Hello again!

This is my second post as a kind of journal which I am sending out into the ether. I’m still out here working and learning, and I made a section of my personal website a blog to host writings like these. You can find them at my blog.

The Power of Next.js

The Next.js framework allows for Static Site Generation, and that’s effectively what allows the blog portion to work. I format some text with normal Markdown, and (with some node-package-magic) voila! I’m able to write content as I want to, and then “publish” to my site. Along with Next.js’s elegant solution for dynamic routing, I can keep everything local and now I have an SEO-friendly archive of my thoughts. Neat!

Lessons from General Assembly

Reflecting on my bootcamp at GENERAL ASSEMBLY, I think it was incredibly easy to take the “classroom” for granted. The structure of lectures, homework, and projects is so motivating and meaningful in itself: you have someone to hold you accountable, and you have friends to study with. I still have these connections, and I have plenty of motivation from GA still. (See the pic for a flattering comment GORE made about my use of styled-components. I still think about it when I need to feel better about my technical prowess.)

Learning to code on your own is overwhelming. There is a bewildering amount of choice. Is it better to learn through videos or through more interactive programs? Should I keep plugging away at old projects, or should I try to get involved in open source more? And how would I go about doing that?

I'm trying to get better at JavaScript / TypeScript and Python, to really hone my analytical problem-solving skills. It will lend itself to learning an entirely new language should the need or interest arise for something like C# and .NET, PHP, or Ruby on Rails.

The Rhode Island API

In the meantime, along with learning more about Next.js, I’ve spent the past week creating what I hope is the only Rhode Island-focused API. It’s still in its infancy, but the RI API will allow developers to access fun facts about the Ocean State, as well as measure distances, areas, and other metrics in Rhode Island-derived units. When large enough landmasses warrant comparison, Rhode Island is often used for this purpose. Icebergs? Sure. Luxembourg? About half the size of the smallest state.

Singapore is listed at 283.5 square miles, and so Singapore is about 1/5 the area of America’s smallest state.

I will definitely have more to share once I feel more confident about its design. Rhode Island is near and dear to my heart, so it was only natural to help other developers access Little Rhodey. If you want to get involved, please visit RI API on GitHub. Thank you in advance 😊