I recently became a twitter user, and I immediately got addicted. I really have the sensation that twitter is extremely powerful, even if I still don’t exactly know how. So, while I think a little more about what can I do with it (as tool/platform for my job, I mean), here some fun things you can do with the 140 chars of a tweet:

• Sell stuff (the service is free!) in a auction-based or fixed price way. Who needs eBay anymore?
• Serve an injunction.
• Control your lights or even fully automate your home. Amazing.
• Remotely monitor a server: here and here.
• Control a Mac.
• Get a taxi? Why not…
• Play chess (even against the whole community, cool!)
• Notify the entire planet that the view is beautiful from the space.
• Publish a newspaper, now we know it’s possible.
• Hold a worldwide press conference.

140 chars…. not too bad eh?

How old were you when you started programming?

In 1994, when I was 16 and I was at the high school. But I must say also that at the age of about 10 year a “played” with BASIC on a Laser 500, something similar to a Commodre 64.

How did you get started in programming?

… in those days I learned Turbo Pascal, and I used it to solve not too complex math and physics problems.

What was your first language?

As I said, the very first language was Pascal. But, as a professional, I consider my first language to be Visual Basic 6. It is for sure the language that made me falling in love with programming.

What was the first real program you wrote?

At the end of a one year programming training I build a RSE – really simple ERP – for demo purposes. A WinForm application over an MS Access database. Presentation Layer e Business Logic were mixed up in the Visual Basic 6 forms, but I think here I wrote my first Data Layer.

What languages have you used since you started programming?

In order Basic, Turno Pascal, C++, Visual Basic 6, Java, PHP, ASP, JavaScript, VB Script, C#, Visual Basic .Net, Python.

What was your first professional programming gig?

In Brain Force, the company I’m still working for. 6 years ago.

If you knew then what you know now, would you have started programming?

I love programming: it consume a lot of resources but gives back a lot of satisfaction. But I would have choosen something else.

If there is one thing you learned along the way that you would tell new developers, what would it be?

Start from the theory and with the doc. Ever. Ever!! And pay attention to who wrote what you read.

What’s the most fun you’ve ever had … programming?

An ORM. I’m really proud of it.

Now, let’s tag someone else…

• Pietro
• Marco
• Ale
• Lanny

Source: 10 Incredible old computer ads.

Source: xkcd, via: Pietro.