Resolutions

Since learning a lot of new things now,
I have some resolutions for when I get back:

1) Really learn Japanese, real Japanese. This can be done by watching Japanese movies or TV everyday, at least 30 minutes. And memorizing some Kanji and vocabulary per day on the daily commute. And writing an activity journal in Japanese daily. My estimate is that it will take an hour per day to do this. Even if I don't go back to Japan, I can have another job as a translator.

2) Learn new languages ALL THE TIME. Both programming and natural. To do this, read and try installing stuff. Get a new computer, a PC. And get 2 screens, it looks really great, and it's a really really big help, especially for programming. All that's needed is a new videocard. The object of this is to program more. I can program new applications for my cellphone - a Japanese-English dictionary, complete with Kanji. Also, software development tools and plugins. And join an open-source effort. Keep you fresh.

3) The tools I've used, try to use them or other applicable tools. If there's anything I've learned from my stay in the lab, it's that I'm not alone. They're doing research on the things I've always wondered about. It's the like soft part of software, it's the programmer management, not program management. Something like that. I've always been reading about these CMMI dreams of mine. Project management, issue tracking, all these stuff. But these are just tools. The guys in the lab are doing wonderful work regarding using these tools for data collection and data mining. By trying to discover patterns in how people develop software (not just coding, the whole project suite - from requirements to testing to bug fixing), they'll be able to predict future project durations (well, there still is the human factor, hmmm..), and suggest better ways of working. What works and what doesn't.

4) These presentations and posters are really good. I was thinking of doing the same thing, maybe something revised. And the use of wikis, which is long overdue. It's very simple and will make life simple for us. Google calendar? For the meantime? Maybe it will do. The thing is, we're very small and on a tight budget. I want to have all these tools. At least we can have some.