[Kickaha]

LOL

Quick version: Design patterns are hard. They're too big, fuzzy, and difficult to work with unless you study them closely for a while. Most people don't have the time, so they use them like recipes, which ruins much of their usefulness. They're kind of like alchemy. Use this, don't do that, here's the solution... but without any real understanding behind them.

I devised the periodic table, essentially. A suite of smaller, easy to understand design elements for software production that let the reader quickly dive into the mental model of design patterns without the long study period. These are the atoms of software design, that bring it from alchemy to chemistry.

[Wyatt]

Man, you keep making it sound better and better. Stop it! Don't you know I already have a giant reading backlog? (Seriously, I have at least six new books that I still haven't read.)

Oh well. Next time I've got $20 to spare for books, I'll pick it up, you magnificent bastard.

[Kickaha]

I know what you mean, my To Be Read pile damned near crushed me last week. :P

[Brad]

I just described this book to a bunch of my coworkers. I think I'm doing to have to buy a copy for the office engineering library, dangit. :shakefist:

[Wyatt]

Office engineering library? I'd like to come work there now, please.

[Brad]

Well, "library" may be a glorified term for "bookshelf full of hand-me-down books".



A bunch of them are ooold but there are still some gems hidden among there.

[Kickaha]

Sweet, looks like the shelf at my office... but about 1/5 the size... lol (I work at a company that specializes in legacy languages. I have never seen so many language reference guides from the 60s in one place before, outside of the IBM library reference stacks.)

[Brad]

We finally got our two copies!

Coworkers are excited to have it.



I'm still getting a handle on this "reading" thing.

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by Brad We finally got our two copies! Coworkers are excited to have it.

HA! That's awesome!

I'm in ur branes....

I'm still getting a handle on this "reading" thing.

I hear it makes a good doorstop....

[pscates2.0]

I did some Illustrator tutorials in MacDesign magazine years ago (I was still in San Diego, so this would've been prior to 2003). Had a little masthead, byline, got to write everything out, do the steps, capture the screenshots/write the captions, etc. I was given a space/word-count and general style guidelines, but the topics were left up to me.

I go to talk with some of the guys at the publication, including Scott Kelby.

I thought it was fun. Wish I'd pursued it harder...



But it was neat to see my name and picture in a national Mac/graphics magazine for a while!

[Kickaha]

In case any Seattle area folk are interested, I'll be doing a local book signing and talk on Sep 22 up on Capitol Hill. http://blog.seattletechnicalbooks.com/?p=580

See you there!

[Moogs]

I just read the first few paragraphs of the Slashdot review and my head asplode. I intend to buy a pocket protector and a graphing calculator so I can try again later to comprehend the scope of this work. Congrats, McKick!

BTW I recommend for 2e, you use Brad's "The Kick Dude" Photoshop art for the cover. There is no geek alive who could resist purchasing a book covered in this manner. Also you'll probably corner the drifter and stoner market segments. Maybe do like a Beautiful Mind graphical treatment, with sigmas and formulas floating around the Kick Dude's head.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by Kickaha In case any Seattle area folk are interested, I'll be doing a local book signing and talk on Sep 22 up on Capitol Hill. http://blog.seattletechnicalbooks.com/?p=580 See you there!

Is there any chance you could get the store to make a video clip of your entire talk, including the question and answer segment at the end? Bookstores I frequent make videos during author-signing events and then post them on their website, but Ada's doesn't seem to have anything like that that I can see. If they don't (and won't) do this, maybe you could bring and set up a video camera and tripod and film it yourself, so you'll have a clip for yourself. And for us. Yes?

Also, I watched the clips that were on the amazon site (I guess that's where they were) a few months back, and, imo, you look much better clean-shaven. But I guess that's a matter of opinion, right?

[Chinney]

Very well done Kick.

[Windswept]

Are you nervous about your book-signing tomorrow night, or are you excited and looking forward to it?

I hope you have a good crowd and that they all buy a copy or two of your book. Best of luck, and have fun.