Zach Briggs theotherzach

##No More Snowflakes

Abstract

Top Talent, Rockstars, A-Players. Tradition states that these are exceptional humans, possessing talents that others do not. The good news is they are not special, they were not born into success.

The better news is that you're not special either.

This talk is about learning to learn, putting ourselves in a place where being more awesome is inevitable. It will explore how the brain's structure changes as we internalize skills and how that can be used to build positive feedback loops. It talks about how I believe that focus itself is an acquired skill and how we can nurture that to build more grit. Finally, we explore how our perception of others effects their ability to grow.

##Build a Browser Game With JavaScript

This workshop will cover modern JavaScript development practices through improving an existing browser game. Students will gain hands on experience with JavaScript testing, writing modular software, and building a thick client web app.

Technologies used will include Jasmine, Lineman, Rails, and Angular; but they do not define the workshop. Skills earned here are applicable to any Web project.

We aim to provide a comfortable environment where students can cultivate their passions rather than focusing on filling in the right answer.

Students can choose to focus on improving AI or implementing realtime multiplayer.

Native Event Binding using Setters

A Pen by Zach on CodePen.

License.

Breakdown of Kangax JavaScript Quiz #6

Here is the original quiz. #6 asks for the output of this code:

var foo = {
  bar: function() { 
    return this.baz;
  },

Code must change. Code must tell.

Test Double has been successfully specializing in JavaScript for more than two years, which is unusual for a boutique consultancy. It was from this position that I was preparing a talk with our best practices. I was atop my favorite mountain with two brand new stone tablets, chisel in hand, ready to drop some wisdom up in here.

I hesitated. The advice I was preparing to give was advice I wasn't sure that I believed. Yes we're very good at building systems with JavaScript, but am I certain of which practices are actually beneficial vs the ones that might just be dogma?

This blog post contains the framework I used to examine our practices, for I feel that the framework is more interesting than the answers I derived.

Why Do We Code

Code serves three masters. The machine, the maintainer, and the user. I want to focus on shipping code for the user while keeping it as maintainable as possible. For the machine, it must execute, but I will ignore performan

Group members can opt into default directions or choose to go their own way so long as it falls within the framework of the org. Framework could be "make money" or "delight customers" with base guidelines like "don't break laws".

So it's the thing we're already doing but we formalize how it actually works.

	input = ARGF.read

	lines = input.split("\n").select { \|line\|
	!line.empty? && !line.include?("***")
	}.map { \|line\|
	{
	gemname: line.split(" ").first,
	version: line.split(" ").last.gsub(/[(\|)]/, ""),
	}
	}

	class ArticleTemplate
	#TODO: Extract title and author into header method
	#TODO: Extract body into its own method
	#TODO: Don't hard-code text

	def initialize
	Prawn::Document.generate("tmp/production.pdf") do
	text "The Prince", :align => :center, :size => 18
	text "Niccolò Machiavelli", :align => :center, :size => 14
	move_down 12

	window.app = window.app \|\| {};

	(function() {
	"use strict";

	function truncate(div) {
	var excess = div.children('ul').children('li').slice(5);
	}

	function verb(elements) {

	def game ->
	[] >> game

	def game rolls ->
	def scoreIter array -> (score)
	length == 0
	score >> return
	if [0] == 10 # sugar for >> { [0] == 10 }()
	slice(1)
	scoreIter((+ score 10 array[1] array[2]))