5 ms·

Silly title of course. I don't want to criticize the kid, I just hate the sort of bullshit articles which have been screwing up my view of the world for my enti

by gexla 13y ago

Silly title of course. I don't want to criticize the kid, I just hate the sort of bullshit articles which have been screwing up my view of the world for my entire life in an attempt to sell eyeballs.I'm happy for the kid getting exposure which may end up with giving him an opportunity that few people in this world get (even in the U.S.) That's the craziness of luck. I will just go ahead and say that I would place myself more on the idiot end of the spectrum rather than genius end. Yet, if a 15 year old kid were to show off the same things I know, that kid would be praised as a genius. What I know isn't rocket science, it's just a huge number of small, very easy things learned from many hours of determination to learn something. Unfortunately, I never had this determination for anything in school. I had a stumble on the opening path to where I'm at today almost by accident. Perhaps that's the difference between what this article is referring to as genius and whatever this article might think of kids who aren't genius. Maybe the author could give us a term for it. Hacker news discussions have talked about the 10X programmer and how that programmer perhaps should be paid 10x more than everyone else. But I agree with the counter arguments that programmers who aren't contributing are overpaid rather than the 10x programmer being underpaid. I think we could apply this to schools as well. These kids aren't genius, but rather, it's school's which are failing to help kids find their own path to something they can be passionate for. The things this kid is doing may sound like some big step for someone who is non technical, but it's amazing what anyone can achieve with a bit of time and drive (and not having to deal with the issues of poverty.)

corporalagumbo 13y ago
I see where you're coming from. Most young people around the world don't really engage with creative learning, the fog of social games obscures the power and possibilities of education I guess. Your best shot is if you have an amazing teacher, but most teachers are products of the same system, and working with limited resources to boot. The brilliant are much more likely to wind up as professors, which I suppose could be why most people who have these later epiphanies tend to have them around college. That said, this article is really a testament to the incredible potential of online education. A link was forged between a global centre of thought and a young boy in a far-flung, isolated and poor country. That's pretty awesome when you think about it, and hopefully something that will happen more and more as things get better! Anyway, I hope you don't let stuff like this get you down. It's never too late in life to find your path.
- gexla 13y ago
  Nah, it doesn't get me down. I have found my path. In fact, the internet has been as amazing for me as it has been for this kid. I learned (and continue to learn) my craft through the internet before anyone thought that creating actual courses for this stuff would be a good idea. In some cases I was lucky to find documentation. I'm able to live anywhere in the world within reason (the Antarctica is too cold, Manhattan is too expensive and North Korea is too restrictive) and I have lived abroad for five years now. I think travel and living abroad is overrated, but I made the choice and I was able to do it. I don't feel down about myself. I feel down about kids who aren't "genius" but have just as much potential. However, I'm a huge fan of luck created through a bit of hard work, and this kid hit it. I hope he gets into MIT.
  - Datsundere 13y ago
    it has nothing to do with luck. Everything happens for a reason. Hard work makes you a genius, simple as that. Feynmann is the best example of this.
chnx 13y ago
"Battushig, then 15, became one of 340 students out of 150,000 to earn a perfect score in Circuits and Electronics, a sophomore-level class at M.I.T. and the first Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC" This is a second year MIT course in a language that is not his native language. While I agree with your sentiment about the use of the word genius, I think it is misdirected here.
- gexla 13y ago
  Give a 15 year old kid an entire summer vacation and some equipment to run wild with a passion of building electronic gadgets and I bet you would be surprised at what that kid could do. I'm not even sure English being a second language would be as big of a barrier with a technical subject as other types of courses would be. What's the word for computer in X language? There's a good chance it's computer. That's a oversimplified silly example, but the point is that some areas of study are more universal than others. I cringe to think about how much time I had when I was that age that I didn't put to good use. An sophomore in MIT might be challenged to find the time to make the bed properly, let alone get lost in the pursuit of the subjects that are covered in Circuits and Electronics. I was a horrible student in college, not because I was dumb (okay, I take back what I said about me being an idiot, I'm about average) but because I didn't manage my time properly. As a kid, I didn't have that problem. ETA: And as for the numbers of people who have taken that test, it's not like it's the SAT or the required placement exam to get into a good college in China. If there were truly big stakes attached to that exam then there would be a lot more than 340 people out of 150,000 getting a perfect score. Again, I'm happy for the kid. But I think the real story here is that kids can accomplish a lot, we just need a way to get them engaged.
  - dgacmu 13y ago
    Um, just to be clear, gexla - 6.002 requires diffEq as background, as well as physics E&M. I'd suggest that what he did is an extremely substantial achievement for a 15 year old.
    - gexla 13y ago
capkutay 13y ago
Well...this is NYT..Would you rather they call it 'diligent mongolian boy succeeds at MIT online classes'? I don't think every person his age has the ability to get a perfect score in a course like that given how hard the material is. I think we should be allowed to reward people like that with titles such as 'boy genius'.

