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jonathanmarvens | 11 years ago | on: #kreyosfraud please help us

Hey, I wasn't aware that this was an issue. However, those comments were NOT "sockpuppet comments". All of us backers who've been ripped off have a Facebook group ( https://facebook.com/groups/469833006482519 ) and those comments were from folks on there. You guys really should not just make assumptions like this and delete comments. That isn't fair. - Jonathan

jonathanmarvens | 11 years ago | on: Show HN: Voice - An iOS App that lets blind people read

Hi, Matthijs.

As a dyslexic myself, I just wanted to point out (at least for those who don't know) that dyslexia manifests itself differently in many folks, so while this may be useful for some folks who are dyslexic, it isn't for all of us (like me, for example).

- Jonathan

jonathanmarvens | 11 years ago | on: Show HN: Voice - An iOS App that lets blind people read

As someone who used to exclusively write software for the visually impaired at Ai Squared (I wrote a huge portion of http://sitecues.com during my time there), I wanna thank Shalin for building this. There are VERY few developers (in fact, non-developers, too) out there who understand the needs of that audience. We all take that stuff for granted, but to a blind person, this type of software means so much to them. I remember going to the CSUN Conference last year and meeting a bunch of amazing folks who were blind and seeing them use our software ... I was in a happy mood for weeks after that experience. Please continue building software like this. Please. Much respect, Shalin. You're awesome, man.

- Jonathan

jonathanmarvens | 12 years ago | on: StackOverflow and Github Visualized As Cities

Being a 19-year-old black software engineer, from a "current reality" POV, I can say that acadien's observation is definitely spot-on. However, I can also say that it seems things are getting much much better. Just a little under 3 years ago, I'd attend a conference with 300, 500, or even 500+ attendees, and would EASILY count the amount of black folks on a pair of hands (yes) and the ladies on 2-3 pair of hands. This isn't necessarily the case anymore (it's still kind of a problem though). Also, a majority of the "white men" programmers I know in the industry are very welcoming and helpful in this sense, so I wouldn't blame "white men" since that's just too general, and quite frankly, wrong, for the most part. Now that that's out of the way, THERE ARE those "white men" who are not so welcoming and aren't afraid to show it either. I couldn't even tell you the amount of times I've been offended by such folks. There's even one conference I went to where I was literally stopped on my way to grab lunch and randomly requested to go to security to be searched while EVERYONE ELSE was enjoying the sessions and meals. I was searched, I went to bathroom and cried for a while (yes, I admit it), and immediately headed home afterwards. Which conference ... well, I digress. The point I'm trying to make here is that we shouldn't be blaming folks in a general sense, but instead find those folks who do have such behavior and try to help them change.

jonathanmarvens | 12 years ago | on: Depression.

I didn't even know this was posted here.

@leonroy: I agree and thanks for the tip! @nam: Thank you! I'm gonna check it out now!

jonathanmarvens | 12 years ago | on: What it really means to be a “junior” developer.

Come to think about this, I have had to deal with that almost every week with our V.P. of Engineering for the past couple of months. It has been really interesting for me to see how little I know versus how much the little arrogant guy inside of me tries to make me think I know. In my opinion, it can be tough at first learning to deal with and learn from the experienced folks, and if you let the ego get the most of you, you may end up a quitter. However, if you just stick to it, understand your capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses, and make it all a learning experience, you will later find yourself in a better shape than before. I find the number one problem to be the part about understand your weaknesses. I have had to deal with that myself. Honestly, until someone more experienced than me, unintentionally, got me to realize this, I thought that I was good at everything. This is also why I recommend young folks who are freelancers to attempt at getting a job where they can work in a team with smarter folks than themselves. That experience in itself is just a life changer. Freelancing will always be there, but working in a team of software developers building an actual product from start to finish is quite rewarding.
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