Ah, so you count addition/subtraction on your fingers and do multiplication by iteration? Or do you mean that you didn't bother to learn the operations the way that school taught you and learned them piecemeal as you needed them? If it's the first case, I'd say that you're an idiot. If it's the second, well, to each their own, but I'd say that you still rote-memorized the tables, just in a less-structured way.

In general, I agree that rote memorization doesn't lead to education in a useful sense, but you're deluding yourself if you think that it's absolutely avoidable in all cases.

RTGs are commonly used for interplanetary satellites. That was the first use that came to mind, for me.

If you expect not to be tied to a calculator for life, then there are some facts that need to be memorized. The three things that come immediately to mind: the addition/subtraction tables, multiplication/division tables, and the order of operations (i.e. PEMDAS). The concepts for each of those topics are simple, but I get daily use out of the tables that I rote-memorized in grade school.

Beyond that, I'd agree; generally, rote memorization is harmful, and when you get into real mathematics, those facts aren't as useful. I don't see math as the real reason that we teach arithmetic, though. It's useful to be at the grocery store and easily know how much you're going to be paying total if you're buying 4 items at $6.49 and 5 at $2.37. If you disagree about the purpose of memorizing those facts (for most people), or the usefulness (in daily life) of having memorized them, then I'm not going to try to convince you. Your replies sound like you're just trying to be contrary, anyhow.

What are you talking about, specifically? On every Android device I own, connection to Google services is optional (if you're willing to flash the OS), and an internet connection is no more necessary to use the functions of the device than it is on iOS devices.

I suspect that the article and summary are inaccurate. There's a factory reset button on the Chromecast, and it from the description of the device, it's just de-authing the CC from the network it's connected to, configuring it to connect to the Pi, and sending a command to display a link. I've used that button to delete the config and set up the CC at a friend's house, and none of the text descriptions on this story make it sound like the Rickmote is doing anything else.

And then someone comes up with some kind of outlier use case that exceeds the requirements of "good enough", and sometimes that use case becomes more and more common over time. "Good enough" is constantly redefined.

Out of curiosity, what drove you to try going back to school, after successfully starting a career?

I've got four in a ceiling fixture that were there when I bought the place 4 years ago. They take time to "warm up", but never flicker or buzz, that I can tell. They took the same amount of time back then as they do now, so my guess is that they were just early-ish models that were designed to look like incadescents. I've got two in nightstand lamps, which get power-cycled perhaps a half-dozen times a day, and have been going for 3-4 years so far. I've got a couple more in standing lamps that I don't remember when I installed, and one being used as a porch light that's just been there about 8 months.

I've had fairly good experiences with CFL bulbs, it's interesting to see how many people have had much more negative ones. I guess I've been lucky.

Which three scripting languages are you choosing as "the" three?

I identify with your school experiences, although maybe not in as extreme a way; I could generally muddle through rote memorization to a certain degree, but my retention was terrible. The understanding was left behind when the specifics faded away...

Anyhow, for me, the "picture" exists, but it's more tactile than visual. There are visual aspects, but it's not how I process most of the information. Loops are spinning wheels when they don't have a clear exit condition, and feel like unrolled spirals when they're "for" loops going over specific ranges. Algorithms seem like they have a size/weight, which corresponds to my idea of how quickly they'll run on a given set of data (although it's not always accurate, yet).

If I don't remember how a section of code works internally, it feels hollow, and when I read the code, it's like looking inside the black-box. If I change something outside the box, I feel the domino effect, and when it hits the box, I need to look inside to see what'll fall over. I can also feel like threading some string through the eye of a needle, when I'm running some value up through a class hierarchy, or something.

I think that the important insight is that a lot of us become very skilled at constructing mental models of what we're working with, and gain some sort of sensory perception (often vision-related) of how the model functions. I think it's telling that (in my case) the world falls away from my perception when I'm working through a complex problem, and closing my eyes sometimes helps, as well.

OP specified old software, new hardware. Sticking a VM (and accompanying modern OS) as a compatibility layer between the two seems sensible, and not necessarily in contradiction of "the rules". OP also mentioned using ARM-based hardware to run their X86 software. My guess is that they're just throwing words at the wall to see what sticks, and that they'll be happy with whichever solution will let them run their older software.

It sounds like the end goal is to run their older software, though. That should be possible, provided library dependencies can be worked out (and emulation of any direct hardware access).

If the goal is to run a complete older system on new hardware, emulation in some form is the best bet. Running the old OS directly on modern hardware isn't likely to be feasible (without extensive modification to the old OS).

Except that CreatureComfort wasn't arguing what the money *should* be spent on, they were arguing that in the case that the most desirable things don't get funded, that at least we aren't funding the *least* desirable things. Essentially "the new status quo isn't bad enough that I can be assed to fight it". You're putting words in their mouth that are strikingly different than what it sounds like they intended.

I routinely deny apps their updates because I don't like their modified list of permissions. This sounds like it'll make it harder for me to use my phone the way that I want to (which is the reason that I decided against an iOS phone in the first place). Google, you're whittling down my reasons to stay with your devices (or at least with the stock OS).

"Elsewhere" doesn't sell in bulk or at Costco's prices, while also paying their employees better than most large chain stores. And the Kirkland brand is pretty good, all around.