In the online, for lack of a better term, world of programming you occassionally encounter bugs or side effects in your code that you did not anticipate. For some of us this happens more often than for others but it is something everyone experiences from time to time. In the context of this online world these side effects are considered negative. You want, and need, for your programs behavior to be 100% predictable every single time it is run or else eventually you’d be out of a job.

This article is, however, not based in the online world but about a real life situation. For those of you that have been chained to your desk for so long, trying to meet a deadline, that perhaps have forgot what that is take a moment to google it.

Just as this is a contrast between the online world and real life this side effect is a positive thing as apposed to negative.

What are you talking about?

Life can deal you some tough blows but every once and a while it passes you that proverbal ace in the hole, usually unexpectedly.

Over the last year or so that I have been blogging I have discovered one of these positive side effects. My writing has improved. What? You made me read all that just to say your writing has improved? Well, yeah. Just like most posts on this blog, this is something that I deem important so here it is in your face for you to read or disregard.

Those that have know me for any length of time know that my grammer and spelling leave much to be desired and I would credit my improvements to services like dictionary.com and thesaurus.com. I am in no way saying that it is perfect yet but it has given me a desire to write.

I get frustrated with my blog sometimes. Sometimes it is because of the slow growth that it has experienced. Sometimes it is at myself for not updating regularly. However, for the most part I find running this blog rewarding. Even though it barely covers it’s own costs I enjoy seeing, and responding to, the comments that it gets. I find nothing more fulfilling than finding out I have helped a fellow coder with a problem. After all developing is all about collaboration and community, or at least it should be.