4 ms·

Hacking Education

22 points by messel 17y ago

Alex3917 17y ago
For what it's worth, Squidoo is about to release a feature which makes it very easy to create the kind of lens that Brad links to at the top of the post. So far I've made lenses like this on three conferences by hand: http://www.squidoo.com/hacking_education http://www.squidoo.com/hacking_education http://www.squidoo.com/the99percent http://www.squidoo.com/the99percent http://www.squidoo.com/blogwell-ny-2009 http://www.squidoo.com/blogwell-ny-2009 They each took 3+ hours, but with the new module it should be quick and easy. The conference organizers love these things, so once the new module launches if there are any conferences you want to go to then let me know and I'll try to get you in for free if you agree to make one for them. I think we'll run it like wikinews where you have to make one or two good quality ones and then we'll give you a press pass. (I still need to run this by the Squidoo staff again, so no promises, but I'll try.) Of course you won't be able to submit them to the HN queue because Squidoo lenses are still banned, but such is life.
stcredzero 17y ago
A real education involves playful tinkering. The example of the AMV creator brings this to like. Also, I really only grokked Assembly Language after I discovered Core Wars.
- Chocobean 17y ago
  Thanks for introducing me to Core Wars! Always wanted to learn assembly, so an abstracted version in a game format is exactly what I need to get started! Any such initiatives for Lisp.....?
  - stcredzero 17y ago
    Look up Koza's work with Genetic Algorithms. There are lots of little "game worlds" about the same complexity as Core Wars.
glen 17y ago
Here's a question for you guys: If there was an easy platform to teach others, do you think there would be enough collective interest in putting together lessons/courses on programming? We at www.nixty.com are building out this platform and there are obvious areas where there will be pick up (homeschooling, skill development [ie., photoshop] etc.), but for a while now I've been wondering if hackers would actually collaborate and create a sort of Hackers U. There is a guy who frequently posts/links on HN to different lessons on learning python and other languages. I think that is great, so it is nice to see some initial movement in this area.
- Chocobean 17y ago
  I think that's the idea behind answers.com ask.com and instructables.com and wikipedia. People have a lot of free time, hackers included. I think a central hub where senior hackers can teach younger hackers is a noble and profitable idea. So receiving content for free will be the easy part. The hard part will be sorting through the 50 entries for how to start programming in Python and the 5000 entries for best text editors to use.
  - glen 17y ago
    Yes, there definitely has to be an integral community moderated system, so that the best content rises.
    - Chocobean 17y ago
      incidentally, isn't that Joel Spolsky's Stack Overflow?? Although the emphasis on SO is answering questions, as opposed to instruction material on how to learn a certain technology.
- endtime 17y ago
  What would this offer that isn't already freely available on e.g. iTunes U?
  - glen 17y ago
johnnybgoode 17y ago
Here is the related post from yesterday: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=607234 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=607234

22 points by messel 17y ago

For what it's worth, Squidoo is about to release a feature which makes it very easy to create the kind of lens that Brad links to at the top of the post. So far I've made lenses like this on three conferences by hand: http://www.squidoo.com/hacking_education http://www.squidoo.com/hacking_education http://www.squidoo.com/the99percent http://www.squidoo.com/the99percent http://www.squidoo.com/blogwell-ny-2009 http://www.squidoo.com/blogwell-ny-2009 They each took 3+ hours, but with the new module it should be quick and easy. The conference organizers love these things, so once the new module launches if there are any conferences you want to go to then let me know and I'll try to get you in for free if you agree to make one for them. I think we'll run it like wikinews where you have to make one or two good quality ones and then we'll give you a press pass. (I still need to run this by the Squidoo staff again, so no promises, but I'll try.) Of course you won't be able to submit them to the HN queue because Squidoo lenses are still banned, but such is life.

stcredzero 17y ago

A real education involves playful tinkering. The example of the AMV creator brings this to like. Also, I really only grokked Assembly Language after I discovered Core Wars.

Chocobean 17y ago
Thanks for introducing me to Core Wars! Always wanted to learn assembly, so an abstracted version in a game format is exactly what I need to get started! Any such initiatives for Lisp.....?
- stcredzero 17y ago
  Look up Koza's work with Genetic Algorithms. There are lots of little "game worlds" about the same complexity as Core Wars.

glen 17y ago

Here's a question for you guys: If there was an easy platform to teach others, do you think there would be enough collective interest in putting together lessons/courses on programming? We at www.nixty.com are building out this platform and there are obvious areas where there will be pick up (homeschooling, skill development [ie., photoshop] etc.), but for a while now I've been wondering if hackers would actually collaborate and create a sort of Hackers U. There is a guy who frequently posts/links on HN to different lessons on learning python and other languages. I think that is great, so it is nice to see some initial movement in this area.

Chocobean 17y ago
I think that's the idea behind answers.com ask.com and instructables.com and wikipedia. People have a lot of free time, hackers included. I think a central hub where senior hackers can teach younger hackers is a noble and profitable idea. So receiving content for free will be the easy part. The hard part will be sorting through the 50 entries for how to start programming in Python and the 5000 entries for best text editors to use.
- glen 17y ago
  Yes, there definitely has to be an integral community moderated system, so that the best content rises.
  - Chocobean 17y ago
    incidentally, isn't that Joel Spolsky's Stack Overflow?? Although the emphasis on SO is answering questions, as opposed to instruction material on how to learn a certain technology.
endtime 17y ago
What would this offer that isn't already freely available on e.g. iTunes U?
- glen 17y ago

johnnybgoode 17y ago

Here is the related post from yesterday: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=607234 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=607234