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How to Unitialize a Git Repo

So, in the absence of posts where I wax philosophical (which was what I was initially envisioning for this blog) I am going to YET AGAIN spread good karma. (Which is, I suppose, is infinitely superior to waxing philosophical).

The other day, in my eagerness to get started on my project, I initialized THE WRONG DIRECTORY. Being the beginner that I am, it sent me into a flurry of Googling, and many unsuccessful attempts at undoing my problem. Finally, thank the Dieties, I found this simple command:

rm -rf .git

Props to the original thread on StackOverflow for saving my life, and the lives of many others!!!!

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3212459/is-there-a-command-to-undo-git-init

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How to Deploy Your Unity WebGL Build to GitHub Pages

Hey all!

Sorry for this rather long absence! Someday (soon, I hope!) I’ll write about what I’ve been doing all these months. In the meantime, I’m going to spread some good karma by telling you how to deploy your Unity WebGL project to Github Pages. 

1.) Push the index.html, Template Data folder, and Release folder portions of your project to a GitHub repo. If you don’t know how to create a repo, instructions are here.

2.) Create a GitHub pages branch by typing “git checkout -b gh-pages” into the terminal (don’t use quotes!)

3.) Push your project to this new branch by typing “git push origin gh-pages” (again, without quotes)

4.) Your new project should be available at the link: http://yourusername.github.io/nameofproject

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Make: Action By Simon Monk

(image courtesy of the Maker Shed. I was too lazy to photograph my own copy)

I’ve had this beautiful book rotting in my house for about three months. (Along with a Raspberry Pi2 bought last autumn!)  I’ve always had an interest in hardware, but, much like my interest in coding, I haven’t had the courage to nourish such interest until very recently.  

Now I’m determined to finish one of the big projects in this book by the end of next week, I’ll keep you all posted on my progress!

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Getting My Game On

OMG.

I actually can’t believe it’s been almost a month since I’ve last written! Alas! I’m back, tumblr! And just because I haven’t written a damn line for nearly four weeks, doesn’t mean I haven’t been doing anything. So here’s the latest/coolest development on my coding journey.

Through a series of clicks (sometimes I don’t know how I end up certain places in the Rabbit Hole that is the Interwebs) I found this really cool meetup group in NYC (they also have ones in SanFran and Boston) called Playcraft.  They have a ton of offerings for people interested in video game development-- networking events, one-day courses on things like picking the right music for your game, to eight week courses that teach Unity.  I’m really glad I stumbled upon this meetup (although some would argue that there are no accidents!!!!).  

Last Monday, I attended a workshop on writing for social change games taught by the knowledgeable Sande Chen.  I didn’t know anything about writing games going into the workshop, so it was definitely a good two hours well-spent.  

I’m super-looking forward to learning more at PlaycraftNYC’s other workshops.  If you’re in a city that has a Playcraft meetup, definitely check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

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(via Gordita Glyph Posters | News | The Designers Foundry)

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Nerd Tools: A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript

As I mentioned in my first post, I’m going to be discussing a mix of tools I am using to learn “hard” skills like coding, while also discussing the tools I’ll be using to nurture “soft” skills, like creativity. **Full disclosure: All opinions are honest, unpaid for, and completely mine. If there is ever a sponsored post, I will make sure to let you know.**

Today I want to talk about this book I love and which a ton of you have probably heard about, A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript by Mark Myers.  The Smarter Way series teaches different web skills like HTML and CSS, and JQuery. 

Although the JavaScript book is the only one I have experience with, I absolutely love it!  Each chapter is short and digestible while managing to teach a concept pretty thoroughly (at least for a beginner like me!)  Prior to using this book (which I have used on and off for the past three months or so) I learned JavaScript through a series of makeshift tutorials and books.  This book has done something which other books haven’t done for me-- hammer JS syntax into my skull.  Now I place curly braces and semi-colons in the correct places with ease. 

If you’re new to JS, definitely get this book. It’s a tool for your arsenal you won’t regret.

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It Starts With Light

Welcome to the very first entry of my new blog, “It Starts With Light”! This blog grew out of my desire to document my journey learning WebGL.  

