I've never figured this out or learned what (sic) means. I've learned what i.e. means and when to use it versus using e.g., and lots of other rules that many people don't care about. However, I've never, ever found out what (sic) means. I think it refers to something that's not quite a pun, but intended to be a witty joke. Unfortunately, I've never found those comments that included the (sic) to be witty or funny which is why I haven't been able to figure out the proper way to use (sic) in my own writing.

If I did use (sic) in my own writing, perhaps it would be perceived as pretentious. When I was younger, peers would make fun of my reliance on big words, which was a result of me having to read scientific journals and write reports as a biology major. Now, people seem to have been corrupted by instant messaging, text messaging, and generally poor handwriting and grammar. I don't even know if they read books, magazines or lengthier articles. The fact they can call each other up on a mobile phone means they have less reason to make sure their written skills are in good order.

I'm encountering a new dialect which relies on acronyms from videogames such as World Of Warcraft. AFK means "away from keyboard," and ATM means "at the moment." Even though some games allow players to directly voice-chat with each other, many use the keyboard-chat and they make the assumption that people who do not play their games know how their special language works.

I've also seen comments such as "sigh" prefixed with a slash mark: /sigh or /cough and /laughs. These are all directly based on World of Warcraft culture. I try to point out to people who use it on me that I have no idea what they're talking about in the hopes they can just speak to me in POE, plain old english.

The following excerpt:

We have seen how people describe the common characteristics of optimal experience: a sense that one's skills are adequate to cope with the challenges at hand, in a goal-directed, rule-bound action system that provides clear cues as to how well one is performing. Concentration is so intense that there is no attention left over to think about anything irrelevant, or to worry about problems. Self-consciousness disappears, and the sense of time becomes distorted. An activity that produces such experiences is so gratifying that people are willing to do it for its own sake, with little concern for what they will get out of it, even when it is difficult, or dangerous.
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Is from this article about being more efficient at work and play. It's from the general topic of "Getting Things Done," which is an efficiency movement that you can find lots of books and websites on.

That except describes exactly what it was like when I started programming as a hobbyist. While it's a lot less intense for me a couple of decades later, much of the elements of "flow" are what makes me put in the extra time and effort to craft something exceptional. A certain amount of it is also ego, as I want to put out a product on which I can lay claim to things that reviewers and players alike marvelled at.

Here's an interesting description of what makes work, or can make work, more interesting:

This concept of Flow is a powerful one, and resembles what we all want work to be like, but rarely is. Flow, as described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a "state of inner experience in which there is order in consciousness." He also states that "some of the activities that consistently produce flow (are) sports, games, art, and hobbies." "The more a job inherently resembles a game - with variety, appropriate and flexible challenges, clear goals, and immediate feedback - the more enjoyable it will be."

• Variety
• Appropriate and flexible challenges
• Clear goals
• Immediate feedback
• A sense that one's skills are adequate to cope with the challenges at hand.
• A rule-bound action system

This is what the ideal job looks like. This job will resemble play, and will be addictive. As much as you can create work like this, you will be a happy person. As much as you can make your work like this, you will want to do it.

You need to be like this with your programming. Not your game playing, but your programming. The way you totally get into a game like WoW or Halo, that's how you must be in your programming craftsmanship.

How do you get there? Read programming books and articles, even about topics you don't really understand. Believe it or not, your brain will manage to remember a few things, and just like a Harry Potter or other "mystery" books, these ideas will prove to be useful in later chapters of your career.

Visit a site like http://www.codeproject.com/ and pick some topics that sound interesting. Read and article or two about graphics, or something else you always wondered about regarding how programs work, for example, printing, transparent windows, buttons, etc. They usually have sample programs with source code so that you can see how to implement those features for yourself.

Though I do read the kuro5hin site on my own, I found this particular article via Kotaku.com, which is a site I'd recommend to all of you game industry wannabes. It's a good site to start your day with, full of industy news. Good stuff that'll give you a nice perspective of what's going on. You can be among the second to know about next-gen stuff and industry goings on.

To be among the first to know, you need to solve that whole getting a job in the industry problem.

truly amazing and extremely useful

http://www.google.com/glm

This is Google's map site, but for your Java-enabled phone. You can even use the satellite mapping feature, and get directions. Except for any carrier-related charges, this should be free if you have web minutes in your plan.

If you visit the site above on your computer, it will walk you through your carrier and phone model choice, and send a text message to your phone with the same link. If you just visit the link with your phone, then you'll get to download the pretty small Java applet.

I think Verizon is the only major service not covered. Hopefully, your phone is Java enabled.

You already knew about Google's awesome mapping feature, right?

http://maps.google.com

I wish it would hook up to the GPS-like features that some phones have and automatically show your current location, but this is Google, and I'm sure that feature is next.

There are websites which have combined the Google satellite mapping to traffic reports. It would be really neat to be able to get that kind of mapping as well, but it might be too much to ask for on a phone.