Ooochie: A Ruby Developer’s Journal

I'm so sporadic about reading. Sometimes I go weeks without reading at all, and other times I'm reading some every single day. I would love to make a habit of it, but for now that's still a work in progress.

Recently Read

• The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
• The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King
• Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

Currently Reading

• I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai

In the Queue

• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal
• Remote by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
• Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workplace by Ricardo Semler

I'm taking suggestions! What's on your reading list?

For as long as I can remember, I've loved VW busses. I knew that at some point in my life I would own one, but it was always one of those dreams that I thought would happen "someday." Well, folks, this is a story about how "someday" sometimes comes a lot sooner than you expect.

Earlier this summer, I happened to be perusing the classifieds (as I often do) and found a beautiful 1973 bus for sale about 15 minutes from where I live. Not only was it 'ooochie orange', but it had automatic transmission and was in really great shape for a 40 year old vehicle. Of course, we went to see it the following day, and it was officially ours a week later. It is *so* much fun to cruise around in, and I'm looking forward to making improvements and roadtripping all over the place in this thing. I mean, just look at it and try not to smile!

You're smiling right? I know I am. :) :) :) :) :) :)

Hmm I wrote this article ages ago, but apparently never posted it (insert apologies for neglecting my blog here). Here's another tasty morsel from my Intellectual Property class:

Non-Compete Clauses

Often when you work as a contractor, or even sometimes as a full-time employee, companies include non-compete clauses or agreements in the paperwork you have to sign. A Non-Compete basically says, "if you leave this company you cannot go to work for one of our competitors." But did you know that it's extremely difficult to enforce a Non-Compete? Courts don't like to enforce them because they put people out of work, thus taking away their livelihood. In order to successfully enforce a Non-Compete, Company A must be able to prove that the employee is giving Company B, their competitor, Company A's trade secrets. Just the desire to avoid competition is not enough to put your ex-employees out of work.

P.S. Just like before, please note that this information applies to United States law. Would love to hear how this works in other parts of the world!