Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
ON THE EIGHTH of December last year Barack Obama wore a Code.org hat and wrote a line of Javascript. The hat didn’t particularly suit him and the code he wrote wasn’t particularly meaningful, but I suspect the symbolism of POTUS being taught to write code by kids wasn’t lost on many.
From minors to ministers, the explosion of programming initiatives in Ireland has caught the attention of the nation; those evangelising the art point to the benefits of understanding how software is made, whether or not you build it for a living.
There’s a lot of discussion about the best way to learn to write code. One theory is that it should be geared towards highly visual and graphical feedback as early as possible; another is that a friendly language makes more sense. The former would lead you towards learning some HTML and CSS or possibly Javascript to create something visual, the latter would introduce you to a friendly language that best introduces the core concepts of programming. Both approaches have their merits so I’ve picked two resources below that take one approach each, both are free and extremely accessible for beginners.
What’s the right approach?
There are so many online resources geared toward teaching programming that the problem no longer lies in finding them but in filtering down to the most appropriate ones.
Khan Academy is an excellent online tool that allows you to work your way through courses with constant feedback and help. The videos are excellent and you can go from beginner to a reasonably advanced coder using the tutorials. The most appropriate course here is the ‘Computer Programming’ one, as ‘Computer Science’ is a more theory based approach to algorithms which isn’t the best introduction to programming generally.
One of the great features of Khan academy is that you can do the ‘Hour of Code’ or ‘Hour of Databases’ which give a quick, one hour introduction to a topic. The interaction is hugely impressive as you can just work in your web browser without downloading or installing any other software. The programming here is all done in Javascript, which is an extremely popular and powerful language that controls most interactions you have with a web page. Khan academy is completely free, though they do appreciate donations; I used Khan Academy extensively during my masters and it was a huge asset.
If you want to push yourself…
Another of my favourite resources is Coursera. Coursera has a much bigger catalogue of courses than Khan Academy and they’re from actual universities. They tend to last a number of weeks and have set amount of work to do per week. This is a higher commitment option but that does push you to put in more time to get a higher reward.
Coursera have beginner Python courses specific to both adults and children. Python is a well-established, multi-purpose language that used in many areas from web development to data analysis and scientific computing. Coursera tend to offer good follow on courses that allow you to progress as far as you wish. Coursera is completely free, though you can pay for a certificate of accomplishment for the courses. I’ve completed a few software development courses on Coursera and they were all extremely well organised and more educational than I expected.
There are other great resources too such as Lynda.com, but I’ve found that you need to pay to get the most out of it which can turn people off.
The best advice: just start
Given the extreme accessibility of Khan Academy it’s probably a good place to start, but for a 2-4 hour per week commitment I think the Coursera course probably offers more motivation. You also have the added advantage with Coursera of thousands of other students doing the course at the same time, and some forums that allow you to discuss the class content and exercises.
Overall the best advice, as with most things, is just to start. While there’s no ‘right’ language or technology to get you started there’s no ‘wrong’ one either. Once you begin doing tutorials you’ll be learning the basics of variables, conditions, loops, and functions which are essential no matter what language you choose.
Of course I’ve aimed these suggestions at everyone, but if you or someone you know is under 17 they should seriously consider going to a Coder Dojo, they exist in almost every town in Ireland and are volunteer led get-togethers for children to learn how to code. You can find the nearest one to you on their website, CoderDojo.com.
Mark Lambe is a Dublin-based software developer who works in scientific and high-performance computing. He tweets about this and much more as @AnTweetseach.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Jesus, that roast dinner looks crap
Roaming dogs with a plan
Frozen veg, waxy spuds and a cheap cut of chicken. The dog would struggle to eat that.
Just like mam makes it.. :)
More like two conjoined heads than chicken.
Must be the new McDonald’s roast dinner, rotten like the rest of their so called ‘food’
Exactly Jamie.
