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Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

theatlantic.com

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Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#161

Post by asimuvPR »

nickpsecurity wrote: post #157
asimuvPR wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I started a couple of years ago teaching people in my social circle about programming. Then doing hands on things with microcontroller boards. I moved to the RPi and have been slowly forming a group of want to be learners (harder than it sounds). Challenges are purely economic. I have a full time job and work long hours. Plus I do side work to pay for everything related to ASIMUV (it's not a startup). Teaching comes…

Oh OK. So, not an ordinary business needing email, file servers, web, etc. Just needs hackabld computers to teach folks to hack on computers. That makes more sense. :) Good luck to you. Btw, just to know Im reading it right, what does the ESL mean here?

Yes, teaching people how to use computers as tools more than anything. ESL means English as a Second Language. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_as_a_second_or_forei...

Thanks!

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#162

Post by nickpsecurity »

asimuvPR wrote: post #161
nickpsecurity wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh OK. So, not an ordinary business needing email, file servers, web, etc. Just needs hackabld computers to teach folks to hack on computers. That makes more sense. :) Good luck to you. Btw, just to know Im reading it right, what does the ESL mean here?

Yes, teaching people how to use computers as tools more than anything. ESL means English as a Second Language. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_as_a_second_or_forei... Thanks!

Oh OK. That's cool.

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#163

Post by ivm »

asimuvPR wrote: post #156
ivm wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in Chile where social mobility is weak, education is incredibly expensive and income inequality is high. But even the poorest families here usually own a TV with modern interfaces, so Pi for kids could work like magic. Thank you for the idea!

I'm also Latin American. Let's talk more about how you could get something going! Please email me. :)

Awesome! But I think your email server is failing: "Recipient address rejected: User unknown in virtual alias table"

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#164

Post by fit2rule »

asimuvPR wrote: post #155
fit2rule wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dumpster diving, donations from willing consumers doing their own upgrades, etc.

Hey, why don't we get in touch through email and brainstorm about how to get the word out for both of us? My email is in my profile. :)

Sent you a mail! Lets up-cycle!

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#165

Post by asimuvPR »

ivm wrote: post #163
asimuvPR wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm also Latin American. Let's talk more about how you could get something going! Please email me. :)

Awesome! But I think your email server is failing: "Recipient address rejected: User unknown in virtual alias table"

Strange, did you try: pr@asimuv.com ?

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#166

Post by stevekemp »

rdtsc wrote: post #28
stevekemp wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I only heard years later about some of the Spectrum clones, machines like The Hobbit sound fascinating. It obviously did you good!

Mine was called BYTE : http://zxspectrum48.i-demo.pl/clones_pliki/Byte_black.jpg Those rubber keys were terrible. Somehow my dad found a old Soviet fax machine with keys in it which were activated by a magnetic ring, over a vacuum sealed contact, so I spend a day taking appart the keyboard, cut the front of my ZX Clone and soldered those rugged contacts. It looked ugly, but it was very reliable. Also remember having…

The keyboard looks remarkably similar to the 48k spectrum I had, and the little stripe in the corner is adorable. Thanks for sharing.

When I used mine I used BASIC, and I "compiled" z80 machine code by looking up the opcodes, one by one, in the manual that came with the machine. I don't remember ever having access to an assembler, or compiler of any kind. But I eventually learned enough that I could hack games to get infinite lives. I have fond memories of the Speedlock system, along with Bleepload, and others of that time-frame.

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#167

Post by nostrebored »

cheez wrote: post #146
nostrebored wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you're poor and want to get out you choose interests that make you more wealthy. You choose majors in college that make you more money with better financial security. The starving artist routine is nearly entirely played out by middle to upper middle class people.

This is obviously someone who has never dealt with actual poverty. Can you imagine... Not even knowing you can have interests. Not that you can choose interests. Not even believing that you can have something to be interested in. Let that sink in

I grew up in a family of 4 (3 adults) who lived off of a single unemployment check and food stamps for 3 years. Multiple people I knew in high school have been shot in gang related activities. I was friends with people who sold drugs to pay their parent's rent.

You really have no idea what you're talking about.

When you're poor and you don't want to be poor anymore, you choose to do things that give you financial security. Drug dealers turn into accountants. Kids who want to get in and out of college in 4 years choose to go into computer science. People who's 'natural' (which is a completely irrelevant factor) interests are reading books get into graph theory.

Interests being innate is a huge fallacy that people who have not had to handle situations like this believe.

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#168

Post by cheez »

nostrebored wrote: post #167
cheez wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is obviously someone who has never dealt with actual poverty. Can you imagine... Not even knowing you can have interests. Not that you can choose interests. Not even believing that you can have something to be interested in. Let that sink in

I grew up in a family of 4 (3 adults) who lived off of a single unemployment check and food stamps for 3 years. Multiple people I knew in high school have been shot in gang related activities. I was friends with people who sold drugs to pay their parent's rent. You really have no idea what you're talking about. When you're poor and you don't want to be poor anymore, you choose to do things that give you financial sec…

You made it out. Great.

For every one of you, how many of them?

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