Why Learning to Code Is So Damn Hard
Build practical, job-relevant skills with ready-made learning pathways and custom programs from Chegg Skills for employers, higher education, and government.
No Brainer
For decades now, I have been haunted by the grainy, black-and-white x-ray of a human skull.
Microwave Oven Diagnostics with Indian Snack Food
Microwave ovens are curious beasts. A super convenient method of warming up certain foods, for boiling a cup of water, melting a little butter, or reheating frozen leftovers. But all too often, those frozen leftovers end up scorching in places and rock-hard frozen in others. Is this just random? Is it really the case…
Sex, Circuits and Deep House
Cari with the Institute Blinky Badge at Burning Man 2015. Photo credit: Nagutron.
The Tough Decision to Leave the Classroom
Why do teachers quit? As I make the tough decision to leave the classroom, I highlight some of the issues that force quality teachers to leave public education.
How to Get Tenure
Even before I got tenure, folks have told me they’re “looking forward to an academic advice post on tenure.”
Locked doors, headaches, and intellectual need
You know those things that, once you learn about them for the first time, you start seeing them absolutely everywhere? Recently, that’s been my experience with problem-solution ordering issues. They keep cropping up: not just in the context of gam...
How to detect lies with a storytelling technique
Physical cues to detect lies have a fairly high failure rate. Find out how to detect lies a lot more accurately using a storytelling technique.
Many McGill Education Students Cannot Calculate an Average
This is a story about McGill education students that cannot calculate an average, and the professor who admitted he didn't care. Fina...
Just Wear Headphones
Matt Blodgett on topics occasionally germane to software development.
How I taught my dog to text me selfies
Using an Arduino Yun, Twilio and a big red button, my dog texts me selfies.
The sky's gone dark
Back to: Brief hiatus | Forward to: Tanks! Why tank stories make great tech myths
My Top 100 Programming, Computer and Science Books: Part One
I was recently interviewed by Fog Creek and one of the questions was about my favorite programming, coding and development books. I got very excited by this question as I'm a huge book nerd. I love books about computers, programming, and science. Every few months I spend a day or two researching the latest…
The Socratic Method: Teaching by Asking Instead of by Telling
The following is a transcript of a teaching experiment, using the Socratic method, with a regular third grade class in a suburban elementary school. I present my perspective and views on the session, and on the Socratic method as a teaching tool, following the transcript. The class was conducted on a Friday afternoon…
It Just Works
Marco Arment wrote about Apple losing the ‘functional high ground’ earlier this year, and it was met with tons of discussion - blog posts, podcasts, twitter battles and more. The…
Some Practical Thoughts on Suicide
In this post, I’m going to talk about suicide, and why I’m still on this planet. These are stories I’ve kept secret from my family, girlfriends, and closest friends for years. Recently, however, I had an experience that shook me—woke me up—and I decided that it was time to share it all. So, despite the shame I […]
YC's 2015 Reading List
Read more on Y Combinator's blog.