I'd like to point out an interesting online book for those who want to delve into javascript as a beginner language. I've used this in teaching and the students like it for various reasons. One of the reasons I chose it for teaching is that, unlike most programming books, it doesn't assume that you already know a programming language and just want to learn another. But there are still chapters where he elaborates on things that really don't matter for the beginner.
http://eloquentjavascript.net/contents.html Pall On Sat, Jan 7, 2012 at 6:44 PM, James Morris <[email protected]> wrote: > I'm one of the naive ones. But the naivity kept me producing (both > code and other creative stuff) for a good few years. Having the > desire to complete ever more ambitious goals also helps. As does zero > social life ;-) > >> ... I wonder where exactly the divide between 'leisure/fun' >> and 'work/labour' lies if not in the differences between having a >> job - whether as a 'code monkey' or as 'paid' artist ... and not >> having a job ... > > it's a problem. coding even if you're doing it in your leisure time > isn't always fun. maybe we should remember that the divide between > work/leisure is an artificial one? > > james > > > > > On Sat, 7 Jan 2012 18:27:58 +0100 > IR3ABF <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I don't know Rob, >> >> I could afford maintaining my wife and childrens life by working as >> a 'code monkey'. >> >> As an outcome of the crisis in the 80ties, the Dutch government >> issued a program to train jobless academics (including me) by >> cooperating with the demands of the cooperative forces and a huge >> number of former philosophers, historicians, musiciens and other >> 'trained and skilled' people found jobs in the IT industry in late >> 90ties, early 2000nds >> >> When the financial crisis hits really hard the industry reacted by >> disposing these group first, aged between 45 and 60, what effective >> way is there left to (re)gain a living apart from being a >> 'outsider', guised under the name of activist/artist/pauper or being >> dependent on welfare as earning money (to pay for the financial >> demands modern life imposes on every single individual) by practising >> cultural/software/ creative activities not as part of the >> cultural/software/creative industry is by far too less to survive >> decently. >> >> It is one thing to discuss things from a comfortable position, >> backed by whatever institutions who pay the expenses and the rent, >> but a complete different thing when that is not the case, when there >> is nothing to hold on >> >> What remains then is something else, not expressable in 'jargon' or >> 'code', and I wonder where exactly the divide between 'leisure/fun' >> and 'work/labour' lies if not in the differences between having a >> job >> - whether as a 'code monkey' or as 'paid' artist or as a 'cultural/ >> creative/sex worker - and not having a job, or should I go into the >> streets and fellate white collar workers to maintain my family? >> >> Send with consent from Judith V. - artist by birth - mother and lover >> >> Sent from my eXtended BodY >> >> On 7 jan. 2012, at 16:54, Rob Myers <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> > On 07/01/12 15:18, Andreas Maria Jacobs wrote: >> >> >> >> Where and how are software skills degraded from a professional >> >> craft to a hobby 'free' time occupation? >> > >> > There are two reasons why I suggest people on Netbehaviour learn to >> > program using these resources. Neither is so they can get jobs as >> > code monkeys. >> > >> > The first is so that they can get a feel for how code works. So >> > they can >> > gain an insight into how the software they use every day, and that >> > affects their entire lives, works. This is important for thinking >> > critically and realistically about software. >> > >> > The second is so that they can use code as a tool to achieve their >> > own ends using software, less constrained by the fixed affordances >> > of applications and web sites. Data visualisation, digital >> > humanities techniques and web scripting are all useful ways of >> > doing things with software. >> > >> >> What are the benefits from it when being outsourced and jobless? >> > >> > Software should not be an economic end in itself. It is a tool for >> > achieving other ends. This is its benefit to artists and activists >> > and academics, not that they might be able to make a living by >> > writing code >> > for multinationals. >> > >> >> The naivity - also expressed in this list - surrounding software >> >> practices is astonishing >> > >> > We don't leave culture to the culture industry or sex to the sex >> > industry. We shouldn't leave software to the software industry. >> > >> > - Rob. >> > _______________________________________________ >> > NetBehaviour mailing list >> > [email protected] >> > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> > >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NetBehaviour mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > > > > -- > http://jwm-art.net/ > image/audio/text/code/ > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour -- ***************************** Pall Thayer artist http://pallthayer.dyndns.org ***************************** _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
