What are you working on?

A place to talk about your experience of living with Dyspraxia

Moderator: Moderator Team

Dan
Power poster
Posts: 186
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2017 11:35 pm

What are you working on?

Post by Dan »

Hey all. I thought I'd make a little thread to discuss projects we're working on at the moment, if any. I'm currently fiddling about with code for the first time in about 10 years to try and get something to show orbits of planets in the web browser, lol. Feel free to check it out if you'd like here: http://www.danieldeanhodge.co.uk

It's not finished yet, and I only have Mercury. The scale is obviously not right, but yeah: just click 'Iterate' to see Mercury hop around. :) The next step is to make it fluid, something I can't do yet as the code needs to be significantly more efficiently written for that, and I am thinking I may need to use another technology.

I'm keen to hear about anybody else's idiosyncratic interests and projects.

Bai!
Laura.marie55
Getting settled in
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2018 11:06 pm

Re: What are you working on?

Post by Laura.marie55 »

Hey!

That sounds like a really interesting project best of luck with it! I will look at the Web page when I'm off night shift!

I am currently doing my masters degree so my entire life is pretty much dedicated to that. I am currently writing about cranial nerve involvement in emotion recognition in autism spectrum disorder (my degree is in neuroscience).

I am also writing my first novel which is quite exciting. It is something I have been wanting to do for around 14 years.
Dan
Power poster
Posts: 186
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2017 11:35 pm

Re: What are you working on?

Post by Dan »

Laura.marie55 wrote:Hey!

That sounds like a really interesting project best of luck with it! I will look at the Web page when I'm off night shift!

I am currently doing my masters degree so my entire life is pretty much dedicated to that. I am currently writing about cranial nerve involvement in emotion recognition in autism spectrum disorder (my degree is in neuroscience).

I am also writing my first novel which is quite exciting. It is something I have been wanting to do for around 14 years.
I personally find the brain and pharmacology incredibly interesting, so that sounds exciting! :) I wish I had chosen something medical instead of Computer Science at university, but hindsight is 20/20 and all that! Still, I suppose that computers are a really easy way to find work these days, so that's a plus at the very least. :)

I had to relearn trigonometry for my webpage, haha. I never expected to need to use that!

What's your novel about and what's your night shift regarding? :)
Laura.marie55
Getting settled in
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2018 11:06 pm

Re: What are you working on?

Post by Laura.marie55 »

Yeah brain and pharmacology are fascinating, my first degree was in psychology so this is much more scientific than what I am used to! I am really enjoying it though although feeling the pressure a bit at the moment.

Computer science is really interesting too though and there are probably far more jobs in that field! There isn't really a clear career path for me. Do you work in computer science now?

I work as a support worker on intensive care which is why I am covering the night shift.

My novel is still very early planning stages, it was a very successful procrastination tool but really need to get on with my uni work now so it is taking a back seat at the moment. It is kind of a coming of age story but both from the perspective of a mother and a daughter who are both starting something new but in different stages of their lives. I haven't figured out the full details yet!
Dan
Power poster
Posts: 186
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2017 11:35 pm

Re: What are you working on?

Post by Dan »

Laura.marie55 wrote:Yeah brain and pharmacology are fascinating, my first degree was in psychology so this is much more scientific than what I am used to! I am really enjoying it though although feeling the pressure a bit at the moment.

Computer science is really interesting too though and there are probably far more jobs in that field! There isn't really a clear career path for me. Do you work in computer science now?

I work as a support worker on intensive care which is why I am covering the night shift.

My novel is still very early planning stages, it was a very successful procrastination tool but really need to get on with my uni work now so it is taking a back seat at the moment. It is kind of a coming of age story but both from the perspective of a mother and a daughter who are both starting something new but in different stages of their lives. I haven't figured out the full details yet!
Novel idea sounds really promising, I must say! There's a lot of opportunity for juxtaposition.

Yeah, I work as a Support Analyst, which means I fix problems with live websites and do some coding, etc. It's a really varied job, in fact, so I rarely get bored at all. It's much better than my first job which was helping people on the phone with their PlayStations, lol.

Career paths are not always immediately obvious, but I think you'll find that a clearer path will slowly reveal itself to you via osmosis. :)

PS: I'm surprised you say that you have Dyslexia - your spelling seems really quite good! :)
Laura.marie55
Getting settled in
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2018 11:06 pm

Re: What are you working on?

Post by Laura.marie55 »

Your job sounds really interesting, it's great you have found something you enjoy! I would quite like to learn some coding, I do a little bit on my course but still a bit clueless!

Yeah spelling isn't really my issue, I have a problem with comprehension which is really frustrating when trying to do a masters degree! It just means reading and taking in information takes me a lot longer than most people.
RedRevolver
Getting settled in
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:55 am

Re: What are you working on?

Post by RedRevolver »

My boyfriend did something like this in his third year at university. He did a Physics degree, but the code itself was an introduction to Java.

So perhaps Java might be worth learning for this? Idk. I'm thinking about learning to code but I'm too anxious right now to do anything. I just have heart palpitations all of the time.
Dan
Power poster
Posts: 186
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2017 11:35 pm

Re: What are you working on?

Post by Dan »

RedRevolver wrote:My boyfriend did something like this in his third year at university. He did a Physics degree, but the code itself was an introduction to Java.

So perhaps Java might be worth learning for this? Idk. I'm thinking about learning to code but I'm too anxious right now to do anything. I just have heart palpitations all of the time.
Yeah, I've written in Java before, but to have this run in the web browser, I had to use JavaScript. Despite the similarities in the names, JavaScript and Java are totally unrelated languages. There is a potential to run Java in the web browser, with the Selfridges site I work on using Java for the server-side stuff, but JavaScript tends to be the best language to use for client-side stuff.

