mykphyre

Seconded. This is a great book that lays the foundation of emacs knowledge.

Thanks for posting this. Context is always welcome :)

I know exactly what you mean. Most predictions are cast into the wind and only the ones that are correct are recognized later. Nate Silver talks about this in his book "The Signal and The Noise"; I highly recommend it.

I first learned to program using C++ and found this online resource to be extremely helpful:

http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/

It has great reference for the C++ and C standard libraries. The best thing is that there are simple but _very_ good code examples accompanying each function description showing how to use it in context. Can't recommend this reference highly enough.

I feel much the same way. I don't use that awful program at all and I'm just waiting for the fad to pass. I would feel the same way if the author plugged some supermarket chain at the end of their article, or there was some "This article brought to you by such-and-such company". I am sick to DEATH of advertising and twitter is basically advertising your mundane life.

First let me say, I know exactly how you feel and that you're 100% right. Don't think for a second that there's anything wrong with you. I'm a 4th year in college right now and it'll take me 5 to graduate. I've always been in the top half of my classes and wondered why we had to learn so much useless crap. I talked to my 8th grade humanities teacher about this and he told me that "The system's not perfect. Work through the system first, then change it after you're out of it if it bothers you that much." I'm not suggesting you try to reform the education system, but this was some good advice for me, and I hope it helps you.

Coincidentally, my girlfriend is just graduating college from learning to a be a grade school teacher. She's taught me something very important over the last year or so: that school is not really about learning the subjects your teachers are trying to teach you, it's about you developing as a person. Maybe it would help if you thought of high school as a social learning environment rather than an academic one. Let me also say that in no way do I mean that just because you're in 10th grade does that mean that you're not mature or intelligent. Everyone can improve themselves in many ways, not just academically, and that's what I suggest you focus on in school.

You're going to have boring tasks to do when you have a job, or when you live on your own, so it's best to learn how to get through them now and appreciate the genuinely interesting subjects while you can. I have had about a 50/50 split with good/bad professors in college and I'm assuming that this carries over into the professional world. You'll probably have some co-workers who are like you, and care about doing well, and some that just do it for the money.

You're way ahead of me as far as figuring these things out; I didn't start programming until the middle of my 3rd year in college. I also didn't read PG's high school essay until very recently, and I wish I had read it when I was your age. At the last career fair I went to, all three of the recuiters I talked to told me they wanted candidates with programming experience outside of class. You're well ahead of the curve and it sounds like you've got a good head on your shoulders. Try not to get discouraged and remember there are lots of people out there that feel the same way you do.

I hope this gives you some perspective and encouragement. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.