Viktor Bijlenga

  • How do you want to spend your days?

    > All we have in life is our time. People struggle after success. They hunger for fame, fortune, and power. But in all of these things, the same question exists — what will you do with your time? How do you want to spend your days? As Annie Dillard reminds us, “how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

    > In life, you will become known for doing what you do. That sounds obvious, but it’s profound. If you want to be known as someone who does a particular thing, then you must start doing that thing immediately. Don’t wait. There is no other way. It probably won’t make you money at first, but do it anyway. Work nights. Work weekends. Sleep less. Whatever you have to do. If you’re lucky enough to know what brings you bliss, then do that thing at once. If you do it well, and for long enough, the world will find ways to repay you.

    Thoughtful words by Jonathan Harris.

  • Spectacular Photos of Frozen Bubbles

    > Washington-based photographer Angela Kelly took advantage of the frigid temperatures earlier this month by blowing bubbles with her son and photographing the spectacular results for her series dubbed Frozen in a Bubble.

    Ice bubbles is as much fun to say out loud, as it’s beautiful. Fun science experience mixed with the power the nature. Stunning pictures.

  • Waiting for the Subway – High Speed video

    Beautiful high speed video of people waiting for the subway at Grand Central Station in New York. Made by [Adam Magyar](http://vimeo.com/adammagyar).

    (via [Swissmiss](http://www.swiss-miss.com/2014/01/waiting-for-the-subway.html))

  • Work From Home? Do it Better

    > It’s not realistic to think that you can focus on something all day long. Especially anything creative. So break your day into 1 or 2 hour chunks with breaks in between. Have a goal for each sprint and try to hit it

    Good reminder.

  • How to Get the Work You Want

    Excellent advice from Daniel Mall:

    > There’s little excuse for not being able to do the work you want. I’ve been fortunate to work on some of my dream projects, simply from being part of the right conversations. Start filling out your portfolio—see step #1—join the right conversations, and make 2014 your best work year yet.

    I’d would like to add one piece of advice to this: Be patient and enjoy the ride. Everyone is a beginner in our industry at some point. You might as well enjoy working your way towards your dream client/project.

  • New Year’s Resolutions as a front end developer – with follow up from last year

    Last year I actually wrote a few [New Year’s resolutions](https://viktorbijlenga.se/mina-nyarsloften-som-front-end-utvecklare/). Unfortunately, I had not started writing the blog in English then, so for you who (yet) don’t read Swedish, here are those resolutions:

    * Write during 2013 – I would simply write in my blog during 2013.
    * Scratch your own itch – Develop your own stuff, imagine solutions to your own problems.
    * Explain the difference – Learn other people more about how the web works.
    * Improve your process – Improve how I work on a daily basis.
    * Explore languages – learn more about PHP and Javascript.

    **So how did I do?** What’s this year’s New Year’s resolutions?

    —

    ## Write

    I’m very happy with what I’ve accomplished in 2013 on the blog. The game changer has been to begin writing in English, which is still a major difference for me. It’s still exciting to look around at the statistics and see that people from different parts of the world has been visiting the site.

    As usual [Shawn Blanc has some good advice](http://shawnblanc.net/2012/07/50-things/) which I would like to remind myself of:

    > An article doesn’t always have to be published the moment after you’ve written the last paragraph.

    ## Scratch your own itch

    In 2013, I worked with a faster pace than ever before, especially during the fall. Thus, many of my own projects has suffered in some way. I have to set more realistic limits, or ship earlier.

    ## Explain the difference

    I not really know how to evaluate this. Actually, I should ask my girlfriend, because I’ve probably talked to much about work. For a while she taught me a thing about dancing every day, and I her one code-thingy. It was fun.

    I like to teach, and in some sense I see my writing as a way for others to learn from my thoughts.

    ## Improve your process

    I moved all my development to git. I can’t even explain my process before git. Everything is suddenly much easier and smoother. It’s like [1Password](https://agilebits.com/onepassword), I can’t imagine my workdays without it.

    I bought a standing desk. Got tired of sitting down all day. I feel better, and I have more energy when I’m not at work.

    ## Explore languages

    Learned a lot more about PHP and Javascript/jQuery during this year. The best way to tackle this for me, is to find real situations/problems where I can learn more by simply trying.

    Thank God for SASS, saved me so much time, and made CSS even more fun.

    —

    ## What about 2014?

    My new goal is to continue to work with those things I enjoy doing, because at the end of the day it’s the only thing that matters.

    Do more of the things that makes you happy, Viktor.

  • Sass Tip: The Double Ampersand Selector

    Today I’ve learned this. It’s probably usefull knowledge to share with you. You might learn something as well.

  • Sublime Text – Syncing Package Control with Dropbox

    > To properly sync your installed packages across different machines, you actually do not want to sync the whole Packages/ and Installed Packages/ folders. The reason for this is that some packages have different versions for different operating systems. By syncing the actual package contents across operating systems, you will possibly run into broken packages.

    Why didn’t I search Google for this earlier. This will save me so much frustration.

  • How to add a custom Facebook Feed to a Website using the Graph API

    > A twitter friend asked me about creating a custom feed for a Facebook wall. Pretty easy with the php sdk, but when I looked at the source it turns out I made it another way. Better or worse? You tell me.

    I asked John Svensson how they created a good looking Facebook feed on Galleria Duvans website. He replied with writing two blogposts and a git repo on the subject. I just love that. Someone who understands the value of sharing. Sharing is caring.

  • WP CLI – command line interface for WordPress

    > WP-CLI is a set of command-line tools for managing WordPress installations. You can update plugins, set up multisite installs and much more, without using a web browser.

    Save time, use better tools to do the things you always have to do. WP-CLI probably saved me a day of work, just this week.

  • Writing a Blog Is Hard

    It’s hard to write a blog. Especially since I have decided that I have to write everything in English. It’s actually extremely hard for me, since I always feel that my vocabulary is limited.

    Every now and then I’m reminded that it is indeed just that it’s all about. To write little every day, in order to get better. It works just like everything else. I need to practice.

  • The Design of WordPress 3.8

    > In its 10 years WordPress has seen many changes, one of the most significant being the “Crazyhorse” redesign that came with version 2.7 in 2008. Today’s update is the biggest visual update to WordPress since that release.

    WordPress 3.8 is a great update. The admin interface is featuring a new design. A evolution of the previous design, which I think is a good way to make the transition to something new easier for a lot of people. It’s also responsive, which is a great feature these days, when we tend to use and manage our websites from many different devices.

  • Grunt for People Who Think Things Like Grunt are Weird and Hard

    Next year I’m going to learn how to use Grunt. It will probably make my process even faster than ever before. First, I need to read this brilliant post by Chris Coyier.

  • Supercharge your Workflow in Sketch

    Good resource on how to use Sketch more efficient while designing.

  • Values

    > “Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.”
    ― Albert Einstein