I've signed up as a mentor to teach programming to an interested High School senior, so it isn't a 12 year old. I chose C because, frankly, it is what I know best. Java might be appropriate also but for starting out I think C is a better bet than Java. (I can't address Python since I've barely coded in it.)
The teacher had a copy of K&R, 2nd edition on the shelf. I had them order a second copy for me. We'll start in Februray. Meeting about once a week for the rest of the term but staying in email and Skype video contact.
You might want to try a Macintosh, they are speed sensitive. As I move my finger slowly it moves slowly, you can't even get more than a few hundred pixels. When I move fast, I can move across all 1900 pixels with room to spare. Mice work the same same way, I can barely use a Windows machine because of the mouse/trackpad. Apple really has sweated the details on this one.
Finally: "Move where you live": If the first two options aren't viable, then perhaps you should consider that a 90 minute commute is insane under these circumstances. I personally have an hour commute after a 9 hour day.
I second this! Over the past 11 years I've sat in a cube 5 days a week for only 1 full year. I done both part time telecommuting and full time telecommuting the rest of those 11 years. (About half was full time telecommuting.)
Now the original poster clearly can't telecommute but they can shorten their commute (by either moving or quitting). Let me tell you just how beneficial that is. Not commuting my (1 hour+ one way) commute anymore has seriously changed my life for the better. You don't know just how bad traffic is until you are no longer wasting time in it.
Think about this? What is one of the most precious things you have? It is your time. And you waste how much of it in a stressful environment?
Oh, about that year? I had a new boss that didn't "get" telecommuting. That ok, I didn't work on changing him, I worked on changing my job.
Way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, ok not really, but in the late 80s, Sun had a problem with some of their hard drives. When they would park they heads they would stick and you couldn't unpark them. Sun's solution was to tell you to HIT the computer. They even sent us a letter showing you where on the "pizza box" enclosure one would strike.
I'm serious. I find that I solve many of my hardest problems in the shower. Now that I telecommute 100% of the time I'll often just take one, say in the middle of the afternoon, to jump start the solution!
Obviously the shower has nothing to do with the situation, it is the "stepping back" that is important, so find something that works for you, and do it.
I had made the assumption that the company would not treat their employees unfairly, that an "over time" call that was arguably a legitimate call would be ok.
Even though you are an anonymous coward, I would never wish that on you, or think such horrid thoughts. Have you considered anger management or something similar?
I just noticed your scare quotes around "friend." Yes, he was. It wasn't me. I waited tables in college for the first 2 summers then wrote code the third.
Writing code paid better and was more fun. I almost didn't graduate because of that. I just wanted to drop out and get a job! Oh man, I cringe when I think about that now.
I always take the call. Listen politely and tell them that yes, I do want to extend my car's warranty. They ask for my VIN and I say I have to go outside to get it.
Then I put the call on hold and get back to work. They actually often call back and I take the call, telling them that I'm still looking for my registration.
Then I put the call on hold and get back to work.
You don't want to be abusive to the person making the call. I have a friend who had no other job options and worked for firms like that. Often these people are either just trying to make ends meet, or just need a mindless job so they can concentrate on college. (My friend later went on to get his PhD.)
By doing this they person making the call can't even get in trouble, you are doing exactly what they are asking you to do, and clearly that can take a 1 minute or two. But this does cost the company money.
I'm not a pilot, nor a military person, but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_use_airspace may give some clues. Basically, as told to me the Navy had some airspace that was "theirs" and didn't take kindly to the FAA trying to tell them what they could do with it.
I was talking with a friend about 5-10 years back and the FAA had recently pulled all approvals for model rocket launches. Being the resourceful group that model rocketeers are, they found some connections and got all set to launch from some Navy proving grounds. FAA got wind of that and got all huffy and said "no no no boys."
And then the Navy got all huffy at the FAA, "You talking to me?"
Whereas this may be true for ibuprofen, it is not necessarily true for other drugs. I take a prescription dose of a common OTC drug. I specifically asked if I could just buy the OTC drug and double up. Sadly, for my drug, I cannot. You see, the OTC has coatings on it that slow the intake. My prescription does not.
