Jonathan Martin
Archive for May 2011
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10 Tips for College Freshmen
~ by Jonathan Martin
LaJoie Ward and James Lex put together a nice list of 50 Dos and Don’ts for college students (primarily prospective/current freshmen) — I had some thoughts of my own on the topic, so I have compiled my little list of advice.
Although it was two years ago, I remember well the sense of insecurity that loomed in the weeks preceding my first taste of college.
Most of the anxiety died after the first couple days of class, but there was still much unfamiliarity with the system that kept my caution index high. Thanks in particular to a dear friend and a double-portion of God’s grace, I have managed to survive both my freshman and sophomore years.
So, what have I learned from these past four semesters? Arc length, line integrals (curve more like), basic quantum mechanics, why electromagnetic waves propagate at the speed of light, the role of quantized energy states and the Schrodinger equation in preventing the collapse of the atom, why the capitalistic model is efficient, how not to cite an email conversation, …
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Rails 3: Forcing SSL
~ by Jonathan Martin
Once again, I found myself beating my way through a website todo, and again I painfully managed to complete the task. Perhaps I can spare you some of that pain with this discussion of SSL.
A nice convenience with the price of two late nights spent forcing my way through the seemingly most ridiculous bugs. What objective snatched away those precious hours of sleep?
Forcing SSL. That’s it. I implemented an administrator interface to my blog so I can easily post, comment, etc. (or else I’d never get time to write) however I was bugged every time I saw the basic http auth dialog with its warning: Your password will be sent unencrypted.
Naturally, I’m a conspiracy theorist and anticipate some foreign nation overtaking my blog and using it to bring about the end of the world (ok not really). However, having to type in
https://every time I want to securely do my magic jumbo gets really irritating, and too many times have I authenticated without SSL. Way too many times. -
ENGL 1102: Insatiable Desire
~ by Jonathan Martin
Time for essay recap no. 2! I wrote this essay in February for an english assignment examining that peculiar (pesky more like!) characteristic of human nature: insatiable desire (that means you never are satisfied). Being a secular school, all the non-believers had their work cut out for them — as for myself, I had a head start on the topic!
Insatiable Desire: Romantic Depiction, Cultural Demands, or Realistic Nature?
Parents are well acquainted with the phenomenon — the week after Christmas their young toddlers and pre-teen kids, who had already enjoyed a spoilsome season, are forthwith drawn into the never-ending cycle of “if I get that toy, I’ll be happy forever.” Adults as well are befuddled by their ravenous desire for alternative (typically “better” to their understanding) circumstances and possesions. Yi-Fu Tuan verbalizes this peculiar trait of human nature: “Human beings have been and continue to be profoundly restless. For one reason or another, they are not content with being where they are. They move, or if they stay in one place, they seek to rearrange that place.”
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Ruby on Rails: Top 10 Gems
~ by Jonathan Martin
After developing a number of Rails 3 apps, I’ve come to build up a list of “prerequisite” gems that I must install before I decide to include anything else.
Without further ado, here are my top 10 must have gems for RESTful, DRY development.
simple_form
Let’s face it: as awesome as Rails is, form building is not exactly its forte. That’s why I recommend
simple_form, a gem that makes form partials a breeze to customize, generate, and understand. With support for native I18n, inline validations, nested models, extensive options, and unbeatable customization,simple_formis a serious deal for forms.