What is speak and spell?

C64, Basic is what i did.

Being 26 does not mean you are inexperienced. IT can, but does not inherently mean that.

I am 25, have full time experience in web application engineer of JUST 1year, but before that i coded for years upon years each and every day. Since i were 10-11. All that combined, i have a vast experience, and vast array of different skills through being very entrepreneurially minded person.

Hell, for 3-4yrs i refused to code fulltime, because i liked my hobby projects too much, thinking they would interfere causing me not to want to code on my spare time. Guess what? I were completely right.

I have more coding experience than most coders i've seen at my professional network (current company i'm working at, clients, freelancing projects etc.), and it really shows. Then again, i'm probably no Joe Ordinary, my first touch to coding was when i was 3yrs old.

No, you don't stop growing. If there's no significant personal growth involved in your day job, and you work on IT, you are working at the wrong place. You are probably doing some tedious, rudimentary task. Or can't do more.

All of IT, especially coding, is a job where your actual job is to learn as much as possible, to provide the best possible solution, for the least amount of actual work. Intelligent laziness for the win! Simplified means: Keep it simple, Stupid, or the KISS principle on pragmatic level.

It takes any idiot to make things more bigger, more complex but it takes a real genius to make things simpler.

Just shows how little experience you have.

I'm 25, but my first coding experience was 22 years ago. I've been coding for 14-15 years now, out of which about 10 daily. I could careless to code on my free time aswell, i know the "craft" very well already, i consider coding mostly rather simple task, where the biggest challenges lies in design, particularly data structural design most of the time (Try managing terabytes of higly relational and dynamic data, in a realtime web environment.).

I see newbies with just couple years of experience, and i find quite often that tasks they are taking 2 days to complete i could do in 2hrs or less.

The real trick is to understand that coding is actually learning, and your job is to learn as much as possible. If i were you, i would work for FREE on your sparetime, what is what you are essentially doing. The occasional book is still ok, just remember to stick it to times you have nothing else to do (ie. commute using public transportation).

Your spare time is your RELAXATION time, so you are fresh and good to go the next morning. You don't get to relax if you keep on using your brain power at close to max levels 24/7, your brain aswell needs rest to rejuvenate, and especially to actually learn something. You need to take care of your brain by providing it different kind of stimulus, and proper down time. FYI, i know what it is like when you don't give time for your brain to rejuvenate, and it's a nasty bitch, but fortunately cured by good long night sleeps for sometime. (In my case couple weeks min. 11hr night sleeps + naps)

I am exactly the same. Being a web application engineer, i do not want to work on hobby projects at sparetime. Coding has always, and will always be a tool in my disposal, just a tool.

I do occasionally on my spare time read about some cool stuff related to coding, but not much. It reminds me of work. Instead on my spare time, i work on things which has the very least amount to do with computers as possible. Namely, i work on oldschool drifting car, or other car projects most likely. Maybe it sounds an very odd combination, but hey, i get exercise working on cars aswell. Lifting the motor, or banging on some suspension parts to get them loose or to fit, or get the current project done so i can finally get home, does take amazingly much stamina and strength, and when things go shit you are basicly running around or get back to home sooner and faster. Working on a car till 6-7AM ain't no light task.

That's one awesome skill in writing resumes :) Personally, i suck completely in writing resumes. Want to make my resume? ;)

I agree with you completely that honesty is a key, along with potential. If a interviewee has potential for growth and is honest about himself, and his lackfull skills. Especially if the guy can admit what he considers hard. Also, i see that being straightforward is good. Myself i'm very open and straightforward guy, with strong opinions, to the point that i've been told that it causes sometimes some difficult situations, but my boss still appreciates for me being so straightforward, because he knows that i will let him know if something's not working right, i won't hide it. My colleagues know aswell that i will make very well known if they screw up, this makes some light competition going on constantly in our office, and everyone striking to do their best.

Infact, i don't have any formal qualifications at all, i didn't even have normal working relationship in software engineering before this, yet, before 1st year end i were being offered managerial position which is opening within next 6months and at the same time almost 10% raise. This was last month, so during recession. Then again, i've already taken a bunch of managerial tasks, just because i can, and no one else is keeping tight enough leash on the new guys and making sure they've got stuff to do.

Every potential employee at our company, i will also interview and check up. Maybe just because i will ask tough questions being quite straightforward ;) Oh and this is a small company, when i started i was the 3rd full time employee, by start of next month there will be 6 full time employees.

Microsoft.

Really, best ever keyboard i've used is Microsoft's cheapest PS/2 keyboard. And the multimdia keys? Well, they most work without any software, and rest you can get working with software, which simply works.

Yes, even with Winamp ;)

I still remember playing quake keyboard only, a mod with grappling hook, against US players (i am from FI) and still fraggin' em like hell X)

I think i used WASD for movement, and arrow keys for looking and page up + page down for 45degree movement to up / down.

I also do remember playing Doom 2 using WASD + mouse ....

Who in their right mind gets their hands wet on fuel every time they stop at the pump? oO;

Really, learn to use the pump right.

Just like everyone is always complaining about gas price being too high ...

(Ref: US people earn more than Finnish people, has percentually higher buying force, and pays about 60% less for gas....)

Actually, most batteries are WAY more dangerous than gas tanks ... Gas tanks don't explode in the real world, unlike in hollywood.

To make a bomb out of gas, you need the right air-fuel mixture in compressed space, and compressed a lot ...

Batteries DO explode. Infact, some batteries are so dangerous that while charging you need to constantly watch and be around to make sure it's not going to explode, despite electronics controlling already the charge rate, balance etc. Overcharge = Explosion, Undercharge = Might explode. That's Lithium Polymer batteries, which are most energy dense on the market currently, used widely in RC vehicles.

High cost? You got to be joking ...

11 gallon = roughly 44litres. That costs here 55.44euros or roughly 77.62$ ... Really high cost!

Germans might be regard as brew masters, but we Finns have the best beer in world, Koff by Sinebrychoff, ranked multiple years in row as the best beer from tap.

True or not, i don't know, but i do prefer Koff over anything else i've tasted. Foster's is damn good as well.

you forgot audio, and other easy to use, efficient, basic media capabilities.

To make a simple piece of vector graphics requires a lot more effort with JS than with flash.

Flash ain't going anywhere anytime, it has it's strengths, and it's constantly being developed further.

not just machines built by machines ... but a machine race which thinks humans are gods ;)