Stuck in a rut
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I'm going to be starting a new job in a week or so. I feel like I haven't learned much professionally in the last year. I don't want to get complacent with my learning in .NET. Anybody read anything good lately? The last two books I read were Kathleen Dollard's Code Generation book and the Test Driven Development in .NET book. Anybody got any suggestions for something programming-related that I could read to expand my horizons a bit? I'm particularly looking for something about SQL, .NET, Extreme Programming, Code Generation, and Reflection, but I'm pretty open-minded. I used to write code all the time just to try to push my limits. I seem to have lost that lately and I want it back. I particularly want to read something where I think "Wow, how the heck did they figure that one out?". Suggestions?
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I'm going to be starting a new job in a week or so. I feel like I haven't learned much professionally in the last year. I don't want to get complacent with my learning in .NET. Anybody read anything good lately? The last two books I read were Kathleen Dollard's Code Generation book and the Test Driven Development in .NET book. Anybody got any suggestions for something programming-related that I could read to expand my horizons a bit? I'm particularly looking for something about SQL, .NET, Extreme Programming, Code Generation, and Reflection, but I'm pretty open-minded. I used to write code all the time just to try to push my limits. I seem to have lost that lately and I want it back. I particularly want to read something where I think "Wow, how the heck did they figure that one out?". Suggestions?
If you are in a rut, try this: Put your car in reverse, gas a little, put it in drive/1st, gas again, and rock back and forth until you can get your tires free. If that doesn't work, you may need to call a tow truck. :-D The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance.
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I'm going to be starting a new job in a week or so. I feel like I haven't learned much professionally in the last year. I don't want to get complacent with my learning in .NET. Anybody read anything good lately? The last two books I read were Kathleen Dollard's Code Generation book and the Test Driven Development in .NET book. Anybody got any suggestions for something programming-related that I could read to expand my horizons a bit? I'm particularly looking for something about SQL, .NET, Extreme Programming, Code Generation, and Reflection, but I'm pretty open-minded. I used to write code all the time just to try to push my limits. I seem to have lost that lately and I want it back. I particularly want to read something where I think "Wow, how the heck did they figure that one out?". Suggestions?
Very weird....sounds like we're both in the same situation except that I started my new job about 5 months ago....same loss of interest however. I look forward to seeing people's responses to try and jumpstart my own interest!
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If you are in a rut, try this: Put your car in reverse, gas a little, put it in drive/1st, gas again, and rock back and forth until you can get your tires free. If that doesn't work, you may need to call a tow truck. :-D The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance.
Navin wrote: Put your car in reverse, gas a little, put it in drive/1st, gas again, and rock back and forth until you can get your tires free. If that doesn't work, you may need to call a tow truck. Interesting enough, this works for programming too.... toss it in reverse (load Cobol or Lisp), then toss it back in forward (almost any other language).... And you also appreciate forward a lot more. Warning: Loading Cobol may produce violent hyperemesis or severe onset of (and sometimes permanent) PBD. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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I'm going to be starting a new job in a week or so. I feel like I haven't learned much professionally in the last year. I don't want to get complacent with my learning in .NET. Anybody read anything good lately? The last two books I read were Kathleen Dollard's Code Generation book and the Test Driven Development in .NET book. Anybody got any suggestions for something programming-related that I could read to expand my horizons a bit? I'm particularly looking for something about SQL, .NET, Extreme Programming, Code Generation, and Reflection, but I'm pretty open-minded. I used to write code all the time just to try to push my limits. I seem to have lost that lately and I want it back. I particularly want to read something where I think "Wow, how the heck did they figure that one out?". Suggestions?
I find it fascinating to read technical blogs. You need a good RSS aggregator, so that you can organize them properly. Most bloggers post link of the blogs they read, so it is easy to find related blogs that you like. I read some non-technical ones too, because some people just have interesting lives, or good writing skills. My other hint is Safari Books Online[^]. Besides the obvious benefits of a nice reference library, I find I read lots of books I would never spend money on. There are some gems, and sometimes books that are highly recommended are real yawners. Either way, it costs me nothing extra to check them out. If you just want books, my favorite book for the last year or two has been Martin Fowlers PofEAA[^].
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I'm going to be starting a new job in a week or so. I feel like I haven't learned much professionally in the last year. I don't want to get complacent with my learning in .NET. Anybody read anything good lately? The last two books I read were Kathleen Dollard's Code Generation book and the Test Driven Development in .NET book. Anybody got any suggestions for something programming-related that I could read to expand my horizons a bit? I'm particularly looking for something about SQL, .NET, Extreme Programming, Code Generation, and Reflection, but I'm pretty open-minded. I used to write code all the time just to try to push my limits. I seem to have lost that lately and I want it back. I particularly want to read something where I think "Wow, how the heck did they figure that one out?". Suggestions?
Managed DirectX 9 Graphics and Game Programming - ISBN: 0672325969 and the second in that series Beginning 3D Game Programming - ISBN: 0672326612 Both books are written by Tom Miller ---- Learning DirectX will not only be a fun challenge but it will also be cool to write your own game or some other "productive" application. Just my 2 cents, -Richard
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I'm going to be starting a new job in a week or so. I feel like I haven't learned much professionally in the last year. I don't want to get complacent with my learning in .NET. Anybody read anything good lately? The last two books I read were Kathleen Dollard's Code Generation book and the Test Driven Development in .NET book. Anybody got any suggestions for something programming-related that I could read to expand my horizons a bit? I'm particularly looking for something about SQL, .NET, Extreme Programming, Code Generation, and Reflection, but I'm pretty open-minded. I used to write code all the time just to try to push my limits. I seem to have lost that lately and I want it back. I particularly want to read something where I think "Wow, how the heck did they figure that one out?". Suggestions?
1. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code[^] 2. Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture[^] 3. Refactoring to Patterns[^] I've read #1, am currently reading #2, and have #3 sitting on my desk at home waiting for me to finish #2. Based on your comments, I think all three of these books would be a good fit for you. Hopefully they give you fuel to think in ways you may not have thought in the past. Levi Rosol My kid gave your Honor Roll student a trojan horse! Over and over and over...[^] Blog By Levi[^]