Take a look at http://ipython.scipy.org. You can actually use it as a shell replacement. Quoth the homepage:
IPython is a free software project (released under the BSD license) which tries to:
Provide an interactive shell superior to Python's default. IPython has many features for object introspection, system shell access, and its own special command system for adding functionality when working interactively. It tries to be a very efficient environment both for Python code development and for exploration of problems using Python objects (in situations like data analysis).
Serve as an embeddable, ready to use interpreter for your own programs. IPython can be started with a single call from inside another program, providing access to the current namespace. This can be very useful both for debugging purposes and for situations where a blend of batch-processing and interactive exploration are needed.
Offer a flexible framework which can be used as the base environment for other systems with Python as the underlying language. Specifically scientific environments like Mathematica, IDL and Mathcad inspired its design, but similar ideas can be useful in many fields.
I noticed a distinct increase in stability on OSX since I started using Adblock. I tend to surf with a single window loaded with up to 40 tabs, and it works like a charm. The frequent crashes of older versions are now history for me, although I still keep the habit of periodically saving a tab group bookmark just in case.
If you're new to Adblock, remember that for it to actually do something you'll have to configure some filters . I tend to use these regularly updated filters).
I love Bryson's books - I think I've bought most of them. I really was looking forward to reading SHoNE, but was greatly disappointed.
Although it purports to be a condensed history of science, it's actually highly focused on geology to the detriment of other arguably more influential branches of science. The book is sprinkled with anecdotes surrounding the protagonists of some major discoveries. However, Bryson falls short when he tries to explain the concepts and ideas that have shaken and shaped scientific thought. Being a physicist by training, I was thorougly unimpressed by his explanation of relativity and quantum mechanics.
Perhaps if the book was named something like "The men that shaped science", I might be less disappointed, but I think that it is undeniable that this not one of Bryson's most compelling works.
You might be capable of extraordinary things, but then again maybe you're dellusional. You'll have to find out which without running into a dead-end.
My advice is to build a safety net by acquiring marketable skills, either thru college or thru self-learning. Get a job, live a standard if unsatisfying life for a while, prove that you can make it on THEIR terms. Then escape. Find a pet project or two, spare some money, and follow your vision. You may succeed or you may fail, but failure should not be cataclismic, and you should be able to resume a standard life, which has much going for it. And at least you will have tried, as opposed to the great unwashed masses.
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IPython is a free software project (released under the BSD license) which tries to:
I noticed a distinct increase in stability on OSX since I started using Adblock. I tend to surf with a single window loaded with up to 40 tabs, and it works like a charm. The frequent crashes of older versions are now history for me, although I still keep the habit of periodically saving a tab group bookmark just in case.
If you're new to Adblock, remember that for it to actually do something you'll have to configure some filters . I tend to use these regularly updated filters).
I love Bryson's books - I think I've bought most of them. I really was looking forward to reading SHoNE, but was greatly disappointed.
Although it purports to be a condensed history of science, it's actually highly focused on geology to the detriment of other arguably more influential branches of science. The book is sprinkled with anecdotes surrounding the protagonists of some major discoveries. However, Bryson falls short when he tries to explain the concepts and ideas that have shaken and shaped scientific thought. Being a physicist by training, I was thorougly unimpressed by his explanation of relativity and quantum mechanics.
Perhaps if the book was named something like "The men that shaped science", I might be less disappointed, but I think that it is undeniable that this not one of Bryson's most compelling works.
You might be capable of extraordinary things, but then again maybe you're dellusional. You'll have to find out which without running into a dead-end.
My advice is to build a safety net by acquiring marketable skills, either thru college or thru self-learning. Get a job, live a standard if unsatisfying life for a while, prove that you can make it on THEIR terms. Then escape. Find a pet project or two, spare some money, and follow your vision. You may succeed or you may fail, but failure should not be cataclismic, and you should be able to resume a standard life, which has much going for it. And at least you will have tried, as opposed to the great unwashed masses.
Good luck!