A couple of ideas:

1) You could join a project mailing list or two. Say Ruby on Rails, or Mongrel (even though - yeah Mongrel isn't a framework). Talk to them, make friends, and then get those people into IM. That way you a) have people to talk to when you're stuck on code b) have people on hand to bounce ideas off c) get to know cool people - top notch people who work on these projects for fun, period.

2) IRC. Always a good place to hang out at when taking a break. (It's like Twitter, but for geeks!) Again, the plan is to meet people and make friends long enough to get them into IM. No shortcuts here!

3) Ask around on stackoverflow. Make friends with the people you meet.

4) Start a blog. I think one of the commenters here said that even if nobody reads it, you still get to think about the problem by writing it out, which is always a good thing. But more importantly - having a blog is having an online presence. (Having a blog with interesting unsolved problems makes for an interesting online presence. It also makes it easier to get to know people when you're chatting with them ("Hi, I'm x, here's my blog!") or ("Hi I'm x, I'm dealing with this icky problem, I talked about the issue on my blog; here's the link!"). Whenever someone comments - respond immediately. You'll have community - and relationships - say with other Ruby bloggers - soon enough.

Thanks! These are all great tips.

I actually do have a blog, but you made me notice that I don't have it linked anywhere on my HN bio. I've added blog and github links. Much appreciated!

To extend on shadowsun7's IRC point.. head on to irc.freenode.net and on to #offrails, #startups, #redis (if it interests you), and #ruby-lang. All good channels. If you want pure volume or to answer questions, #rubyonrails is OK too.

You can always tell when you're doing something that is interesting or at least incredibly obscure, because you'll have extreme difficulty scrounging up any discussion of it. People only want to blab about boring retreads. :)

I reached this point in my life where I realized I'd only be "really on to something" if I was working on something that didn't make sense to everybody else... If I was working on something that everybody else understood and see the value in, I'd be too late.

I don't remember where I heard this, but there's an idea that you should only innovate at one thing at a time. For everything else you should travel the well trodden path. eg if you're innovating in your domain, don't innovate in your tech stack.

Unless you are Google? Though, I think most advice can be refuted by that question.

Well, there's hackernewsers.com to find people in your area who use HN. Use the search box to find people who use ruby.

Reading other peoples code can serve as a substitute for talking to other programmers. I would suggest that you find other projects that are similar to yours and see how they did things. Is your way better? Blog about it. Even if no one reads it, it's good to get your ideas into words to help you think more clearly.

You can also try #startups or #ruby on freenode. (if you're OK with IRC) - lots of like minded people

I suggest you to search and participate in a coding dojo group at your city.

A friend I had the same problem of you so we decided to start a coding dojo here in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro.

Remembering the past, we've met a LOT of brilliant people.

If your city doesn't have a coding dojo group, start one.

More info here: http://codingdojo.org/

And here are some photos of #DojoRio sessions to excite you: http://www.flickr.com/groups/dojorio/ :)

That's excellent Pedro. My good friend Daniel is from Niteroi and his buddy Raph is a few hours north. He's computer friendly although pursuing a life in mathematics.

I think you good folks can convince him there's too much fun to be had in hacking on fun coding projects :D

What about talking to other people implementing the same things ? Talk to the ramaze people and the padrino/sinatra people etc Could be a start perhaps?

Are there any hackerspaces in your area?

I'll second this. Meet real people. Above all, they will provide more value and meaning to your life than any code ever will. Lone developers tend to forget that, and our social skills suffer. Hackerspaces are like the social scene for our kind. Get out there and hack -- together. That and co-working.

I primarily met other programmers and like minded people on IRC, open source project mailing lists, or at cons. If you really want frequent f2f contact with other developers, I'd suggest moving to SFBA (if you're not already there).

If working in isolation bothers you, you could try and work with more commonly used technologies. Like the programmers you mention, I've never used Ruby either.

Go to Meetup.com and you might find a Ruby meetup in your area. Also, search for 'Ruby User Group' for your city. Doing so for Dallas I found this group http://dallasrb.org/ .

Go to Ruby User Groups (e.g. LRUG in London), and other geek-like meet-ups. They happen in every city. And, as others mentioned, hang out on IRC channels, though face to face is better in some ways.

Great link! I've joined one nearby and I guess we'll see what happens.

Just go out and try to make friends with as many people as possible. Some of them you'll stick with, others not. Some of them will share your passion for programming and some won't. But at least you really know those people. Personally I am much more comfortable working with people that I actually like and met at least a few times.

It depends on the type of feedback you're looking for. If it's engineering based, take the suggestions of others and look for meetups or user groups in your area. Even at 17, don't be shy about looking for tech groups at any colleges in your area.

Are there any tech/startup events in your area? The best way to meet people is to go to places where there are like minded people.

Question: isn't "uses the same programming language" a pretty weak value of "like-minded"?

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear, I was thinking about more abstract things like web development and technologies. I just happen to use Ruby for Dishes, but it's Dishes and projects like it that I'm looking to talk with people about.

Perhaps a Ruby User's Group? They exist in many places.

Start with some mailing lists.