My 2014 reading list

In 2014 I have decided to do less consuming and more producing. But with the nature of the internet, you can't help but sometime read other stuff. Yes, the internet can be a huge waste of time. But let's not forget, there is some amazing content that make it all worthwhile.

Today, I decide to compile all the interesting stuff I discovered on the web in 2014. They are not necessarily made in 2014 but I discovered them this year.

I suggest you bookmark this page so you can comeback anytime with a nice cup of tea and free time. Trust me, some of those links will change your life for the best. So go ahead and bookmark, I'll be waiting.

Good, so here is the curated list in no particular order, enjoy!

Motherfucking Website.

A thought provoking approach to creating websites. I've always been a fan of lightweight website but I, too, too often fall into this design frenzy where I spend several days working on some fancy shmancy design that add nothing to the user experience. This is a post I read at least once a month to remind myself to take it easy on the design.

What is the best programming joke

I used to spend too much time on Stackoverflow. I am trying to stay away for a while because too much of anything is not good. In my stay away time I stumbled upon this great gem. Here is my favorite programmers joke:

so this programmer goes out on a date with a hot chick

Goodnight. Sleep Clean

There was a time, I considered sleep a waste of time. When you are doing exciting and crucial things, you don't want to stop. I slept 4 hours and woke up guilty. Grab my laptop and go back to work before the sun comes up. Eventually I started suffering the consequences. Well I suffered them many time because it takes more then one shock to teach me a lesson.

This article will help you understand the importance and benefits of a goodnight cleansing sleep.

Realistic terrain in 130 lines

This one is a cool things you can do with JavaScript. Creating a procedural terrain in only 130 lines of JavaScript

It's different for girls

Women in tech have a different experience. The problem is not just that there is a lack of women in the field, or that they get paid less. It's the other thing they have to deal with.

Amazing realtime render of skin in JavaScript

This freaks me out yet I can't stop staring. Everyday, I feel less and less like a JavaScript developer.

Enough

Great writing by Nathan Barry. No matter what start up or project you are working on, you have to accept the fact that not everything is worth a billion dollars. This is a good reminder to bring us back on our feet. Plan how much you want to make in a year, and try to reach one goal at a time.

When you do, sit back and relax. Enjoy it, we can't be spending all our life just running behind the money.

We Have Luxurious Jobs but We Are Not Aware of It

Many of us are struggling to get ourselves to do some work, especially from home. Plenty of us are bashing recruiters sending hundreds of copy pasted messages about the job opportunities. Those are frustrating problems.

However, we don’t see how many people would just love to have problems like that.

Most people won't

Most people won’t. Which means those that do, change everything.

There are many things that gave me the courage to quit my job. This article is one of them.

Fucking sue me

America is the land of the sued. It is true, you can get sued for trivial things. We are afraid to do anything in fear of getting sued. Sometimes, it's just an excuse we give ourselves to justify our cowardice.

I don't want you to try

“I tried to write a good book,” isn’t the same as, “I rewrote every chapter until it people couldn’t put it down.” “I tried to keep my marriage alive,” isn’t the same as: “I put my partner’s needs ahead of mine.” “I tried to get it done on time,” isn’t the same as: “I didn’t go to the concert last night, just so I could meet the deadline.”

Don't try. Do it.

Making your writing work harder for you

I have to be careful not to post every single article by Patrick McKenzie. I've read and re-read this post so many times. If you decided to write, then this is the article to start with. After you are done reading, please go through the rest of the website. You will come out a better person.

Moment

Another very positive article by Nathan Barry.

Unfortunately, most of the people who are in your position now won’t turn it into anything. The potential, just waiting to be seized, will be lost. No great lessons will be learned. No careers will be changed.

Seth Godin Keynote (Video)

I think this is the most important video I watched in my career. This video have altered the way I see everything. Marketing is no longer for marketers. Each and everyone of us is a brand. It's up to you to market yourself into success.

How to become someone worth talking about

Post was renamed to "How to Tell Your Story Online". Still valid.

Now, Google your name. Does your content come up? I hope it does. It’s your zero moment of truth.

This hurt me more than I care to admit.

The top 10 Web design mistakes of 1999

The only reason I post this today is because it could easily be renamed "The top 10 Web design mistakes of 2014".

Remember, This stuff is supposed to be fun

I quit my job because all the passion was gone. I couldn't convert from a passionate developer to average tie wearing code monkey. Fun doesn't mean you spend all day watching YouTube, that's what I did. Fun means working in an environment where people love what they do.

Nobody. Understands. Punctuation.

For those of us who are bad at writing, this is a refreshing essay. We can simply pretend that the nonsense we write is art.

English is a mutt of a language, inheriting ludicrously contradictory spellings and grammars from other languages. The fact that word and whirred are pronounced exactly the same while lead and lead sound different depending on what you mean (unless the former is in the past tense in which case it's spelled differently and pronounced like the latter) should tell us English is not so much a black tie affair as it is a soccer riot with a body count. But if we accept the chaos that informs the language, there's a lot of expressive power to be found.

Game Programming Patterns

Have you ever thought about making games? I did. And what do you read when you try to make one? Well this is it. If you prefer reading it in book format, it is available on Amazon and many formats.

QWOP

Here is to the wasted hours in 2014, oh and joyful.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Everyone heard of the letter from Birmingham Jail, yet so few ever read it. I didn't. Until now. This is a timeless piece by Martin Luther King Jr.

How To Achieve Ultimate Blog Success In One Easy Step

This is my bible. The weird thing is, as time goes by, I forget it. So it is always refreshing to read it one more time.

Learning to Read

I discovered this very late. Some of the most powerful words ever spoken in history came from Malcolm X. From the man that read and copied the whole dictionary to learn to read and understand. Writing is hard when you don't have the words. This is the part that gets me the most:

How would I sound writing in slang, the way 1 would say it, something such as, “Look, daddy, let me pull your coat about a cat, Elijah Muhammad—”

Designing Game Narrative

This is for game makers. I don't wanna see any other random first person shooter come out in 2015. Tell a story damn it.

Print crime

This is a powerful story by Cory Doctorow. In the advent of copyright battles, this is the kind of revolutions we need.

Programmers: Please don't ever say this to beginners ...

Experience users. Please make way for the beginners. That's how you started too.

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Alright! We made it. I don't expect you to read all these articles in one go. It took me a whole year to go through all of them. So here is what I suggest: bookmark this page.

When you have time to spare, come back and read one article. Re-read it if you have too. Some of these changed my life for the best. With it, I hope that your 2015 will be a year of change and progress.

Enjoy the New Year!

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