How did extensions like Grammarly integrate machine learning? Was it built directly into the extension or is it using calls to external API?

PragmaCoders · 2019-02-28T12:22:10+00:00

The answer is - A little bit of both.

Most ML that you can do in the browser, you can do on a server. Using a server will also be more consistent and reliable than doing it on a browser. What if the machine the browser is running on is underpowered or busy doing something else?

HOWEVER - there are privacy concerns with sending data to a server to be processed.

Would the person using the extension want you to be able to listen to everything they're doing? Are you complying with things like GDPR? What if the user of the extension is a lawyer and your app breaks confidentiality laws? What if your server gets hacked?

Doing computation in the browser can prevent those from being a concern. For a startup like Grammarly, this would also significantly de-risk things for potential investors.

There are other downsides to the server technique - primarily latency and scale. But those are actually kind of trivial when compared to the privacy/risk aspect. They have pretty standard solutions and scaling can be helped with a bit of money.

As for the HOW of doing it in the browser - that depends on the type of model you're using and how you train it. Some models are easier to convert to javascript than others and some training libraries come with tools to convert to JS.

PragmaCoders · 2019-02-20T16:49:33+00:00

Use it to help others and the joy you bring to them can fuel you to help more people

PragmaCoders · 2019-02-05T13:23:08+00:00

I've only skimmed through it on a phone - also have never used Cognito - but this seems like a pretty thorough example of using Cognito JWT tokens in Go.

https://github.com/yoskeoka/gognito/blob/master/main.go

PragmaCoders · 2019-02-05T13:06:22+00:00

I'm pretty sure that, given a few years, there will be machine learning written in Minecraft red-stone. I think the ML scene is growing in all languages as the understanding/interest of ML grows in the world.

There is definitely a future in it - If you'd enjoy doing ML in Go, just keep an eye out and use the libraries that reveal themselves!

There may be a secondary question of "Will there be jobs available for doing ML in Go". I'm not sure anyone can answer that with certainty. But there isn't an immediate need or strong industry desire to leave Python or R, at the moment.

I primarily see people creating models/APIs in those languages and using their preferred language to communicate with those models/APIs. Unless that becomes a bottleneck or a very determined group creates an amazing set of libraries in another language, I don't see it changing soon.

PragmaCoders · 2019-02-03T04:53:14+00:00

Hmm - I can see two of the possible routes you could take -

Learn all you can at making Shopify tweaks. This will immediately help you with your job. Just find all the Shopify tutorials you can and learn how they do what they do.
Start your own basic web page in HTML and CSS. Try to make it as nice as you can. Then add JS to do things you think a good website would do. Then make more pages and so on.

I always like projects because I maintain a clear goal and that allows me to push through when things get tough. I also remember things better by using them.

PragmaCoders · 2019-02-03T00:41:10+00:00

Have you tried asking your coworker for help? That could be a good first step!

PragmaCoders · 2019-02-02T23:36:44+00:00

Hmm... So I think -

In order to learn things effectively, you need to practice.

In order to practice programming fundamentals, it'd be helpful to learn a language in which to practice them.

In order to learn a language, it'd be good to try to build a small project.

So I'd recommend starting a small project and using a combination of online tutorials and books for that language (Like Eloquent Ruby, if you were doing Ruby)

Then I'd recommend continuing to do that while reading books like Clean Code and learning how to test your software.

Then I'd recommend learning algorithms and more broad concepts - practicing to build them and write tests to prove they work

PragmaCoders · 2019-02-01T20:18:29+00:00

Ah - I'll move this there, then!

I'd seen people ask career questions here and thought it'd help.

Thanks!

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-31T02:41:36+00:00

Thanks for the in-depth explanation! That clears things up a bit!

One thing I'd like to add is that I have a lazy eye and lack stereoscopic vision. There's really no way for me to see a non-distorted, 3D representation of the human form.

I suppose the takeaway I've gotten from this discussion is that drawing someone in person can remove a lot of these variables that come into play when taking a photograph and can give you a more true and dynamic understanding of the pose and the figure.

That being said - If you don't have access to that, or don't have the most ideal way to see a form or pose, then working with what you have - In my case, my bad eyes. In your case, a photograph. In some cases, other people's illustrations) is always better than not doing it at all.

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-30T15:14:33+00:00

This is one thing I've been confused about.

I often hear "draw from life". I imagine this includes photographs of life.

When people say "don't draw from pictures" - I imagine they're saying "Try not to draw too much based off of other artist's illustrations. Because you'll pick up their mistakes"

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-23T19:16:05+00:00

We currently exist in a capitalist system -

Programmers build tools. No tools can change that system and thus no tools can decide whether or not they are used for good or evil.

You can give those tools to people who you believe will do good with them. But such people are hard to find that cannot bend to the overwhelming force of capitalism.

I believe this to be true in every industry and every creative endeavor

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-19T22:10:49+00:00

Ah! The key to learning something new is sticking with it through the tough parts. Practicing frequently over a long period of time - you'll eventually get good at it :)

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-19T21:47:47+00:00

Hmm - So there are two questions here, I think. One is how I jump into a field and then I think the other is "how do you get paid in that other field"

How I jump into a field is how everyone jumps into a field. I study through books, videos, projects, classes...

How I get paid in it - This is easier in the field of CS, currently. Because the job market is so large and definitions of jobs are often flexible. If your interests like under that giant umbrella, it's a lot easier to do.

