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The Virtual Reality of John Carmack
- prezjordan 11y ago> "I embrace the mundane work and find insights while exploring it." I love this quote. I'm still early in my career, and unfortunately find myself focusing far too much at the big picture and becoming overwhelmed by it. Any tips for "embracing the mundane"?
- gdubs 11y agoRead Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
- chadgeidel 11y agoI've asked this question before on HN and was down voted mercilessly, so I'll try to rephrase. Why does everyone point to Zen as such a significant work? I've tried to read it on 3 separate occasions now, and I'm not "getting it". I'm fully willing to be completely wrong about this, but it frustrates me that Pirsig focuses so much on what I read as "the absolute value of quality" when - IMHO, it's merely a relative term. I get the point he's making early in the book about "doing it yourself" vs "buying it", but as the book goes on I get more and more frustrated with what appears to me to be the central premise. Can you point me to a "guide to reading 'Zen'" or something similar which can show me where I'm going wrong?
- glibgil 11y agoWhy don't you just finish reading the book or just leave it alone? I understand there are books that are hard to read, but this is very much a do-or-don't thing. How can we help you finish a book? Just read it or don't. Edit: I'm getting down-voted so let me put a fine point on it. Reading a book is a pretty low risk commitment. You could be reading dozens of a books a year. The book we are talking about is considered to be a "great American novel" and less risky still. No one should have to convince you to finish it. If you don't like it enough to finish it, then don't bother. http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/ http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/
- chadgeidel 11y agoI'm not down voting you, but you didn't actually answer my question. I didn't ask for help to finish the book. I asked for perspective why it's a "great novel".
- glibgil 11y agoI know, but the idea of struggling with a book? Can't you just think about it after you finish reading it?
- zardo 11y agoYou can't just hold the entirety of the massive brain dump that is a novel in your head at once. You have to stop and think along the way. Or at least, I do.
- jschwartzi 11y agoBecause problem solving isn't finding the right action so much as finding the right perspective.
- GFK_of_xmaspast 11y agoAgree with 'dozens of books a year' but there are thousands and thousands of good books out there and one has to triage.
- radiorental 11y agoI think there might be some insight in this video that might help you put a deeper perspective on the book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xg5O0l7ybY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xg5O0l7ybY (specifically the quote about playing music)
- keithflower 11y ago> Can you point me to a "guide to reading 'Zen'" or something similar which can show me where I'm going wrong? "Guidebook to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance": http://www.amazon.com/Guidebook-Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance/dp/0688060692 http://www.amazon.com/Guidebook-Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenan... Both Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and the Guidebook are highly recommended. Just read.
- chadgeidel 11y agoThanks! This is exactly what I was looking for!
- TheGrimDerp1 11y agoThere is a series of excellent talks on youtube by a guy named Alan Watts from the early 50s - highly recommend.
- kragen 11y agoMaybe it's not that you don't get the book; maybe you just disagree with it to such an extent that it infuriates you, just as its author disagreed with Plato.
- ninkendo 11y agoIMO the whole "metaphysics of quality" thing needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt. As you find out later in the book, he actually was diagnosed as schizophrenic (and went through electroshock therapy as a result), and it becomes pretty clear throughout the book that his whole thesis doesn't actually make any sense, and is more the ramblings of an insane person. There's a few insights to be taken from the book but I largely agree with you that after reading it a few times, it's not worth the praise that it gets.
- gdubs 11y agoWithout going to deep into the book (which to be honest is one of the most difficult books I've ever read), I was thinking here of a passage in which he describes fixing his engine and paying close, mindful attention to every step. He makes a comment about how the next great invention could come from an observation about the most mundane thing -- and I really believe that to be true. Some of the best ideas come when we're in the midst of flow in our work. Realizing that the mundane details of our work hold a lot of beauty -- when we really slow down and pay attention -- is a liberating idea.
