October 19, 2005
In article <dj5sks$29oa$1@digitaldaemon.com>, JT says...
>
>Right on, I was a Mode-X addict! I havent had as much fun since I was plugging VGA registers. Its funny - I met Abrash at Microsoft and acted like a giddy schoolgirl talking to him about how cool mode x was - he gave me this funny look and said "yah Im glad we dont have to do that crap anymore"
>

Yikes, I woudn't have expected that at all.  Although I must admit, if we had something better that ran under DOS in 1994, I would've used it.

>Kinda like santa claus telling you toys are lame.... :D

You got that right. :(

For those following this thread who haven't heard of Mr. Abrash: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Abrash

For what its worth, his "Graphics Programming Black Book" is available online
(yup, the whole thing):
http://public.planetmirror.com.au/pub/gpbb/

Unlike most 3-inch bookends these days, that book is cover-to-cover content; no fluff.  Just cruise the table of contents.  Trust me, its worth reading.

- EricAnderton at yahoo
October 19, 2005
In article <pan.2005.10.19.19.11.11.622034@sneakemail.com>, =?iso-8859-1?q?Knud_S=F8rensen?= says...
>
>On Wed, 19 Oct 2005 22:42:29 +0800, zwang wrote:
>>
>> Why don't you write a program to perfect your score? :)
>
>No, coding where my old life now I have taken the red pill and is learning to rewrite reality while I am fighting the machines.

Hah :-)  For what it's worth, the ideas behind "The Matrix" have been around for Quite A While.  Plato's Allegory of the Cave is one of the earliest versions, and Descartes Malevolent Demon idea is almost a perfect template for the movie script.  The idea has been refined even further in more recent postmodern texts (Baudrillard's "Simulacra and Simulation" being a notable reference), but those texts tend to be absurdly complex for the relatively straightforward ideas they espouse--it's fairly obvious which philosophers were mathematicians and which were not just by measuring the clarity of their published material.

>I got 100% on this matrix test: http://www.newstarget.com/gullibility.html

They should rename it "The Cynicism Test" and be done with it ;-)


Sean


October 19, 2005
Walter Bright says...
>
>The nerd test at http://www.nerdtests.com/ft_nq.php scores me at 90%, or "Supreme Nerd."

Walter, I am a proud to say that we scored the same, 90%.

"Your Score Summary

Overall, you scored as follows:



10% scored higher (more nerdy), and 90% scored lower (less nerdy).

What does this mean? Your nerdiness is:

Supreme Nerd. Apply for a professorship at MIT now!!!."

I think what killed me was having more than 15 good friends. :-)

jic




October 20, 2005
Walter Bright wrote:
> The nerd test at http://www.nerdtests.com/ft_nq.php scores me at 90%, or
> "Supreme Nerd."

I got amazed. I expected 75% and got 99. At first I definitely was not going to publish it here, but since some others got the same score, I thought, what the heck.

Still, I'm surprised, I never thought I'd score that high (hmm, is high the right word at all here?)

I do regularly use an HP-28S, HP-95LX, and two(!) HP-25 calculators. And an excellent RPN calculator (oh yes, and it's a cracked version) on my Palm Vx. But still, 99! And I wasn't pushing it, rather I answered conservatively on eg. computer hours, magazines and such. But then again, I answered BASIC for Not a Real Programming Language.

On the other test I scored 8, but that's boring compared to Nerdom!
October 20, 2005
"Walter Bright" <newshound@digitalmars.com> wrote in message news:dj3kau$30ts$1@digitaldaemon.com...
> The nerd test at http://www.nerdtests.com/ft_nq.php scores me at 90%, or "Supreme Nerd."

Only 63%.. I will have to say, it's pretty much what I expected.  Yeah, I like programming and computers and all, but I'm not a D&D-playing-cheeto-munching-thick-glasses-and-obsessed-with-anime kind of nerd.  I'm a.. a trendy nerd ;)  I think that's a geek?

Something odd I've noticed about nerds (including myself) - why is it that they always seem to need glasses, braces (or headgear), or (like in my case) both?  What is it about nerdiness that gives way to irritating physical malformities?  I mean, the stereotypical nerd wears thick glasses and has big teeth.  What's up with that?


October 20, 2005
In article <dj8l2p$2pe9$1@digitaldaemon.com>, Jarrett Billingsley says...
>
>"Walter Bright" <newshound@digitalmars.com> wrote in message news:dj3kau$30ts$1@digitaldaemon.com...
>> The nerd test at http://www.nerdtests.com/ft_nq.php scores me at 90%, or "Supreme Nerd."
>
>Only 63%.. I will have to say, it's pretty much what I expected.  Yeah, I like programming and computers and all, but I'm not a D&D-playing-cheeto-munching-thick-glasses-and-obsessed-with-anime kind of nerd.  I'm a.. a trendy nerd ;)  I think that's a geek?
>
>Something odd I've noticed about nerds (including myself) - why is it that they always seem to need glasses, braces (or headgear), or (like in my case) both?  What is it about nerdiness that gives way to irritating physical malformities?  I mean, the stereotypical nerd wears thick glasses and has big teeth.  What's up with that?

