Slashdot Mirror
Ask An Ordinary Teenage Slashdot User
These interviews have gotten pretty celebrity-oriented lately. To break the routine, this week's guest is an unknown, 15-year-old, Linux-using, Slashdot-reading high school sophomore named Clinton Ebadi I met at a local LUG meeting. Clinton's mom, who drove him to the meeting (his first), was happily surprised to find that there was a large group of people (of all ages) out there who instantly accepted and respected her son; his relatives, teachers, and classmates looked at him and saw nothing but a slightly strange, slightly pudgy loner. So ask Clinton anything you like about being a kid geek (a living, breathing Katz character, you might say) or anything else, including MentalUNIX or the ncurses-based front end he's working on for Splay. Post questions for Clinton below. We'll send him 10 selected ones by e-mail, and expect his answers within a week or so.
you should probably let them know this as often as possible, by wearing t-shirts from obscure local bands or those on indie labels, and seizing every opportunity to tell someone about how great the <insert no-name band here> show was. don't worry if they seem like they don't give a shit, that's just an expression of their awe and jealousy of your true musical taste.
maybe one day everyone can rise to your level, and realize that you were right all along; every band signed to a major label sucks, and people only listen to it because it is shoved down their throats by the tag-team of corporate labels, MTV, and big radio networks.
on that day we will burn all the top-40 cds, and we will proclaim a national holiday, "The Day natenate Saved Music". parades will be held in your honor. The big music chain stores will be conglomerated into one franchise, and each store will have a statue of you in front and will carry only the music that YOU ordain as "not god-awful shit."
i must say that i would be the first person to congratulate you on that day, as i can tell you are a person of impeccable taste, and obviously ought to be allowed to pass judgement on what everyone listens to.
You are so indie it HURTS.
You've got a good point about Rage though. It makes me sick as well to think that they are using the soapbox of big corporate sponsorship to spread some hypocritical message about materialism and human rights abuses. Don't they know about the x rule? You can only be credible about these things if you sing in the subway for spare change.
I'm interested in this rap song you mentioned. I searched on lyrics.org for it, and they usually have everything, but I couldn't find the artist. Is it possible you misspelled "titties" or "nigga"? I figured I would be able to find the lyrics on the internet if it were such a "hit" song, but I came up with nothing. Are you sure this song was ever written? Is it 2Pac or 2 Live Crew? I'm assuming you know more about rap music than me, since you seem to have a pretty informed opinion.
Again I want to congratulate you on being "indie as fuck." Lord knows we need less stupid trendy mainstream zombies and more arrogant trendy indie zombies.
What is your favorite color?
The kid is a 15 year old linux nerd who has his mom drive him to meetings of other local linux nerds. You figure it out, tex.
What was that first defining moment in your life that lead you to be fascinated with technology and computers? How old were you at the time? Did you parents encourage your interest? What was your first technical book ever (A Child's Garden of Java Applets?)? Did you have computer-oriented friends in early elementary school or before?
I'm 17 and I'm a senior in high school. I've been using Linux since about the age of 13 or 14, when I was a freshman. Probably not unlike yourself, I learned to program basically through books and peer support. Long hours in front of the computer, yadda yadda yadda.
:)
... stupid when I say this, but I'm not a nerd. My skillset isn't very exciting or unique at all (i have no especially 31337 sk1llz, d00d), but it gets the job done and my friends think I'm a god. I don't think I fit the typical nerd-geek-in-high-school social stereotype, either. I'm wondering if the majority of high-school Linux users are total all-out socially reclusive nerds or are rather regular folks that happen to have a high-tech hobby.
My grades aren't shitty, but aren't that great either. B average. That means I got as many Cs as I did As
I started my current programming job when I was 15, before I could drive. I don't know anyone in my school who has the same skillset or mindset as I do, but I see all sorts of people like myself online. Such as you.
I don't know why, but I'm not considered a "nerdy" person in school. I know I sound incredibly
I think I fall into the latter category. I enjoy other activities aside from coding, etc, such as snowboarding and playing the guitar and piano. I have plenty of friends (male and female!) from all sorts of cliques, ranging from the football team to the color guard to even the car club (!) at school. My friends say I'm a fun guy to be around because I make people smile and laugh.
So what about you? Which category do you fit into? Would you say that you're a nerd (socially reclusive, awkward around members of the opposite sex, completely inundated with your passions), a geek (enthusiastic about your passions, but still know how to have a good time with others, possibly only others with the same interests, not socially awkward), or just a regular guy with a high-tech hobby like me?
Personally, I wish there would be more of my type in school. I think I'd have more fun talking with them and spending time with them instead of seeking them out and digging them out of their holes just to have a conversation with me.
- Mike Hughes
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
What is/was your school life like? Do you have a large group of friends or a small one, and are you in the "cool" or "uncool" category. When I was in school (grad '93) I was a computer geek and definately in the "uncool" category. I was ridiculed in the hallways and most of grade 8 was spent in the library, happy to deal with books instead of people. Lets just say high school wasn't the best time of my life :) It wasn't horribly bad, but if I could go back and do it again I'd definately make some changes.
/. geek "cool" these days?
In being a linux geek in 2000 are there differences? It depends a lot on the character of the person (I was definately a loner and not a "strong" person), but the types of things that you do also reflect strongly I think on how others treat you. Is being a linux and
--
$x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
$x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
No offense to Clinton, I'm sure he is a nice kid and all, but who gives a fuck what he thinks!
I honestly can't believe that people are interested in this interview.
"These interviews have gotten pretty celebrity-oriented lately."
Of course they have! It is not so much the celebrity that attracts us to the interviews, but the fact that they obviously did something to earn that celebrity.
If I wanted to find out what a 15 year old kid thinks about anything, I'd go onto any number of chat rooms arywhere on the internet and ask them! Or maybe just post an 'Ask Slashdot' question, to hear their responses.
Slashdot has really been hanging by a thread lately with its articles, but why must you make it blatently obvious that you have no news to print at all!?
That being said, my question is: what is your stance on the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933?
If the point of school is to socialize, fine -- just don't wrap it in bullshit that says you're involved in higher learning. When people ask you what your educational background is, are you going to tell them that you spent 4 years socializing? Or are you going to tell them that you were getting an education when that obviously wasn't the point? Why the hell do you even care about a piece of paper, then? It's all a lie.
Yes, human contact is vital to one's development and I'm all for it. It's just that the "standard path of human development" (12 years of basic school, 4 years of college, additional years depending on choice) sounds like such a poor choice compared to what the world can really offer if you just look for it.
I am a unique snowflake, etc, etc.
There were days where I'd just skip school and instead hang out at the library all day. In retrospect, I wish I had dropped out of school instead of graduating before I went to work (to hell with college, I wasn't going to start paying for "education"). Do you feel this way? And if not, why?
So why are you special and why should we care?
>You ever take into consideration that you're
>just around dumb people?
HAH! This may have been a troll, but that's my story through and through. I'm not all that intelligent, just had the dumb luck to be an average person among idiots most of my life. It's great that "make dep; make bzImage" can amaze the dumbest of morons. Watch 'em drool!
Stating on Slashdot that I like cheese since 1997.
Pixies? Modest Mouse?
You rule!
-kashani
- Why is the ninja... so deadly?
Are things worse now? What do you think could make things better? What would "better" mean to you?- -----------
-------------------------------------------
The secret is.....
The majority of music, at any given time in history, sucks.
Go find a top 40 list in 1971 and 80 % of the music is shite, particularly so those in the Top 10 (with
notable exceptions)
Pop Charts have always been like septic tanks....
Slashdot: Where nerds gather to pool their ignorance
HA! Some brainkid. He can't even spell "experienced".
Same way I'll graduate highschool in a semester at 16, but I've been attending college exclusively since I was 14...
Education is overrated.
Some people justify with the social interaction,
others condemn it for the same reason.
I personally would rather get out of school as fast as possible, the college experience has been good though, and interact socially with peers at work, and I love my job, nothings like a live broadcast where hundreds of thousands people watch you screw up...
Earn cash in your spare time! Blackmail your friends!
I remember way back when...
The kernels were 2.0
The year was 1997
I was 12 and a Highschool freshmen
I remember staying up all saturday night editting X-Windows configuration files by hand. BTW this was slackware, so none of that wussy automatic stuff. No Gnome, KDE, I used LWM as a window manager. Very Functional and Very Fast. I have to say looking back I'm very proud of my traditionalist approach.
Right now I'm running Mac OS on the ol' G3 Powerbook, No After Effects or lightwave for linux / however no blender for the mac ('till OS X), But I'll be eagerly awaiting OS X.
Earn cash in your spare time! Blackmail your friends!
When I was 15 I was dying for the respect of my Elders. I couldn't stand that they all thought they knew so much more than they obviously did and that it was hard to get any credit for being intelligent.
How have you delt with a world where being 15 is considered being an idiot? Have you found ways to make adults listen to your ideas? Do you think technology has help create an enviroment where age matters less? Do you find yourself being biased against old people (people over 25)?
Most of my best thinking takes place in the shower... kind of hard to write anything down in that situation.
not to be argumentative, but MTV is what _spews_ that pop/rap/uber-commercialized crap. i listen to my own stuff and other peoples to get away from that...
i agree that, in his chosen medium, Elliott is a better writer. musicians just work in a different medium: thats writing in a different sense.
Check my Go-related blog for beginners: DGD
ToiletDuk
Protector of the Wastes
Friends don't let friends listen to Kid Rock.
You mistake immaturity for unintelligence. They don't go hand in hand.
People always think they are more mature than others their age, and it's usually a false pretense.
Sure Britney Spears and N'Sync have nothing insightful to say about the human experience, but last I checked, that wasn't a big requirement in the music industry. Their songs are catchy and you can sing along to them. If you don't enjoy that, then fine, but that doesn't necessarily mean it sucks ('sucks' is such an intellectual adjective). I don't listen to pop music because other people tell me to, I listen to it BECAUSE I CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD.
Please, allow me..
They kick his ass, no, no, no, ADA.
heh. That's not half as bad as Trick Daddy's album titled www.thug.com. Song 1 - Log on. Song 16 - Log off. Be sure to check that album cover art; top quality artistry there.
By being called a "living breathing Katz character"?
I sure as hell would be.
--- I do not moderate.
Who says you need to be a celebrity to be asked questions that the slashdot crowd would like to know the answers too? The majority of us here were in the same place as this kid is now, and would love some insight into how things work geek-wise in high school these days. Not only for the US readers, but many foreign readers seem interested too. Damn, dude, get off your high horse. If you're not interested in the review, don't read it.
This message brought to you by the Council of People Who Are Sick of Seeing More People.
Clinton --
... I'm wondering if you are experiencing similar feelings, or if your community is more open to people of our interests, and how you feel that acceptance (or lack thereof) has changed your feelings about technology.
/HS admin.) distrust you because of your abilities and intelligence? While I was in HS, I was constantly under suspicion of causing various computer malfunctions, and was even suspended a few times for things I wasn't involved in. Do you feel a similar backlash at school?
Hello, my name is Cory, and I'm just finishing (or at least imagine that I'm just finishing) the stage your are in now. I'm 19 now, done with High School and working full time leading development on e-commerce software. I offer this information merely as a reference for my questions:
Do you feel that your peers (teachers/students) make an attempt to understand you? While in HS, I got a very distinct feeling that no one (parents/teachers/admin./ect) even made an attempt to connect with me. Eventually, I got over the feeling of constant rejection
Are you socially active in HS? I had 0 friends in HS, but had many friends who were older/younger, however, almost none of my friends were my own age. I'm wondering how you interactive with your friends, and what kind of people are they.
Do you feel that people older than you (especially those people in authority positions, teachers
Where do you intend to go after HS is done? I haven't made my mind up, but College looks less and less attractive each day. I have a job I like, new job offers almost daily, my own house, privacy, etc. I live in a college town, and from what I see of the social scene / "education" it seems barely better than HS (only with more alcohol involved.) What are your thoughts?
Athens, OH
Nameless ((digital@frognet.net))
> But Madonna just won't fucking go away
Right, and she's actually developed talent. Listen to "Frozen" sometime. That's William Orbit who did all the backing orchestra and synths. Best listened to in a dark room with good speakers and eyes closed.
I still hate most of her stuff, but who the fuck elected you minister of culture?
--
I've finally had it: until slashdot gets article moderation, I am not coming back.
First a bit of background: I'm 25 and therefore technically one generation older than you are. However, my little sister is 15, so technically in your generation. My little sis and I get along splendidly, but then again, she always had two older brothers to hang around with. She also gets along fine with people her own age, and is really very much a 15-year old.
As I am the oldest in my family, when I was fifteen I had no such 'luck'. I have always been youngest in class, and always spent time with people at least roughly a year older than I was. Therefore I was always striving to keep up, and usually succeeding... but for the social aspects of life.
Anyway, I was wondering, what are the ages of the people you regularly hang out with?
And what do you think of people that are your age?
Umm, I still play with my son's Lego mindstorms and lego technic's. The mechanical possibilities with these "toys" help solve myriads of problems and stimulate thinking even in us 32 year olds.
Only the luzers in the world stopped playing with "toys" when they got old. the rest of us just upgraded the toys.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I know someone already mentioned going to a psychologist, and I can pretty much tell you that it doesn't work a lot of the time (at least, from the few too many I've been to).
It may seem like friends will make you happy. I've tried, it just didn't work. I tried a lot of other stuff too, and pretty much found that God is. One can reason anything away, including God (and, on the same line, one's own existence).
Christ is the way. It's your choice to believe or not. Drop me a message if you want, I might be able to find some answers for you.
About a lot of churches: christianity in the past has been, shall we say, the popular thing to do. And in becoming that, it's meaning has become 'do nice things, be a nice person', which (though inherent once you start to get a little glimpse of it) is pretty much a 11 (of 10) on the that's-out-there scale.
About a lot of christians: Yes, we are imperfect.
Anyway, that's enough rambling for one night...
Only if you have a tech degree. If you have a liberal arts degree, your thinking skills are never out of date. You can always learn a new programming language, but you can't always learn how to think and work well.
Switch the . and the @ to email me.
What's your favourite programming language, and why?
You forgot
- Who do you trust?
Je ne parle pas francais.
Hmm... Is there a Linux distribution that comes with Solitaire?
"The deep-fried Mars bar is a symptom of a wider crisis." -- Nutritionist Ann Ralph, on the Scottish diet
The same reason I'm a practically unknown person.
Most of everything is luck - the rest is fate.
He's 15 stupid, he's a boy.
"It's here, but no one wants it." - The Sugar Speaker
I'm 21 and I can't stand modern popular music either. I think before music was about music, and now music is about image. Girls are buying spears albums because they want to be like her, while people listened to beatles/whoever (my personal favorite is PF) because they liked their music, period. Think about it, does britney or nsync play thier instruments? Even if they do (i doubt), does anyone care? Does anyone care if they *sing* their songs? Not at all. They're selling an *image*. Sometimes I stop and think, what's it going to be like in 20 years, when most of population will have been raised on such prepackaged images? Let's hope internet saves us ;-)
-- ATTENTION: do not read this sig. It doesn't say much.
what're the most challenging things you personally face in the noncomputing areas of your life? Do you find support online through websites, newsgroups, IRC, etc to assist in meeting those challenges? If so, how? And do you think you would have the same support if you did not have the ability to go online? If not, what types of support are you looking for but not finding? (Obviously, you are not "anonymous", so don't answer this if it makes you uncomfortable. I'm just interested in seeing whether you, as a representative of a new generation, are more socially integrated into the Internet than those who came before you)
What're the most challenging things you feel the world as a whole faces (that is, not just the US, or even western society)? What's your vision for how the Internet might assist in meeting those challenges? Do you see ways in which it's failing to meet those needs? Do your friends feel the same way?
---
click a button, feed a hungry person!
Get off my launchpad!
I know it cuts down available women for geeks, but hey...yah gots ta have some standards.
Blar.
Women are gold diggers. Men get the women they can afford. Wait for those stock options to vest and you'll be able to upgrade to Girlfriend 2.0.
cpeterso
In my world, the realm of brainiacs, linux, and Slashdot cleave to a particular musical demographic. Although it is often to narrow for my tastes, at least it falls within the natural direction my musical tastes were heading when I first learned about Linux. Do you find that the music you listen to ties in heavily with your coding habits, your view of your efforts and emotional responses to situations? In short, Is music intrinsic to your quality of life?
If virtue is its own reward, jsut imagine what vice offers!
Wow, I read that too. My comment still stands. It did approach one.
Lowmag.net
Aaah run away! Godwin's rule, Godwin's rule!
Lowmag.net
Kid Rock has one song. It's called "Kid Rock is a bad ass pimp mother fucker". Sometimes he changes the lyrics or the beat around a little bit, but it's still the same song.
-B
have you ever seen a grown man naked? -airplane
--
|-_-| . o O ( bEef!)
Who are you?
What do you want?
And where the hell are my pants?
Many a UNIX admin are donning a job instead of college, but don't realize that they will be the first to go once a recession comes around. How do you feel about this possibility?
why do you assume that a non-college grad would be the first to go? I would hope that the merits of what a person has done in their current job would have more weight than what grades a person got a few years ago.
"Leave the gun, take the canoli."
this is just a placeholder till i send back my real sig from the future.
Since I'm a "computer geek" who just graduated from HS and am now working toward a BFA in Computer Art, I felt I could give an answer to your question. While computers have become pervasive in "normal" peoples lives, geeks are still looked down upon. It's still uncool to know anything more than how to connect to AOL to chat or check e-mail. Girls didn't flock to me because I preferred something other than Windows. Even now that I'm in an art school, me majoring in computer art puts some girls of because computers are still a geeky thing to like. Computer geeks may have gained some respect because "computers are where the money's at" but from my experience, they're by no means sex symbols.
Don't trust a bull's horn, a doberman's tooth, a runaway horse or me.
And a followup question:
What are you wearing?
Don't trust a bull's horn, a doberman's tooth, a runaway horse or me.
Cal tech? It's up there with MIT at least...
Ugh. All those Fat Wreck Chords bands sound the fucking same (too clean, way over-produced). Screeching Weasle is the only keeper on that list, the others are the "pop" of punk. :P
I'll take FUGAZI, Jets to Brazil, Burning Airlines, hoover, (I'll admit to the Ataris), Rev. Horton Heat, Oblivians, Compulsive Gamblers, Lucero, Vegas Thunder, American DeathRay, ANY day over anything on Fat. Or anything on the radio for that matter.
If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
The point, however, is that you can't get an image of any group of people by interviewing just one of them
I dont think anyone here thought that you could. Speaking for myself anyway, I certainly did not get the impression that anybody was trying to do that. The "computer nerds" that I know are an incredibly diverse bunch of people with quite a range of different interests other than computers.
"Do you plan to spend your life on the only things that are real in that their existance is not linked to sensation, ideas, or do you plan to waste it on the temporal surroundings?"
This entire question is loaded. You've posed the question in a way that prefers a specific response - there is noticeable bias towards a certain answer which you want to hear, and you even seem to want to influence his beliefs - you're delivering a pitch.
Who would realistically answer this question with "yes I want to waste my life" when the question is posed like that? I might, but only because (a) your technique is transparent and (b) I'm confident about knowing what I want from life. But perhaps you hoped that this person is young and impressionable and that you could influence him? It's the same technique used by con-artists and salesmen: starting their pitch with a question that any normal person can only answer one way (stupid questions like "would you say no to earning $100,000 a month" and similar such crap that you see so much in telemarketing, spam etc. )
Nonetheless, I'm sure this guy can think for himself, and is capable of making his own decisions. If he wants to be materialistic and make good money for himself (and maybe a family in the future) and be able to retire with a decent pension, as "boring" and "normal" and "a waste of a life" as that may seem to you, he should be free to make that choice without your implicit judgments.
"You are comparing the BEST of yesterday's pop music to the WORST of today's pop music"
No he is not, you are wrong. Although you would be correct in saying N Sync is amongst the worst of todays music, that is beside the point here - see, back then, the Beatles were one of the biggest things you would hear on the radio or see on TV. Today, crap like N Sync is. He is simply comparing the biggest most popular bands from then to the biggest most popular bands now, which is a very good way (in fact the only way) of comparing the quality of the music now to the quality of the music then. What does it help to compare the Beatles to some virtually unknown but incredibly good band of today? The whole point is that it isn't the incredibly good band of today that you see on TV (like it was in the Beatle's day) but rather it is the recording-industry manufactured stuff that is plastered all over mass-media.
"Yesterday": Popular band (beatles) = relatively good music.
Today: Popular band (N Sync) = relatively crap music.
That's the difference.
You can argue that music is all about personal taste, but sorry, I can't see how the songs that N Sync produces can be regarded as requiring any vaguely significant amount of talent to write. They are just streams of cliches pinched from Mills and Boons books, aimed at teenage girls.
Don't worry, geophile, much of modern day youth feels the same way. I'm a 17 year old male with a leaning towards geekish things, and I find myself disliking most modern popular music. My MP3 collection contains everything from classic rock bands such as Bob Seger, Foreigner and Led Zeppelin to such classical music as Yo-Yo Ma's "Appalachia Waltz" and "Simply Baroque." I also enjoy latino jazz, carrying a particular fondness for Tito Puente. I admit to listening to Metallica(Every teenager needs a little angst, right?), but do not like "Korn" or "Limp Bizkit" and their common ilk. Its not just you, today's music really is lacking something. I don't pretend to represent teenage society, but many teens feel the same way..
"There is no surer way to ruin a good discussion than to contaminate it with the facts." -- Cecil Adams
iirc, kid rock actually started out dj'ing, mixing, and all that jazz, and from what i remember of some mtv interview (back when i had time to watch tv :|) he really is more involved with the actual production of his music than most.
:)
although i still dont really like kid rock, just thought id post this
i agree with you on the techno though, oakenfold and orbital are both great. though oakenfold really isnt much of an artists (he dj's and does some remixes, i dont think he puts out any original music??) they both have wonderful talent and style.
-=[ http://www.legos.org ]=-
In your Linux pursuits, do you find any difficulties within your age/peer/social circles in choosing your OS? Do you get pressure to use or embrace Windows or MacOS in pursuit of more "mainstream" activities? In short, do you constantly find yourself explaining what and why you do what and why you do?
According to a survey which is shortly mentioned on this site, the 10% is rather correct. Choose `The name 1 op tien' from the menu for more information. There it says 1 of 10 respondents to this survey answered yes to the question wether they ever had sex with a person of the same sex...which offcourse is the wrong question so after all the 5% you mention might be rather close.
0x or or snor perron?!
IMO, Kid Rock shouldn't be allowed to perform either.. I heard a recording of him covering CCR's "Fortunate Son" at Woodstock '99 - it was worse than any cover I've ever heard.
I remember installing a copy of Slackware 3.5 that I got for Christmas '98 - it wasn't all that hard, certainly no more difficult that the copy of RH 5.2 that I also got that year. Of course, setting up a ppp connection really *was* a challenge.
BTW, how were you in 9th grade at age 12?
I've heard both the American Woman cover (just poorly done, not particularly *bad*) and the American Pie cover (rather weird to hear a woman singing it). I thought the Kid Rock cover was almost offensive, when he said "I ain't no fortunate son.. bitch". Of course, the funniest current cover I've heard it Britney Spears doing the Stones' Satisfaction. My $0.02... Andrew
What does it mean to be "doing game pseudo code" exactly? That's what I'd like to know. Please.