- sremani 11y agoZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance felt esoteric for me. My recommendation is "So good that they can't ignore you", much more straight forward and actionable.
- adventured 11y agoWith it being understood that what works varies a lot from person to person - I've found that doing one thing I really like, and one thing that's mundane, works for me. Over the course of a project, if you consistently make progress against the mundane, by the end there usually isn't much of a wall of it left. It's a compromise with myself, this way I avoid doing nothing but mundane work in a long-stretch. When I was ~20 years old I'd make the mistake of pushing the mundane work off to the end, so all that I had left at that point was work I didn't enjoy. That made it a miserable grind to get to launch.
- radiorental 11y agoI would not discount big picture thinking, that skill on the right team is invaluable. Taming the beast is the challenge. Regarding being overwhelmed, there are a number of tricks. I recommend 'climbing the mountain one step at a time', keep a regular cadence and move on to a different task if you find yourself stalled. I wrote some thoughts here http://www.pauric.net/blog/?p=430 http://www.pauric.net/blog/?p=430 Regarding finding insight in the mundane, I recommend listening to the BBC audio article and watching the Google Talk video I link to here: http://www.pauric.net/blog/?p=171 http://www.pauric.net/blog/?p=171 Finally, if you're a dev - the ability to see the woods for the trees is going to serve you well over the long run. A lot of good devs lack in this area, but it's something that can dig a team out of a hole. edit: apologies, the bbc podcast I referred to is gone. If I find a copy I'll update.
- ArekDymalski 11y ago>I wrote some thoughts here http://www.pauric.net/blog/?p=430 http://www.pauric.net/blog/?p=430 The post is really nice, however the linked images at inside.mathworks.com are gone.
- radiorental 11y agoThank you, will asap
- yourapostasy 11y agoIf you like eating sushi, then watching the documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" might resonate enough to help you gain some insight into this passion for finding contentment in what appears mundane to the outsider.
- jakejake 11y agoI feel that as you are plugging away on what many might consider "boring" programming tasks, you become inspired to write your code more cleanly, efficiently, faster as well as automate things and improve your process. If you are focused on one little mundane thing, you have time to really think it over and explore all of the possibilities. I find that creative people will find a way to be creative no matter the task, so nothing is ever really boring. As you do this with more and more little, boring things, before you know it you will have developed a mastery of your craft.
- MrZongle2 11y agoMy favorite quote from the article: “A lot of people, especially from California, say, ‘Texas? Why the hell are you in Texas?’ But I am generally happy to wave the flag and say, ‘No, I am not here under duress.’ I actually like it here. And we appreciate the sense of the Southern hospitality. You don’t get the sense that everyone needs to be coddled and taken care of. You get the sense of gumption.” This is why many of us live in "flyover country".
- vonmoltke 11y agoNow, if only he could convince them to move some of their hardware work here... :P
- macspoofing 11y agoI agree in principle, but why does that end up being embodied by the likes of Rick Perry and GW.
- sremani 11y agoRick Perry was a good governor, he does not get enough credit for roping in the number corporations to Texas. I understand the Corporate Welfare argument, I have to say though in spite of his political rhetoric, Rick Perry is a good governor. GW, on the other hand rode the wave of Republicanization of Texas, because the blue-dog democrats were severely marginalized by the National party. Texas is a very diverse state and the metro areas in Texas are more vibrant and diverse than a typical East Coast metro. Its not Texas that is backwards, but the people who are stuck up with their mental image of Texas.
- eghad 11y agoWhere's your evidence that the fact that Perry was the governor was a key factor (if at all) in the success of Texas during his time in office? I doubt his position in office did little to contribute to the Texas remaining economically prosperous during the recession (economic diversification and energy profits were primary factors). Additionally, while Texas does have an diverse makeup, it takes little advantage of the fact (my money would be on how segregated those metros are [1]). One of the most impressive things about Houston and Dallas is the fact that they have so many cultures with so little culture of their own. There's nothing outright offensive about them (beyond maybe sprawl and corporate culture), but compare them to other major metros and they're just simply adequate. If you're not looking at Austin stick clear if you're in your 20s and early 30s, but if you're starting to settle into things it does rise above the image most hold of it. [1] http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/08/us/census-race-map.html http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/08/us/census-race...
