Everyone has their own roadblocks when it comes to learning. Looking at my understanding of programming I realize I have put too much an effort on self-study (rote memorization) and not enough emphasis on interaction (especially with people).
As a child I was always able to memorize something- whether it be classical music, or formulas. However, the deeper connections in learning that allow you to proceed outside of your box come from something else. True understanding is greater than the sum of it's parts.
I like the adage- see one, do one, teach one. Memorization is a requisite for all of them, but true understanding and mastery comes when you're able to take abstract concepts and impart them to other people.
No matter where you are the easiest way to benchmark your competency is to share it with someone else. They don't even need to be an expert, after all- it doesn't take a air traffic controller to see that a plane's landing gear isn't down.
While I don't know if my snow balls will go anywhere, one thing I've noticed is that many (most?) successful entrepreneurs have a high risk tolerance. I went to a meetup where Alan Grant (Hired) talked about his tolerance for risk- sometimes it even involved activities on his part that were a violation of TOS. The point is sometimes to do creative destruction you have to get your hands dirty. Try to maintain a "chaotic good" alignment if you will ;)
I did a quick price/feature comparison and it appears to be a toss-up depending on what you need. Any thoughts on how you plan to distinguish yourself from this other service? Selecting your location is definitely a cool idea- good work!
It's scary sometimes that previous consultants (I'm a consulting developer) may have gotten an application "working", but have incurred so much technical debt it is nearly impossible to make changes. They've escaped and taken the biggest chunk of money leaving something built on a foundation of toothpicks. Thus the project becomes a ticking time bomb and requires full-time programmer maintenance. You wonder if the next feature request will become the impetus for the collapse- Then you turn into Robert Gates: "I don't know where. I don't know when. But something bad is going to happen!!!"
Completely am on-board with the descriptions of false positive/negative
I agree that this seems like a good way to establish someone's technical competence. I do wonder though from the interviewee's side what the optimal time to spend on one person is. It's kind of like dating right? (Well what I imagine dating would be like if I lived in a big city) You have concurrent first impressions with maybe second and third follow ups before you seal the deal. This may be a bit like asking for a relationship on the first date.
Demonstrating ability in this manner works for more junior people who maybe don't have a github or other personal projects, but I'd consider discussing and reviewing those more valuable.
I went to University in Fairbanks, AK. It's a pretty unique place, probably one of the largest population centers where it routinely goes below -50F. Practical things I've learned:
1. Running outside is pretty comfortable with the proper equipment until about -20F, but is possible down to around -40s as long as you wrap something around your face and/or have clothing to "pre-warm" your air. At around -60F breathing deeply (and not into your coat) becomes painful and dangerous.
2. Metal "burns" and blisters your hands from -20F and below. The fast transfer of heat from your hands from things like snow can make them numb and inoperable in seconds.
3. The triple combination of battery blanket/oil pan heater/block heater is usually winning, but nothing beats a garage. The worst part about living off campus was walking a half mile from class AND THEN sitting in your car for 15 minutes waiting for it to become drivable.
4. It's amazing what humans can adapt to. If it was a 5 minute walk I would usually just have a big and avoid the time-consuming, but best way to stay warm (parka + layering). Also I'd usually wear jeans. When it would bump up to 20F people would be wearing shorts outside.
(From comments) - We have never had problems (I was only there six years, anecdotal) with weather interfering with internet/cell service. Some jack-ass clipped a fiber cable once, but that's all I can remember.
(From comments) - A lot of our buildings go 2-3 floors underground. We still have tunnels linking buildings together, but they are no longer accessible by the students.
As far as work goes the pipeline runs through Fairbanks, but the main centers of employment I saw were the University and the Military Base.
The only time I use "let me know how I can help" is usually when I've approached the boundaries of what I can do. For me this phrase means: I've hit a roadblock, I need you to do something before I can proceed!
This was interesting- I was surprised at how hard it was- I died most times before I got more than ten seconds into the game- but as a demo it's not bad!
One thing that perturbed me a little bit was the length of time I had to wait from going from windowed to fullscreen mode. However- my only experience I can compare it to is with a desktop application and Java so that's probably not fair.