But the best advice is of course to ask your doctor, not slashdot. Anyone knows you go to slashdot for legal advice, not medical advice. Sheeesh....
Chromatic aberration is highly over rated in my book. Yes, a reflector will have none, that's why I own two. Aside from just looking at the moons of Jupiter, binoculars really aren't made for planets. Nor do I think they are made for individual stars, or even doubles.
When I use mine I'm hunting clusters, open clusters in particular. Or nebula, or galaxies.
I've seen the Helix, the Veil, the North America and the nearby dark nebula Le Gentil 3, I've seen countless galaxies. I've never once cared about chromatic aberration (primarily because these are dim objects so it isn't visibly present.)
The huge advantage of binoculars over any telescope is the quick setup. There is none with image stabilized ones. I just go outside, sit down, turn on my red flashlight and look. It takes me at least half an hour to setup either of my 2 "normal" scopes. With the binoculars I'm often done by then. When I get the telescope out, I'm out there for hours.
Don't get me wrong, I love using my telescopes, especially on the planets. No normal binocular will show you a moon shadow on Jupiter, or the ice caps on Mars, or the Cassinni Division. But almost any astronomer will tell you you need both. And many will tell you to start with binoculars.
Thanks for the link. $400 is still a bit out of reach, but we'll see what tax rebate season brings.
Buy some decent binoculars or just use the ones you have around the house. You'll start enjoying them now as opposed to waiting until save up the $400. I started with a telescope even though many people recommend binoculars for beginners. I think I use my binoculars now just because it is so easy. Shoot, I've even gone outside between innings of watching the Red Sox on TV! (And yes, I'm aware of dark adaptation.)
First, I'll be speaking at least twice this year on astronomy to the public. Once at my local library, next week actually on the Winter Constellation, and then again this summer at the local Audubon Society on Binocular Astronomy. Places like these are hungry for smart people like us to talk to the public about our passion.
The second is that I've vowed to get out and do more public observing. This is where you setup your telescope in a busy place, like in a square downtown, and exhort the public to "Come see the Moon!" You can read about one of my adventures last year at http://notthepainter.com/2008/07/come-see-the-moon/ . You can even do outreach to your friends, I've auctioned off star parties at a charity auction, and I brought my telescope to Thanksgiving dinner!
The point is, this is the year that you, the astronomer, should try and make a difference. (Oh, and for those who think you need to be super experienced to do it, you don't, I've been doing this almost 2 years now, hmm, maybe 3, I've been having so much fun I forget.)
And also join your local astronomy club. Very important. You'll learn more that way and have. And if you can't afford the scope, buy some decent 10x50 binoculars. (Garrett Optical makes decent ones and yes, just use the ones you have if you have some. And yes, we could argue the numbers all day, feel free to use any binoculars you want. Google "binocular astronomy" for tips.) Download Stellarium and/or Cartes du Ciel to see what is in the sky.
Aside from light pollution, this is clearly the second golden age of astronomy.
And he was kidding about the moon blinding you w/o filters. ITs brightness is a surprise, but you'll be able to see afterwards.
Even today I can count on one hand all the mac apps I've ran into that either (1) have to be installed while logged in as an admin, or (2) will only run properly (or completely) when logged in as an admin.
At a previous job I had the task of making the installer for our consumer level OS X product. I had to fight with management to get them to let me spend the time to get it installed both as a drag install and to do it without requiring admin accesses. (Our product installed an item in System Preferences so this wasn't a no-brainer.)
I eventually prevailed and coded it "correctly" and was quite gratified to read in reviews how good the installation process was. It can be done but the non-Mac managers mindset just often doesn't see the need for doing it the "Mac" way.
Slashdot Mirror
I've signed up as a mentor to teach programming to an interested High School senior, so it isn't a 12 year old. I chose C because, frankly, it is what I know best. Java might be appropriate also but for starting out I think C is a better bet than Java. (I can't address Python since I've barely coded in it.)