- gashad 11y ago"“It was a binary thing,” he says matter-of-factly. “We didn’t get into suborbital space within the 10 years; thus it was not a success.”" I had to read that sentence twice. I saw "binary" and didn't think 10=ten.
- hkailahi 11y agoBinary outcome - a success or not a success
- brayton 11y ago> "No, he would not leave Texas, he said. In fact, as a condition of his acceptance, he said Oculus would have to open an office in Dallas—which it has since done." Power move
- 6stringmerc 11y agoNo kidding. They're hiring a Software Engineer according to their website. I'll have to keep checking back if there's ever anything I might be qualified for, like the Office Admin. I'm not joking! It's in my professional background!
- reneherse 11y agoYou should make contact, get on their radar, and apply anyway. Lots of times available jobs never make it to a job board, but are given to people already in the common network. Go for it!
- 6stringmerc 11y agoThanks for the positive encouragement! Also the valid point about never knowing what opportunities may exist. I think I'll reach out using their available channels and do just that, make an introduction, see if anything might come about. I don't intend to waste their time, but I'd love a foot in the door, so to speak!
- bitmapbrother 11y agoIf you're ever offered an Office Admin position at Oculus VR be sure to mention that one of your conditions is opening an office in Hawaii.
- sosborn 11y agoI live in Hawai‘i so yes, please do this :)
- Ocerge 11y agoMasters of Doom does a good job detailing his logic in refusing to leave north Texas. Cheap cost-of-living and warm climate were his original reasons IIRC. Even though he could live wherever he wants, he's still extremely practical.
- 6stringmerc 11y agoEverything John Carmack says he likes about Dallas is what I like about Dallas, and absolutely hated about Austin. I purposefuly fled Austin to return to Dallas years ago. There's something unique in the independent spirit in this area, and it persists year after year. I'm exceptionally pleased at his reasoning, and may quote some of his verbiage when appropriate.
- kzhahou 11y agoWhat didn't you like about Austin?
- 6stringmerc 11y agoI'll just go with a running list not in any real particular order, because each of the factors can overlap: Overly saturated music scene making it difficult to get paid, overly saturated labor market (students) making it difficult to get modest employment, terrible traffic congestion, quickly rising cost of living, and, this is the hardest to describe, an atmosphere permeating the place of superiority mixed with some of the worst customer service I have witnessed. Basically, instead of complaining about those things which I noticed over the course of a couple/few years of being there for an obligation, I left, and I'm happy I did.
- elevenfist 11y agoSo basically like San Francisco, except with a lower cost of living and possibly with better food
- 6stringmerc 11y agoHaving visited San Francisco for a good stretch, I can affirm there are some parallels. The weather in Austin is a bit more to my liking though. San Fran does have the plus of being within driving distance of ocean beaches though, and I can't claim Texas or Austin has anything equivalent.
- Ocerge 11y ago
- baby 11y ago> In fact, as he continues he leans forward and seems on the verge of standing up I always stops on sentences like this one and admire the writing.
- Animats 11y agoWe should have the technology to do VR acceptably now, although display technology and tracking technology both needed an upgrade. The problem remains, what do you use it for? If there's a killer app for VR, it hasn't been invented yet. Also, the headgear needs to be far less clunky. Samsung is making progress in this area. The Oculus Rift is as bulky as some of the 1990s headgear.
- boriselec 11y agoWhat is good (and inexpensive) kit to start doing things with VR?
- alexrkass 11y agoGoogle Cardboard (or one of the many versions thereof- I prefer the C1 Glass)