I was about to say the same thing, specifically about FPGAs. I've played with computers and electronics since I was a kid, and there are two major things that have rekindled that childhood sense of wonder about them during my adult years: Linux and FPGAs. The magical thing about FPGAs is that they are the ultimate combination of programming and electronics; not just designing a circuit with a programming language, but also another kind of programming in itself. As a side benefit, I think I have learned tons about parallel programming, because in FPGAs you are building real circuits with real parallelism.
Of course, you need to have some goals in mind what to do with them. fpga4fun is a good starting point with some toy projects that will probably get you interested further.
Sorry you large English problem. Didn't we find the Higgs a few months ago?
A scientific discovery is not a binary issue. I'm not 100% convinced that the Higgs has been found, but I'm pretty sure some new physics was found, Higgs or not. We need to do more experiments in the same range to find out more about what it is we actually found, so to me the GP makes sense. (IAAP.)
Incidentally, I still watch movies on a monitor from 2004. Some of my friends think it's small (as in spatial dimensions), because they got a HDTV a couple of years ago.
Sort of agree, but.. the whole Internet is a nice thing to have when you're programming. Both as a resource and a reason for doing it at all (like-minded people).
However, I'm glad I didn't grow up with Windows or any other modern GUI. I see it as an artificial barrier between using a computer and programming, which should not exist. It's like saying "OK, so you're a user. You're allowed to do this, this and this. But if you want to write your own code... well, it's not really for everyone. Are you sure you want to do it? You need to buy these special development tools and enter this special development mode."
In contrast, my first computer booted into Basic, and programming was the natural way to interact with the computer. Of course, you had more refined tools if necessary, but you could basically;) start programming right away without any fuss. A couple of decades later, the default way to interact with my Linux machines is a shell -- once again, a kind of programming interface without any barriers.
OK, so you're using my #2 example "things I can't explain with the currently known science".
I'm not saying vampires are real, I just don't like term "supernatural" as it's being thrown around without any sensible definition. Go back a few hundred years, and lightning didn't have a scientific explanation; many people probably attributed it to divine powers. Yet it was clearly a natural phenomenon.
I guess my point is that something either exists or it doesn't. "Supernatural" is a rather loaded term for something that simply doesn't exist. (Of course, I'm not perfectly sure that vampires don't exists, but if they did, there would be nothing supernatural about them.)
Wait, since when are vampires considered supernatural?
In fact, please define "supernatural". Preferably using something else besides "things I don't understand" or "things I can't explain with the currently known science".
Get off of my lawn, sonny. If it was good enough for Grace Hopper, it's good enough for me. BTW, do you want to get paid next month, or should I put a bug fix into that code I wrote 40 years ago?
I thought "mean" referred to the arithmetic average, rather than personality...
Slashdot Mirror
You mean this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nictitating_membrane
I was about to say the same thing, specifically about FPGAs. I've played with computers and electronics since I was a kid, and there are two major things that have rekindled that childhood sense of wonder about them during my adult years: Linux and FPGAs. The magical thing about FPGAs is that they are the ultimate combination of programming and electronics; not just designing a circuit with a programming language, but also another kind of programming in itself. As a side benefit, I think I have learned tons about parallel programming, because in FPGAs you are building real circuits with real parallelism.
Of course, you need to have some goals in mind what to do with them. fpga4fun is a good starting point with some toy projects that will probably get you interested further.
Duh, of course you can write any matrix as a submatrix of some other matrix.
But correlation is not causation!
now that we know where to looking for the Higgs
Sorry you large English problem. Didn't we find the Higgs a few months ago?
A scientific discovery is not a binary issue. I'm not 100% convinced that the Higgs has been found, but I'm pretty sure some new physics was found, Higgs or not. We need to do more experiments in the same range to find out more about what it is we actually found, so to me the GP makes sense. (IAAP.)
In other words, http://xkcd.com/732/
Incidentally, I still watch movies on a monitor from 2004. Some of my friends think it's small (as in spatial dimensions), because they got a HDTV a couple of years ago.
If life gives you lemons, then shut up and eat your damn lemons!
except for the mushroom shaped ones, which have a lining of iridium and strontium.
Fisting To Fuck You (yes, I'm textually adventurous)
You can watch videos with the APU while the separate GPU is busy mining Litecoins.
It depends on the kind of videos whether you like your graphics cards discreet.
Pass the bong.
...Leon wants his Theremin back.
15? Pfft.
Sort of agree, but.. the whole Internet is a nice thing to have when you're programming. Both as a resource and a reason for doing it at all (like-minded people).
However, I'm glad I didn't grow up with Windows or any other modern GUI. I see it as an artificial barrier between using a computer and programming, which should not exist. It's like saying "OK, so you're a user. You're allowed to do this, this and this. But if you want to write your own code... well, it's not really for everyone. Are you sure you want to do it? You need to buy these special development tools and enter this special development mode."
In contrast, my first computer booted into Basic, and programming was the natural way to interact with the computer. Of course, you had more refined tools if necessary, but you could basically ;) start programming right away without any fuss. A couple of decades later, the default way to interact with my Linux machines is a shell -- once again, a kind of programming interface without any barriers.
I raise your hand (if only to keep your Life Ouf of Balance).
OMG, I just realized that WLAN is an anagram of LAWN.
OK, so you're using my #2 example "things I can't explain with the currently known science".
I'm not saying vampires are real, I just don't like term "supernatural" as it's being thrown around without any sensible definition. Go back a few hundred years, and lightning didn't have a scientific explanation; many people probably attributed it to divine powers. Yet it was clearly a natural phenomenon.
I guess my point is that something either exists or it doesn't. "Supernatural" is a rather loaded term for something that simply doesn't exist. (Of course, I'm not perfectly sure that vampires don't exists, but if they did, there would be nothing supernatural about them.)
Wait, since when are vampires considered supernatural?
In fact, please define "supernatural". Preferably using something else besides "things I don't understand" or "things I can't explain with the currently known science".
BTW, I always wanted a hoverboard like those in Back to the Future II, so shameless plug
I've had it with these motherfucking eels in this motherfucking hovercraft!
So that's how you pimp your ho.
No keyboard. Less space than an N900. Lame.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
-Wayne Gretzky
-Michael Scott
-The Dutch
-nine-times
Not to mention a mean developer age of 73...
Get off of my lawn, sonny. If it was good enough for Grace Hopper, it's good enough for me. BTW, do you want to get paid next month, or should I put a bug fix into that code I wrote 40 years ago?
I thought "mean" referred to the arithmetic average, rather than personality...
I guess if I ever want to have kids I'll just have to try harder and think fertile thoughts.
First you'll need to quit doing Slashdot (the great invention in the long line after condom and the pill)