Okay, I have a question for limpdawg.
Who is your greatest inspiration in life?
OFFTOPIC
The first paragraph sounds as I felt, although I don't think sports has anything to do with it. I'm pretty good at sports. The difference between me and my peers is about "liking to do things" (me) and "chit-chatting" (others) which I dislike. Also, because I'm smart enough to see through all the BS people are saying to themselves and others.
It is funny that if people actually get to know me through work, study or anything that they start valueing me much higher. That's because I'm a nice guy. And being nice is not what counts in the world (it's about power too, but I don't care about that... my fault).
>I hated them back
I did that too, but I regretted it later on. It broke off contact to nice people who couldn't control themselves at that age (+- 16).
So who is at fault? NO ONE!!! It's the same as asking why a monkey can't get along with an elephant... Because.
I can say a lot more, but I won't @now.
ps I don't think shrinks will help though, because they are good at analysing. That does not solve anything. Besides that, your analysis seems thorough. You also are doing your best to change, within reason. (my background: seen psychologists, done a year and a halve of psychology)
nosig today
To be even a bit more accurate, it would now be Ben Folds One. They broke up a few months ago. I'm sure glad I saw them last summer, what a fun show.
You're quote is quite correct, but my self-esteem once was very high until I started to try and get dates...and women love to tell guys they dont like about every single inadequacy they have. That is why my self-esteem is now non-existant. 20 something women after I started I've gone on 2 dates witht he same girl who dumped me by hanging up on me when I called.
They point is, teenage girls really dont give a rip about your self-esteem, they want a guy who'll spend money on them, a jock who'll bang em until they impregnate them and then run away, or someone along those lines, they dont think about their futures and that hey this guy is into computers, he's a technician at a computer store he's about to go work as a network engineer and he's only 17.
They think does he drive a 2001 Ford Mustang right NOW?
no.
Was his pictur einthe paper for sports?
no.
Do I want him?
no.
Simple as that, but hey I live in Atlanta where everything is weird so...
My question was asked simply because I'm curious if other guys like me (since I know none!) have the same troubles. And if not possibly find out if it's what they do differently or if it jsut has to do with there locale because I'm beginning to suspect that is my problem is that the girls in this area are jsut that way.
Derek Greene
Being a teen geek myself, I have a horrid time finding a date! Do you have such troubles? If yes does it bother you? If no, what's your secret????!!!!
Derek Greene
In my own case, I'd say neither. I've been pretty antisocial since as long as I can remember (since I was 5) - got a bit less weird at 16 or so, but still often prefer my own company. I only got serious about computers when I was 7 or 8 (not due to lack of enthusiasm but due to parent's and school's lack of money). So clearly computing interests didn't cause antisocial tendencies in my case.
On the other hand, I'm almost as sure I didn't "turn to computers" as an alternative to what I "failed at" - socialising. What makes me think this is, as I became significantly more socially-integrated as I got older, I didn't start losing interest in computers - quite the contrary! Took a degree in it and now doing a PhD.
I'd suggest a common cause as an explanation for the observed correlation (which is not a perfect correlation, by any means, of course) - something like a gene (or environmental stimulus) leading to greater development in "logical", "intellectual" aspects of the mind and simultaneously lesser development in other aspects, like social skills. But that's just pure speculation, of course. I put it forward merely because people often tend to fall into ruts in thinking and miss certain possibilities worth considering, like common causes instead of either "A causes B" or "B causes A".
Female Prison Rape in NY
Personally, I don't see why a homosexual would be offended when confronted by the fact that men generally prefer women as sexual partners. But that's just me.
MSK
I mean; I'm 20, 5 yrs off of yah and I system admin for well respected companies. Right now i'd feel pretty much at ease job security wise but I haven't finished college yet (associates). I also am a "weekend warrior" and do military intelligence crap once a month. My question to you is how did you get involved with computers? For me I fit all the geek attributes of being A-SOCIAL etc etc and i'm a minority so "geekness" crosses all boundaries. I went through the bbs'n, 2600 meeting (the plaza in nyc ), windows sucks, OS/2 rocks, hrmm whats this Linux thing phase. After I installed slackware (at kernel version 1.2.13) I knew that I loved unix. Then I had to get my hands on every unix like system as Digital Unix was far from my grasp. In any event, i'm sure its been alot different for you and I'd love to hear how you started your trek. I thank a computer programmer from IBM back in Dec 94 for showing me linux. I don't know where I would be had it not been for that. SO what about you?
--
+1 Insightful, -1 Troll. What can I say, I'm an Insightful Troll.
2) Perl is very nice, but as far as big business systems are concerned, it just doesn't cut the cake. It's harder (but not impossible) to design and build well-structured, easily understood, big software projects with Perl. Definitely great for web/shell scripts, though. Plenty of arguments for and against out there, of course.
3) Try LISP if you're interested in AI programming. I myself think it's best to keep the programming language separate from it's intended use, but sometimes it is nice to have something geared one specific way or another.
4) When you get out of high school and learn what's it's like to live in the real world of software engineering, you'll discover that the business world revolves around money and time. Those are the two MOST important things in business. Sure it would be nice to spend 2 years designing the company's new product line, but in 6 months, the company will be bankrupt if you don't get something out the door by then. Therefore, if you prefer to create quality software, either find a company who's intent it is to make software, not money (i.e., they already have enough funding to last for 3 years - not a very common occurrence) or stay in graduate school for the rest of your life.
Last thing, cause I just have to get this off my chest. Flame away if you really feel like it will accomplish something. Why the hell are we asking questions of some 15 year old?. And why the fuck do I see so many "me too" 15 year olds posting about how great they are and how they do this and that and how they're a brainchild too, and "I want attention, look at me!" like a bunch of whiny little kids. Like I care. Do they think they're special or something? Like countless generations before them haven't been through the same exact situations and haven't said the same exact things before?
--
+1 Insightful, -1 Troll. What can I say, I'm an Insightful Troll.
The one piece of advise I have to give you. "Don't take any guff from those swine"
Non gratis rodentus anus
------------
CitizenC
Next week, slashdot will interview:
Bob Gates - janitor at Microsoft
Sammy Pick - some homeless guy
Danny Edwards - the guy that sorts the pixels at slashdot
--
you are not what you own
it's a sig, wtf?
Did the recent presidential election fiasco make you as cynical about politics as Watergate did when I was your age?
Or is politics irrelevant to you?
Do you have the same low-level anxiety about terrorism or AIDS that I had about the Cold War and nuclear annihilation when I was a teenager?
Or do you feel safe?
k.
--
"In spite of everything, I still believe that people
are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
"In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
You hit the nail right on the head, "popular" music sucks. Im a senior in highschool and listen to alot of the music from longer ago. For instance, Jethro Tull, The Who, CSNY, Tom Petty(well, he's still very much kickin)... but there is alot of really good music out there, maybe they're not as popular to the ditzy teeniebopper freaks, but they're there. STP (hell, most of the "grunge" movement), Dave Matthews, Sublime, Ani, Tracy Chapman, the list goes on. With the advent of technology that makes music more portable and transferable, music has become so limitless that people are free to listen to anything and everything the desire, as long as they're willing to click a few buttons or pay a few bucks. There's always going to be popular music, and often times, it will be shit. There will also always be great music that'll hit ya just right.
~~~ They call me Little John, but don't let the name fool you...in real life I'm very big.
> By the way, I was stunned to find that Jethro Tull is still putting out new stuff.
Yeah, think how Metallica felt.
ceci n'est pas un sig.
Boxers, or briefs?
"First rule of government spending: Why build one when you can build two at twice the price?" -- Mr. Haddon, Contact
As a 17-year-old high-school senior, I think I might share a lot of things with you. I've noticed that at my school, most students pursue computer courses and go on to pursue careers in the industry because of the financial prospects. I've also found that most of these people are Winblows users, and swear by stuff like MS visual C++ (due to the use of that compiler at my school, I don't take programming). Most of the Linux/free software users I've encountered, however, work in the area because they love it, because they want to make it better, and because they want to be part of the community. What I'm wondering is do you fit into either of these two scenarios, and if so, which? If not, why are you interested in computers, and what got you interested in the first place?
"Caffeine is not an option. Caffeine is a way of life."
Is you family 'dysfunct' in any way ? i do not mean any disrespect with this. What I mean is, do you feel that you have a dad that wants to play catch with you and does your mom bake cookies, do you have a pesky sister and a dog named barky ? I know it's impossible to say of any family it's normal, but do you feel that you will not be telling a shrink about how your family forced you into geekhood. (I know my mom and dad did)
mvg,
Kris "dJOEK" Vandecruys
Exercise caution when modding this message up: the author acts like a jerk when his karma is excellent.
Continuing with the recent /. threads regarding the usefulness of High School and College educations, do you personally see your current secondary educational experience as a help or hinderance to your all-around development (social, intellectual, prankster...etc). Do you plan to go on to college because you want to, because you see it as a necessary evil, or do you see the college experience as a waste of time considering your current skills?
They call me the working man. I guess that's what I am.
The funny thing is, Limp Bizkit (who i hate btw), did a horrible, horrible remake of the song, and now every trendy teenie bopper jap thinks they wrote the song. ~sigh~
- *Normality Is The Root of All Evil*
Somehow I don't think the ordinary teen reading Slashdot is out there creating their own Linux distribution. I must really be behind the times or very very far below average.
If you're not on somebody's shit list, you're not doing anything worthwhile.....
One up you?...
Lenny Kravitz - American Woman
Madonna - American Pie
Haven't heard the Kid Rock cover tho...(Admittedly likes both CCR and Kid Rock (somewhat))...
I really thought that I could stay out of this thread, but alas, here I am...
I would have to agree with most of the sentiment here. Any band that is put together for the sole purpose of making $$ really shouldn't be given any play at all. It's music created by a group of individuals to express their own feelings and desires that I've always found to be enjoyable.
Personally, I have a wide range of taste...spanning about 50 years...it really is hard to beat Neil Young's accoustic guitar (if you get the chance, see him live)...
The Who, Pink Floyd, The Travelling Wilburys, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, BTO, The Guess Who, Steppenwolf, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Supertramp, Black Sabbath, ACDC, Metallica (before they sold out)...and that's just getting started with the older stuff...I am of the belief that there is good music being made today, you just have to look harder (we are living in a GAP world after all)...
I am one of those idiots that is actually willing to spend an (admittedly exorbitant) amount of money to actually own the albums, instead of just d/l'ing the MP3's...
For the record, I'm 22 and attending University in Canada...
-Ben
Say what you mean, mean what you say! But please know what #$@% you are talking about!
do you mean "uzi"?
The mainstream stuff today is manufactured shit. Britney Spears N Sync and crap is just put together by a production team to make $$$$.
Real bands are out there, they just don't have the marketting behind them.
I may be inviting flames by saying this, but I get the distinct impression that many US geeks capitalize on this stereotype as a way of inviting sympathy, in the manner of "See, see, what a victim I am!", rather than as a genuine feature of personality. As a result, they are far more visible as a population than those who do not, but I don't think they represent the majority of US "technology enthusiasts" by any stretch".
In deference to those whose experience does fit the geek stereotype, I would like to note that there is a streak of anti-intellectualism that is well entrenched in American culture, and certainly may make a significant contribution to the experience of USian techies. However, I don't know if such a prejudice is present in other cultures to the same extent, so I am unable to make a comparison.
---- I'm going to lead you kicking and screaming, giggling and laughing into the future.
This guy' s full name is given in the article, if he answers this then his parents and school (among other places) will know this information. Considering the taboo state of drugs, this question is a really bad one.. I don't see why it has a high score.
This brings up an interesting point. Why dosn't Katz just herd us all into a room somewhere and have us ask eachother questions?
The questions so far have been primarily 'Are you like what I was..' in origin - why don't we all just ask eachother the same ones and find out who has one in common?
Here here, I'd really like to know the answer to this question. I graduated High School 4 years ago, and things like AP Computer Programming, the Computer Club, and such were still rather geeky things in my school. That's where I came from (although I did do the sports thing-- Varsity Track & Cross-Country, although they weren't very popular sports in my school). I'd like to know if the 'kewl' thing in school is still football and cheerleading, or if computers have managed to grab a small foothold in all that is cool.
Fully licensed blockchain psychiatrist
2.0 eh? I started at about 15 or 16, when the 1.3 series just started up. I used slackware, and man was that excellent. I loved hacking configuration files.
:) It's really taken my ability to do Linux away. Sigh... too bad the boss insists on it.
Now-a-days, though, I get scared when I need to edit a config file.. Damn RedHat and Mandrake!
(I used to run Linux at home, but I play so many games in windows I never booted into linux, so I repartitioned to get the space for more games. Yeah, I know, I'm pathetic.)
Personally I think not only should they legalize drugs but the government should also subsidize it. People who want to do drugs are going to do it regardless of whether it's legal or not. So you make it cheap enough so the people who are going to abuse em can easily buy enough to overdose themselves. We clear the world up of some otherwise losers, and we save money on fighting a war and treating a disease that we'll never win. This is all part of the platform for my political party..."The lotto reform" party. In addition to the drug subsidization we also want to reform this corrupt lotto system, I have been playing for a year now and I still haven't won millions. Vote for me as president and I'll make sure that these astronomical odds are brought down to levels where you and I can all benefit. [ Reply to This | Parent ] Personally I think not only should they legalize drugs but the government should also subsidize it. People who want to do drugs are going to do it regardless of whether it's legal or not. So you make it cheap enough so the people who are going to abuse em can easily buy enough to overdose themselves. We clear the world up of some otherwise losers, and we save money on fighting a war and treating a disease that we'll never win. This is all part of the platform for my political party..."The lotto reform" party. In addition to the drug subsidization we also want to reform this corrupt lotto system, I have been playing for a year now and I still haven't won millions. Vote for me as president and I'll make sure that these astronomical odds are brought down to levels where you and I can all benefit.
Umm, other than the lotto thing, you have a good idea. Another reason to government-subsidise it: make shitloads of money. Honestly. Cut that deficit down, way down, with the combined money made from: no war on drugs, and revenue from drugs, like the taxes on alcohol and tobacco. Tax it just like those, and all is good.
-- Bill "Houdini" Weiss
Are you a homosexual?
I would have to say that my greatest inspiration to do the things I currently do was the associate pastor of my church, whose paying job was as a systems analyst at Boeing, it was through his family that I got introduced to the Internet, BBSes, warez, and all that good stuff associated with computers. My family bought their first computer from him, and I got several games for free, like the Quest for Glory series from his son. Ultimately this led up to my installing Linux in 1996 at the end of my freshman year in high school.
Nascantur in Admiratione. (Let them be born in Wonder)
This is me Clinton(I really am). I am not a troll, and never have been. I only post when I feel like I need too. Since this question won't be sent to me(I have a feeling about it..its only modded up to 3), I answered. I have a karma of 12. Yay.
-------------
HAL 7000, fewer features than the HAL 9000, but just as homicidal!
The kind of tree that dogs like to pee on, of course!
--TheOrangeSquid Is it any wonder things seem so awry? We swim in a sea of confusion and don't have to think to survive
I'm 18 and a freshman in college. I'm a casual linux user (I perfer my shell accn't for many things like mail, etc) and grew up very much in the way described by many people here: loser friends in Jr. High/High School, not a jock, etc.
My question to you is, because you deal with so much straight forward technical information on a day-to-day basis, do you find it difficult to flirt with/attract the opposite sex because of the twisted mind games they tend to play?
-- From my Best Friend (Written to me over ICQ): "i was gonna go to a party...but i had to reinstall windows"
Mensa is (now) at 130. Perhaps part of getting in is knowing how to get in? (Kind of like opening a door?)
No comment at this time
for, you see, I am a typical Slashdot user. I like athletics and I don't use computers. What is this "Linux" you speak of? What is it like to be interested in computers. Please, tell us about this "Linux."
No comment at this time
Well I'm 16 and I must say that I agree with you and allot of others who replied to this thread.
I don't know how it differs overseas, but generally commercial radio here in Australia is polluted. You go to listen to a commercial station that specialises in rock, and they still play crap, some crap that I can't even figure out how they figured it was rock.
I used to like quite a variety of music, however the most mainstream radio stations play the most crap of them all, therefore I have been icolated in a way and only hear rock music.
The bands I like most are older ones, including:
Hunters & Collectors - I got their album Cut, it's very good. Holy Grail is a classic. These guys were really talented and they didn't just use the same old boring instruments that rock bands use. In addition to the usual instruments they used trumpet, french horn and trombone.
U2 - most of you should know them. I just got their latest album which is reasonably good, but I must say it's not the best they've released. Achtung Baby from 1991 is pretty good. But my favourite songs by them are "When the Streets have no names", "I still haven't found what I'm looking for", "The Unforgettable Fire" etc. I have them on the Best of 1980-1990 cd. October is also pretty good.
Apart from those, I also like INXS, Midnight Oil, Hoodoo Gurus, THe Screaming Jets, barenaked ladies, pink floyd, led zepplin, paul kelly, noiseworks just to name a few. Some of those bands will be well worth downloading mp3s of if you haven't heard of them :)
AussiePenguin
Melbourne, Australia
ICQ 19255837
Jeremy
Melbourne, Australia
Jabber Australia
I don't want to sound like an all knowing ass, cuz I know people in your situation feel often feel like no one else understands. I have the same problem with making long term and close friends. All but two of my friendships fizzled after I left for college and moved away. Both of those friends i've had since the second grade. I've made a bunch of friends (for me) in college, but only one close one and one of my two remaing friendships from home had died. Mostly because that person believes many of the things you seem to, such as friendships can't last when people move away. I don't think that is true, you just have to be understanding when the other person can't be there as often as they should. Also i don't think you need to have all common interests to be friends with someone. What's really needed is trust. It seems to me what really make friendships last is the ablity to tell thier friend what really matters to them. Which is why i've found you can't make friends doing things you don't like. If the people your with don't figure out that your just faking, you'll still find your self feeling fake and not really wanting to be in the company of them. Also, if you never open up to people, you can never move beyond the superficial Q:"hi how are you" A:"good (no matter how bad you feel)" level. It's a hard first step, on that i've only been able to make once in the last 9 years. but that's the only real way to make a long term friendship. In summery, just be real. these are just my thoughts and my experiences, but i hope it helps you out.
"To save the planet, I had to go to the worst spot on Earth, and that was Philadelphia." -- Sun Ra
As long as Bill Leeb didn't have anything to do with it I'm happy.
PS(Fuck you Bill Leeb, you rat bastard)
Congratulations, Rob.
What a nice guy you are. I mean it. I'm not being sarcastic. Really! This is one of your best ever!
Mike Roberto
- GAIM: MicroBerto
Berto
You don't have to answer that or anything else a pedo asks you.
Do you think we, as geeks, are on the brink of starting a geek revolution? With the Internet giving us level ground with the fatcat industries, do you suppose that geeks will bring introduce a new kind of media, and hence, a new kind of communication?
poop.
I find myself being motivated by wanting to live interesting experiences. I don't find the need to "fight" for some cause, although I do my best to promote and educate people about free operating systems. What drives me is still curiosity, the will to find out how stuff works.
The Official Steve Ballmer Webpage
pan is a free newsreader which looks/works a lot like Agent for Windows. It uses NNTP servers directly like you would in Windows, without you having to worry about keeping a news spool etc. etc. Anyway, here's the
full feature list. If this is the only thing holding you back, I'd suggest you give it a try. (There are of course other UNIX news readers that would probably fit your needs, but I'm just promoting the one I use)
Wasn't it the thrust to weight ratio? Sparrow/Swallow? I can't remember anymore.. I used to have the whole thing memorized - so much for my teen years.
How do you feel about higher education? I understand that there are a lot of undue challenges you face (from your teachers, for example) in high school because of whom you are. Do you think this might discourage you from higher learning?
Talk about needing an education! It is who, not whom. The word is in nominative case (don't be fooled by the of).
Depends on what kind of network connection the desert island had. 56k? T-1? T-3? Fiber?
The Web is like Usenet, but
the elephants are untrained.
The cause is that for modern problems, like handling tabular data (think Excel) M$ has a clear-cut pattern to fit your solutions into, so it's easy to copy them. Finding the solution that's truly elegant and Unixy is harder, and half a loaf is better than none.
So part of me wonders if this is a generation gap - I grew up with CP/M and then DOS, so CLI feels natural to me. Does growing up with GUI's predispose one to GUI's?
wrt "don't need themes to look good" I like slang/curses apps because
Once you're in a place I think it would be hard for them to let you go just because you don't have a degree and the guy next to you does.
Plus, we're talking about tech jobs here. Even if you do have a degree, after 3 years it's totally out of date anyway.
--
Free Mac Mini
It's funny to see how people think a kid geek so negatively.. so my question is what are the common misconception about you? and what you want people to think you as? and also, what your classmate view you as?
Would you have access to a net connection and a burner?(long with a pile of blanks?) ;-)
If so, one cd, a net connection, and you can get access to everything else you might need, just download and burn
just a thought
Stop over-analyzing your analizations
The two best tech Universities, at least in my oppinion are University of California at Berkely and MIT. They both have a long-standing record for having a wide range of high-quality courses. Like I said before, this is just *my oppinion* ~A.D.Bourdon, Freshman @ Point Loma High School, San Diego, CA
--------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
Perversely greped and groped by PowerPenguin
Well, speaking as a 20-year old who just received his first Who album for Christmas (Live at Leeds) and who is very much appreciative of all the Genesis LPs my parents played when I was younger, I would strongly disagree that today's music "really sucks."
The problem with the music scene today, I would say, is that the generic pop and terrible rap and rap-rock overwhelms what older music listeners could easily relate to and consider to be good music. Not only can the music abrasively bad, but the marketing techniques can be equally objectionable. Whatever happened to just good old-fashioned tours? Screw "youth-oriented product positioning," to steal a very appropriate line from The Simpsons. Most of today's stronger artists tend to ignore such stupidity, and as a result they *appear* to be less relevant to today's audience.
I must admit, I find it difficult to imagine that a Who fan wouldn't mention Pearl Jam as part of good current music, and not only on the basis of their original work. Even classic radio gives them airplay with their covers of Baba O'Riley from the Europe 2000 tour.
Ask a subnormal, middle aged, AOL user...
Click here to read too much about my personal life
You don't spell unladen like that.
Official Year 2000 statement: s/y/k/g
My guess is that there were probably a lot of bad music when you were 15 that were on the radio 24/7. People tend to forget bad things over a long period of time, and we're talking decades here, so my guess is that there was a lot of crap when you were young too. You only remember the good stuff.
When I was drafted - and no, I didn't end up in the army, the first time I've had a use for my bad back ;-) - the army representatives actually tried to talk me into joining anyway. They said I'd make an exellent officer, as my results in their combined IQ/psych-test was the best they'd seen in a few years.
;-)
/.'ers wan't to crawl in the mud, when they could be in front of their computer?
