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- The Tragic Story of a Genius Schizophrenic Programmer 29/07/25 00:15 Terrence Andrew Davis (December 15, 1969 – August 11, 2018) Arizona State University (BS, MS) He knew assembly. TempleOS included the design of its original programming language, editor, compiler and kernel, and it ultimately had over 120,000 lines of code. And over 12 years, he built his own operating system, writing over 100,000 lines of code, because he believed that God told him to. With 100,000-120,000 lines of code you can have a kernel, video processing, grep, games. 640x480 16bit, single audio channel.
Tsoding Daily
0Mean1Sigma
Computer Graphics at TU Wien
The Coding Sloth
- 20 Programming Projects That Will Make You A God At Coding
Build your own
Implementing a Git clone for version control Algorithm visualizer HTTP server Read-Time multi-user google doc QR code generator
Nic Barker
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A New Programming Fundamentals Course Generated with
The speaker admits to being a poor student in both high school and university, attributing failures to a poor work ethic and a sense of giftedness that led to irresponsibility.
- Shift in Perspective: After working professionally and teaching others, a profound realization emerged: blaming oneself is less productive than understanding the learning process.
- Self-Analysis: The speaker began observing their own learning style, treating it as a puzzle to solve, leading to insights about how they absorb information.
The Learning Process as a Recursive Search
- Deep Dive Technique: When encountering unfamiliar words or concepts (e.g., on Wikipedia), the speaker employs a depth-first search approach:
- Clicks on unfamiliar terms, opening linked articles.
- Continues recursively if new unfamiliar terms appear.
- Implication: This recursive exploration mirrors programming algorithms and reflects a natural learning style—digging deep into interconnected ideas.
| Learning Approach | Description | Analogy | |------------------------|-----------------|--------------| | Depth-First Search | Exploring linked concepts recursively | Programming algorithm | | Surface Learning | Skimming or superficial understanding | Less effective for deep comprehension |
- Key Insight: Maximum learning occurs when the material is just beyond current understanding, aligning with the zone of proximal development.
The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
- Origin: Coined by Lev Vygotsky, ZPD describes the sweet spot where learning is most effective—just outside current capabilities but within reach with minimal effort.
- Application: The speaker realized that effective learning involves staying within this zone, which can be visualized as the edges of a web of ideas.
Learning as Dependency Resolution
- Concept: Complex ideas are built upon simpler ones. To understand advanced concepts, one must master foundational ideas first.
- Visualization:
- Ideas represented as nodes in a web.
- Arrows indicate building blocks from simple to complex.
| Knowledge Web | Description | |-------------------|-----------------| | Nodes | Individual ideas or concepts | | Edges | Dependencies or foundational links |
- Implication: Learning is most effective when new concepts are just beyond the current web, requiring dependency resolution.
Benefits for Learners
- For Beginners:
- Start from scratch.
- Build confidence with foundational knowledge.
- For Experienced Programmers:
- Gain low-level understanding.
- Deepen comprehension of how software operates.
Content Highlights
- Topics Covered:
- Machine code.
- Programming language internals.
- Software architecture.
- Hardware-software interaction.
Final Thoughts: Embracing a Thoughtful Educational Philosophy
- The speaker emphasizes that effective learning hinges on understanding human cognition.
- Key Takeaways:
- Learning is most effective when material is just beyond current understanding.
- Designing educational content that stays within the zone of proximal development enhances comprehension.
- Starting from first principles can unify diverse learners and eliminate gaps.
- Patience and persistence are essential, especially when creating foundational content.
Summary Table: Key Takeaways
| Concept | Explanation | Application | |--------------|-----------------|-----------------| | Depth-First Search in Learning | Recursive exploration of linked ideas | Deep understanding, not ideal for quick exams | | Zone of Proximal Development | Learning just beyond current ability | Design content to stay within this zone | | Dependency Web of Ideas | Building knowledge on foundational concepts | Structure curriculum to extend web gradually | | First Principles Approach | Teaching from the ground up | Create comprehensive, foundational series | | Adaptive Content | Recognizing varied backgrounds | Focus on flexible, layered explanations |