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∑ Xah Code

xahlee.info

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Re: ∑ Xah Code

#51

Post by kebman »

dTal wrote: post #50
kebman wrote: post #31

POV-Ray <3 Been a while since I used that. I think it's a shame that they stopped developing it. They say things are better, but are they really? The scripting language for it is really cool IMHO.

POV-Ray has a special place in my heart. For the vast majority of artistic tasks, Blender is a hugely superior environment that will produce better images, faster. And you can generate meshes to import into Blender with OpenSCAD if you really like CSG. It doesn't have the precision of raytracing the mathematical specification directly, but you don't really need that ever. However, for certain very narrow categories o…

I really like the scattering media, and the mathematical figures you can do with it, such as 3D Julia fractals and noise patters to model really rough "stony" surfaces that aren't just bump maps. On top of that I don't think I've found a better way to generate various patterns and textures, even for simple 2D work. It's just such a versatile set of tools you almost wouldn't believe it's free! And the fact that it's entirely scripted (unless wysiwyg megapov etc) just makes it better IMHO. It's a scripting-first modelling language, and I really, really like that. With that comes things such as inverse kinematics and gravity (for animations) without having to learn specialized GUIs or buy expensive software.

Re: ∑ Xah Code

#53

Post by justinhj »

dvdkhlng wrote: post #36
dotancohen wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just use Evil, the VIM emulation layer.

> Why not just use Evil, the VIM emulation layer. To cite Xah [1]: "xah-fly-keys.el is a modal editing mode for emacs, like vi, but the design of key/command choice is based on command frequency statistics and ease-of-key score. Most frequently used commands have most easy keys." I can confirm, that the amount of work on the hands is extremely reduced with xah-fly-keys vs. vanilla emacs (depending on where you put th…

This really disregards the compositional aspect of vims commands

Re: ∑ Xah Code

#54

Post by DonHopkins »

He's an eccentric antisocial gadfly who write lots of interesting opinionated stuff about esoteric philosophical, technical, political, and emacsual topics that I enjoy reading about, can't find any where else, and a lot of which I agree with.

I'm fond and respectful of his work, but he will never convince me that Emacs Visual Line Mode a not an Evil Tool of Satan sent to suck our Precious Bodily Fluids by breaking our Beloved Keyboard Macros and Trusty Type-Ahead. But I do love it that he cares so much, no matter that he's on the side of Evil.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28187525

Re: ∑ Xah Code

#55

Post by galaxyLogic »

xoa wrote: post #9
kleiba wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://xahlee.info/emacs/emacs/_p/KickbanXahLeeFromEmacsChan...

He was banned from HN long ago too. Random long-ass thread he started on the Python un back in 2009 about this stuff I had saved an archive of for some reason: https://www.mail-archive.com/python-list@python.org/msg23603... He even replies for once further down in typical style complete with a classic Also, thanks to many supporters over the past years. Truly Your Superior, Xah Like, yeah he is likely somewhere on th…

> Truly Your Superior

I've often wondered why programmers seem to have such big egos. I've come up with a possible explanation:

It is nearly impossible to explain your program to a non-programmer. Therefore you easily get the feeling that you are smart and they are not. You understand something they don't and most of them seem to be incapable of understanding it even if you try your best to explain it.

Re: ∑ Xah Code

#56

Post by tzot »

twic wrote: post #40
zasdffaa wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> an infamous troll on comp.lang.lisp Are you perhaps confusing him with Erik Naggum, cos there just happens to be a post on HN about Erik right now. And Erik could be something special when a fuse blew!

No, Xah was a troll. He trolled on groups i read, too - comp.lang.java.programmer or comp.lang.python, or both.

I remember him in comp.lang.python (IIRC for a couple of years after 2000).

Re: ∑ Xah Code

#57

Post by DonHopkins »

I can't comment on Xah's web page so I'll comment here about this photo of Richard Stallman at MIT dancing:

http://xahlee.info/emacs/misc/Richard_Stallman_at_MIT_dancin...

Xah asked: is this image fake? ErgoEmacs asked: it'd be interesting to know what he's holding.

That's definitely real! It's RMS, distinctly recognizable by his prancing pose. He tends to just prance in place like that all the time, while swirling his hair with his fingers.

It looks like he's in Building NE43 (545 tech square) probably on the 9th floor in the machine room of the MIT AI Lab where he slept, holding the hand of Rodney Brooks' robot "COG" in his right hand.

MIT Robot Cog Moving Its Arms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWjWzDzfLBo

MIT's Cog (1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbZ9_rUZZMA

Here is RMS a few years later, with a little more beard, holding a gerbil wrapped in duct tape:

https://www.donhopkins.com/home/catalog/images/jsol-rms-gerb...

From COG's point of view, here's a photo of Henry Minsky taken from COG's video camera, with a look of trepidation about sacrificing his Dakin Bear to make s "plush" robot:

https://imgur.com/gallery/Rt43H

Re: ∑ Xah Code

#58

Post by adityaathalye »

marvel_boy wrote: post #11

I did not know about how terribly is that: Famous Programers with Repetitive Strain Injury http://xahlee.info/emacs/emacs/emacs_hand_pain_celebrity.htm... Seems that Emacs is no good in excess!

I don't have RSI, but I've felt strains and transient pains from time to time after hyperfocus computering.

For me three things help a lot, to keep things "normal".

1. Avoid typing in the first place (seriously, avoiding the "Repetitive" bit is useful). Lots of typing stuff for me is thinking / revision stuff. So I do that in my head or on paper / whiteboard.

2. Put Ctrl under my thumbs as the lord intended https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space-cadet_keyboard so no Emacs Pinky.

3. Use chording for moving around / yank / kill etc. I also use Vim, but separately. Maybe EVIL will give similar results.

But "methods to not need to type" category of stuff is probably the main thing for me.

Also as some others note, "using body and strenghtening it" category of stuff is also fundamental to my, ah, process.

IMHO strain injuries are rooted in mechanical imbalance as much as they are rooted in overuse.

(Edit: added more detail, clarifications.)

Re: ∑ Xah Code

#59

Post by sph »

galaxyLogic wrote: post #55
xoa wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He was banned from HN long ago too. Random long-ass thread he started on the Python un back in 2009 about this stuff I had saved an archive of for some reason: https://www.mail-archive.com/python-list@python.org/msg23603... He even replies for once further down in typical style complete with a classic Also, thanks to many supporters over the past years. Truly Your Superior, Xah Like, yeah he is likely somewhere on th…

> Truly Your Superior I've often wondered why programmers seem to have such big egos. I've come up with a possible explanation: It is nearly impossible to explain your program to a non-programmer. Therefore you easily get the feeling that you are smart and they are not. You understand something they don't and most of them seem to be incapable of understanding it even if you try your best to explain it.

Programmers aren't the only ones doing intellectual work or that requires some kind of talent or knowledge, making them feel smart. Thus they are not the only ones with big egos (I could think of doctors, artists, musicians, physicists, university lecturers, politicians, celebrities, etc.)

Unless thinking only programmers have a big ego is a result of this big ego :-)

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