My friend, Chris Stead, has been introducing me into programming. I have tried to pick up programming before but usually struggle with the concepts as I cannot visualize what the code is doing. Chris explained the basics of programming as such:
Imagine they (control structures) are like a police officer directing traffic around an accident, a really big accident. An accident that just about deleted the internets. They say turn, you turn. They say stop, you do it.
For is a control structure.It says ‘repeat this until Simon says stop.”‘
While is the same way.
If says ‘ONLY do this WHEN Simon says.’
That’s programming.
Oh, and else is the weird cling-on that follows If around and cleans up the leftover mess with a pooper-scooper.”
Using visual imagery to help me better understand how programming works, Chris has illustrated programming for me.
I am starting “Technology Tuesdays”. Where I will find something going on in technology I find interesting. While this will mainly focus on usability, information architecture, and other such career related topics, I will occasionally wander from those subjects to talk about other things that inspire ideas, thoughts, and conversations about the role of technology in our lives, sustainability, and other such hot topics of the day. I am using this to start vetting ideas. Should I move over to M or even if I stay here, I am being encouraged to develop ideas and talk about IA best practices and trends. Most of my thoughts at least in the beginning will come from things I have read that I find interesting or want to explore. These will in turn start to form my thoughts about IA as I hope to move into a space where I can speak at conferences, write for professional blogs, and basically move towards being a specialist in the area of User Experience. While I still hope to explore and play with development and design amongst other skills that I would like to keep fresh, the area of User Experience provides the most challenge and interest for me so it is the area I hope to specialize in.
————————————–
For today’s post I am posting some interesting links.
Milissa Tarquini’s Blasting the Myth of the Fold
When I first started my career as a web designer, I remember the old adage “design for the fold” & “don’t make the users scroll too much”. Milissa’s article argues that people are now use to scrolling and that the fold no longer has the relevance it use to. However, you still want to lay out the information and design on the page in order to encourage the user(s) to scroll to the remaining content below the fold.
Comments (1) 
Themocracy