Boil the shite out of the veg, burn half the chicken while the inside is still raw. Poisson the potatoes with salt and hide a hair somewhere to be discovered half way though eating. Sunday roast dinner Mammy style.
Where’s the gravy and the roasters?
As long as it’s not a curley hair you’ll be ok!
@Alan Kennedy: Je ne voudrais pas le poisson et le poulet sur la même plaque!
It’s a mystery how anybody could miss anything about the food in Ireland.
Rotten looking roast dinner Bear Grylls wouldn’t eat it.
One thing I don’t miss is a “fat boy junk frier”
Pauliebhoy…
I am currently working in a remote part of the Philippines.
If I could get food like that here I would pay anything.
Even a dinner like in the pic.
Tummy is grumbling now.
I miss Cadbury’s chocolate, Fry’s Turkish, Tayto crisps and the Irish sausage and bacon.
Good Irish RASHERS.. Not the thin miserable crispy streaks that pass for bacon over here
I thought they were Danish now Diaspora’d?
You must live in oz
No, Monterey, CA
Nice spot Derek? Hoping to get over to California in late autumn And not sure where best to go!
Check out Irish Grub in Sunnyvale CA .. Best Irish rashers west of Dingle !!
Go to food ireland.com. Everything you want from home and the rashers ain’t too shabby
A pint pulled correctly in a proper local pub. Not a bright lights Paddy O’Shamrocks in NYC’s Times Square!
Worst looking roast I’ve ever seen, not even some gravy to perk it up a bit!
The sign posts, despite the fact they are usually pointed in the wrong direction, love them. Only in Ireland
Only in Ireland? Cos of the two languages or pointed in the wrong direction?
Love the Chinese food in ireland it’s pure crap in the states
Cat meat???
I ngach áit*
Many still miss Sally O’Brian and how she might look at you, probably cross eyed lol.
Sorry but is this an ad by McDonald’s trying to be whimsical about being Irish??? F.O.
Too many things… The family, the fun, the craic in the bars which you get nowhere else in the world, the friendliness of randomers, the slang/vernacular, the green, the air….
Not enough to bring me back just yet.. but soon
I miss the humour and the music the most!
The Sarcasm is great …. We thrive on Sarcasm…..
Yeah right, that and your hilarious sense of humour with you thinking you’re another Dara O’Brien just because your Irish, fat and bald.
The 7 red thumbs that’s Ive so far got don’t get the irony of my sarcasm.
I missed the dark humour, only when you’re surrounded by Americans and see the disgust in their eyes do you truly miss the Irish outlook
7. Burgerking
Only kidding…. 7. Supermacs
Nothing beats the old Burger Land Club Burger. You can fly all year and you won’t bring that back
Whoever wrote this article has never ‘been away’ in their lives.
Load of garbage.
Things I don’t miss: 1.Corrupt gov 2.high taxes 3.low wages/job security 4.un paved roads 5.lack of health care 6.lack of houses
I also don’t miss articles like this
Twisty windy roads, the local unusual and odd characters, walking in to the main nightclub or late bar knowing every Tom dick & Harry, taco fries from supermacs at 3 in the morning, the angelus and death notices on the local radio station, neighbours sheep or cattle in your lawn, brown coloured tap water, the rain, the bog on a sunny day… Just a few things I missed when I was away
You missed the death notices? No wonder you were ran
Aye, like Tommy Joe past away and my grandfather used to buy hay off him in the 70′s so I was told so I should have made the funeral but I was away.
People cutting the back off ya…naturally not to your face…must be away way too long.oh and meanies defenitely meanies.
Dairy Milk (yes they’re not perfect but miles better than Oz ones!) Good quality meat and dairy yum
Shame on you Micky D’s that poor chap on the ice is not funny in the least. Watching someone else get hurt is not really something to be slapping your thighs to.
Worst name of all time “mammysdinners” that is just pathetic
Using the US as an example milk and bread are mine. But the holy grail of what’s missed is chipper food.
