> I would really like to write an entire program sometime as a big tree, that would be convertable back and forth to something simple like JSON.
That would be Lisp.
> convert my simple statements like "when this sprite touches this sprite, give them opposite speeds) into the underlying code so I don't have to waste my time with it.
That's function application (if at runtime) or macro expansion (if at compile time).
Ya but both of those don't work in the real world, at least not very well (or beginners would be able to use them). I'm not trying to be negative, just pointing out that existing options are not living up to expectations.
I think I'm talking more about readability than sophistication. I want to write in a high level language like Hypertalk (from the HyperCard days) and let the compiler create a series of permutations under the hood that I could review and say "yes that one works, use it" and then maybe the compiler could annotate my code with more precise limits on what I said. So for example I tell it I want to sort a list, it shows me algorithms that sort numbers, strings and objects, and I say "yes strings are good enough" and it shows me the updated version of my code showing that it requires strings.
I know that sounds a little weird but this is 90% of the minutiae that I deal with on a daily basis and I am thoroughly disgusted with how myopic and restrictive tools have become today. They break when I forget a semicolon, when I would much rather have them show me an edge case of my algorithm that is incorrect.
Also try Crackbook [1] for Chrome which delays pages instead of banning them. Works much better for me that Stayfocusd, which I just disable after a while. (Disclaimer: I am the author.)
Brilliant. Blocking the site makes the brain want to got around it, as others say. Delaying the site attacks the addictiveness directly, slowly weaning you off the feedback loop. Nice.
It seems to be using the pentatonic scale, which is generally easy to deal with. It is also quite limited though, with only 5 pitches available out of the standard 12 in an octave.
All 12 pitches would sound horrible, you need at least a diatonic scale.
Q: Which scale is used in this? How did you come up with it?
A: D A Bb C D E F A C are the pitches. I used the scale some models of Hang drums are tuned into.
I read a course on Python for a semester, and I tried to use a similar approach: relatively few tests, a minor project for warmup and a major project (with emphasis on attendance & communication). I think it went fine, but it's not as easy as it looks. In particular, students would "show up", but it's not easy to motivate them to do more serious work.
What's the point of a "hierarchy" then, if the "upper" levels do not depend on the "lower" ones? Basically what you're saying here is a tautology: one is able to operate at a "level" that, well, one is able to operate at.
You don't have to get people to buy hot air. What the author has in mind is probably either a) "Assume that this product is fully functional. Will you pay for it $X?" or b) "I am planning to build this product. Would you promise to pay me $X when I deliver this product?"
mine looks slightly better, but I wanted to add a couple more features (ignore url, delete item from history)before releasing.
As soon as I have a bit of time to do it and release it I'll ping whoever wants to know it.