I’ve been teaching myself to code through various tutorials and books for the past year or so.  One day, (I’m not exactly sure how) as I was playing on this vast playground called The Internets, I came upon three.js and WebGL, and just like that, I was smitten.  Absolutely infatuated. Maybe even IN LOVE. For the uninitiated, Web GL (Web Graphics Library) is a Javascript API  which allows us to see 2D and 3D graphics directly in the browser without any fancy plug-ins.  (For a quick overview of WebGL, check out its Wikipedia page)  

Here is my niche, I thought. Here is my HOME. As my background is in video and editing, I felt that here was a part of programming I could deeply understand and love. Timing. Lighting. Space.  All concepts needed to make RCT (really cool things) with WebGL, but also things I know from video.

And that’s where this blog is beginning, from the very beginning, from light. Of course, in order to be a WebGL Magician, I’m going to become a straight-up JavaScript nerd. But in addition to the hard-coding and logic, I’ll need to understand light. So for parts of this blog, I’ll be returning to my Film Studies roots as well. 

Thanks for coming along on this journey with me. It might be bumpy, but it’s sure to be a fun one.

Love,

Maureen

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Stuff I Want To Make Before the Summer Is Over, Part I

LED Throwies, because I want to make the firefly magic last JUST a bit longer:

http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Throwies/

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Wearables Workshop, OR The Most Delayed Blog Entry About an Event Ever

I can’t believe it’s been almost a week (six days to be exact!) since I attended the Wearables Workshop sponsored by Women Who Code NYC. I pondered the possiblity of NOT blogging about it, but then again, I promised myself (and the two people who read this blog) that I WOULD blog about it. A promise is a promise, even to myself. 

I arrived at the event super-nervous. I had never been to a Women Who Code event (partially because, the RSVPs always fill so fast) so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would people be nice? I had complete and utter impostor syndrome. I was just learning to code, not really a full-fledged developer like most of the other women in the room. Could they accept me for who I was?

Thankfully, all of my fears were unfounded (aren’t most fears unfounded though?!) All the women I met were friendly and professional. I couldn’t have felt more comfortable. It also helped that many of us were new to the hardware world, so we were all equally flustered and nervous--all in the same boat.

As for what we did in the workshop itself, I think it only solidified the fact that I want to learn MORE. One group worked with the Makey Makey, turning various items into music (such as glasses of water into a piano) or using the Makey Makey to turn pieces of aluminum foil into a game controller for the video game Dance, Dance Revolution. The group I worked with used construction paper and conductive tape along with the arduino and Processing (the software) to turn the conductive tape grid into a synth. You know, child’s play. (NOT!) It was probably one of the most confounding things I had ever worked with (we had a few code issues, and I got flashbacks of working on my own code at 2AM and wondering WHY IT ISN’T WORKING). In any case, it was super-reassuring to know that even industry professionals get bugs too. 

All in all, it was a great workshop. I had a ton of fun and met some really smart, interesting women in tech. I highly recommend it, and would go to another workshop in a heartbeat!

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Coming Soon: Women Who Code Wearables Workshop

I’m going tonight! Update to come soon!

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My First Coderdojo Workshop Experience!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am currently on an inner journey to re-discover The Fire which led me to learn to code. 

Making things was always something I enjoyed doing. Coding just seemed to be an extension of my maker-mentality--just another way to express myself. But somehow in the middle of it, I got bogged down by unimportant stuff. Doubts, uncertainty-- was I learning fast enough? Was I learning the right things? Was everyone else in my group a better coder than me?

I wanted to re-discover the Joy of Coding again. I wanted to feel and experience code as play, and not just as something with a means to an end. So let me tell you how thrilled I was to be able to particpate in the Coderdojo at Brooklyn Public Library. 

Coderdojo is a worldwide organization that started in Ireland in 2012.  The focus of Coderdojo is to provide spaces where kids can learn to code for free. I have always believed that information like this should be free and easily accessible, so being a part of this event was a dream come true.  They call the volunteers “mentors” but I didn’t feel that hierarchy. It just felt like having fun! The kids were enthusiastic and so were the parents. I helped some kids with Scratch (the animation program) but I had the most fun at the LittleBits table.  Seeing the kids’ eyes light up with possibility--there’s no other feeling like it for me. 

