Wise Applicative Learning

I'm seeing quite a change nowadays, a new form of learning. The concept of applicative learning, where people, rather than referring to books and sources, tend to dive into code straight and analyse the outcomes. A very practical and sensible approach, but let us be honest. In order to be "applicative" or applying knowledge, one is forgetting the way of learning things properly leading to haphazard situations like improper syntax, confusions or misunderstanding in computing concepts and what not to define yourself, a "bad programmer".  And thus, time to get down on some real areas of concern to better ourselves:

Design an idea and not apps

         To learn about a technology know-how, we begin with our old learning techniques of developing "basic" apps. Let us be truthful, such apps are poor in design, scalability and reliability. Thinking of showcasing them to display your technical skills is quite funny to propose.

        App building is fine, no complaints about it. You might tend to see how much you have learned in the code that you write or copy-paste from stackoverflow.com (The most referred site for technical issues). But the fact is, it isn't contributing anything to the idea! Technology serves only as a means to achieve ideas into reality and not creating them. If you have the wisdom of reverse engineering, designing ideas based on the technology you come across, then you have a way out. The more solid (er.. bigger) idea, the more technical exposure it needs. Hence, more learning and more lines on your resume. You'll find a technology that would suffice your idea needs else you'll find creating a new one yourself. Ask peers for help, Google for it. There's always a lame idiot who will post such in no time. Do freelancing, it helps a ton to build up what you need, as a plus.

Utility Automation is useless until it serves a purpose

        Scripting is catching up very fast these days, Python and Ruby to be specific. Tons of libraries emerge out thereby making the developer to be alert to newer developments and shunning old primitive coding. As long as that script is helping you out in cutting down your work, cool! But scripting for the sake of it (think of learning here) is an utter waste of your own precious time. You tend to screw up on the way you programmed earlier as these languages make your life easier. And then there's the transition time to switch. Not only are you wasting time, you're unnecessarily extending the project deadline too!

Focus on a single technology than being a jack

        You might be a bit paranoid of not keeping up with all that Twitter follow-list or the people in Reddit that inspire you to know a ton of things in technology but I'd advise you one single thing, "Utter Crap." Try to inspect why are you following that tech topic or a person well versed in that field. Are you developing something in the same field that he is contributing? Do you have anything extra to learn? Have something to contribute in that project? Well, then go ahead. Otherwise, it is dumb to sit and check everything and know nothing in the end. You just end up as a joker than a jack or heck, even a master.

Tech Entrepreneurs are sick

        Yes. For some reasons. Those geeks have done implementations of their ideas to make money(read Business) and are in the market to sell it at an unimaginable amount. Don't get too much inspired by that. It's just media hype like the JEE-CAT exams hooplah. It doesn't serve the purpose of learning. If you really want to look up to them then look at their ideas rather, than how many dollars he minted from poor investors. That should give you a way of thinking in-line with market needs. You'll find some really good ideas out there in the market.

Read Code, not documentation

         Documentation is for absolute newbies. I've never used it as seriously as I'm being advised upon. It's all about code, code and pure code. Read code. Yes, read it! Just like you're reading this post. Understand. Think of the way things have been put in place, see which algorithms and design patterns are available in those little chunks of magic. See how you can tune it in your version. How can you format. How can you make others understand your own code via block commenting. How to use lines as simple unit test cases. Such practicality can never come from tutorials.

And for Christ's sake, get into building that code than believing it's author blindly. Use an emulator, Raspberry Pi or a physical device but please, flash that bloody code and get things started. People like to see something than sit and gossip, leading to nothing at all.

And if you really want to learn something from books, pick up any topic in Mathematics or Computing conceptual books. Even Fiction will do wonders.

Cheers!

The Three Mistakes of Kai Po Che

So, I finally landed up into watching a Chetan Bhagat adapted movie, yet again. After the thoroughly edited "3 Idiots" which was a total tipsy adaptation of "Five Point Someone", here comes one more of Bhagat's story-telling-masala-masterpiece saga.

Why is it that a movie adapted from a popular best seller always turns out to be better than the book itself? Atleast, this is what the reviews try to compel you. But the fact is, Bhagat's novel, "The 3 mistakes of my Life" turns exactly the opposite to be. Well, for me at least. Looks like a tweaked story of the original piece however.

Don't agree? Well, then let me begin with pointing out the three mistakes of why I didn't "laauve" Kai Po Che. Three pals, Omi, Ishaan and Govind, the best of pals, try to be something in their lives. Well, we have seen much more closeness of the bonds in Dil Chahta Hai and Rock On, but I'm still not able to figure out what made Bhagat, the screenplay writer himself for this movie, turn the climax and the plot around in parts!

The first mistake, Govind should have been the narrator. It is dumb to show the plot going in a loose way which the narrator is the story rather than the protagonist. Bhagat excelled this in the book. I mean, if Govind did took sleeping pills and make his way to the deathbed and then the actual "friendship" masala would've turned out sweeter, no?

The second mistake, the make-out scene. I mean, come on man! Boys die to get that feel out of the narration how Govind explained in the book. How he makes out with his disciple, despite Ishaan being at home. That tensed nervousness, that emotional guilt and the passion that ignited after the few classes he takes is missing. I mean, the Vidya shown in the movie deserved a lot, lot more than how she opens up herself.

And the third mistake, Ishaan is shot dead in the climax! Dude, that was pathetic, seriously! At least you could've given a chance for Govind to confess himself to him, clear the tensions and make him give into his love for Vidya. More friendship tears in the audience I believe, no?

Oh, and a smaller mistake but not counted that is, Australia is missing! I don't know why UTV Motion Pictures, a big branded company didn't had the budget to take the crew outside despite the effect it had showed in the book. The line Vidya says, "Some things that are priceless are usually free." was needed to make the viewer get the effect. Okay, if not Australia, why not make a small trip to Goa or even Porbander, Gujju's Goa rather!

The newbies in the movie are good. Omi's red eyes were the highlight. Ishaan's enthusiasm was the same as the book. Govind scolding Ishaan and his accounting scenes are power-packed. Amrita Puri is a sweetheart Vidya, not as much as the writer had confessed in his book but nevertheless. Characters are tight so this doesn't make for further evaluations. Abhishek Kapoor is over-rated, as the movie doesn't belong to him at all. It's just plain direction under Bhagat's instructions. A strange thing to observe was, the foul language was NOT screened out. Guess, the Censor Board has begun to accept them as dialogues now. There might be "The Departed"'s Hindi version soon if this continues.

Overall, the movie could've been better if it was more touchy with friendship and acceptance but unfortunately, it isn't. Rather, it ends as a simple one with too many edits from the book and no strong message delivered.