Ideas and Alibis

Ideas and alibis are very much alike. Everyone has plenty of both. Some are good, and some are bad. The big difference is that while no one has a problem using alibis, very few are willing to consistently act on their ideas (me included).

Excuses, Excuses

There are several reasons why people tend to pass on acting on their own ideas. Some of the major ones are fear of criticism, fear of failure, self-doubt, or the feeling that there is not enough time. Based on these reasons, we can come up with a multitude of alibis for not pursuing these ideas.

One that I commonly use is that the "time is not right". I often tell myself that I should wait on acting on my ideas until sometime where the circumstances are better aligned for it. Sometime in the future when I have more of the knowledge necessary or where I have more time available to me; that's when I'll move forward on my ideas.

The fact though, is that postponing ideas quickly becomes a habit. The truth is, there will always be more research that could be done, and there will always be distractions that make us feel like we don't have the time to act. Acting on an idea will always expose yourself to criticism, and there is always the chance that the idea will not be perceived as a success. If we keep waiting until the circumstances are "just right", we'll be putting that idea in a perpetual holding state, until either we decide not to act on it at all, or someone else has already beaten us to it.

Make Your Ideas Count

At least by acting on those ideas, we make them count for something. They may not be met with an extraordinary amount of success, and occasionally they may even be met with flat out failure (though I believe that if you really go after your idea with vigor, true failure will occur very infrequently). For each non-successful idea you have and pursue, that is one more lesson you've learned and one more step you've taken towards making your next idea meet with greater success.

The conclusion then, is that ideas were meant to be pursued, not postponed. Quit coming up with excuses and start moving forward on those ideas and goals that you've been putting off. If you never try any of them, it is a certainty that none of them will work out. By pursuing them, at least you give them the chance.

Book Review: Object-Oriented Javascript

Who Wrote It?

Object-Oriented Javascript is written by Stoyan Stefanov, a web developer at Yahoo. Stoyan's thoughts on all things web can be found at phpied.com. He also runs a blog on iPhone development, and a site dedicated to Javascript design patterns at JSPatterns.com (it's been quiet for quite awhile now, but I'm hoping to see it brought out of retirement).

What's Covered?

Exactly what you'd expect given the title....object-oriented Javascript! Actually, the book covers a lot of information, starting with the basics (variables, loops, functions, etc.) all the way through to a few basic, albeit useful, design patterns.

The book is very well written and its discussions precise. Stoyan doesn't take a lot of time going through complex examples. Instead, he gives bite-size chunks for you to play with and expand upon. If you're someone who prefers playing with concepts yourself over going through expanded examples in books, this book is right up your alley.

While the book has chapters on the DOM and primitive data types, it is in the discussions of topics like closures and inheritance where the book really stands out. These sometimes confusing topics are presented in a very clear and concise way, helping to break down the learning barrier that so often stands in the way of truly understanding those subjects.

Should I Read It?

The book is intended to be accessible to even developers with no prior Javascript experience, and it does a reasonable job of doing so. Thankfully, the information is covered very well, making it likely that even the introductory chapters will be worth the read for more experienced Javascript developers.

I'm sure the refinement and overall quality of the information presented is in no small part due to the plethora of quality technical reviewers. It's clear Stoyan took the task of accurately presenting this information very seriously, as his list of technical reviewers sounds a bit like a who's who of web development.

Final Verdict

I really enjoyed Object Oriented Javascript and highly recommend it. For beginners, its not as soft an introduction as DOM Scripting, nor is it as exhaustive in detail as PPK on Javascript. That being said, its content is perhaps the most complete of any Javascript book accessible to beginners that I've read thus far, and it's certainly one of the best written books I've read. Even more experienced developers will find very useful information in some great coverage of more advanced object-oriented techniques and very useful appendices.

Great...Where Do I Get a Copy?

• Buy Through Amazon.com


• Get the book from Packt Publishing

We're Going Streaking

It's April. The weather is starting to get nicer, Easter is around the corner...and hundreds of people are going streaking! No, you don't have to be nervous about heading outside today. This kind of streaking is completely un-offensive (hopefully). Once again it's time for the annual CSS Naked Day.

CSS Naked Day is a way of promoting web standards by stripping off all the CSS on a site to show that by structuring your HTML in a way that is semantic and makes sense, your content is still useful even without all the pretty design. If you want more information, you can check out the official CSS Naked Day site, and the almost 400 participants.

Don't worry, this site will return to its regular design and layout on the 10th.

SXSW 2009: In 350 Words or Less

I started working on a recap post of this year's SXSW, and every time I did, it turned into a short novel. There's a lot of exciting stuff that goes on there. Since few people, other than say...my mother, want to read about my trip in that much detail, I thought I should trim it down. So here is my recap, in 350 words or less:

SXSW 2009

If you're going to talk about SXSW, the discussion will inevitably revolve around three topics: presentations, parties and people.

Presentations

This year, whether due to incredible content or the broadening of my interests, there were multiple presentations I wanted to see each session. Thankfully I feel like I chose wisely, as I can honestly say I enjoyed every presentation. Not equally necessarily, but each presentation had value that I could glean from it, and each held my attention.

Parties Events

As always, the parties were a fantastic opportunity to let loose and mingle with fellow web developers and designers. I always hesitate to call them parties though. For one, to be able to attend the last two years, I've needed funding from my employers, and it's harder to sell a conference where the word "parties" is frequently used.

More seriously, I hesitate because they aren't parties in the typical sense. These are parties geek style. Like most parties there is beer (Shiner Bock if you're doing it right) involved, but conversations are about things like Javascript performance and new CSS techniques. In general attendees are intelligent, and the conversations reflect that.

People

That's the beauty of SXSW - the conversations. You meet fantastic people from all over who are interested in the same kinds of things that you are. I'd heard people say that each year they come back it feels more like coming home. While I'm not ready to go that far, I will say that it was great to catch up with people I had met last year, and to meet new people to catch up with next year.

I'm hoping to make the AJAX Experience this year, but as of right now, SXSW is the only major conference I've attended, so I don't really have anything to compare it to. However, it's safe to say that the rewards of going greatly outweigh the costs of doing so, and SXSW should be one of the conferences on your yearly radar. If you can get to Austin next March, I highly recommend it, and hopefully, I'll see you there.