Hello
Eric Terpstra
- RocketFuel
- Memphis Web Workers
- @eterps
Web Developer
ColdFusion & Flash
NOPE!
HTML, CSS, JavaScript
HTML4
XHTML 1.1
HTML5
IE8
ARIA-WIA
Vertical Centering?
LESS
SASS
Flexbox
Animation
IE8!
jQuery
Backbone
AngularJS
ES6
React
FRP
ES7/Next/2016?
Grunt
Gulp?
NPM!
Browserify
Webpack
Stop!
You lost me at vertical centering.
How is anyone supposed to keep up with all this?!?
These are just tools
Learn your tools, but don't let them define you.
A carpenter doesn't call him/herself a 'hammer and nail' expert
Be a Technologist
Don't be a ... expert
Solve Problems
Create Stuff
USEFUL!
But how?
Let's Ask Some Experts
All of whom are twice my age.
Or dead.
Learn To Learn
Richard
Hamming
With Some Help From:
Thomas C. Erren, Tracy E. Slanger, J Valérie Groß , Philip E. Bourne, and Paul Cullen
10 Simple Rules for Lifelong Learning
According to Hamming
"Cultivate Lifelong Learning as a 'Style of Thinking' That Concentrates on Fundamental Principles Rather Than on Facts"
Algorithms, Patterns, and Architectures are better than Frameworks and Tools
"Structure Your Learning to Ride the Information Tsunami Rather Than Drown in It"
News: Ignore lots, save some, learn a little
"Focus on the Future but Don't Ignore the Past"
You can learn a lot from old books.
(Like self-help books from 1936)
"Look for the Personal Angle"
It helps if you care.
"Learn from the Successes of Others"
Seriously. Learn from their mistakes, too.
"Use Trial and Error to Find the Style of Learning That Suits You"
Books, Online Courses, School, Personal Projects, Teaching & Telling
"No Matter How Much Advice You Get and How Much Talent You Possess, It Is Still You Who Must Do the Learning and Put in the Time"
You can't build something awesome by just reading a book.
"Have a Vision to Give You a General Direction"
"Wherever you go, there you are."
Are terrible words of wisdom when you're trying to get s#$t done.
"Make Your Life Count: Struggle for Excellence"
Don't get too comfortable.
Learn To Communicate
A.K.A.
"How to Be Nice"
by
Your Grandpa
First published in 1936
“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity.”
Btw, this applies to you, too.
“Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”
Check your ego at the door.
Humility is your friend.
“Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.”
It means be nice and tell people how awesome they are.
“The difference between appreciation and flattery? That is simple. One is sincere and the other insincere... ”
If it's not sincere, keep it to yourself.
Find sincerity.
"Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves."
Think about how important your interests are to you. Now imagine you are someone else.
"Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view."
Empathy is a powerful skill. Use it often.
If you take anything away from this presentation, take this.
It helps you see the 'problem space'
"Smile."
Don't forget body language is important.
Learn To Solve Problems
Joachim Funké, PhD.
-
Finite State Machines
-
Linear Structural Equation Models
-
Differential Equations
Computer Scientist, right?
NOPE!
Professor of Psychology, Heidelberg University
The Process of Solving Complex Problems
Andreas Fischer, Samuel Greiff, and Joachim Funké
Also worth noting...
Herbert Simon
Alan Newell
Cognitive Behavioral Psychology + Computer Science
"A problem is considered to exist ... when a living creature has a goal, but does not know how this goal can be reached."
Collect Underpants => ??? => PROFIT!
"Problem solving [is] successfully searching for an operation or a series of operations in order to transfer the given actual state of the system to a goal state."
Collect Underpants =>
=> PROFIT!
"Human problem solving starts with constructing an internal representation of the external problem statement, a 'problem space'."
Define the problem. Set goals.
"... the capacity of the problem solver's memory is limited."
Break it down into smaller problems and remove what's not needed.
"The problem solver has to decide what actions to execute, and which kind of knowledge to rely on."
Apply your knowledge and expertise to generate ideas.
"When the problem representation proves not to be viable for reaching the goals in time... switch back to knowledge acquisition or change the goals."
Iterate on your ideas, keep learning, and try new strategies.
"The problem solver may have to face time pressure, stress, and frustration as well as conflicts between his inner values."
Humans are a factor.
Recap:
Always Be Learning
Being a technologist is adopting a lifetime of learning.
Know where to go to fill in the gaps, and do it effectively.
Recap:
Be Sociable
- Be Nice
- Listen
- Empathize
Recap:
Solve People's Problems
- Listen to people
- Identify the problem space
- Use your expertise (and learn new skills) to solve it.
- Keep trying.
Easy!
Wrong. This s$&t is hard.
But still not as bad as dealing with Internet Explorer.