FrankenPC

I'm no grade A programmer. Yes, I know all the sorting algorithms and graph theory and all that. I can work effectively in a continuous development scrum based environment. I know .net and all the popular browser stacks. I can engineer dimensional ETL warehouses. Yada yada... Everyone can at this point.

What made me really famous in my little circle was my ability to do really fast problem mitigation. While all the other hardcore devs were freaking out due to all the stress of having to work and communicate directly with management while dealing with rapidfire requirement changes, I took it all in stride and just got it done. My reputation was this: if I was on the case, it got done on time and with a smile... period.

No one in any interview I've ever had was interested in that skill set. They only wanted to know about old school algorithm skills and how fluent I was with popular frameworks. It's as if upper management actually believes that my project management skills are irrelevant because hey! they've got project managers and staff for those. Why would a dev need it!

Oh, and I don't have a college degree. So, good bye... NEXT CANDIDATE!

Sorry...I ranted.

I love what DDG represents and I try it first just to show my support. But, if I can't find what I'm looking for I activate VPN, open an incognito window and search with Google. Civilian OPSEC is painful. But I refuse to give up my freedom. I wish there was an application/URL level VPN option. That would solve a lot of problems.

The problem is being worked on: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/linux/how-install-ubuntu-t...

Ubuntu touch. Apparently only works on Nexus 4, 10, and 7 for now.

Not only that, but if the modem is compatible they can theoretically be used as actual cell phones as well. They are multi-dimensional in function. And finally, if a budget can be acquired for education, a simple Bluetooth IO device can give them micro-controller like abilities for educational purposes. And above all, the hardware is recycled for a damn good cause and not dumped in a landfill.

I wonder about doing this with older Android phones. Once rooted they are powerful platforms with multi-core processors and every wireless tech imaginable pre-integrated. They are insanely power efficient as well. I guess the point is to get children access to full on business platforms so this is not the same thing. But still, many have USB/Bluetooth keyboard/mouse support. So, it's still very similar.

If you remember this, then you also probably remember IBM's 4Mb token ring. Talk about proprietary. Even the cables used really weird and proprietary connectors.

I worked on those. Anything was better than Arcnet. The painful part was dealing with the "frozen yellow cable". Really thick and unwieldy stuff.

Access to non-managed code browsers (Android/Apple).

The speed of the compiler! What an amazing environment. If they had continued to evolve with the tech industry they would have been gods.

You sound like me. 15 years old and Turbo Pascal was a mind blowing experience for me. Especially in the graphics arena. UCSD physics department hired me to convert their particle collision vector data (Monte Carlo calculations) into a 3D graphics representation. That was a hell of an experience for me.

I was going to say the same. The move to open source .net is brilliant. I wonder if some enterprising company will try to convert .net into asm.js so we can run it in the browsers.

This is one variation of a particular line of research. Sexual orientation vs testosterone would be another good one. Getting periodic testosterone readings before long term relationships and then after would be even better to develop a trend. Locating an actual mechanism that modulates testosterone based on instinct/emotions would be even better.

One solution is technology. Trap evaporated water and recycle it. Invest in high performance hydroponics. There are so many solutions to flood farming that no one bothers to invest in because the water is essentially free to them.

Indie vs AAA. I thoroughly enjoy both.

Agree. There was this great demotivational poster that summed up my belief. Where is it...ah: http://despair.com/collections/demotivators/products/motivat... MOTIVATION: If a pretty poster and a cute saying are all it takes to motivate you, you probably have a very easy job. The kind robots will be doing soon.

My motivation comes from a wellspring of desire to know. Desire to master. If someone needs another human to be that source of motivation, then they are already doomed. Degree or not.

I remember when I first installed Omega for the PC. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_%28video_game%29 I thought it was the greatest game ever made at the time. However, it was too easy to optimize and win. If I ever decided to create a game, I was definitely going to do something along the lines of a programmable battle simulator. This is a long winded way to say that I'm VERY glad to see Zachtronics making games which assume there is a market for gamers who enjoy programming. I hope to see more like this in the future. Side note: Just purchased this on Steam. Looking forward to cracking it open.

If a medical researcher says that a chemical has potential benefit to alleviate suffering, then it's NOT up to politicians to decide if they can. Obviously, that's my opinion and it's not shared by American politicians.

If they can kill, they can drink.

It is. And that kind of obsession can lead to disasters for human relationships. It's very complicated. I'm sure if there was a way to have sex with their startups they would.

IF this turns out to be malignant and requires chemo, avoid stress if at all possible. Also consider going on a high food value diet (tons of veggies) with natural high fiber powders. Exercise.

I'm not saying any of this will help with cancer. Diet and exercise combined with a low stress lifestyle will maximize your bodies ability to recover from the chemo. Also this will help your brain keep optimized so depression won't bring you down which will cause stress.

Congrats for making it through the valley of death unscathed. When I finish a massive project I descend into depression for months. I can't move. Then, I come out and am ready to give birth to the next great idea.

Frankly, you landed that plane so gracefully that I'm in awe. You're an inspiration to me.

He's hetero and women are the object of his intimate love. It's natural for him to attach female gender to the focal points of his love. In other words, if you respect LGBT rights, you also have to respect hetero rights. Not making a political stance here. Just stating the obvious IMO.

Number 11 is unbelievably devious. I wonder how many compilers are OK with that?

----------------------------------------------- Use accented characters on variable names, e. g. --typedef struct { int i; } ínt; where the second ínt’s í is actually i-acute. With only a simple text editor, it’s nearly impossible to distinguish the slant of the accent mark.

In all fairness, they didn't kill off Silverlight. Apple did. Their refusal to allow alternative managed code browser plugins killed both Silverlight and Adobe plugins. And in retrospect it's probably a good thing. The security holes were extensive. I wonder why MS didn't try to build a .NET/Silverlight framework in asm.js? Just not worth the effort I imagine.

Wait, what? I thought XAML was dead. I have quite a bit of investment into Silverlight and did some WPF desktop apps years ago. I thought all that was a total waste of my time. It's not dead? This is...cautiously good news. I love XAML frankly. The data binding system with seamless C# code behind is glorious to work with.

"Self-Promoters Tend to Misjudge How Annoying They Are to Others"

Worlds most ironic title.

For me, it was the exact opposite. I was self employed for about 15 years and decided to take early retirement as a full time employee. It's amazing. Vacation time. Full benefits. Profit sharing. Dedicated A/R and A/P accounting departments. Built in customer service department (HR). Marketing department. All taxes handled for me. All I have to do is code. Frankly it's a joke.

Don't be afraid of going back if you decide or need to. In my mind, I'm still a consultant and always will be. My current customer is my employer and I only have one customer. The only thing that can get to me on occasion are all the petty gripes the other employees constantly bicker about. They don't know what it's like to do everything on your own.

Wow. Nice taxonomic work.

It sure is a good thing there is only one true religion eh? /s

If you don't see the difference between the bare metal assembly of the late 70's and a modern compiled OO language, I doubt we could even have a meaningful conversation.

That is pretty amusing. I'm pretty sure we can file this concept under Information Theory.

From the perspective of a programmer who's watched the industry grow from bare metal assembly to advanced languages like C# and Java, I've noticed a reoccurring pattern. Sometimes, people who can no longer find anything truly unique to capitalize on simply make shit up and throw it against the wall to see if it sticks.

Comparable to Constructor Theory, there was this idea floating around called the Vidic (Virtual Information Domain. Youtube it). This one proposed that there was a massive subspace storage system housing all meta-knowledge about everything in the universe. It's great sci-fi and maybe even coffee table philosophy. But it's terrible science.