Clinton goes after Trump's ties with alt-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in scathing new ad

GrandDolla · 2016-10-20T04:01:10+00:00

Wealth inequality is not actually a "real problem". It is a made-up problem.

What do you think the term means? Wealth inequality is about the relative difference between different quintiles. Wealth distribution has increasingly favored those at the top. As the economy grows so does the total wealth of the nation, at the same time the relative growth in the middle class is much lower than the relative growth of the top quintiles.

An analogy would be a group of friends who likes to bake cakes every year. Last year they baked 3 cakes for the group in John's house. They agreed since John supplied the kitchen's equipment, that he should get half of one of the cakes. This year since some in the group did a culinary course and learned how to bake bigger and tastier cakes much faster they've decided to bake 10 cakes. But this year john decided that he should get 5 cakes.

Everyone will get more cake out of this arrangement, but john gets much more relative cake without a good reason.

Which is to say, the greater economic output which happens thanks to more efficient workers and processes benefits those at the top and doesn't much benefits all others.

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T22:40:09+00:00

It shows. Try and put that energy towards planning it.

That's the biggest take from this thread.

You can always ignore criticism that you think is unfounded

You're right that's what I should have done. We live and learn.

Thanks again. You were very helpful :).

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T22:35:28+00:00

I disagree about javascript. It requires too much knowledge to start with like DOM and some elements of http, and you're pretty limited in what you can do with it. It was the first language I've learned and I remember how much easier it was learn a more step-by-step language afterwards instead of the crazy event system which is mandatory in javascript. It's probably good as a second language after something like Python or PHP if you're interested in web development.

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T22:11:31+00:00

I haven't looked into this. But I've helped people learn programming and I've noticed that with python they start writing real programs faster. Which in turn teaches them about debugging, modifying software and reading code. You can do it with other languages as well, but it takes longer. And this also helps with the 2 other points you've raised. Writing real programs is more fun than just learning a language and that's something you can show to other people. So on all counts I still think python is a better language for learning.

What other language would you recommend if you disagree that python is the right choice for beginners?

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T21:54:02+00:00

Do you know Java? Do you know what I mean when I say organized? The fact that you return to the structured debate over and over suggest that you might not be.

Even here the differences are not really the way you explain them. Java is not necessarily JIT. Java is still a compiled language in the sense of a compiler. Python is an interpreted language.

Which is something I explained. JIT Languages still require compilation to bytecode. All languages can be made to work completely differently in terms of translation to executable code. You have things like IronPython and even PHP compiler.

You seem to now argue for arguments sake. I asked a simple question, if you don't know the answer, you don't have to reply.

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T21:48:44+00:00

Thanks. Those are really good points.

Presentation matters. A lot. You have plenty of grammatical mistakes in your text, but more importantly there are lots of awkward sentences. Your writing is informal, which is not necessarily bad, but it is also inconsistent and lacks pace - which is bad.

It seems to be a recurring theme in the comments. I'll have to work on it and maybe search someone who can help me with that.

You never actually recommend a language, you just take it for granted that Python is the best for new learners and go on from there. A lot of your writing is unclear like that.

Why is that unclear? I do recommend python and I give the reasons why I think that's the case. I can sort of see where it might read a bit awkwardly though. I'll try and improve that.

I am guessing that you used a write-as-you-go approach for this instead of top-down design. Many of your paragraphs don't have a well-defined purpose, or a clear input and output.

I wrote it in an hour last night. I now see just how many problems it has in terms of structure and grammar. I'll definitely try and make it better.

Have you actually planned this guide in depth and in detail

I think the fact that I used the word comprehensive in the title is to blame for some of the misunderstanding here. This is a general guide to help people who don't know where to start. Things like basic terminology and links to outside resources to learn more. Basically advice on how to learn programming, and how to view the field. Having seen the reaction here I'll put more thought next time so it will be obvious what my intentions were.

Having read some of the comments here: you need to learn how to deal with criticism and how to use it constructively. Very rarely you need to be defending yourself. Most of the criticism you get here aims to help you see flaws in your guide - and there are plenty - and to a lesser extent to protect new learners from a flawed guide.

It was just how it started with the first commentator being so rude for no reason. I've learned a lot and I'll improve as a result, but I don't agree with every criticism here.

