Improve the system
Add more agents
Build a mobile app

🙌 Final Thoughts

Building a Bitcoin project is not just coding.

It is about solving real problems.

Bitcoin is powerful—but only if it is simple and useful.

💬 Let’s Connect

GitHub: VALENTINE-it
LinkedIn: Valentine Omondi