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Functions are first class objects. This makes closures possible.

Javascript can be used functionally, even if it is not the quintessential functional programming language, like Scheme or Lisp.

But to show off Javascript's power, here's a Lisp interpreter written in javascript: Lisp in JS

This isn't because it's electric; this is a pretty standard European urban small-car form factor. See also the SmartCar, which is gas-powered, or for that matter, any number of past Renault and Peugot designs.

BTW, the EV1, the only all-electric car to come anywhere near mass production in the US, did look more or less like a normal car, and it still died. Until our politicians get out of the auto industry's pockets, we're not going to see electric cars succeed here. (See my rant on the subject if interested.)

Joe Ganley

Eliminating the penny wouldn't have to effect the stock market, since (a) people rarely pay for stock in cash, and non-cash transactions could freely go on using penny amounts, and (b) the market already works in sixteenths of a dollar, which you can't make exactly in cash anyway.

Joe Ganley
http://ganley.org/

I'm reminded of my own Lisp interpreter written in JavaScript.

Joe Ganley
ganley.org

I'm reminded of my own Lisp interpreter written in JavaScript.

Joe Ganley
ganley.org

For a second I thought this was going to implement an idea I had a long time ago, namely to use one's bookmarks to rank search engine results. That is, give higher rankings to pages that are similar to pages I've bookmarked.

However, in this case, it's not just my bookmarks, it's everyone's, and the bookmarks are the source of the database, not just its ranking technique. As many have already pointed out, this seems really closed and inbred.

Joe Ganley
ganley.org

For a second I thought this was going to implement an idea I had a long time ago, namely to use one's bookmarks to rank search engine results. That is, give higher rankings to pages that are similar to pages I've bookmarked.

However, in this case, it's not just my bookmarks, it's everyone's, and the bookmarks are the source of the database, not just its ranking technique. As many have already pointed out, this seems really closed and inbred.

Joe Ganley
ganley.org

If you won't believe that cell phones cause cancer, Occam's razor suggests the next-simplest explanation:

Brain cancer causes excessive cell phone use.

:-)

Joe Ganley

I already chimed in my "it's great" but a couple more notes:

1. It is possible to start cold... sort of. About 10 months ago I was recruited out of my cozy telecommuting arrangement with an industry leader (large behemoth-like company) by a pre-IPO startup. I wouldn't move to Silicon Valley (see #2), so what we ended up with was that I spent 6 months there and then returned to telecommuting.
2. Show of hands: how many telecommuters used to live in Silicon Valley and bailed out? (I see several of you so far.) I lived/worked in San Jose for a couple of years, then returned to Virginia and became a telecommuter (for that same behemoth). I now telecommute for that startup. No way you'll ever get me back in the Valley, though I'll admit I enjoy the week every 5 or 6 that I spend there. (Nice place to visit, but wouldn't want to live there...)

Joe Ganley
http://ganley.org/

I've been telecommuting from my home in Virginia for two different companies in Silicon Valley for the last four years. It works great -- I wouldn't trade it for anything -- but it's certainly not for everyone. As has already been mentioned here, you need fairly self-contained work, you need to be very proactive and self-sufficient, and you definitely risk being marginalized career-wise. But these are all surmountable obstacles -- if it appeals to you, try it!

Joe Ganley
http://ganley.org/