HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and Developer Careers

Latest Episodes:

Tidbit: Website Planning Session Sep 07, 2018

Show notes

In this first mini podcast episode, we record one of the first meetings for planning out the HTML All The Things website. The meeting was unscripted, microphones on and that's it (intro and outro are exceptions). This should give you a good idea what a typical meeting is like for us, specifically how we collaborate on projects with our different talents.

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Learning New Technologies Sep 05, 2018

Show notes

Learning new technologies can be a difficult thing to start, let alone master. In this episode we discuss how we started with new technologies and how to expand those introductions into mastery with a given framework, plugin, or other product.

Segment 1 - Getting Started

Identify Objectives
- Ensure that your selected technology cover as many of your objectives as possible
- Sometimes your objective is just to learn a given technology - with no specific project objective(s)
Do the "My First App" example
- Most documentation have users go through a first introductory app to get them started quickly
- Use this first app as a way to get your foot in the door - use it as a foundation for your project, or as a learning platform
Documentation Open
- Don't shy away from documentation - I always have it open!
- As you look up each and every piece of a given technology you're slowly learning its ins and outs
- Eventually you won't need the documentation to complete a given task
Easiest Start
- There are typically a lot of different ways to get started with a given technology (ie install via npm, use via CDN, etc.)
- Use the easiest starting point - probably the one that compliments your existing development environment - so that you don't get caught in a rut trying to learn how install something
- Find the fastest route to learning

Segment 2 - When to Learn New Technologies

Personal vs Client Work Projects
- You must find the balance between learning something new, or using something familiar because you're working on your client's time
- Let the client know what you're doing or planning, they may want you to work on learning a new technology - maybe they want a new feature
- Do extensive research into a given technology to prevent issues down the line, costing you time and your client needless money
Performance
- Sometimes performance becomes important when applications get large, make sure you use the technology that best compliments your objective and gives the best performance
- For example: NodeJS is good at concurrent connections
Popularity
- Popular apps typically have a job market
- Learning React or Angular, as of writing this, would put you in a good position for finding a job
- You can also participate in an up and coming technology to get into a growing community
Need
- Sometimes you have no choice but to learn a new library, framework, language, etc.

Segment 3 - Get Up and Running Quickly

Researching
- Google your issues
- Check documentation
- At this stage ensure that the tech can cover all your needs
Watching/Reaching Tutorials
- Before commiting, watch some YouTube tutorials to see if you like any of them
- If you continue working with the technology you now have a reference/video series to learn more
Documentation
- Great documentation can make learning a lot easier
- Bad documentation does the exact opposite, makes it harder
Community
- Take a look at the community and try to avoid toxicity
- Check various communities (ie Reddit, Discord, Stack Overflow, etc.)
Your own "My First App"
- Choose a simple function that might be a single piece of a project
- Gives you a good view on learning and implementing

Web News - Cell Phone Longevity & Endurance

Battery life on cell phones is typically not great, after several product generations of fighting for better battery life (specifically more capacity), it seems that consumers have given up to a degree
Android seems have issues managing background tasks
- Apps dont' close completely sometimes
- Sometimes they close too early from the "recent apps"
Manufacturers try and combat this by having various battery management software added to their Android versions
More efficient processors like those in the Snapdragon 600 series offer more efficient battery usage, but don't offer flagship speed like those in the 800 series
Flagship phones have the best features and specs, but typically lack in battery life
Android phones seem to drop in battery performance when you're on the go - GPS turns on a lot even when not navigating

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Troubleshooting Your Code Aug 29, 2018

Show notes

In this episode we dive into the world of troubleshooting and debugging exploring different methodologies and tools that should help you take out any pesky bugs you might come across.

