#learning-to-code

[hkthatgffan]

ALEX PLEASE! I CAN'T TAKE HANDLE THIS MUCH BABY BILL CONTENT IN ONE YEAR! 😭🥺

"These horrible wretched babies birthed from the pen of Emmy Cicierega."

[maibeloved]

Guess who is back in their gravity falls phase! (After it being dormant for almost a decade!)

[ajastu]

[Rook voice] maybe if you had some friends you'd calm down 🙄

[dromologue]

How did our up-skilling initiative take off?One year ago, when I just joined TheFork, I brought in a new idea and made a proposal to the managing team in order to promote knowledge sharing across the organization. The initial plan was about to make our working environment a better place for technical experts: software engineers! In my humble opinion, they are often neglected in terms of up-skilling.One of the reasons is that HR are often not technical enough to support career path of Software Engineers. The second reason is that the software engineering field is very demanding, such to steadily keep learning new stuffs. Another reason is that teams are bumping into situations where they do not have the appropriate skills, either because of technology evolving, or because they do not have the right knowledge or experience.I believed launching an up-skilling initiative would bring positive change to the organization: making people feel we care about them, leverage people’s skills so that others can benefit from them. But also helping teams to improve their efficiently and enforce quality. And at last to get engineers up to speed when we adopt new technology.How did it start?After discussing with my manager and some colleagues, I was more and more convinced that we should move forward. As the direction and people at TheFork are quite open-minded to listen, care about people’s well-being, and had quality enforcement in mind, things went smoothly.The first thing we needed was a success story. Luckily, a Principal Engineer and I had the opportunity to do a business trip to our team in Buenos Aires. With my colleague Laurent, we took the opportunity to deliver some training sessions there on Clean Coding, testing practices and DDD. And we used it as proof of concept for our proposal.I then presented a formal proposal to the CTO and Engineering Directors,. They were happily very positive about the initiative and urged us to move forward. We then had to figure out our next steps, as thing needed to be tailored to our management style and to how people organize their day-to-day work.The first step was a success, with a GO to move forward.The movement had been kickstarted, and we now had to get more people involved and gain traction.Who to involve?From the very beginning, I thought it would great to build a core team and identify a few ambassadors to ensure we interact properly with local teams.Note that TheFork is a multi-national company with most teams located in Western Europe, namely Spain, Italy, Portugal and France.I then spread the words to engineering managers and engineers through management and guild meetings, and invited people to reach out to us if they are open to contribute.We then built a core team with 4 people including myself, and have identified about 9 others willing to act as ambassadors.However, the real challenge was not facilitating but the content.The ChallengeThe biggest challenge of all on the long run lies in delivering sessions for the living community of the Engineering Academy. We first needed to identify relevant topics. And then the speakers willing to produce and present the presenting material.Besides that, we also need to communicate well to every engineer, to make sure they understand the mission of the Academy, what value we can provide to them and what they can do to help. So we built a Notion page for people to get access to the content: a summary of previous and upcoming sessions, recordings, prerequisites, etc.The MissionI know I repeat a bit myself, still I believe it’s important to have clear purpose and objectives:To enable engineers to acquire the skills required to get the job well doneThere are multiple occasions when this in necessary:When we adopt a new language, framework, tool or practiceWhen a new joiner doesn’t master 100% of our tech stackWhen someone changes role in the organisationWhen the organisation takes the decision to changeWhen our ecosystem evolvesAnd lately, we have set a second mission.To foster our culture on technical innovation & excellenceWhat defines a topic we organise an Academy session about?Architecture, Technology and Design exploration tied to our field, e.g. a tool that we don’t use currently but might be important in the futureEngineering practices we want all engineers to master, such as TDDEnabling change, following decisions we took e.g. Datadog training or presenting our new Design SystemWith clear missions, we can roll out our plan. But we need to structure our work and define severals concepts for better communication, as communication is key to make the Academy a success.Concepts and DefinitionsEach topic proposed to the Engineering Academy belongs to one of the following categories:Masterclass : is a presentation format to talk about fundamentals, the theoretical part of a technical topic.Banana : is a short sharing session. Within a banana, many things could be done, such as a simple sharing around an article like a tech watch or a ‘mate have you seen this?’