C++ is probably the language with which I have most experience, but I haven't really done anything in that for a while. :)

I honestly think you'd enjoy learning to code if you gave it a go. It's a lot of fun being able to get a computer to do what you like, and it's a surprisingly creative process too, as the logical way you approach the problem can make the process more optimised and there's a beauty in that.

I'm sorry to hear that you're having heart palpitations. :( I get them sometimes and it's scary. Hit me up on Twitter if you ever want to talk about those things, as I have a few friends on there with whom I discuss anxiety, depression and such, so I could introduce you to them. Here's the link to moi: https://twitter.com/danieldeanhodge

I've been writing a few more songs today, so I'm happy about that. I'm really pleased with how they're going and am going to be performing 3 of them at an open mic night soon. :D Wish me luck!
Tom fod
Administrator
Posts: 2946
Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 9:05 pm
Location: SW UK

Re: What are you working on?

Post by Tom fod »

There’s so much I should be working on including decluttering and tidying my flat and getting through the piles of books I mean to read and DVDs I hope to sit down to watch.

I like to think I have a touch of creative genius but I think crazy eccentric may be just as apt.

Also need to get my sponsorship drive on road as doing a second sponsored 26 mile hike for MacMillan Cancer Care in mid-July plus I plan to make another attempt at gaining promotion at work after disappointment in March.
Tom
Moderator/Administrator

With a foot full of bullets I tried to run faster but I just hobbled on to the next disaster.
(from Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Foot Full of Bullets)
melvin1990
Getting settled in
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 3:22 am

Re: What are you working on?

Post by melvin1990 »

I am currently working on a project I have been thinking about for a while, since I did my dissertation for university in 2011. It is a history of the American presidency from 1896-1961 (William McKinley to Kennedy's inauguration). It's still in the planning stages, getting sources together and the like, but I feel confident it will get finished eventually.

All the other projects mentioned on the thread sound really interesting, and I wish all of you the best of luck with them.
MrLiquorish
Getting settled in
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:05 pm

Re: What are you working on?

Post by MrLiquorish »

Dan,

I am also (slowly!) trying to learn to code. I'm following a book for C, and also have a book for Python lined up. I've done a fair bit of research of different areas and have spent a lot of time 'hopping between' different languages that I think are best to start first!
Dan
Power poster
Posts: 186
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2017 11:35 pm

Re: What are you working on?

Post by Dan »

MrLiquorish wrote:Dan,

I am also (slowly!) trying to learn to code. I'm following a book for C, and also have a book for Python lined up. I've done a fair bit of research of different areas and have spent a lot of time 'hopping between' different languages that I think are best to start first!
I would honestly recommend C#, rather than C/C++ at this point, as it has garbage collection, meaning that you don't have to use pointers to prevent memory leaks. It's marginally less efficient than a well-written C++ application, but it's essentially a significantly faster version of Java. Python's great though, and Lua is a pretty promising scripting language. I tend to write for the web these days, especially as it means that I can show things to people with ease - C et al simple applications run in a console window, so they're not very pretty at all.

Still, good luck with it all, and hit me up if you want help. :)
MrLiquorish
Getting settled in
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:05 pm

Re: What are you working on?

Post by MrLiquorish »

Dan wrote:
MrLiquorish wrote:Dan,

I am also (slowly!) trying to learn to code. I'm following a book for C, and also have a book for Python lined up. I've done a fair bit of research of different areas and have spent a lot of time 'hopping between' different languages that I think are best to start first!
I would honestly recommend C#, rather than C/C++ at this point, as it has garbage collection, meaning that you don't have to use pointers to prevent memory leaks. It's marginally less efficient than a well-written C++ application, but it's essentially a significantly faster version of Java. Python's great though, and Lua is a pretty promising scripting language. I tend to write for the web these days, especially as it means that I can show things to people with ease - C et al simple applications run in a console window, so they're not very pretty at all.

Still, good luck with it all, and hit me up if you want help. :)

Thanks for the reply Dan! Yes I know someone else who recommends c# - how easy is it to learn for a complete beginner do you think?
Dan
Power poster
Posts: 186
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2017 11:35 pm

Re: What are you working on?

Post by Dan »

MrLiquorish wrote:
Dan wrote:
MrLiquorish wrote:Dan,

I am also (slowly!) trying to learn to code. I'm following a book for C, and also have a book for Python lined up. I've done a fair bit of research of different areas and have spent a lot of time 'hopping between' different languages that I think are best to start first!
I would honestly recommend C#, rather than C/C++ at this point, as it has garbage collection, meaning that you don't have to use pointers to prevent memory leaks. It's marginally less efficient than a well-written C++ application, but it's essentially a significantly faster version of Java. Python's great though, and Lua is a pretty promising scripting language. I tend to write for the web these days, especially as it means that I can show things to people with ease - C et al simple applications run in a console window, so they're not very pretty at all.

Still, good luck with it all, and hit me up if you want help. :)

Thanks for the reply Dan! Yes I know someone else who recommends c# - how easy is it to learn for a complete beginner do you think?
Not too difficult! I recommend buying a C# For Dummies book. The For Dummies books are excellent for learning any development language. :)
Jim1983
Getting settled in
Posts: 17
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2018 2:22 pm

Re: What are you working on?

Post by Jim1983 »

Really interesting how so many dyspraxics are interested in coding. I'm currently studying for a second degree with the University of the People in Computer Science. Learning Python has been very enjoyable. My other project for the last few years has been writing a short story collection www.talesofthewilderwood.com . My aim has been to challenge myself to complete a large long-term project.
Post Reply