Getting Started

I’ve been reading a lot of documentation and I recently finished watching Harvard’s CS-50 for the third time. I’ve got this laptop looking and running pretty good. It is getting old and worn out.

I’ve been thinking about my plan. What exactly do I want to do with all this computer science and artificial intelligence?

There are two major projects I want to accomplish. I want to build a calendar application based on the Baha’i calendar, with 19, 19 day months, with 4 or 5 intercalary days, depending on whether its a leap year or not, right before the last 19 day month. The calendar will begin on the first day of spring, 1844.

The spot in Teheran Iran, where Baha’u’llah was born will be the prime meridian. Farsi, Baha’u’llah’s native language, is the one common language of all mankind. The Baha’i Holy Days will be in the calendar.

I’ll build the application on my computer, inviting contributions with a Github repository. It will come with an MIT license.

I often hesitate to do this because I want to get a new computer before I start working on the project. I think I should just get started. I will have everything backed up on Github, so I can easily clone the program on my new computers.

The other big project is, I want to replace this WordPress website with a website that I build from scratch using Python and Flask.

So, I need to get all the dependencies installed and properly configured. Actually getting this local development environment I’ve been writing about, set up on my computer.

It’s going to be similar to learning how to use Linux. I will probably experience many false starts. I’ll probably have to start over a few times, before I get a stable application built.

Right now, my plan is to use the Qt/QML/C++ toolset. Qt is intentionally designed for creating attractive graphical user interfaces. I definitely want the calendar to be attractive.

I’ll have to set up both, a Python environment for the website and a Qt environment for the calendar. I’ll try a few python projects to get some experience.

I want to use the $5000 Qt Development Framework and Tools. I could use the free version, but I don’t want the application to have any legal problems. And the professional version is obviously way more powerful.

This is where I start hesitating. I don’t want to install $5000 worth of software on a laptop that is on its last legs. I want to spend about $15,000 on hardware and software to really get going.

Its for the fun of it. My dream work station. I’ll be like the Wizard of Oz, helping people get back home. Teaching you how to have fun making money in your holistic home office.

I’ll start by upgrading homeoffice.studio, from WordPress to Flask. That will be a huge learning experience. I’ve been studying human nature and computer science pretty much all of my adult life. Its time to start building something valuable.

Get in the habit of working in the terminal and actually programming applications, instead of setting up the tools and tinkering with them and never really doing anything with them. I’ve been installing and tinkering with Konsole, Zsh, Tmux, Vim and Vifm for years.

Another big idea I’ve had for years, is to build my own computer from scratch. That would be another valuable learning experience. Buying a computer is a lot easier and it would probably work a lot better than any home made computer I could build.

I’ve been working on converting some of the stories in the main menu of this website, into a book about building your local development environment. Perhaps I can earn enough income to get a decent work station and start working on some of my other big ideas.

Happy Thanksgiving!