I was looking for some good programming exercises for some mentoring. Something like:
Sorry for asking this again. I did find this thread but I was hoping for something concrete. Preferably something small you had fun with yourself.
I'm kind of thinking it's something that must come from within, but seeding a few ideas shouldn't hurt.
Does it have to be on the Internet?
Jeff Atwood recommended this book sometimes ago:
Original post: Coding Horror: Classic Computer Science Puzzles
What makes a good practice session? You need time without interruptions, and a simple thing you want to try. You need to try it as many times as it takes, and be comfortable making mistakes. You need to look for feedback each time so you can work to improve. There needs to be no pressure: this is why it is hard to practice in a project environment. it helps to keep it fun: make small steps forward when you can. Finally, you’ll recognize a good practice session because you’ll came out of it knowing more than when you went in.
Code Kata is an attempt to bring this element of practice to software development. A kata is an exercise in karate where you repeat a form many, many times, making little improvements in each. The intent behind code kata is similar
Have you considered Jon Bentley's Programming Pearls? It's not a book of exercises, as such, but each essay ends with some well-chosen programming problems to contemplate and implement.
I found it really made me think. In fact, I think it's about time I pick it up again.
I think anyone doing web-based programming ought to write a client/server, socket-based application to get a better understanding of how the web works. I would also recommend doing something that requires recursion -- find a file matching a name in a directory tree or hand parse some XML. Facebook had some questions in their HR web section that I found interesting.
I always found programming contests very fun and useful in school. Here is an archive of some of the ACM's programming contest problems: http://acmicpc-live-archive.uva.es/nuevoportal/
Look at the "volumes" link on the left to get started.