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It’s Time to Declare John McCarthy Day – How About Sunday, November 13th?

"Programming: You're Doing It Completely Wrong": Motivational poster with a photo of John McCarthy

Sunday, October 16th was declared Steve Jobs Day by California governor Jerry Brown, and that’s great. With Apple, NeXT and Pixar, he and the goodies he helped bring to us changed the way we work, live and play for the better. Jobs died on October 5th, and the world is a poorer place without him.

Sunday, October 30th was declared Dennis Ritchie Day by geek publisher and conference organizer supreme Tim O’Reilly, and that too is great. Perhaps laypeople won’t understand his contributions in the same way they understand Jobs’, the technologies and tools we use today are descendants, either direct or indirect, of his work on the C programming language and the Unix operating system. Ritchie died a week after Jobs, and the world is also a poorer place in his absence.

I think it’s high time to declare John McCarthy Day. “Uncle John” passed away on October 23rd, and as with Jobs and Ritchie, the world is once again a poorer place with him no longer around.

Uncle John’s Accomplishments

Illustration of ancient mathematicians from the cover of "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs"

McCarthy is the creator of the Lisp programming language. Even if you’ve never used Lisp (or, if you’re like me, took it in a course and swore off it for life), if you’re a programmer, the odds are good that you’ve benefited from an idea borrowed from it. That supposedly-newfangled functional programming you’ve been dabbling in lately? Lisp’s had that since Elvis was skinny. If-then-else? Uncle John invented that sucker for Lisp. Do you perform cool stuff on collections using IEnumerable’s methods in .NET, Ruby’s Enumerable mixin or Python’s list comprehensions? Lisp got there first; after all, its name comes from “list processing”.

"Khaaaan!": Painting of Ghengis Khan

Look at the most programming languages, and you’ll see Lisp’s fingerprints all over them. The obvious ones are its direct descendants, such as Clojure and Scheme, but like the very prolific Genghis Khan – believed to be the ancestor of 1 in every 200 men today – its DNA is everywhere. Haskell and OCaml (and F#, which is OCaml spoken with a Redmond accent) are obvious candidates. There are Lisp-isms all over Python and Ruby. Scratch beneath JavaScript’s clunky hacked-together-in-ten-days syntax and you’ll see Lisp-like stuff in its innards. Even Java-the-language and C# are getting in on the act, with all sorts of Lisp-inspired functional programming stuff getting tacked onto them.

Old black and white photo of 1950s garbage collectors

Every time you don’t have to worry about freeing memory that you had to malloc, you owe a debt of gratitude to Uncle John. He invented garbage collection, and he did it ages ago – in the same year Fidel Castro took over Cuba. (We had computers back then?)

Time-sharing, and later software-as-a-service or platform-as-a-service? He was the first guy to put forth the concept in public.

Diagram showing how a space fountain works

And just for extra nerd points, Uncle John was one of the people who came up with the idea of the space fountain.

Let’s Give Him a Day: Sunday, November 13th

I don’t have the convening power of the Governor of California to make an official Steve Jobs Day. I don’t have the clout of Tim O’Reilly, who was able to declare an unofficial Dennis Ritchie Day. But I’d like to use whatever pull I have and your help to make Sunday, November 13th the unofficial day in which we mark the life and achievements of John McCarthy. We’ve all benefited from his work, and I think it’s only fair to pay him back with some tribute.

Please help by spreading the word! Let’s use the #JohnMcCarthyDay tag on Twitter and Google+.

This article also appears in the Shopify Technology Blog.

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Shopify Hackfest in Ottawa – Saturday, November 19th

hackfest 01

Hey, developers from Ottawa and parts nearby!

  • Are you interested in building innovative, novel apps on the Shopify ecommerce platform?
  • Have you got “the skillz to pay the billz”?
  • Are you available on Saturday, November 19th?

If the answer to that last question is “Maybe!”, we’d love to see you at Shopify’s Ottawa Hackfest taking place that day.

