Basically... yeah :). Thanks for summing it up for me!
Something else is I also don't really like IDEs. They really are a symptom of a larger problem. And the code navigation tools that ship with most Smalltalk's really suck. They're like looking at the code through a straw, and its really hard to quickly grasp the pattern of how things hang together unless there is a comment describing it.
I'm getting tired of all of the "geek humor" everywhere ( unicorns, ponies, lolcatz, etc.) however... I fit this description of a "poet" to a T.
At one start up a few years ago, my title on my business card was even "Code Poet".
I also happen to have an undergrad degree in Creative Writing with a focus in Poetry.
IMHO, studying poetry gives one practice in saying only what you mean and focusing on the semantics and syntax of language both technically & aesthetically. I also think that one should have an education in Liberal Arts to truly understand great design; whether that's software architecture, visual design, or business models.
I can't count the # of times my tests were failing on new code I wrote and it took me one second to look at is and say, "Oh yeah... this" and just flip -> to =>. So easy.
Other questions: are the plants an invasive species? will they crowd out other plants? I imagine if they can be thrown "anywhere" they don't need much water/soil to survive. Like most of the weeds growing around my backyard.
Indeed, the title is misleading. The problem-solving abilities referenced in the title are those of solving the problem of finding what you want, not general problem-solving abilities.
My favorite part is towards the end, "rich stare into the abyss a bit more starkly than the rest of us."
Not being rich, but being able to use my imagination and reason to figure out logical conclusions, I have come to realize that it is not about what you have, or who you are, but about how you're being. In the end everyone dies naked and alone regardless of how much or little money/friends/love/whatever you have.
Most VC's are backed by enormous pension funds and/or other group retirement vehicles. This is how they can afford to bet large sums of money on multiple companies with an expected payoff of only 1 in 10 companies on long time frames.
The pension isn't using that money (right now anyway), so the VC is free to do with it what they want, and in the end the money comes back to the pension in multiples.
At least this is my understanding talking to an actual VC (not in a fund-raising situation, just casually).
I always try to appreciate the context of the times when a story was written. Learning a little more of the external context within which a story was written can, at times, enhance the understanding of the story.
This might be a story that lends itself to that. Maybe. I read this book in high school and thought it was ok then, but I didn't really understand why the people I knew who read it thought it was so great. I didn't do any research about the era this was written in though, so I don't really know if it'd help or not.
It certainly is trippy though and an entertaining read in the least.
I got to "this app wants to see all of your browsing history" and thought to myself, "why the hell would they want that?" So I clicked cancel and didn't install it.
Each point release typically bumps the version of Google's V8 engine thats included too. So its bugfixes + the occasional performance optimization from Google.
I have a facebook account, I had to make it to do development for a former employer. I rarely login, and given a choice I'd much rather use my Twitter or Github login. If facebook is my only option, I just don't login.
My time is much better spent face-to-face in the real world that the time-suck that is facebook.