111–120 of 171 posts
How to Design Programs: https://htdp.org/ I already had a strong programming background in Java, C, JavaScript and PHP. I thought an introductory programming class at the Master’s level would be a waste of time. Going through rigorous program design in Racket was a mind expanding experience. I was amazed how much programming we did before reaching the assignment statement (set!) otherwise the first thing taught in ty…
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How is helping someone with a solution “status and confrontation”?
Sometimes what's important is just sharing that you have a problem, and get support. If it's a complicated problem, giving a solution is not the most careful answer you can give. For instance "I just discovered my spouse cheated on me" "oh, leave that asshole now!".
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How is helping someone with a solution “status and confrontation”?
When you're in a transactional environment, it is expected. For example, if you are a car salesman and someone comes to you with a problem like "what car should I buy?", and your response is, "you should buy X because Y", that is helpful. Most communications are not contained within a transactional context. If your mother asks "what car should I buy?", responding with "you should buy X because Y" might be 'correct' b…
I’m fully aware that sometimes people want empathy and not a solution. But sometimes people do want a solution and it has nothing to do with “status and confrontation”.
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LOL, Genesis had enough bullshit in it that I was questioning things immediately. Somewhere in there it says that the stars were created after earth. And then there's Noah and the flood with the completely impossible repopulating the earth with a single family and a single pair of each animal. Exactly how did 2 buffalo's get to the middle east? Of course, the answer would be that god magicked them there - but then I…
FWIW, the modern Catholic church's official stance is that Genesis should not be taken literally, and Catholics make up about half of the world's Christians. I think biblical literalism is mostly an American Evangelical thing.
I came across this Physics textbook in Junior year in High School.
Before reading this book, Physics, and Science in general, was merely "better subjects" for me, and tools to top the class, frontiers where I could excel, and by remembering formulas.
This is the first time when reading something was really, truly fun.
This was the first time I had the pleasure in learning.
My whole outlook towards learning changed. Learning should be fun. And this has served greatly in my life.
This book not only made Physics enjoyable, but instilled in me a lifelong attitude of fun in learning and expecting fun in learning.
The Elements of Statistical Learning. This book features some of the most interesting applications of mathematics. It was the likely reason why I started enjoying maths after many years of studying it. https://hastie.su.domains/Papers/ESLII.pdf
While I really like Machine Learning, it has made me fall in love with Mathematics much more.