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Jurassic Park computer system in the browser

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Re: Jurassic Park computer system in the browser

#71

Post by d34b4c29 »

bch wrote: post #40
malux85 wrote: post #11

Wow! This is cool. The computers in Jurassic Park is what got me into programming when I was young. I saw their 3D weather overlay when the storm was approaching and thought "THAT IS IT!". I was 8 years old at the time. I was determined to learn and create that system - I started learning C, so that I could open and close files. I learnt OpenGL so that I could create the 3D scene. I learnt socket programming so that…

No, _your story_ is cool. Its amazing how dogged a kid with a vision can be. This sort of attitude and environment needs to be passed on to future programmers, and preserved in the current ones. Kudos.

I was just mad at how fat those kids started eating the gelatin while being chased by velociraptor everywhere.

Every aspect of that movie is NULL. Except for Jeff Goldblum

Re: Jurassic Park computer system in the browser

#73

Post by zeidrich »

NAFV_P wrote: post #30
malux85 wrote: post #11

Wow! This is cool. The computers in Jurassic Park is what got me into programming when I was young. I saw their 3D weather overlay when the storm was approaching and thought "THAT IS IT!". I was 8 years old at the time. I was determined to learn and create that system - I started learning C, so that I could open and close files. I learnt OpenGL so that I could create the 3D scene. I learnt socket programming so that…

> The computers in Jurassic Park is what got me into programming when I was young. I saw their 3D weather overlay when the storm was approaching and thought "THAT IS IT!". I was 8 years old at the time. I'm guessing you would be around 28-30 years old, so I'm a couple of years or more older ... but I started learning C when I was 31, currently I'm interested in stuff like parsers and data structures (I really should…

I'm 31. When I was 9, I wanted to copy Ultima, my dad had a copy of Visual Basic so I learned how to use that and made an RPG engine. When I was 11 or 12 I started getting frustrated with the performance of VB/QBasic (this is before we had Internet access, so reference material was sparse) but I had a copy of the programmer's guide to the IBM PC and PS/2 and managed to figure out how to use assembler to draw in mode 13h in BASIC. As I got on to be about 14-15, I started to try to use higher resolution modes and had real challenges with drivers, and moved on to using Pascal and C. I bought a Borland C++ package, it was hundreds of dollars.

My point to all of that is that, in the end, those experiences meant very little to me now. They were indicative of the kind of person I am, and they are pretty cool to look back on and brag about, but in the end, they don't really make me better at any specific programming task. If I were to have not had the same resources to try to do those things, I would probably not be significantly better or worse. I would have spent my time trying to take apart electronics or learning a language or something instead, developed my problem solving skills and semantic skills in other areas. Maybe a little bit less experience, but in the end I think I would not be significantly impacted.

The reason that people might fear that starting late holds them back is because they might not be the kind of person who, even with access to the tools and resources, would be interested in taking things apart and finding out how they worked to start with.

If you can say at this point that you're interested in stuff like parsers and data structures, then that's awesome. If you're interested in it and you want to learn more, you will learn more, and you will succeed. If on the other hand you are uninterested but think that programming is a smart career path, you'll probably do poorly.

Re: Jurassic Park computer system in the browser

#74

Post by aunty_helen »

malux85 wrote: post #23
dorfuss wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd love to see that! :)

me too, I want it back now! ... I was just remembering what a PITA it was programming when I was younger - no internet at home meant I had to read the code of similar programs to try and figure out how to do things. Every day I'd come home with a box of floppy disks full of open source programs to read, and satellite jpgs downloaded from the noaa website. later on I got internet access and that's when I hooked it up…

That moment you first experienced one of your townie friend's xtra jetstream...

