{33} Time Machines, Typescript & Procreate

Featuring Nikita Bier, Joe Previte, Rapid, James Leighton, and BeeJayDeL

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Product: Time Machine

Nikita Bier

Nikita Bier @nikitabier

If you had a time machine, which product would you go back to build, believing that you could out-execute the original founder?

This is an interesting thought experiment to start the day. It’s tempting to look at cases where hindsight is 20/20. What products were on the cusp of greatness only to be realized by key discoveries in future competitive iterations? There are plenty of examples during the dot-com bubble. Ebay comes to mind. That product certainly could have benefitted from future Amazon and Shopify improvements.

It’s also very tempting to go with a more altruistic approach. Could we have a better internet today if the people who created foundational technologies such as Javascript had a clearer idea of how it would eventually be used? Absolutely.

A better internet would be nice, but that might be small potatoes compared to improvements over a longer period of time. What about environment-centric opportunities? What if someone were to introduce modern lithium-ion batteries to the first electric cars built in the late 1800s? Maybe it’s possible electric vehicles could have outcompeted the combustion engine. If so, how would that change CO2 emissions over 150 years? It wouldn’t have solved the problem. But we’d likely be better off.

Ultimately, I’d probably choose an opportunity that balances altruism with a financial upside. I’m not a math wizard, so pulling this off would be damn hard. I’m assuming in this alternate reality that I’d be allowed to restructure my education as needed. I would have introduced the proof-of-stake consensus protocol to Bitcoin. It would have been far more environmentally friendly. And it would have changed the entire trajectory of crypto.

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Typescript: Tutorial

Joe Previte

Joe Previte @jsjoeio

I am stoked this is ready. My second TypeScript tutorial is out now. And it's free! 🧵

Speaking of a better version of Javascript 👆, here is a tutorial by Joe Previte on Typescript.

I’ve long been in the camp of knowing Typescript is theoretically better than Javascript. But because I prefer to work in very small teams (often solo) and 100% reliability isn’t an absolute necessity, I prefer Javascript. I find it easier to deal with an occasional random type quirk than to continually write verbose code to disambiguate and make type a non-issue.

I know my take is frustrating to Typescript enthusiasts. It’s probably a variation of an excuse they hear all the time. But imagine if the English language required strict type declarations for parts of speech.

This sentence:
I want a glass of water.

Turns into this abomination:
I:pronoun want:verb a:determiner glass:noun of:preposition water:noun.

I suppose the second sentence is less ambiguous, even though the first sentence was entirely straightforward. Still, I’m not anti-Typescript. Reducing ambiguity is a good thing when it comes to running programming languages. I just wish we could achieve that more concisely. I look forward to whatever JS and TS evolve into.

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API: REST Tips

Rapid

Rapid @Rapid_API

REST API development tips 👇 { 1 / 6 }

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Nice list of API tips! I’ve certainly been tempted to use verbs in API endpoints instead of nouns. As a refresher, the type of request you make should determine what you are doing with the resource.

GET - Retrieves a resource.
PUT - Updates a resource.
POST - Creates a resource.
DELETE - Removes a resource.

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Steve Jobs: A Good Life

James Leighton

James Leighton @JamesL1927

In 1994 STEVE JOBS shares this great tip for how to live a good life.

I hate that Steve Jobs was too much of an authoritarian. That toxic inspiration has plagued startups for years. But you can’t deny that Steve put out some brilliant quotes. This is a prime example. The fact that the world around us was built by regular people should be a daily source of inspiration.

There is no reason to be held back by imposter syndrome or any other artificial constraint. Your peers are better than you in some areas and worse in others. We all belong. We all have something to contribute.

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Procreate: Shadows and Highlights

BeeJayDeL

BeeJayDeL @beejaydel

Procreate Tips #21: Adding Shadows & Highlights in Procreate! #procreateapp #procreateart #procreate #tutorial

Adding shadows and highlights is so satisfying. The small tip I love in this video is that you don’t need to add pure black or white for shadows and highlights. Adding a dark purple and then dropping the opacity to blend can bring shadows to life.

A designer should put out flat layered designs for people to practice highlighting. Then everyone can share their work and learn from techniques used by other designers.

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