I tend to take a different tack -- instead of jumping into a project with code I want to emulate, I jump into a project with coders I want to emulate. I've pic

I tend to take a different tack -- instead of jumping into a project with code I want to emulate, I jump into a project with coders I want to emulate. I've picked up a couple of my open source involvements based on the people they put me next to, and my life is richer for having done so. I've not only gotten to look at good code, but had my code reviewed by people a lot better at coding than I am. Additionally, I've developed relationships with some really bright and interesting hackers, who've helped me in ways I didn't always expect.