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Ask HN: What Are You Learning?

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Re: Ask HN: What Are You Learning?

#82
6502 assembly language for the Atari 2600 (which actually uses a 6507). I've always wanted a lower level understanding of computers, but it took childhood nostalgia to finally motivate me. I also enjoy reading about the original engineers from Atari, Activision, Commodore, etc, so it's been rewarding to dabble in that world.

Re: Ask HN: What Are You Learning?

#83
Not learning anything just yet, but there’s quite a few things I’ve been wanting to learn when I get the time:

• I’d quite like to learn how to do ‘low-level stuff’, particularly microcontrollers — I rediscovered an old Arduino which I’ve had some fun playing around with. I particularly want to get to the point where I can write low-level Forth code and flash it to the microcontroller. Also, I should learn assembly language at some point, but it’s proving difficult since I’m on Windows.

• Relatedly, I want to learn the basics of electrical engineering. My physics degree has given me a good overview of the underlying concepts, but I still can’t even design a basic circuit for my Arduino.

• I have very little knowledge of how the networking stack works, so I’m thinking of getting myself a Raspberry Pi and learning how to build and host my own website.

• Wrt linguistics (a favourite subject of mine), I’d like to learn more about morphosyntactic alignment, specifically split intransitivity and alignment in person marking. I have a whole stack of papers stored up which I’d like to read.

• Time management — I feel like I have so much time but am wasting most of it.

Luckily, university vacation started this week, so I may even get enough time to learn some of these!

Re: Ask HN: What Are You Learning?

#85
post #74

I am going through SICP. I have just begun. I am learning more about Transformers architecture and modern NLP using the Hugging Face API. Building a computer from scratch using nand2tetris on Sundays. Learning to meditate following a detailed meditation guide. This has been working better than I expected. Going on and off with learning classical music online (with a piano). Learning German. I am primarily focused on…

What's the meditation guide you're following?

Re: Ask HN: What Are You Learning?

#86
I'm learning to solve differential equations with analog computer techniques. I don't have access to an electronic or mechanical analog machine, only simulations, but I find simulations quite flexible and enjoyable. There are a lot of great books from 50's and 60's on the topic.

Re: Ask HN: What Are You Learning?

#88

6502 assembly language for the Atari 2600 (which actually uses a 6507). I've always wanted a lower level understanding of computers, but it took childhood nostalgia to finally motivate me. I also enjoy reading about the original engineers from Atari, Activision, Commodore, etc, so it's been rewarding to dabble in that world.

Sounds interesting! What resources are you using to learn?

In case you haven't seen it already, http://8bitworkshop.com/ provides an online IDE.

Re: Ask HN: What Are You Learning?

#89

To sleep on my back. Being a life-long side sleeper has caused a lot of shoulder and upper back problems that sometimes make it hard for me to reach out and type. I wish I'd done this ages ago. It's one of the hardest things I've had to learn.

My wife and I have tried this, but it causes each of us to snore intermittently. Did you contend with snoring as you learned to sleep on your back?
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