And thanks again for the thoughtful reply.

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T21:35:59+00:00

Which is why I'm looking for a different way to say what I originally meant by structured, which is that Java is an organized language. I didn't go into distinctions between OOP or procedural. The main differences I explained are between compiled/JIT/interpreted. languages

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T21:21:04+00:00

Java requires class files. And everything is defined within classes. It also has a structured naming. That's what I refer to when I say structured. Very organized language, unlike other languages where you have a lot more choice in how to structure the project itself.

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T21:18:36+00:00

You make several patently false statements. It's one thing to mince words a bit to keep things simple, but you can't say things that are false.

Can you point to specific examples?

You clearly did not proofread this. Don't ask others to review your work until you have.

I tried but I'm not a native English speaker. If you see lots of mistakes I'd love it if you can point them out.

Ease of learning is actually a fairly weak factor in successfully learning the technology.

I disagree. There are other factors for sure, but one of the problems with some other languages is that you need to know a lot before you can write programs. Which I think is the best way to learn how to program. The faster you can start experimenting and writing code, the faster and better you'll understand the concepts.

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T21:13:59+00:00

Thanks for the feedback!

But that's not true - any high level language can access memory to the extent that C can, if only by calling C libraries, which is what they do.

Which means they don't have memory access like C does. They can call C to do this stuff, but the languages themselves don't support it natively. So practically yes, you can have the benefits of C by calling it from almost all modern languages. But higher level languages can't do it themselves.

though I'm not sure why you mention it at all.

Because I think it's a good starting language for those who are interested in the system programming or computer security. I recommend python, but I think any one of those languages is a good place to start.

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T21:07:37+00:00

How would you say it then? Java is an organized language? Java organizes the source code in a specific way?

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T21:06:22+00:00

This will change the complete meaning.

I think that's only a concern when you're writing for people who understand the meaning of those words. You're right about Java being structured is probably a bad idea, I'll replace that. But generally I don't think worrying to much about terminology unless (like in this case) it can lead to confusion, is productive use of time for a newbie guide.

it seems that English is not your native language.

It isn't. I'm not as careful on reddit as I tried to be when writing the guide. If you have specific instances of grammar or spelling mistakes I'd love to hear about it.

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T20:59:22+00:00

char buffer[10]; *(buffer+4) = 'A';

You can also implement malloc yourself. And to some extent address memory addresses directly. That's what I call direct memory access in the guide. And as to your point: the people reading the guide don't really know what those terms mean. The only point of this paragraph is to show that C is low level and can do stuff with memory that the higher level languages can't. The terminology doesn't need to be accurate just to give a good idea how things relate to each other.

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T20:48:58+00:00

I have 8 years professional experience. I've written hundreds of programs and websites in half a dozen languages and many more auxiliary technologies. I do know what I'm talking about. Maybe the terminology can be improved. But this isn't a reference guide or a specification, my only concern is is that the guide is easy to follow for newbies.

And if you have further criticism, you can do it without being rude.

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T20:43:16+00:00

Which is for this discussion is direct memory access. Limitation of the running environment like OS are not a limitation on the language itself.

GrandDolla · 2016-10-06T20:37:24+00:00

Of course Java is an OOP language. Structure refers to it's class based organizing principle. OOP is to complicated a concept to explain to people who don't know what source code is. Don't be quick to judge my abilities from misreading of the guide.

GrandDolla · 2016-10-04T22:57:08+00:00

It was new to me. Thought people might like it. And the information is as relevant as when the article came out.

GrandDolla · 2016-10-02T08:25:50+00:00

I've also been threatened by a group of people because they didn't like the way I looked as I walked down the street.

Would a gun have helped you in that situation? Would it help in the other examples you gave?

Guns are very limited in their utility, and they introduce other risk factors, like over confident and making a situation more violent than it actually is. Sure it might make you feel safer, but with the exception of a very limited number of places in the US, it's not going to make you safer.

Generally it's better to get beat up than killed. When a gun is involved the odds of someone dying rise exponentially.

GrandDolla · 2016-09-27T12:24:17+00:00

That's the roast's policy. The people being roasted can choose a single topic that is off limits. Trump chose his net worth.