Can’t beat Wexford rissoles and chips
Scangers
They really need a 6 things you don’t miss.
99s
When I lived in Belgium, you could not get decent bacon. Bacon, cabbage and floury spuds with a good lash of real butter.
your man smacked his head off te grond. you sick fcukcs
Ha you just got reported
“What do you miss when you’re away? Let us know down below…”
I am afraid that is between me and my doctor lol.
What I miss the most is the GAA, ya can’t beat a Sunday with the GAA & a roast dinner
Even the sound of GAA on the TV is unique. If I hear it coming from some bar when abroad it’s like a magnet.Im not even that much of a GAA fan but it just sounds like summer at home.
Where is the bacon and cabbage ?
Looking at all this crap food it’s no wonder we have the highest rate of heart attacks in Europe.As for all the other sentimental rubbish it reaffirms for me why I left in the first place.
Meanies.
Chicken fillet rolls
Lol my comments slagging the article were removed!
The journal is going irishcentral.com ?
I don’t drink tea! Daft article
No mention of Mammy ??
Sausages!!!
Our youngest in Oz misses Tayto and Bovril and After-8s
Batch loaf, bacon fries and of course a good fry
#1 – Schadenfreude. The Germans got there first. …..
Kellys Blackpudding
Roast beef, roast spuds,veggies, and of course Bisto gravy.That’s a proper Sunday dinner. Even better after a few pints.
Over priced 10 spots and our 42% taxation Oh yea and sarcasm!
Wexford Strawberries, Wicklow Lamb,the Dublin/Wicklow mountains and of course the fresh air
The weather
Terrible list. I don’t miss much really. Just my mum, proper Irish pubs, and a decent newspaper. Oh and Tayto beef and onion, we can get the cheese and onion here. To be honest I miss the rest of Europe more, I’d love to be able to nip to Italy for a week without taking out a mortgage.
Taco chip! Fake tan…
Irish sausages can’t beat them and white pudding
Tayto and ice cold bottle of lucozade on a Sunday morning!
Don’t drink tea. Hate McDonalds .. When you go away . experience that country’s culture scenery . everything about it . or else STAY at Home ..
2 eggs, 2 rasher, 2 sausage, 2 bacon, 2 puddins one black one white. All placed like a tower on top of one another and wrapped up good and tight. If yer havin some tae the milks over there, you’ll find sugar in the bowl. Says she do you want some sauce on that, says I, I do in my………roll!
People who know its Paddy’s day not Patty’s day!!!!!
That has too be the worst list ever compiled by the journal.and there has been a couple before this
Hello everyone my name is Leonard Vaughn Dewayne from USA. i want to use this opportunity to inform everyone here that there is a cure for hiv/aids, as i was once tested positive of the deadly disease one day i came across a testimony on how Dr Peter cured someone with Herbal medicine and i contacted this dr toalso cure me and he asked me for few details about me and i actually did send this to him and he told me that he will have to prepare the herbal medicine and send it to me of which he actually did send it within the next 24hrs and gave me the prescriptions,barely two weeks that i started to use it i went for medical check up because i was totally feeling differnt from the way i used to be,and behold i was now tested negative and i couldnt belive that i was cured i went to another check up at a differnt hospital same result negative and i called Dr Peter on phone and told him everything and he only told me to show appreciation to his temple of which i did but the good news is that i am now hiv/aids free and i will like you out there who is suffering from this deadly disease should kindly contact this great man he is real and genuine and i assured you that you will be the next to testify of his good work .contact email: dr.herbalcenter@gmail.com you can also reach him on +2348123051190
He/ she right about the roast dinner pure shit that poor chicken roast dinner is beef for Christ sake
That was the worst looking roast dinner ever. Apparently that mammy doesn’t cook her chicken. A time saver I’m sure.
First thing I eat is a packet of Tayto
have your say