one of the most frustrating feelings for me is having the desire to do something, but no outlet with which to pursue it.
over the past few months i’ve been dabbling with ruby on rails in my free time. i think it is a pretty neat development environment and i’d really like to do some serious coding with it. but so far all i’ve done is rewrite my diet plugin as a rails app. rewriting software in a different language is a good exercise, but thats the problem; it’s simply an exercise. i got about halfway through the process and just quit because it occured to me that i would never use what i was writing, since i’m already using my php version and it does everything i need. it also felt like homework; i knew i wouldn’t be drawing value out of what i was creating.
do i simply lack the need for new software? the whole reason i got into programming in the first place was because there was a void in my life for things that didnt exist as i’d like them to. thats why i wrote my news script (err…i mean, “blogging platform”) and image gallery. they were extremely useful apps that i used practically everyday for years. as you can see now, i use wordpress and flickr. but why? they fill the exact same void as my apps did. it’s because they are better. so now…what could i possibly write that hasn’t already been done better? any ideas i get for things to create are either gimmicky or contrived. sure, writing anything in rails would make me a better programmer, but i just can’t stay interested in something that i know will just be thrown away.
i have the need to write software, but there isn’t any software that i need. i’m not looking to go out there and invent the next big web 2.0 site, i just want a fun project to work on in my free time that, when finished, will actually serve a purpose in my life. (and maybe other people’s) but i am completely uninspired when it comes to ideas. help!
makes me miss high school… :[
ctrl+k in rl
woops wrong forum
that’s why I make video games
hey man, making enterprise data entry and reporting software for oil rigs is totally fulfilling!
…
:[
You’re definitely having a mid-life crisis. That would explain the rabbit.
Seriously though, I think the problem is you had a hobby you liked (programming) so you made it your job, and now you don’t have a hobby anymore. I suggest rock climbing.
And I suggest paintballing. Im seriously thinking about it. I played with a top end Angel gun in Venezuela and that shit was fun.
anything with guns is good.
man, i haven’t been paintballing in years.
that shit on tv is weak tho. they just hold down the trigger.
i like playing war games and shit in the woods.
sounds awesome. you figure out when and where i’ll try to come.
Ditto.
Fo shitzles!
But you know its awesome when you press the trigger and 20 balls come out. Fucking annihilation.
when i was in 6th grade or so, one of my cousins had a birthday party at this place called Alligator Alley in denham springs. (i think it’s closed now) it was an acreage of woods with all kinds of shit in there like forts, tree houses, abandoned cars, whatever.
we played shit like capture the flag and assault/defend the base. i specifically remember sombody climbing into the empty engine compartment of an old car, closing the hood, and sniping people as they passed by.
holy shit it was amazing.
…wow i say shit alot.
i swear i am going to buy some land one day so i can do whatever i want on it — rally track, paintball, skeet….
how about paintball on 4 wheelers? that would be pretty sweet.
Not really very sneaky but probably very fun
sneaky sneak.
why not find an oss that is in need of developers and work with that?
that’s actually the first thing i did. needless to say, i came up empty: http://rubyforge.org/people/
Damn, that sport is expensive.
Alligator Alley was fucking sweet.
http://www.paintball-command.com/
Found this…lets plan a trip.
Hell yeah, but is there any closer fields?
My cousin priced me a Smart Parts Ion, which is the best beginner to pro gun, and the thing comes out to $400. Not much in comparison to his WDP Angel the Gat (about $1k), but a lot for me.
Well if I didn’t know better, I’d say that place looks like it’s just down the road from the Abita Brewery. coincidence? I THINK NOT.
ahh, the age old question:
paintball then drinking, or drinking then paintball?
(the answer is drinking then paintball then more drinking)
Lets plan that one for sometime when Keif is here. In the mean time I talked to a guy in the Sherwood store and he said most of B.R. goes to play in Dehnam Springs, which is much closer. Les and I might go sometime next month, so sign up those who wanna go.
Let me know. Whats the name of the place in Denham?
I dont remember, but I will find out soon and prices, perhaps. I might stop by one day after school to check out the place and get some info.
Where da ski pics?