Martian Intuition

Between learning probably the most advanced web application framework and an upcoming project to develop a custom email server filter module, both in Ruby, a 10-year-old object-based scripting language born in Japan, I am one busy coding monkey.

At this point, I am convinced that Ruby is not a programming language in the traditional sense. Ruby is expressive codespeak. The most challenging aspect of learning it, is unlearning the convoluted tricks that the utilitarian languages of my last 10-years tattooed into my brain.

This shift of thinking is akin to a shift I experienced around 1990 from line-number-based BASIC programming [on my family's TI-994a!], to modular HyperTalk/Pascal/VBScript/PHP.

Mars now waxes nostalgic to the late nights he spent in high school whipping up HyperCard stacks on his sister's Macintosh Classic II. Mars dearly thanks Natalie for having that little toaster at home where he could use it!