Bas' Take on Tech: AI, Social Events, Learning Python
đď¸ Buzz
While Microsoft reportedly wants to integrate ChatGPT in their office products, and ex-OpenAI founded startup Anthropic launched a ChatGPT competitor in private beta, we now see the inevitable: Both, FTC, and the European Union are working on heavy regulations on generative AI.
As for the job market, there is an interesting opinion piece on Bloomberg. Recession or not? Labour market down or not? It doesn't seem to make sense. This article is an excellent example of how economists think.
I see more and more stories about gene editing for anti-aging. Those who have read the book "Lifespan" know that the stuff going on inside the research labs is years ahead of what is published. That's not a conspiracy, but just how science works: There is a lot of work in producing conclusive results. And now, it seems, more and more of these assumptions prove to be correct and hit the public. Interesting times!
One article I stumbled upon grabbed my attention: "People-pleasing could be hurting your health". I have previously written about mental health for knowledge workers, and I missed this point. It's a crucial point, nonetheless!
đ¤ The importance of social events
I had an exciting discussion with Clark Sell, founder of THAT conference.
What value can a conference deliver? Many people who are active in their communities have switched to online content. Thus, most of the time, we cannot expect conferences to deliver knowledge only. It has to be (or always has been) a matter of the social event itself. Those who will show up will themselves provide value and experience a possibly life-changing event.
What are your thoughts on conferences? What do you expect from attending an in-person event?
âď¸ Coffee Chats
I had so much fun doing coffee chats with fellow devs last year. I'd love to chat with you, too. I have some open spots on my calendly.
đ Reuven's Perspective
Reuven M. Lerner has been a trainer for Python programmers for years. I asked him about his approach to teaching Python and his advice for learning a language. Here is his answer:
My approach to teaching Python, and my advice to those learning it, is to treat it as a foreign language. It's not a perfect analogy, but there are many parallels that can help with our thinking:
1. Fluency isn't binary. There's no point where you go from "not knowing Python" to "knowing Python." Rather, it's a ton of incremental improvements in understanding. If you can get a tiny bit better each day, then you'll be amazed by what you can do after a month or a year. Things that seemed super hard when you started will be natural and obvious after a while.
2. Practice is the key. Find reasons to use Python, on personal projects and at work. You can read all of the manual pages, books, twitter threads, and newsletters you want. Until you actually write Python code, you won't really understand when to use lists vs. dictionaries, *args vs. **kwargs, the standard library, and zillions of other things.
3. You can't become fluent in a language on your own; you need to speak it with other people, and use it in real-life situations. In the same way, to become really good at Python, you need to talk to people who are using it, and see how they're using it. You need to read others' code and share your code with others. You should attend conferences, watch videos, and talk about your work. You'll make mistakes, and feel foolish â but that's part of the learning process.
Finally: You can totally do it. No matter your background, and no matter your age, you can definitely learn to program in Python. And here's the thing: You might not be as good at it as the best hackers out there. That's OK! Most of us aren't, and we're still able to have a good career in an enjoyable environment and field. You don't need to be a prize-winning author to enjoy and make money from writing. And the same is true for coding.
đ What else?
I have changed this newsletter from âoccasionalâ to at least once every two weeks. The new format not only contains curated news and insights from the tech world but also sets the stage for fellow developers.Â
I will ask people about their journeys in the tech world and also in life. Iâm pretty sure there is much to learn from listening to other peopleâs experiences, and I am excited to share that with you!Â
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