Latest Posts - Page 104 of 197

December 25, 2019December 25, 2019 Become a Better Developer

Start Simple To Make a Successful Year

There are many reasons New Years Resolutions fail. However, the most common challenge is to keep the work going that we start with. It is all about building a habit. Thus, let’s look at some ways we can start simple to help ourselves in creating a habit that leads to that resolution success. Start Simple To Build a Habit We often seem to struggle with building good habits. However, the science points to it being something we should be able to do. The key is in creating a pattern that we enjoy repeating. The steps are pretty simple: cue the action, do the activity, enjoy a reward. I am simplifying, but those three steps will work for us. Our new... Read more

December 25, 2019December 20, 2019 Special Topics

Year-End Success – Finish Strong

We once again look at finishing strong. Our steady efforts and incremental progress should result in year-end success. However, there always seems to be a need for that final push. No matter how well we plan, the final effort to get across the finish line is a staple of completing a project. This episode is just a little help in cheering you to the end. Pace Out The Final Mile We may have missed the mark on our estimation. However, when we get near the end, it should be easier to estimate what we have left to do. We also know the days or hours we have left before the end of the year. That becomes simple math as we... Read more

December 23, 2019December 20, 2019 Special Topics

Looking Back – How Did We Do With Our Prognostications?

As we start into our last week of the year, it is a good time for looking back. Therefore, we think it is worthwhile to review what we proposed would be the big technical topics of 2019. The summary of that article is that we suggested five hot topics. Azure/Office 365 Amazon AWS Single-Sign-On/Security Virtual Machines/Containers Blockchain Solutions Our Hits in Looking Back The good news is that each of our five recommendations worked out. Thus, if you learned more and gained experience in these areas during 2019, then you did well. All five of the items we listed have continued to grow and mature. Better yet, there are plenty of jobs related to these technologies so you are... Read more

November 29, 2019November 23, 2019 Special Topics

Making The Most Of Time Off and Holidays

We wrap up Thanksgiving week with some recommendations for making the most of that time off. While you may be working frantically on Black Friday, there will be a time where you can take a day. Those days off and vacation times are essential to take advantage of. You can even become a better developer by making the most of your “downtime.” Get Some Rest Our lives are incredibly hectic, and the days of often long. That can chip away at our energy levels and even our health. One of the primary goals of a day off should be to get some rest. Take a nap, sleep in, or at least do something mindless. This is a time to get... Read more

November 27, 2019November 22, 2019 Special Topics

Thankful For Friends, Family, Even Co-Workers

We continue our focus during the U.S. Thanksgiving week with a look at things to be thankful for. This episode, we look at people in our life. These can be friends, family, and even co-workers. Each relationship has its unique traits, and now is an excellent time to consider them. Let’s look at some reasons to be thankful for these people that make life’s journey with us. Co-Workers We do not often get to choose the people we work with. Our career or job tends to lead us into these relationships instead of the other way around. Nevertheless, these are people that are fellow travelers in a fashion. They often have similar interests, goals, and even approaches to problem-solving. While... Read more

November 26, 2019November 26, 2019 Tools We Use

Using Dropbox To Provide A File Store and Reliable Backup

We use a broad range of tools to create content and software for this site and in our consulting businesses. Dropbox may be the most integrated into our work. Thus, this is a near-perfect solution to a common problem. We would not be doing it justice if we did not highlight it as one of the tools we use. Life Before Dropbox I first was introduced to Dropbox many years ago as a solution to one of my most annoying problems. I had gotten to a point where I used multiple devices for work daily. It was not at all uncommon to need to access the same files on a desktop and my laptop even within a single hour. The... Read more