Here's a question for Gilbert.

How do you write human centered-systems for humans that can't follow simple instructions.

Yeah! I remember the first time I tunneled into a cave system, not realizing that some forgotten beasts can fly. Well naturally one flies up after a couple of years and starts breathing poison clouds everywhere. All my dwarves are running around and completely freaking out and I just can't stop laughing hysterically watching the devastation. I've never experienced that in a game before...

In most of my jobs, HR hires normal humans. The vast majority of them don't particularly enjoy programming. Most of them got into it because they heard it was a good salary. Some of them are pretty good at it, some of them aren't. Maybe 5% of the programmers I've met will go home and write more code because they enjoy it and have their own projects they want to do. Seems to me that with a small bit of training, a normal human CAN do programming and do it reasonably well if they put their mind to it.

They also seem to have an above-average chance to push management to jump on some new framework bandwagon because they think that will solve all their problems. To be a really good programmer, you have to know how to program, understand the processes that you're automating with your code and realize that no silver bullet will allow you to NOT understand the processes that you're automating. If you don't understand what you're trying to do, you're not going to do it very well.

If you go by Github followers, Linus is pretty up-there. Linus and Stallman aren't great just for their programming abilities; their capability to manage their projects so effectively is a huge factor in their success.

If you have a vibrator in your luggage you'll have a better-than-average chance of being asked to turn that on, too. If you pack the biggest one you can find in your carry-on right next to your cell phone, they might not even notice your cell phone.

It turns out that self-awareness is an illusion of a couple of smallish blobs in your brain, without which you would be no smarter than the average computer? Seems like it ought not to be terribly difficult to make a computer think it's self aware too, then.

A problem for who, meatbags?

Glad we didn't have this in the 70's. I don't think my sister or I would have survived the beating.

Captain America Statistics Song

I suppose. He's rather melodramatic at times, but I suppose it's fitting for that genre.

It seems to me that it's awfully close to breaking the terms of the license under which Linux is published. Perhaps the copyright holder should demand that Qualcomm cease and desist using Linux.

I know a couple of people who can't stand quiet. There has to be a TV, radio or conversation going on constantly. I wonder what terrible thoughts must creep in the moment silence descends. I figure it must be like what Eric Cartman sees when he closes his eyes.

Yeah one of the pilots I talked to told me that, too. I've watched a couple of shows from ridge-lines around here and that works out pretty well, but they're still kind of against the sky from there. Still seems like something I'd like to try once, even if it doesn't work out that well. I've always liked the city lights from altitude at night, anyway.

I used to very much enjoy setting off amateur fireworks. Now I think the damn kids are going to burn down the neighborhood.

The last few years I've thought it would be awesome if I could watch the fireworks from a small private plane. This year I found a company that will rent me a plane, but couldn't find a pilot on short notice. Next year I'm going to try to get a smaller plane and recruit a pilot well in advance.

What's eating you?