If you have no prior development experience, one of the worst things you can do when learning Rails is to just dive in. Some of the concepts build on each other, so jumping in would be like signing up for a calculus class before you’ve learned algebra. Sure, you could muddle through it, but most of your time would be spent trying to figure out why things aren’t working.

Another difficulty for a beginner is figuring out what to learn. SQL, XHTML, CSS, XSS, RDF, RDBMS–what should you drink from the fire hose of acronyms? Which topics are worthwhile for a beginner to learn and which are better left for later?

Another mistake is spending too much time mastering a concept when you only need a basic understanding.

Therefore, to accelerate your learning, learn the right things in the right order at the right depth.

WASHINGTON — Fear is the dictator’s traditional tool for keeping the people in check. But by cutting off Egypt’s Internet and wireless service late last week in the face of huge street protests, President Hosni Mubarak betrayed his own fear — that Facebook, Twitter, laptops and smartphones could empower his opponents, expose his weakness to the world and topple his regime.

Jens Stergaard gives a brilliant introduction on Scrum from a process perspective, but also talks about why Scrum can be so hard to implement.

Conclusion? If Scrum is to be successfully implemented - Managers need to change their perception with regards to their role in an organization (i.e. its not just telling people what to do).

For decades, competitors and consumers have pondered how Apple has reached (and continues to reach) such heightened levels of success and innovation. But it only took Simon Sinek eighteen minutes to explain it at a TED event. And, according to him, it’s all about the why, not the how. Most computer companies start with claims that they make great products. Apple, on the other hand, tells you why they build computers. Watch Sinek in action below. He’s got a smart theory that’s worth a listen.