The teacher had a copy of K&R, 2nd edition on the shelf. I had them order a second copy for me. We'll start in Februray. Meeting about once a week for the rest of the term but staying in email and Skype video contact.
Wish us luck!
far side, not dark side. You know, the side Gary Larson lives on, not the one Pink Floyd lives on.
Except that Macintosh had this in 1984, way before Windows 95 or 3.1 was released. Mac mice have always worked this way.
You might want to try a Macintosh, they are speed sensitive. As I move my finger slowly it moves slowly, you can't even get more than a few hundred pixels. When I move fast, I can move across all 1900 pixels with room to spare. Mice work the same same way, I can barely use a Windows machine because of the mouse/trackpad. Apple really has sweated the details on this one.
I second this! Over the past 11 years I've sat in a cube 5 days a week for only 1 full year. I done both part time telecommuting and full time telecommuting the rest of those 11 years. (About half was full time telecommuting.)
Now the original poster clearly can't telecommute but they can shorten their commute (by either moving or quitting). Let me tell you just how beneficial that is. Not commuting my (1 hour+ one way) commute anymore has seriously changed my life for the better. You don't know just how bad traffic is until you are no longer wasting time in it.
Think about this? What is one of the most precious things you have? It is your time. And you waste how much of it in a stressful environment?
Oh, about that year? I had a new boss that didn't "get" telecommuting. That ok, I didn't work on changing him, I worked on changing my job.
Way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, ok not really, but in the late 80s, Sun had a problem with some of their hard drives. When they would park they heads they would stick and you couldn't unpark them. Sun's solution was to tell you to HIT the computer. They even sent us a letter showing you where on the "pizza box" enclosure one would strike.
I'm serious. I find that I solve many of my hardest problems in the shower. Now that I telecommute 100% of the time I'll often just take one, say in the middle of the afternoon, to jump start the solution!
Obviously the shower has nothing to do with the situation, it is the "stepping back" that is important, so find something that works for you, and do it.
Interesting.
I had made the assumption that the company would not treat their employees unfairly, that an "over time" call that was arguably a legitimate call would be ok.
Of course that is extremely naive of me.
Even though you are an anonymous coward, I would never wish that on you, or think such horrid thoughts. Have you considered anger management or something similar?
I just noticed your scare quotes around "friend." Yes, he was. It wasn't me. I waited tables in college for the first 2 summers then wrote code the third.
Writing code paid better and was more fun. I almost didn't graduate because of that. I just wanted to drop out and get a job! Oh man, I cringe when I think about that now.
or maybe he fell into a hole filled with drugs in college. I was trying to be kind. He climbed out, not everyone is so lucky.
I always take the call. Listen politely and tell them that yes, I do want to extend my car's warranty. They ask for my VIN and I say I have to go outside to get it.
Then I put the call on hold and get back to work. They actually often call back and I take the call, telling them that I'm still looking for my registration.
Then I put the call on hold and get back to work.
You don't want to be abusive to the person making the call. I have a friend who had no other job options and worked for firms like that. Often these people are either just trying to make ends meet, or just need a mindless job so they can concentrate on college. (My friend later went on to get his PhD.)
By doing this they person making the call can't even get in trouble, you are doing exactly what they are asking you to do, and clearly that can take a 1 minute or two. But this does cost the company money.
The Open Learning Exchange (http://www.ole.org) is trying to build a global system to supply open source class material world wide.
I'm not a pilot, nor a military person, but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_use_airspace may give some clues. Basically, as told to me the Navy had some airspace that was "theirs" and didn't take kindly to the FAA trying to tell them what they could do with it.
I was talking with a friend about 5-10 years back and the FAA had recently pulled all approvals for model rocket launches. Being the resourceful group that model rocketeers are, they found some connections and got all set to launch from some Navy proving grounds. FAA got wind of that and got all huffy and said "no no no boys."
And then the Navy got all huffy at the FAA, "You talking to me?"
Must have been a fun few meetings!
Sadly, even modern day archives get wrecked. See http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,611311,00.html
Whereas this may be true for ibuprofen, it is not necessarily true for other drugs. I take a prescription dose of a common OTC drug. I specifically asked if I could just buy the OTC drug and double up. Sadly, for my drug, I cannot. You see, the OTC has coatings on it that slow the intake. My prescription does not.
