"Everyone Should Learn to Code" Part 2
A couple of nights ago, there was a "Learn Python" workshop being held on the University of Arizona campus. There was a call by the organizer for anyone in the community who knew Python well enough to come down and walk around while the class was happening to help people struggling with the code on their machines. I've taught Python workshops before, and since I had the evening free, I went down to pitch in....
My Biggest Fear
I'm currently on a tightrope between a fairly stable past and an uncertain future, at that point where it would be more difficult to turn and go backwards than to simply press forward into the unknown. We fear the darkness where demons dare, but even nature Herself has devised a complex ecosystem of nocturnal organisms that flourish in this darkness. The night is not something to fear, but merely another niche to fill with life....
Equality in Right to Marriage
I wouldn't have guessed it even five years ago, but we've come to a point where anyone can marry whoever they wish in the United States, regardless of the gender of both parties. I haven't followed the political battle that's been waged over the last decade in getting same-sex marriage legalized. When I was asked about the issue, I plead ignorance, claiming that I simply didn't know enough about the specifics to make an informed...
Graffiti Drones
I'm a big fan of street art. I'm also a technologist. I never put these two together, but some intrepid person realized that drones can carry cans of spray paint and reach surfaces that a single person might not be able to.They don't do a whole lot in this video, other than deface a large billboard ad. It's barely discernible, even in daylight. But I'd guess there's a street artist out there right now who's...
The Greater Divide
No blog post I've written on here is a static representation of my core inner beliefs. When I'm blog a post about myself or my view of the world, each is merely a reflection of whatever thoughts are tumbling through my head at the time. I compose them into language in order to help myself make sense of them, and I publish them onto the Internet because I'd like to believe that there are a few...
Gender Inequality
My name is Jim, I'm an advocate for women's equality, and I'm angry. There are several advantages to being a man in our world. One of these is that men are allowed to get angry about things. If a woman gets mad about gender stereotypes, inequality, or voices an objection to the manner in which she's being treated, it can easily be dismissed as hormones or her period or some such nonsense. I'm not the...
Vetting the Trustworthy
I'd say the one of the biggest corners I've turned in my life is when I stopped evaluating people merely based on how well they treated me, and started giving a much greater weight to how well they treated everyone else.
The Responsible Man and the Injustices of Sexism
Recently, I've been consuming several feminist writings. Most of the views that I've been consuming on feminism are what I remember learning (but have largely forgotten) from studying gender issues in my early years in college. Having been exposed to these ideas in the past, I find that there are few barriers for me in re-approaching them now. There is a pay gap, the legal system and current legislation don't allow for adequate remedies for...
Socratic Romance
I got out of a long-term relationship that lasted over a decade about seven months ago. It ended messily, and I came away thinking that I wouldn't want to repeat the same mistakes again in any future relationships. After some time mourning, I started investigating how to get back on that particular horse; namely, what exactly should you do to get back into the dating arena? I spent some time browsing information online, almost all...
Brief Musing on the Christian Misanthrope
The religious misanthrope who loves God but claims to hate men in the name of God is a man who stands in opposition to God. His hatred brings him into kinship with that which he claims to hate and divides him from that entity which he claims to love. He chooses to hate that which God loves, since God hates no man, not even the man who chooses to hate other men in His name....