;-)
The value of the above statement = 0
Why?, well, first of all I know several people who are way smarter than me, even though they'd probably do worse on the test. Basically IQ-test aren't worth the paper they're printed on
For those of you perplexed by the whole draft issue (no, not british beer...), I'm from Denmark. We do not have an entirely professional army, actually some 40% (AFAIR) are draftees - now does that suck or what? Would any
But to get back OT.... I've been that kid once, and believe me, I wouldn't want to change a bit if I had the opportunity. Geeks/Nerds/Whatever actually end up as quite "normal" people in time, it just takes a few more years to get there. Not that we stop doing what made our peers consider us geeky, rather those things end up being valued rather more when the afore mentioned peers finally grow up. When I was 15, no girl would even think of dating me. Now that I'm 21, they've started to show a bit of interest - just too bad (for them) that I'm engaged to one who didn't mind last year
To round of this insane rant, a quote from Scott Adams' "The Dilbert Principle":
"While it is true that many normal people would prefer not to date an engineer, most normal people harbor an intense desire to mate with them, thus producing engineerlike children who will have high-paying jobs long before losing their virginity."
We're sysadmins, to us, data is protocol overhead.
Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, though I once played one with the neighbor girl.
can't keep up with my thoughts...
;D
Oh geez, i know what you mean. I have a habit of having great ideas or solving a problem just before I get to sleep. I have to leap out of bed and try to write down two or three pages of ideas as quickly as possible before I forget the details.
Thankfully (Or not), this doesn't happen too often. Having writers cramp every night & a headache in the morning when I try to read what I wrote the night before would get tedious
Syllable : It's an Operating System
Uh, yeah, that. I've found that there is one thing I have in common w/ most ppl my age (~30): Kids. I pretty much get along w/ everyone, but not excitingly so. Start talking kids, and you can be friends w/ just about anyone :)
jred
www.cautioninc.com
jred
I'm not a mechanic but I play one in my garage...
I am 16 and have had a constant struggle in school to find courses that were challenging or that seem useful to me in the long run. I think of myself as above average and rather intelligent and I'm sure you're the same.
Do you find yourself continually frustrated? Feeling held back by courses designed to help the lowest common denominator, or a general public that doesn't possess the skill level you do? If so, what do you do to keep yourself from becoming bitter and infuriated?
My solution was to find a different school; early college admissions. (Insert shameless plug here)I highly encourage other students who feel like I have to check out the program here.
--Gavin
And yet at the same time, those same bands have terrible lead singers. Aaah, the paradox...
You must have missed all those girls screaming in the audience. ;) The Beatles had talent, but they were also very much the boy band of that era, who attracted many fans for attributes which had little to do with music. They too were really selling an image.
Correction: Lift/Drag = Weight/Thrust during flight, not Thrust/Weight, but for birds, that's still about 1. It's the force balance.
Ok, this is serious. Common prejudice stats that all the teen age geeks are script kiddies -- I totally disagree with that; but I do think that many new hackers have went through the script kiddie stage and have evolved from that into a UNIX geek. Have you?
Gotta love this... the topic was "ask ANY questions" - and I ask my favourite questions, and I get modded down as "offtopic", even though nothing is offtopic when you can ask ANYTHING...
Of course, I'll get modded down for pointing this out, too.
Who Wants To Date A Norwegian?
Who says he's straight? Perhaps he's one of the often-quoted one-in-ten? (Remember, one in ten is a whole lot better than your odds at a roulette wheel...)
--
Fuck, that's twisted, but it made me laugh. I was mod yesterday, but had I had one point left, you'd have gotten it: (Score:+1, Funny).
--
The above post was not intended as a troll. It was just a viewpoint, not intended to solicit flames or whatever. Just a thought.
--
I don't think the problem is that there's no good music these days, there's just no good POPULAR music. Right now we're in a pretty light-hearted 1950's teenybopper stage, so you have to dig a little deeper. My favorite band of the moment is Less Than Jake (www.lessthanjake.com). They do a great job of blending ska and punk.
What is your history with computers? By this I mean, what hardware did you start out with, and also what programming languages were your first?
I am 19 (almost 20), but even I had to start out on Apple ][e's, and an old IMB XT with BASIC, I would be interested to see if 4 years made any difference.
I prefer:
Who are you?
What do you want?
Why are you here?
(and, of course, Where are you going?)
It seems to me that "Causes" have always been invented in past tense. Bemoaning proesperity or a lack of a direct aggressor may, in future retrospection, turn out to have been silly statements.
There are any large number or agressors (some examples based upon your political leanings may include: RIAA, MPAA, Microsoft, WTO, Greenpeace, the NRA, the NSA, PETA, Monsanto, the DNC, the RNC, Computer "Crackers", Gene "Hackers", Oren Hatch, DeCSS, Fucked Company.com, dot-com start-ups, you, your Parents. It will undoubtably arise that one of these enteties shall try to change your way of life for the "worse". It is up to you, me, and indeed our whole generation(I too am from the early 70's) to define the enemy, and to make our stand against those who would destroy our way of life.
History is written by the victor, as always, and will be in this case. To bemoan that one of these courses is not obvious or preached over the radio by Rosevelt, is simply a case of not thinking sufficinetly about the future. Some of these groups/casues will in the future be Lyonized, while others Demonized.
Absoulte Right and Wrong, and even any "clear" course of action, may only be defined by history. Even after Perl (forgive the intentional misspelling, I figured it goes the other way so often that I have to even the score some) there was from the Senate a vote against declaring war on Japan. So quit worring about it's lack and make History!
The one exception I do give to the current era is that the Ancient Chinese Curse "May you live in interesting times" may no longer be a curse...
Don't be such a generalist. There are some 15 year olds that listen.
I'm a freshmen in HS, and geeks aren't the sex symbol. It seems that, at least in my school, all the popular people want the people that are easy. One night stand and drugs are in. On the respect side, everyone apreciates somewhat when I help them with problems, when I burn CDs for them, etc, but geeks haven't gained much respect. I'm not an end be all loser in school, but I'm not Mr. I play 5 sports this semester.
If you like LTJ, check out Operation Ivy (they broke up though) and NOFX,.
Hey, I am presently in the proud position to be mentoring a Geek-Teen in training. She is eleven and codes html and is beginning Java, although I realize this may not be as impressive as what some of us could do at her age, it is extremly impressive to me considering I showed her how to save images from netscape and how to use "My Computer" in windows95. She is extremly proud of the titles geek, and geek in training.
Now the question. Do you think that in introducing her to geekdom I am doing her a disservice. Will the vary fact that she knows how to operate a computer make her social life more difficult in school. She generaly makes friends extremly easily, but I'm wondering, if she gets stuck with the geek stigmata, will her personal skills suddenly amount to nothing? I beleive as an intelegent person, closer to her age level than I, you would have more insights into this discussion. I thank you if you would let me know.
Little Brother, watching the watchers
Whoa? 5-12? I'm 20, and just got a Mindstorm set, I'm geeked.
Justin Buist
you mention a son. this implies perhaps an intimate reationship with a female. was/is she your best friend? does/did she know of your difficulties? do you warn you son about your experiences?
5) Internet distributable music by iamsure
If music *could* be distributed securely online, would you as an artist be willing to do so INSTEAD of signing with a label? If not, would you be willing to do so and pressure your label?
5.) Why should I care about this case? (Score:5, Interesting) by vertical-limit on 08-17-00 14:03 EST (#32)
"This isn't flamebait -- it's a honest question. Why should I, John Q. Public, care about this case? What's in it for me? What would I lose if the MPAA were to ultimately win? What would I gain from a 2600 victory? In other words, please explain why this case should matter to the average American citizen."
5) War on Drugs by Tim Doran
The War on Drugs has been a consistently neglected topic in discussions surrounding this federal election. My question is, do you believe the War on Drugs has been an unqualified success, and if not, what would you change about it if elected president?
RIGHT ON!! My mp3 collection spans from Ludwig Van Beethoven's 9th Symphony to the Origional Prankster by the Offspring. When my mom came into my room with good ol Ludwig Van playing she thought that I had converted and gotten rid of all my other "bad" Music.
The truth is that at almost any point in time you could probably get some kind of song/music that you can at least sit down and enjoy once in awhile.
This used to be true, but lately a kid-geek is becoming more and more 'normal', I think. Just take a look at the people who participate at Olympiads for Informatics, for example. A lot of them are experienced UNIX users, and not just linux-freaks...
Or put it in a different way: Have you been able at all to find a girl you like, and just as important: who likes you? :)
Best of luck,
Justin
Sheepdot: Open Source good, Closed Source baaaaaaad!
I notice you listed off a number of activities/clubs, but neglected music (as have all the posts I've read up to this point), so I feel I may as well throw it in.
Do you participate in the making of music in any way, shape, or form? If so, then how? (i.e. school group, community group, just play piano yourself, orchestrate midis, whatever).... and secondly, what music do you listen to?
Yeah I'd say you're hitting the issue pretty squarely, but you had trouble putting it in the form of a question. Then again I'll probably do no better, I usually rant too, but I'll try...
Do you really have it that bad? What I mean by that is does it fit that stereotype? I'm a geek too, and I'm 17 years old in high school, and I haven't had any of these troubles really. I move from circle to circle, spend a lot of time hanging out with music people (band and choir, some ork dorks heh), then move on to the good old Gay Straight Alliance wannabe hippie socialist types, hang out with some underclassmen (always good for an ego boost), hang out with the Anime people (even though I friggin hate anime hehe, they like AD&D too though), hang out with the really hardcore geeks who put me to shame..... am I a freak for not being a freak (no offense intended, not saying anti-social people suck or something, in fact I spend plenty of my time being social with people who might be considered anti-social, yet oddly enough I don't become anti-social myself) or something? I honestly don't know....
So I guess in an attempt to put all this rambling in a form of a question: do you feel comfortable about your social life? I'm not asking "are you popular" or "do you have friends".... that just invokes stereotypes of hollow cheerleaders and jocks in my mind.... despite society labeling them as popular I think that they're more often then not full of crap.... are you friendly with people? Is it more then a tiny handful of people? Do you feel comfortable walking the halls of your school (I'm not talking safety or somethings stupid, I'm talking socially)? You don't necessarily have to date, dating is so on and off anyway, it's all a soap opera.... but do you feel comfortable talking with/have friends who are whatever sex you are attracted to (in an effort to be politically correct heh)? I might just happen to be at a very good school or something, but while the jocks are still popular in there own way, our prom king last year was a friggin musician, and a guy whom I deeply respected, NOT the captain of the football team or some crap like that.... I forget who the queen was, but she wasn't a cheerleader or something like that.... she was in the choir I believe.... so yeah, do you feel comfortable with your social life?
When you accepted to be interviewed on slashdot. Was this the kind of questions that you expected?
I wondered: do you stick to programs like mutt, vi, ircii/bitchx, tin, w3m/lynx etc., or do you use their gtk/qt equivalents?
I find this interesting, because: more and more new posix compatible operating systems users get sticking to these X based tools, and totally leap over the /real/ power of these systems: console based apps (which work over telnet, ssh, don't need themes to look good and are quicker to use). Please note: this is all IMHO :]
This is a replacement signature.
One in 10 chance that you are gay? Where did you get that number?
According to the many surveys conducted by government and health organizations, only 1-2% of the population admits to being gay.
Lets assume that most of them are too afraid to fill out an anonymous surveys truthfully and up that number to 5%, that would still only make one in 20 people homosexual.
But there's no 's' in Burt Bacharach!
Actually, I'm in a position much like the interviewee, only 2+ yrs younger, and actively looking for a better 8-12 magnet school (I currently attend our public school, pretty small due to our town's hating to spend money on schools and being small to begin with). Do you know anything about Massachusetts's magnet school program, or just Mississippi's?
In every task there are two options: You may think you will be successful, or you may think you will not be successful. Either way you are probably right. If you could improve your ability to do any one thing, What would it be?
I was wondering if your interests are limited to computing (or computer science, hacking, gaming, etc.)
What other types of things are you interested in? Literature, Music, Outdoors (for example).
An additional question here, when you look around you, do you feel that today's young lack an interest in a variety of interests?
Are the young like the borg? One mindset, no variety of interests, no thrill in the joy of learning something new? I would be interested to hear your views on that. And finally, looking at your brief introduction here, you seem like a renaissance man, a variety of interests , few limitations on 'how hard it might be to learn'.
Do you feel alienated from your peers due to this? ie are you one of the few renaissance men you've come into contact with?
Finally, keep it up dude, I was like you - I continue to be interested in new and exciting things. It may alienate you somewhat in the teenage years, but you will notice in your 20's that it makes you a more interesting person.
Cheers =)
If you were me, and I were you, which certainly is not the case, how would I feel if I were the one being interviewed by random slashdot users' questions and you were the one trying to come up with some random question to ask some random slashdot user selected for some random interview?
--
Hi, I'm a 16 year old geek, but get a little aggitated when people affiliate geeks with being pudgy, loners. Myself, I've been in love with computers for about 7-8 years now, and have been a linux user for about 2. I've also held different computer positions, and everyone knows I'm in to them, but am in no way a loner or pudgy. I am quite social, and active in school sports (track). What is your thoughts on this? Do you also get a bit aggitated when others generalize and demoralize us geeks?
The kid has a one in 10 chance that he is gay, so don't fall into the trap and assume he is interested in girls. He may like girls, he may like boys, he might not be sure.
i found it very hard being a geek teen, i grew up with lots of "friends" that were not, mainly "friends" because of the drug relativity. i didnt like drugs anymore and lost all of my so called "friends" and locked myself in my moms home for 2 years (15-17) only emerging for cigarettes and caffiene junk food. i was always in search of young geeks like myself that liked programming, liked unix/linux and other things. I finally found one the day i really emerged from the pit of my room, one of my sisters friends that i had worked with when i was 13, at the time we hated each others gutz, now we are best friends, he is 1 of like 4 people i would concider friends. plus getting my first tech job at 18, i made a few more older geek friends and 1 more thats my age. if i had to go back and do it all again, few things i would have changed, saying goodbye to dad (died when i was 12) and not doing so many drugs and would have gotten rid of aol quiker. also learned more perl, cgi, c, and other programming an sys admin stuff. being a geek teen sucks sometimes, you you always have the online community. =) where you will find nicer kinder peoples.
Privacy? Not in this lifetime.
I don't think it's that new music sucks, I think it's more that mainstream music sucks. There is a lot of good music out there that no one has ever heard because it isn't on the radio.
Today's mainstream music is driven by the media and it is all just a marketing ploy to sell CD's and merchandise, atleast that's the way I see it. I mean does anyone really like oh say the Backstreet Boys? Or is it because that's all that we hear so people just start to think they like it?
Maybe people honestly do like that music, but I for one can't stand it, and I have the feeling most people on here have similar opinions.
good argument there, i mean, i was shooting heroin 3 times a day, but i read your post, and DAMN! thank god you saved me, i owe you my life. dumbass.
Since I never had a chance to be there, I'd like to know how you experienced your 1st LUG meeting?
What are your other hobbies?
Post questions for Clinton below. We'll send him 10 selected ones by e-mail, and expect his answers within a week or so. That seems to say it all...
Long signatures suck.
In your humble teenage opinion, who do you think is the sexiest Slashdot Gladiator, and why? If you could choose the next Slashdot Gladiator, who would it be? Do you hope that one day, you will be a Slashdot Gladiator too?
Could you comment on your peers?
A little background motivation for this question: I am in my early 30s, and have been under the growing realization that I really have no idea what kids go through in growing up now; having been a teen when Duran Duran was in its heyday doesn't seem like the best of credentials. I've also been starting to realize that the young are somewhat (or more than that for some) frightening to those not young, as is anything that becomes alien. But the strange thing about the young becoming alien is that we all weren't alien to it, once.
With that in mind, I am interested in hearing your perceptions of the kids your age, even (maybe especially) those with whom you are not friends (though I'm not inviting you to rant :). I am intersted in hearing what you perceive as their wants and needs, their dreams and ambitions, their anxieties. I realize this is a big question but I don't want you to pose as a spokesperson for your generation, just to hear your own (perhaps biased) perceptions of these things.
Many thanks and much good fortune to you, sparkane
The media, teachers, grownups in general like to think of our generation as apathetic, the recent disappointing turnout of youngin' for the e(gulp)lections among other things. Other than geeks you've known and talked to, is this apathy a general consensus or is there something more to it (in your opinion)?
PS: What I tell myself when people try to screw me over, is "wait till you come bangin at my company door, beggin for a job... I'll have security escort you off my property..."
But there's no 's' in Burt Bacharach!
But there are several "Fucking"s as in:-
FUCKING Burt FUCKING BachaFUCKINGrach
God. The "Easy Listening" revival of the late 1990s showed that several people HAD to DIE! Elvis Costello finally blew away the last tiny little remnants of his already shattered one-time punk credibility by duetting with THAT purveyor of godawful lift musak. In the last vestiges of the late 20th century, dinosaurs roamed the earth and people like Andy FUCKING Williams were in the UK pop charts rather than in their grave.
Oh yes, we're all being very post-modern and ironic with our easy listening "loungecore" music, are we not?
No. You are being FUCKING annoying with that GARBAGE that was SHITE in the late fifties and is even more FUCKING SHITE now!
Sorry. Had to get that off my chest. Just don't get me started on the ABBA revival, that's all...!
Hacker: A criminal who breaks into computer systems
"Information wants to be paid"
And what do you want to do with your life in the next 20 years?
Hacker: A criminal who breaks into computer systems
"Information wants to be paid"
Do you know that the letter 'u' is not a personal pronoun?
Hacker: A criminal who breaks into computer systems
"Information wants to be paid"
I don't dispise education.
I dispise the American Education System
I dispise certian Educational Institutions
But you could do with some help with your spelling.
It's despise, by the way. As in "I despise people who can't be bothered to spell properly"
Hacker: A criminal who breaks into computer systems
"Information wants to be paid"
Oh the irony!
...
also, i like a lot of older bands. led zeppelin, the doors, pink floyd.. amazingly good music.
personally, i dont like the beatles to much, but thats probably because the only drugs i do is the occasional pot smoking
And you think those bands didn't do drugs?
Sorry, the juxtapositon of those two sentences tickles me enormously!
Hacker: A criminal who breaks into computer systems
"Information wants to be paid"
Actually, a couple of them.
:-)
-What was your first computer and what did you do to it
-I had a rough time of it being a geek in school, as I'm sure many of us did. What is your experience as a high schooler at the beginning of the twenty-first century, especially at a time when people your age are under more pressure both academically and socially than even those of my generation (and I've only got about ten years on you)?
/Brian
I'm a youngin' (I suppose) and much new music DOES suck. The problem is that there's so much money behind it that it can't fail the way it should.
--
Soma: because a gramme is better than a damn.
Hey, I'm a High School Senior and I'm doing some thinking about the rest of my life. If you look at Generation X, they were mainly wonderers for almost a decade and they were also the first to be REALLY molded by media. Now they're pretty much in the apex of the 'information boom' and many are in the fore front of in their occupations.
My Question is:
How do you think our generation will be defined 20, 30 years from now? Will we be first of a generation of children, completely immersed in information? The ones who are brought up infront of their monitors? Or will we be the end of a large generation who first used computers as an inanimate object, oblivious of its intergration into our lives?
This year was marked with the exubrance of ipos, and then marred by their bust. My other question is:
Where do people our age go from here? The ones who still belive in the optimisim of technology, and not the notion that we must create ideas for, and only for, profit? What path or destination should we choose? Stick with the open source movement, or hang up our optimism and go for a real 9-5 desk job?
[Insert something witty here]...ok
I have but one question, and it is one for the ages - Autobots or Decepticons?
you are both wrong! it is:
"what is the average airspeed velocity of an unlaiden swallow?"
"what do you mean? african, or european?"
"why, i dont know that-AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
sorry, it just really bugs me when people misquote scripture like that.
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
Do you masturbate ?
Where do you see yourself in a couple of years?
In college, at work, independently wealthy?
Does the internet still hold a promise to the younger geeks as much as it does (or did) to us, the older? Is it still as much of a wide-open terrain?
thelocust[dot]org
Would you rather be a non-geek, or is geek good?
BH
Fools! They laughed at me at the Sorbonne...!
On the other hand, I have always viewed the world as better than before for most people (larger life-spans, better information transfer, more toys, space stations and Babylon 5).
I recently had a child (my first), and I have on occasion been worried about the type of world he will inherit (he will likely have to wear sunblock to protect himself against UV rays, when the ozone thing gets tough) -- on ocassion also I've been thrilled and envious as to what he may see that I won't (trips to the moon as tourism, move towards a global government, real wearable computers, freedom from religion).
So, what's your take? Do you even care about the world that you did not choose but now you have to live on? Are you looking forward to the challenge of it all, or are you pissed about the need for the sunblock and worried you'll end up having Soylent Green for breakfast every day?
Thanks, I'll go back to lurking now.
--
If you want to live in a country ruled by religion, move to Iran.
(In the spirit of the Great Maker - JMS)
- Who are you? (not your name, not your job, not what others think of you -- who are you?)
- What do you want? (not for dinner, not 'when I grow up' -- what do you want?)
- Why are you here?
- Where are you going?
- Do you have anything worth living for?
Ah, how I miss B5.
--
If you want to live in a country ruled by religion, move to Iran.
I don't think I ever agreed with a /. posting more.
People grow with experience. Instead of being infatuated with youth, let's find out from the older folks who have seen it all.
(For example, Web form and transaction processing isn't very much differenct from form and transaction processing on IMB 3270 terminals. But most of the expertise from systems where forms were downloaded to a terminal, and the fields were transmitted back when the "TRANSMIT" button was pressesed was lost BECAUSE these 20 year olds didn't bother consulting us old farts.)
Given that you're half my age and you have a much younger generation's perspective and beliefs, where do you think computing and virtual experience will be in 10 years?
pi=sigma{n:0-infinity}[(1/16)^n][(4/(8n+1))-(2/(8n +4))-(1/ (8n+5))-(1/(8n+6))]
I don't live in the States, so I'm quite curious about this impression that I'm seeing quite strongly on Slashsdot - i.e. that a large proportion of US 'technology enthusaists' really fit the profile of " poor hygiene, little or no conversation skills and attitudes (for instance know-it-all-ism) that are off-putting. That a huge number of them actually are the sterotypical akward social outcasts (during their school yeras anyway) so beloved of Jon Katz.
Is this really a fair representation of the situation in America? Personally, I live in Ireland, and I know a fairly large number of equivalent "geeks" over here - While I'd certainly say that they're a bit "bookish"/slightly introverted, they are almost without exception also well-balanced individuals with other intrests and reasonable social skills, and good experiences of school.
Am I just getting a skewed impression of the US from reading Slashdot/Katz, or is the social situation really very different over there?
Being a 16 year old Linux using geek myself, I have to wonder...is there such a thing as an Ordinary Teenage Slashdot User?
"The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent." --Carl Sagan
Next week on ask slashdot: A little girl in Chile who knit up some cute booties with penguins on them.
It's not your age. There is just very little originality and creativity in mainstream pop music today. I'm 17, and I wonder how some of my friends can stand listening to god-awful shit like Creed, Third Eye Blind, Kid Rock, blah, blah, blah... They all sound exactly the same, like shit.
True. Remember that was more than 35 years ago though, The Beatles *invented* the genre of teenage heart-throab.
Moreover, she's the result of an audience that would rather fuck her than have her produce decent music.