. It can also be a kata or a presentation of one topicWorkshop : an interactive session where participants are actors and contribute to make the session a workshop. A facilitator is still required to make sure things are moving on smoothly.We also defined or leveraged the following concepts:SHU-HA-RI : describes the stage of learning to mastery:SHU — Discovering — I want to learn more ;HA — Up-skilling — I want to improve ; RI — Mentoring — I can and want to teach or mentor othersContent : materialized content that provides knowledge for one to up-skilling on a specific topic. The materialized content could be just slides, article, guideline, video/recording, workshop, snippet or link to a repository.Session : is the event at a point of time, with a duration (typically 1h), animated by a speaker, using some material.And recently, we started leveraging the 360learning platform to host learning paths and courses, where the content can take different shapes (slides, Notion pages, Github repositories, etc.).How do we run it?As a core team member, the recurring work that we have is quite simple:Inquire for topics to deliver session, via surveys and manager’s meeting, needs is are them filled in the SHU-HA-RI database.Coach public speakers, helping them to be more confortable and efficient in presenting the content.We have defined a guide to help each speaker in preparing the presentation, and during the presentation. That guide includes :A timeline guide, from 2 weeks before the presentation date until the day following the presentation : review content, rehearsal, reminder, feedback, debrief…A checklist (before, during and after) : slides, sound check, communication, feedbacks, recording…Tips to improve slides: how to start, agenda, quiz…Now that it’s been about six months return on experience, we have delivered 16 sessions with various topics:Investigating memory leaksPrometheusNode Platform 101 (our shared node.js libraries for backend microservices)Next.Js 101Docker 101React Native 101Feature flipping engineLaunchDarklyKubernetes 101Temporal introductionDatadog introductionEnterprise Architecture @ TheForkFigma working with variablesWorking with Figma and dev modeWrite code without if statementsHow about Serverless?The onboarding for new joinersAs a bonus, we have re-structured, upgraded and simplified our onboarding process. We now have a 1 week initial onboarding session, followed by quarterly onboarding sessions.The goal of this split was to find the right balance between managing the effort for speakers and more importantly setting the right pace for new joiners. They need to acquire the right information without being overwhelmed by information they’ll forget instantly.We shortened some sessions, filtering out the less important content, and simplified the process. Our current onboarding experience is improved with a better focus on the most impactful content. That way, new joiners are up and running quicker with a toolbox of necessary information.What are the benefits for TheFork?This initiative provides quite a few benefits for the organization and to the people from the within.As mentioned earlier, one of the positive impact for the organization is that it support technology shifts. There are multiple examples such as the adoption of NextJs, the migration to DataDog and the introduction to Temporal. When we onboard new team members, the onboarding experience is very much enhanced, more efficient and the up-skilling is more accurate.Besides that, the people individually benefits from the Academy in terms of up-skilling. Participants increase their knowledge. For each session being planned, prepared and delivered, the facilitator helps and coaches each speaker on multiple aspects: content, flow of presentation, gestures and focus. We have even defined a guide with a checklist for the facilitator support the speaker from start to the end. As a result, speakers improve their public speaking skills.What can we do next?We have until now delivered several masterclass sessions with exclusively presentations and live demos. This year, we would like to move forward with a new proposition, which is to propose more hands-on workshops on top of what we are already delivering. That means people would learn more concrete technical skills. This next step would require some support from directors and managers as each session will require more than just a ‘one hour’ session.Wrap upI think the efforts put into making this initiative a success are worth it. After all, I like sharing knowledge, and I like helping others to capture things and benefits from other’s return on experience. And I’m not the only one! Seniors engineers are likely to have a lot to share with juniors, and show them the way.The intent of writing this article is not to tell you that you should build an Academy within your company. But maybe it could be useful! Remember it all depends on the size and momentum of your organization.I hope you enjoyed reading this article.To read more stuff from passionate Forkies, you may pick one the articles below :The questions I did NOT ask myself, by Sylvain BannierEmbracing decision making, by Jhonny El HelouWhich low-code platform choose to build your internal tools, by Olivier LaurendeauExperimenting with a new way to shape up at TheFork, by Emile LegendreCreating a unified feature flip engine, by Lisa OgrenThe Engineering Academy at TheFork was originally published in TheFork Engineering Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

[redthemarten]

Lil' bro is smarter than you expected.

[chloesimaginationthings]

Michael teaches Gregory the old FNAF technique

[sadagios]

self indulgent doodle of scarian as characters from a comic i made in 2022 to cheer myself up

[nonglukest]

스키즈 방범대 (SKZ Neighborhood Watch) #1｜[SKZ CODE] Ep.61

Impressive tongue roll

[a-compass-without-a-needle]

This is what happened after 3.1 isn't it?