by gexla 13y ago

corporalagumbo 13y ago

I see where you're coming from. Most young people around the world don't really engage with creative learning, the fog of social games obscures the power and possibilities of education I guess. Your best shot is if you have an amazing teacher, but most teachers are products of the same system, and working with limited resources to boot. The brilliant are much more likely to wind up as professors, which I suppose could be why most people who have these later epiphanies tend to have them around college. That said, this article is really a testament to the incredible potential of online education. A link was forged between a global centre of thought and a young boy in a far-flung, isolated and poor country. That's pretty awesome when you think about it, and hopefully something that will happen more and more as things get better! Anyway, I hope you don't let stuff like this get you down. It's never too late in life to find your path.

gexla 13y ago
Nah, it doesn't get me down. I have found my path. In fact, the internet has been as amazing for me as it has been for this kid. I learned (and continue to learn) my craft through the internet before anyone thought that creating actual courses for this stuff would be a good idea. In some cases I was lucky to find documentation. I'm able to live anywhere in the world within reason (the Antarctica is too cold, Manhattan is too expensive and North Korea is too restrictive) and I have lived abroad for five years now. I think travel and living abroad is overrated, but I made the choice and I was able to do it. I don't feel down about myself. I feel down about kids who aren't "genius" but have just as much potential. However, I'm a huge fan of luck created through a bit of hard work, and this kid hit it. I hope he gets into MIT.
- Datsundere 13y ago
  it has nothing to do with luck. Everything happens for a reason. Hard work makes you a genius, simple as that. Feynmann is the best example of this.

chnx 13y ago

"Battushig, then 15, became one of 340 students out of 150,000 to earn a perfect score in Circuits and Electronics, a sophomore-level class at M.I.T. and the first Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC" This is a second year MIT course in a language that is not his native language. While I agree with your sentiment about the use of the word genius, I think it is misdirected here.

gexla 13y ago
Give a 15 year old kid an entire summer vacation and some equipment to run wild with a passion of building electronic gadgets and I bet you would be surprised at what that kid could do. I'm not even sure English being a second language would be as big of a barrier with a technical subject as other types of courses would be. What's the word for computer in X language? There's a good chance it's computer. That's a oversimplified silly example, but the point is that some areas of study are more universal than others. I cringe to think about how much time I had when I was that age that I didn't put to good use. An sophomore in MIT might be challenged to find the time to make the bed properly, let alone get lost in the pursuit of the subjects that are covered in Circuits and Electronics. I was a horrible student in college, not because I was dumb (okay, I take back what I said about me being an idiot, I'm about average) but because I didn't manage my time properly. As a kid, I didn't have that problem. ETA: And as for the numbers of people who have taken that test, it's not like it's the SAT or the required placement exam to get into a good college in China. If there were truly big stakes attached to that exam then there would be a lot more than 340 people out of 150,000 getting a perfect score. Again, I'm happy for the kid. But I think the real story here is that kids can accomplish a lot, we just need a way to get them engaged.
- dgacmu 13y ago
  Um, just to be clear, gexla - 6.002 requires diffEq as background, as well as physics E&M. I'd suggest that what he did is an extremely substantial achievement for a 15 year old.
  - gexla 13y ago

capkutay 13y ago

Well...this is NYT..Would you rather they call it 'diligent mongolian boy succeeds at MIT online classes'? I don't think every person his age has the ability to get a perfect score in a course like that given how hard the material is. I think we should be allowed to reward people like that with titles such as 'boy genius'.