Do you think anything will change in your social life because of your activity in this community? Better yet, do you want anything to change?
That sucks. I went to school from 8-3, thats it. Then I would go off and chill with my friends or whatever. I used to smoke up once in awhile and party alot.
My grades were decent, and I went and graduated from a good state school with a degree in Comp Sci. I make pretty decent bread now and am satisfied with your life.
You need to go getyourself a life man. Hang out, skip school once in awhile, have some fun. You only live once, and you won't have time to goof off later.
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
--
--
When I was first on BBSes (like The Village BBS, telnet://villagebbs.dhs.org) we had to download porn at 2400 bps and that was some 320x200 image of two blondes in swimsuits on the beach.
Now with SVGA and broadband (isn't that sexist?) at home, you're able to get extremely large amounts and variety of porn.
1) Do you download/view porn?
2) What are your favorie porn sites/newsgroups?
3) Is online porn the equilivent of our father's Playboy/Penthouse collections?
4) Black guys and blonde girls. Good stuff or plain wrong?
steve
--- rapper/producer/bachelorette party stripper
people like to form connections with other people.
one way they do this is by sharing information about their lives.
this is not a bad thing.
i believe he is trying to validate himself by talking about what he does.
of course, many 18-22 year olds are embarassed by this because it reminds them of how they did the same thing just a few years earlier.
because they are so insecure, the way they deal with these feelings is by attacking others (transferance of self-hatred).
if the younger person is hurt enough, s/he will carry that insecurity forward and then in a few years will continue the cycle.
the person you're attacking is 16, and he needs to share what's going on in his life so that he can feel he is okay -- that what he does is affirmed and supported by his peers and by society, because it will help him to become a secure adult who will not want to shoot cruel, bitter people like you when he goes to work.
---
Hollywood, Television, has become the dream machine. We need to take that back; each of us is a Dream Machine
20. Sex
()Female
()Male
21. Sexual Orientation (check only one)
()Heterosexual
()Homosexual
22. Marital Status....
i hardly think of that as being an accurate description of human behavior.
i'm in my mid-twenties, and of the six people i've slept with since turning 18, three would answer the question by checking "Heterosexual", the other three by checking "Homosexual". it's not a matter of "most of them are too afraid to fill out an anonymous surveys truthfully", but rather that those surveys (and our socially-created notions of identity) are using grossly oversimplified categories. in fact, if we're so concerned with surveys, the statistics on men who have had a same-sex experience ending in orgasm are much higher, ranging from 28-35%.
although, as #300 points out, the peculiarities of adolescence lend themselves to more varied experimentation than is found after 30, by which time most people have a well-established sexual identity.
however, as an addition to the sociological/analytical issues above, let me say that i don't particularly care what the exact number of "homosexuals" is. it's pathetic to see the self-appointed Conservative Moral Authority and the self-appointed Gay Leaders fighting over the numbers, as if that had any relevance to the simple, humanitarian fact that we all are possessors of the same inalienable rights. the religious freedoms of relatively small groups like the followers of Nichiren Daishonin buddhism are of equal importance as the religious freedoms of large, influential, christian denominations.
Statistics are irrelevant, your rights will be protected.
---
Hollywood, Television, has become the dream machine. We need to take that back; each of us is a Dream Machine
in this case, he is not being compared to JK as somehow similar in personality or worldview. Rather, he is being referred to as a "Katz character", a person who is the embodiment of several issues that JK has written about -- young, computer-superliterate (and having to walk the difficult path of knowing more than the parents, teachers, etc. to whom he is supposed to be inferior and consequently submissive), involved in an "online community", and viewed as somewhat of a dork by those in his daily environment.
---
Hollywood, Television, has become the dream machine. We need to take that back; each of us is a Dream Machine
the human brain is hardwired to prefer sweeping generalizations because they are more efficiently analyzed than trying to consider all individual cases. this is a 'good' development, because it was an important part of our evolution [imagine the proto-human that could not make generalizations such as "all sabre-tooth tigers should be avoided"].
but we should be careful to remember that human beings deserve a higher standard of appraisal than other objects in our environment. i think there is a moral virtue in trying to find out who someone really is and to respond to them as a person and not as "well, statistically you're probably a white nominally christian male who likes pizza, football, and absurdly large breasts, so i'll just treat you that way and never bother to consider any alternative(s)".
it's not a matter of being offended by the statistical reality. it's more related to, especially during adolescence when there's a compulsion to negotiate a place in some social group (and by extension, the larger Society), being constantly confronted with society's apparent belief (or wish) that you don't even exist.
yes, there is a degree of over-defensive whining to this type of "political correctness", but i think you'll understand that those who have been at the receiving end, for whatever reason (race, religion, weight, intelligence level...), of this type of situation are going to feel it important to "correct" it by asking you to give them a place alongside the narrow, exclusively attractive, white, christian, hetero images that are offered to them.
whether you care enough about people to accept this other reality is between you and your self-image as a Good Person.
---
Hollywood, Television, has become the dream machine. We need to take that back; each of us is a Dream Machine
im sorry, but why is everyone asking questions they could get answers to in 3 - 5 minutes on efnet, or any other irc server. i being 15 myself, realise that most of these questions suck. your questions are too broad, if you ask such broad questions, ask a broader audience, thank you.
this sig is funny. laugh.
-kaitos
1.) Is a lot of your time spent in front of the computer, or do you try to get out or give yourself other hobbies?
2.) How do your friends see you? I went through a period of having ppl playfully teasing me about my "computer skills" - but gradually this gave way to geniune respect (and a lot of phone calls asking what to do when Word crashes!). Do you find anything similar?
3.) What do your parents think of you? I always get a lot of shit from my parents (again, probably more playful than anything)...but they admit they only tease me because they don't understand what I do! How about your parents?
4.) What areas of computer science do you find interesting?
Hmm, that's all I really want to ask. Thank you.
Generation5 - "...at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence..."
James Matthews - http://www.generation5.org/
When I was in HighSchool (86-90), the main stereotypes pretty much followed the 5 set down by John Hughes in "The Breakfast Club" (nerd, jock, freak, hoodlum, princess). There were very very few minorities in my school, so everything matched the mold w/o much deviation.
Has any recent movie captured the stereotypes of today's public schools? If so, what movies, and what are the generalizations/stereotypes most prevelant?
---
https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested
--I assume full responsibility for my actions, except the ones that are someone else's fault.
I really like the band Modest Mouse these days. Do yourself a favor and check them out if you haven't already.
One thing to remember about older music is that we typically don't remember all the crap that was out back then. Sure, there were a *ton* of incredible bands in the 60/70's but there were also a slew of forgetable wannabe acts, one-hit wonders, and just outright crap. We naturally don't have an interest in preserving the crap, therefore the proportion of good music from back then increases over time, because the crap gets forgotten.
Conversely, we *can* all enjoy crappy music that we do still remember. Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, hair metal, and other too godawful to be forgotten music gives us 70's-born kids something else in common. The problem with music today is not that it's crappy, but that it's so crappy it's not even a joke anymore. Back in my day music was so bad it was funny. There's no way I could ever enjoy making fun of Kid Rock the way I make fun of Vanilla Ice; all I can do about Kid Rock is hate him unhumorously.
The important questions to ask today about music are:
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
When I was a freshman in high school in 1984 things started to change the drinking age harder standards for grades more and harder crackdowns on drug use by teen. There seemed to be more willingness to trail minors as adults. It all seemed to me them and now as very mean spirited as a angry reaction by conservatives right wingers to stop what ever. By contrast my best friend who is 5 years older and by father who is 25 years older seemed to go to high school in a time of kid will be kids. They seemed to get more concern from their adults than iron fist orthodoxy. How is it for you now? To me it seems even worst now than then.
Well, it was said he is a Slashdot reader...
So can't we assume he's reading ALL of these? Please, Clinton, take a good sense of humor and forgive us for the trolls...
A guess then a good question would be: Did you read the questions in advance??
We don't need no Net Explorer We don't need no Thought control
Are you pressured to do well in school? If so, by who, your parents or yourself? I only ask because I seem to have no inspiration, and while my parents try to get me to do well, I just don't want to study©
If you are dabbeling in Linux, you most likely know a good set of the basics of computers and networks as a whole. What sort of role do you play at school with computers? Do you go to a school where they put tons of security and filters up, if so do you circumvent any to do what you need to do? Have you ever had any problems or been held back because of your schools computer or network policy?
Do you find it hard to get the resources to continue to learn programming/linux/computers, resources like new computers, second computers for os experiments, and computer books dont come cheap. Do you ever have a hard time fitting them into the budget?
I graduated last year, and things have definately changed, but sex symbol I was not. A lot of it depends on the people you hang around though. I hung out with a fairly popular group in my HS so I wasn't shunned for my computer skills, and in fact a lot of people thought it was cool because typing a research paper at 100 wpm is definately faster than writing it out by hand or pecking at a keyboard. The unfortunate thing is that some people who are into computers do start to lose touch with the "outside world." One of my friends is starting to do this now as a CIS major and it is extremely sad since we used to go out and party together all the time. These people who isolate themselves are the people that are frowned upon by the rest of their classmates and peers. Its not that coding isn't fun or exciting, but try explaining enums to someone who can barely operate a computer and they are going to look at you funny because you are sitting in your room alone learning about these things. I think today geeks are getting out more and the fact that you don't hibernate(sp?) all the time does wonderful things for your social life. Now as far as geeks as the new sex symbols go that is kind of interesting since I was talking to a girl the other day about this sort of thing. A large part of this I think is that there is a lot of money in the tech industry. A quote from this girl was, "If you pull up next to a guy in a car he gets a look. If he has a nice car you look twice." Now barring the fact she is incredibly shallow this probably can account for some of what you read since geekdom generally provides for a decent income.
Err, sorry to appear dumb with my IQ being 146, but what is Mensa?
:)
By the way, you can have the highest IQ you want, without a good EQ, you're worthless to the society, however superior you might consider yourself to be.
IQ isn't the answer to everything, far from that... Actually it's pretty worthless as the current tests have to be changed every 10(?) years and are only useable on occidental persons, africans for example, who don't follow the same way of thinking as us white heterosexual anglo-saxons types, rate poorly with our tests, although not being less intelligent (if I remember well, that's an argument right-wing people use).
Just my 2 cents to say that IQ isn't what people with IQ inferior to 100 make it look like
One shall speak only if what one has to say is more beautiful than silence
Geeks hate me... I know a lot about computers, yet am accepted in society very easily.... don't hate me because im beautiful :(
If we're going to start assuming things, why not just assume that even more are afraid to fill out the surveys truthfully and up the number to 10%?
Ranessin
like i always say, peace is the single greatest cause of nihilism. thus has it always been, thus will it always be. no will without the some notion of a worthy end.
what hump?
A great Norwegian author, Jens Bjørneboe, wrote:
If we would never over-estimate our capabilites we would never get anywhere.
--
Cause she's the cheese and Im the macaroni
-- .
The "questions" I'm seeing from other SlashDotters make this sound like a group therapy session. They start with a monolog about how alienated and difficult a childhood the questioner had, and typically want to know is this 15 year old having the same problems. It's discouraging that there's so much unhappiness among our number. Although I had many of these same childhood experiences, I didn't consider them problems. I was different, knew it, and it didn't matter. I suppose there were 'cool' kids around who thought I was a freak, but I must have been oblivious, so I didn't end up scarred as many seem to have been. Part of it may have been that I had a job starting at age 12, so I didn't have a lot of time to feel left out. Perhaps the secret is having something to do so that you're not aware of what you're missing.
"If I have seen further than other men, it is by stepping on their glasses." - Michael Swaine
Same here, and I had a PC running windows, and it still hasn't that hard. Although with the distro's these days it's hardly a feat to install linux. Mandrake 7.1, pah! I had to install Red Hat 4.2, with no idea about partition tables. Hehe. It's a wonder I didn't break something, wait a minute, I did, never mind. It's too easy for kids these days...... hehe
Do you have people at your school that are into the same sort of thing you are with computers? I just graduated, but I went to a sort of "special" high school and three of my best friends (in addition to myself) are computer science majors and have been Linux users for the past 3 years. Do you have these kind of people around or are you kind of isolated in your geekdom? Also, are you involved in any other activites that would give you a common bond with some people for social interaction? I found rowing to be a very important part of my social development in high school, and I can't imagine how different I would be without the comraderie that I had with those guys. Just curious...
reality's an illusion that occurs due to the lack of alcohol
I agree. But on the other hand, there is some great underground music today and the Internet is helping to spread that through sites like mp3.com, the now-defunct riffage, loudwerkz.com (shameless self promotion), etc.
If you're into metal/hardcore/crossover stuff like I am, there are plenty of crap-mainstream bands such as Limp Bizkit and Creed -- on the other hand, there's some great stuff that also happens to have become quite popular (Incubus, Deftones). But some of the best music goes relatively unnoticed: Boy Sets Fire, Nothingface, Chimaira, Thumb, Snake River Conspiracy, One Minute Silence are all somewhat lesser-known major label acts that really rock. And there are tons of unsigned indie acts that are incredible...
Just turn off commercial radio, forgive popular opinion (everyone always just seems to like what MTV tells them to anyway), and check out some of your favorite internet music sites...
--- http://www.loudwerkz.com "Music That Rocks Your Lame Ass"
im 17 now, and im going through pretty much what you described here. is there any way to "break out"? what would YOU have done differently?
"if a person with multiple personalities threatens to commit suicide, is it considered a hostage situation?" -someone
Stay away from a drug called PHP though, that stuff will rot your brain.
--- What
Considering yourself smarter than most people isn't necessarily a bad thing, particularly if you have a low self-worth/self-esteem otherwise. However, with that mentality, it _is_ easy to begin thinking of yourself as better than most other people. Although, "Brainkid" is rather over the top...
--- What
true.. you cant really judge people ur age until years after.. :P
but they just seem *so* stupid!
as a 16 year old, i'd say you are for the most part right :P
::shrug::, my opinion, at least...
personally, i dont like the beatles to much, but thats probably because the only drugs i do is the occasional pot smoking
the new bands you speak of (N'sync, britney spears, etc) do suck REALLY badly. i dont get how any1 could like them/respect their music either.
There are some good new bands tho.. bands i personally like are fear factory, rage against the machine, praga kahn, lords of acid, orbital.. others. All those bands are slightly older than the little pop bands you speak of. a pretty good rule is usually 'if they are own tv, they suck'.. although i dont watch tv anymore, heh
also, i like a lot of older bands. led zeppelin, the doors, pink floyd.. amazingly good music.
i find i'm a small minority though.. most people love those pop bands, buy all their music..
one thing i have noticed among those people is that, not that i have much of a right to judge them, but they seem very immature.
hope this answers your question.
Amen brother :)
At least i wasn't the only one thinking that way.
Ya know, I've found that money can sometimes be a hindrance in picking up women (or at least ones I'd want to date).
I've dated three girls since I started my job (dropped out of college last June, an offer I couldn't refuse). When I met them, they asked the usual "Are you still in college?" type question and I'd respond, no, I dropped out and they left it at that. As things went better I'd give them my phone number on the back of a business card (and hear the inevitable "What's a firmware engineer?") and get their phone number and all looked good.
Then I'd go pick the girl up and they'd see my BMW and simply would not shut-the-fsck-up about it. Same thing with my TV (36" Sony Wega, highly recommended by me, btw) and furniture. I really couldn't stand it. I mean, yeah, I like to buy myself cool stuff, I work my ass off for it, but these girls sickened me with their focus on money and $200 dinners (which I'd do occassionally, but the one girl would act all weird if I just wanted take-out chinese, like I should be above that) rather than me.
I honestly believe that all three girls would have been reasonable people if I had just been "that guy drinking Heineken at the bar" rather than an extremely well-paid programmer who drives a BMW. Or maybe not. In any case, some people stop acting reasonable when they see money, which is why it is very rare that you'll ever meet a happy rich person.
-Tim
Nobody here can say that Brittey Spears does not have a fantastic singing voice, excellent control and vocal range, and can dance "the dance of the seven boners" like nobody else. But they mix and modify it with echo and chorus effects in a way that makes her sound just like every other pop star in the contiuum right now (today's sound) - and the overall effect is just ruined. But how do you argue that with a 13 year old; "You should be listening to Yes or King Crimson, and not this music, this music sucks (empirically) because; __________." . . ?
Maybe youth oriented music is purposely "suckified" in a way that kids don't mind but adults can't stand. If kids see their parents disliking their music, especially if they can't define why, it becomes almost holy to them. (I'm 20 -- I can see both colors -- it's great)
Do your classmates know what is GNU,Linux? or any other free softwares? do u face difficulties when explaining to them that you love linux?
xcyber """"""Complexity for the sake of complexity is not a solution, neither is simplicity for the sake of simplicity
We had a discussion here some months ago about whether geeks are naturally inclined to believe in a deeper dimension to life and to feel a strong inner urge to hack for the truth in life. Whether or not the motive behind hacking the machine is a desire to hack one's own mind and the nature of the universe and life, this attitude seems to be more common among geeks somewhere in their twenties or thirties.
So, what do you believe? Is the Matrix just a movie? What are you looking for in life?
Where do you want to go today?
My other car is first.
I (17) find myself driven by freedom. Not just free software, but total liberty. I live my life on my terms. It is disturbing having no goal or absolute direction. So I have found I can only trust in myself. This is particularly hard in a world run by old people who have implicit trust in a cause. So I find myself fighting the society I have rejected. I fight for my own liberty. And it really sucks. I am always on guard against people pushing me over with the defacto rules. I have even been suspended from school for voicing my oppinions and disturbing calss. I find myslef questioning my own views at times, which kind of makes me feel paranoid. Still, I live for myself.
This sig intentionally left blank.
I don't dispise education.
I dispise the American Education System
I dispise certian Educational Institutions
Actuallly, I love education. I admire the educated and have the deepest respect for those who teach.
School still sucks
This sig intentionally left blank.
These statements are valid because I am 17, and I have an objective oppinion.
This sig intentionally left blank.
Isn't that true in any genera? I mean no matter what you listen to there is crap, but people don't realize that the crap is filtered out. MTV filters the pop crap. Radio filters the Rock crap. and DJs filter the techno crap. Techno is not just a means of mixing other artists' work, DJs like Moby, Paul Oakenfold, and Orbital have 90% of their songs 100% original so it make sense to focus on the work of an individual.
the (sic) do hire some of the best writers in the business
True, they are good lyrics, but they don't say much and have the worst presentation I can think of. I think I'll stick to TS Eliott for good writing.
This sig intentionally left blank.
That is why I primarily listen to techno music (Oakenfold, Orbital). I think creating good music that meshes well with good lyrics is hard, and I'm really just wanting something cool to listen to. Also, Kid Rock may be the lead vocal, but I'm pretty sure there is someone else writing and mixing the actual music (which just happens to be the good part).
This sig intentionally left blank.
I can't listen to too much Creed, but there are a few songs I like. Higher, included. What's This Life For is another. I like music for the feel and the words usually. And if the words suck, it better damn well feel good. And I'm not in it for the Jesus pushing either.
I send you this message in order to have your advice.
Well, I wasn't there in the 70s, but I can vouch for the fact that "popular" music in this time period is not decided on by the masses. Instead, it is decided on FOR the masses. Britney Spears isn't the result of an audience that loved her music; she's the result of an audience that will allow the media to dictate to them what is "cool" and what isn't. Those of us who have been raised to not be "sheep" tend to listen to music that suits our interests, ponderances, et cetera. Whereas the programmed media children listen to that which is put in front of them. Yeah. Prime example of letting the TV and society raise your kids.
Record companies sell artists like Britney Spears because they know it'll catch on like the Barbie complex. Little girls will listen to it because all their friends do and because there's a commercial for it every ten seconds. Little boys will listen to it because of the yet unrealized facination with the opposite sex. It's made to sell. Sure, some people may actually LIKE the music. And that's fine, but this kind of manufactured fanatacism isn't right.
Ah well. I'll stick to my Moxy Fruvous, Barenaked Ladies, Collective Soul, and They Might Be Giants and act oblivious to whatever else is going on.
I send you this message in order to have your advice.
hehehe...I know the answer to this one well. Sleep Deprivation =). I'm not really a programmer, but I remember sitting at my computer til maybe 3 or 4 AM, sleeping for 2 hours (possibly more) and going to school after. I'd play catchup on the weekends. Although, I will note that little school work got done even with this scheme.
I send you this message in order to have your advice.
Simple, I DID have to repeat my senior year ;)
I send you this message in order to have your advice.
I think that there is a danger in setting up a caricature of an ordinary geek (the eponymous teenage 'slightly pudgy' white male). This can become a self-fulfilling groupthink, where others who don't fit that mold oddly don't fit in with those who feel they are outcasts!
Nature did not discriminate when distributing mental ability, and geeks come in all shapes and sizes and looks...that somewhat attractive female typing into a laptop at the local coffeehouse might be feeling isolated for her geekiness too.Which isn't exactly a question, but maybe a wish for Clinton, that as he grows and matures, he sees the wonderful extraordinariness of those who share his talents, and learns to make the connections that will nourish and carry him through life. Looking forward to hearing your answers...
Sincerely, Kathryn AegisDo you plan on going on to college, or doing your own thing for a while? Attending college does have its benefits (a degree for one), the great ones seem to drop out early and strike it big on their own. Or is it too early to tell?
When I was 15 I was running a TriBBS BBS. Does anyone who is 15 even know what a BBS is/was. Also does your school have any UNIX/Linux boxes for the students to use?
I want my rights back. I was actually using them when our government stole them after 9/11.
It is impossible to be "cool" and paint yourself with a broad brush of the "I am X" ilk at the same time. You are obviously ignorant to what its like to be a teenager, seeing as to how you are middle aged and out of touch with this generation. I have nothing else to say.
Microsoft is not the answer. Linux is the answer. Microsoft is the question.
My answer is Yes. I'm open about my computer knowledge at school but I still go to the parties, dances, and I do have a girlfriend. If someone asks me a question about computers, I'll answer it in the most dumbed down way possible (Cause thats how 90% of the population understands it) and I get a polite "Thanks". I've got tons of friends and lots of people know my name. I also start on the wresetling team...To achieve all this, you just gotta start talking to people and most importantly, *be yourself*. And yes, Clinton, I'm 15 too. My question to you is: If you could be some sort of big jock that plays football and runs track, wears his letter jacket and gets tail 24/7... would you? Or would you stay a geek like the rest of us at slashdot?
Microsoft is not the answer. Linux is the answer. Microsoft is the question.
Most of the programming languages are, IMHO, absolute crap.
They kill your creativity.
What are your opinions about this?
Also, have you ever tried PROLOG or LISP?
If you have, how do you think they compare with the others?
NB:This is meant to gain an insight into your mind, not for my information (I have tried everything I've asked you about).
Secondly, as someone posted earlier, what do you think about this PEER driven materialistic society?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a Sadhu on his way to Nirvana.
The point is I'm 17 and I find that most of the people around me are un-interested in matters like global warming, pollution, the population explosion etc. All they really care about are Babes, money, booze, sex, bitching about how Engineering college sucks and the works .
Which side of the fence do you belong to?
If you do belong to mine, have you managed to deal with this (in your own mind?).
