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The Arduino is pretty well known, it's a tell if you somehow have not heard of it - it shows you haven't spent much time looking at side projects.

by rythie 13y ago

ijk 13y ago
Or you're more interested in side projects that don't have a hardware or physical component. Or that require much more specialized equipment, like a CAVE system. Or don't use electronics at all, like 3D printing representations of mathematical functions, or building a cabin in the woods. Or restoring linotype machines.
- qu4z-2 13y ago
  Side projects in this case refers to programming side projects, I'm fairly sure. Personally I'm not interested in side projects with hardware or physical components, but I've still heard of the Arduino. But that really says more about the type of people you know, I guess.
  - ijk 13y ago
    True, but there are plenty of programming side projects that don't require an Arduino, and we often get in our little tech-bubbles and think that the internet is more of a monoculture than it actually is. I've heard (a lot) about the Arduino, so I may not be the best example, but my programming side projects are more likely to use Processing, Cinder, VPT, or some other thing that doesn't necessarily need to interface with that kind of hardware. If we're talking about the original article, side projects were mentioned in the context of "The instinct to experiment first". There might be some correlation there, but if you limit the focus to programming side projects you've just chosen a slightly bigger box to experiment in. Many advances in science come by drawing knowledge from a completely different field and applying it to a familiar one. Deep knowledge of programming is necessary but not sufficient for creative programming solutions. Design patterns in software, to take one familiar example, are based on Christopher Alexander's theories about physical architecture. The article itself recommends amusement park rides to foster greater risk-taking. Non-programming hobbies can have great benefits for programmers.
sixothree 13y ago
I've never met a good programmer who wasn't passionate about side projects. In fact every bad programmer I've met had no interest in side projects, summer projects, etc.

The Arduino is pretty well known, it's a tell if you somehow have not heard of it - it shows you haven't spent much time looking at side projects.

by rythie 13y ago

The Arduino is pretty well known, it's a tell if you somehow have not heard of it - it shows you haven't spent much time looking at side projects.

ijk 13y ago

Or you're more interested in side projects that don't have a hardware or physical component. Or that require much more specialized equipment, like a CAVE system. Or don't use electronics at all, like 3D printing representations of mathematical functions, or building a cabin in the woods. Or restoring linotype machines.

qu4z-2 13y ago
Side projects in this case refers to programming side projects, I'm fairly sure. Personally I'm not interested in side projects with hardware or physical components, but I've still heard of the Arduino. But that really says more about the type of people you know, I guess.
- ijk 13y ago
  True, but there are plenty of programming side projects that don't require an Arduino, and we often get in our little tech-bubbles and think that the internet is more of a monoculture than it actually is. I've heard (a lot) about the Arduino, so I may not be the best example, but my programming side projects are more likely to use Processing, Cinder, VPT, or some other thing that doesn't necessarily need to interface with that kind of hardware. If we're talking about the original article, side projects were mentioned in the context of "The instinct to experiment first". There might be some correlation there, but if you limit the focus to programming side projects you've just chosen a slightly bigger box to experiment in. Many advances in science come by drawing knowledge from a completely different field and applying it to a familiar one. Deep knowledge of programming is necessary but not sufficient for creative programming solutions. Design patterns in software, to take one familiar example, are based on Christopher Alexander's theories about physical architecture. The article itself recommends amusement park rides to foster greater risk-taking. Non-programming hobbies can have great benefits for programmers.

sixothree 13y ago

I've never met a good programmer who wasn't passionate about side projects. In fact every bad programmer I've met had no interest in side projects, summer projects, etc.