Tools vs long-term mindset !

Tools vs long-term mindset !

Management
Most software engineers are tool-based developers these days. Few are the ones who learn something that can benefit in the long-term (like architecture, leadership skills) etc. Tools are mostly short-lived, it's wise to learn something that can last longer and can add a compounding value to ones year-on-year experience. This doesn't mean that we should stop learning new tools, each have it's own pros and cons ! Tools They have a short shelf-life, if something new emerges in the market, we have to learn it out of the fear of becoming obsolete !If we stick ourselves only as a tool-based developer, and call us a 10-year-experienced software engineer, than what is the difference between a newly passed-out candidate from a university who has the same tools arsenal that you have…
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For the sake of value … !

For the sake of value … !

Management
I remember a short story that my math professor in grade-11 once shared with us, that I usually recall and it really helps me. It goes like that there was once a guy, who learnt the skill to fire a bullet (using a gun) and a skill to fire a rock (using a hand slingshot). After perfecting himself in these two skills, he went to a Jungle. There he found a bird singing beautifully, he got inspired and wished he would take it to his home and place in a cage in his drawing room. So, in order to bring that bird down in his hand, he fired a bullet towards the bird (instead of a slingshot), and the bird died on the spot. He furthered explored, and found a…
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Full-Stack Crib-Sheet

Management
CSS Vertically Center a 'div' inside a 'div' Just apply the following CSS to the inner <div>: position: relative; top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%); Scroll Bar ::-webkit-scrollbar { width: 12px; } ::-webkit-scrollbar-track-piece { background: #eee; } ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb { background: #444; } Angular JS Use Controller $scope from outside Angular JS $scope = angular.element(document.getElementById('yourControllerElementID')).scope(); $scope.$apply(function () { // Do you stuff here }); MySQL Date Formatting DATE_FORMAT('2016-12-05', '%M %e, %Y') Output: December 5, 2016 Get a list of all Columns in a Table SELECT COLUMN_NAME FROM information_schema.columns WHERE table_schema = 'DATABASE_NAME' and table_name = 'TABLE_NAME'; PHP Date & Time Formatting date("F j, Y") Output: July 14, 2016 date("Y-m-d") Output: 2016-07-21 date("H:i:s") Output: 13:45:22 date("h:i:s a") Output: 01:45:22 pm Open Errors ini_set('display_errors', 1); ini_set('display_startup_errors', 1); error_reporting(E_ALL); Flushing Technique public function flushStart () {…
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How to minimize workplace blunders !

Management
Commit and run is a crime Syntax and logical error can exist in our code even for the best of us. Just skimming the code is not enough, testing is must. Do a Rehearsal before the demo Sometimes, our demo session turns into a fiasco, since we didn’t prepare the test-cases we need to convey or since we didn’t test. It becomes a real shame in front of importance audience (like CEO …) and when you are already in a nervous state. Peer review Continuously checking our code can make us numb, and we sometimes cannot figure our obvious issues. So peer reviewing your work can identify possible issues and save you from future troubles. It just takes few minutes to do this, so why should we leave it !…
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Ballpoint vs Fountain-pen

Ballpoint vs Fountain-pen

Management
Features Ballpoint Fountain Pen Force Hard Soft Color consistency Low High Writing Speed Fast Medium Style Casual / Professional Professional Removable No Yes Screenshot crispiness Low High Fading Rare Medium Ink Absorption Low Medium Works well on correction fluid Yes No So, the overall score is as follows: Ballpoint: 6 greens 2 yellows 1 red Fountain pen: 4 greens 3 yellows 2 red I personally like Fountain Pen for my office work. But for financial documents, I use ball-point because it is not removable.
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Go Agile: In just 2 minutes

Go Agile: In just 2 minutes

Management
An interesting and simple way to go Agile. Use the "Sticky Notes" widget (available in Windows) and add 4 boxes. Then, re-size them as indicated in the Screenshot: Keep your Backlog items in the Pink box. Yellow box is for items that are currently in Progress. Green box is for finished items. White box is simply for keeping yours notes / reminders. Enjoy the great benefits in being Simple.
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