Akir's recent activity
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Comment on Why should anyone care about low-level programming? in ~comp
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Comment on Why should anyone care about low-level programming? in ~comp
Akir Link ParentYears ago, Sun Microsystems released the VHDL source code for their UltraSPARC Niagara chips, which were offering something us computer plebs could only dream of; a computer capable of running 64...Years ago, Sun Microsystems released the VHDL source code for their UltraSPARC Niagara chips, which were offering something us computer plebs could only dream of; a computer capable of running 64 threads at a time. They claimed they were doing it for the future of commodity computers; some day we would have this at home! Imagine all of the things we could make our computers do!
Turning the browser into the platform feels like a step back from that dream. We have processors that easily outperform that design and instead of making massively parallel applications to take advantage of them, instead they take up so much ram that our massively overpowered systems can’t handle them all at once still. And it feels like when something happens that could make things faster or more efficient, it’s a guessing game when or even if any given application will ever see it.
But there is no use in crying over the death of a future that didn’t happen.
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Comment on What's the benefit of avoiding the debugger? in ~comp
Akir Link ParentMy experience is extremely nonstandard. I’m not working in tech right now, I’m doing a part time teaching job with young kids. I’ve always been doing my own thing with a small business so I had...My experience is extremely nonstandard. I’m not working in tech right now, I’m doing a part time teaching job with young kids. I’ve always been doing my own thing with a small business so I had somewhat more choice in how I would solve problems than others would have. I also got hired before I had any degree beyond high school and my university classes have all been after the fact. Most recently I had to take another “advanced Java” class (credit didn't transfer between schools) which did not cover debugging at all, but I couldn’t tell you if it was covered on any of the lower level classes.
In any case, I would say that for more than 90% of the kids I am teaching, the top-down method is necessary. They are literally kids, and for some of them having something that works, even if they do not necessarily understand how it works, is the single thing making them come to class. But those kids are also not training for reality; they are doing it for the romanticized ideal of programming they and their parents have for it. Nobody is expected to have a job after taking our classes; at the most they will just have an easier time when they get to college.
One pattern that is becoming increasingly apparent is that when we exhaust our Python curricula, students tend to take Java classes, and those who do have something of a dice roll for how well they will get it. Generally, if they are students I have taught Python to, they do extremely well and we blast through it, which I credit to my approach of trying to expose some of the inner workings that Python hides from the programmer.
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Comment on What's the benefit of avoiding the debugger? in ~comp
Akir Link ParentNo, what I mean is that if I call a method that has a checked exception, you, the programmer, must manually handle that exception or Java will refuse to compile your code. It’s an imperfect tool,...No, what I mean is that if I call a method that has a checked exception, you, the programmer, must manually handle that exception or Java will refuse to compile your code. It’s an imperfect tool, though, as as long as you catch that exception it will pass regardless of if you actually handle it.
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Comment on Why should anyone care about low-level programming? in ~comp
Akir Link ParentTo be fair to the author, “ten years ago” would have been 2013, not 2005. I also think that you are probably thinking of a different kind of reliability from the author. No, our systems are not...To be fair to the author, “ten years ago” would have been 2013, not 2005. I also think that you are probably thinking of a different kind of reliability from the author. No, our systems are not having faults, but our web applications are failing constantly in both big and small ways. Yesterday I logged into Hoopla and no images would load at all. Other times service interruptions cause an application to be available to everyone on earth. But even in this context I think that things seem to be at least slightly more reliable today than they were a decade ago because most of those applications are now built on much more mature frameworks. I’m not entirely sure if that would have been the case in 2023 when this talk was given.
I honestly believe that one of the biggest problems in the programming meta when it comes to onboarding is the lack of having a singular authority on how things are done. The fact is that good tooling often does exist for low level programming! It’s just that it’s often hard to bring things together. For instance, I was interested in learning 6502 assembly a little while back and came across 8bitworkshop, a web based integrated suite of tools for writing software for retro computers that actively compiles code for you as you type and will let you poke into any piece of memory with extremely in-depth debugging tools. The hardest part was finding the actual documentation and lessons! It’s not as if they didn’t exist, it was that there wasn’t a comprehensive, authoritative source to look to. In the end I found a book from the 80s on archive.org that was supposed to teach Commodore 64 assembly to an audience of kids.
