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Former miners out to put Kentucky on the tech map

theguardian.com

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Re: Former miners out to put Kentucky on the tech map

#91

Post by unclebucknasty »

mythrwy wrote: post #32
unclebucknasty wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do we say this about coding? We don't say anyone can be an artist, or an astrophysicist, or a brain surgeon.

Dentists for sure. Probably could really teach someone to do most of that in a several month bootcamp followed by a couple of years apprenticeship. Source: Several dentists in the family and that's about what they say. (doesn't stop them from charging large fees though, I mean, they do have student loans to pay off:)

OTOH, I have visited dentists to whom I would not return.

Re: Former miners out to put Kentucky on the tech map

#92

Post by Animats »

jbawgs wrote: post #86
Animats wrote: post #79

A huge amount of Government money has gone into infrastructure for Pikeville, KY. There was the Pikeville Cut-Through, finished in 1987, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers moved the river to a more convenient location.[1] That also got the town a superhighway connection with two interchanges. There's the East Kentucky Expo Center [2], which has only two events, wrestling and a beer fest, scheduled for the rest of…

Its the only actual town for miles in any direction. All those other dots on the map nearby are incorporated hilltops. If they have a gas station with a Hunt Bros pizza franchise, its a town. That said, our leaders spend any aid money we get on 'tourism' which never pays off, but they don't learn.

Check out the tourism site, "Pikeville, Kentucky's Outdoor Family Playground".[1] There's zip lining, kayaking, and a riding stable. There's also a web site for downtown Pikesville.[2]. Boosterism is alive and well in Pikesville. It's a pretty little town. But it's just not going to draw tourists from far away.

There are bigger places in much worse shape. Youngstown, OH, population down to about 60,000. It was once a bigger industrial city. When the steel industry shut down, it lost its purpose. Plenty of industrial space is available if you have some use for it. Ohio and Pennsylvania have too many cities like that: Akron, OH; Erie, PA, Bethlehem, PA. Pittsburgh came back from losing its steel industry. Cleveland didn't.

[1] http://www.visitpikeville.com/ [2] http://www.pikevillemainstreet.com/

Re: Former miners out to put Kentucky on the tech map

#93

Post by brett40324 »

jasongrout wrote: post #69

Are there good groups in Louisville, KY, for adults wanting to learn how to do software development (or more generally, enter the tech industry)? Does anyone know of any good online resources for adults along these lines? I know about a number of resources for kids learning to code, but those are maybe not appropriate for a motivated adult wanting to investigate switching careers.

Between Louisville, Lexington, and Cincinnati there is a large community of developers, tech startups, meetup groups, and a job market that is wide open for good talent. Meetups and classes in Louisville are definitely a google search away. Also there's awesomeinc.org in Lexington. If you want to learn to code, try some online courses first. If you dont hate it, get out and meet other developers, look into courses available. Expose yourself to enough concepts so you can make an informed decision about what you would prefer to actually do as a developer.

Re: Former miners out to put Kentucky on the tech map

#94

Post by CydeWeys »

467568985476 wrote: post #85
fuball63 wrote: post #23

I'm from the region, and work remotely as a coder. Some of these really backwoods areas are very beautiful and tranquil, and when combined with the affordability, I think it is a great place to code. A lot of local politicians and economic developers are grasping to coal/lumber/manufacturing, but I think there is opportunity to build small tech hubs for young people burnt out on expensive, crowded, and distracting ci…

There are dozens of cities in the U.S. that want to be the next hub for young tech entrepreneurs, and most of them have more financial options than Kentucky, which is among the most dependent state budgets on federal dollars. Additionally, young people are socially and politically liberal, while KY voters overwhelmingly elected staunchly anti-LGBT representatives and were strongly in support of Trump. I think it woul…

I'm totally with you on that. There are all sorts of charming towns in socially progressive areas of the country that I would move to long before Kentucky if I ever got disillusioned with NYC. There are some amazing towns in Vermont that I've been to with great access to nature, skiing, and locally farmed food. And they've also accepted the Medicaid expansion under the ACA, they aren't homophobic, and they aren't trying to strip government to the bone at the expense of providing important services like infrastructure and public education. And if drug criminalization is something you care about, Vermont is a lot more friendly as well.

