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{33} Time Machines, Typescript & Procreate

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{33} Time Machines, Typescript & Procreate

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

Dane Lyons
Feb 24
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{33} Time Machines, Typescript & Procreate

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Product: Time Machine

Nikita Bier

Twitter avatar for @nikitabier
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?
4:55 AM ∙ Feb 24, 2023
534Likes23Retweets

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.


Typescript: Tutorial

Joe Previte

Twitter avatar for @jsjoeio
Joe Previte @jsjoeio
I am stoked this is ready. My second TypeScript tutorial is out now. And it's free! 🧵
screenshot of "build a typescript project from scratch" tutorial from typescriptcourse.com
8:04 PM ∙ Feb 16, 2023
1,468Likes212Retweets

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.


API: REST Tips

Rapid

Twitter avatar for @Rapid_API
Rapid @Rapid_API
REST API development tips 👇 { 1 / 6 }
Rapid Comic: REST API development tips
1:00 PM ∙ Feb 24, 2023
918Likes198Retweets
Twitter avatar for @Rapid_API
Rapid @Rapid_API
{ 2 / 6 }
Always name resources consistently. Following a naming pattern will allow users of your API to assume endpoint names, making it easier to use and much more structured. As a best practice rule for naming endpoints, always use nouns to name and not verbs, and always use plural nouns for resource collections to clearly indicate that the endpoint contains multiple resources.
1:00 PM ∙ Feb 24, 2023
30Likes3Retweets
Twitter avatar for @Rapid_API
Rapid @Rapid_API
{ 3 / 6 }
Pagination and filtering are two great techniques you can use to enhance your API's performance. Particularly with APIs with large databases, data retrieval can be slow. To combat this you can apply pagination which sorts data out into manageable pages instead of delivering one large dataset. 
Another important tip is to secure your API well. API data can be vulnerable to various attacks, so if your API deals with sensitive data, security is the number one priority. You should apply various security measures to minimize risks and not just one type. Trusted authentication methods include OAuth and API Keys. Basic HTTP authentication should be avoided.
1:00 PM ∙ Feb 24, 2023
25Likes1Retweet
Twitter avatar for @Rapid_API
Rapid @Rapid_API
{ 4 / 6 }
Rate Limiting is another very important technique to apply to your API because it acts as a defense mechanism against request overload. Rate limiting limits the number of calls a user can make to your API per period. If the call rate is exceeded, the user will have their connection blocked and must either wait for more calls or pay for more. This is very useful in cases where you might receive a request influx (bot attack/ DoS attacks) that if left alone, can overload your API with traffic and render it useless.
1:00 PM ∙ Feb 24, 2023
25Likes3Retweets
Twitter avatar for @Rapid_API
Rapid @Rapid_API
{ 5 / 6 }
When structuring your API, it's important to think of the relationship of each resource to the other and build an API with a clear resource hierarchy. This makes the use of your API easier and the structure easier to comprehend. 
When errors occur in your API requests or responses, you should make sure to include HTTP status codes in error responses. Doing this allows users to understand the issue, diagnose the problem, and fix it more quickly. Without this additional error information, your API responses are difficult to understand and their user-friendliness decreases.
1:00 PM ∙ Feb 24, 2023
22Likes2Retweets
Twitter avatar for @Rapid_API
Rapid @Rapid_API
{ 6 / 6 }
As a final tip, thoroughly plan and create documentation, and do not overlook it as part of the API building process. Well-written documentation is vital for others to be able to understand how it works, how they can implement it, and how to solve any issues that may occur as they use it. It should act as a user manual, and a first point of call should they have any questions about your API. 
Good documentation should include info on endpoints, methods, and parameter options. It should provide code snippet examples in various programming languages, debugging details for common errors, an FAQ section, and links to external resources if required. Don't forget to also keep documentation updated as your API evolves!
1:00 PM ∙ Feb 24, 2023
23Likes1Retweet

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.


Steve Jobs: A Good Life

James Leighton

Twitter avatar for @JamesL1927
James Leighton @JamesL1927
In 1994 STEVE JOBS shares this great tip for how to live a good life.
3:44 PM ∙ Feb 24, 2023
32Likes9Retweets

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.


Procreate: Shadows and Highlights

BeeJayDeL

Twitter avatar for @beejaydel
BeeJayDeL @beejaydel
Procreate Tips #21: Adding Shadows & Highlights in Procreate! #procreateapp #procreateart #procreate #tutorial
5:37 PM ∙ Feb 21, 2023
41Likes5Retweets

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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{33} Time Machines, Typescript & Procreate

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Austin Pocus
Writes The Pocus Files
Feb 25Liked by Dane Lyons

Regarding Typescript, I think you're a little off the mark. For me, I think Typescript is a tool that helps me wrap my head around just what exactly is going through my JS code. There's so many various shapes objects can take, and it actually speeds up my development if I can know up front what the data going through my code will look like.

More generally, the tools I use need to match how I'm thinking through a problem. Maybe your brain is more JS-oriented, and mine is more Typescript-oriented? I don't know. I just know that TS can help correct this impedance mismatch I have between my brain and JS, and through that lens, I think it's useful even for a brand new prototype project, not just rock solid production-level code. It helps me stay organized and think through problems.

It's also worth mentioning that typing with Typescript can be incremental, that you don't have to type absolutely everything up front. So you can add types where it makes sense, where the pain points are in your code. The example that immediately comes to mind is date/time parsing and formatting -- I mean, how many different formats can a date/time go through?

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