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Perseverance: The Golden Quality

August 12, 2015

There are many qualities that people associate with “success” and “making it”. These can range from bravery to cunning to vision. If you search Youtube you will find a ton of videos, usually motivational in nature, describing many qualities of people who have made a decent name for themselves. Personally I indulge in a lot of these videos and tend to cherry pick what I can from them. Once thing I’ve found that rings true though, for myself and others, is what I consider the golden quality. Perseverance.

I won’t launch into a full on rant but simply tell you a story. Once at a previous employer, I worked long nights on third shift, weekends of course. During this time things would drag. I mean really drag. Have you ever had 20 minutes that seemed to last 2 hours? Of course you have. Well at the time I worked with a guy who was doing something pretty similar to what I did not long after, he was changing his mindset, body and relationships to better himself. One of the greatest things he said to me, probably the only thing that still rings in my mind is this:

No matter how long something seems or permanent something can seems: nothing can last forever. The morning will come and you will leave, why act like it will last forever? Instead do what you can and don’t concern yourself with time.

I’m paraphrasing of course but the sentiment is the same. Nothing, no matter how long it seems, can last forever. This is a bittersweet truth but a powerful one when we are stuck in a situation we don’t like, feeling as if it could last forever. On the other hand when things are good, it’s easy to use this to become frantic about the idea that good things can’t last forever either. Instead we can use it to say “hey, I’m here now, it can’t last forever so I’m going to enjoy this fully.” Either way, having the solid idea that things come and go will help you see things in a better manner, good or bad.

Of course this isn’t the greatest quality but one I have found to be very helpful. If you’re thinking perseverance sounds too complicated just think of it like this: patience. It’s simply having the patience to go through a situation no matter the circumstances.

What are some of the great qualities that have worked for you? There are a ton more than have been a cornerstone for people to better themselves and those around them. The key is to find one you are good at, build on it and find out what you can really do!

Programming, Tech

iOS Simulator: Endless Mobile Testing

July 9, 2015

An Abundance of Testing

Unless you live on the moon you know mobile is a pretty darn important part of your web presence as well as how websites and apps are made. It’s so important it because a practice we all know as Responsive Web Design. Whether you think it’s a buzzword or a way of life, it does matter.

The heart of this multi-screened madness is the ability to test for devices. With it’s open nature, Android has a few simulators which allow you to pretty easily test things on a “Mobile device”, most of which I don’t use as there are SO MANY types of screens and browsers that it would be cumbersome. A combination of Chrome and CanIUse usually does the trick.

IOS on the other hand, is not quite so simple. Most of us, this humble developer included, don’t have the kind of cash to have every new IOS device, some of which present pretty unique problems. Oh and the difference just between iOS 6,7 and 8 add another layer. Throw in the different resolutions and your likely to have no idea how things are going to look on them. This is where we can use iOS Simulator like a boss.

What is iOS Simulator?

Along with the lovely tools tucked into Xcode is the iOS Simulator. This tool is meant to help native developers test their apps. Lucky for us, you can also use it as a way to test websites on different devices. Until recently it was pretty hard to get to but now you can do a spotlight search and bring it up quickly.

How to Start Testing

Open the program via Spotlight, you will likely get a black screen –

Let the device load and scroll to the bottom of the home screen, a Safari icon is there, click it and enter the browser.

Enter your URL(localhost:XXXX addresses will work as well!) and hit enter.

That’s the quickest way to start but there are TONS of options, including iOS versions, devices, device settings, network tests and more! There are a lot of uses people could get from this. Front-End Developers could use it to test styles per device or if they don’t have a device of a reported bug. Back-End Devs could use it to troubleshoot device and network specific things. While Designers could use it to simply see their design, go through flows or get retina-quality screenshots from a plethora of devices.

Switching Devices

The first little bit of advice is learning to switch devices, which is once again very painless. You will need to re-navigate to you page though.

Find the menu bar and go to Hardware.

Just from that list you get an idea of how powerful a tool this can be.

Next you will be going to Device and choosing whatever device you need. As you can see there is a Manage Devices option that could be useful to some people. If you click this it will open up Xcode and allow you to download or change the device settings.

If you plan on using the iOS simulator a lot, I would highly recommend locking it to your dock!

What do you think?

This is a pretty simple and VERY inexpensive way to test these devices. It may not be the real thing but it is MUCH better than many of the current methods people use. Let us know what you think about this method by leaving a comment. Do you use it for this or other purposes? Is there something better you could recommend? Let us know.

Sail on! – Victor

Fun, Life, Polls, Programming, Tech

Programming Poll: What Is Your Highlighting Scheme Like?

June 29, 2015

As designers, programmers, hackers or whatever, we often find ourselves holding on to what little things can stay the same in such high-paced fields. One the things that intrigued me most in this manner are people’s highlighting themes. Some like it plain, some like it it fancy but the point is always the same: because we like it. I slowly wondered more and more about what others do when it comes to this.

So let’s find out:

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Life, Remote Working

5 Ways To Mix Up Your Remote Working

May 12, 2015

Hey remote workers. Let’s admit it: most people want to work from home. The fact is not many people really know what it entails to work at home. For those who want to do it, it seems like an illusive dream. For those who scoff at the idea, it seems unproductive. For those of us living it, it seems like a delicate aerobatic show that dazzles the other two groups. The fancy footwork being to keep your home life and work life balanced. Here are a few ways to mix up your remote working while still keeping it fresh, productive and happy.

5. Go to a coffee shop.

Like to sip a brew and work? Heading to your local coffee shop can be a rewarding experience in a few ways. If you like coffee and already have all your supplies at home, don’t skip this one and just sit at home with your cup. Getting out in public, interactive with people and seeing different sights can activate thoughts you wouldn’t have otherwise had. Plus the caffeine will probably help speed things up right?

4. Pop something in the oven.

So it’s crunch time, your planning on eating whatever quick snack is around the house and skipping lunch. Not a problem really, I do it all the time. Sometimes things just have to get done. Now instead of just snacking and going, how about taking 10 minutes and throwing in a easy-baking dish for later? There are tons of recipes that allow you to set it and then reap tasty benefits later. If you are single this is nice for having a reward for yourself at the end of the day, however healthy or unhealthy you like it. If you have a spouse or kids this will serve as a great preemptive move to save you energy LATER and make you a hero in the process.

3. Crazy remote working.

No, do not go crazy. I mean real remote work. So remote you will probably need a 4g cellular hotspot. This a pretty extreme thing and I certainly have not tried it. Either way with the right equipment and a table you could have an office in the middle of a field or forest. Not sure how many people would like this, I would, but it is always an idea.

2. Work around other work-at-home-ers.

Another good way to get fresh ideas, stay social and still get things done is working around other remote workers. This can actually include friends who work from home, co-working spaces or anywhere someone else is doing work. This almost touches on why coffee shops serve as prime collaboration territory.

1. Work-cation

This is one I want to try. As we get comfortable in our cities and workplaces it might often be a good idea to get out. Along with getting a little distance, people can also get a different perspective on problems. I wonder how we might better approach things if you where sitting in a leaned back chair looking out on water, as opposed to a grey room with fluorescent lighting.

I hope you enjoyed a few tips on keeping your remote work life fun. Hopefully it helped you and you can have an even better remote work experience. Feel free to comment and thanks for reading!

Life

A Proper Introduction

May 9, 2015

I’m Victor Fuentes, a designer, developer, artist and musician who loves all things creative. I’m a front-end engineer over at Continu, a SF based startup. When not turning out code and contributing to building a great product I love exploring nature, recording music and shooting pictures.