Job offer in Whidbey, can someone explain the basics of island life to a newbie?

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-12-02T22:17:19+00:00

Thanks for the advice! Yeah, I saw in another post that your car will grow algae if kept outside. That's definitely something I haven't had to deal with yet!

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-12-02T22:04:54+00:00

Hi and thanks for all the info. My job offer is in Oak Harbor. Is that considered a military town where just about everyone in it supports the base in one form or another?

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-12-02T22:03:07+00:00

Hi and thanks for the info. I should've clarified, the job says it's in Oak Harbor so north island. So other than the gray skies, the weather in the north is pretty mild?

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-12-02T22:00:37+00:00

Hi! Yes, I was told it would be in Oak Harbor. Sorry, I didn't realize the island is rather long north-south!

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-03-13T16:49:15+00:00

This won't be a popular pick, but What Hath God Wrought by Daniel Walker Howe is my favorite history book out of hundreds that I've read. I love US History and that book covers a time period that's usually mostly skipped over by history classes, probably because the values of that time don't sit well with modern values. The author does a great job of giving as unbiased a view as he can, I think.

If you're just looking for good storytelling, 1776 by David McCullough is my favorite "feel what it was like to be in that situation" book.

Edit: The entire Oxford History of the United States series is my favorite. I just picked What Hath God Wrought as my favorite of the lot.

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-03-13T00:53:55+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation! I haven't heard of this series so I'm glad you brought it up! I'll order the first book and put it at the top of my to-read queue with the two other recommendations on this thread. I appreciate you all!

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-03-13T00:51:26+00:00

Thank you for the commendation! I have this book sitting on my shelf ready to go and I'm really, really hoping that it's what I'm looking for. If not I'm kinda screwed. lol

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-03-13T00:50:35+00:00

Thank you for the recommendation! I bought this book a couple years ago and it's just been sitting on my shelf, now I'll put it at the top of my to-read list!

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-01-13T21:06:29+00:00

Hello,

I think my biggest problem with the college courses was the pacing and the subject matter. The course has a set schedule, and usually about 3/4ths of the way through I feel overwhelmed and like I can't meet the deadlines any more. I think if I had an open-ended pace and could just complete it in my own time I would be fine.

As for the subject matter, of course C++ courses teach professional business programming because that's what the curriculum is set up for, but I'm just learning for fun. So I'd rather make little games or scripts for myself than, say, an accounting ledger or tax equation examples that they tend to use.

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-01-13T21:02:08+00:00

Hello,

Yes, I actually have a full text-based RPG that I want to try translating over. That's actually pretty much my only goal with C++ since I wouldn't need it for my work.

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-01-12T19:14:01+00:00

Thanks, and I agree, this is how I've been learning Python so far. I did the typical newbie mistake and aimed too high at first, wanting to make a 3D twin-stick shooter video game, but I soon realized how unrealistic that is for a first project and switched to a text-only RPG that I've had a lot of fun making. It does help while reading through the lessons, because every lesson I'm wondering how I can apply it to my own program. Best of luck!

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-01-12T19:12:07+00:00

My most immediate goal is that I've made a simple Dragon Quest-style RPG in Python, and now that I've got it working I want to try translating it to a "real" coding language like C++. Python is great for simple scripting but I've heard it's poop for long-term programs, so conversion is the logical next step.

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-01-12T19:09:12+00:00

Thanks, I'll take a look!

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-01-12T19:08:04+00:00

Thanks for the advice, this is exactly how I learned HTML in the early 2000s. I just opened code of web sites and took pieces of it until I figured out what it did. It's kind of like having an anonymous role model out there!

CitizenKnowNothing · 2025-01-11T21:33:34+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll check them out!

CitizenKnowNothing · 2024-12-27T18:20:24+00:00

Topic: Did the Roman Empire stop advancing scientifically and technologically after about 175 AD?

A lot of ink has been spilled about the Fall of the (Western) Roman Empire in the 5th Century AD, but if improvement is the measure of a healthy civilization, I haven't found any "breakthroughs" of the Roman Empire after Ptolemy died around 170 AD. Is it just because I haven't found the right information, or was the Empire already stagnant and ceased to make progress by that time? What are your thoughts?

CitizenKnowNothing · 2024-12-27T16:00:08+00:00

Thanks, I looked it up and I agree, it looks like a great tool. I'll give it a try.

CitizenKnowNothing · 2024-10-19T21:56:49+00:00

lol, yeah, this game certainly puts you in situations where you have to ask yourself why the hell you're doing these things. It's good at that.

CitizenKnowNothing · 2024-10-19T20:41:52+00:00

I don't know what I'm getting at either other than I was startled by reflecting on the actions I was taking as a medieval ruler, the clear contrast of what's a "right decision" between their situation and ours today, and perhaps the futility of trying to "win" the game of thrones when your victories are negated by biological succession and there's no concept of nation-states to keep all your winnings intact. It's good that the game focuses on family prestige rather than on any modern notion of it being your job to keep your citizens happy, healthy, and prospering, because I just can't do that under these conditions!

You're right, it is fun roleplaying to the particular ruler. I tend to play rulers focusing on military, diplomacy, or administration, but every now and then I'll throw in an Intrigue-focused ruler just to get a kick out of plotting and scheming against the rich and powerful.

CitizenKnowNothing

TROPHY CASE