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Comment on Why should anyone care about low-level programming? in ~comp
Akir LinkBoy, is it depressing that knowing how to build a desktop application is considered to be “low level” these days. Heck, the way the author talks about it, JavaScript’s direct DOM manipulation APIs...Boy, is it depressing that knowing how to build a desktop application is considered to be “low level” these days. Heck, the way the author talks about it, JavaScript’s direct DOM manipulation APIs are low level! It’s very tempting to push back against this framing, but it’s one of those things that just kind of feels innately true at this point in time. Nobody seems to care about desktop applications at all at this point.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
Akir Link ParentI’ve had these days for sure! Don’t beat yourself up. You ate because you needed the food - either physically or mentally. You just had a learning experience, is all.I’ve had these days for sure! Don’t beat yourself up. You ate because you needed the food - either physically or mentally. You just had a learning experience, is all.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
Akir Link ParentI’ve had the same exact thing happen to me. The good thing is that while I have been avoiding the gym, I’ve finally been able to at least get more active. Having an annual pass to theme parks...I’ve had the same exact thing happen to me. The good thing is that while I have been avoiding the gym, I’ve finally been able to at least get more active. Having an annual pass to theme parks actually really helps because I get killer walks in. Today is a theme park day for me and I am currently at about 20K steps and about 5/3rds of my daily calorie expenditure goal. That’s a pretty good thing because I have had so many days of bed rotting that my Apple Watch has been urging me to reduce my goal by 200 calories! Fuck that, I’m gonna do better!
Mine is actually compounded by an injury to a rotator cuff that happened right before this, so it’s been going on a bit longer and I’m still not doing all the weight training that I used to do. But I’m building up my joints so I can start putting on muscle again.
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Comment on What's the benefit of avoiding the debugger? in ~comp
Akir Link ParentI never learned any debugger while I was taking University classes with Java. There are a couple bigger reasons why it makes sense to learn Java at uni: it was extremely influential, which means...I never learned any debugger while I was taking University classes with Java. There are a couple bigger reasons why it makes sense to learn Java at uni:
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it was extremely influential, which means that what you learn in it will transfer fairly easily
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it is object-oriented to the core, which means that when they start covering OOP concepts they will have already been instantiating objects and using methods.
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it’s low level enough to make sure that a student can learn about how a computer stores data without having to deal with memory management. Additionally, static typing helps to illuminate errors that can feel opaque to students starting out.
But it all depends on your teaching philosophy. The main reason why colleges might teach programming with Python or JS is because it allows a student to produce working code first; a “top down” approach where atudents learn the lower level concepts only after covering higher level concepts.
I still have a Kneuth inspired belief that a “bottom up” approach is better. That is to say, teach the low level stuff first and build up. There are some very good reasons why few institutions do this: it’s not the most practical approach since the low level stuff isn’t terribly marketable for the majority of the tech job marketplace, and its also a pretty good way to make dropping out an appealing option.
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Comment on What's the benefit of avoiding the debugger? in ~comp
Akir Link ParentTypescript is basically a must have when I’m working in JS (which for my current situation is basically never). But one thing I sorely miss in other languages is the concept of a checked...Typescript is basically a must have when I’m working in JS (which for my current situation is basically never). But one thing I sorely miss in other languages is the concept of a checked exception. Basically if it’s possible or likely a method will cause an error you can use the throws keyword to force the method that calls it to catch the specific type of exception it could cause.
I’ve tried Swift. While it has a lot of features I think are cleaver and useful, I never really got the knack for it.
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Comment on Canada agrees to cut tariff on Chinese electric vehicles in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products in ~transport
Akir Link ParentI’ll also add to this that EVs have fewer wearable parts for their drivetrain, so while the depreciation is relatively simelar to ICE, the actual wear is slower, which makes used EVs a pretty good...I’ll also add to this that EVs have fewer wearable parts for their drivetrain, so while the depreciation is relatively simelar to ICE, the actual wear is slower, which makes used EVs a pretty good value overall.
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Comment on What's the benefit of avoiding the debugger? in ~comp
Akir Link ParentI’m not a huge fan of strictly functional programming, but I totally get the “if it compiles it runs” mindset. It’s actually one of the reasons why I still like writing code in Java vs Python or...I’m not a huge fan of strictly functional programming, but I totally get the “if it compiles it runs” mindset. It’s actually one of the reasons why I still like writing code in Java vs Python or JavaScript - or really just about any dynamic typed language, for that matter. Java doesn’t catch everything, of course, but all the boilerplate exists for a reason and it’s to help you, the programmer! That, plus it has perhaps the single best error catching system I’ve seen in any language in the form of its extremely robust and flexible exceptions, something I feel is often imitated but never really bested.
I should probably pick up Rust again and try to build something substantial this time around.
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Comment on What's the benefit of avoiding the debugger? in ~comp
Akir Link ParentI’m much the same way, but not being good at using a debugger can be a real setback when you work with complex systems. Fixing bugs in a video game, for instance, would be pretty much impossible....I’m much the same way, but not being good at using a debugger can be a real setback when you work with complex systems. Fixing bugs in a video game, for instance, would be pretty much impossible. But one of the things I try to teach my students as an important skill is simply trying to make in the code on their brain to find out why it’s not working. Only about a quarter actually “get” it though.