Thats it.
Cheers
Electrical Engineering is BORING.
How do your teachers accept you in school? ;-)
I'm fifteen as well, am a Sophmore in Highschool, us Redhat, and when ever my teachers have a problem with their computer, they don't go to the senior tech guy (who couldn't spell Linux moreless know what the hell it is) they come to me.
Do your teachers do the same, or are they afraid of you (such as math or science teachers) and think you are going to break into the schools computers and change their salaries (I used that as a threat once and the biology teacher bought it
How is your opinion relevant, even perhaps useful, to Slashdot readers - beyond the empathy value that you might generate from a bunch of other teenage geeks or former teenage geeks?
That is, how might your unique formative experiences and insights make this article more than just a fluff piece about some poor tubby geek?
That may sound a bit rude. Maybe it is, but I was actually thinking it, and decided that if he could answer it in a meaningful way, it might say a lot about why I should care about the rest of his responses enough to even look at them.
Why are you letting these clowns ruin our country?
That is - how did the Columbine affect you, personally? Did you feel a more hostile attitude towards you from the school authorities/classmates/other since that incident?
I know, I know, this question must've been asked already, but then again, it didn't get a 3+ rating (at least as much as I saw). And I guess it's for a good reason, too, but I just feel I had to ask, since though I am not an American, I am a highschool student, and this is a matter that's close to my heart.
Prologue: Most of the questions posted here seem to have ignored your involvement with the MentalLinux project. True, your age offers a different perspective than many readers of /., but we're a wide-ranging bunch. I'm 20 myself, so I went through high school not that long ago. I am indeed in college, and against the statements implied in a couple of the different questions here, I highly recommend you go to college. Just make sure to go to a good one. (ie, top 25 overall or something nice like that. US News has a good ranking).
The Question: How does it feel to start a linux distribution? What motivated you to take on such a project? If it was the steep learning curve of linux, then why not simply write a Linux User's Guide? Additionally, what aspects of your distribution make it easier for begining Linux folks to use? To me, grep is grep. I don't see how you could make grep easier to use.
Originally I just used my puter for ICQ and IRC, and I started finding people similar to myself, and people who genuinely liked me. I knew it wasn't the same, but it was all I had. Several of these people were geeks, and I started to become seriously interested in computers, programming, all sorts really. So although now I wouldn't go back to being a fully sociable teenager for anything, my situation arrived as a result of the lack of friends at school. Yes it's now just become a vicious circle, but I do have my online friends who are there for me much more than those I might have had in real live ever were.
My other geek friends however, all male, seem to have spent their childhood on sinclairs and amigas, and were on linux by the time they were 11, and progressed naturally along the geek lines from an early age. Perhaps this is because boys are naturally more interested in technology than girls, who like to dress up in pretty clothes and suchlike- indeed although I liked computers when I was 8, and we did "logo" at school, making circles and suchlike, I never saw anything more in them than just a little fun. At this time I was a perfectly happy little girl, with 2 friends who were equally intelligent as I. It was only as I moved from school to school and became more introvert, shy, and alienated from other people that I found myself turning to the computer.
I simply have to agree with you on this. I am currently 19 years old, and never managed to get into the whole modern pop-music scene. I listen to the classics including the Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, Crosby Stills and Nash, Simon and Garfunkel, and a bit of the more modern stuff including Phish, Nine Inch Nails. As well as lots and lots of other stuff too numerous to list here of course.
The point is that I think there has been a real decline in the quality of music. Now, people think that all they have to do is get up on stage and look pretty and have something catchy and they'll be popular. Most new "bands" now don't even play their own instruments. I think this is greatly in part to a bloated music industry creating a market for shite. This is something I think the internet will help with. I think Napster, filesharing, and the loss of copyright (I don't think that can be helped anymore) will decrease the quantity of music, but increase the quality.
Joshua
Terradot
When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!
I always think it's funny how geeks almost cry over their social situacion. Instead of sitting at your computer all day, take off a couple of hours for exercise and interaction and your situacion would be a lot better.
Ashes of Empires and bodies of kings,
The truth about Michael
Who would you rather make out with:
Jack Nicholson or Demi Moore?
-WebWiz
______________________________________________
"Who let the dogs out" --> Will someone explain this to me?
> Now, if I asked when he stopped beating his
> grandmother, well, that would be a poor question.
But that would be easy. He would just have to answer: "mu"
On second thought, college is a good place for a geek to be a geek.
Attend college. Be a geek. And while you are there don't forget to experi^H^H^H^H^H^H learn some things about being a non-geek sometimes. It will be good for your health, really.
I listen to Country. All that rap stuff sucks.
I listen to Rap. Heavy Metal will rot your head.
I listen to Heavy Metal. Pop is for idiots.
I listen to Pop. I don't care for anything much else, except for the 80's.
And so on and so forth...
Maybe we should ask him why he likes Linux? All the distributions just look the same.
Just a quick side-note (somewhat): I think it'd be better to ask why he got into computers, rather than why adolescents (in general) get into computers, considering he's only one of many, and it's asking him to generalize the possible reasoning of people whom he has never met.
i agree with you. just that one thing: eiffel65 is REALLY the gayest and cheapest bunch of russian dicks i've ever seen/heard. i know that was off topic, wont do it anymore.
hehe i'm being serious here.. many 'brainkids' just drop out of school or get kicked out for beeing a pain in the ass, and many of them get ridiculous notes at exams and such. I'm pretty sure many of you slashdotters will agree here : there's nothing worse than wasting your time sitting in front of a bunch of clueless idiots trying to teach you stuff you already know.
i dont think you got me right here. I'm not actually talking about kids that call themselve brainkids at all, my point is that many kids that get kicked out school do pass IQ and other tests, many of em showing a very high scores. (no i dont beleive an IQ test shows much - but many of these kids really are impressing). Now maybe you think having excellent notes at school makes someone smarter, but that just sounds plain crap to me. I spent some time with clueless students sitting at their desk 24/7 to get higher notes and i can tell you that's not how my life looks like. anyway, stay in your comfortable little world and all should be fine.
i dont think this is an exact quote but here it is "We're the middle children of history, with no special purpose or place. We don't have a great war in our generation, or a great depression. The great depression is our lives. The great war is a spiritual war."
Sorry. When I was 15, a 300bps modem was something to get teary-eyed about (I didn't get my first 2400Bps modem until I was 23). And Macs had just gotten on the Market in 1985, so most of us thought that they were cool, or at least cooler then the IBM PCjr.
How do normal non-geeks view you as a person? Are you accepted for who you are at school? Do you ever wish you were just normal, if there is such a thing? Could you live without computers and technology? If you could be a programming language which one would you be and why?
I took an IQ test in my early teens and did rather well (if the above thread was correct, I could have easily became a member of Mensa). However, when I took the test, I realized it was time based, and skipped answering some questions because I didn't want to take the extra 10 seconds or so. Unfortunately, the way that IQ tests are set up, I now believe that taking the extra time would have resulted in a higher score. :( Oh well.
Just my $.02
Yeah, I do too. Unfortunately, taking the Geek tag seems to still label us as social misfits. I'm not the coolest guy I know by a long chalk, but I DJ parties all the time, and I have a good amount of friends, both male and female.
Who else here will stand up and shout "Yes I know a thing or two about computers! It doesn't make me some kind of lonely freak!"
--------------- Delete Windows before you mail me
How do u use vs6 for linux devl? It produces win32 code. Surely u don't use a compiler package purely for its editing env?
Well, I'm currently in 8th grade, and I have found that I am needed by many other people to help them with fairly simple things on the computer ("No, the button that says Start") They tend to appreciate the help, and it seems like they don't completely despise me... So yeah, I think that times might be changing.
:wq
Yeah. Maybe I'm a 14 year old high school sophomore.
*DUH*
That said, my questions:
1. What is your favorite language to program in, and why?
2. If you were to create a new programming language from scratch, what would it look like? What would its capabilities be?
3. What do you think the biggest problem with software today is? I.E. quality/bugs, bloatedness, development time, cost, etc?
Regards,
Explosive.
You know what?
Ask the kid a fucking tech question and it gets modded to 0. Ask the kid some bad sociological embarrasing question or some question about alienation tailed to some long rant that he cant begin to answer except from your own perspctive?
It gets modded UP.
Obviously, the moderators are smoking the $3 crack. The kid is obviously understood by Roblimo to be smart enough to deal with this rabble, and you alienate the kid from "Geek-dom" permanently with this puerile crap.
I would look at these questions and picture the same jocks that picked on me and called me a dyke when I was in school. Fuck you.
Goat sex free since 2001
LimpDawg,
First, let me tell you that I've watched your non-coding, teenage career with much interest, and it's a pleasure to have the opportunity to interview you.
And now the questions.
The handle 'limpdawg'...brilliant. How did you come up with that one? Personally, I lack the creativity to invent unique handles, thus the only handle my inferior intelect was able to invent was that of a popular Simpson's character. I regret my choice every day of my life.
Judging by your user info page, you have only recently emerged on the Slashdot comment posting scene. Why the long wait in posting? I, for one, have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to engage in thoughtful conversation (as we are now).
Allow me to again express how fortunate I feel in being granted this interview.
Seriously, though. There seems to be some controversy around the timing of your Slashdot debut. What is your response to the people who claim that your debut is, rather conveniently, timed just after the death of 300 chinese in a horrible christmas fire. Are these people to believe that it is mere coincidence?
Thank you, and god bless.
At what age did you get started in computers?
Did you ever go through the "er33t hax0r" script kiddie stage as I and many others did? :)
And finally, what got you interested in going beyond just using computers and actaully exploring/hacking etc?
Now that's funny! And appropriate. Who gives a shit about teen angst? I personally gave up on it 20 years ago. It's been beaten to death.
Ask some real questions, like, why should I use MentalUnix over Red Hat, Debian or any of the others? And why aren't you using a something else like OpenBSD or egads, Solaris for example?
Being a 15yr old Linux user too, i am interested to find out what windowmanager you favour, and why?
Is the customisability of Linux's interface valuable to you, or is that not something you care about particularly.Many Thanks
Ad.
You called it right on, man.
MENSA's pretty over-rated. I got in just so I could say I did, but then all they did was watch subtitled movies and play trivia games.
Loves games,
And this makes you different from the rest of the 16 year olds in the world?
Uses AOL but tries to look cool: Never have, never will..I have a decent cable connection,
Spending time on line makes you different from all the other 16 year olds in the world?
Does not play sports: You've got me there, but I golf during summer.
In combination with...
I have an extremely intelligent girlfriend, many non-geek friends, and I'm co-editor-in-chief for both our yearbook and newspaper
Participating in other non-curricular activities other than sports is a very unique and unusual thing for 16 year old high school kids to do.
That's just a few..but if you're still convinced I'm predictable, make a few stereotypes
What better stereotype could I paint that the one you just gave us. You are a pretty typical 16 year old kid. When you're older, you'll understand that.
--
--
You sure got a purty mouth...
Q: How in God's name did this ever come up as a /. question?
Here is another one.
Q: What in the world do you suppose is so different about this generation of 15 year olds as a opposed to every generation of 15 year olds since the beginning of time?
I'll even answer that one for you...
A: Nothing.
15 year olds have always been awkward dorks, and will continue to be so for all eternity. At no point should an adult consider their opinion on any matter beyond "What do you want for dinner?"
Out of the mouths of babes comes baby talk.
--
--
You sure got a purty mouth...
Of course! There is that pressure in exactly the same way that other "groups" do. It is the nature of being young. All 15 year olds are exactly alike in the sense that they are all completely convinced that they are totaly different, and no one understands them. Once they grow up, though, they will learn that they are understood perfectly, but were too dumb to realise it. Joy!
--
--
You sure got a purty mouth...
Your answer would be wrong. It is impossible to be "cool" and paint yourself with a broad brush of the "I am X" ilk at the same time. Those who do such things are never cool, and are refered to as "followers" or "sheep."
If you could be some sort of big jock that plays football and runs track, wears his letter jacket and gets tail 24/7... would you?
Absolutely. Everyone knows that chicks put out for guys on the football team, not guys on the wrastlin' team. I just wouldn't go around identifying myself as a "jock" or other such sillieness, as that would defenitely not be cool.
Glad to help!
--
--
You sure got a purty mouth...
When you were 15, you were a moron. All 15 year olds are morons. It is an artifact of having no apprecable life experience. You hated that they all thought they knew so much more than they did, when realy you hated that they knew so much more than you. You got no credit for being intelligent because all those older folks knew that every 15 year old on Earth thinks they are intellegent, when realy they are morons.
But don't worry, you'll grow out of it.
How have you delt with a world where being 15 is considered being an idiot?
I whined about it until I got older, and realized that 15 year olds realy are idiots.
Have you found ways to make adults listen to your ideas?
I learned to "re-arrange my cotton." That is, I took the cotton out of my ears, and put it in my mouth. This prevented me from speaking, and facilitated my listening, which is a major malfunction of 15 year olds.
Do you think technology has help create an enviroment where age matters less?
Only to John Katz. To everyone else, 15 year olds are morons no matter where they are presented. No technology can fix that. Only time, which heals all wounds, can fix that.
Do you find yourself being biased against old people (people over 25)?
Not as much as I am against younger people. 25 year olds still have a lot to learn, but at that point, many have discovered that for themselves. The older I get, the dumber I was, and the smarter my old man gets.
Well, thats all I have time for now! Thanks for the questions.
Fat Hog
--
--
You sure got a purty mouth...
You find it difficult to flirt with/attract the opposite sex because you are a pathetic teenage dork, not because of some mind game you think they play.
Here is how you can get chicks, and amaze your friends.
- Bathe. Daily. Use deodorant, and comb your hair. Wear clean clothes. No one likes a slob.
- Introduce yourself. Do not "flirt." Do not stare longingly and hope she catches your eye. Smile, approach, say "Hi, my name is monkeyboy."
- Find out what she likes to do, and try it. If you like it, congratulations, you now have something in common. If you don't, you are open minded, and have a story to tell.
- No farting, burping, dick stories, or anything else that you might have done to keep your pathetic geek friends entertained. Do not talk about technology all the time. Re-arrange your cotton.
- It is never cool to insult your girl. This will become important after your pathetic geek friends start whining about how you spend all your time with her.
- Accept "no" for an answer. As charming as you may be, you may just not be her type. Do not beg, ever. Do not park your car outside her dorm all night. Do not follow her around. Do not write her letters pouring you pathetic geek heart out. If you do any of these things, you have guaranteed you will never get another date as long as you live.
Do this, and you will be in it up to your neck (if you're lucky.) Do it not, and its back to the sock for you.--
--
You sure got a purty mouth...
No. Only children associate music with some sort of lifestyle choice. I stopped doing that when I was about, oh, 15 years old or so. Once I stopped doing something that silly, I found that my horizons were much, much broader.
Adults listen to music because it brings them pleasure, not becaiuse it has some "impact" on their lives. If someone's life is so shallow that music becomes something other than an amusement, they are probably only 15, or desperate for a life of their own.
In short, Is music intrinsic to your quality of life?
No more so than anything else I do that I enjoy.
Thats all for now! Thanks for the questions!
--
--
You sure got a purty mouth...
What do you think of Miscrosoft and what they have done to the current software economy?
:) "In youth and beauty wisdom is rare." Yeah, well, I bet in wisdom, youth and beauty are rare. "We are all born mad.
WOW! I didn't know that there were other people my age that read /. I'm not a "Brainkid" (or at least I wont go so far as to say I am ;)
I have been reading /. since spring of '99 and have learned alot. I program-but not as much as I would like to. I am Homeschooled and have been since 1st grade-I am now a junior and plan to graduate next year. I have had many chances to work with pcs and networking-I designed a website that has been visited by 70 countries and has 1000 hits daily(I no longer have to keep it up-the professionals took over after the first month of this kind of traffic)
I have now ventured into radio editing and I produce a local radio show that airs weekly..I put in about 25 hours a week.
Anyways all that to say(my question for those of you who think this is offtopic =P
Do you feel socially accepted by your peers in school and friends elsewhere? Do you feel that being a "Nerd" changes the way folks look at you?
How long have you used the internet?
and also to anyone out there who is a teenager could you post so I can see how many of us there are?
Merry Christmas
Santa does exsist ;)
:) "In youth and beauty wisdom is rare." Yeah, well, I bet in wisdom, youth and beauty are rare. "We are all born mad.
All hail discordia!
Hand me a hot dog roll now.
Yes, stay away from it. But for all means.. Please... Use mod_PHP !!!
M$ stock dropped in 1/2 since last year. If you are a MCSE, you will be broke.
I might get into it just to see what it is like. I always try somthing b4 I judge it.
Like windows. I tried it din't like it. Thanks for the info.
M$ stock dropped in 1/2 since last year. If you are a MCSE, you will be broke.
Don't troll me. But answer this. But when you are refering to 'smarter' what exactly are you refering to? IQ? EQ?
Because when I had mine tested it was 149. One point below getting into Mensa.
M$ stock dropped in 1/2 since last year. If you are a MCSE, you will be broke.
um, ok.
M$ stock dropped in 1/2 since last year. If you are a MCSE, you will be broke.
Who are you looking for?
M$ stock dropped in 1/2 since last year. If you are a MCSE, you will be broke.
Ive heard kids these days do. You must be one of them.
M$ stock dropped in 1/2 since last year. If you are a MCSE, you will be broke.
A few people I know (I would hesitate to call them friends) occasionally poke fun at me for spending too much time in the computer lab. I thought I'd tell my little tale because of its bizarrity: most of these people tell me this when they see me in the computer lab. Something doesn't figure. I suppose it has to do with the fact that I use UNIX machines and lots of terminal windows, while they use Internet Explorer to go to "normal people" sites.
________________________________________________
suwain_2
haha, you know, you said your self that your father thought your music sucked.. who the hell are you to say "oh the music sucks now".. the younger generation likes the music thats out now, otherwise it wouldnt be popular, now would it? On the flip side of the coin, I will most likely think that my kids music will suck in 20 years.. so what.
Just my $0.02.
Sig? Hah, I don't need no stinking sig!
So, in that case what do you listen to? Im not gonna knock ya for what you do listen to, cause I listen to everything (except country and classical.. I just cant listen to it). Personally, I like Creed, Kid Rock, well, hes not a fav, but Ill tolerate him. I also listen to alot of older music too (oldies, not early 90's :))
Sig? Hah, I don't need no stinking sig!
Lemme guess: you are the guy who downloaded tuxracer for windows, right?
My user name is Latin and refers to the power of Fokker airplanes
+4, Informative? If the question is informative, will the answer be inquisitive?
My user name is Latin and refers to the power of Fokker airplanes
ha! construction toys? I took everything apart. I never had a toy that lasted more than a couple months before is was disassembled into litte peices. People stopped giving me toys when i was pretty young, so i played with rocks and paper-clips and crap like that (not joking). I think they though i was a dim child, seeing me play for 4 hours with a pile of pebbles. LoL i didnt give a shit -- my "toys" were free and scattered eveywhere! To this day i like taking things apart, but not to the point that i destroy them. I need expensive toys now because my imagination is dead and rocks wont cut it anymore. Whoo! with 2 billion polygons a second who need an imagination anyway? LOL...
Ok, how do you as a 15 year ol dkid weed through all the crap on /.
I mean how do you cut through all the fud in the posted articles about the government's desire to take away all our rights and the post about big business's attempts to buy (or sell) away our rights? What outside sources do you use to keep it all in check?
what.. a european or an african swallow?
"Being everywhere at once is being nowhere at all buckminster"
OK, I gotta bite.
Most of the cancer-causing chemicals are created by _burning_ plant materials (toboacco, or others).
While doing my research stint at the Institute of Human genetics, I attended a symposium by an MIT reseacher who proved that all cyclic hydrocarbons produced by burning plant matter generated cancer-causing substances (Fall 1990).
To avoid the cancer-causing effects from whatever you smoke - just heat up the plant material - do not burn it. The popular english term is "vaporizing".
I have worked in cancer research. Cancer sucks. Don't do this to yourself. Please vaporize - don't Burn - tobacco and other smokeable products...
P.S. And Listen to "Larry Heard" - search -- search
Okay.. Lookey here.
1). You are comparing the BEST of yesterday's pop music to the WORST of today's pop music
2). Most 60s music was CRAP. you only remember the best stuff - beatles, floyd - etc.
5) Pop Music has become more commercial - learn to ignore it.
17) There is an amazingly diverse REALM OF NEW SOUNDS to be discovered. If you are closed to it, that means you are a calcified old corpse. Either get napster and RE-open your mind, or drown in your comforting coffin of creedence clearwater.
Life is rebirth. Participate or die.
I'm a geek kid.. I've been programming since I was 6. How come I'm not slashdotted?
Douglas Adams
1952-2001 :(
I Mark, fancy seeing you here!
Douglas Adams
1952-2001 :(
So you think that the so-called normal community is just not for you? I don't and personally, all they do is use the end-product as it was meant to be, whereas i like to abuse it. -TeldakSS
and we must not forget the equally important... what is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
I was placed in advanced/gifted classes from the 2nd grade to high-school, so I was always expected to communicate in an "adult" manner. I talked almost exclusively to adults and like-minded kids for years. Even my Karate class was with mostly older teenagers and adults. When I was with normal people my age, it was hard to find common ground to talk about. I feel one of the reasons many geeks drink and use drugs is to turn off their inhibitions and communicate on a more normal level. Cause when you're drunk, you don't speak so smartly.
At the age of 15, I too was using linux and checking slashdot whenever I got near a computer with internet access. I enjoyed hanging out with the "popular" people so, I never told anyone that I was a computer using geek for fear that I would be cast aside with the people you would always see eating lunch alone. So, my question is... Are you proud to be a geek and not afraid to tell anyone? Or are you a closet nerd like I was?
Do you ever feel that even though the other people are your age physically, they have the mental IQ of a carrot? This isn't a joke question. At 16 I was a tall, skinny, and clumsy person. Classes were too slow, few teachers could reach me. Tests were a breeze, libraries consumed most of my time. Granted that the times were different, and that the liberal encroachment of the minority societal kneebiters not as extent as today. My "peers" were a bunch of ignoramuses who would rather destroy than to build. But that is the essence of youth, is it not? They couldn't see ahead one day much less a whole lifetime. Ah cartharsis! Ah epiphany! It wasn't until I left the old hometown and got in with a bunch of more likeminded individuals that the party really began. A bit much to ask your average sixteen year old maybe, but I've met a lot of really intelligent youngsters since my days as one. I truly enjoy seeing that there are "serious" youths out there. I wish you the best of luck in future, and don't let the dark side of technology pull you in. I've also seen enough bright individuals sucked in to that trap as well. Am I not right, K?
- respect: well, when I moved here I heard within the first week at the new school: "Are you smart or so? I hate smart people." (I never answered that question). But that's not what you hear everyday. It's like you are known as the computer person at school, but no one, except for those who are in computers, too, will ever talk to you about computers. Well, unless they have a problem with their very own ones. Then the secretary will be happy to give you all the passwords you need (and you have to ask, otherwise it's proven that you have 'em) to solve her problem. You are kinda like the reserve for the computer guy at school, but it's a volunteer-job so it won't be recognized as easyly as a good football player e.g.
