Heptathlon 7
Seven notes on what's keeping me busy this week. One for each day.
- Being a developer means you need to handle errors well. Programming languages constantly communicate your mistakes back to you. There are no mitigating circumstances. Those unforgiving red lines of text are direct and right in your face. In other words, you need to be comfortable with the struggle.
- The summer holidays are upon us. Time for traveling and seeing the world, right? Well, traveling never really appealed to me. I have been to some faraway countries a couple of times, but usually, my holidays were domestic or to a neighboring country. Until the end of last year, when I spontaneously decided to grab a bus and travel to the other side of... well, the country. It wasn't the adventure of a lifetime, but it was still a week of visiting nice cities and enjoying plenty of activities. Since that week, I've been quite ready for another adventure and I'm curious where the road will take me.
- It was back in 2021 when I discovered the music of Moa Lignell, a singer-songwriter from Sweden. I listened to a few of her songs and added some to my Discoveries playlist for that year. When new artists and their music catch my attention, it's usually because of the melodies. I love listening to music during train journeys or bike rides, so I need to be able to drift away on good vibes without focusing on the lyrics right away. The lyrics of Moa's song "Born to Be" did speak to me, though. They sure are an anthem for following your dreams.
- I started teaching at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences at the end of last year. The academic year recently came to an end, so it was time for me to say a few words to all those who've graduated.
- Since I started blogging regularly, I've seen quite a few challenges related to writing. WeblogPoMo, Junited, Blaugust, and also NaNoWriMo. A lot of abbreviations that all have one thing in common: they try to ignite the writing fire for all those who struggle with it. Or just for anyone who likes a challenge and has discovered a love for writing and blogging, like me. To summarize: the blogging community is a great one!
- I grew up playing a lot of theme park simulation games, like the classic Theme Park World and, of course, the RollerCoaster Tycoon series. I don't want to know how many hours I spent in these digital worlds as a kid, but it must be near uncountable. No wonder I sometimes lose myself in videos of other people playing these games, like the Planet Coaster series by JLW Games. The start of a Sunday morning has never been better than with coffee nearby and someone designing the most wonderful theme parks.
- Something silly to close this edition of Heptathlon. You might know Ali Abdaal and his productivity videos. A serious business, but not all of his videos are life-changing. What about this pen spinning tutorial, for example? I have not quite mastered this skill yet. Actually, my pens have been flying through the room a bit too much lately. Ah well, the joys of boredom.
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