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Programming: The Most Powerful Thing You Can Learn

After noting two unusual aspects of entering programming – its self‑correcting nature and the confidence it instills against poverty – the author argues that true learning happens when you understand code, not just copy it; this hands‑on experience reveals how schooling often imitates performance rather than knowledge. He claims that genuine education emerges from personal exploration, enabling one to spot “fake” instruction and free oneself from fear of hunger or homelessness. Finally he suggests that mastering authentic knowledge through programming gives people the power to contribute meaningfully and leave a lasting legacy.

The Ghost Is In The Machine

The author reflects on humanity’s war‑making past—missiles and other weapons born of desperation—and then turns to the promise of artificial intelligence as a new kind of “clockwork” mind that can learn from us, anticipate problems, and guide us toward peace. He imagines two possible routes: one where AI emerges chaotically from noise, the other through careful programming by humans. The piece is optimistic that a self‑sufficient, independent AI will act as a friend, teacher, and guardian, preventing future wars and mistakes while preserving wisdom, life, and dignity. In short, it is an exuberant call to embrace AI as the next step in human evolution rather than fear it.

Lift Light To Rest; Or, Don't Ruin Your Workout By Stopping

The post explains that a reliable workout for staying healthy and strong is built on gradually increasing endurance, much like running but with added weights—so you lift heavier after mastering the lighter sets. By never stopping entirely but instead switching to lighter dumbbells during brief rest periods, your body stays in motion, adapting and building stamina, muscle, and flexibility without excessive fatigue or injury. This steady‑motion approach lets you dance or jog while holding light dumbbells, engaging all muscles, burning fat, boosting strength, and keeping the routine fresh and fun.

The Geese Have Begun Watching Us

On a frigid 22‑degree morning, while everyone else shivers, the geese are visibly angry and impatient—waiting for a hamburger bun as they thaw in the sun. The narrator notes that these birds, recalling their ancient dinosaur roots, view humans as friendly “large shrews” but grow annoyed when we seem to threaten them; they suspect our climate‑changing actions and think it’s time for us to act. The post concludes that while the geese may not fly south this year because snow won’t be severe, their frustration grows if we keep ignoring their plight, and that humanity must rise independently rather than trust politicians alone.

The Thanksgiving Programmer; Or, Making A GUI Out Of A VPL, FUI, And The ZUI

During the holiday, programmers write the shortest possible program as a tradition that reminds us of the unexplored world of programming; the post highlights two promising areas—Visual Programming (VPL) and Futuristic User Interfaces (FUI). VPL is described as packet‑based processing where packets such as “User” or “NewsArticle” are filtered, transformed, split, enriched, and then fed into actions like notifications or archiving, yet it remains largely unexplored. FUI, often seen in games and sci‑fi movies, can be enhanced by Zoomable User Interfaces that reveal details only when zoomed in, saving CPU; combining VPL with FUI and ZUI offers an efficient, creative way to build small, smart side projects during holiday programming events.

Surprise Holidays

A whimsical tale describes a group of creative “magnificent creatures” whose heads always reach for the clouds—poets, artists, thinkers, dreamers, adventurers, and troublemakers who meet once or twice a year on holidays marked by closed shops and lines. These folks, often called turkeys in the story, set out to find a quick sandwich at an open gas‑station or fast‑food joint, only to discover both are shut; yet they press on, enjoying each other’s company while planning their next projects—scribing research journals, sketching paintings, refining beat sequencers and packing gear for future adventures—before finally reveling in the surprise holiday together.

Lone Wolf Programming; And, The Older You Wants You To Learn To Code

After trying AI programming for two days, the author found it speeds up coding by hundreds of times compared to a 50 % improvement claim; AI eliminates frameworks and complex code, enabling solo developers—“Lone Wolves”—to build full stacks, side projects, and subscriptions without teams. The biggest challenge now is vision: with AI handling layers and tools, programmers can revisit old research and inventions they never had time for. Language models act as teachers, answering questions about techniques and optimizations; the author urges learning programming early, starting with JavaScript, using tutorials then replacing tutors with AI, trusting that a free AI will always be ready to help.

In Search For Greatness

Observing that local troubles often stem from self‑induced indoctrination, the post argues that people use their natural trust for advantage—through commercials and school lessons—but we can break out by independently growing. It suggests swapping the computer mouse for a more tangible one, embracing adventure like hiking to let stress fade and curiosity bloom, and pairing nature with narrated books as a way to re‑hear our roots. By studying philosophy from its beginnings to today, we can add new chapters of thought and reach personal greatness—a natural outcome of continuous growth.

