Variety - a silly taskbar program that changes my background randomly from my own selected sources with added random quotes. I have it set to change my background every 3 hours and the quotes every hour I think. I just can’ live without it anymore.
Emacs users laughing at VIM users.
Emacs - A pretty good OS you can use as a text editor.
You for got to mention the free and heavily discounted prices to get Mac computers into schools to get kids hooked on them. Which is something they still do to this I think.
Not really. As a former math teacher, I used to have kids do speed drill quizzes very similar to that elements chart drill a couple times a week. As in how many basic facts, (addition, subtraction. multiplication and division), with the correct answer can you do in one minute. There are just some basic skills you really need to learn and master before you can move on and learn how to blow things up.
The point of the quiz was not to expect you to get them all correct all the time or even get to the end of the quiz, (I was aiming for 30 correct answers in that one minute out of maybe 60 or 70 problems). But the idea was to build a very basic skill set for you. And so that you wouldn’t be afraid of the numbers, (this is a real stress point for students), and to lessen the fear of learning and adding to your skills by eliminating the stress of where to start. If you confidently know what 7x3 is, that’s one less detail you need to work out and worry over when doing a math problem, (another stress point for students).
Education methods sometimes seem dry and useless and even mean to a young student. But they do actually have thought and reason behind the why a teacher might do something. I could never be bothered to try and teach you something that was pointless. I simply didn’t have the time for that kind of effort. Nor do the vast majority of teachers in a classroom.
But before you can look it up, and I’m all for it, you need to know something is possible. That’s what education does for you.
I have nothing against calculators. But I have taught some elementary and jr high school math classes in my old a feeble age. The “why can’t we use calculators” and " what do I need to know this for" was a constant whinge I had to listen to and deal with.
Why I want you to know how to solve a quadratic equation isn’t because that’s what you are going to do for the rest of your life. But rather, I want you to see something like that in the far future and go “Oh, I know what this and that it isn’t gibberish. And I can whip out that smart phone I got and google it to find the howto steps to solve it.” And I want you to acquire the discipline to learn things. Besides, just knowing what 7x3 is, makes everything else so much easier to learn in math. That removes fear and stress point and builds the confidence to tackle more complex ideas.
I probably own more calculators than most here. So, I’m all for them. And I did always allow any student to use a calculator in class. I would just hand you a slide rule…(and yes, I’m that old to have used them in class as a kid and I still own a couple). But, when I was teaching, I really wanted my students get their fingers dirty with the numbers themselves and to learn how those numbers work. While getting the correct answer is very important, as a teacher, I was perhaps less concerned with the correct answer and more concerned with HOW you got that answer. Because if you know what you did to get that answer, you are far more likely to get the right answer than the wrong answer.
In the end, I think education needs to be approached from the idea of making learning more fun. No matter the subject. Sadly, that’s a very difficult trick for any teacher in the typical class room to accomplish.
I have nothing against calculators. But I have taught some elementary and jr high school math classes in my old a feeble age. The “why can’t we use calculators” and " what do I need to know this for" was a constant whinge I had to listen to and deal with.
Why I want you to know how to solve a quadratic equation isn’t because that’s what you are going to do for the rest of your life. But rather, I want you to see something like that in the far future and go “Oh, I know what this and that it isn’t gibberish. And I can whip out that smart phone I got and google it to find the howto steps to solve it.” And I want you to acquire the discipline to learn things. Besides, just knowing what 7x3 is, makes everything else so much easier to learn in math. That removes fear and stress point and builds the confidence to tackle more complex ideas.
I probably own more calculators than most here. So, I’m all for them. And I did always allow any student to use a calculator in class. I would just hand you a slide rule…(and yes, I’m that old to have used them in class as a kid and I still own a couple). But, when I was teaching, I really wanted my students get their fingers dirty with the numbers themselves and to learn how those numbers work. While getting the correct answer is very important, as a teacher, I was perhaps less concerned with the correct answer and more concerned with HOW you got that answer. Because if you know what you did to get that answer, you are far more likely to get the right answer than the wrong answer.
In the end, I think education needs to be approached from the idea of making learning more fun. No matter the subject. Sadly, that’s a very difficult trick for any teacher in the typical class room to accomplish.
It wasn’t about wanting to know about photosynthesis, the original question was really about the oxygen tanks. Kids very often are looking for a simple answer. Even though the real answer is far more complex.