[samcarpenters]

do you get it

[anbaisai]

Love languages

Happy Valentine's Day! ❤

[fables-if]

The Night of Ataegina and Betatun

A high fantasy interactive fiction story based on Spanish mythology, folklore, and paganism. Set in modern-day Spain. Most locations and all the characters are fictional, except the type of fae that will be seen during the story.

Summary:

After leaving Imeria during your eighteen birthday to chase your dreams and college education, you return to the little village in Southern Europe that saw you grow up after receiving the horrible news that Caterina, the old woman that took you in after the death of your family and your adoptive grandma (or yaya, as you call her), is terminally ill and has a few months left.

During your return, Imeria is set in motion to host an ancient festival and masquerade. It’s supposed to honor two ancient Iberian deities, one called Ataegina, ruler of the underworld, and the other one Betatun, deity of fertility. Most Imerians don’t believe in the ancient legends but those who do, like Catelina say that it’s the most dangerous night of the year because the frontier between the mortal and the magic realm is so thin anything can happen. 

Returning home under the threat of Caterina dying is already hard enough, but will you be able to adapt back into Imeria and rekindle old friendships or form new ones? Will you uncover the deep and rich history of your home and the old magic it carries? 

We shall discover it all very soon.

Features:

Customizable mc: Gender, pronouns, and physical appearance

Build friendship or romance with four characters.

Learn more about Spain's folklore and pagan traditions. Uncover your family history and your abilities.

Develop your MC's personality as you go

Two characters are gender locked but you can choose the gender identity of the other two

Your choices can't be undone and will have consequences.

Characters:

Caterina: An older woman, well into her 80s who took in the MC after most of her family died. She doesn’t seem to have a family of her own, or at least that’s what Mc believes. Caterina has a sweet disposition, always up for helping anybody. She raised MC with the stories of the folklore of their village, so she will always know how to honor the traditions of Imeria. MC doesn’t remember very well what she did for a living but she used to do fortune and tarot reading for some villagers and they usually came to her for advice and help. 

Ana: She runs The Golden Apothecary, a small store where she sells traditional remedies. Her family has run the Apothecary forever, and it’s considered a family craft. Ana has golden shoulder-length wavy hair, almond ocean-blue eyes, and a button nose. She’s no taller than 167cm, with a voluptuous body and soft features. Ana is in her late 20s to early 30s.

Personality-wise, Ana is soft-spoken, sweet, and very open-minded. She strikes to accept everyone with open arms, as long as they’re good people. Unfortunately, some individuals mistake Ana’s kindness with weakness, which is untrue. Ana is extremely smart, stubborn, and strong-minded, she’s always kind but only to those who deserve it. She can be a lot to reckon with if she deems you a bad person. Ana dreams of seeing the world but there is something tying her to Imeria.

Supernatural or not (spoiler):

Ana is a Xana, a river spirit that helps those she finds worthy by offering them pure water or gold. Some people believe that Xanas interchange human babies with fairy babies. As a river spirit, Ana can’t be apart from her river or she’ll suffer horrible consequences.  She met Caterina when Caterina was a young maiden and bathed in her river. Ana saw the purity of her soul and gifted her magic. Xanas are mythological creatures that originate from Asturias, a northern region of Spain with strong Celtic influences.

Anne, An or Antón: Anne/An/Antón works on their family farm along with some of their siblings. The Zamora’s farm supplies Imeria with its fresh produce. Everyone knows the family since they’re a happy and amicable bunch. Anne/An/Antón is pretty tall, around 185cm, they have wide shoulders, a big frame, tan skin and are chubby. The shape of their face is round, with little freckles, big green eyes, long eyelashes, and a hooked nose. They have short straight brown hair and are a bit hairy.. Their voice is deep and loud, almost booming, exactly like their laugh. Anne/An/Antón is super extroverted, knows everybody in the village, and has a sunny and sweet disposition. They are super strong, from all the physical labor but their secret hobby crocheting, they’re always making little dolls for the children of the village or making clothes. In general, they’re super well-liked and have a golden heart. Anne/An/Antón is the MC's childhood best friend and neighbor. Unfortunately, after leaving Imeria they didn’t keep in touch. Anne/An/Antón is 25 years old. 

Supernatural or not:

Anne/An/Antón is an Ome, a mountain spirit, and a giant made of rock that turns into mountains after living for many centuries. Their whole family is made of Omes graznidos. Omes Graznidos are a type of mythological creature that originates from Aragón, a northeast region of Spain surrounded by mountains.