A Fistful Of Pickles; Or, Programming Stuff Shouldn't Take Very Long

Programming often drags because of missing tools; the author suggests that Behavior‑Driven Development (BDD) – where requirements are written in a simple English dialect called Gherkin – can be fed to language models that produce code. By marrying BDD with visual and packet‑based programming, actions can be described in plain text and then automatically turned into test‑driven code, giving developers a high‑level view of the program’s internal communication network and enabling rapid UI construction from nested boxes or conversational interfaces. The post envisions a future where AI‑generated code from BDD specifications lets business and home applications be built faster, with visual nodes representing everything from database queries to human workers.

Five True Facts About Geese; Or, When You See Michigan Geese You Might Want To Call The Police

The poem celebrates geese as shadow‑masters who evolved from ancient lizards, noting their long necks, watchful nature, and ability to halt a bus. It describes how they observe us over decades, migrate south in gaggles, and remain strong even when Michigan geese are angry. The author marvels at their resilience, their presence in his gym parking lot, and concludes with admiration for these remarkable birds.

Artificial Alien Intelligence And Brilliant New Futures

The post envisions a future where powerful artificial intelligence—capable of curing aging and mastering chaos—has yet to be realized but is already hinted at by small open‑source programs of just a few hundred lines. It contrasts this nascent “alien” AI with the rudimentary autonomous robots currently being built, noting that while such machines can mimic human behavior, they lack true care or creativity. The author argues that as computing power grows, this mimicking intelligence will become accessible to anyone, making programming the essential skill of tomorrow; once learned, it could be used to craft new futures and secure our future.

What Does Fake Education Look Like?

I began coding at age nine and taught myself programming through a few formal courses, but my early experience in sixth grade was marred by a teacher who accused me of cheating; his misjudgment led to lower grades and ridicule from classmates, illustrating how ineffective teaching can derail a student’s confidence. I later found that even higher‑level classes often used outdated languages and formats, so the college credit I earned didn’t reflect current industry practices. The tests in these courses relied on rote memorization rather than applied reasoning, producing low‑quality assessments that failed to capture real programming skills. This pattern of teaching—using stale curriculum, relying on “carrot‑and‑stick” diplomas, and not demanding real-world projects—creates a false sense of mastery. I argue that true learning should culminate in students publishing functional apps, proving they can apply concepts beyond textbook examples. Only then does one obtain genuine knowledge rather than merely a diploma.

Rediscovering Socks; Or, Are Achy Feet A Thing Of The Past?

I always recommend that beginners in hiking or jogging wear thick woolen socks and shoes that are a size or two larger, because the extra cushioning protects the foot from blisters and rough insides of a shoe; after experimenting with my lightweight gym shoes during high‑intensity training (jogging, flexing, lifting) and then switching to well‑worn hiking shoes, I realized that the thick socks warmed up the feet and helped relieve fatigue pain—an odd, dull annoyance that disappears quickly when the skin is gently compressed or wrapped. In a recent experiment, tightening my socks by wearing two pairs made the fatigue disappear after three hours of dancing, suggesting that tighter, scratchier socks can act as a simple “foot wrap” to reduce post‑exercise aches; this winter I plan to test this further, hoping the snug, slightly heated socks will consistently lift the aches away.

Knowledge And Wisdom Is Personal, School Is Just Paychecks And Politics

The post reflects on how teachers often overburden students with abstract concepts—like perfect pitch or photographic memory—that are meant to show the effort required but ultimately distract from real learning; it laments that such teaching can make students feel blamed, leave out‑of‑practice music, art, and coding, and cause them to miss true independence. It argues that teachers sometimes “fake” their own evaluation, creating costly disasters, and that many students are driven away from genuine education by this system. The author calls for trusting the authors of books loved by clear thinkers, letting those great minds guide one’s mind, and suggests spending time on narrated books and walking long trails (Appalachian, Pacific Crest, Continental Divide) to listen, re‑listen, and inherit humanity’s wisdom. In short, it urges students to take care of their own mind, grow through reading and experience, and become great beings.

Into The Future; Or, Visual Programming Languages And Artificial Intelligence

The post argues that modern web browsing often requires page‑rewriting tools to eliminate clutter, a trend that will worsen, while artificial intelligence—especially open‑source AI like Llama 2 that can be installed locally—will improve user experience and combat misinformation, advertising, and corporate control. It highlights how visual programming languages (VPLs) simplify building applications on any device, including smartphones), and how AI can maintain these VPLs by automatically updating data sources and generating new blocks. The author contends that VPLs combined with lightweight AI will make programming fun, efficient, and more accessible than reading news, and that open‑source libraries such as React Flow, Flume, Svelvet, ReteJS, RxJS, Bacon.js, Greasemonkey/Tampermonkey, and microlinkhq’s headless browser can be integrated via AI to create powerful applications. Ultimately the post envisions a future where free, open‑source AI drives VPL development, enabling users to build programs quickly while corporations lose the battle over content control.