Personally, I think its the other way around.  I've always viewed 'nerdyness' as orthogonal to being social (and hence 'unattractive' in some way... the two go hand-in-hand) simply because it's so damn time consuming.  You learn to focus your efforts elsewhere.

Also, they don't call it 'reproduction' for nothing.  People that esteem intellect on par or above physical beauty in a mate are, well, bascially asking for that same priority of traits in their offspring.  Upbringing plays a big part here too, as I've met plenty of dumb, half-blind people out there.

Its worth noting that there are many unfortunate souls that aren't artistically inclined, good with their hands or blessed with a hefty intellect that are just as 'socially handicapped'.  The result is not everyone who fits the aforementioned stereotype falls into the 'nerd' category.  IMO, this where the schoolyard bullies, delinquents, punks and freaks (I happen to skew toward this group myself) fit into the picture.

Of course its all conjecture from over here; I really need to read up on the topic before I go throwing more ideas around.  I'm sure somone has figured all this stuff out already. :)

- EricAnderton at yahoo
October 20, 2005
"pragma" <pragma_member@pathlink.com> wrote in message news:dj8o59$2t51$1@digitaldaemon.com...
> Its worth noting that there are many unfortunate souls that aren't
artistically
> inclined, good with their hands or blessed with a hefty intellect that are
just
> as 'socially handicapped'.

I have noticed, however, that everyone is good at something. Those that do discover and capitalize on it do well. Some people are good with kids. I know a woman who has ADD, annoys the heck out of adults, can't keep two thoughts together. But she's a marvel at drawing out kids with speech impediments.

For another example, I played a musical instrument for 5 years. Much as I enjoyed it, it was pretty obvious to all that I had no talent, and there was no future in it for me. Why bash your head against a brick wall? <g>


October 20, 2005
"Walter Bright" <newshound@digitalmars.com> wrote in message news:dj90jc$4r0$1@digitaldaemon.com...
>
> "pragma" <pragma_member@pathlink.com> wrote in message news:dj8o59$2t51$1@digitaldaemon.com...
>> Its worth noting that there are many unfortunate souls that aren't
> artistically
>> inclined, good with their hands or blessed with a hefty intellect that are
> just
>> as 'socially handicapped'.
>
> I have noticed, however, that everyone is good at something. Those that do discover and capitalize on it do well. Some people are good with kids. I know a woman who has ADD, annoys the heck out of adults, can't keep two thoughts together. But she's a marvel at drawing out kids with speech impediments.

Good point. Where I'm from (north western Scotland) there's a surprising amount of latent/hidden talent; often manifested in perhaps "obscure" ways. Of course, there's also plenty folk there who are /exceptionally/ good at imbibing alcohol ~ in gargantuous quantities. The talent there lies in always managing to somehow get home: staggering through river and mountain as required, whilst cursing the sky :-)


> For another example, I played a musical instrument for 5 years. Much as I
> enjoyed it, it was pretty obvious to all that I had no talent, and there
> was
> no future in it for me. Why bash your head against a brick wall? <g>

As long as you enjoyed it; right?

Speaking of which ~ I received a truly outstanding hand-built guitar today [an Ed Roman QuickSilver, for those who know it]. A Cocobolo & Ebony work-of-art that Pragma would probably appreciate. I've always been intrigued by the relationship/overlap between music and programming ~ I mean, in my limited experience, it seems like engineers often have a noted musical interest. Anyone have an idea why that might be? Are musicians Nerdy?


October 21, 2005
Kris escribió:
> 
> Speaking of which ~ I received a truly outstanding hand-built guitar today [an Ed Roman QuickSilver, for those who know it]. A Cocobolo & Ebony work-of-art that Pragma would probably appreciate. I've always been intrigued by the relationship/overlap between music and programming ~ I mean, in my limited experience, it seems like engineers often have a noted musical interest. Anyone have an idea why that might be? Are musicians Nerdy? 
> 
> 

There might be a relation, but not in the same degree for everyone. I've read many of you guys have said you play different instruments, or sometimes even sing. I love music. I can't work without it, but I don't play anything, I can't create anything that sounds good, and I surely can't sing. But give me music, please.

-- 
Carlos Santander Bernal
October 21, 2005
"Carlos Santander" <csantander619@gmail.com> wrote in message news:dj9i94$jf4$1@digitaldaemon.com...
> There might be a relation, but not in the same degree for everyone. I've read many of you guys have said you play different instruments, or sometimes even sing. I love music. I can't work without it, but I don't play anything, I can't create anything that sounds good, and I surely can't sing. But give me music, please.

I'm musically inclined as well.  I played the clarinet for several years; I never got very good at it, though, but mostly because I never practiced it. I did manage to take first chair for two years in high school.  I also sing, and almost made it to state-level competition in my second year of singing (last year).  I was two places away from going to states.  I'm a second bass.

The funny thing is, even though I'm musically inclined, I can't come up with a song to save my soul.  I find that in many areas of my life - I have skills, but I'm not creative enough to come up with any way to apply them. :(