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Esoteric Programming Languages
led_belly writes: "I came across this interesting page from the #alt.linux IRC chat room topic (irc.keystreams.com). It is an interesting read for all those who have ever been baffled by why/how some people do things. The Yahoo! Webring listing of similar topics is here."
>>There's no point in trying to preserve your >>rights if you can't preserve the nation
I would say:
There's no point in trying to preserve the nation if you can't preserve your rights.
------- I saw a VW Beatle the other day. The vanity Plates said "FEATURE"
But that really has nothing to do with the comment you made. The way your comment was written, frankly, annoyed me. You assume that because someone develops something like a toy language that they're not also doing something worthwhile. You also presumably don't see the benefit in doing things as an intellectual exercise. I imagine you're not familiar with the enjoyment that can come from creating an interesting piece of computer software. Perhaps you're not familiar with the joy of creation in general. If you are, and you've ever painted a painting or written a poem or essay, or composed a tune, try to imagine that other people may get similar pleasure from writing software, even if the software doesn't seem to do anything "useful".
Some people do crossword puzzles, or grow gardenias, but that doesn't mean they're not also doing something productive. I doubt there are many people out there designing useless computer languages for a living. In fact, I suspect the people who have invented useless computer languages are probably also doing something quite productive with their lives. As such, your comment was inappropriate. I responded in annoyance, and for that I am sorry - it would probably have been better to try and explain to you what you're missing.
Now, let me tell you something about the terrorist attack. You're not dead. If you "walk around every day now wondering if I'm gonna blow up in a nuclear fireball by some crazy idiot human being who doesn't value the meaning of life", it just means you weren't paying attention before. Nothing much has changed in the world in terms of what's possible - it's just that you've suddenly become aware of more possibilities. Some terrorists took advantage of overconfidence, and lax security and policies. The US thought it was immune to this stuff, and you probably were one of those who thought that. You're now having to deal with having your imagined security taken away.
I've got good news for you: unless you lost close friends or family members (in which case I'm very sorry), not much has really changed in the long run. In fact, the end result of all this may be that things get safer, not more dangerous. But even if it doesn't - the world is still full of risks, whether natural or human. You have more chance of being mowed down by a cab in the city than you do of being hurt by the next terrorist attack. More people than were killed in NYC get killed in earthquakes on a fairly regular basis. That particular attack was likely to be a freak event - terrorists aren't going to be as successful every time (think about the previous WTC attack, for example). The world is not coming to an end, although many people's illusions may be.
Try to put your situation in perspective and think about it more broadly. You're not the only person on the planet, the terrorists aren't after you personally, and nor are they likely to get you. Take your own advice and do something useful with your life. I'm sure you'll live a long time, and have a fruitful life. But your life is happening now, attack or no attack. Walking around worrying about it is not going to help. Criticizing other people who aren't obssessing over it isn't going to help.
In fact, doing something creative, that expresses the joy of living and your human capabilities, is probably one of the best things you can do for your own psychology, which needs a little help right now. Express your humanity in a positive way - it's the best answer to what the terrorists have done. "Living well is the best revenge", is the saying, and the current situation is a variation on that. The terrorist problem is not going to be solved overnight, and if you try to suspend all other activity until it is solved, you'll simply burn out and end up in the loony bin.
doe sthis work