kcurtin

Yep, exactly. The idea is that this is time for a parent and kid to spend together learning + having fun. There's a "prompt" on each screen that gives the parent guidance around what to say and then there are some fun interactions that you can do together - holding a button while sounding something out slowly and then fast. I've found that the 1 on 1 time is as motivating as the actual stickers!

SEEKING WORK - Denver, CO / Remote

I'm an experienced full stack developer interested in working with new people on new problems. I prefer to work in agile environments and have experience working as a technical lead of a SCRUM team. I value user-centric development and TDD. I like working with Ruby, Rails, Backbone.js, React, JQuery and Elixir.

Email: kevin[at]kjcurtin.com

Links to github, LinkedIn, etc. can all be found on my personal blog / site: http://kjcurtin.com

I'm a Rails n00b using bootstrap to get things to look decent so I'm not miserable every time I fire up my app. Thanks for the link, I'm using form_for and was having a few issues with styling..

I wonder if making it monthly instead of yearly would reduce some of that sticker shot. Also, it would probably be easier for small teams to signup because they wouldn't have to scrape together as much cash up front.

I do understand concerns over what happens to your data moving forward (changing laws, organizational/management changes etc.). But again, I can't think of any of the information on a social networking site being all that damning. The information that I share on say Facebook or Google+ (at least for me) never really consists of ultra-private information.

And I think your example is a bit extreme.

*Both the product and the user. But I do agree that there is almost always an initial negative reaction when people figure out that their data is being sold.

Facebook using the information we have made available on their network ("intrusive data collection") doesn't really have a negative impact on us as users. At least not in any tangible way.

What is wrong with being both? To me it seems like a mutually beneficial relationship. I am getting tremendous value from using their site to interact with and stay connected with friends. They are using my data to make money by serving me unobtrusive ads that don't really negatively impact my user experience.

I do think that being more upfront and more transparent would be a good thing, there are alot of misconceptions out there.

I think the concern over data coming back to bite you in a legal setting is more valid than others, but is still only relevant in very specific cases. Who else falls into the category of the "wrong hands" and what harm could they really do with a list of my interests, preferences and other information I make available on whatever social networking site I am on?

Maybe I am in the minority here, but I don't really care if companies use my behavior/information in order to serve up ads.

I don't see how advertisers having access to what brands I associate with or what my interests are has a major impact on anything outside of what I do on the web. Even on the web, the only way it impacts my experience is that I am served up more relevant ads. I don't think that advertisers having this information (or sites I use selling it) is a real problem - especially when it results in me not having to pay for a site or service that I value. Am I really alone on this?

I may start keeping a notebook next to my computer with a list of common error messages I encounter.

Are there any tell tale signs that help you notice these types of bugs faster? I am learning Ruby on Rails but I assume there is some type of continuity with how this rears its head between languages.

I will definitely experiment with the tips posted above - I am learning Github which could be useful for this I think, but do you recommend any simple tools for showing someone who is remote your code? The issue with copy/pasting is figuring out which code is relevant to show someone.

Thanks for your insightful comment.

Someone suggested the same thing over on my blog - it definitely makes sense, I just didn't think to apply it to programming. When I proofread papers it always helps to have someone around to read outloud to - things that seemed great in my head end up sounding completely different. I can see this applying to code as well.

I'd be interested to learn more about the psychology behind this and why our minds work this way..

I read this article and was really impressed. With all of the negativity surrounding their funding and first product, its great to see the team rebound with something fresh. The concept of a "Visit" and being able to stream video to your friends (and friends of friends) in an easy way is great. Facebook integration is a good move.

The discovery of these incubator models is one of the most interesting things happening in the startup community - in addition to giving aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to build great things, they are creating an even more tightly knit startup community. They are making it easier for new people to get involved in this network/community, who in turn give back because they have such a great experience.

same here.. had to open up a new tab because I wanted to find out...

I'd say go for it if a.) the core functionality is intact and b.) you set the customer's expectations. I am in a similar situation at my company and we have begun letting customers use our product. My basic feeling is that the more people you can get using the product the better - they will provide you with feedback and help you test how things scale early on. If the only problem is small UI things, it shouldn't matter so long as you manage is expectations correctly.

This letter isn't in line with Netflix's strategy. They want the Netflix brand to be completely unassociated with by-mail DVDs. Sure Qwikster is a stupid name, but in a years time we will think of it as it's own entity/brand. Netflix classic would not accomplish this.

I like this approach.. It seems to be what people say about learning to program in general. There's no substitute for just diving in I guess.

Interesting article.

Making incremental increases makes sense. I can see that helping with the issue of getting overwhelmed by details and frustration from getting ahead of yourself.

I like the idea of a regimented schedule. You are right, as soon as I begin to see progress and things start rolling it instantly becomes MUCH more fun.

For me, reading/watching inspiring stories helps briefly, but the initial impact quickly wears off.

hahah.. wasn't expecting this. Interested to hear how this turns out.. I think. Whatever works right?

I don't think so. I spent around 2 weeks going through a serious of 10 or so lessons just to get familiar with the syntax and basic elements. I'm interested in web applications so the sooner I can begin building the basics the better (from a motivational and practical standpoint).

There are a ton of great Rails resources out there for beginners you don't need to know alot of Ruby to get started. I do think it will be worthwhile to revisit Ruby outside of the context of Rails after I make some progress and if I think it is necessary for what I am trying to do.

Some really great stuff here. Thanks for your feedback. I like the idea of starting small - I can imagine getting ahead of myself and setting unrealistic expectations. Also, the idea of overlapping your skills is great. It would definitely help to see my progress in another area to remind me what I can do!

The bit about intrinsic motivation is spot on.

I really like the idea of having 2 projects to work on. Also agree about reaching out to people so that you dont end up getting bogged down with areas outside of the "core" of your project/learning process.

Keep us posted on your progress!

This is a great point. I think goals can be an incredibly powerful motivator and can help with accountability - especially when shared.

I have been setting weekly goals (get through x amout of lessons and complete x amount of excercises). Daily goals are tougher due to work and an unpredictable schedule but so far for me it has been to do something RoR related each day.

I need to think more about long term, but in general I want to be able to prototype and have built a simple web app within 6 months.

I wonder how many features facebook can continue to add before things get too cumbersome... I understand the vision and the fact that they want to address all of their users' needs. But trying to integrate everything that other social networking sites do really well seems like overkill.

Personal blogs like Fred Wilson's and Mark Suster's are less hype driven and more content driven. A TON of their content is geared towards providing the startup community and aspiring entrepreneurs with valuable information. Their content is derived from their personal experiences - the companies they invest in, advise and have created themselves - and this is why reading them is valuable. They never claim to be or are never perceived to be neutral news sources.

Blogs like TechCrunch and GigaOm are more journalistic in nature - their goals and the public's perception of them is as a news source. There are certain responsibilities and standards that need to be upheld when you are a source of news that don't apply to personal blogs.

I think it's been featured on alot of cooking shows. They launched at the right time as demand was on the upswing and Greek yogurt was getting popular.