Richard's W3 Space

Intro
Doc's
Coding
Portfolio
Marketing
AI
Cybersecurity
Data Visualisation

Images below are created by Microsoft's Copilot

Intro

Last update: April 2024

I started this coding journey around October 2023. This site aims to showcase those skills.

HTML and CSS was the "path of least resistance", so I am starting out with Front-End. I never realised how versatile JavaScript is, so spending more time on it. It will simplify learning subsequent languages.

Why coding? A lifetime ago, I was a MS-SQL DBA and enjoyed writing stored procedures for Developers. But, after a time, I missed the hustle and bustle of callcenters, so decided to exit that path. Coding has been in the back of my mind though and facilitates ideation and creation for as long as the mind holds.

This site uses the W3 CSS Framework in a grid layout. I will be updating this continously to incorporate learnings.

So...this will be kinda-like a blog, to keep HTML, CSS and JavaScript skills sharp. I'll highlight some work in my portfolio and discuss learning on the other topics (especially where they intersect) that are of interest to me. Here is a video changelog for this site.

I welcome LinkedIn connection requests to develop that network.

Docs

If you are considering me for a role, here is my CV, recent assessments and certficates of learning.

Coding

...I no longer see the code..

Cypher - The Matrix

The quote is overly-dramatic but quite effectve in the movie and indicative of how developers read code. They don't see a language made of notations - they read it as you are reading this English. So, that's my aim...

The sites used for this self-learning "escapade" are very good and I recommend them. However, if you have another resource... I'm all ears.

Learning from Tutorials, Exercises, Quizzes and Forums is not easy, but I have found that it reinforces knowledge and continously bears fruit with new approaches to problems and exploring the possibilities of the language/technology. Although, there is duplication, each of these sites has a different format of dissemenating knowledge that I found useful.

Kudo's to...

The plan is to get a couple of certifications, as soon as I can spend disposable cash on it, but here is some sense of the learning achieved.

I continously reference the material at W3Schools and want to pass the Web Development certification.

Although, I have several certificates from Sololearn, I want to tackle the exercises which are only available on subscription...for the sake of completion, but more as a super-huge thank you to the owners for the free learning that is offered.

I am currently working my way through these exercises and learning React.

Marketing

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Maya Angelou

As you can see from my learning, I have "dipped a toe" into Graphic, Marketing and Product Design. I think it is imperative for a developer to know how designer's think. The thought experiments were highly interesting.

My go-to tool to manipulate images and graphics has always been PowerPoint. I used it again for the logo and the hero infographic. Although, I tried Canva, PowerPoint had all the options needed.

I am also on an SEO journey, using Ubbersuggest and Semrush to optimise. SEO is more involved than I imagined!
It took a while to get the site ranked and I initially thought it had something to do with it being hosted on GitHub Pages. I added a sitemap and participated in the Github Community and voilà! I am working through all recommendations from these sites as well as Google Search Console and Analytics...an insightful trip.

AI

Buckle your seatbelt, Dorothy...

Cypher - The Matrix

As I explore Generative AI, ideas for use are coming fast and furious. I have been testing AzureSpeed.com, that uses Microsoft's Azure OpenAI for code explanation and sometimes (in small doses) code generation. Recently started comparing it with ChatGPT 3.5 and ChatGPT appears to be better. It's faster for one and the results are more concise, however, I am still finding value in the comparison.

What do you think about the HTML, CSS, JS and React images (below the navigation) created by Microsoft's Copilot?

Watch this space for a demonstration of those ideas hinted at!

Being curious, the mechanics of neural networks is a must. I have gone down the TensorFlow rabbit hole and boy is it deep! Thank you Great Learning and Udacity for excellent intro courses. The aim is by no means to become an expert but I find that knowing how it all works is sufficient to illuminate my coding exploration.