Coding

I'm taking a break from coding. Yes, I'm writing code for a computer. It's my third project with my Arduino and although the computer is small in size, it does have some real power. I'm hooked on it now. The Arduino 'code' is written in C+, or that is what I determined it was. The instructions are a bit fuzzy about details. I've written lots of HTML code and a little bit of Ruby. When I was working, I went to a class in Magic. Magic is a piece of Israeli software that is called a RAD tool, or Rapid Application Development. You would write code in Magic and it would translate all of that into C++. We used it for all of our company software. I barely made it alive through that class. It was a five day class and I was lost on the second day. Afterwards, I knew just a little Magic and decided to remain an Instructor and part time IT guy.

The Arduino code is starting to make sense and that's comforting. Then, the other day I read about Udacity. There was a great article in The Economist about this on-line school and I decided to check it out. You can read about it here; after you read the article (you have to read it to the end) you can click on this link: and read the article in the New York Times about Udacity. After that you can go to Udacity and check out their website and what they offer. I did that and now I am enrolled in a free course, an intro to coding. I figure that even if I do know some of the code already I also know that it has been at least a dozen years since I last used any of it. And if Udacity doesn't suit you, there are half a dozen other free code instruction websites. I've been using CodeAcademy to learn Ruby.

The Arduino, Udacity and an Apple computer are all part of a plan of mine. I want to stay mentally sharp for as long as I can. My short term memory is the pits! And if you want a laugh, just follow me around the kitchen as I open cupboards instead of the refrigerator, put the milk in the microwave and various other insanities on my part. That may be funny but it scares me. My neurologist and his clinical psychologist say I'm fine and normal for my age. But...they don't see me in the kitchen!