lucasrp

Everytime some financial institution tries to promote fear by freezing accounts, they show why bitcoin is so superior.

Im a beginner um programming, and did machine learning course right after a introdutory course (CS50 and 6.00x at Edx).

I've been able to do the whole course, but only because i have good math skills. My impression is that math skills (calculus and linear algebra) are much more needed than coding skills in this course.

1) Yes. I'm 28 and began coding 6 months ago. I guess that the biggest challenge for people like us was how to get education. I couldnt spare 4 years of my life in a university. But MOOCs changed this. A few courses on edx/coursera, and will be ready to do great things.

2) I guess that, before you think in specialize into something, you must ask yourself what you must learn before that. You need to be confortable with databases and the infrastructure process (version control, deploying, testing, etc.)

Go look the SaaS course on EDx.

3) I recommend you start with python. It is easy to learn the basics and have a great community. You will find many libraries to help you achieve what you want, and your questions will be answered quickly in stackoverflow or something like that.

4) Again, MOOCs are the aswer. If you find time to be always doing 2 courses at the same time, in 6 times you'll be in grate shape. seriously.

You may be forgetting Bill Gates, the biggest philanthrop of all times, who are changing Africa with HIS OWN MONEY.

But that isn`t necessary. The good thing in capitalism is that even assholes who only think of themselves can change the world for good.

I am a law major, who did 1 year of engineering a long time ago. I always been a math geek, but 0 in CS. In my last year of college, i created a startup with some friends. It was a ERP for small lawyers firms. That didnt work out, but turned me on into CS.

Now i work as a product manager in a bigger firm (also law related), and i'm learning how to code through Coursera and Edx. I HIGHLY recommend them.

They are the future. The classes are very good. Way better than a regular class over here (Brazil).

If you are intereste in theoretical CS, here are 2 classes that you may be interested:

Programming Languages (https://www.coursera.org/course/proglang): It focuses on functional programming. The first edition was VERY high recommended. Here you will learn about functional paradigm, and the differences in using it in several languages (some purely functional, like SML, some hybrid, like Ruby)

Automata (https://www.coursera.org/course/automata): It cant get more theoretical than this. The professor is Jeff Ullman. A legend. For free.

Machine Learning: A second version of Andrew Ng just ended. The third edition will be offered soon.

see.stanford.edu is also a very nice place to learn. They are actual stanford classes taped, and offered for free, online. I`m taking the three introdutory classes, and the machine learning classes.

Also, there are several architecture, compilers and algorithms classes too. After my first course (cs50.net), i realized that colleges (at least for CS) are redundant right now. They can be awsome. But, if you are short of money, or are already working, these online classes can fill the gap, easily.

add me on skype if you want to talk about more classes: lucasribeiropereira

See you!

PS. They can be VERY challenge. Take one, at most two at a time. 10-20 hours per week per course is a good rule of thumb

But it`s much easier to create new words in english. Like transform a verb in a noum, or adjective, etc

I`m a native portuguese speaker, and think that romantic languages can be more "emotional" than english. But its amazing how a new idea can be expressed so easilly in English.

Create a non-English based programming language is very different from translating a english programming language. Different languages have different ways to express time, state, etc. If one translates a english programming language, it will be a translated English based programming language (not a Non-English base...)

I`m a native portuguese speaker, for example. In portuguese, we "break" the "to be" verb in two forms: The "ser" verb to denominate an immutable state like "The sun is hot" and a "estar" verb to denominate a transitory state "It is hot today".

My guess is that, if programming languages were made since the beginning with a language like that, the coding world would be a more pleasant place today. Things like differenciate mutable/immutable state would be much more natural.

So, it`s possible even to create a Non-English based programming language IN English. Russian, japanese, etc. languages have their peculiarities, that could shape coding very different than what it is today.

Ruby it`s a nice example of it. Just google about the subject, and found this material (http://blog.new-bamboo.co.uk/2010/12/17/learning-japanese-th...)

Any rubyist-japanese-speaker who would like to give some thoughts on the subject?

Agreed. I'm also a native portuguese speaker. Another point is that you get used to English, and begins to "think" in it. Guess that, besides the whole globalized world thing, i would find very confuse a portuguese programming language.

The article is wrong. The official exchange rate is a phony rate. The real price is the street price, and it's relatively the same as in other countries.

If we take the official exchange rate in consideration, then EVERYTHING is more expensive in Argentina than in the US, because the black market is the only market accessible to regular people.

Should a us citizes fell threatened?

This is not what is happening right now. Fact.

BUT, if the project becomes mainstream as the dollar is today, the people of the earth will have a monetary system that doesnt allow taxation through inflation, with no banking monopolies, and globally available.

Isnt that a system that "facilitate transactions and make the economy as a whole rich"??

Consider this initial profit just by hoarding Bitcoin as a reward to put your own assets at risk in this uncertain beginning. Bitcoins can't exist (or anything else, matter of fact), if the people who supports it arent driven by selfish motivation.

I think it's fair that the people who risk themselves in the beginning are awarded, if Bitcoin succeeds.

Krugman obviously don't know what he is talking about. The resources he is talking about are used to process the transactions between bitcoin owners. The mining is just a side effect.

How did a nobel prize winner made a so basic mistake on a topic that has been covered before by him so many times?

Bet one Btc that he did that on purpose.