So thanks, Coderdojo (and the little ones who stopped by!) for rekindling The Fire. You helped one sad programmer get her mojo back!

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Teaching Literature With Raspberry Pi!

I had a discussion with a friend about her two boys and their obsession with Minecraft. But I need a fancy computer she said! As a developer-in-training and lover-of-all-things-made-by-hand (which includes code!) I kept on thinking about her statement. Did she REALLY need a fancy computer?  NO! I poked around online, and found out that not only is there Minecraft for Raspberry Pi, but there is a teacher out there who is using them in her lesson plans. Check out this article on the Raspberry Pi blog to see the Coolness! 

https://www.raspberrypi.org/teaching-literature-with-raspberry-pi/

(btw, I’m also going to help my friend set up her Minecraft for Raspberry Pi ^.^ )

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Code for Jersey City Meeting & Hack Night

Last night I went to my first Code for Jersey City meeting. Code for JC is the local chapter of a bigger volunteer organization, Code for America, which aims to partner those working in the tech sector with government, in the hopes of making government more transparent and efficient. The end goal is making government work better for the people.

I like this idea so much. When most people think of tech, they think of young men in collared shirts programming The Next Best Thing in an Ivory Tower. But last night’s meeting showed me that the ability to code can actually be helpful and useful for a lot of people.  For example, last night we discussed data collection and how to make sense of it using different tools like Google Fusion Tables.  We also discussed how sifting through demographic data can help the city better deliver services. I made a new friend, and we talked about how to improve an existing app that’s in the works, to help folks find public transportation.

Somewhere in the middle of my journey, I had forgotten why I wanted to learn to code in the first place. It’s not just for me, so I can make a lot of money and buy nice things (although, money is nice too ^.^). I wanted to learn to code so I could reach out to other people, and MAYBE just MAYBE be able to make a difference in their lives. Thanks Code for JC for reminding me of all that!

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What I Look For In a Junior Developer

Someone from the Bloc FB page posted this very informative article about what companies look for when hiring junior developers:

http://www.codenewbie.org/blogs/what-i-look-for-in-a-junior-developer

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Taming the GitHub Beast

I used to HATE GitHub.

Rather, I used to be TERRIFIED of Git/GitHub.

So many commands. So many steps. I felt like everyime I typed a Git command into the terminal, my code was being sucked into an endless black hole.

Now, about two months in, I’m feeling the power of the Git! *cue imaginary theme song...GitPower!* I can make new branches! Delete old branches! Push code to the great blue yonder! AND access it from anywhere! My friends can see my code, and I can see theirs!

Of course, tons of repetition didn’t hurt. And of course, CodeSchool’s awesome sauce Git curriculum helped to tame the GitBeast. (No, I don’t get a cut from CodeSchool, but I wish I did!)

So, I wish you all luck on your journey with Git, whether you’re a seasoned professional, or a beginner like me. I think once you get past the fear, you’ll find that the journey is awesome! 

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Debugging is whole other skill set, one which I don’t have yet!

Yesterday, I spent about 45 minutes in a conference call with my Bloc mentor, trying to figure out why my RSpec tests weren’t passing. After a few attempts at “puts”ing things, deleting things, and putting things back, my mentor finally figured out that the cause of my woes was...a blank space ! O_O My code was literally vomiting on itself because of a blank space.  Or, to put it in more eloquent, technical terms, Ruby was parsing the extra blank line as part of the array. When it “found” the blank array, naturally the blank array failed the test. 

So why am I blabbing on and on about this? Because it was a learning experience for me. There were many times during that 45 minute meeting where I had to suppress the urge to scream, shout, give up, and turn off the computer. It’s easy to be frustrated when you don’t know anything. LOL.  But thanks to my mentor’s patience and unwillingness to give up, I not only learned something about Ruby, I also learned that while it’s easy to get frustrated, you don’t have to succumb to those frustrated feelings.

I’m going to go back to debugging more code. Gotta flex those debugging muscles!