I have a new metaphor for certain religious zealots in the category of separation of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, sometimes called Unobtrusive Javascripting amongst other names. Have you ever noticed little kids who start screaming at the top of their lungs when their peas touch their carrots on the plate. I actually have a son [...]

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One of the goals we’ve had for a long time – and one that its been alternately fun and tough to see Will actually push towards – is the idea of having an idea on Sunday, and delivering a fully featured version by Friday. We’ve been doing this on a small scale for some time, [...]

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We had a fun discussion today regarding strategy. For the last three years we have been re-tooling based on our successes with other businesses. The process has involved deepening in our expertise in every area of technology – from databases to the minutae of cross browser CSS, to JavaScript and application frameworks, servers, and storage [...]

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This post inspired by chatting with @myweekendapp on Twitter about Ruby. His conversation piqued my interest because I remember when we first dove into Ruby a couple of years ago, so I am sharing the way we developed mastery of the language. When we set out to tackle Ruby on Rails we..and Will in particular [...]

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You can use the same flashcards we used to gain deep knowledge ASAP of Ruby on Rails syntax and inner workings. Check out our Rails Subject and Flashcards Just click on the “study materials” tab and choose a set of flashcards. Here is a link directly to a memorization drill: A set of Ruby on [...]

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This week I got a rare treat when friend and client David Rolston came over and spent some time in my backyard. Dave is an acclaimed landscape architect whose work is regularly featured in magazines and TV. Watching him work and listening to him discuss his process I was reminded again and again of Christopher [...]

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People tend learn efficiently by “feel”. Here is an activity/experiment meant to teach the idea of efficiency in a way one can feel. I used to use it with my Tae Kwon Do students to explain the importance of technique. Take a piece of paper and a pencil with an eraser on one end. Try [...]

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To win mainstream users with a new product, try to concentrate your first efforts on a segment you can dominate. In Crossing the Chasm, Geoffrey A. Moore writes about how to take a product from early successes with customers who want the “next big thing” to more practical “mainstream” customers. To win mainstream users with [...]

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