Segment 1 - Troubleshooting Methodologies

Process of Elimination
- Slowly eliminate parts of your code that might be the culprit
- Narrow down the culprit then perform the process of elimination on the section that is causing the issue
Don't be afraid to Google/research
- Researching is nothing to be ashamed of, it does not mean you don't know what you're doing
- As you look things up you'll be enhancing your researching skills, which is helpful when treading into new technologies
Learn the Source
- Don't just bandaid the issue
- Find out the who, what, where, when, why, and how
- Apply an actual fix to the issue wherever possible and take measure to prevent it from happening again

Segment 2 - Debugging in the Browser

UI/UX Debugging
- Using console window on Google Chrome
- Inspecting elements to determine proper positioning and check if something is overlapping
- Primarily use: Elements View, Styles View, and Console
- Using console.log to check how a program is running
Advanced Console Debugging
- JS Breakpoints to check on parts of programs
  - Better than console logs in some more advanced cases
- Can check all local variables at a select breakpoint
- Postman for DB Debugging

Segment 3 - Application/Storytime

Troubleshooting Cordova Apps on Android
- Longevity testing
- Wireless adb debugging
- Passing console logs through from webview to Android through an interface
- Crashing issues
- Media playback issues
VPN Gateway Failure (some details changed for security procedure
- IT support issue
- Establishing a tunnel worked but routing internally didn't work
- Ended up being an NDP issue
- Most advanced troubleshooting Matt has possibly done (most involved - over 2 weeks of work)

Web News - Experience Doesn't Trump Research

Don't shy away from research
We typically have the documentation of a given framework or library that we are using, pulled up on a tab at all times
Impossible to commit everything to memory
Getting muscle memory, intuition, and research skills down pat makes you a proper "technician" for software engineering and IT work

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Planning and Working on Projects Aug 22, 2018

Show notes

In this episode we dive deep on how to tackle projects, whether they be something for the company, or something for a client. We take a look at the tools we use to organize it all, and how we stay on top of working in a small team.

Segment 1 - Idea Filtering

Brainstorming and how to track it all
- Jot down informal notes, even if ideas are obviously bad
- Sleep on your ideas - don't develop them too much too quickly or you'll get ahead of yourself
- Sometimes you get a "packed idea" that needs attention immediately
Bouncing ideas off of technical and non-technical people
Live prototyping of easy to try ideas
Having meetings to filter the good from the bad
Grilling each others ideas - will the product make it in the market?

Segment 2 - Planning With and Using Tools

Using a variety of tools for communication and organization
- Examples: Slack, Twist, Monday.com, Asana, Git (gitlab, github, bitbucket), email/contacts/calendar, trello, etc.
Our procedure on handling projects that we do for ourselves (for Digital Dynasty Design)
Day to day tools including things like: Google Hangouts, Git, OneDrive, Trello, Asana

Segment 3 - Client Work vs Personal Projects

Matt works on small business client work as well as any projects that Digital Dyansty Design has running
Mike focuses on client works and assists with Digital Dynasty Design projects whenver he can
We treat client projecs differently than our own projects
- Get client objectives written down crystal clear
- Cost analysis
- Deadlines
- Design suggestions and comparative materials
- Daily Meetings
Dealing with client and personal schedule needs

Segment 4 - Completion and Accountability

Accountability is difficult when you're your own boss
Need dicipline and hard deadlines that you need to keep
Sometimes deadlines need to be changed due to project changes or other issues, but don't make a habit of it
Fill out a log book to keep track of the work you do on a daily basis

Web News - Stress When Deploying to Production

Even senior developers get stress when they are pushing to production
Make backups, make an easy recovery path if possible
Test everything you can to prepare

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Reactive Frameworks - Vue.js Aug 15, 2018

Show notes

In this episode we discuss our journey from static and CMS driven sites to reactive frameworks, specifically Vue.js.

Segment 1 - Static to Reactive

Started by creating simple static sites - no need for reactive elements
When dynamic/reactive content was needed we would use document.createElement

Segment 2 - CMS to Reactive

We would use Wordpress, CouchCMS, or Webflow for any content management that our users would need
Eventually elements became too varied and a dynamic solution was needed - reactive frameworks
The "Hub" presented a unique issue of not having a standard layout while still being "posts" (the episode clarifies this point)

Segment 3 - How We Plan to Use Vue.js

Quick start guide for people to get up and running
HexDash a collaborative project that people can contribute to
Vue.js components - great for reusability
Vue.js will be used in the making of the HTML All The Things website

Segment 4 - Matt's Experience Getting Quickly Started with Vue.js

Moving over from a typical experience using vanilla HTML/CSS/JS, SASS, Bootstrap, Webflow, or CouchCMS
Prior experience with CLI and NPM
First time using Visual Studio Code

Web News - Trendy & Loud vs Silence

NodeJS vs PHP
Big frameworks vs old ones
- WordPress power 31% of the internet (Source: https://wordpress.com)
- WordPress vs Webflow
- Workflow conflicts
Are freelancers using bleeding edge technology, while the rest of the industry (specifically big enterprise) still using "old" tech?