- sex symbol: well, that would just be awsome! Could somebody explain that to the cicks at my school, please?!
;) But seriously: You won't have much success by talking about computers when you go out with one. But it's a nice "tool" anyway: As soon as she's listening to what you are talking about computer-related stuff, you can be pretty sure that she wants ya ;) It's always very nice to know, that you just have to sit back, be known as the "computer guy that can fix everything" and they'll come to you (with their problems). You have the possibility to know her parents, sieblings etc. before you try to get any chances and that's really neat, cause: the first step is made, and not even by youself ;)
I'd love too read some comments by girls at my age (if there exist female slashdot-readers on this planet..)As a 17 year old senior still in HS I found that the "geek clique" was incredibly selective and because I did not fall into the "geek image" I wasn't readily accepted. I don't have a lotta the typical trademarks of the geek, I am tall, well built, popular, active social life, broad group of friends, I was an AP English student instead of in calc 4000. I also started a computer club at my school and found that while it was initially very popular. And in many cases my knowledge on the subject exceeded theirs, I was generally ignored and my opinion disregarded (Elitests?). So what I am asking is do you gravitate more towards people with your own "kind" and if you have ever purposefully tried to distance yourself from others who may approach you?
At 17 I started moving computers and doing rollouts for Entex. I'm now 23, and have been in the IT profession for only 5 years, I now manage a Siemens IT group. At 23, the next youngest person on my staff is 26 and from there all the way up to 45. Stick with it. We thrive in a world where the 23 year old like me looks at the 15 year old, smiles, and know that he's got some stiff competition coming down the road. Embrace Chaos!
I might be whats considered a teenage computer geek, Im 17, involved with various open source projects, program and like using computers but does this imply I have no social life?? I think not, when not doing college work (which unfortunatly I have to do to get good grades) I am often chatting on IRC or programming and when not doing this Im out at the pub or a club with friends. I am quite happly a "geek" but im certainly not an introvert. Maybe im just weird :)
Although I find Comp Sci boring at college (US eqiv of senior year at high school) I find my other subjects challenging. But you need to get out once in a while and have fun,get drunk, have random sex and take drugs.. I think its important to have the self confidence to go over and talk to a girl that you like if you want to and not think shes just going to laugh at me.
Do you feel you have low self confidence or just a lack of social skills? Do you long to go out and have fun or just are not bothered? If you are not bothered cant you see that theres more to life than computers?
Good God! Was I supposed to stop when I was 12? I'm building an X-Wing (the big one) and I'm 32. Flipping heck!
OUCH! Look dude, I guess a fair number of "us" feel at least a bit like you (perhaps to a lesser degree though) but what makes you think this guy has the answer? Or come to that us? (I still wear lots of black, have few friends, read "odd stuff", spend a long time with my computer, and the rest of it) Am I as depressed as you? No not really, I got bullied at school (quite bad actually) and sports - don't get me started on sports, but now I do okay. To be honest, I do better than okay most of the time. It's weird but a long time ago I stopped worrying about what other people 'thought", I didn't care that they thought I was a oddball, a geek and generally someone to be avoided. These days people don't think that. If I tell people about my childhood they can't believe it. I was actually sent to a child psychologist at nine 'cos I had "no friends". It was quite an odd experience - he asked LOTS of questions, I do remember having to find words that sounded alike - weird. After which I told my mom & dad that it was quite understandable - I have a mental age of 18, I wasn't about to make friends with other 9 year olds. I guess this explains why the problem has lessened so much. I do feel though it's an advantage now. I don't worry about what other people think, or if they agree with me or not. I have found that adults tend to be a lot more reasonable than my class mates ever were. Perhaps your situation is different to mine, but I was told as a child with no friends: "don't worry about it - for you it's perfectly natural - they'll grow out of it". It makes me realise that if i met these people now, things would be different, because they've changed. Sure, I'm still a bit "different" but I don't find it a problem anymore. I think you need to "give yourself permission to be different" and be happy to stand out. I hope this helps.
I have to say I totally agree.
We only have to look at the stereotypes that have been projected onto the boy from us. We've all got him for some football hating, nerd, with no friends and only geeky-hobbies.
What the HECK is this? He could be the Quarterback on the Football team, and every cheerleader might have his picture in their room. Perhaps he's not - WE DON'T KNOW.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.
And this is how you get your kicks? How sad.
I face geek ridicule and probable insults to write that i am not a geek. Actually geeks fascinate and terrify me at the same time. They command respect. as a non-geek, the thought of doing computer science at college scares me, a lot. I was thinking of economics and comp. sciences.... sorry, i digress. u being someone who's a geek and been to college- may i ask;if i do do comp. sciences will i be ok? By that i mean will everyone else be scary geeks? don't get me wrong, i think geeks are the most powerful people in this e-commercing, internet-surfing, computer reliant world. And as i said before they fascinate me, they're like some unknown life form... obviously not, but... its probably because i don't know any... my friends are more the latin, english, arts type people. they are undoubtedly v.v.smart, but not geeks. my love for geeks bewilders them :) and my passion(my language is perhaps stronger than my actions) for computers confuses them equally :)
:)
... wait for it...a girl. :)
how would u define a geek?
i bid u goodbye with much trepidation, and hope in my heart for a swift and reassuring reply
PS- before u start debating my sexuality i am
well, being one of the 1-10% (however you want to look at it...) i feel a slight desire to put in my 2 cents. the percentage is all relevant to who admits to being gay, and who doesn't. so there is no accurate way to judge any percentage at all. human nature and human error corrupt the data, and then you have no legs to stand on. *shrug* such is life. the standard argument is that its 10% to help reinforce the whole "minority" aspect. so what? how can we rely on the numbers when you can at least assume that at approximately 50% of the population has _thought_ about what it would be like to be gay, and approximately 50% of those people have tried it at least once. then if we can safely guess that at least 30% of those people decide that they are _definitely_ not interested in the whole deal...we're left with that small percentage that is incredibly variable, and reliant on who will admit it. so you see...numbers are irrelevant. they can be easily twisted to suit anyone's fancy, and thus should not be relied upon in a situation so subject to human error and nature. now, before you complain...i know i just took a ton of space to prove an obvious point. but it made you think didn't it?? ;)
fighting for equality (or against it) is all well and good...but don't let it detract from the essence of a question, or the simple intention behind it.
The slightly wacky, but usually coherent...
OK, I gotta ask. How do you vaporize a cigarette, do you get the much desired nicotine from it?, and do you get smoke from it when you do this?
If you don't get, its not for you.
Hey Just though I would mention as a high school junior what clubs i'm part of. Right now most my time is in working on my schools entry for US First but I'm also part of the anime club at school.
Roblimo said that your mom was happy to find people "out there who instantly accepted and respected her son." Do you agree that people who instantly accept and respect someone for any any reason are stupid and not worthy of our praise? Blindly respecting someone based on any reason - is a form of prejudice and a detrimental one to the respector - don't you agree?
...the meaning of life? Be concise and brief.
The cure of the ills of Democracy is more Democracy.
Erlang Developer and podcaster
you know, the wierd thing about Kid Rock is, I bought the CD, I don't know why. I listened to it, and frankly, the Lyrics all do suck. Every word. The whole pathetic gangsta rap wanna be angle. Just plain silly.
Musically, it's not terrible material. A lot of complex beat, and tone, and angry texture - much of it formulaic, but still, it stands apart. If I could get a no-vocals version, I could stand to listen to it.
The same can be said frankly for a lot of Brittney Spears, and even Christina Aguilerellarellarellarlelrlealrelae, and n*sync. There is some fantastic vocal work, some excellent rythmic exploration, but the end result is somehow just so sucky, and I can't figure it out. I know there's a lot of over-production going on, and much of it is aimed at an industry-wide homogenous "sound", (if you want something different, check out Blink182, or Eiffel65, nyuck nyuck nyuck), and of course I say these GOOD things about music that, just plain doesn't appeal to me at all. I hate it, it hurts to listen to it. I missed out the whole white-guilt suburban hip-hop (gangsta rapper wannabe) phenomenon, (I prefer the old white-guilt suburban reggae/ska thing). And of course the lyrics to this new stuff is just utter garbage, apparently lifted from Teen Magazine letter columns, but it's very hard to criticise music where there clearly is a great deal of talent being demonstrated. Nobody here can say that Brittey Spears does not have a fantastic singing voice, excellent control and vocal range, and can dance "the dance of the seven boners" like nobody else. But they mix and modify it with echo and chorus effects in a way that makes her sound just like every other pop star in the contiuum right now (today's sound) - and the overall effect is just ruined. But how do you argue that with a 13 year old; "You should be listening to Yes or King Crimson, and not this music, this music sucks (empirically) because; __________." . . ?
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
I go to a non-denominational church, I even do volunteer work for them. Got God. No prob.
Church is also a lonely experience. People say Hi, because they know they "have to" - the whole fellowship thing. Not one actual freindship (like ones I had in college) has developed from it. I never really thought much about Christianity, the whole "religion" thing. I stick with this church because one of the things the pastor keeps saying is that people need more God, and less religion. I totally agree with that.
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
to quote David Bowie.
."
"Cha cha cha changes
Turn and face the strange,
whoa look out you rock 'n rollers
Pretty soon you're gonna get older. .
Yeah, I looked forward to that when I was a teenager, then I listen to what's coming out, and I moan, why does it have to suck so?! Is this just me being an old fart? hating new music because it's different from old, from what I'm used to, from what I grew up with, experienced my glory years with? The music that I lost my virginity to, the music that I puked a bottle of peppermint schnapps to -
Or does this new stuff actually truly really suck?
I think it sucks. In the empirical sense.
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
naw, I remember the bad stuff from my teenage years too. I wish I could forget.
Madonna, Prince, Culture Club, Michael Jackson.
I spent YEARS hoping and praying that Madonna would just GO AWAY. At least Prince did, and Culture Club is now underground-retro-chic because Boy George is a junkie, and well, nobody could like Michael Jackson anymore, now that his sister admitted to liking Coffee enemas. I'm glad 1999 is over, I haven't heard a Prince song since new years day, 2000.
But Madonna just won't fucking go away - in fact, she's now "creating" fresh new garbage to litter the airwaves with; taking young good looking people who can carry a tune, and using her influence to make them into pop stars (a-la Ricky Martin). Blah. I can't puke enough.
What next, Madonna doing Smiths cover-tunes?
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
That's funny,
One of my college friends, well, we married and had kids. But her interests are still not on par- we have a decent relationship, but it's not what I thought marriage would be.
But ironically, it's often kids that seem to really impact things. Most adults at work are about 5-10 years younger than me, in my area, no kids, so no serious freindships there, I don't have the time to do the stuff they have (road trips to Yosemite on weekends, etc.) - and parents of my kids friends, there's another potential - we interact at cub scouts, basketball, school, etc. But most people with kids my age are 10 years *older*, and again, mostly of a totally different mindset, often, apparently disdainful of the money I've made so young.
Honestly, I don't mind *some* sports, surfing, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, - it's the mindless football and baseball I can't stand.
Well, I'm glad talking made you feel better. Me too in some ways. I maintain that from the first Columbine discussions.
My original point was, is that this life is often painful - perhaps more painful for some of us than others (though, go ask the captain of the football team if he had a painful high school - they all claim they did). That pain generated a lot of anger in me - and I still carry a lot of that around, but at least I don't use it anymore - it's a self-feeding monster, and often makes things worse. Learning to let go of that anger is important - but I still had the chicken/egg question. Was it the anger that caused the separation, or was it something else that caused the separation that created the anger, and made the separation worse?
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
Sorry, only way I can help you is to tell you - get ahold of your anger.
When you tell yourself that you're better than all those idiots anyway, ask yourself; are you *really*?
(I actually just saw a semi-decent movie with this very idea in it; Miss Congeniality, my wife made me see it, yes, it's a chick-flick).
I once had a very frank discussion with a former "popular girl" at my high-school reunion. "did everybody hate me?"
"no, everybody liked you, you just always seemed so stuck up."
Like, wow. I had *no* idea. *I* was stuck up? I thought everyone *else* was.
So if I were to do anything differently, it would be - stop being angry at other people, stop being so stuck up. Would that help what I perceived to be the root cause of the problem? maybe not. At least it hasn't in the 5 years since I discovered this. But it makes life a lot easier not going around hating everyone and everything, and wondering when you're gonna snap and run through your office with an AK-47. (or becoming the leader of an evil organization, and building a giant "laser" on the moon and using it to destroy all human life on earth - whatever, same difference).
Losing the anger, self-pity, and other negative emotions may not make you any new friends, but it makes not having any friends a bit more bearable.
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
I am married, have a son and daughter, and my wife is sort of my best friend by default, as in, we moved out of state, so we don't have our old freindships any more, they've all married, got lives, etc.
;). And thank God, he's pretty good at math, unlike both of his parents. I feel I'll basically be there to warn him if things go bad, not to use it as an excuse to be angry at people. I guess sports isn't that important at this age, or maybe it's different now - the focus where I grew up in Illinois was on basketball and baseball and football. Now, he's growing up in California, and basketball is there, but people aren't fanatical about it, and the kids all like the extreme sports, skateboarding, surfing, stunt-bikes, and he IS much better at basketball this year than last year - so maybe there's hope for him.
:)
She knows of these difficulties, and she suffers from some of the same, and I don't know if it's my fault, or her fault, or if we both have the same problem. At least we have eachother, but her interests are changing, and she's no longer so interested in gaming, or computers (never really was a computer person) -
I haven't "warned" my son, per se. He does seem to have a problem with athletics, but he doesn't seem to have trouble making friends. He's 7. He's very popular at school, especially with the girls
His favorite TV show (after Pokemon - yay! a budding anime fan!) is Bill Nye, the Science Guy. So I know he's not gonna be some meathead jock. (his little sister loves Sailor Moon - so Anime does appear to be a genetic trait
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
I've also found that, quite often, if you have a superficial friend, and you open up to them, quite often, you'll never hear from them again after that.
It's very important to find someone like-minded.
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
oh, I don't think that he, or anyone else really has the answer.
I just want to know if he's thought about it that way.
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
Get out while you still can, kid! Throw out the computer! Play sport! GET SOME FRESH AIR!
If you don't do that, at least join Crackmonkey. You know it makes sense.
--
"Where, where is the town? Now, it's nothing but flowers!"
What I don't understand is how you don't know. You were there once also, maybe you just don't want to think about the reality. Or maybe it's so far in the past you don't remember. A little self-observation would tell you.
It's in the personality. I was already different before I entered school. I had already become mean to people by the time I entered kindergarten, after the time I spent in a pre-school/daycare place. The K teacher tried to correct my attitude, and I learned to be more respectful or tolerant at least. But the social differences persisted and people highlighted them. I grew apart, or maybe I just didn't change. But fortunately for me my interest in computers was supported by my parents and teachers for the most part so I got the attention I needed without things like changing my appearance or messing up my academic performance. My mom tried to force me into activities like sports but I got out of that quickly and into something tolerable, playing the piano.
During that time I was never severely picked on, but nobody really knew me. It wasn't that the other students disliked me though, I just wasn't interesting to them. They knew I was smart and into computers though. I wasn't interested in what they were doing either. People aren't going to know you just because you exist, it's not fulfilling. The difference is that most people learn to please. They learn what makes others like them, which makes them feel good, and continue with that behavior. That's what makes people popular, that's what makes leaders. And that's simply not a part of my personality. Now that I'm so aware of myself and others it actually hurts me when I feel the need to please someone rather than be myself, even for really insignificant things. For most people it's just natural though. Given all this time to observe social interaction instead of participate, I've built up my own standards. I think people generally suck now, most people are stupid, but I'll give them a chance to open mouth and remove all doubt. I don't want people to annoy me and I won't annoy people. That doesn't help me get any friends but I'm not trying to please people. I don't want friends if there isn't a real interest. If someone is going to be a friend they'll already have a similar interest. In high school and college it's all the same deal for me. I'm so unique in many of my ways and interests that there is no group that I hang out with. I'm alone just about everywhere I go.
My best friend has similar interests, though I don't know his full perspective on people and life. The rest of the people that know just a little more than my name are people with computing interests. I spend my time on IRC in technology-related channels, waiting to catch some humor or the latest technology update, or inject some. I don't really like most of the people though, but I'm not about to dig a hole and hide in it. Rarely someone will try to get to know a little about me, but their interest quickly fades. This goes for girls too. Many people talk of girls like they're a game, "never had the guts to talk to a girl." Why would you need guts? It's all about interests, if I find a girl that has an interest in computers I might share more than a "hi" with her. The guts saying in a game perspective implies finding a way to please someone without being who you are. Am I single because I don't have the will to talk to a girl or simply because there are very few around that share my interests and even less that meet my standards? It's the latter. I'm also an occasional smart-ass and I have a sense of humor that doesn't cooperate with everyone else. I love sarcasm. So I usually keep my mouth shut (and in turn other people always describe me simply as quiet or shy). My mom, relatives, and female friends of my parents may comment that I'm handsome, but that doesn't mean anything.
People who actually wish to understand something of what I do call me "talented" and leave it at that. That's what the last girl I talked to said after I set up a school e-mail account on her laptop and she asked about what I do. She knew what "Linux" was, which helped, and I explained the project I was helping with. A year and a half later we still exchange e-mails occasionally, but it's about school stuff. We're on the same campus but we've only run into each other twice since I set up the e-mail. She seems distant, but is it because I'm somehow repulsive? No, she simply doesn't share my interests, so she doesn't want to know much about me. She wants to keep in contact but she'll never know me this way. Only the classes I'm taking and how my vacation went. Maybe I want to know a little about her, I don't have a reason to dislike her yet, but will I ever find out? Unlikely. That's the reality. Maybe she knows something and I could ask her exactly these questions. I'm not motivated enough to bother her about my insecurities. What a way to scare someone off that would be.
Don't assume that one size fits all either. This is a mind development thing, it can go either way. Interests can drive personality just as much as personality can drive interests, it happens at the same time.
You don't need to pay someone to figure this out. It's all about reflecting upon yourself and how you relate to others, breaking it down as far as you can. Maybe that takes some of the fun out of life but more people need to do that.
The Mensa cutoff is 132, my friend. To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld, "You can always tell the 131s from the 132s". :)
I think there is a world market for maybe five personal web logs.
Oh come on... that's a loaded question... I was/am (hopefully will be)intelligent, but had and have no desire to write. I hate writing... can't keep up with my thoughts....
However, kids his age typically *are* influenced by peer pressure, and the need to "fit in"; shame on you for wording a question this way!
Good: Do you write?
Bad: Smart people write... do you?
Even a dedicated bithead like yourself probably gets away from the box now and again. What other interests do you have? What things do you like to read? Do you listen to and/or play/sing music? Are you interested in art? How do you interact with other children?
"How many light bulbs does it take to change a person?" --BMcC-->
I agree with fizban. You may feel awkward and embarassed going to a psychiatrist, there is still a stigma attached to it... "What's wrog with him? He goes to a head shrinker, he must be crazy."
But it's no big deal, and a good psychiatrist will not only make you feel comfortable (he'll probably tell you stories about going to see his psychiatrist) he'll probably even actually help you!
Just swallow your pride and talk some of these issues through with a trained professional and you'll probably gain a new outlook on your life. It helped me with a similar problem, it might help you too.
"Free your mind and your ass will follow"
That's true, but even their early bubblegum stuff was far more musically complex and innovative than much of the other pop music of the time. Have a listen to the opening chord of "A Hard Day's Night", or even the ending of "Please Please Me", their very first nationwide hit. Then go and do some research to find the other big-selling songs of the time. Contrast and compare.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
--Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
So what did you start on? Visual Basic? Batch files? Visual C++? Or did you start programming only after you installed Linux?
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
--Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
Gawd, now that you mention it, I did start hitting the sauce pretty hard about the same time as passing the McSE! And must pass 2K by year end, hope the liver can take it....
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
I'm assuming that you're not perfectly happy and intellectually challenged by your current classes.
How would you go about improving the education you've received?
How do you feel being compared to a "Katz character"? As many of the readers here would associate this description as being a kid on the brink of a breakdown and shooting up his/her high school.
And before I get modded down, this is a serious question. The way Jon Katz describes smart high schoolers, he seems to think they are all taunted for being nerdy or geeky.
I'm 16 and addicted to music in all forms. MP3 technology has offered me a quick and easy way to check out new released by artists and gain a better understanding of music. Most of the crappy music coming out in this day and age is caused by marketeers who know such music is profitable. It's a pity that society's bandwidth is eaten up by such empty acts, but it's a fact of life.
I'm currently listening to a rip of a 60's band from a vinyl copy at 192kbps, old school media with new school distribution. My work offers me access to their T-1, so my hard drive is always filled with some kind of great, quality music.
Sure geophile, it may look like the music industry is putting out nothing but trash, but if you look hard enough, you'll find some great bands. You just need to keep your mind open to new types of music. Most people who complain about modern selections aren't really open to anything but the music they've been listening to for the past twenty years.
Check out Squarepusher, the Smashing Pumpkins' Machina II album, DJ Shadow, Aphex Twin, the Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, and new albums by your older artists, such as David Bowie.
Don't be so quick to write off rap, either. There are a lot of bands which are innovative with their lyrics. At the risk of sounding like yet another white boy with a rap fetish, you might want to check out Wu-Tang Clan, Capone and Noreaga, Busta Rhymes, and Dead Prez. Any band rap group that samples gunshots on their album is just fine by me, thanks.
Techies that anger me are now banished with, "BITCH! I'll put my dick on your lips."
aÍÍ©ÍÌÍ£Ì'̽ͩÌÍzÍYÌÍÌY
> In other words, new music sucks because the RIAA learned that you don't need good music to make a profit.
Half the commercials on my cable channels are Time-Warner's advertisements for the other cable channels.
When you have huge corporations controlling both the production and distribution of content, don't expect high standards for the content.
--
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
First off Clinton I applaud you for having the courage to be slashdotted.
I too am in high school and at 17 I'm pretty close to the same age. I have a feeling that I am a different kind of geek though. I still love computers, I'm going to go to college to study them, I know what Linux, Gnome, and MPEG are, but I have other interests as well.
I used to be a mean know-it-all in grade school. I don't know why it was pretty dumb really. I knew the answer to the math questions in my head while everyone else was scribbling, I always let people know it too. And then I realized I should change. I quit being condescending all the time and started to like people. They liked me back. I just try to be nice to people and I got along much better. I'm not trying to say that you are mean to everybody, that is just how I was. Now I am involved in lots of activities, I was just named Winterfest King(homecoming king for basketball) and I have a wonderful girlfriend.
You like me have probably but put down in the past and ridiculed. But I was wondering if you had tried fitting in. Dressing nicely and letting other people answer isn't all bad. I read someplace in this discussion someone said Computer Nerds are becoming sort of the in thing. Everybody loves ICQ and Napster so people out with it.
Just my 2 cents.
Once again I admire you for putting yourself into this position. Good luck in all that you do.
-It writes, rates, creates, even telecommunicates. Costs less, does more the Commodore 64. Compute's Gazette
I am going to answer your answer for myself. I am technically a teenager, 18 years old.
Everyday I wake up thinking I can change the world. This software movement that we all have witnessed---the free software movement, is changing the world and I so much want to be a part of it. There is barely a day that goes by when I don't have a thought or idea that I beleive (for at least a limited time) can improve things dramatically.
