If you’re like me, then one of your first thoughts when you started reading JavaScript code was “why in the world is 'this' written all over the place?!” It is a strange syntax indeed, and confusing to read about because “this” is one of the most common words in the English language! Rest assured though, with a little practice you’ll master the necessary mental gymnastics to understand 'this'.

• javascript
• programming

Scope got you down? No problem! This article is all about scope--one of the most fundamental parts of the JavaScript we know and love. Scope defines what is visible to whom, and where--with the what being some variable, the where being some point of execution in your program, and the whom being your friendly neighborhood functions.

• javascript
• programming

My journey in life is a good deal longer than my journey in code, and yet, I feel at times that my understanding of the latter exceeds my understanding of the former. Life and code are not the same thing--but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn something about the one from the other."

• learning
• life
• programming

Apologies to Def Leppard for, shall we say, “borrowing”, the name of one of their greatest hits to introduce this article. However, if any programming language has had a lot of sugar poured into it, surely it’s Ruby!

• programming
• ruby

In Ruby, as in life, knowing one’s self is a vital element for long-term success. Let’s take a minute to explore self and why it matters.

• programming
• ruby