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Odin
07:45 AM

In reply to How a Self-Educated HS Dropout Became the Youngest Manager at Apple
Ick testing. My personal opinion of it is low. It's quite possibly one of the most boring parts of software development, no scratch that it is the MOST boring part. I was going to say it's in close competition with documentation but since testing often involves its own set of testing documentation it wins for just bringing more of that crap to the table.

Granted it does have to be done but I don't think I could ever bring myself to do something like software testing full time. I prefer to write stuff, do some informal testing, when I'm happy it should work forget about it and just fix it when someone else finds a problem with it.
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Edited by Odin at 11/27/09 7:46 AM Odin was starred Odin was unstarred

Jacubious
01:04 AM

In reply to How a Self-Educated HS Dropout Became the Youngest Manager at Apple
Part of it is finding a good opportunity. My current employer was able to look past my lack of training in the industry to see that I was a good candidate for the position. I feel fortunate that my boss hired me with that kind of perspective as it seems pretty rare.

And on the topic of university and education; if you can combine that thirst for knowledge in a good educational setting, it can be nirvana. Reading through the course calender is like walking through a Candy-shop as a child. Sitting in discussions about topics that have kept you up at night is an amazing experience. University certainly isn't for everyone, but there are good reasons it is valued.
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Edited by Jacubious at 11/27/09 1:05 AM Jacubious was starred Jacubious was unstarred

Torley
12:16 AM

In reply to How a Self-Educated HS Dropout Became the Youngest Manager at Apple
As an intense autodidact who rarely finds my energy for learning eclectic topics (virtual worlds, electronic music production, procedural texture creation, domestic automation, typography, VHS artifacts, neuroscience, etc.) matched with a likeminded soul — but am exceedingly grateful when I do — this does look like a "wonderful read". I'll check it out further on Amazon.

James sounds like an exception, so this is definitely not applicable to everyone, but those who can relate (and may feel doubt if they're following the right path) will surely leap up and do *jazz hands* like myself. After all, exceptions are exceptional.

I give thanx, James and Gizmodo!
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stevewoz
12:16 AM

In reply to How a Self-Educated HS Dropout Became the Youngest Manager at Apple
We had a few other young managers without a college degree when we started.

I was thankful that HP let me design calculators because I had the ability to, even though I had no degree.

Getting that 'paper' does give you a place and time to develop and learn on your own at the same time.

And getting my degree later on gave me a place to identify myself with. It's like the 'paper' is a symbol of who I am more than testimony that I'm smart enough to do a job. It's something desirable for emotional reasons, in other words.
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dagamer34
12:02 AM

In reply to How a Self-Educated HS Dropout Became the Youngest Manager at Apple
As great as these stories are, I think people seem to forget that the world was a MUCH different place 20-30 years ago. Might I remind you that 10 years ago, similar stories from Google and Yahoo! were from PhD candidate students, not high school dropouts.
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Dreamwriter
01:23 AM

@dagamer34: The world isn't really all that different. It's sorta different in that there is more competition for jobs right now, but that's a temporary state and a lot of tech jobs are still really needing people. And 9 years ago I got into my dream job as a game programmer with no college degree - I taught myself to program the Gameboy Color, made a demo game, and started interviewing around showing them my demo and discussing how I wrote it. Tech companies are smart, they know that a degree is less important than actual real-world experience.

Heck, I still don't have a degree - I've used all my spare time learning new programming techniques, learning to develop for new game systems (popular and not), etc. As long as you keep learning, you can keep yourself in the game doing what you want.
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craftmike
01:29 AM

@dagamer34: True. 1987 was a good time to be THIS guy in THAT place. I intend to read the book, but I'll probably view it through the filter of Macolm Gladwell's Outliers.
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Wilson Rothman
03:08 AM

@craftmike: Hate to just sound provocative, but you might be better off viewing Gladwell's Outliers through the filter of James' book.
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ReconToaster misses garnett :(
11/26/09

In reply to How a Self-Educated HS Dropout Became the Youngest Manager at Apple
Ugh. I don't think reading this would really encourage me to bring up those straight Cs.

