how to lose your mind in 10 days

a geriatric millennial who likes to learn/write code. this is my archive of learning. pfp by Surge, banner by Anjola Dave.

[anxietyburger]

the blog is back, baby.

it’s been almost a decade since i last seriously used this site. it was this website that first sparked my love for coding; so i guess this is kind of a full circle moment, since this blog will be dedicated to all the nerdy projects i am pursuing including building things. for most people my age, their first stabs at coding took place on myspace. but when that was popular, i didn’t have time for it. then, one day, along came tumblr. shortly thereafter, it was the golden age of fashion and lifestyle blogging. tumblr was a place where i discovered great writers and thinkers, and got to revel in my niche on the fashion side of tumblr. doing things for the aesthetic was born here. this was the stream of consciousness mood board that we didn’t know we needed. tumblr walked so pinterest could run.

being a creative, i fell in love right away. i spent HOURS tweaking my theme and diligently reading the code of themes i liked, trying to figure out what it all meant. i took free coding courses online and lived on stack overflow. i learned about API’s and how to read tumblr’s documentation (even though i understood basically none of it). i had myself a time. and then, between life just…life-ing, and tumblr passing from one wack owner to another, i kinda just fell off.

it sucks that twitter may be dying, but i’m not mad at winding up back here. at least i’ll be able to really keep track of my progress in a way that makes sense for me. for now, though, i’m gonna fight the very strong urge to use my newfound knowledge to code an entirely new theme (though i may add it to my project list).

[asciidot]

I do not think i am suited to this whole human being thing

[anxietyburger]

honestly same

[azraljael]

[abandoned-blog-222-deactivated2]

[anxietyburger]

📝

[anxietyburger]

ok so i was having an issue with the 2nd task. i really think flow charts are the key to anything i find even remotely complicated cuz then i can think things through. so i did this one:

this is probably not the best or most super technical way to make a programming flow chart but i NEED notes. it's one thing to write "this is the next step in the process", but if you don't know how to implement the process, what's the point? so once i did my googles and figured out HOW to do the step, i added the notes so i knew what code to write. and ya know what? it WORKED!

once i finish the last task of the exercise, the AI will prolly tell me how my little code could have been written better, but for now i'm happy it passed and writing the flow chart made this way less frustrating than it probably could have been. a win is a win.

[anxietyburger]

live footage of me doing exercises that involve looping through arrays 😭

i may really have to make a flow chart for some of these. but i only half know how to do that, i think 🥴🙃

[anxietyburger]

TIL that booleans can be expressed directly and that there is a such thing as a logical NOT (just "!" by itself with no equal signs).

i was a little pissed, ngl, cuz i been learning this torturous language for like 2+ years and NONE of my other courses taught me this. i never saw the logical NOT in the mdn documentation (tbh i never looked for it, cuz I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A THING). while i was doing the exercise, i felt that there had to be an easier way to solve it other than using a million if...else statements. i didn't know until the program analyzed my solution and helped me figure out how to optimize it that just expressing things directly was even possible.

so i guess i learned 2 additional things: (1) you don't know what you don't know and (2) AI programming will replace everyone, probably. good thing i'm doing this for fun, i guess 🥴

[kaijuno]

[macmanx]

Bring this back, you cowards!

[computer-nerd-girl]

[anxietyburger]

this is the kind of stuff that reminds me of why i like coding. this 20 something yr old baby taught herself to code, made and launched that app 2 years ago, and is so dedicated to making a social media space that is safe for all and inclusive.

people who use their genius/talent to help others are so inspiring to me. i wish i knew more so i could help them 😩

[anxietyburger]

so i've been trying this site called exercism to get better at javascript (which i think i hate?). issa cute concept. i'm prolly gonna join the python track as well.

i think i'm gonna force myself to do something every day. maybe i'll even commit myself to doing 100 days of code. idk if i'll have the time or discipline for that, though.

[anxietyburger]

code for whet?

i started really going back to teaching myself to code during quarantine. i (1) had a lot of time on my hands to pursue all of my interests and (2) figured out that this maybe was my chance to switch fields, find remote work (which has always been a desire of mine...if i *have* to work, i want it to be with no commute and in solitude), and live my dream of never setting foot in an office ever again. i have since been able to find a remote position in my field that's interesting enough to keep me entertained, complete with a supervisor that really doesn't care what i do/how i do it, as long as my work gets done on time. all of which suits my neurodivergent brain.

i feel like i don't have a "real" reason to start learning to code anymore, since i'm no longer necessarily looking to really pivot. and with the way things are going rn in the tech sector, that's probably a good thing, since the DEI hires from the last 2 years (of which i'd prolly be one, let's be real) are prolly getting the axe first anyway. i started thinking about it and do i really need a "real" reason? why can't it be something i want to learn just for the sake of learning? why can't that be enough? so, imma make that be enough.

[anxietyburger]

since i am trying to keep this blog focused on my fiftyleven self imposed projects (or as focused as my adhd brain will allow 🥴), i will still ofc need an outlet for my throwaway thoughts and random internet finds.

enter hive social. it’s still in its baby platform stage, but they seem committed to a non-intrusive ad-free algo experience, which is a plus. how sustainable that’s gonna be in the long run, idk, since all these platforms always eventually aim to make money with our eyeballs. but for now, it seems to be the most suitable twitter alternative for me, so feel free to add me on there.