When learning new things, especially technical subjects, often the biggest hindrance to being able to understand and use new information is the knowledge that we already have. As students and teachers (and human beings), we naturally try to fit new
Can We Save the Web?
Hossein Derakhshan, who is often called the “father of Persian blogging”, was sentenced in 2008 to 20 years in prison for the content of his blog. He was pardoned, and released, in November 2014. What he found when he got
React JS Foundations – 5 years and 100,000 miles in the making
ReactJS (also known as React) is what powers many of the most popular web sites — including Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, Reddit, and the New York Times. It provides a way for web developers to make reactive sites, meaning that they
You Already Understand Search Engine Marketing
There’s a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about the purpose and inner workings of search engines. Often, web designers and marketers focus on trying to figure out the algorithms that Google uses or trying to get high rankings for high-value
Choose Your Own Coding Adventure
Since we’ve started writing books for kids, we’ve seen and heard from hundreds of our readers that they “love” our books, or that they’re having “fun” with our books. These aren’t words that you typically hear adults say about computer
Can You Fail Your Way To Success?
Some years ago, the idea that “failure is your friend” gained some traction after someone very much like me who had failed in the tech industry numerous times made it a popular mantra. A conference called “FailCon” was started and
Take the Slow Boat to Success
Our society values instant success almost to the exclusion of everything else. Most of the stories of success that we hear and that so many people aspire to involve people being “discovered” or otherwise becoming super-rich (and maybe famous) overnight. But, these
Is Speed Reading Real?
A recent NY Times article cited numerous studies that have found speed reading to be nothing more than skimming. According to the article, it is improbable to increase your reading above 500-600 words per minute without decreasing comprehension of the material.
Avoid the Comfort Zone
We’re hard-wired to feel fear or even panic when confronted with difficult or threatening situations. These are the remnants of evolution, and it’s only in the last couple of hundred of years that these reactions have become frequently irrelevant and sometimes
How to Be a Professional Writer
The best advice for anyone who’s aspiring to be a writer is this: “Stop aspiring and start writing.” –Alan W. Watts The second best advice is this: “Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river.” –Lisa