100 Days later

How to Git good

TL;DR: To get better at something, practice. To form a habit, commit to do it often.

This is a story about challenging myself to get into a good habit.  About a hundred days and a week ago, I started Hacker School.  The first day there, I learned how to use GitHub.  That same day I decided to commit to committing, as part of my quest to become a drastically better programmer.

i think everyone spending a day learning to github would make a bigger impact on the world than spending a day learning to code

— Aidan Feldman (@aidanfeldman) January 15, 2014

A week later, I realized that I messed up my streak, by forgetting to commit over the weekend. Doh!

At the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat
-Roosevelt

motivation

Survival Guide for a Hackathon, Part: the First

Thinking about joining a hackathon but aren’t sure where to start?

Hackathon participation sounds awesome. But…it can also feel intimidating. Much of the ritual appears to be tribal knowledge among its veterans.  So how are newcomers able to get involved and benefit the most from their experience?

The trick is to just go: have a great time hacking, making friends and learning!

I participated (and won a prize!) in my first hackathon yesterday.  By reflecting on my experience, I’m hoping to demystify the process and provide some encouragement for other hackathon newbies.