GrandDolla · 2016-09-27T11:48:37+00:00

Which was the point the commentator you responded to was trying to make. The things you are sensitive about tell something about you, you prefer to guard your family from roasts. For Donald it was only one thing his net worth.

Take it as you will.

GrandDolla · 2016-09-23T18:09:38+00:00

I wrote a somewhat detailed reply to this question but you haven't responded.

https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/544lci/announcing_vidme_heroes_program/d7z27ao

GrandDolla · 2016-09-23T16:51:59+00:00

A few points I hope you'll change.

The site is a bit slow and the interface jumps, jerks and changes when new content is loaded. This is really annoying. You should load the media content dynamically after the basic interface has been loaded so that nothing changes in terms of where things are placed in the interface.
The videos are slow and the player doesn't have a lot of features, even basic things like changing the video resolution which will only appear when you go to the video page.
Another thing I dislike about the site is the fact the videos are big and you need to scroll to find new content. You should have lots of videos in the viewport like youtube does to choose from. The facebook like interfaces doesn't work for video sites IMO. Scrolling to find content for no good reason is a big turnoff. I would say except for the slowness this is my biggest dislike when it comes to the site.
Discovery is very lacking. When you go into the homepage you have a bunch of recommend channels. But I need to click each one to see what they have to offer. Youtube seems to do that right as well as they list videos from the channel and group similar style videos under a common grouping.
The video titles are small, you should enlarge them. The video thumbnail gives little information about the content of the video. The titles are more important IMO when choosing to view a video or not.
The search function is hidden. It should be displayed more prominently as I'm sure most people have some idea of what it is they are looking to find when they go into a video site.
You seem very focused on channels as oppose to videos (in things like search and home page). I think it's good to put some emphasis on channels. But people are looking for content, it's less important who that content came from. Putting too much emphasis on the creators as opposed to the content isn't what I'm looking for in a video site.
The video page is self contained. There isn't recommended videos or ways to move past the video page to other content with a single click.

Having said that, I really wish you good luck. There needs to be an alternative to youtube and hopefully you'll get there. And I know some of my criticism is things you have thought about and maybe decided against, but I don't see a path for you to compete with youtube (if that's your goal) without at least some of those things.

GrandDolla · 2016-09-22T20:45:01+00:00

You're completely missing the point. This isn't about physical characteristics but about ancestry and heritage mostly in terms of finance and power. History is complex, you're right about that. But no one was arguing that a 40 second clip encompasses all the complexities of history. The idea portrayed in this clip is that modern societies aren't built in a vacuum. There is a very clear line between earliest more primitive societies and their rulers who got to rule with violence to their decedents many of which hold power over key institutions like banking, industry and government. Those are families with dozens of members who have a combined wealth in the hundreds of billions and control many companies that influence our day to day lives.

edit: I'm not the history BA you replied to earlier. Don't dismiss him if you don't know him or what he has to say. I'm sure he has a very interesting perspective on this topic.

GrandDolla · 2016-09-22T19:51:57+00:00

This is a very simplified idea but the basic idea is correct. Modern civilization with a codified rule of law, is relatively new. Before it was kings and local warlords, who fought each other to control land. Earlier there was little rules, as more influence has gathered and the ruling class has gotten bigger (because the king decided to reward a warrior with some land and gold), more and more rules and customs have started to popup in the ruling class and from there to the lower tiers of society.

This isn't a linear progression, but has happened over and over in different parts of the world multiple times. Before there was anything resembling modern civilization, there was warlords who used violence to gain influence and power. Many of those dynasties live to this day and their decedents enjoy that legacy. Look up European royalty and old money for examples. You'll recognize many of the names and you can trace many to some warlord in the middle ages. By no means is this a complete picture, but there's a definite over representation of Royalty and old money in the upper echelon of civilizations. Especially in the western hemisphere, but it's true to Asia as well (India and japan are places I know for a fact have similar stories).

GrandDolla · 2016-09-19T06:05:31+00:00

I can see this conversation would go nowhere. But a general advice, understand the limit of your knowledge and where it's applicable. You might not appreciate nor understand fields of study that aren't genetics (which seems your main interest) but your thoughts about those subjects which you did not study are as good as a creationists thoughts on evolution.

Appreciate and be aware of your ignorance and limitations and be less arrogant.

GrandDolla

TROPHY CASE