You Might Not Need TypeScript (or Static Types)

TypeScript has gained a lot of popularity since the Angular 2 project decided to adopt it and write all their documentation examples in TypeScript, but is it really worth the investment?

Before we get into this, I’ll preface it by saying that I’m a fan of the tools that static types enable, and TypeScript is currently my favorite static type system for the JavaScript community.

I come from a background using statically typed languages including C/C++ and Java. JavaScript’s dynamic types were hard to adjust to at first, but once I got used to them, it was like coming out of a long, dark tunnel and into the light. There’s a lot to love about static types, but there’s a lot to love about dynamic types, too.

I’m not religious about tech stacks and dev tools. I’m practical. I do consulting, and a lot of dev teams use Angular 2 and TypeScript these days. If I’m going to give them advice, I’d better know what I’m talking about.

I strongly recommend that you adopt a similar open-minded attitude towards new and different tech stacks and tools. Believe me, you’ll learn more than a few during your career.

Being a developer means that you’re choosing a lifetime of learning new things. It’s a good idea to make peace with that right now. That doesn’t mean learn all the new things, but do be open to new things if you need to learn them for your work, or just the joy of discovery.

You Will Not Be Denied — Develop Your Daily Inspirational Routine

The winter solstice just passed and now, we find ourselves deep in the peak of shortened days, cold weather and lots of time inside with family and relatives. The lack of sun can really damper our moods and take away some of our energy. If we let it. Winter can make it challenging to find inspiration at times. But the days of less sunlight can also lead to great opportunities for solitude, reflection and contemplation.

While it may be tough to feel as inspired, I find that wintertime often is great for planning and refocusing our priorities. Some of my best ideas, as well as my most productive planning and actions have taken place at this time of the year. Following the holidays, there are less distractions. And as a result, there are more reasons to find things that inspire and light the fire inside of our hearts.

In this vein, I urge you to develop an inspirational routine each morning. It may come through the power of meditation, prayer, genuine heartfelt interaction with those that you love or from your favorite song. It could be a video that plays back the piano recital you played to perfection that brought the house down.

It may be the words of this article or a book you find so profound and hold in such high esteem, you get the chills before opening the pages.

Develop your routine. I’ll show you what works for me and how you can integrate this into your life. But first, a story.