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AI Gets... Physical?
Plus: Easier APIs, self-sabotaging keyboards, and more!
David Thurman
February 13, 2025
Morning folks! This is Beyond Code - the newsletter designed to help developers build their careers, one Thursday at a time.
Note: This newsletter is not sponsored. Any websites/tools/apps we recommend are purely because we enjoy them personally
Did You Know…
The QWERTY Keyboard Was Designed to Slow You Down
Early typewriters jammed if people typed too quickly, so the QWERTY layout spread out common letters to reduce jams.
This might have been one of the first instances of “It’s not a bug, it’s a feature”.
Handy Coding Tool
Debug APIs Easily (Even on Sundays) - Postman
Working with APIs can be a headache:
Which headers did I need?
What was the response supposed to be?
Is the API even working?
And blah, blah, blah
Luckily, Postman simplifies the process by letting you send requests, inspect responses, and even set up automated tests—all in one simple interface.
Tech Highlights
CAD Scratch Fever
AdamCAD has launched a public beta for its innovative platform that enables users to generate computer-aided design (CAD) models using natural language commands. By simply describing their design ideas, users can create detailed 3D models in seconds, streamlining the prototyping process for industrial design and mechanical engineering projects. The platform is now open for public beta access.
As it turns out, building an entire AI that generates 3D models was easier than actually learning how to use CAD. Can’t say I’m surprised
Programming Tip
Use Meaningful Function Names
Choosing the right name for your functions is a small but powerful way to write more readable and maintainable code. A well-named function communicates its purpose at a glance, saving time and reducing confusion.
Why it helps:
• Easier debugging: You won’t need to trace the function just to understand its role.
•Better collaboration: Your code’s purpose will be clear to others.
Bad:
function handleIt() { }Good:
function calculateUserScore() { }Ask the Experts
"I’ve been working in a completely unrelated field for years, and I am ready for a change. Is it too late for me to transition into a career as a software engineer?"
"Never, often you can take some aspects of your current work into software design"
Open Source Highlight
Teach the Programmers of Tomorrow - freeCodeCamp
freeCodeCamp is a nonprofit, open-source platform that helps people learn to code for free.
With a mission to make coding accessible to everyone, freeCodeCamp offers interactive lessons, coding challenges, and real-world projects. The entire project is open source, so anyone can contribute towards helping millions of people learn to code!
Website: https://www.freecodecamp.org/
GitHub: https://github.com/freeCodeCamp/
What’s Open Source?
“Open sourced projects” refer to projects that have their code open to the public. They allow anyone to contribute to the project and help maintain it. Not only are they a great way to get hands on experience early on in your career, they also provide you a way to add bigger projects to your resume!
Shameless Plug
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• Courses for building your tech career.
• Interviews with professional developers.
• Handy resources to make coding life easier.
• A Discord community to network with fellow devs.
www.beyondcode.app - Join for free!
Pop Quiz
Can You Spot The Bug?
Note: A palindrome is a word that reads the same forward or backwards
Examples: level, madam, civic
function isPalindrome(word) {
for (let i = 0; i < word.length; i++) {
if (word[i] !== word[word.length - i]) {
return false;
}
}
return true;
}
console.log(isPalindrome("radar"));
Find the answer at the bottom of the newsletter!
Rate this weeks newsletter: |
Pop Quiz Answer: The comparison uses word[word.length - i] instead of word[word.length - i - 1]. This will lead to an out-of-bounds error when i is 0