#listen #google app engine Day 3.

listen Day 3.

To be just frank & humble, the response so far has been nothing short of amazing. I think yesterday must have been what it feels like to be Scoble for a day. The only problem, I’m not Scoble haha. I tried to reply to all of the comments, @messages, and emails I got - some may have snuck by, sorry for that! But yesterday will be the last day I try to reply to everyone. It takes too much time away from coding/learning :/

First a thanks to the people who helped me out in the last 24 hrs. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it!

@sasha @jsuntheimer @griffinlacek @cypherer @jonrohan

A few lessons so far for other self-learners:

Do not listen to the haters. Focus on the activities that put you one step closer to your goal. Ignore the detractors. Your ears will deceive you. Make sure you are listening. Pay attention to your diet, health, and physical wellbeing. Naps are a good thing. Mentors are a must. Sharing what you learned will help you better understand the material.

On to the Coding: Because my friends use Django, I thought that would be the best place to start. I already know those people well, and can ping them when I am stuck. However I also kept hearing about Google App Engine- especially ‘Django can run on GAE!’ This hits at my point above- your ears will deceive you. I heard this about 3 or 4 times, but didn’t LISTEN. I am sure only time & more experience are the only solutions for this, but listening to the right parts of a conversation is critical! I guess I focused on the ‘Django’ & glazed over the part ‘can be run on GAE’. I think this may be the route I take… Anyway, today I installed the SDK, and messed around with their tutorial.

http://code.google.com/appengine/

http://code.google.com/appengine/articles/django.html

http://code.google.com/appengine/docs/python/gettingstarted/

In the Python tutorial, you run through Hello, World & a Guestbook in a couple variations. I was able to get the Guestbook up, but it breaks at the /sign page. I keep starring at it but maybe you guys can help?

http://emiletesting.appspot.com/

helloworld.py : http://gist.github.com/485404 index.html : http://gist.github.com/485400

Stay Healthy!

After the last 48 hours, physically & mentally, I was shot. Yesterday I was particularly dumb- coffee when I woke up, responded to posts all day, and then beer at the Simplegeo party last night. Luckily I did grab 2 pieces of pizza after, but that isn’t exactly a recommended diet. This morning I woke up with a sore throat and a groggy body. Sitting at my desk was just out of the question. So I propped my laptop up on my bed and watched Guido’s talk at Stanford on Google App Engine with a bag of cough drops.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaRcUWdwztg

The key is, for me to be able to use each and every day of this 11 weeks, I need to stay healthy and not get sick. So to combat this bug & protect my wallet, I made some Carrot Soup. Actually pretty good & got me back in action for my afternoon with Google App Engine.

Carrot Soup:

8 cups of water 3 Knorr Chicken stock cubes Tons of diced carrot (like 10 carrots…I went overboard) Thyme Rosemary Red chili flakes Pepper

My recipe for an afternoon of learning code on a chilly San Francisco day.

On a side note, one resource that I continue to turn to when I have a question is Youtube. If you have a problem, look it up on Youtube- there is probably a video that will walk you through the steps you are having trouble with. For auditory learners like me, it is great to see & listen to someone explain what is going on (instead of just read it on some website).

http://www.worldwidelearn.com/education-articles/how-do-you-learn.htm

And last, but not least…Quote of the day:

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. - Benjamin Franklin

What did you learn today?