If you’re not into reading this morning, just scrolling through the article will teach you a new view on code. The author takes a unique view on balanced if-statements, zig-zag code, paragraph code with / without comments. Take a look, if you want a totally new perspective.

OP had a burnout, break-up with a partner, and even the mother dying and went into depression. Advice in the thread include going for a very short run every day, NOT quitting the job to keep a schedule, surrounding oneself with people. (Being alone seems to be very bad! Again your grandma told you so!)

Making your own web scraper can be both hard and it can be easy. Depending on how you do it. If you follow these steps, it will be easy and educational. You’ll not only learn how to scrape the web but also how to think about engineering problems. If you learn to think like this author, you are a true software ENGINEER, (and not a mere code monkey).

An article claiming that there ISN’T more job hopping nowadays than there was 1983. For those in computer and mathematical jobs, median tenure has remained steady for over a decade. The only dips were in 2002 after the tech bubble collapse. Computer-related jobs might have a slightly higher turnover due to more recruitment activity than in other fields.

WayScript is like Zapier but for programmers and with a more flexible and fun setup. First, it has a dark theme as a default, second it is partly, a visual programming platform, partly a database with easy access to *many* APIs (Alexa, Gmail, Yahoo finance) and third it has a really good editor and debugger. 

Within minutes you can write a script, glue it together with some API and elegantly deploy it for free.  With WayScript, you can almost teach your grandma how to code.

If you are used to languages that follow the imperative programming style, this article is for you to expand your horizon. (Especially in Javascript nowadays it is common to use functional patterns.) As a true generalist programmer, you should at least be able to read Haskell. It follows the prefix notation which looks weird at first because argument aren’t inline, e.g., “+ 2 5” is what you write if you want to “2+3”. Looks weird at first but turns out to be useful for many things, including readability after one gets used to it!

This a review on observablehq.com, a tool that combines Javascript, math libraries, D3, (geo) data and others. I like already the intro of this review: “Coding is much more fun in software artist mode, than it is in software engineering mode. The difference is an artist codes what he wants to code whereas an engineer codes what someone else thinks they want.” The author thinks that to learn a new language or system you must choose a suitable problem and use the environment to implement, test, and debug the problem. This what the author elegantly does with his review. Learn from him how to test new tools.

Companies including Bosch, Barclays and IBM are now hiring applicants without college degrees to fill entry-level tech roles to just teach them. Tech firms seem to start to understand that practice is more important than theory in some fields. A thing, the German or Swiss education system already knows since hundreds of years (yet, tends to start to forget. Also, there it is increasingly important to have a degree, like almost as in “you need a BSc to work as a cleaner”…)

How to force people to stay at home if they’re sick? Some suggest paying for a hotel so people actually work but don’t have to be home to work because a home is often unsuited for work (e.g., distractions). In viral times like these this article is extra useful.

Google has four offices in mainland China, although the company has not said how many staff it employs there. Google is temporarily closing all of its offices in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan as a result of the coronavirus. Many employees are being asked to work from home or extend their Lunar New Year holiday.

I think we are UNDERREACTING to the virus. Why? Watch Nassim’s video on Public (mis)understanding of risk, read this tweet (1) and stay safe.