Java came up on the task picker spreadsheet today.  I’m learning from Thinking In Java.  I’m 4oo pages into the book and I have yet to read or write to a file.  I suppose I could think in Java if I didn’t have to deal with the real world.

Most of the book seem to try to convert C programmers.  If you are new to the world of object-oriented programming it’s like  learning to swim in the area of the pool where you have to stand on your toes to keep your head above water.

For the last few sessions I’ve been working on the section covering interfaces and inner classes.  I found a zip file of the code examples in the book.  The fun part is it’s not the exact code from the edition I have.  Still. it’s better than typing since the laptop in my room doesn’t have the key to the letter t.  Thankbbs to the cats all I have is the rubber stem.  I keep meaning to get some glue.

Java is hard going but I had messed with C before so I can deal with the similarities.  All the OO languages(C++,C#, Python, javascript)  look pretty much the same.

I followed the video on how to embed a video in a story/page successfully. The real problem is there is no clear way to navigate between the pages and stories. I thought if I created a story that it would ask on which page to put it.

Apparently they consider pages a webpage with static content and a story something that will change from time to time. It is now officially a mess.

I went to EE and the most recent question seemed like one I could solve. All I have to do is delete the row if it has a non-clear column.
This is one of those that is easy visually but confusing programatically. Looks like this will be on the task picker for a while.

Crummy.com is my favorite blog. Not only for the subject matter but the look and usability.

Subject Matter
The writer has written 3 books on Ruby, a web programming platform. He writes science (or speculative) fiction, cooks with his wife, and plays obscure board and computer games. When all that gets boring he creates amazing trivial tables garnered from Amazon and Imdb.

Look
He uses only one font. Right now there are only 3 images. These are links to his books on Amazon. He has random cool sayings in title tag and under the title. He started this site over 12 years ago and has never seen the need to change the layout.

I found this page many years ago through and I keep coming back because the content is great. I like to think he’s like me if I had a LOT more energy.

Usability
There are six areas and they always fit on the first screen. The top line are his categories, then a line for links to his friends. Below the title section is an archive link, his book image links, and links to past posts on that day. The posts are below that.

That’s it. It’s like great cooking, take great ingredients and leave them alone.