We’re celebrating our recent round of new funding. As my coworker David Underwood puts it:

Shopify is throwing an all day hack event the like of which has been seen several times before. That doesn’t make it any less fun though, I promise.

With a stunning endorsement like that, how can you possibly choose to miss this event?

hackfest 02

When and Where

  • The Date: Saturday, November 19th
  • The Time: 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  • The Place: Shopify’s Offices, 61A York Street, in the heart of ByWard Market


View Larger Map

So How Does This Work?

Everyone shows up in the morning ready to start coding at 10 a.m.. We provide you with food, drink, and assistance throughout the day as you build the best Shopify app you can. At 5 p.m., work stops and everyone with a working demo presents what they’ve done. We pick our favourite projects and award fabulous prizes for them. Then everyone retires to a nearby pub and parties into the night.

Who Will Be There?

Shopifolk (Shopify employees) will be on hand to provide assistance throughout the day. And of course, your teammates/competitors will be there too.

Why Are You Doing This?

Because we can! We have to spend that $15 million we raised somehow, you know. We’re also always on the lookout for new talent to join the Shopify team, so don’t be surprised if someone takes a shine to you.

What Will Be Provided?

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Video games (Street Fighter 4!)
  • Workspaces with power and wireless internet
  • Fabulous prizes (to be announced)!

What Should I bring?

  • Laptop
  • Power supply
  • Your enormous intellect
  • Beverage container (e.g. travel mug)

What Should I Build?

Anything you want! The only restrictions are that it has to use our API and has to work for a demo at the end of the day. If you don’t have an idea or a team to work with, we’ll match you up with people/projects when you arrive. You can also have a look at our app wishlist if you’re stumped and want a head-start.

Ok, I’m Convinced. Where Do I Sign Up?

Go here to register. Spaces are limited, so don’t dawdle. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

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Pixel Union’s Beautiful Shopify Themes

pixel union - beautiful themes

pixel union“Pixel Union” is synonymous with “beautiful Tumblr themes”. Go take a look at their site and try out the demos of themes like Sticks and Stones with its hand-drawn charm, the retro-urban New Yorker theme or the simple but powerful grid of the Insider theme. Pixel Union themes turn Tumblrs into gorgeous sites that make you want to visit over and over again.

That same gorgeousness that goes into Pixel Union’s Tumblr themes can now go into your Shopify shop. Starting today, you can get your hands on Pixel Union’s new Shopify Themes and turn your shop into a place that customers will want to visit over and over again.

You’ll find the same magic that goes into Pixel Union’s Tumblr themes in their new Shopify themes: Carleton, Jitensha, Technophile and Vintage. They all come with a boatload of features:

  • The same beauty and craftsmanship that goes into Pixel Union’s Tumblr themes, for both your shop’s catalogs as well as its blogs
  • Lots of customizability to make the theme fit your shop: logo, fonts and colors
  • Ties to the big social media services so you can harness word-of-mouth for your shop
  • MailChimp integration so it’s simple to set up an email newsletter campaign to reach out to your customers
  • Pixel Union’s speedy, expert and personalized support

Here’s a closer look at Pixel Union’s Shopify themes…

Carleton Classic and Modern

The Carleton theme is reminiscent of those thick, high-end clothing catalogs and comes packaged with two similar but distinct “flavors”. First, there’s the traditional, clean Classic:

carleton classic theme

Carleton Classic: See its page in the Shopify Theme Store | View the demo

…and there’s the contemporary, bold Modern:

carleton modern theme

Carleton Modern: See its page in the Shopify Theme Store | View the demo

Jitensha

Jitensha takes its inspiration from Japanese culture: the word means “bicycle” in Japanese, and the theme takes its design cues from Japanese minimalism.

jitensha theme

Jitensha: See its page in the Shopify Theme Store | View the demo

Technophile Dark and Light

If your shop is about gadgets and gear, you should check out Technophile. It pays homage to Apple’s legendary interface design and comes packaged with two styles. There’s Dark…

technophile dark theme

Technophile Dark: See its page in the Shopify Theme Store | View the demo

…and if you prefer the white iPhone, there’s the Light style:

technophile light theme

Technophile Light: See its page in the Shopify Theme Store | View the demo

Vintage Theme

If you have a shop that specializes in hand-made, artisanal products, you should check out Vintage Theme, with its letterpress-on-high-grade-paper look and boutique “feel”.