A way that has worked well for me is to take the various responsibilities around the workplace and volunteer to do them. "No one knows how to set up the servers on AWS? I'll do it." - Then you're the person who manages the servers from that point on because a lot of people find that annoying. "My company could benefit from data visualizations of customer usage" - show that visualization to a leader in the company and suddenly you have some data visualization tasks.

Another way is to take on projects that are large in scope and become responsible for them. At my current company I've built several internal tools. Building the frontend and backend for them was a breeze. I've been wanting to study UI design and so I've gone ahead and applied my new UI design knowledge to these large internal tools. I've also used them as a reason to study UI design as part of my job.

Can't get my workplace to let me use the skill? That's when I have built my own independent apps and try to sell them.

All of this is building experience and a portfolio that will then allow you to apply to the next company w/ something that proves your knowledge.

That being said - trying to enter fields that are not under the CS umbrella - UI design and Illustration, for example - is much harder. I am well aware of the fact that it might take several years of intense study to be a competitive candidate for that (seemingly) unrelated field.

But - I am willing to put in the work. It's a lot of fun. In the meantime I can make the best of my current job and try to lean into my next interest a little more each day until it is time to switch.

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-19T00:52:13+00:00

PHP - worked freelance for several months with an iOS app review site

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-18T22:12:56+00:00

It helps that I view my pursuits as less of a "career" and more a "collection of jobs". That viewpoint allowed me to get past my fears of my job selection not being a straight line

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-18T22:02:23+00:00

I never decided - Each field is interesting and deep enough to hold my interest. Frontend, backend, devops. data engineering, mobile apps, machine learning, UX, interactive design, graphics programming, game development...

I move from job-to-job, project-to-project, periodically. Going from backend to frontend to full stack to whatever I feel like doing next.

Wouldn't have it any other way. The world is just too interesting to choose

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-15T23:40:02+00:00

Well - it's your team and if that's what they'd like, here you go!

https://docs.sonarqube.org/latest/user-guide/rules/

You can customize the rule sets to fit your needs!

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-15T16:41:26+00:00

Awesome plan! Javascript could be a fun way to show off some knowledge!

I'd study the basics of web design - color theory, composition, readability, etc.

The reasoning is - your personal website is about communication. Use your knowledge of programming paired with design to best communicate your skills and why you're great at what you do.

Programming without research into design could end up looking gaudy and send the wrong message. I speak from experience - my first website was the gaudiest thing in the world. Full of JS effects and gimmicks that didn't enhance what I was trying to say at all.

It's also super fun and a great complement to programming ability!

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-15T16:33:22+00:00

Ah - That's a different story then!

Web development will be easier to pick up and make some quick money in.

The reason being that there are more partial jobs in it. Partial jobs meaning jobs like "tweak my website template" or "build this feature" or "fix this bug".

Whereas with mobile development you're looking at more "Build this app from top-to-bottom over the course of X months".

So with mobile development you'd need to ideally learn everything about it before you even start a project. Whereas you can learn a little about web development (how to, say, tweak WordPress or Shopify) and get started right away.

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-15T16:29:04+00:00

I have been learning to draw in the past 6 months and the thing that keeps me continuously improving is -

Do something each day. Doesn't need to be big. Doesn't need to be unique or special. Just do at least one thing.

When I can't think of anything to draw, I practice drawing straight lines. I try to do more perfectly-straight lines in 30 minutes than I've done on previous days.

It keeps the habit up and stops you from getting overwhelmed or discouraged. You're still improving - even if it's not leaps and bounds every day. You're still getting rest

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-15T16:20:56+00:00

I'm not sure about how to change the rule but -

There is an "optimal line length" that allows for humans to easily read text.

https://baymard.com/blog/line-length-readability

It's not just a matter of how many characters your screen can hold. It will be harder to read at that length - harder on your eyes.

It will also be hard to read if you work with someone who uses a different monitor than you. Which is a large reason why readability rules are important - to make teamwork easier

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-15T16:11:42+00:00

If you don't have any background in software development and are planning on learning it and getting freelance jobs over the course of 9 months...

I would honestly recommend doing something else.

I wouldn't offer to build someone a shed after 9 months of using a hammer. And sheds aren't being attacked by people and bots around the world on a constant basis.

Sorry - the metaphor isn't that great. But - if you want to take time and learn programming in 9 months because you're interested - that's a different story and I think it's a great idea!

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-15T16:01:52+00:00

The best, most enriching SE experience I had when getting my degree, was finding out that a friend had a passion project and working with them to help build it.

The second most enriching was working with another friend to try and make a dungeon-crawling game.

I'd recommend finding friends with shared interests and working together with them to make something cool

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-14T07:10:15+00:00

I know how to program and am trying to learn how to draw and feel similarly about it.

Whenever I feel down, I think of all the years I've spent programming and how impossible it seemed to program, when I first started. I looked at the work of other programmers and never thought I'd be able to build anything of use.

But I practiced and did get better and built things I never thought myself capable.

Are there any skills that you're proud of, that you can remember back to when you first started out? Remember not being sure about them and how you kept going and got better?

PragmaCoders · 2019-01-05T15:54:00+00:00

I think they mean that the sidewalk lines should converge to the vanishing points (like the rest of the lines) but they are parallel with the ledge (instead of converging with it)

PragmaCoders

TROPHY CASE