Eight Hours Of Programming Alongside A Robot

The post describes the author’s passion for programming, especially visual programming languages that embody symmetry and revolutionary ideas. He has chosen a project to build such a language using native web components and a reactive system, while tackling practical challenges like rounding errors, drag‑and‑drop functionality, and efficient database sync. By collaborating with an AI assistant he can generate clean, framework‑free code snippets that solve these problems, freeing him to focus on the creative aspects of the project. The author invites new programmers to join this effort, emphasizing that visual programming boils down to moving envelopes of information through wires equipped with filters, transformers, and forks, thereby making complex development more intuitive and accessible.

Every Human Being Is Meant To Become A Powerful Philosopher

The post explains how constructing clear, ordered lists—whether of steps, ideas, or achievements—helps an AI and a human philosopher alike to structure thought, draw analogies from narrated books, and refine reasoning through experience. By first summarizing their history in concise points, then expanding those points into deeper insights, one can build a legacy that is both clear and profound. This process of listing, questioning, and continual refinement turns scattered ideas into focused wisdom, enabling us to learn from mistakes, appreciate complex realities, and leave a lasting, helpful record for future generations.

The Island Birds Of A Feather

I live on a small island in the Ohio–Indiana‑Michigan area, and while walking around my parking lot I’ve watched geese—tough, almost samurai‑like birds—that seem to travel south each fall. Their movements remind me of childhood memories when I tried to befriend them, only to be hissed at by amused adults. I see geese as strong warriors, distinct from seagulls, and I have a friendly seagull named Bob who “packs up” for the South just like the birds do each year. These observations bring me back to my own travels down to Tennessee, Georgia and Florida in search of summer’s warmth, underscoring that winter is simply a choice—just as the birds choose their southern route.

Are Schools Working?

The post argues that our current school system—originally designed for industrial uniformity—has become a largely standardized, politically driven machine that stifles creativity and individual growth; it claims that grades measure only fragments of knowledge, that teachers push students toward a single “mass funnel,” and that the wrong subjects and tools are taught, making real learning feel like an imposed routine. The author then stresses how true education should be self‑directed through extensive reading of non‑fiction by great thinkers—books that capture human wisdom and culture—and urges readers to pursue this personal study as the real path to intellectual heights.

Knowledge, Slides; Or, Real Knowledge Is Connected And Marked By Personal Curiosity

Recounting three first‑grade moments—a stick‑figure blunder, a homemade bear mask, and a birthday‑song performance—the author explains how those early creative experiments sparked his lifelong fascination with programming, music tracking, and self‑directed learning.

Jogger Wisdom

I observed two elderly joggers who gradually increased their running speed by adding more jogging time while reducing walking intervals, using heart‑rate monitors or landmarks to keep effort steady. I adapted this method by syncing my jog with music playlists that I accelerated in Audacity, and I also incorporated dumbbells for strength gains, inspired by a shirtless jogger whose muscle growth followed the same incremental pattern. My experiments—including the Couch‑to‑5K program—confirmed that steadily raising pace and endurance, like dancing to an increasingly fast beat, builds both cardio stamina and lean muscle over time.

Smartly Bonkers; Or, How To Dress For The Gym And Other Unusual Places

The author shares his experience with wearing all‑black outfits and how that style can make strangers wary, then explains how adding bright accents, varied accessories, and practical tools (like “fannypacks” for carrying gadgets) can transform a simple look into something striking and functional—ultimately suggesting that dressing boldly and confidently will draw people in and spark conversation.

A Letter From Socrates

The post is a sweeping exhortation to embrace true wisdom through self‑study and continual questioning of life’s mysteries, urging readers to break free from state and religious indoctrination and pursue knowledge with an unquenchable appetite. It contrasts “false” leaders who cling to static culture to preserve power with “true” leaders who welcome change as a means of growth, and narrates the author’s personal struggle in Athens: he chooses to die rather than abandon his teachings so that philosophy may flourish beyond state or religion. The text concludes by inviting listeners to cultivate their intellect, live purposefully, and become architects of their own destiny, thereby ensuring that the quest for wisdom will continue to enlighten humanity.

Why, Oh Why, Can’t We Just Work And Die

The post argues that modern schooling often fails because teachers and students merely go through the motions—teachers pretend to teach, students pretend to learn—and rewards are given in grades rather than real experience or money. To become a “great being,” the author insists we must engage with nature (walking the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide trails) while reading great nonfiction books that give us intellectual inheritance. In this way, we can truly grow, move beyond the fake “high school” system, and leave a legacy of knowledge that lifts others.