100 Days of Code... Just Got a Boost!

Well, for anyone who started off following this line of blogs, it's no secret that I was unable to keep up with the 100 Days of Code, Round 2.  I just had (have) too much code that I needed to write for my business clients.  Although, I have learned stuff along the way.  Most of the coding I do for them is stuff I'm well grounded in - PHP, HTML/CSS, Javascript and MySQL.  (I did have a nice desktop project that I decided to do in Python - lots of learning there).  Every time I sat down to learn/write something new, I had this nagging in the back of my mind that I should be spending the time on client work.  So, I made very little progress in my attempt to learn something new every day.

But, today my learning process just got a boost... or maybe a kick in the pants, that will definitely push me to learn a little something new every day.  Today I was notified that I am the recipient of a Google Developer Challenge Scholarship to Udacity!

So, today starts a new journey!  I will be starting an official Android development course today! 

I am excited!  I have been developing hybrid apps for the Android platform for some years now.  I like the hybrid method.  I use both the Ionic/Cordova/Angular framework and the Expo/React-Native framework.  But, I've wanted to learn how to develop natively for Android for years... and now I get to!  Thank you Google and Udacity!

But, then there's the whole 100 days thing... the course with Udacity is only 90 days.  I'll have to find something fun to fill up those last 10 days - and beyond!

I will document the journey in this blog thread.

How to Disable "This connection is not secure" Message in Firefox

Do you find that "This connection is not secure" message in Firefox annoying?

If you are like me, you login to several sites a day that do not store sensitive information.  I am very aware that these sites are not protected by SSL/TLS Certificates.  So, while I appreciate their concern for my safety, I don't need the message.

Fortunately, there is a way to disable the message and it's not hard at all.

(1)

Open a new browser tab in Firefox.  In the location bar, enter "about:config" and hit enter or click the 'go' arrow (at the right of the location bar).  See image below.

(2)

You will get a message about 'voiding your warranty.' Click the "I accept the risk!" button to continue.

(3)

Enter "insec" in the search field.  You should see a list of Preference Names that include the letters, insec.  Find the item, "security.insecure_field_warning.contentual.enabled" and double-click to change the value from "true" to "false."

Now simply close the browser tab.  You will no longer see the 'connection not secure' message.  You can follow these instructions to re-enable the message - just make sure the value ends up "true."

Also note that when the browser upgrades, you may need to do this all again.

100 Days of Code - Round 2, Restart

Not a good start to 100 Days of Code - R2.  I didn't really code over the Labor Day Weekend.  Then there was the prep for Hurricane Irma, then the hurricane, then the cleanup.

Through all of this, I have done a little work on the freeCodeCamp challenge.  But, it's been very inconsistent.  So, I'm going to do a relaunch, restart, reduex... whatever you want to call it.

Starting September 18th, I'll begin counting with Day 1 again.

100 Days of Code - R2 Day 1 and Day 2

Day 1 and Day 2 were spent working on the Free Code Camp first challenge.  Although most of this is review for me, I did learn a couple of things about how some code has change from older versions of HTML to HTML5.  So, as expected, there is value in going through these early challenges even though I've been programming for years.

I think days 3 - 5 will be spent on Unity3d.

100 Days Of Code - Round 2

100 Days of Code is a coding challenge tracked on Twitter with the hash tag #100DaysOfCode.  The idea is to publicly Tweet each day with a short description of what you coded that day.

Now, as a developer/programmer, I code every day anyway (well, almost every day).  But, I use the challenge as an educational  adventure.

This is round 2 for me with 100 Days of Code. This time I'm going to track my progress better by using this blog to post daily updates.

Why do it? The last time I did this challenge was to learn more about customizing WordPress and to get started with Python. While I didn't get to code everyday, I was successful at completing my goals. So, I consider round 1 a success.

I realize that development technologies are progressing at a lightening pace. As a way to keep up (or in some cases catch up), I am going to do the challenges at FreeCodeCamp. (And probably a couple of courses on Udemy).  I will be keeping track of my progress here on this blog, on my GitHub page, and with Tweets. (I'm also thinking about posting on Facebook).

Signup and do the challenge with me!

Feel free to follow my progress, comment on each post, make suggestions, etc. 

This should be fun. 😀

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A-B Tests - Which Color Combo Do You Like

We would like your help.  A client is unsure of the color combination they would like on a new department-centered website.  Their organization has a standard color guide for all print and online material.  But, they may deviate since they are a 'stand-alone' department.  This has lead to the following:

• Example A: In this image you see the site with a new set of primary colors, orange and green.  These are the colors that will represent the department.
• Example B: This image uses the standard colors of 'gold' and green (note, the green is a darker shade of green). The gold and green are the university's colors.

Please compare the two and let us know which you prefer.  Please feel free to add comments about why you've made your choice. (Click images for larger view).

Example A

Example B