QuamStiver's comments

QuamStiver | 6 years ago | on: Interface Builder's Alternative Lisp Timeline (2013)

Nice timeline! As the author of “Action!”, I’ve mused over the years at the poor quality of interface tools / environments. I’m happy to say that Apple is on to something with “SwiftUI’. They have completely rethought out a declarative UI, kept it quite interactive, and made it much easier to build quality IOS applications.

QuamStiver | 6 years ago | on: Depression and suicide linked to air pollution in new global study

Nothing was more depressing than growing up in LA in the 1970s, lungs hurting, and 30% of PE classes cancelled because of smog. I remember looking at the sickly yellow light casting this disgusting puce sheen on the asphalt. The city was all I knew, and I hated it. Once a year we would go up to the Eastern Sierra and I felt released, natural, like this was how the world should be. Returning home to the smog and traffic was a depressogenic gutpunch.

QuamStiver | 6 years ago | on: Beginner's Guide to Linkers (2010)

Similar to this, can anyone recommend a good book on linking/loading? I'm mostly looking for something about the process in Linux, but a general reference to common techniques would also be an interesting read. Bonus points if it was published this century.

QuamStiver | 7 years ago | on: In Bubbles, She Sees a Mathematical Universe

She doesn't look disheveled to me. Are you sure you aren't just doing the predicable? Using stereotypes to talk about mathematicians and commenting on women's "looks" before ever getting to what is important? Waste of words. If you want us to know her, maybe something about her other interests instead of what you think of wearing Birkenstocks. My 17 year old wears Birkenstocks. They are hot right now.

QuamStiver | 7 years ago | on: Hello world: Shining a light onto the culture of computer programmers

I've been coding professionally for almost three decades, and the pursuit of elegant solutions makes up about 1% of my paid work. The rest of the time I'm fighting constraints: time, money, available resource, risk, all the usual. Very rarely does professional software engineering leave room for art, IMO.

QuamStiver | 7 years ago | on: Lessons learned: writing really long fiction

I will note that basic Buddhism and the Gnosticism appear to agree.

The first noble truth of Buddhism can either be rendered as "suffering is inevitable," or "life is unsatisfactory." In my limited understanding of Gnosticism, The other three truths are that suffering is caused by a misunderstanding of our essential nature, that liberation from this suffering is possible, and that there's a path anyone can follow to attain this liberation.

In Gnosticism (per Wikipedia) that all matter is evil, and the non-material, spirit-realm is good. There is an unknowable God, who gave rise to many lesser spirit beings called Aeons. The creator of the (material) universe is not the supreme god, but an inferior spirit (the Demiurge). Gnosticism does not deal with "sin," only ignorance. To achieve salvation, one needs gnosis (knowledge).

Look kinda similar, do they not? While there's no evidence that Buddhist thought directly created Gnosticism, Buddhism had been around for a few centuries by the time Gnostic Christianity appeared, and even though there weren't many Buddhists in the Roman empire, there were Buddhists in Afghanistan by around the time of Alexander, and some of the monks were known to be Greek. I'd also point out that Mani (creator of Manichaeism) cited both Jesus and Buddha as inspirations. Anyway, long story short, these ideas were percolating throughout the civilized world in later classical times, so I'm not surprised that some Christians tried to incorporate them in their practices. Same thing happens today, for instance with the "Jubus" (Jewish Buddhists).

QuamStiver | 7 years ago | on: Graphene-based sieve turns seawater into drinking water (2017)

What is it about every HYS in the Science section that attracts the population control nutters? We all add one to the total. Those screaming for our numbers to be reduced fail to notice a small part of the solution to the problem every time they look in the mirror.

QuamStiver | 7 years ago | on: Weekend ‘catch-up sleep’ is a lie

The food analogy does not work and is a good example of people talking outside their area of expertise. Dieting on weekdays and "pigging out" once on pizza (what's wrong with pizza?) on the weekend would actually be fine. There is no evidence that food is like sleep and needs to be balanced on a daily basis.

QuamStiver | 7 years ago | on: Heat Your House with a Water Brake Windmill

I am curious about the potential for a hybrid wind turbine (clutchable):

Generate electricity during peak hours (high price) / Generate storable heat during off-peak hours.

Or would it be better to generate e-power all the time if the turbine is capable of it?

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