Daily Microblog

Perfection is the limitation.

Git is phenomenal.

I learnt today about doing several atomic commits and commenting, such that it makes it easier for collaborators to understand. It enables them to understand how the code base branches out or evolves.

Everything is recorded and can be recovered at a whim

Deepsource

Deepsource is an amazing service that runs tests across your repositories. In those repositories, the code gets analyzed, and if there are errors or poor practices it reports that to you.
And that too with great solutions and examples.

There is a feature called “Autofix”, but I haven't tried it yet.

Spent half of the day yesterday, refining (refactoring) my JavaScript code. Along the way I learnt so much about JS too. It's like art.

Assumed Audience

I learnt something new from the incredible Maggie Appleton. And that's the "Assumed Audience" callout used before any article.
It removes the burden from the writer's shoulders. Now they need not write for everyone. Having a clear picture of whom they are writing for is gold.

Breaks are healthy

I didn't write anything today. Sometimes one doesn't need to express. Just Be!

The App Is Here 🎉

The Web Weather App is live!

Check it out on this website or you can see it on CodePen.

_{Web Mockup Vectors by Vecteezy}

Some Figma Magic 🕴

I created the mockups in Figma.

• Creating masking edges and realistic reflections challenged me at first.
• It seems the challenge made it more enjoyable.

_{💡   I saved this project as a template for future mockups. All the effort is always worth it.}

Lessons learned along the way:

• You can always use what you build and convert them into different forms of media.
• Documenting the process while creating something reinforces it in your mind.
• One of the quickest and most effective ways to learn is via teaching.
• Teach a rubber duck if there is no one around who'll listen. See the rubber ducking method for more details in this Medium Article by Katie Brouwers and in this Wikipedia Article.

_{⚡️   See the Pen Web Weather App by Lloyd Lobo (@lloydlobo) on CodePen.}

More Features ✨

There is one new feature I'd like to integrate. And that is to change the background to the destination the user sets.

So if one types ⌨️ "Bali", then a random beautiful picture of Bali shows up as the 🏖 background image.

Credits 🙏 👏

• Project Guide: Jonah Lawrence • Dev Pro Tips
• Icons by svgrepo.com
• Background Images by the awesome unsplash.com

Added API functions to the weather app

Final code for today—script.js

How it began

Define function "weather"

Steps:

• Copy API Key from Open Weather Maps
• Type let weather = { apiKey: "YOUR-API-KEY", };

• let weather = { 
    apiKey: "YOUR-API-KEY", 
  };
  

Use API Documentation for "API Calls"

Steps:

• Copy the API Call URL from Open Weather Map's "Built-in API request by city name".

• api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q={city name}&appid={API key}
  

• Paste the URL in your browser's search bar.
• It may show an error if you just created that API. It takes time (around 30min to 60min). Have patience pad-wan.
• 
• Go have some coffee or tea if you like that.
• Ok, 30-60 mins are up. Time to refresh and let's see what we have here.
• 
• Isn't that awesome!?

Add the functions to script.js - It is JavaScript Time

• Final code as of now:

  • let weather = {
    apiKey: "e0e09750f52faa72ead259c3bdf495f6",
    fetchWeather: function (city) {
    fetch(
      "https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q=" +
        city +
        "&units=metric&appid=" +
        this.apiKey
    )
      .then((response) => response.json())
      .then((data) => this.displayWeather(data));
    },
    displayWeather: function (data) {
    const { name } = data;
    const { icon, description } = data.weather[0];
    const { temp, humidity } = data.main;
    const { speed } = data.wind;
    console.log(name, icon, description, temp, humidity, speed);
    },
    };
    

• Change {city name} to city and call city as a function.
• Separate for clarity with +.
• For &apiid={API key}, add it as this.apiKey.
• It will look something like this:

• fetchWeather: function (city) {
    fetch(
      "https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q=" +
        city +
        "&units=metric&appid=" +
        this.apiKey
    )
  

Git Branches Naming Conventions

22:31 -> Working on an article for naming conventions of git branches

API Sunday

16:51 ->

Started adding the API today from Open Weather Map.
The code looks something like this:

• 🖱 Click here to open me!

  
• After generating the API call, it took somewhere around 30-60 minutes for it to display
• Now, off to learning about the various functions, the Open Weather Map's API Docs has
.

The Code So Far...

index.html

style.css

script.js

Learning Emmet, React Icons, and Conventional Commits. It's amazing.

It reminds me of the first time I learned to drive with less hesitation.

It was love at first sight. I saw a tutorial for a weather checking app. The video focuses on JavaScript. The teacher went over his thought process while building the Web App.

And then it struck me. It happened! It blew my mind to see the possibilities of JS combined with HTML and CSS.

Appreciating apps like Zapier and ITTT is splendid. Yet, knowing what goes under the hood is even greater. It's fascinating to see the underlying principles that govern the workings of an app.

