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Ask HN: I want to build/learn something this weekend - suggestions?
33 points by commiebob on Aug 15, 2009 | hide | past | favorite | 31 comments
I have a free weekend and my ankle is busted so I can't do any running around. I was thinking of spending the inside time in learning something new/building something for fun, just looking for some suggestions....

I'm extremely familiar with php/mysql and asp/sql server so a change of pace would be nice.

Thanks!




Try building a program on Google App Engine. I personally like python, but you could go with any JVM-targeted language. The particularly new part for you is the datastore:

http://code.google.com/appengine/docs/python/datastore/

No joins (except for "self joins"), entity groups, sharded counters, and the mindset that computations should be on write instead of on query. At the end, you can work through this article that shows how to implement a YC-style decaying vote score purely on writing of entities (records):

http://code.google.com/appengine/articles/overheard.html


I signed up for an app engine account when it first came out and I haven't touched it, so I think this is what I'm going to do. Thanks for the info and links!

Everyone else that replied thank you as well, some stuff that I will file away for next time. :-)


Take a look at multitouch systems.

The rise of a new hardware platform is a rare occasion compared to the many fresh software products coming out on a regular basis.


To be more explicit (and avoiding further downvoting) multitouch systems are a new hardware platform to be programmed at various levels: driver/tracking library, development framework, end user interface (web, flash, python, processing, ruby, pure data, etc.)


If you want a total change of pace, check out J. It's one of the two main successors to APL, meaning the primitives are arrays and you write programs by composing very general operators. I recommend it for two reasons: 1. it will open your mind and perhaps blow it altogether; 2. the software comes with a bunch of tutorials that are well-done and fun to work through. http://www.jsoftware.com/start.htm

p.s. Don't expect it to be like what you'd normally call a programming language.


Work on you. Go to the gym. Eat healthy. Catch up sleep. Organize for next week. Drink water. Meditate. Journal.


http://www.overthewire.org/wargames/vortex/

It's a race against time and terror!

Hurry, CommieBob, Before there's still time!!


http://papersincomputerscience.org/


You can virtually attend the Hacking At Random festival. https://wiki.har2009.org/page/Streaming https://har2009.org/program/

Educational and fun.


Read HN all day looking at all the interesting ideas people are posting! C'mon you know this is what you're going to do anyway. Just kidding. But, hopefully we don't see you back here till Monday w/ some more wisdom and knowledge to drop on us all.

Just to add to the mix. How about TED Lectures, youtube around for old Feynman or Steve Jobs videos, check out OpenCourseWare or any of those online learning sites and make a dent in an interesting course. Catch up w/ friends on the phone.

I also second the jQuery, Python, Django, Google App Engine, and Processing crews.

Hope your ankle gets better soon!


Read "restful web services" and "programming collective intelligence"


Programming collective intelligence is good book, but Algorithms of the intelligent web is much more deeper and better book.


Hmm, I'm currently reading Programming Collective Intelligence myself, but I will check my library for Algorithms of the Intelligent Web too. Thanks!

Any other reading suggestions along these lines (or similar)?


Python!


"Python!"

If you decode to explore Python, try the Dive Into Python tutorial (http://diveintopython.org/) followed by the Django tutorial ( http://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/intro/tutorial01/) seeing as how you know php and two databases. Both are short and can be completely finished in a weekend of work.

Do let us know what you learned !Good Luck!


third that :), And I'd like to add 'using Django'. It's been a long time since I did anything in Python and I'm sort of re-learning it right now to build something in Django. Django is one way to get 'into' python, it is not the easiest way but you will have a new foundation to build stuff off by the end of your weekend.


Erlang is fun and a weekend read. I recommend "Programming Erlang" by Joe Armstrong.


That is hardly a weekend read. It's a good book though.


A weekend is enough to get you started, to get your appetite whetted. From there, yes, multiple readings to fully digest it (which I certainly don't feel I have fully done yet)


a processing.js visualization.


Or just Processing!


Something not computer related? Read a book? Plant something? If computer related... Play with html 5 canvas, its so en vogue at the moment.


Alternative algorithm to PageRank.


hndir.com built in codeigniter - will let you build some stuff on top of it if interested. the project really has potential, I'm just too tied up with graffitiGeo.com atm


jQuery, and/or "Javascript: The Good Parts".

Alternatively: Pick a power editor (I recommend emacs) and practice with that.


So what did you learn?


I'm doing the Python challenge because my Python's getting rusty. So far it's been pretty enjoyable.

Edit: Don't waste your time. I stopped because you end up spending most of your time figuring out little well-concealed clues that have nothing to do with programming at all (after you get past the easier ones. I'd had enough at 6).


Take a look at this MetaFilter thread about simple, useful skills that can be learned quickly:

http://ask.metafilter.com/125874/Simple-useful-skills


don't bother wasting your time there, someone should make a digest of it. Here are the few things that were in there that you might find useful if you can't do them yet and that you could learn in a weekend when your leg isn't functioning the way it should: (remotely related to hacking)

- Learn to Pick a Lock.

- soldering (though any hacker worth his/her salt can do this already)

- read braille

- juggling

- sign language

--

I'd like to add my own here: basic electronics


How did sign language get on there? It's like learning any other foreign language AND it's harder to find materials to study alone AND there's an entire shift in mindset from expressing things in sound to expressing things by position and movement. Pretty sure this is a task for more like 200 weekends.


excellent point, I should have left that one out because of the time constraint.

It is a very useful skill though! (but then again plenty of things are).




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