I don't beleive people should put their means of communication, their business, their work, or their art, in the whims of someone else's intellectual property.
You are right in that a lot of technology industry is motivated by greed. I know that how successful I seem to my family will depend on how much income I make. And I don't care. Because when I read mailing list archives and release notes of technology, when I study manuals for programming languages and markup languages, and when I participate in certain IRC channels and USEnet groups and correspond with intelligent people from who knows where---from who cares where, I know that this is for *real*. We live in a world of our own where success is measured on a different scale.
The success in our community is based a lot on prestige, rather than income. When someone says that they are a Debian developer, I think intuitively that that is a successful person. When someone says that they are a GNOME hacker, they are a successful person.
I will be joining the technology community someday with these ideas in mind. And I will know I am not alone.
I love software. I love what it can do. I used to program in QBASIC, when I was stuck in the box of which it allowed me to do. Now I find myself wondering in this much larger field called the free software community and I can barely start coding when I spend so much time investigating all this technology. From XML to Haskell to Bonobo to Berlin to Latte to CORBA---these are all things that I am only beginning to understand. I want to manipulate these systems...they are incredible.
They are also the tools we use to change the world.
Yeah. And Rhys Fulber rules!
sup
that is exactly what i thought when i read the story. i'm sure he's a nice kid, but i think some of the questions (especially the ac's) can do more harm than good.
/. and knows what to expect (goat sex and all), so i hope he doesnt take things too colsely to heart.
i know he's only going to get the top 10, but if he comes here he's sure to see some of the crap. i'm sure he reads
use LaTeX? want an online reference manager that
-- john
Quake/Unreal Tournament/Counter-Strike/Tribes?
Zetetic
Seeking; proceeding by inquiry.
Elench
A specious but fallacious argument; a sophism.
It makes sense, as hundreds of thousands die yearly from smoking tobacco. If cannibis was as harmful as tobacco, doesn't it follow that hundreds of thousands of cannibis smokers would get lung cancer too?
--
You think being a MIB is all voodoo mind control? You should see the paperwork!
A man who wants nothing is invincible
My question would have to be what influenced you to take a shot at using linux?
Back when I got into it, it was because I was tired of getting nuked off irc and had heard that only this unknown OS called Linux was what these nuke kiddies were using to do it. So I set off to find out what Linux was and use it to defend myself.
Now, 5 years later. I run IRC servers on it, database servers, use it as a work station and run web servers. I never did get around to learning how to nuke people with it though.
Trying to be different, just like everyone else.
When I was your age (many moons ago), pop-culture was the "thing", and was hardly questioned by teenagers of the period. We had our our stars and icons, and the various other accoutrements that accompany such things...
/. - but do your peers? Or do they simply take the stuff that is fed them, without questioning it? If that is the case, does this lead to a lot of "friction" in whatever social life you have with your peers?
I imagine we didn't question it much because there wasn't any way to question it - we couldn't really publish on our own, and it was hard to spread word about the "bad" things corporations do.
With the internet at your disposal, and at the disposal of your peer group - do you question these things? I tend to think you would, since you read
I am just curious as to how today's teens see the corporate world around them, which looms large, vs. what was around us when I was younger...?
Worldcom - Generation Duh!
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
When I had a yearning to learn computers, the closest I could get in an american high school was an electonics course. I was fortunate to have a good teacher who had created a good program out of very little resources. Now, computers are just another electronic tool for me.
Does your school offer the types of courses you are interested in? Are there programs to help boost students into various careers, such as programming, electronics, and any other technical skills? If there isn't, how do you and the other geeks at your school cope? If there are programs in place, are you taking advantage of them as much as possible? Have you looked into taking entry level university courses at night to help satisfy your geek skill level?
the AC
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
I'm "only" 21 and in the span of about 5 years it seems musica has pretty much gone to shit. About 70% of the people I really liked are either dead or havent produced anything for a LONG time. The other 30%, fortunately have continued on and produced more cool stuff (with the exception of perhaps U2's discotheque CD, but I hear they have a better one out). There are only a handful of decent new bands (IMHO). The rest is New Kids on the Block rip off, pop crap.
And for the record I do appreciate "classic" 60s, 70s, (hey, even 50s) music. It just seems that all that you hear on the radio these days is prefabricated pop-crap. It's not that it sounds *bad*...but that it is so disgustingly contrived and retreaded (of course generations before me probably say that about everything I like).
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
A LOT of the early beatles stuff was bubblegum 2-minute melodies that became mega-popular, like Britney Spears today.
BUT, the Beatles shed that image, and that's when things got REAL good(Abbey Road, etc). Probably their strangest song was "run for your life" where it sounded like a typical Beatles song, until you realize they are singing about killing a woman. Pure brilliance.
A lot of people are asking about the state of "the virtual world in 5 years" or how this programming language compares or contrasts to another, but honestly, those aren't the kinds of questions I think this interview was intended for. You can get that commentary from boring old industry professionals(read: Katz). I think I'm more interested in your point of view.
You're 5 years younger than I am. Are you enjoying life? Do you think that being a "geek" fullfills you as a teenager? Are you interested in the kind of educational atmosphere that college presents? Do you feel like you're getting much out of high-school?
What do you think of the majority of your peers(13-18 year old), and is the "geek" bug biting a larger portion of them in comparison to just 10 years ago? I'm interested in how things have changed in a short time and the attitude of your age group toward being "smart" or gifted in the field of technology, specifically computers. Thanks for the more refreshing point of view.
It's only when we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything...
Perhaps, but what goes on in American public schools is less education than it is indoctrination and day-care.
Despite the popular belief that shrinks are of no use to anyone, I'd seriously suggest you go see one. You'll find that a psychiatrist will help you get through some of these issues and help you find the answers you seem to be looking for.
Some little 15 year old aint gonna help you out here. Just like you, this kid probably doesn't know all the things that make him a loner and probably hasn't thought about it much, either.
--
+1 Insightful, -1 Troll. What can I say, I'm an Insightful Troll.
"I will gladly pay you today, sir, and eat up
Sacred cows make the best burgers.
Yeah, let's look at how Britney Spears' music works.
Some unknown guy with a synthesizer makes the music, according to what a committee determines is most likely to get stuck in their target market's collective head.
The producers make it catchy so you can't get the damn thing out of your head.
The backup singers carry the tune.
The advertisers sell the music.
Britney Spears' job is to look pretty and make horrid groaning noises.
No wait, the groaning noises are probably added in by the producer too. Her job is to look pretty.
And for some bizarre reason, this sells CDs that, I assume, people listen to.
There's no logic behind it, but it works. Watch for the logical extension: Claudia Schiffer (or insert some other woman here, if you prefer) (uh-oh, here come the trolls with their favorite statue) standing naked while catchy music plays. They'd announce it on the radio with "And here's Generic Song #8 with Claudia Schiffer standing naked! Woo!"
--
Obfuscated e-mail addresses won't stop sadistic 12-year-old ACs.
Win dain a lotica, en vai tu ri silota
being a 16-year old brainkid
/. but thinking that of oneself is something that cannot be only thought; it will be represented in who you are and how you act. And it's great that people tell you that you're so smart you should be older or whatever, but take it as a compliment and keep your head size in check.
Congratulations that you're so smart and all, but it really is ridiculous that you consider yourself a "brainkid". NO one, and I mean NO one should consider themselves smarter than the rest, it's just a recipe for becoming an asshole hermit, heh. We're all smarter than others in some way, especially many of the very technically-inclined folks on
If he's a slashdot reader, why doesn't he just reply in this article to the questions that he feels like answering?
--
Communication is only possible between equals
Oh, I don't think it is truly loaded at all. As I state, most of the kids I know around 15 do like to write. That's not loaded at all. I'm simply framing the question in a way that makes sense to me. On the other hand, I'm not being 100% objective either. That is boring, dull, and won't lead to a good interview. Let him tell me that I am full of shit or that I am asking a bad question. This question has noting to do with peer pressure or trying to make him fit in.
Most of the the better interviews are loaded, by the way. Watch Larry King or Oprah and you will see that they asked very guided questions, yet they throw people off all of the time too. Those are the best interviews. Now, if I asked when he stopped beating his grandmother, well, that would be a poor question.
Last thought: Most people do write. In fact, almost any intelligent person will disply intelligence by producing something. Perhaps if I asked about how he likes to produce and display himself, you would be more satisfied. Then he could talk about coding and sketching. But again, that is vague and useless. Let the kid answer his own question. Let him shoot it down.
Now let's moderate the original posting up to a 5 so we can find out what he likes to read and write.
The questions are good. Let them stand.
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
How to Download YouTube Videos
True, they are good lyrics, but they don't say much and have the worst presentation I can think of. I think I'll stick to TS Eliott for good writing.
uhrm, when i say they have good writers, i mean music writers (ie. composers), not lyracists. their hamonies are well done, their "hooks" are excellent, and the songs are very well produced. their lyrics are cheesy as hell, but i never understood this: who listens to music for the lyrics?! that is the strangest thing to me. most lyrics in most bands are written by some highschool dropout (or in the case of the boy bands, written to appeal to teenagers). i completely agree that if i want "lyrics" i'll read poetry. but that wasn't what i was saying: it's the music that's written well.
- j
The rave/techno scene in its multitudinously fragmented genres is pumping out awesome stuff left and right, though.
true, true. but even the "rave/techno scene" is being infected by "big business," especially trance music. the stuff that Jules is playing these days, and the countless Ibiza bullshit albums are complete toilet.
plus there's lot of people who have no clue what they're doing producing underground music. part of the problem (or as i say, the fun) is that it's completely unfiltered: you have to search out what you like from a mountain of garbage. this turns a lot of people off "techno," as they actually have to listen to the music and follow the labels and producers they like. of course most people take the "easy" way out, and just latch on to a favourite dj and have them do the filtering. i'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's interesting to consider what that means--that djs are now the "rock stars" instead of the "musicians."
but you're right: if you want to find the truly imaginative and ground-breaking music, it's in the "techno" scene. and i always say, if you're not finding something you like, you're not looking hard enough. from breaks to jungle to trance to house to drum'n'bass, there has to be something that interestes most people.
i've found what i like the most: UK Hard House. it has a lot of "sameness" to it, but there are some very talented people writing this stuff, and it's your basic fun "party" music. i listen to other music for sitting around, but when you want to go out, have fun, and dance your ass off, you can't really beak UK Hard House or Nu-NRG.
but we're way off topic here, and i'm probably going to loose some of my precious karma (heaven forbid). i'd be intersted in seeing what this kid likes to listen to as well. of course, it's entirely possible that he's not that interested in music, and then just listens to something "easy" (like for instance, what's played on the radio, like Modern Rock or something).
(of course, there's nothing necessarily wrong with "easy" music. i'm a closet Backstreet Boys and N-SYNC fan myself. you know, the do hire some of the best writers in the business!)
- j
Well ... I believe your first impulse is the correct one, but BeOS and the BSD's also come to mind.
I went to college and got a degree in Philosophy. So now I'm a software engineer and I find myself wondering why I went at all sometimes. Sure, I had many good times, but I could have had those outside school. I also learned a bunch, but more from the books than anything else - which I surly could have gotten outside school. So, since you seem more than apt to be able to find interesting and rewarding career paths as you are today, will you even bother with college - or will that just be a big waste of time and money?
we speak the way we breathe --Fugazi
Judging music of the 2000's (the decade) by Britney Spears, N*Sync, and the Backstreet Boys is as assinine and irresponsible as judging The Who, Genesis, and the Beatles (the music of the 1960's and 1970's) by disco, bubble gum pop, and all of the one hit wonders of the 1960's.
Music today has absolutely nothing to do with the current artists you mention. Most of the best artists today do not get publicity and you do not hear them on the radio or MTV. This has always been the case. You simply have no clue at all if you judge music by those standards, and perhaps you are intentionally trying to hide from the best music.
It must be really boring to listen only to thirty year old music for your whole life.
You think the Beatles were one of the best artists of the 1960's? You are the one on crack. The Beatles were the boy band, and possibly the most overrated performers of any art form of the 20th century. The Beatles got all of the publicity (and sucked), while other artists (for example, the jazzers), got relatively less exposure, but were more influential and more talented.
I don't think those are really "problems" leading up to each other.
I've always been interested in computers, but up to a certain point, I was a pretty normal kid (who just happened to start coding at 8, without turning into some "monster").
Things started to get different in highschool - I
I never went to dances (I'd much rather have my fingers dancing on the keyboard than stepping on people's feet), and started to find most "normal" people's attitudes weird (they don't care about all that interesting stuff, and all they talk about is how they want to date [name removed] because she looks so good? I wouldn't date her if she begged me to! No matter what she looks like, she's overly selfish and stupid, and doesn't share any of my interests! (#include ).
This sort of stuff made me somewhat of an outsider, causing me to spend even more time with the computer, causing me to discover Linux 0.99.11, causing me to spend even fewer time with "normal" people, causing me to spend even more time with the computer...
So, at least for me, it's not a clear A + 1 month = B, more a (1/2)(A+B) + 1 month = (3/4)(A+B)
[For the record: I think I've arrived at (7/8)(A+B) and will stay at precisely that point. I'm 23, I've never had a date, but I do know some people who aren't geeks and can get along with them, so it's probably not a gradual process that must eventually end up in (A+B).
This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
We do have an important struggle to leap into right now - most people are just not seeing it.
;)
The Free (Software) World must get evil dictators like Microsoft, MPAA or RIAA under control.
Change the world - write some code today.
This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
Can EverCode get their phone numbers? I think that's what he's trying to say.
--
It's rare that you're presented with a knob whose only two positions are Make History and Flee Your Glorious Destiny.
I thought that was you, Justin. ;) (it's Joe)
This is somewhat OT, but I think it should be noted that being a "computer geek" and being in the Magnet have become fairly synonymous at Blair. Everyone thinks that I am a magnet student upon first meeting me. That may be a combination of the Palm, the glasses, and the computer know-how.
I think the magnet makes for a unique situation at Blair. Computer "geeks," as you noted, have a place to go, a group that will accept and understand them (Ack, Katz attack! Help!) and that is, in a manner of speaking, "school-sanctioned."
Also, we have a very large school population, so groups like that really don't get picked on much (in my experience).
Just thought I'd share these thoughts.
-J
Karma: T-rexcellent.
Lot's of good ska out there. Slackers, King Chango, Hepcat, DHC, NY Ska-Jazz Ensemble...
There is tons of good stuff being made today in many genres (I've been into insurgent country lately. Check out Bloodshot Records), not that you can tell by listening to the radio or watching MTV.
Insanity is the last line of defence for the master diplomat. But you have to lay the groundwork early.
A blank computer? Isn't this the same as saying "What would you rather install, Windows or Linux"? Or maybe you meant any CD to load into a computer running his OS of choice, which would include games, etc?
For birds L/D(max) is about 1. (that's Lift/Drag ratio which is basically the same as Thrust/Weight during flight).
What is your experience in this area? Is your school technology have or have-not? Do you have a crowd of computer geeks at school or are you the solitary one? Are you shunned for your geekiness or accepted?
Best of luck,
Justin
Sheepdot: Open Source good, Closed Source baaaaaaad!
I remember high-school to be just as hectic as college, with the addition of the hormonal upheaval caused by adolescence. How do you find time to write code? How do you think it has affected your lifestyle (compared to your non-geek peers)?
--
Desert Island Shipbuilder's OS v1.02. Includes special software to calculate planking requirements, determine hull stresses, and provide instruction for fabrication of naval hardware from primitive components such as vines, palm fronds, and coconuts.
This is the /. version of the guy who was asked "what book would you like to have on the island" and the response was "Smith's practical guide to shipbuilding" or something like that.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
How do you feel about being described as "a slightly strange, slightly pudgy loner" on an international news site?
ok then your [sic] infringing on my copyright! Could you as [sic] me next time before STEALING my comments for your own?
Is it just me, or my g-g-g-generation, or does new music really suck?
New *pop* music sucks.
The rave/techno scene in its multitudinously fragmented genres is pumping out awesome stuff left and right, though.
What's happening is that pop music has become a commodity designed and marketed by suits, and DJs have taken over the cutting-edge space that bands used to be in.
Think about it. How many top ten singles on any given week are from a music-industry created band? Least six or seven, right? How many was it in the early 80's say? Like, once in a blue moon, right?
And that, my friend, is the problem. It is not we that suck, it is the record industry that sucks, and the little goobers who don't know any better than to buy the pap they're fed that suck. And therefore the pop music scene sucketh.
Do you think that, thanks in part to the internet, geeks feel pressured to fit certain stereotypes in that same way that other young "groups" do? How do you think that you differ from the typical geek? Do you like sports, are you socially active, etc.?
Nick http://www.nickspace.com
Oh my God, dude! I still have a box of those somewhere in my house! Sure, I'm 15, but I remember playing with my Capsela creations for hours back in the day. Although it kinda got annoying when the voice activated stuff wouldn't listen to you half the time...
Friends don't let friends use multiple inheritance.
Bwahahahaha! Sorry man, but, speaking as someone who is living it, some things never change. Hell, we all considered it a miracle that a girl actually signed up for AP Computer Science AB this year. I guess that IS progress of some sort... but not the kind you talk about.
Friends don't let friends use multiple inheritance.
Ah, and in the same lines of the drug question, remember that vote (even hypotetically) is secret, so you don't really have to answer if you don't feel like.
What do you think about the author describing you as "slightly strange, slightly pudgy loner. ".
Would you like to tell him to F-Off --or-- may I?
How 'bout:
What is the average wingspan of a swallow?
Scene 23
ARTHUR: There it is! The Bridge of Death!
ROBIN: Oh, great.
???: Look!
ARTHUR: There's the old man from Scene 24!
BEDEMIR: What is he doing here?
ARTHUR: He is the keeper of the Bridge of Death.
He asks each traveller five questions-- ???: Three questions.
ARTHUR: Three questions. He who answers the five questions--
???: Three questions.
ARTHUR: Three questions may cross in safety.
ROBIN: What if you get a question wrong?
ARTHUR: Then you are cast into the Gorge of Eternal Peril.
ROBIN: Oh, I won't go.
???: Who's going to answer the questions?
ARTHUR: Sir Robin!
ROBIN: Yes?
ARTHUR: Brave Sir Robin, you go.
ROBIN: Hey! I've got a great idea. Why doesn't
Launcelot go? LAUNCELOT: Yes, let me go, my liege. I will take him single-handed. I shall make a feint to the north-east--
ARTHUR: No, no, hang on hang on hang on! Just answer the five questions--
???: Three questions.
ARTHUR: Three questions as best you can. And we shall watch... and pray.
LAUNCELOT: I understand, my liege.
ARTHUR: Good luck, brave Sir Launcelot. God be with you.
KEEPER: Stop! Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, 'ere the other side he see.
LAUNCELOT: Ask me the questions, bridge-keeper. I'm not afraid.
KEEPER: What is your name?
LAUNCELOT: My name is Sir Launcelot of Camelot.
KEEPER: What is your quest?
LAUNCELOT: To seek the Holy Grail.
KEEPER: What is your favorite color?
LAUNCELOT: Blue.
KEEPER: Right. Off you go.
LAUNCELOT: Oh, thank you. Thank you very much.
ROBIN: That's easy!
KEEPER: Stop! Who approaches the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, 'ere the other side he see.
ROBIN: Ask me the questions, bridge-keeper. I'm not afraid.
KEEPER: What is your name?
ROBIN: Sir Robin of Camelot.
KEEPER: What is your quest?
ROBIN: To seek the Holy Grail.
KEEPER: What is the capital of Assyria?
ROBIN: I don't know that! Auuuuuuuugh!
KEEPER: Stop! What is your name?
GALAHAD: Sir Galahad of Camelot.
KEEPER: What is your quest?
GALAHAD: I seek the Holy Grail.
KEEPER: What is your favorite color?
GALAHAD: Blue. No yel-- Auuuuuuuugh!
KEEPER: Heh heh. Stop! What is your name?
ARTHUR: It is Arthur, King of the Britons.
KEEPER: What is your quest?
ARTHUR: To seek the Holy Grail.
KEEPER: What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
ARTHUR: What do you mean? An African or European swallow?
KEEPER: What? I don't know that! Auuuuuuuugh!
BEDEMIR: How do know so much about swallows?
ARTHUR: Well, you have to know these things when you're a king you know.
Scene 1
[wind]
[clop clop]
ARTHUR: Whoa there!
[clop clop]
GUARD #1: Halt! Who goes there?
ARTHUR: It is I, Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, from the castle of Camelot. King of the Britons, defeator of the Saxons, sovereign of all England!
GUARD #1: Pull the other one!
ARTHUR: I am. And this my trusty servant Patsy. We have ridden the length and breadth of the land in search of knights who will join me in my court of Camelot. I must speak with your lord and master.
GUARD #1: What, ridden on a horse?
ARTHUR: Yes!
GUARD #1: You're using coconuts!
ARTHUR: What?
GUARD #1: You've got two empty halves of coconut and you're bangin' 'em together.
ARTHUR: So? We have ridden since the snows of winter covered this land, through the kingdom of Mercea, through--
GUARD #1: Where'd you get the coconut?
ARTHUR: We found them.
GUARD #1: Found them? In Mercea? The coconut's tropical!
ARTHUR: What do you mean?
GUARD #1: Well, this is a temperate zone.
ARTHUR: The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plumber may seek warmer climes in winter yet these are not strangers to our land.
GUARD #1: Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?
ARTHUR: Not at all, they could be carried.
GUARD #1: What -- a swallow carrying a coconut?
ARTHUR: It could grip it by the husk!
GUARD #1: It's not a question of where he grips it! It's a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a 1 pound coconut.
ARTHUR: Well, it doesn't matter. Will you go and tell your master that Arthur from the Court of Camelot is here.
GUARD #1: Listen, in order to maintain air-speed velocity, a swallow needs to beat its wings 43 times every second, right?
ARTHUR: Please!
GUARD #1: Am I right?
ARTHUR: I'm not interested!
GUARD #2: It could be carried by an African swallow!
GUARD #1: Oh, yeah, an African swallow maybe, but not a European swallow, that's my point.
GUARD #2: Oh, yeah, I agree with that...
ARTHUR: Will you ask your master if he wants to join my court at Camelot?!
GUARD #1: But then of course African swallows are not migratory.
GUARD #2: Oh, yeah...
GUARD #1: So they couldn't bring a coconut back anyway...
[clop clop]
GUARD #2: Wait a minute -- supposing two swallows carried it together?
GUARD #1: No, they'd have to have it on a line.
GUARD #2: Well, simple! They'd just use a standard creeper!
GUARD #1: What, held under the dorsal guiding feathers?
GUARD #2: Well, why not?
Personally, I'm no oldster (pushing 25), but I'd say I haven't "lost touch" yet music wise. I don't have much interest in the present craze of boy and girl bands (blech), but there's plenty music out now that I like and listen, some of it is even popular. My music tastes are pretty eclectic though, my playlist spans several centuries and a large number of styles, everything from classical and jazz to "classic" rock&roll and pop to electronica and techno to hip-hop and punk and some that can only be classified as "other".
