You And Everyone Else Wants To Learn To Code This Year

This post, written by me, was originally published on The Digital Girls Club blog.

... But, why?

Writing code, or at least understanding enough of it, to make edits, has become a sought-after skill. Codeacademy’s democratization of coding with CodeYear has made over 300,000 people, including New York’s Mayor Bloomberg, realize their inner nerd and jump on the programming bandwagon.

The internet has become an integral part of our everyday lives and I often wonder if this mass interest is simply a natural progression of curiosity based on our own reliance to smart phones, tablets, and laptops and the programs that run on them, or rather a strategic career move fueled by dreams of fame and fortune by building the next Facebook.

My guess is that it’s probably a little bit of both.

As Douglas Rushkoff said,

"If you know how to code, you can get a high-paying job right now, or make valuable stuff right now. You will understand more about how the world works, and become a participating member in the digital society unfolding before us…"

Are you one of the thousands that are hoping to learn to code this year? If so why?

Sources: 1, 2, 3

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2012 Will Be My B*tch

Another year bites the dust. Like everyone else and their mother, I’ll of course try to exercise more and shop less, but those easy to make difficult to maintain goals won’t really be my focus next year. Think less resolution-y, more life changing.
   
My ability to create ideals of what my life should be like, in my head and then feeling horrible for not measuring up, has been a hobby of mine for a very long time. Lists like the one by Shane Watson don’t help either. I could blame society (and Facebook), but I won’t.

I’ve decided that along with 2011, I’ll also say goodbye to all those preconceived notions that have occupied my mind and led me to a steady diet of dissatisfaction and feeling like my future is nothing more than a series of either-or choices.
 
Instead I will create the life I’ve always wanted and make no apologies for it. 
 
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Watch It: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. Because It’s Probably The Most Meta Movie of All Time.

The premise: sell advertising in a film to finance a film about advertising.

If you’re a marketing, advertising or media professional there’s no way you won’t snicker at Morgan Spurlock’s product placement financed $1.5 million dollar documentary “Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie EverSold”. You’ll watch the filmmaker go through the branding process, as he brainstorms, cold calls and pitches companies on why they should contribute to the movie’s financing as a sponsor all the while exposing the practices of product placement and co-promotion marketing.

The sweet spot is when Morgan interviews people about whether or not it’s moral to use product placement while holding/wearing/eating/drinking [insert sponsor here]. Well, that and those dazzling :30 spots.

Ultimately, this documentary not only reminds me that my chosen profession is basically one step up from that of used car sales man, but also that I could totally go for a POM right about now.

My Gift To Denver Retail Associates

Dear Denver Retail Associates,

I'm giving you the gift of having one less crazy, sleep deprived shopper to deal with at whatever ridiculous hour your store opens. 

I'm not participating in Black Friday, not because I actually like to pay full price for things, because I don't, but because I prefer to shop both without pants and without showering. And I'm pretty sure that would either get me mistaken for a homeless person or arrested, or possibly both.

Since, I've already committed to being arrested sometime in the future for confiscating a lock of Brad Pitt's hair, it'd probably be best if I just shopped online to keep my rap sheet to a minimum.

So, what this means for you is that now you have one less potential fight to break up. One less trip back to the stock room to satisfy those shoppers who don't believe that there really aren't any more in the back. One less cart to ring up. One less eye-roll to endure.

Good Luck tomorrow tonight.

Sincerely,
       
 Me

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I Ate All The Candy

... so, I guess it's a good thing we're going out tonight. That 5 lb. bag of candy from Costco is long gone. I'm sure my dentist will be pleased with what I've done.


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