The institutions established by our society might suck, but only those who manage to get through them will ever be in a position to put an end to them.
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dingus
11/26/09

@ReconToaster misses garnett :(: I'm adding this to my Amazon wishlist and will pick it up once I finish my degree. I already did one round of drop-out-of-college-and-land-a-professional-career and did well by it, but I need the stupid piece of paper this time.
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BubbleF**kingBuddy
11/26/09

In reply to The Best Gadgets
I can't believe the COWON S9 got no love in the PMP section. It straight-up blows the iPod Touch and Zune HD out of the water.
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fuchikoma
11/26/09

In reply to The Four DSLR Cameras for Every Budget
I'd love to play with a DSLR, but I just can't justify it... I know how to set the manual settings, but for the cost of the cheapest one here, I could get a Sony DSC-WX1 that does great night shots, automatic panoramas, and most importantly, it's small enough I could have it on me when I need to take a picture.

I'm not coming out against DSLR or anything, but for my uses... they're just so huge I'd never have it with me, and the price is so high I couldn't buy one for non-professional use.
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Eruanno
11/26/09

@fuchikoma: Heh, I've noticed that too about cameras. I can never be arsed to bring it with me. (I have a Panasonic-something-or-the-other better than your average compact camera but not as good as a DSLR making it pretty big, but not too big)
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DPYu
11/26/09

@fuchikoma: Exactly why I ended up with a Pany LX3. It's pretty much with me all the time.
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irfan
11/26/09

@fuchikoma: most of us DSLR users have a P&S to go along. I take both on vacations, and the PS still gets plenty of use. But when you start looking at pictures from your trip when you get home, the DSLR advantages are quite clear and makes me wonder why I didnt lug the better camera around that day.

But yes, the new Sony WX1 is quite amazing in low light and panoramics... havent seen 100% crops side by side tho, I just toyed with one at a friends house.
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fuchikoma
11/26/09

@irfan: That would be ideal... but I'm not a photographer, so I'm afraid I can only drop $400 on a camera every 5 years or so.

To me, I'd get a DSLR for more artistic effects like depth of field, very long exposures, bokeh, or HDR, but a while back a friend and I were comparing our cameras - he had some kind of 7MP Olympus DSLR and I had a 7MP Sony DSC-P150. In extreme darkness you could see the sensor noise on my camera, and he could just set a very long exposure, so that was a clear win for him if we were printing hi-res posters or competing in a photo competition.

But ultimately, while he's very happy with it because he does make use of all the features, when we compare ordinary shots, his camera's pics look 3-5% better, but his camera cost about 220% as much before lenses. I'd love to have all the manual features he does, but I just can't pay that when I take about 50 shots a year and keep about half that many...
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SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!!
11/26/09

In reply to The Four DSLR Cameras for Every Budget
I hooked up with a 500D (T1i) and I'm really happy with it. I'm with it right now on my office.
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jpitsch
11/26/09

In reply to The Four DSLR Cameras for Every Budget
No love for the Olympus E-620 or E-30, why don't you give Canon and Nikon a reach around?
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P3nnst8r
11/26/09

In reply to The Four DSLR Cameras for Every Budget
No d700 love?
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superberg
11/26/09

In reply to The Four DSLR Cameras for Every Budget
I realize it's consumermas, so we're supposed to crowd into stores to buy new things.

But the best entry-level DSLR is a used one Craigslist, because you can get a body and lens for under $300.

Of course, if someone wants to buy me a T1i to replace my XT, I won't complain.
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Odin
11/26/09

In reply to The Best Gadgets
The best gaming PC will always be one you build yourself.
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Duckspwn
11/25/09

In reply to The Best Gadgets
I considered putting something about how "The Best Video Game Console: Xbox 360" made me let out a heavy sigh of disappointment. But then I decided not to. Oh, wait a minute...
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zeroprime
11/25/09

In reply to The Best Gadgets
Looks like it goes without saying, but...

Best Gadget Site: [www.gizmodo.com]
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