I think that some people just don't take the time to listen to music they are not already into. And when you go into it with that much prejudice and your not really paying attention to the music but mentally listing reasons why you don't like it, you can't help but hate it. I find that often I have to listen to something completely new (new band, and even more so a new style I'm not familiar with) a few times before I even know whether I like it and how much I like it.
Now, to be fair, Brittney Spears does have a good voice and is musically talented. However, the bubble gum corporate pop stuff she does really sucks.
Do you play a musical instrument or instruments? Which one(s) Do you read music and how well, or are you an "ear musician"?
Do you think politics could effect technology in the future? if so, how will this effect you?
What's one tip you'd give to someone starting out with Linux?
What's your favourite technology?
Is there any technology you think could be a bad thing?
BAH! When I was your age, I walked to school--uphill, both ways, barefoot [but only because this was Mississippi]--and I LIKED IT!
Seriously, though; I traversed an environment that I'd love to really see become a geek-producing powerhouse: The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. Yeah, there were geeks there. Yeah, we ran Linux [remembers Slackware, remembers screaming, proud Debian user now]. Yeah, we ran our own BBS's. But we--or at least I--weren't cognizant of the totality of what was going on outside. I wish I'd read /.--or had it to read--when I was there [1995-97]. I probably would have chucked this aero eng thing and gone into that. Damn the guys that were smart enough to go into CS--especially the one or two who combined it with biz degrees. Bah!
But seriously, I'll rant that activities are very good for the soul. Student government can be one, if you're at a school where it does anything besides play pretty. Yeah, yeah, politics--but you learn lots of interpersonal skills, teambuilding, etc. Actually, you learn how not to do it most of the time.
Ramblin' a bit...but then hey, my boss is gone and he didn't leave me with anything to do for the next, uh, four hours. Heh.
--
-- Geof F. Morris
A recent study in Seattle showed that a comprehensive teen anti-smoking campaign had no efect on teenage smoking. For me, having watched the "War On Smoking" of recent years coincide with an increase in teen smoking, I was surprised it didn't go up. How do high school students react to the various anti-smoking campaigns? (Outrageous distortions from TheTruth.com, Philip Morris telling kids that smoking is very cool but is only for grownups...)
It's funny - last year, my father asked me, "Why do you like this stuff?"
He was also talking about the Beatles. It sounds like my father is probably a similar age to you. The Beatles had broken up before I was born, and my father was interested why I was listening to this "old stuff".
I explained to him that good music is good music, no matter when it was made. My CD rack contains music from the 1940s (Duke Ellington) to the year 2000. If it's good, I'll buy it.
Lots of people say that music today is terrible etc. - and this is probably a constant. They wistfully remember how good music was in the '60s etc.
However, most '60s music can have the same accusations levelled against it that people level against the likes of Britney Spears and N'Sync today. Most oldies are "samey" and manufactured-sounding. But there are a few bands who really did something good - like the Beatles, and the Who. Or in the 1970s, Pink Floyd and Queen, and so on. Today's good ones (IMHO) are bands like Radiohead, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Ben Folds' Five (incidentally, Ben Folds' Three would be a bit more accurate!)
I recently went to a Roger Waters concert (he was Pink Floyd's lead singer). The friends who I went with were betting we'd be the youngest there, but a large proportion of the audience was younger than me (I'm 28). There were a lot of teenagers there. Pink Floyd music is genuinely good music. I also saw the Who, and although the audience was predominantly older than me, there were a lot of people in my g-g-g-g-generation ;-) I guess the Who isn't going to f-f-f-fade away either
Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
Isn't everybody who reads Slashdot and uses Linux a 15 year old or has the social life of a 15 year old??? I mean, don't we all think and act like 15 year olds here, even though we may be in the "shell" of an older body??
Is there anybody here who has really grown up??? Or has a life . Shouldn't we be interviewing them instead to see what they have done so we may either follow them or expell their usernames out of the Slashdot database???
Respectfully submitted.
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
To be overly general, I think that hackers fall, more or less, into one of two categories: Hackers (making something cool happen) and Architects (building something elegant). This may just be my prejudice, but I think there's a general trend for young hackers to start out Hacking. As they get older, some become Architects, and some stay Hackers. I would be interested to hear your perspective on this. Which do you find yourself doing/enjoying more, making cool things happen without much regard for elegance or building elegant structures at the cost of some "coolness"? I realize that everyone falls somewhere in between the two extremes, but which do you feel yourself most aligned to? How has this feeling changed over time for you? Do you think this is a result of your education, resources available to you, your age, or something else? Thanks.
Have you begun to plan what you want to do with your life post-high school? I remember when I was that age (which wasn't that long ago), and I had plans for Comp-Sys-Eng. in college, and how unrealistic that was...
"Titanic was 3hr and 17min long. They could have lost 3hr and 17min from that."
IBM had PL/1, with syntax worse than JOSS,
And everywhere the language went, it was a total loss...
Personally I think not only should they legalize drugs but the government should also subsidize it. People who want to do drugs are going to do it regardless of whether it's legal or not. So you make it cheap enough so the people who are going to abuse em can easily buy enough to overdose themselves. We clear the world up of some otherwise losers, and we save money on fighting a war and treating a disease that we'll never win. This is all part of the platform for my political party..."The lotto reform" party. In addition to the drug subsidization we also want to reform this corrupt lotto system, I have been playing for a year now and I still haven't won millions. Vote for me as president and I'll make sure that these astronomical odds are brought down to levels where you and I can all benefit.
What a typo! I'm sure you meant "Many 'pain in the ass' kids just drop out or get kicked out, thinking they are some kind of 'brainkid.'"
While it certainly does feed your pathetic geek revenge fantasy that its the "jocks" that end up pumping gas, in reality, its the "drop outs."
The friggin' Army won't take a high school drop out.
there's nothing worse than wasting your time sitting in front of a bunch of clueless idiots trying to teach you stuff you already know.
There is nothing worse that wasting your time on someone who is so smart they have nothing left to learn.
But you go on ahead and drop out. I like full service.
--
--
You sure got a purty mouth...
What kind of grades do you make? Do you work hard to make exceptional grades, or slack off to make OK grades?
espo
This is rather interesting.
Most intelligent geeks experiment with a drug only after reading/learning hard facts about them. Not one geek FOAF tried any drug through peer pressure - or because it 'was the cool thing to do'.
But that should hardly surprise anyone.
I also should mention that out of the 5 professional Microsoft admins and security officers I have met, ALL drink heavily.
But that should hardly surprise anyone.
How 31337 are you?
:)
Remember anything you say here is public and therefore can come back to haunt you. The person who may be holding your college app in 3 years may be reading this right no.
Remember the 5th ammendment allows you to shoot yourself in the foot, it just says they can't force you too.
The cure of the ills of Democracy is more Democracy.
Erlang Developer and podcaster
"It is only the ignorant who despise education." - Publius Syrus, 42 B.C.
How do you feel about higher education? I understand that there are a lot of undue challenges you face (from your teachers, for example) in high school because of whom you are. Do you think this might discourage you from higher learning?
Many a UNIX admin are donning a job instead of college, but don't realize that they will be the first to go once a recession comes around. How do you feel about this possibility?
Why are you making yet another Distro? From your specs page , it looks like it is fairly standard, not too much new. nman sounds cool, same with some of your new config tools. mdevelop/xmdevelop sound like overkill...why not wpe, and xwpe?
To me a Fork off an existing distro would be best..
oh, and are you going to be following the LSB and the FHS to the letter? (it would be a nice change)
Just Curious...
The basic sleazeware produced in a drunken fury by a bunch of UCBerkeley grad students was still the core of BIND. --PV
Yea, screw john katz anyway. What would slashdot know about 15 year old boys and them using linux ... oh wait ...
Do you use any drugs? Before discounting this question, take into account that it's being posted by a recent HS graduate who, for the most part, fits the same description.. would like to compare notes ;p
peace
I'm just 23 right now, but I'm an avid Jethro Tull Fan. Their new music is good, but in a different way from their old music. My favorite Tull album was released the very month I was _born_! So it's not just a generations thing (although I'm not a Beatles fan), and I still listen to some random 80s and 90s music.
Quite honestly, music really does suck now. It's not your imagination. The problem is that people learn to like whatever they're told to like. And since the early 90s (maybe 1993), the record companies have put more and more control into the radio stations. That's why you'll hear stuff like, "Here's the new one from N'Sync!" when the song was released 9 months ago. Radio has turned into music advertising for a few selected bands that the RIAA has chosen for the "big money winners" this year. This lets them better predict which CDs will sell well, maximizing profits.
In other words, new music sucks because the RIAA learned that you don't need good music to make a profit.
Incidently, this profit maximization is the reason the RIAA hates Napster. It gives people access to a very wide range of songs which makes it nearly impossible to predict which CDs people will buy next.
-Ted
Okay, as being a 16-year old brainkid, I have experinced a lot of times, people saying that - you cannot be 16! you're too damn smart!. Have you ever experinced that - to people _not_ belieivng you are so young? I mean, people think I'm like 24. Also, how did you learn to code? Books? Education? Parents/Family?. Also, can you combine "life"(whatver it is) and your "geek" life?. If not, my advice is that you should learn to have both a life, and be a geek at the same time - you'll end up alone else =P
-Stskeeps, http://unrealircd.com
I'm only a somewhat older geek, and perhaps even borderline at that, but I definitely want to say that it can all work out quite well, and I'm quite happy with my life except for being a bit too busy this year. I emailed you in case you want any commentary or advice about anything - or whatever. But no addy of mine on /., please.
I have two question sets:
My first is what do you think of school? What things in school did the best job of teaching you? What were the worst things? Do you consider the experience a good one? What could be better? What could be done better by the professionals who run them, in particular? Did you think your teachers were well enough trained in their subjects? How often do you pursue learning in depth material that isn't computer related?
The second is what's your opinion of math? Do you like it? I've found some bipolarity among geeks and math... I'd be most surprised if you said you were indifferent or "average" about it... have you taken calculus yet? Have you thought about looking into it on your own? (One of my quests is to teach calc to 5th graders, or so - and I think it's important)
thanks
Looking for freelance Actionscript (Flash/Flex) or ColdFusion work and/or freelance developers. Email me, put Slashdot
In other words, will you be content with the normal life? Or would you rather emulate the model of Thoreau, who when put in jail felt it no restriction on his freedom because he worked with ideas and not the physical world?
Here's my question:
Way back when, when I was a 15-year-old BBS geek, the hot technologies were the C64, TRS-80 and the recently released Macintosh and Amiga computers (none of us kids gave a second look at the IBM PC.)
I was just wondering if you have taken any time to seriously consider what the future of Information Technology might be, and what, if anything, you are doing now to make sure that you will have the skill you need to get a good job once you get out of High School/College.
I look back at my childhood and adolescent years with a sense of dread and shame.
:) - no, I'm not hideous. I pay some attention to my appearance. I try to put effort into letting other people talk about whatever they want to. I try not to be opinionated (though I'm very opinionated). What the fuck is it then? I don't know.
I don't know if I was rejected by my peers, or if I just didn't fit in, and perceived that I was rejected. I always knew that somewhere along the line, I realized I wasn't interested in the same things the other kids were, I didn't have fun doing what they did, and they didn't have fun doing what I wanted to do - and I suddenly began being excluded from things, and I don't know if this was because of a declined invitation, or out of dislike for my company. \
But once it began, it was self-perpetuating. As a psychological defense, of course, I hated them back. If I was not invited, I didn't want to be. I spent a lot of time alone, and bitter. It has taken me decades to come to grips with this, if I even have yet. I keep trying to "start over", to try to get friendly with new groups, trying to get into what they're doing, but eventually, it ends up the same, a sense that I'm an outsider. The only time I felt like I belonged was in a group of people who had the same interests, in college, the Science Fiction and Fantasy book club. We liked the same games, same movies, same books, same music, there were sub-groups within the larger group (anime, pagan/fantasy, war games, computers, etc.), but we all had in common these basic interests. We had a truly bizzarre set of relationships, we went to cons together, (this was pre-(boom)internet). Since then, we've all grown up, moved apart; across the country, and don't spend much time together anymore. Since then, I've found that I haven't been able to get these same kinds of relationships back. I've tried making friends at work, (computer people), I've tried making friends with neighbors (even taking on interests in things like sports, which bore me no matter how hard I try), I've tried making friends online. None of it has worked long term. I wonder if its me.
So my question is; for people that are loners, outsiders, is there some factor in their personality, that makes them unable to fit in with groups, which drives them to "unpopular" interests, or is it the interest in unpopular things that ultimately makes them unable to make friendships easily?
I know that a lot of it revolves around sports for some people I know; physical disabilities (or just plain not being athletic) - keeps them out of sports. I know that my son has a HUGE drive to be "the best", to be praised, and trumped as a champion at whatever he does, and if success does not come easy, he's just plain not interested in that anymore - so I wonder if I was like that as a small child - I sucked at basketball, and required an unusual amount of praise to be happy doing it, and so, quit doing it, stayed out of it, and made it apparent to my young friends that I wasn't at all happy doing it, so they never asked me to play again? On the other hand, I can remember several YEARS playing little league baseball, sucking, playing right-field, (out of the way), last in the batting line-up, but I didn't quit. I kept trying.
Or maybe there's something about my personality that's just unlikeable. I know I've got kind of an annoying sense of humor. I mean, I am a smart-ass. I'm always trying to make jokes. About half the time, I just keep my mouth shut, sometimes I don't, and I often come up with some pretty good zingers, and I make people laugh. Once in a while, I say something that most people just don't get. I wonder if that's it. With new groups, I often get invited once or twice, then that's all. I know it's not hygene, I pay attention to that. I know it's not looks. My mom says I'm very handsome
One thing I know, I used to carry a lot of hatred around from my High School days. I rationalized, I built up a wall of scorn to protect myself. I dressed in black, before there was a goth-scene (that was back in the Punk days, early '80's). I carried a paperback copy of the Necronomicon with me. College changed me. Showed me how having friends, and social interactions, and relationships could be worth my time. But considering the effort, is it worth it, when they just fade away?
So what makes you a loner. You? Your personality? Your looks? Your lack of athletic ability? Them? Their stupidity? Their inferiority? Why are you interested in computers? Do you find them neeto? Or does it help to be interested in something that doesn't require 8 other athletic friends with nothing better to do than toss around a chunk of leather and sweat on eachother? Do you feel the bitterness too? What do you do about it?
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
and could only have one cd to load a blank computer, what would it be?
There are tons of Linux distributions, and each one has a different reason for being. Most distributions seem geared to one major point: learning how to make a distro, supporting a specific niche like small routers, being easier for Linux novices.
What's your vision for MentalUNIX? Why do you feel that you need to make your own distribution, and what specifically will your distribution do to make it fulfill that need better than existing offerings.
(The website seems to lack a clear description of the overall goal, though it has some mentions of new setup tools.)
--
Are you now or have you ever been a Slashdot troll? If so, please comment on the feeling of being a troll, if not, what is your favorite troll?
Thank you.
--
All browsers' default homepage should read: Don't Panic...
All browsers' default homepage should read: Don't Panic...
(assuming that you are not gay)
Do you have a girlfriend, or at least an interest in some girl you know?
If not, then what type of girl are you looking for? Would she have to be a nerd too?
EverCode
What kinds of activities/clubs do you participate in(sports, yearbook, drama, NHS, FFA, FBLA, Science Club, Math Team, ect.)?
I'm a 16 year old, Junior, who is does a computer class afterschool on days when I don't have yearbook afterschool. For me getting home before 4:30PM is a good day. (My Frosh yearI was at drivers ed @ 0655 and was yearbooking or computer classing until 1800 for 2 weeks solid. 11 hours a day @ school.)
Question One
What do you like to read? What material strikes your fancy? What are your favorite books and magazines? I know many folks your age; some read a ton and others read nothing. I find that I read almost everything online, particularly news. What about you, sir?
Question Two
Most folks your age like to write a lot if they are intelligent, which you probably are. Do you write poetry? Short stories? Do you draw and write comics? Do you write technical manuals? If you don't write now, do you have any plans to write?
John S. Rhodes
WebWord.com -- Industrial Strength Usability
How to Download YouTube Videos
LOL -- Drag out the freak.
..."
"Hey, look at the freak!"
"What is he?"
"Geek."
"A geek freak?"
"In the flesh."
"Does he talk?"
"I dunno. Ask him."
"Do you talk?"
Freak: "Yes."
"He talks!"
"Look, the geek freak talks!"
"What do you do?"
"I am 15."
"Freak goes to school."
"Hey, dammit, he's not a freak."
"I am not a freak."
"That's right. He's a normal guy."
"Then what's he doing here?"
"Somebody thought it would be interesting to ask him questions."
"What kind of questions?"
"What kind of questions do you answer?"
"I don't know. They dragged me out here. Ask me a question."
"Anything?"
"Yeah."
"Hmmm. Okay. How about this: why did you volunteer to be on Slashdot?"
"I didn't. Someone thought it would be a good idea."
"The idea is that he's a normal guy."
"A geek."
"Then why's he in the Slashdot JonKatz freakshow?"
"I am not a freak."
"I know you're not a freak. I understand that. But I'm asking: why are you here?"
"I don't know. Ask Slashdot."
"It's because of Katz. He figures that geeks get a rough time in school. He figures that Slashdot is a different crowd."
"We are?"
"We'd appreciate his differences."
"Appreciate what?"
"That he's
"A geek?"
"I guess."
"Did anyone think that by dragging him out and making him into an 'Ask the Geek' editorial item that you're not actually helping the guy?"
"Oh no. We're helping him. We care."
To the geek: "Do you feel helped?"
"Not exactly."
"What do you feel?"
"Awkward."
"Like you're in the spotlight and people are looking at you?"
"Um. A little. Yeah."
"Are people asking you questions?"
"Some."
"Are they good questions?"
Geek shrugs. "Some."
"A lot?"
"No."
"Not many?"
Geek shrugs again. "No."
As another 15-year-old, high school sophomore, Slashdot-reading geek, I have to say that I'm not sure I like this idea. I've read in various places that geeks are just as diverse as any other category of people. You couldn't just pull one out at random, interview him or her, and say "Look! This is what a geek is!"
But that's what you're doing right here! You're saying "Look! This is what the average teenage geek of today is!" Clinton will answer the questions, and you'll all settle back, content in knowing what we high school geeks are like. But chances are it'll be a flawed picture. Of course some things will be correct, but not all. He'll look at things differently, do things differently, have a different situation that any other younger geek out there.
Now I would like to say that I don't blame Clinton for going ahead with the interview and not thinking about this. I sure wouldn't have thought about it. "Me?!? Interviewed on Slashdot!?!" I'd feel honored.
The point, however, is that you can't get an image of any group of people by interviewing just one of them, especially if that group is a sub-group of the wild and wooly world of Slashdot readers. I ask that as you read Clinton's responses, just take them as an interview with yet another unique member of are community, but NOT as a barometer of the lives of teenage geeks.
----------
Ray's Rule of Precision:
Measure with a micrometer. Mark with chalk. Cut with an axe.
I build model citizens.
In 8th/9th/10th grade I was unpopular (hung out with the losers, didn't go to dances, etc). 11th and 12th grades I was merely neutral (went to some dances, knew a lot of people, but I wasn't a jock or anything). I bring this up not out of relevance, but to show that "I've been there."
My question is: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? What I mean by that is: Many geek teenagers exhibit anti-social characteristics, including: poor hygiene, little or no conversation skills and attitudes (for instance know-it-all-ism) that are off-putting. Do adolescents get into computers because they don't get along and don't understand why, so turn to computers (books, D&D, whatever) as something they can understand/master? Or do adolescents who get into computers/whatever use up so much brain capacity with intellectually challenging tasks they can't learn how to interact with others? Or some third thing?
(Please don't get the impression I'm saying you are a smelly, greasy, know-it-all loser--obviously I've never met you. But the lead-in mentioned being a "pudgy loner" and Katz, so I can assume you aren't dating a cheerleader.)
--
MailOne
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
(Hey Ryan! Here's your proof!)
Besides computers and high tech to do you have any hobbies.
The cure of the ills of Democracy is more Democracy.
Erlang Developer and podcaster
When I was a geek in high school (10 years ago)... it was not cool at all. The computer club was definitely frowned upon by the "cool" people. My question is, with the rise of the internet, and computers becoming pervasive in "normal" peoples lives...has this changed? Or have geeks gained some respect?
I read an article somewhere (Wired?) that said geeks were the new sex symbols...doctors and lawyers used to represent power and success and where what men stereotypically wanted to be, and what women stereotypially chased after. But now, as it is suggested, do you think geeks have invaded some of this position? Do you see any attitudes like this in school?
At least there's Elvis (C, not P), They Might Be Giants, and Komeda.
Is it just me, or my g-g-g-generation, or does new music really suck? What are you listening to?
By the way, I was stunned to find that Jethro Tull is still putting out new stuff. A recent one is called j-tull.com. I am not kidding.
Pretty much every geek I've asked remembers loving construction type toys as children. I know my fave was Capsella because of the motors and gears, but there was always a big box of Legos in my house, too.
Did you play with toys like that in your 5-12 years?
What were your favorites?
-B
Hey, what's up? :) I'm not a teenager, but I am a Linux user, and a rather dedicated one. I've come to the realization over the past year or so that, indeed, MS Office is actually a good software packager. Well, relatively speaking, of course ;) I find it fast, relatively lean, feature-complete, and more-or-less stable. I was wondering if you yourself have a particular software favorite that doesn't run under Linux?
Thanks for your time,
Dave
Barclay family motto:
Aut agere aut mori.
(Either action or death.)
Barclay family motto:
Aut agere aut mori.
(Either action or death.)
At the age when most teens seem to be crazy over the opposite sex and dating, how is your situation with girls? Assuming you dont have a girlfriend, do you feel better off without one taking away your free time, or is it something you wish for?
The three most important questions ever:
<British Accent>What is your name?
What is your quest?
What is your favorite colour?
</British Accent>This is taking a bit of a larger context in mind, here, so bear with me for a moment. In the last couple of years, there's been a lot of talk from people like Tom Brokaw about the 'greatest generation'- people who became adults in an age where there was a clear cause for something... for example, World War II, but including all sorts of causes and movements through the decades; up until what seems to be when you and I have spent our time growing up. I'm a bit ahead of you at age 27, but I feel we are both products of a vacant, mass-media driven, consumption-oriented culture that has inherited no clear path, mission, or movement from our society.
Lots of people would look at this as the benefit of living in a free, peaceful, prosperous part of the world (relatively speaking). I can hear them- "Be grateful, kid!" But, it seems that these are the same people who call generations prior to ours (who had their causes and ideals thrust upon them) the 'greatest generation'. Generally, they're closer in age to that generation than yours or mine.
So, my question is this: In this world where there is no clear path to follow, no absolute right or wrong, no great struggle to leap into, what do you see as the primary motivating factor in your life? For people born before us, there were battles to fight that could be universally agreed upon and used as a framework for their lives. These days, our value doesn't extend much farther than how much money we spent at the Gap last week- so for people who want to make something of themselves, that mission must be coming from within. What is that for you? Technology for its own sake? Getting rich? Finding friends and having interesting experiences? Dare I say it, to CHANGE THE WORLD? It's a difficult question that I haven't found an answer for myself yet.