We're all busy. Probably busier than we'd like to be. But in all of the chaos that is the daily life of a professional programmer, we have to remember to stay up to date - not only with our own areas of technical expertise, but with what's going on in the world around us. So to kick off this reading list section, I'm going to give a quick run down of the things I try to read on a daily basis.
Start by trying to read the morning headlines. It doesn't have to be in-depth, but at least know going into the work day what's been happening in the world. If you know that your colleagues are likely to talk about sports or movies, you might be sure you brush up on those headlines (if you are worried about being left out of the conversation at lunch).
If you want to watch a news program on TV, I like the PBS News Hour for in-depth stories with little added opinion. I also have my Google Assistant give me the 5 minute heading rundown on busy mornings (which most are).
While social media isn't always my go-to format for gathering information (Facebook is not on my social media plate), I do use Twitter and LinkedIn to find interesting goings on in the world. This applies both to national/world news, as well as technology news. If you follow the right people, your timeline will be full of useful information. Of course, it may also be full of cat pics and memes, too. Here's one of my recent favorites about using TCP:
Although I actually read a lot of technical papers (conference and preprint, mostly) based on what comes through on my Twitter timeline, I also like to keep up with publications from recent conferences. Keep a calendar with the dates of many of the important conferences in your area of work so that you can scan the proceedings when they are available. You can also use arxiv to find preprints before they go to conference proceedings. However, remember that papers on arxiv are not necessarily peer-reviewed (yet), so it can take a bit of sifting to find the gold dust hidden in the silt.
This is typically the type of content I make sure to read every day (other than emails). I also try to make occasional time for reading books, which I will discuss in this Reading List section going forward, along with seminal papers in areas I work in or enjoy keeping up with.
Are there any books you think I should read and comment on? Feel free to leave me a suggestion in the comments. Please also subscribe so that you will always be first to know when new material gets published. And as always, feel free to follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Start with the News
Start by trying to read the morning headlines. It doesn't have to be in-depth, but at least know going into the work day what's been happening in the world. If you know that your colleagues are likely to talk about sports or movies, you might be sure you brush up on those headlines (if you are worried about being left out of the conversation at lunch).
If you want to watch a news program on TV, I like the PBS News Hour for in-depth stories with little added opinion. I also have my Google Assistant give me the 5 minute heading rundown on busy mornings (which most are).
Move on to Social Media
While social media isn't always my go-to format for gathering information (Facebook is not on my social media plate), I do use Twitter and LinkedIn to find interesting goings on in the world. This applies both to national/world news, as well as technology news. If you follow the right people, your timeline will be full of useful information. Of course, it may also be full of cat pics and memes, too. Here's one of my recent favorites about using TCP:
I'M SO GLAD WE COULD ESTABLISH RELIABLE COMMUNICATION pic.twitter.com/rJk9uG05yU
— Hsing-Hui Hsu (@SoManyHs) April 6, 2018
Move on to Technical Papers
Although I actually read a lot of technical papers (conference and preprint, mostly) based on what comes through on my Twitter timeline, I also like to keep up with publications from recent conferences. Keep a calendar with the dates of many of the important conferences in your area of work so that you can scan the proceedings when they are available. You can also use arxiv to find preprints before they go to conference proceedings. However, remember that papers on arxiv are not necessarily peer-reviewed (yet), so it can take a bit of sifting to find the gold dust hidden in the silt.
This is typically the type of content I make sure to read every day (other than emails). I also try to make occasional time for reading books, which I will discuss in this Reading List section going forward, along with seminal papers in areas I work in or enjoy keeping up with.
Are there any books you think I should read and comment on? Feel free to leave me a suggestion in the comments. Please also subscribe so that you will always be first to know when new material gets published. And as always, feel free to follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.