4 ms·

Man, I was hoping for books. The YC staff book recommendations are usually good. As it is, there is nothing of value on this list. Most of these are absolute r

Man, I was hoping for books. The YC staff book recommendations are usually good. As it is, there is nothing of value on this list. Most of these are absolute rubbish. But most outstandingly rubbish is Vidcode. It claims to teach code to teens/tweens, but speaking as one myself, this looks like the same kind of condescending, manipulative, "we be down with the kids, yo" crap that attracts teens the same way that a man covered in shit attracts high society. Look, if you're going to try to attract teens, or any group, to coding, don't try to look hip, or trendy. Treat them like they're regular people (not just a bunch of cretins that you have to stick sparkles in front of every five seconds to keep their attention), give them real tools, and allow them to attain the knowledge to build what they want to build. That's what works. And how do I know that it works? Because that's what I got, when I decided I wanted to learn programming. That's what countless kids got in the 80s, where children would, through self-motivation, learn assembler, and type in opcodes by hand. And maybe those people are the minority. In fact, they almost definitely are. But you'll never get the majority, because the majority doesn't care. Making things that look like they're designed to appeal to an insipid stereotype won't change that.

dang 10y ago
> It claims to teach code to teens/tweens, but speaking as one myself I'll cut you some slack for that reason, but you need to (re-)read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and nip that internet rant thing in the bud ("the same way that a man covered in shit attracts high society"?) if you want to continue commenting here.
- qwertyuiop924 10y ago
  Yeah. Sorry dang. I'll go re-read that now, seeing as I quite clearly need of a refresher. And there's no need to cut me slack for my age (although it's nice of you to do so): I broke the rules, and I'm responsible for my actions. Just like any other member of HN. Twice in three years is too many times to have to say this to you. bows head in shame
  - exolymph 10y ago
    Bummer that your apology got downvoted, since this is a gracious response to being called out. Kudos. We've all been jerks on the internet — the key is learning how to curb that behavior, which it seems like you're doing pretty well.
    - qwertyuiop924 10y ago
      >Bummer that your apology got downvoted That trend has reversed. Dramatically. I suspect your comment has something to do with it. As for why I wrote GP in the first place, it's an important part of qwerty's code of internet interactions (yes, I have a private code of internet behavior: so do you, most likely, whether or not you've formalized it. And yes, I made up that name on the spot. It sounds pretentious, but it needed a name so I could reference it, and all the others souded equally pretentious. So there you go): "If you were wrong (whether in your argument, or in your manner), then take the appropriate action, whether that be an apology or a concession. Do so graciously: There is no shame in being wrong. There is shame in refusing to admit it, or accepting it poorly. They're words to live by. And you can trust me on that, because I've lived by them (or tried to), and it pays off. Was I irritated about a product aimed at my demographic, and how dramatically it missed the mark? Yes. But that doesn't excuse my expression of that anger.
umanwizard 10y ago
I'm not sure why this is so badly downvoted. Maybe the forced "covered in shit" metaphor was over-the-top but otherwise this is spot on. I'm 27 which I guess counts as an adult but I certainly clearly remember that everything explicitly marketed towards kids or other varieties of "dummy" always felt forced and condescending to me when I was younger.
- qwertyuiop924 10y ago
  I definitely should have gone for a different metaphor on that. I thought a lot about how to do that, and in retrospect, I didn't pick the right choice. Hindsight truly is 20/20. But no doubt a big part of why I got downed so much is because dang reprimanded me (and rightfully so!). If the admins have something, anything bad to say about it, most people don't want to say anything good.

dang 10y ago

> It claims to teach code to teens/tweens, but speaking as one myself I'll cut you some slack for that reason, but you need to (re-)read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and nip that internet rant thing in the bud ("the same way that a man covered in shit attracts high society"?) if you want to continue commenting here.

qwertyuiop924 10y ago
Yeah. Sorry dang. I'll go re-read that now, seeing as I quite clearly need of a refresher. And there's no need to cut me slack for my age (although it's nice of you to do so): I broke the rules, and I'm responsible for my actions. Just like any other member of HN. Twice in three years is too many times to have to say this to you. bows head in shame
- exolymph 10y ago
  Bummer that your apology got downvoted, since this is a gracious response to being called out. Kudos. We've all been jerks on the internet — the key is learning how to curb that behavior, which it seems like you're doing pretty well.
  - qwertyuiop924 10y ago
    >Bummer that your apology got downvoted That trend has reversed. Dramatically. I suspect your comment has something to do with it. As for why I wrote GP in the first place, it's an important part of qwerty's code of internet interactions (yes, I have a private code of internet behavior: so do you, most likely, whether or not you've formalized it. And yes, I made up that name on the spot. It sounds pretentious, but it needed a name so I could reference it, and all the others souded equally pretentious. So there you go): "If you were wrong (whether in your argument, or in your manner), then take the appropriate action, whether that be an apology or a concession. Do so graciously: There is no shame in being wrong. There is shame in refusing to admit it, or accepting it poorly. They're words to live by. And you can trust me on that, because I've lived by them (or tried to), and it pays off. Was I irritated about a product aimed at my demographic, and how dramatically it missed the mark? Yes. But that doesn't excuse my expression of that anger.

umanwizard 10y ago

I'm not sure why this is so badly downvoted. Maybe the forced "covered in shit" metaphor was over-the-top but otherwise this is spot on. I'm 27 which I guess counts as an adult but I certainly clearly remember that everything explicitly marketed towards kids or other varieties of "dummy" always felt forced and condescending to me when I was younger.

qwertyuiop924 10y ago
I definitely should have gone for a different metaphor on that. I thought a lot about how to do that, and in retrospect, I didn't pick the right choice. Hindsight truly is 20/20. But no doubt a big part of why I got downed so much is because dang reprimanded me (and rightfully so!). If the admins have something, anything bad to say about it, most people don't want to say anything good.