Failures and Shortcomings Aug 08, 2018

Show notes

In this episode we explore our failures and shortcomings on a variety of our projects ranging from a stock photo resource to a fully-fledged Chrome App game.

Show Layout Segment 1 - Starting Up

Originally going to be an IT company
Opportunity caused us to pivot before the opportunity fell through
Decided to continue working in the web development and design field

Segment 2 - Lists by Design

Product Page: Link
First Chrome extension
Was mean't to be a bookmarks replacer
Added a lot of functionality that bookmarks don't have

Segment 3 - Clicks to Riches

Product Page: Link
Clicker/Idle game in the form of a Chrome App
Was supposed to be a smaller version of a larger project
Designed to generate revenue whilst working on the larger project

Segment 4 - Free Photos Hamilton

Website: Link
Free stock photo resouce
Designed to offer free photos, focussing on the local area of Hamilton, Ontario

Segment 5 - Dealing and Mitigating Failure

How to deal with failure and get ready for it before it even happens
Always learn new things even if a project has failed totally

Web News - Windows vs MacOS

The age old argument, who will win?

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Workflow Aug 01, 2018

Show notes

In this episode we discuss our different workflows individually and collaboratively as a company.

Segment 1 - Infrastructure

Started out using OneDrive
Later started using BitBucket and GitHub
Version control was needed more as projects grew in productivity

Segment 2 - Mike's Workflow

Primary IDE is VS Code
Xcode and Android Studio whenever a project calls for it
Asana and Todoist
Xampp
Daily routine

Segment 3 - Matt's Workflow

Notepad++
CMD
Chrome
Testing browsers
Balsamiq Cloud
Workflow for small business basic site
Workflow for projects

Segment 4 - Working Together/Collaborative Workflow

Working together on OneDrive
Dividing up parts of projects
Code reviews/peer reviews
Project management software
Whiteboard project management

Web News - App Overload

Discussion on how to manage app overload
There are so many solutions to every problem and many of them have apps, this can cause app overload if you work on several projects.

Where to Start Jul 25, 2018

Show notes

In this episode we explore how to get started in web development and web design. We discuss some of the methods we used to get up and running and share some stories on our initial experiences in the field.

Topics covered in this episode include:

Segment 1 - Mike's Beginnings
- Original exposure to code & first projects
Segment 2 - Matt's Beginnings
- Original exposure to code & first projects
Segment 3 - Libraries & Frameworks
- SASS - Official Site
- Bootstrap - Official Site
- Tailwind CSS - Official Site
- jQuery - Official Site
- Lightbox - Official Site
- NodeJS - Official Site
- Vue - Official Site
- Flutter - Official Site
Segment 4 - When to Choose a Premade Solution
- Website builders
- Service providers
- Snippets & Plugins
- Examples include:
  - Webflow - Official Site
  - Podbean - Official Site
  - Carrd - Official Site
  - CouchCMS - Official Site
Segment 5 - Web News
- Flutter

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Medium | YouTube | GitHub

Pathways & Foundations Jul 17, 2018

Show notes

In this episode Matt Lawrence and Mike Karan discuss their professional experiences that led them to today. These experiences form a foundation for future podcasts and act as a reference moving forward.

Topics covered in this episode include:

Personal Introductions
Segment 1 - Synopsis of Today
- Digital Dynasty Design
- Web design and development business
- Passive income projects
Segment 2 - Education
- College and University educations and experiences
- Mohawk College
- McMaster University
Segment 3 - Work Experience
- IT and administration
- Electrical drafting
- Co-ops
Segment 4 - HATT
- What is HTML All The Things?