Taking Your Programming Skills to the Next Level?

An anonymous reader asks: "About 6 years ago I graduated with a degree in Computer Science. Since that time I've been working on and off as a programmer, however I feel that my programming skills haven't really progressed to the next level as I had hoped. I guess part of the problem is that my work environment hasn't been especially technical or challenging, so I really need to try and improve my skills independently. What strategies did Slashdot readers use to improve their programming skills Which books are useful in this area?"

Comments

My motivation...

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't care what kind of program I write or what language I use....

I compile PHP as shared library and use a C programm as container just to piss people off... usually they come over with comments like "Everything is a nail, isn't it?" and I tell them... "Yeah, F*** you! I'm from germany... engineering is in my blood dude..." and then I release that shit and write a client that pushes fake stories about that release onto digg only prompting me the "Are you human?" BS... And when those "smart" people see that already 1000000 people have subscribed to my leet coding practice.. they finally shut the f*** up... because the count the digits...

All those average CS losers can't dig it... Tell them about shared libraries and 50% of their brain already explode... they can't dig my routine... because I'm not a 1337 but a ELITE bastard who amazes with his coding style routine!!!!

So... my motivation is to write stuff that maes people happy (useful stuff) or angry (reverse engineering some win32 closed source BS)... it's what makes me tick...

But the best thing is to visit slashdot and get modded down be angry, selfimportant carma whores who believe they control something.. but they control shit made of shit... I bookmark all those comments because I'm AC and proud!