Author here - as an adult I've found it increasingly more difficult to stay connected with friends I don't see frequently. I wanted to build a tool which reminds me when its been too long since I've contacted a particular friend.
The past couple months I've gotten some good feedback from friends/family using FriendSavvy so I decided to share it on HN.
This is my first Android app. I'm notoriously bad at responding to text messages if I don't respond immediately, so I decided to solve my own problem and make sure I never forget to respond again.
One of my early jobs (as I was teaching myself to program) was at a large consulting firm. The job didn't require any sort of programming. Many of the business processes at the company revolved around manual processes and data-entry/manipulation in Excel. After a month, I recognized a process that could easily be completed (more thoroughly and efficiently) by a script. I spent the next few weeks after work learning how to manipulate Excel, scrape data from websites, and package Python scripts as standalone EXEs. I showed my work to one of my colleagues who showed it to others. A few more iterations of this process resulted in my colleagues lining up to see what could be automated out of their processes. My job title hadn't changed, but I was then working full-time as a programmer.
After a while though, when I felt I was no longer learning as much as I'd want to -- I decided to look for a new job in the software industry. With my experience writing code at the consulting firm, I was able to find a decent job at a software company.
tldr: Programming is valuable for many jobs (not just software shops) and it is often easier to get your foot in the door and spend your days writing programs there.
But do you think you did so well early in the term as a result of the deadlines? Perhaps it had no impact, but I'd argue that a lot of people need that requirement to stay on track.
I found that it worked both ways. When I started, the deadlines kept me motivated. But when real life intruded, and I had to take a break for several weeks, that fact that I was behind was a demotivator. A good middle ground might be "unlocking" the classes - there is a two week deadline per lesson, but it only starts when I begin the lesson.
No, the deadline really had no bering on motivating me to start. Learning the subject was motivating enough for me. But once I realized I was falling behind, my state of mind changed.
Although less obvious, there are other areas in sport where these issues currently exist.
One of the more recent controversies resulted in the ban of LZR Racer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZR_Racer#FINA_rule_changes), a swimsuit which resulted in an abnormally high number of world records during the years it was available.
Whats to say that track shoes can't have similar performance aiding effects? It may be time for sporting officials to limit the equipment athletes can use. NASCAR does this successfully -- they have stringent specifications regarding the cars/parts that can be used to keep the races competitive.
And steroid after steroid has gone through similar processes; there is a reason there are still world records from the 80s East Germany and the Soviet Union. In less obvious advantages we have dietary supplements, training at altitude or in altitude chambers, biomechanical analysis and direct muscle stimulation. Every athletic competition is a balance between what technology gets through and which doesn't. Most olympic athletes are already genetic outliers; I'm sure sooner or later gene therapy will become a major issue.
The idea that athletics is purely a competition of body is a convenient fiction, nothing more. It seems a shame to me to exclude people simply because they challenge that fiction.
But this is just absurd, everyone has access to them, why not to allow everyone to use the suites and advance the sport clothing? Same thing happened with skates (of all things): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clap_skate and everyone just switched to the new design and continued racing.
I have chronic back problems (lumbar) and I've tried dozens of chairs over the past few years from periods between a few hours and a few weeks and I've only found 2 which haven't caused me problems:
Herman Miller Aeron (which I currently use)
Steelcase Leap Char (which I used at my previous 2 jobs)
The price for these chairs are high. But given I'm relatively healthy and productive with them, its well worth it.
As someone who has chronic back problems, I cannot agree with this more. I've wanted to start a company for some time, but my increased risk for significant medical care/procedures has somewhat anchored me to working for others.
Don't particularly agree with this line of reasoning on two grounds:
(i) Greater access to capital means that more startups should be able to include health coverage in their pay packages.
(ii) The Affordable Care Act implemented plans in every state that cover pre-existing conditions until all plans will be required to do so in 2014[1].
P.S. Having dealt with chronic low back pain for the past decade, I can definitely relate... on the plus side, I recently found a traction device that has all but eliminated my issues. Feel free to reach out if you think it might help and I'll send details.
P.P.S. Regarding the OP's petition, while it's clearly helpful to show public support, this seems a bit too rigid: "We ask the Senate to act swiftly, without amendments that may weaken key provisions".
Amending the legislation would potentially help to address the opposition to this bill (at the very least, the petition should recognize the detractors point-of-view to demonstrate that signers are aware and have voiced their support regardless)[2].
<pedantic>
Down voted for using for using the pejorative 'Obamacare'. The thing actually has a real name (and it doesn't even make some bad acronym), it is the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act".
</pedantic>
Odd. I know plenty of liberals/Democrats/etc who call it Obamacare. They don't mean anything negative by it. It's a hell of a lot shorter than call it the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act".
Perhaps I am just sensitive to being fairly liberal in a pretty conservative area. The vast majority (read: all, until now apparently) of the times I hear the term, it's definitely used negatively. I understand the formal name is a bit cumbersome, but it's accurate and a lot less ambiguous. Of those I know who don't use 'Obamacare' or the actual name, using the simple healthcare reform act seems to work well.
My apologies for turning this into a political argument. My intention was to try to check some perceived bias. Looks like I over-corrected.
The past couple months I've gotten some good feedback from friends/family using FriendSavvy so I decided to share it on HN.
https://www.friendsavvy.com
I'd be curious to hear your feedback too.
Thanks, Chris