Techies tend to be socially liberal, or at the very least, libertarian, and the appeal of a place like Kentucky just isn't there.

Re: Former miners out to put Kentucky on the tech map

#95

Post by nitrogen »

Moshe_Silnorin wrote: post #19
gkilmain wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I missed the IQ test part. All I read was coding aptitude test, whatever the hell that is. Sure we're all different and maybe 95% is high but its at least 50%. One out of every two people I meet I am confident they could become proficient at programming given a solid learning environment.

A programming aptitude test is just an IQ test with another name. >One out of every two people I meet I am confident they could become proficient at programming given a solid learning environment. That's quite possible, even if what I say is true. People tend to mix with people on their own intellectual level. The people you talk to enough to get a good estimate of their intelligence are unlikely to be randomly selec…

I once worked with a reasonably productive developer who said his IQ was in the mid 80s. I think whatever test he took misjudged him, but it does suggest that, while programming skill might be rare, and might correlate with IQ, it's not a universal law that only high IQ people can become programmers. Also important to remember that some programming is about as complex as simple electrical work, while some is significantly more challenging. It would be unjust to deny people the opportunity to do the former because they can't handle the latter.

Re: Former miners out to put Kentucky on the tech map

#96

Post by gm-conspiracy »

Muuuchem wrote: post #39
gm-conspiracy wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good luck with the broadband, especially in the current political climate of the FCC. I believe that having affordable, high-speed internet (where you are allowed to actually host a server), would revitalize Appalachia. Between the shuddered coal-plants that can be repurposed as data-centers, and rails-to-trails right-of-ways that can be used for fiber runs, there is plenty of opportunity. Good luck convincing the po…

I am confused, are you guys suggesting that some cities and towns in Kentucky and other areas within the US lack the same broadband infastructure that I enjoy access to in small-town Mississippi?

My small town has DSL with 12Mbps/768kbps (DL/UL) for $45, or a 5Mbps/1Mbps CATV option for $50/mo (plus modem rental - even though the cable provider has FTTH, w/ the ONT having an RJ-45 connector, but requiring customers to use a cable modem).

I would love a symmetric 6/6 (would love to host a server).

Re: Former miners out to put Kentucky on the tech map

#97

Post by ChemicalWarfare »

467568985476 wrote: post #85
fuball63 wrote: post #23

I'm from the region, and work remotely as a coder. Some of these really backwoods areas are very beautiful and tranquil, and when combined with the affordability, I think it is a great place to code. A lot of local politicians and economic developers are grasping to coal/lumber/manufacturing, but I think there is opportunity to build small tech hubs for young people burnt out on expensive, crowded, and distracting ci…

There are dozens of cities in the U.S. that want to be the next hub for young tech entrepreneurs, and most of them have more financial options than Kentucky, which is among the most dependent state budgets on federal dollars. Additionally, young people are socially and politically liberal, while KY voters overwhelmingly elected staunchly anti-LGBT representatives and were strongly in support of Trump. I think it woul…

>> Additionally, young people are socially and politically liberal, while KY voters overwhelmingly elected staunchly anti-LGBT representatives and were strongly in support of Trump.

in case you haven't seen "Generation Z" numbers - you're in for a surprise - http://www.dailywire.com/news/12785/gop-tsunami-looms-genera...

also, while the 20-30 year olds did vote primarily for Clinton - definitely not in an overwhelming fashion by any stretch of imagination.

that said - yes, it would be pretty hard to convince a native New Yorker to move to KY, but then again that person might be a Midwest transplant living in NYC to begin with...

Re: Former miners out to put Kentucky on the tech map

#98

Post by Brandonknight »

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Re: Former miners out to put Kentucky on the tech map

#99

Post by Brandonknight »

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Re: Former miners out to put Kentucky on the tech map

#100

Post by yawaramin »

That's interesting, this is the second miner-to-coder success story I'm seeing in the news recently. There's also Mined Minds in PA: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/couple-teaches-laid-off-...

Coincidence or indicative of people from declining industries switching to tech?

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