Using Git Log to Show Last Month’s Commits
Every month, I have to produce a short bulleted list of tasks I worked on from the previous month. Usually I end up straining my memory trying to remember everything I did. The last time I had to make this list I realized that our git repository contained all this information. I had to find a good way to extract it. git log is the right tool when you need to explore commit history. Showing My Commits The first thing I needed was to only show commits that I had made and ignore commits from author developers. The --author argument allows you to...
read moreWelcome James!
We have another fantastic new team member to talk about! James Norton has joined Element 84 and we’re very happy to have him. He has a background in C++ and Java programming and currently specializes in Ruby on Rails and iOS development. He will be working with several other team members on the NASA ECHO project. His full bio is posted on the about us page. Welcome James!
read moreLots of speaking going on…
We have several staff members with speaking engagements coming up and a meetup we’re hosting. I thought I’d pass them along! First off, I’m (Tracey) speaking to the DC Lean Startup group on March 19 with a number of other co-founders at a meetup called “Startup Battlefield” about the stresses and more life-centered issues around running a startup. I’m also probably going to take a couple of minutes about what it’s like working with your husband, which is not something I often talk about! Please click...
read moreLetting Go
I love deleting code. It’s one of my favorite maintenance tasks. Every unnecessary line of code in an application weighs on my mind like an unpaid bill. I feel a sense of glee when I get a chance to delete a feature we don’t need anymore. Every line, function, class, and feature has a cost. It costs additional time to maintain. It’s more lines to read through and debug. It’s more places where something can go wrong. Unnecessary code is sometimes referred to as technical debt for a reason. The longer you avoid paying it...
read moreUpdated Seizure Tracker is out!
A new and improved iPhone/iPod Touch App has been released on the App Store! Improvements include updates for iPhone 5, a new “more” navigation tab allows you to interface more directly with both Seizure Tracker and YouTube credentials from within the app and updated YouTube sign in. Please let us know if you have any comments, we’re looking forward to hearing back from you!
read moreElement 84 goes recruiting!
This week Paul and I went to Virginia Tech for our first ever job fair. Well, first time being on that side of the table, anyway. We have been spending a tremendous amount of time recruiting for the company to fill specific needs, but now we’re starting to try and look toward the future and grow some more junior talent. What we found is that recruiting for more junior talent isn’t going to be any easier than it has been for the great team we’ve managed to snag so far. IEEE.org said in October that “The Association...
read more