Re: Jurassic Park computer system in the browser

#76

Post by doorhammer »

g0v wrote: post #60
doorhammer wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Warning: anecdotes and unsubstantiated speculation ahead Did you do any programming at all before 31? I don't think you're ever too old to do anything, personally. I was 26 (which isn't terribly old, admittedly, but definitely past the little kid age) when I talked to a friend who was a professional programmer and decided "huh, I like computers and solving problems. I'm going to do that." I hadn't programmed before t…

This is exactly my situation as well. I was always into computers when I was young but didn't really have access to any until high school. I always envied people that started learning how to code when they were kids, I still do. Like you, I always thought my chance to code had come and gone because I'd only ever heard of people that started when they were young. Like you, I always felt discouraged. A couple years ago…

Code Complete 2 [1] was one of the first coding books I've read. As with anything else, it's good to look around (HN is a good place) for people who have problems with the book. I think I learn as much reading the commentary people make about books like that as I do from the book itself.

I think I've listened to every podcast on software engineering radio a few times [2]. The older ones are especially nice because they usually pick a specific topic and cover the high points. I liked that I could listen to it while I was driving, or otherwise not in front of a computer.

It's specific, but Javascript: The Good Parts is probably the most used book I have on my shelf. It has such a perfect amount of usable information in it. It's pretty great. Again, it's definitely worth looking up critiques and counterpoints.

I've also got Introduction to Algorithms, which I use as a reference, sometimes. I switched over to The Algorithm Design Manual [5] after I saw it referenced in an older Steve Yegge post [6]. I read through the intro and it seemed like a book that would be more appropriate from an autodidactic standpoint. I really have no idea if that's going to pan out, since I'm not that far into it, but we'll see, for sure. Doesn't kill me to have an extra algorithms book laying about, though, and I've always got intro to algorithms for cross reference. I've found that I really need to have as many sources available as possible when I'm learning alone. Usually I don't get something until the fifth person describes it from the tenth different angle.

That's most of what I can think of off hand. I really enjoyed The Joy of Clojure [7], though haven't checked out the newer version. Programming Collective Intelligence [8] is a fun book, and is what made me want to go back down the maths route to get more into machine learning.

And of course habitually reading hacker news for an hour or three every night :)

So that's my totally inexpert list of random stuff that I enjoy

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Code-Complete-Practical-Handbook-Const... [2] http://www.se-radio.net/ [3] http://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Good-Parts-Douglas-Crockfor... [4] http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Algorithms-Thomas-H-Corme... [5] http://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena/... [6] http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2008/03/get-that-job-at-goog... [7] http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Clojure-Michael-Fogus/dp/161729141... [8] http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Collective-Intelligence-Bu...

Re: Jurassic Park computer system in the browser

#77

Post by yammada »

malux85 wrote: post #11

Wow! This is cool. The computers in Jurassic Park is what got me into programming when I was young. I saw their 3D weather overlay when the storm was approaching and thought "THAT IS IT!". I was 8 years old at the time. I was determined to learn and create that system - I started learning C, so that I could open and close files. I learnt OpenGL so that I could create the 3D scene. I learnt socket programming so that…

Nice!

I was lucky enough to have the pleasure of working with a few of the smart folks who were responsible for those weather visualizations.

They were created by a little known startup in Minneapolis, Minnesota called EarthWatch Communications. At the time they were creating 3D displays of weather data long before such visualizations were commonplace on every TV weather forecast.

Re: Jurassic Park computer system in the browser

#78

Post by sdfjkl »

michael_h wrote: post #57
angersock wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, good memories. SGI machines were beautiful, full stop.

I have an SGI Octane at home. It weighs 55 pounds .

It was also extremely repairable compared to modern computers. Everything was modular and upgradeable, including the CPU board, which just slid out of the machine on a lovely tray.

Re: Jurassic Park computer system in the browser

#79

Post by angersock »

sdfjkl wrote: post #78
michael_h wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have an SGI Octane at home. It weighs 55 pounds .

It was also extremely repairable compared to modern computers. Everything was modular and upgradeable, including the CPU board, which just slid out of the machine on a lovely tray.

And the forced-air cooling was a work of art!
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