But the best advice is of course to ask your doctor, not slashdot. Anyone knows you go to slashdot for legal advice, not medical advice. Sheeesh....
Read the article in the latest Astronomy magazine. Really, we are puzzled by it.
That's ok, we don't understand gravity either. See http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Pioneer_anomaly
Chromatic aberration is highly over rated in my book. Yes, a reflector will have none, that's why I own two. Aside from just looking at the moons of Jupiter, binoculars really aren't made for planets. Nor do I think they are made for individual stars, or even doubles.
When I use mine I'm hunting clusters, open clusters in particular. Or nebula, or galaxies.
I've seen the Helix, the Veil, the North America and the nearby dark nebula Le Gentil 3, I've seen countless galaxies. I've never once cared about chromatic aberration (primarily because these are dim objects so it isn't visibly present.)
The huge advantage of binoculars over any telescope is the quick setup. There is none with image stabilized ones. I just go outside, sit down, turn on my red flashlight and look. It takes me at least half an hour to setup either of my 2 "normal" scopes. With the binoculars I'm often done by then. When I get the telescope out, I'm out there for hours.
Don't get me wrong, I love using my telescopes, especially on the planets. No normal binocular will show you a moon shadow on Jupiter, or the ice caps on Mars, or the Cassinni Division. But almost any astronomer will tell you you need both. And many will tell you to start with binoculars.
Yes! What he said! I agree! Almost...
A reclining beach chair with arms goes a long way and costs less than binoculars. A long stick can also be used along with the chair to add stability.
I personally use image stabilized binoculars, but these can be expensive.
Buy some decent binoculars or just use the ones you have around the house. You'll start enjoying them now as opposed to waiting until save up the $400. I started with a telescope even though many people recommend binoculars for beginners. I think I use my binoculars now just because it is so easy. Shoot, I've even gone outside between innings of watching the Red Sox on TV! (And yes, I'm aware of dark adaptation.)
You can read about my observing with binoculars at http://notthepainter.com/category/binoculars/ . My goal is to see all of the Messier objects with them.
My contribution to the IYA2009 is two fold.
First, I'll be speaking at least twice this year on astronomy to the public. Once at my local library, next week actually on the Winter Constellation, and then again this summer at the local Audubon Society on Binocular Astronomy. Places like these are hungry for smart people like us to talk to the public about our passion.
The second is that I've vowed to get out and do more public observing. This is where you setup your telescope in a busy place, like in a square downtown, and exhort the public to "Come see the Moon!" You can read about one of my adventures last year at http://notthepainter.com/2008/07/come-see-the-moon/ . You can even do outreach to your friends, I've auctioned off star parties at a charity auction, and I brought my telescope to Thanksgiving dinner!
The point is, this is the year that you, the astronomer, should try and make a difference. (Oh, and for those who think you need to be super experienced to do it, you don't, I've been doing this almost 2 years now, hmm, maybe 3, I've been having so much fun I forget.)
And also join your local astronomy club. Very important. You'll learn more that way and have. And if you can't afford the scope, buy some decent 10x50 binoculars. (Garrett Optical makes decent ones and yes, just use the ones you have if you have some. And yes, we could argue the numbers all day, feel free to use any binoculars you want. Google "binocular astronomy" for tips.) Download Stellarium and/or Cartes du Ciel to see what is in the sky.
Aside from light pollution, this is clearly the second golden age of astronomy.
And he was kidding about the moon blinding you w/o filters. ITs brightness is a surprise, but you'll be able to see afterwards.
At a previous job I had the task of making the installer for our consumer level OS X product. I had to fight with management to get them to let me spend the time to get it installed both as a drag install and to do it without requiring admin accesses. (Our product installed an item in System Preferences so this wasn't a no-brainer.)
I eventually prevailed and coded it "correctly" and was quite gratified to read in reviews how good the installation process was. It can be done but the non-Mac managers mindset just often doesn't see the need for doing it the "Mac" way.