techopoly

That just might be the most dedicated answer I've ever seen on Stack Overflow.

Right, and the product owner will expect all future maintenance to be done as quickly as the one-line clever hack that took 15 minutes but didn't encompass the edge cases.

I know next to nothing in this area, but what is the possibility of grafting non-susceptible varietals onto the olive trees? I know that worked for France back when they grafted Texan vines onto their own during the grape phylloxera epidemic - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_French_Wine_Blight

Similarly, the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, TX has a Japanese midget submarine that was part of the Pearl Harbor attack. It's astounding how small it is -- if my memory serves me correctly, I wouldn't have been able to stand up in it.

Edit: here it is: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/DS...

Right on point. We in the modern age -- and technologists especially, and I speak for myself -- are very prone to assuming advances in technology translate to advances in the essence of humanity. The base human condition is still the same, though we may now have easier access to food and modern conveniences, which is certainly good. But the previous generations have so much wisdom that can we learn from, despite their faults.

No, just in Florida.

This is a fascinating point. I suspect it also has to do with the DIY mentality of the typical American (which can be a good thing of course).

But there's nothing like seeing an expert walk into a situation where a bunch of amateurs are squabbling, and seeing the expert just take over the situation. Expertise is still supremely valuable, even if it's unfashionable.

Good solid points.

Social media is terrible for high time investment with little return. Reduce that time and replace it with things you actually want to do at a deeper level, and your life will be more enjoyable.

Was your time on Diablo 2 really wasted if you developed good programming chops in that period? Maybe the enjoyable breaks are what help us learn.

I had a similar experience -- programming didn't really click for me in school until I went home for Christmas break and figured it out on my own. I was certainly playing video games then too :)

Isn't everything?

I've noticed food courts in American malls seem to have a similar setup. I remember ordering "bourbon chicken" at a Cajun-style restaurant in a food court and realizing it tasted suspiciously similar to the Teriyaki chicken served at the Japanese stall next door.

You wrote the Crash Bandicoot collision detection in MIPS? You deserve a medal.

Correct, PS1 games are not playable on PS4.

Fashion is such a driver for IT study. Just try to find a good book on modern AIX -- they aren't really out there. But AIX is still very much in use at the enterprise level.

Computer trends and actual use don't always match up. Which can be a boon for those who realize they can specialize in unfashionable technology.

I'm with you there -- I just don't see the actual value as being worth that much. Stocks, bonds, commodities, government-backed currencies, they all have clear value other than their speculative value assigned by the current craze of the time. Bitcoin of course has some value, but $6,000 for one unit is certainly inflated. And what's worse, its value fluctuations make it unlikely to be used for what it was designed for: paying for things.

At least with a stock you are a part owner of the company, and you get the rights inherent with that.

Oh my gosh...I didn't even realize the word repeats...

Ah yes, the memories of those agonizingly slow (and noisy) Internet connections. Ironically, software, particularly games, still can take 5 hours to download. It's just that they're inordinately huge now. Battlefield 1 with its patches can run over 110 GB.

I thought it sounded familiar!

You’re welcome! That’s a good first step. Best of luck in all your endeavors!

I'm sorry to hear this.

I used to have major struggles like this when I was younger. I think people like us are very much in our own heads, maybe too much. Sometimes it's good for us to just jump out there and socialize. Sometimes all it takes is to pretend to be outgoing for 2 hours at a time. Go to a conference for work, or play sports at the gym, whatever. Of course it's a challenge every time, and I'm oversimplifying (I'm definitely no mental health professional). It took me years -- decades really -- to get more comfortable being outgoing. But a life lived with good relationships is truly a more fulfilling life.

Progress in this area often happens by way of other activities, because it's just less initially awkward, and people have things in common. Do you like sports? Join a softball team. Music? Take lessons, and play shows and meet people. Go to the same restaurant regularly and get to know the staff. Volunteer and help others. Join a church or an organization with people that share your beliefs. Have conversations with people you come across -- take interest in the Uber drivers' lives, and you'll quickly become their favorite customer. Once you have good connections with a group of people, before you know it you'll start meeting their friends, and so on, and eventually you'll have your own group of buddies that you'll see around town.

Also, you're connecting with others on Hacker News, which is something. I think you might have more of a knack for this than you realize. I would say to do what you're doing here -- people don't have enough conversations in the real world, so people that do so stand out as being friendly.

It hurts me to hear of other people going through what I went through and still do from time to time. But if I could boil what I've learned down to one piece of advice, I would say, show others that you care about them. They're very likely going through struggles similar to what you are experiencing.

Every person in our lives is a gift, and it's easy for all of us to forget this.

Wishing you the best!

Agreed. If we start erasing all the flawed people from history, we won't be left with much. Rather the question should be, what you can learn from his good and his bad qualities?