So I finally completed the Social Network Analysis course by Lada Adamic today and I learnt quite a few things Alhamdulilah. Some of the MOOCs are really good but there are so many options that I sometimes get overwhelmed. One of the cool things about the course is that students can get exports of their entire … Continue reading Exploring my Facebook Network
Category: Musings
My thoughts and views
Applying to Grad School
This post is for you then! There are many advantages (and disadvantages too) of grad school: you meet awesome people, broaden your scope and improve your analytic skills. However, the process of applying to grad school is long, demanding and at times frustrating.
Taking the PAIN out of coding
Over the years, I have learnt some tricks and picked up some lessons while writing code. Most were learnt the hard way, so I decided to share a couple of tips on how to avoid development pitfalls.
2012 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. Here's an excerpt: 600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 12,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 20 years to get … Continue reading 2012 in review
Thesis Stories Episode 2 : Adventures in Ginormous Data
Ranting about analyzing humongous data
How I used Pomodoro to boost My Productivity
Tips for using the Pomodoro technique to boost productivity
Thesis Stories : Wrangling with HUGE data
My thesis takes all my time: I have to review papers, write out my thoughts, build a platform, attend classes as well as poke into Big Data; and my blog has been at the receiving end. This story about big data came to my mind while I was thinking about my planned work on the stackoverflow (SO) … Continue reading Thesis Stories : Wrangling with HUGE data
Are developers better than testers?
A lot of people view testers as second-class citizens; probably because QA guys rarely 'create' stuff like devs do (although they sometimes do original work creating test frameworks and platforms). They are more similar to editors who verify the work of authors. However, testers are just as important as developers; without QA the end product … Continue reading Are developers better than testers?
Book Review: Coders At Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming
I recently completed reading Coders at work (well, I must have spent approximately 8 weeks trying to complete it; not a record I am proud of but still it's better than nothing!) I think the book is a good read even though some of the interviews dragged on for too long. Peter Siebel, the author, … Continue reading Book Review: Coders At Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming
Levels of Developer Expertise
This is a light-hearted attempt to classify developers.
So you want to become a better programmer
An awesome team of professionals reviewed my code and quickly exposed my mistakes. Yes, it was a great albeit humbling experience :) . It gave me a firsthand glimpse of my code-writing flaws; I appreciate this as it will enable me to improve insha Allaah.
Reflection : Arcane parts of Software Development
I first came across reflection when I needed to develop a PHP framework for my former firm. I started by reading the fuel source code (fuel is a PHP framework) and came across the reflection patterns in the boot strap. I seem to have a lot of first times with PHP. Well I have come … Continue reading Reflection : Arcane parts of Software Development
What you should know about HTTP
Everyone seems to know that the web runs on HTTP, but what is HTTP all about? HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol; an application-layer protocol that the web runs on. Implemented as a client-server model; HTTP defines how clients should make requests to servers and how servers should respond. It is a stateless protocol because servers … Continue reading What you should know about HTTP
Sorting Algorithms
Sorting involves ordering elements of a collection. For example, dictionaries are sorted alphabetically, numbers lists could be in increasing or decreasing order. Sorting is important and can be applied in various context, especially those that have to do with massive data. The efficiency of a sorting algorithm is related to the number of elements it … Continue reading Sorting Algorithms
Access a webpage inside an Android Activity
While working on an Android app, I needed to get people to sign into Facebook however I didn't want them to leave my app. The simple solution was to launch the browser through an intent; however, this was going to stop my activity which was unacceptable. I wanted a solution that enabled users to sign … Continue reading Access a webpage inside an Android Activity
The student life… of projects, assignments, exams and more work!!!
At last! I finally get to write on my blog. I have been struggling to cope with the never-ending stream of course work, projects and exams. Alhamdulilah I think I have some time for a pretty quick post. I finally turned in the artificial intelligence project, probably the most challenging projects of the semester. First, it had … Continue reading The student life… of projects, assignments, exams and more work!!!
Opennigeria… the time is now!
It is comforting to know we have great software craftsmen who are passionate about what they do and are willing to make a change. The Nigerian software sector, though nascent, is slowly growing and gaining momentum. There are developer events, meetups, startups and competitions. However; despite several boot camps, developer meetups, hackathons and several cool products; there … Continue reading Opennigeria… the time is now!
Finding the strength to go on
How to cope with setbacks and build the emotional strength to overcome disappointments
I am language-agnostic
Once upon a time I used to think programming in Java was the best thing anyone could do. All this changed when I started my internship and realised I had to program in PHP whether I liked it or not. PHPwhat?! I didn't like it and felt that PHP was just not the way to go. … Continue reading I am language-agnostic
Become a better programmer
A lot of people say they want to become programmers and rave and talk about it without ever doing anything. So if you want to become a better programmer you can try these tips. Learn a lot Programming is a rapidly changing field with new innovations, discoveries and concepts coming up daily. Change is constant … Continue reading Become a better programmer
How it all started
My very first language was FORTRAN; I took a programming course in it in 2006 and was instantly hooked. I didn't have a computer however I worked in a computer centre so I could program whenever I was free. After getting my laptop, I delved into C; however I was 'advised' to drop C as it wasn't … Continue reading How it all started
Some of my favourite web destinations
Yeah, I blog 'weekly'; Ok ok; I try to blog weekly; now that's better huh? This week, I'll be writing about the blogs I follow quite often. Yah; I follow them often to get the gist and stuff like that. They might not be to your taste but do look through first before taking a … Continue reading Some of my favourite web destinations
My Android experience
It was in May and one of my old friends called me and after exchanging pleasantries, we somehow got talking about the Android Developer Challenge. Being typically my old lazy self, I waved it off and said I wasn't interested because I didn't KNOW how to program Android; however he persisted and got me to … Continue reading My Android experience
learning jQuery
I stumbled upon Rebecca Murphy's jqfundamentals and found it to be a gentle introduction to jQuery. Well, I use jQuery a lot - well, let's just say I copy prefabricated solutions - so I felt it'll do no harm to learn how to write jQuery itself. So far it's been lovely, Rebecca's piece is great … Continue reading learning jQuery
I’m beginning to hate PHP?
While working on a new web application, I felt somewhat bored because I was going through my same old cycle all over again – there was nothing challenging or exciting to me. My first thought was that I was getting used to PHP, but deeper thoughts proved me wrong. It boiled down to two options: … Continue reading I’m beginning to hate PHP?