vintage theme

Vintage: See its page in the Shopify Theme store | View the demo

See Pixel Union’s Themes and More at the Theme Store!

theme store pixel union

Shopify gives you lots of options. If you’ve got the time and know-how, you can create a theme that’s your very own. You can also find the right “look and feel” your shop with a free or paid theme at the Theme Store, whether it’s one created by Pixel Union or any other of the wide range created by shopowners and designers.

We’re very happy to welcome Pixel Union to the Theme Store, and we think you’ll love their themes!

This article also appears in the Shopify Blog.

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The First “Grand Theft Auto V” Trailer

The first trailer for Grand Theft Auto V was released today at noon. You’re not going to find out much about the game from it, other than:

  • It takes place in what seems to be present-day “Los Santos”, the analogue for Los Angeles in the world of Grand Theft Auto. Los Santos is one of the three cities in the sprawling Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
  • The plot seems to involve a guy trying to start a new life in a new city, not unlike Grand Theft Auto IV’s Niko Bellic or Grand Theft Auto: Vice City’s Tommy Vercetti. I think it’s safe to assume that his plans get waylaid and through a series of bizarre circumstances and friends and associates with poor life-planning skills (no shortage of such types in the world of GTA), our hero lands himself in a whole world of trouble. It would also be safe to assume that he gets out of said trouble by causing a lot of mayhem.
  • The voice-over in the trailer sounds a helluva lot like Ray Liotta, who played Tommy in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

As with most of Rockstar’s trailers, this one’s all cinematics and mise en scene. There’s no indication of what the gameplay is like, whether you’re playing the story or in multiplayer mode. There’s also no indication of what platforms it’s coming out for (although it’s safe to assume that Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 will be supported, with a PC version to follow later) nor when the game will be released (I assume sometime in 2012).

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Free for a Limited Time: Scott Berkun’s New Book “Mindfire” in Ebook Formats

Cover of "Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds" by Scott Berkun

Until Thursday, November 3rd at around 4 p.m. Eastern, Scott Berkun’s book, Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds, will be available in various ebook formats (PDF, ePub, mobi) for free-as-in-beer. All he asks for in exchange is that you join his mailing list, which sends out a single email each month containing his best posts. I think that’s a fair deal.

Mindfire is a collection of Berkun’s essays and articles, all of which you can find online on his site or other places. If you’ve never read his work before – I would also recommend Confessions of a Public Speaker, especially if you have to do presentations or speak in front of an audience – it’s a great introduction to his writing; if you’re familair with his stuff, it’s many of his gems gathered into one place.

Here’s the Mindfire’s table of contents, which should give you an idea of what’s in it:

Warning
Preface

Part 1: Gasoline
1. The cult of busy
2. Wants vs. Beliefs
3. How to be a free thinker
4. How to detect bullshit
5. Should you be Popular or Good?
6. There are two kinds of people: complexifiers and simplifiers
7. Are you indifferent?
8. Does transparency matter?
9. How I found my passion
10. How to be passionate

Part 2: Sparks
11. On God and Integrity
12. Hating vs. Loving
13. The surprise inspiration of death bonus: Your quota of worry and how to shrink it
14. How to make a difference
15. Why you must lead or follow
16. Why the world is a mess: a theory
17. The size of ideas
18. Book Smarts vs. Street Smarts
19. Why does faith matter?
20. Can you be great, with grace?

Part 3: Fire
21. How to give and receive criticism
22. How to learn from your mistakes
23. How to keep your mouth shut
24. Creative thinking hacks
25. Dr. Seuss and wicked constraints
26. Why smart people defend bad ideas
27. Why you are not an artist
28. How to convince anyone of anything
29. Attention and Sex
30. A strawman for everything

Epilogue
How to Help This Book in 60 Seconds
Notes and References on the Essays
Acknowledgements
Index
Colophon

If Mindfire sounds interesting to you, this is your chance to get it for free – just download it before the deadline passes!

