This should have (2016) in the title. 'happy-go-lucky, you can probably still change it given the recency of posting.
The best teacher I never had (2016)
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Re: The best teacher I never had (2016)
#12Putting Feynman aside, this is how -all- teachers should be. I had maybe two in all my years of public school that came anywhere close. It's sad that teaching is not a highly paid and prestigious job. And it's a two way street, most of the teachers now are the same awful ones I had, latching on to statements like mine, yet demanding more money. It's a race to the bottom, and a detriment to our country.
Re: The best teacher I never had (2016)
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m surprised at the negativity in this reply. Can you offer some more explanation as to what you mean by the non-compliment SICP ref?
I mean that most people who talk about SICP and Feynman lectures don't read too ma y other books on the topic. Saying you like either is Ike saying you like Beatles or Top 40.
I’ll take the bait - I really liked SICP and feel like it stands out among many other things I’ve found. Your comment makes me feel there’s a lot I’m missing out on. Any recommendations?
Re: The best teacher I never had (2016)
#14I feel like I'm being very negative today, but it feels like this post gets more attention because Bill Gates has become somewhat of a celebrity and he wrote it. I'm not saying I dislike Gates, I'm not saying his celebrity status hasn't been earned, etc. Just saying the content itself is kind of...unremarkable? I feel like every friend I have from highschool absolutely loves Feynman, we all read and discussed his "Si…
Honestly, I wholeheartedly agree with you. His diction seems to be uninspiring.
"Bill would be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger"
-- Steve Jobs
Re: The best teacher I never had (2016)
#15Re: The best teacher I never had (2016)
#16Discussed at the time: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10992651
Re: The best teacher I never had (2016)
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Honestly, I wholeheartedly agree with you. His diction seems to be uninspiring.
"Bill would be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger" -- Steve Jobs
Which is funny, since I consider Gates to be the broader of the two. Jobs's talent wasn't really breadth, it was intense, singular focus, and ability to distort reality around him. Gates doesn't have that, but breadth-wise he has it more than covered IMO.
Re: The best teacher I never had (2016)
#18"...While helping develop the atomic bomb at Los Alamos, he entertained himself by figuring out how to break into the safes that contained top-secret research..."
I did not know he helped develop the atomic bomb. That really nice to know that he helped the States obliterate thousands of people who did not need to die afterall.
Re: The best teacher I never had (2016)
#19I feel like I'm being very negative today, but it feels like this post gets more attention because Bill Gates has become somewhat of a celebrity and he wrote it. I'm not saying I dislike Gates, I'm not saying his celebrity status hasn't been earned, etc. Just saying the content itself is kind of...unremarkable? I feel like every friend I have from highschool absolutely loves Feynman, we all read and discussed his "Si…
Not unduly negative. For somebody who personally set software engineering back by two decades (people now actually believe computers failing is something normal and unavoidable), he has a lot of nerve giving advice.
Re: The best teacher I never had (2016)
#20"...While helping develop the atomic bomb at Los Alamos, he entertained himself by figuring out how to break into the safes that contained top-secret research..." I did not know he helped develop the atomic bomb. That really nice to know that he helped the States obliterate thousands of people who did not need to die afterall.
Many of Feynman's capers and eccentricities are covered in the book "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" It's a collection of his essays. I've actually noticed the title pop up a few times before in the comments here in HN. It's a fun read.