I can't even fathom how, in the future, we'll understand the beauty of living bodies. Then we may appreciate our being alive and, finally, our being aware.

12:02: I have been warming up my body with some football cardio practice.

• It seems the body is ready for some cardio kickboxing work.
• I had a 10-minute session today and enjoyed it.
• I need to work on my stamina.

12:04: Looking to contribute to "The Odin Project" by being a Grammar Nazi!

23:54: Contributing to open-source projects is so much fun. You know, your tiny little contribution is like a ripple effect.

• It affects the countless people who will come into contact with that service or product.
• The perks of contributing are the joy of the work itself.
  • The bonus to this is the goodwill towards a growing community.
  • It's so satisfying to up the ante of a project while making it the best that it can be.

Update: I never imagined that tinkering with the README.md file on GitHub would be so fun.

I noticed something while looking at popular README's which surprised me. The most accomplished ones had short and sweet ones. They don't have to shout out about their achievements or virtues.

When newbies are starting out, they feel they have to peacock. Success stems from being a certain way and less from what you do.

When one aligns with universal principles, success knocks at the doors. There's no time delay for success. Although in the material world, the emergence appears to take time.

Update: Learning about Netlify, Gatsby, Web Monetization, Web3, Forem, Uphold.com, Crypto, etc. The list goes on and on.

Learn the Foundations First

Need to get back to learning foundations

The more I start to get into the advanced stuff, the more complex it starts to become it seems. I need to dial back down. And continue the journey of learning the foundations.

MVP: Minimum Viable Product

I came across this video and had to grab a screenshot of it.

Source: The Futur - Make The Minimum Viable Product

.. one picture is worth a thousand words. — Fred R. Barnard

Side note: Henrik Ibsen first said "A thousand words leave not the same deep impression as does a single deed." After his death in 1906 this quote was plagiarized and para-phrased into what we know now. Source

Starting and building a prototype and something usable is the key. This simple picture resolves the plight of wandering the web looking for the next best thing. Iterating on it as the demand increases or evolves may bring the best result. dilemma

• Adopting best practices is smart.
• It's less smart to copy an entire framework without the necessary know-how or hands-on experience.

Don't perform high jumps till you have mastered the smaller ones. — Someone Smart

Exciting World

The web world is so exciting nonetheless. 🕺

The first step is the hardest.

The second is harder than before when the novelty has worn off.

Is it to do with how the mind perceives achievement as a source of lasting happiness? harder

1. Achievements: A Fools Errand

What is an achievement?

Has one gained anything?

Misidentifying learning with gain or loss seems to be the error in this line of questioning.

2. Learn: Don't look out for gain

The attitude of learning trumps the craving for gain or loss aversion.

In the first step to any pursuit, one seeks it out due to curiosity.

When that pursuit bears fruit, a person assumes enjoyment experienced as a cause due to doing.

What if we see it differently? How one is with that activity as it cycles from something to something. I say "something" because the doing (activity) is either completed or uncompleted.

For example, a seedling becomes a plant. It was always complete in and of itself.

This brings us to the next point...

3. The Joy Of Learning

As discussed above, when one looks at the plant, the joy of being as it is, is the prize.

The seedling took the first step and sprouted. It then emerged over time, learning to flow with the elements of Nature. It does so either in a Yin or a Yang way.

Surprisingly, the Yang way comes about in a Yin manner. Or it would be resisting what is, i.e. Nature.

The plant didn't achieve anything as it is learning how to adapt. It is learning how to be one with the laws of Nature.

4. The Second Step

The second step is, thus, a constant evolution of learning. The lessons learned from the first step seems to help it.

The lessons could be:

1. The feedback
2. A variable result depending on present conditions and capabilities
3. Enthusiasm — A great predictor of the willingness to strive onwards

Takeaway

Keep going on. The unknowingness bears the best results. Focussing on being aware of doing the activity so brings joy.

The second step isn't hard to understand when we know where we are coming from. Does one want to gain something from it? (Apart from the physical needs of survival, companionship, security, food, and shelter.)

Or does one want to play the role which one is most suitable and gifted for?

What could it be? I don't know yet. A walk could help.

Writing every day is now like a detox ritual to me. It provides the opportunity to dump whatever is floating in the mind.

You start to become aware of everything you are holding onto. Isn't that wonderful?

Setting Principles

Before starting this journey, it's essential to set some ground rules. Yes, rules are meant, to be broken. Yet some principles do help to guide you onto the right path.

I like the quote: "Be aware of the trajectory and not the instant results".. May have paraphrased it a bit.

Avoiding Perfectionism

Writing doesn't have to be perfect. Good enough is good enough.

Lower the perfection bar, dial-it-down to 70%, and add 10% in the final edits.

Following Pareto's principle of 80/20 seems to be a great way to structure anything you are doing.

Takeaway

So, writing something every day, regardless of who reads it or what they think about it, is a way to humility.

You can always come back and edit it, refine it.