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Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement
Akir Link ParentIf you need a second monitor for diagrams, can’t you use your iPad? IIRC there are apps that you can use that will let you use it as a second monitor. And there’s always Bluetooth for comms. But...If you need a second monitor for diagrams, can’t you use your iPad? IIRC there are apps that you can use that will let you use it as a second monitor. And there’s always Bluetooth for comms. But you know you more than I do, so feel free to toss the suggestion.
I actually eyed that table for much the same reason. It was supposed to be our board Game Center, but in reality our dining room table is a multi-level storage center. 😅
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Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement
Akir LinkSince you want a separate game by and working PC, maybe consider getting a TV and hooking up the gaming PC to it. That way there is a very strong seperation of concerns. You may also consider...Since you want a separate game by and working PC, maybe consider getting a TV and hooking up the gaming PC to it. That way there is a very strong seperation of concerns. You may also consider getting a lap desk if you go this route.
The dining area is really small, so instead of getting a big dining table, consider a folding table instead, so you can have it small when you’re by yourself and can expand it when you have company. I’m rather enamored with the IKEA Norden gateleg table, which has the bonus of storage drawers in the center you can use for utensils and dining accoutrements or hobby stuff.
Your bedroom is huge in comparison with your living room! I don’t even know what I would do with it.
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Comment on Ian's Shoelace Site is still the best site for tying your shoes in ~tech
Akir LinkI checked out Ian's website and it made me realize that that type of website - the kind that gathers encyclopedic, high-authority, and wide-breadth information - is effectively disappearing these...I checked out Ian's website and it made me realize that that type of website - the kind that gathers encyclopedic, high-authority, and wide-breadth information - is effectively disappearing these days. I think there are probably a lot of them that still exist but because search engines (cough, google, cough) are getting crappier, we simply can't find them anymore. This is especially problematic because they often contain very niche historical information and may possibly be the only remaining resource to access that information. For instance, about a decade ago I had fancied the idea of making a hardware floppy disk emulator, and I had bookmarked a user's manual for an early Teac disk drive which was so detailed in it's descriptions that I could have used it as the sole document to achieve the project. I didn't end up doing it, but it's disappeared now and I have no clue where I could even find a repository of such documents.
The reason for these websites disappearing is multi-faceted, as the article states, but I think that the current AI boom has probably done more to accelerate their demise than any other cause. Not only do AI responses prevent people from clicking through to these websites, but people making AI spam websites are crowding the actual search results nobody can find those results. Even without AI spam sites, I think the extreme rise of SEO as an industry has gamed search algorithms so hard that they would often come up after a bunch of largely irrelevant results.
TL;DR: donate to Wikipedia.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Akir LinkI finally started watching Jujutsu Kaisen. I have to say that for me the entire show is being carried by the animation and the story feels like an afterthought. The characters are rather poorly...I finally started watching Jujutsu Kaisen. I have to say that for me the entire show is being carried by the animation and the story feels like an afterthought. The characters are rather poorly developed and it kind of just throws a tournament arc right at you practically at the beginning. Granted I am not one to get into Shonen battle anime generally.
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Comment on How I stopped cooking breakfast every day - baked oats in ~food
Akir Link ParentHave you tried making your own? Furekake is basically a glorified spice mix. A good mix option might be something like shredded or powdered nori, red pepper, and sesame seeds, but you can...Have you tried making your own? Furekake is basically a glorified spice mix. A good mix option might be something like shredded or powdered nori, red pepper, and sesame seeds, but you can customize to your personal preference.
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Comment on Apple to partner with Google for Gemini access on iPhones, Apple Intelligence to power on device assistant in ~tech
Akir Link ParentThere's actually one bit of context that Siri remembers, and that's the name of someone you last sent a message to. If you tell Siri to "Tell Jimmy hi" and then "tell him to meet me at six today",...There's actually one bit of context that Siri remembers, and that's the name of someone you last sent a message to. If you tell Siri to "Tell Jimmy hi" and then "tell him to meet me at six today", it will know who "him" refers to.
That being said, it is the only example of this which I have seen.
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Comment on What private companies are you happy doing business with? in ~talk
Akir Link ParentA while ago I saw a video comparing multiple fast fashion brands and how they do business. It's kind of interesting because they said that UNIQLO was basically the only company who operates...A while ago I saw a video comparing multiple fast fashion brands and how they do business. It's kind of interesting because they said that UNIQLO was basically the only company who operates vertically. Most fashion companies will design their products and then contract foreign manufacturers to make them for them, or in the case of more modern iterations like Shein and Temu, they let manufacturers sell semi-directly via their marketplace. UNIQLO, on the other hand, prefers to own the production process, which allows them to better maintain a standard of quality.
I've always wanted to try their clothes, but because they are a Japanese company and their sizes are small, I haven't even bothered to step foot into any of their stores.
I would also say that there are a lot of applications I wish were available outside of web apps, such as the VIA configuration tool.