As a Dad who helped raise 4 Daughters, (a CPA, a Triage Nurse, PHD Mech Engineer, and a Computer Forensic Expert for the FBI), teaching at home is a crucial part of parenting. Beyond offering a wide variety of materials to learn from, (we built a library of books that filled my office), and being ready to answer those oxygen tank questions, you need to show and make asking those questions and learning from them fun.
Or perhaps try ungoogled chrome if you enjoy Chrome.
It’s become a meme now. And I certainly don’t take it seriously myself. It’s more in fun to me as anything serious. (I don’t use Arch by the way).
If you can’t joke about yourself about something you do, then you may have a problem and should perhaps consider some therapy perhaps.
And it has gone exactly nowhere either hasn’t it. Nor do those techbros want the legal and moral responsibilities that come with an actual licence to pass the boards.
I think the vast majority of people understand that already. They don’t understand just what all those gadgets are for anyway. Medicine is largely a ''blackbox" or magical process anyway.
The hypesters and grifters do not prevent AI from being used for truly valuable things even now. In fact medical uses will be one of those things that WILL keep AI from just fading away.
Just look at those marketing wankers as a cherry on the top that you didn’t want or need.
I’m running Fedora 40 Atomic Budgie on a little micro desktop for fun right now. IMO, it’s not quite ready for prime time just yet. I do appreciate the simple ability to roll back at boot if something does go wrong. I’ve done it once after an update and it was nice. The next day a new update was pushed to fix the error in the update and on I went on my merry way.
On the other hand, there is a general sluggishness and a feeling of malaise to the system as time goes on. It’s not a show stopper. But it does not spark joy either. Budgie ran a whole lot faster and smoother as a “standard” install. And I’m not installing a lot of extra software and they are all installed as Flatpaks or I have 3 pieces installed as appImages. So it’s all just updates.
The real test will come when Fedora shifts from 40 to 41 and I upgrade the distro. Will it be as “immutable” as they brag about.
Ahhh, I remember my days of wearing the sackcloth and ashes of Slack. I would go back to that purity. But I’m now old and far too lazy.
You are of course correct. I just didn’t want to get too far off on a tangent. So I left that for you to teach. ;)
If you look at the shooting records complied by the FBI, for civilian self-defense where shots are fired, in the majority of encounters 4 or less shots are fired. At that point, everyone is running away like they got somewhere else to be or they are down and bleeding out. Because, as it turns out, no one wants to get shot. So a 6 shot revolver is still actually pretty viable for self-defense. Hell, a brace of flintlock pistols might be enough…
In any case, no matter what gun you choose, you are correct - get training, practice, practice, practice. And always remember that if it ever actually comes down to it -You only have one job. Survive the encounter to get away. That’s it.
While much depends on how a weapon fits and feels while using it, an honest appraisal of your abilities and your commitment to practice and where you think you will use that firearm for defense.
While the .357 magnum is still considered the best “one shot man stopper” round even yet today, the bulk and weight of a revolver chambered in .357 coupled with the heavier recoil makes it less appealing to most shooters. Plus it is a lot more expensive to practice with. The current standard handgun thinking is 9mm is the correct choice. It’s popular with militarizes around the world because it’s cheaper to make and it’s easier to train raw recruits in a reasonable amount if time to be at least adequate in it’s use. That also tend to hold true for civilians.
A “nightstand gun” vs “carry guns” is another issue. A home defense gun that doesn’t get carried can be larger and heavier than one you might want to regularly carry. Carrying a pistol can be a pain in the ass after a long day.
Think about where you might need to use that gun. A home defense gun in an urban area or inside an apartment, over penetration is a serious issue. A lot of rounds can easily go through walls and kill someone sleeping on the other side. The .357 is one of them and 9mm is not a lot better either. Oddly enough, the 5.56 rifle round, when tested, tends to penetrate walls less often than many self-defense handgun rounds - YMMV. An AR15 could be the safest choice for many.
My personal choice for a self-defense handgun is a 9mm SIG P365XL, (no safety version). It fits my XXL hand very well, points naturally when acquiring the target, and I like the flat trigger and sights. My wife prefers the S&W 9mm EZ, (manual safety plus grip safety). She likes the fit and the slightly less muzzle flip between shots.
I prefer Trabant.