Diego, Diana, or Dix: Diego/Diana/Dix is new in Imeria, they have been living in the little village for less than a year. Nobody knows where they came from, they remain a bit of a mystery for everyone. They set up a popular lounge called “The Velvet Moon” in the middle of the village, very exclusive and chic which clashes with the rest of the decoration of Imeria. Still, the young Imerians love the place. They’re 31 years old but look slightly older. 

Diego/Diana/Dix is of average height, standing around 174cm, they’re pretty slender, with a petite frame and olive skin. They have an angular face, with sharp features, long shaggy black hair, and clear eyes that almost seem silver-colored. Diego/Diana/Dix keep mostly to themselves and can be seen riding their motorcycle around the village. They have a limp and can be seen using a cane. As mysterious as they are, they’re pretty talkative once you get to know them, and are very protective of those they love. Diego/Diana/Dix seems to be interested in the MC, since they’re always watching them, and seem to have a secret that they don’t want to share with anybody. They are very self-reliant, have learned to survive by themselves and have a hard time trusting others, but once you have earned their trust, they’re loyal to a fault. 

Rumors say they have a criminal past and are mixed with a bad crowd, but not everything seems as it is.  

Supernatural or not (spoilers):

Diego/Diana/Dix takes the form of a giant spectral dog, with long black hair and a permanent limp, which is called dip by Spanish folklore. They’re supposed to be emissaries from the devil and they suck the blood of the livestock at night. However, not all legends tell the entire truth. 

Bingen: Bingen lives in the forests near Imeria, where he has a small cottage and a little bit of land where he has a vegetable patch. Bingen is a well-known journalist for online newspapers. He’s an ecologist, and his coverage is mostly about the natural world and ecologism. 

Bingen barely sets foot in Imeria, he is auto-sufficient but he comes down to the village to visit Ana and her apothecary, and to buy a few things he needs.

Bingen has a square jaw with high cheekbones, sharp green eyes, and long blonde messy hair, usually kept in a braid. He has a sweet face with a straight nose, and round brown eyes that resemble a little lamb. He’s the tallest of the bunch, 1’90cm, very muscled from all the exercise, and has a big frame. He loves hiking and is very in touch with nature. Bingen has a hard time socializing, preferring being around animals and plants since he understands them better. He, as intimidating as he looks, is a sweetheart and really craves human connection. Bingen is not talkative but expresses his feelings and emotions through his actions. He might have a hard time telling you he cares about you but he’ll help you install furniture or will make you soup when you’re sick. He always shows up when you need him to.

Bingen recently led a rescue of a few teens who got lost in the forest and saved them from a wolf attack, since then a lot of the villagers have respected him a lot and brought little sweet treats to his cottage. He's in between 27-33 years old.

He has struck a friendship with Ana, who frequents the forest often.   

Supernatural or not (Spoilers):

Bingen is a Basajaún a creature that inhabits the forests of The Basque Country, Navarra, and some parts of Aragón. Basajaúns are described as giant hairy men who protect the livestock, and warn shepherds of wolfs during the night. Basajaúns are seen as protectors of the forest but also creatures of great strength and kinda dangerous. 

Rami: A green weasel-like creature, with a long and flexible body, similar to a snake, and little tusks. They’re friendly and sweet and help guide the MC during their adventure. Rami’s fur has healing qualities. 

Extra:

This project is made by an absolute amateur in coding so it's going to take a long time. I have been writing since forever so I trust in my ability to create a good and entertaining story and I hope you guys stay for the ride.

The Night of Ataegina and Betatún is also going to be a surprise gift for a dear friend of mine who absolutely loves Interactive fiction and this project (if I get to finish it;_;) might be the way I ask her out since we both harbor strong feelings for each other. So let's hope she doesn't find out about the project before it's time.

[hyunpic]

daily gifs until hyune day: what can’t he do? — talented singer-songwriter, rapper, dancer, choreographer, producer, model. some other talents including: swimming, football, painting/drawing, pottery & photography: “the moment i realize, oh, i can love this too! my world expands. if i keep discovering new things that i enjoy, there’s no end to it. who knows? maybe three years from now, i’ll be completely obsessed with fishing. just imagine how happy i’d be watching the fish swimming in the water! thinking about what i might come to love in the future makes me look forward to tomorrow a little more”

[chemicalbrew]

friendship ended with <style> my new best friend is <span class=''>