This article also appears in The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the 21st Century.

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1% Blogger Attacks 99% Blogger

Screenshot of Daring Fireball article "The Type of Companies That Publish Future Concept Videos"

Just kidding about the title – all I have to say is “Well played, Mr. Gruber, well played.” That, and sorry about misspelling your name!

Alexa.com graph showing Daring Fireball's "1%" following versus Global Nerdy's "99%" following.

Stats courtesy of Alexa.com. Looks just like the 1% / 99% wage charts!

And John: keep sending people over here to Global Nerdy! #OccupyMyAdSenseRevenue!

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November is PragProWriMo (Pragmatic Programmer Writing Month)!

november prag pro wri mo

It’s the first of November, 2011, the start of Pragmatic Programmer Writing Month, a.k.a. PragProWriMo!

nanowrimo crest

The idea for PragProWriMo comes from NaNoWriMo, which is short for National Novel Writing Month. Started in 1999, it’s an annual creative writing project in which participants try to write a 50,000-word novel during the month of November. According to Wikipedia, NaNoWriMo started modestly with 21 people working towards writing a novel in a month, but grew to 200,000 participants writing a total of nearly 3 billion words in 2010.

Ten years after the first NaNoWriMo came the first PragProWriMo, which was proposed in a blog entry written by Daniel Sternberg in the Pragmatic Programmers’ old blog, Pragmatic Life. In the blog entry, he wrote:

It’s time to write that book you’ve always wanted to write.

We’ll start together on November first and in thirty days or less you’ll know if you are meant to write a book or not. Your commitment is to sit down every day and write pages. They don’t have to be good pages—they won’t be great pages—you’ll have plenty of time to fix them later. Keep writing.

Less than a month to find out if you can do something you’ve always wanted to try. Such a deal.

I’m not saying you will finish the book in thirty days nor that what you write will be worth publishing. I’m saying that by December first you’ll know.

pile of papersYou’ll have a pile of pages or you won’t.

On one hand, if you don’t, then you are one of the many people who wants to have written a book but doesn’t want to write a book. There’s nothing wrong with that. In a month you’ll know if that describes you or not.

On the other hand, you might find that you love writing. You’ve got something to say and you love the hard work it takes to craft words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, and paragraphs into passages that people want to read. Then you are meant to write a book. You won’t be able to stop. You still might not be able to publish your book, but that doesn’t keep you from being an author who has written a book.

In between those two hands are the vast majority of us. We write when the planets align. We have blogs but weeks or months might pass between our posts. We can participate in this month of writing by posting a solid blog entry every day for the month of November. Then we might go back to the once in a while or we might continue.

If you’re a developer and have been looking for a way to stretch yourself, improve your communications skills and expand your career opportunities, PragProWriMo offers a structure by which you can do so:

  • You can take the pragmatic approach and write a blog post every day in November. Although it’s simpler than writing an entire book on some aspect of programming or technology or writing a 50,000-word novel in a month, it’s still an undertaking that calls for a lot of work. The time and effort involved in daily blogging is considerable; in my own experience, it requires about an hour per post, longer if it includes code or step-by-step tech walkthroughs.
  • You can write a book on some aspect of programming or technology during the month of November. A novel-sized technical book might be too tall an order for a month’s worth of writing, but a smaller book with a limited scope – say, an introduction to metaprogramming in your favorite dynamic language, a collection of tips and tricks for Git or a gudie to getting the most out of your Shopify shop – would be within the realm of possibility.

writing like the wind

Creative Commons photo by Anne-Lise Heinrichs. Click the photo to see the original.

To help you on your way, the Pragmatic Life blog offered a set of articles on writing in the month of November 2009:

During the month of November, I’ll post articles about writing. Give it a try, even if you only write a blog article or two – you might find that it pays off in ways that you never even imagined.

It’s November 1st: get writing!

This article also appears in the Shopify Technology Blog.