- E04 - Leadership! Google, Guido van Rossum, PSF

[Anton Vredegoor]

Robert Kern wrote:

> I have a friend who works at Google. He has no backstabbing history at all. Stop
> insulting my friends.

Your friends work for people who would never hire me. My resume sucks,
but I'm not a bad person or a mediocre programmer. They sold out.

> For Software Engineer:
>
> """
> Requirements:
>
>     * BS or MS in Computer Science or equivalent (PhD a plus).

Right here.

>     * Several years of software development experience.
>     * Enthusiasm for solving interesting problems.
>     * Experience with Unix/Linux or Windows environments, C++ development,
> distributed systems, machine learning, information retrieval, network
> programming and/or developing large software systems a plus.
> """
>
> I don't see any "damaged soul" requirement.

I do. Experience here is an eufemism for having worked for the man.

> >>(Especially if he uses PyPy to experiment and play in ... :)
> >
> > Yes PyPy could save Python, or destroy the world. I have the impression
> > not many enough people realize that a selfhosting programming language
> > is something on the same level as a nano assembler or an artificial
> > intelligence.
>
> ??? What the hell are you smoking? We already have self-hosting programming
> languages.

Yes. We have humans too.

> > Anton
> >
> > 'make my day, prove me wrong'
>
> Prove yourself right.

Ok. That's a bit harder. I suppose we agree that if we have an
intelligent program that is more intelligent than a human and have this
program design an even more intelligent program than things start to
accelerate pretty fast?

Now the combination of a programmer with a tool (program) that can be
used to make a better tool. This gives a better human-machine
combination, which then can be used to further improve the combination.
I don't think I have completely proven my point now, but since the
danger is very real and big, coming close is already reason enough to
watch this carefully. Why hasn't it happened yet with lisp? I don't
know, why didn't the world get destroyed by all out atomic warfare?
Couldn't it have happened?

If we create AI why would AI keep us around if we ourselves won't even
hire people that do not comply to absurdly specific preconditions?
Don't we let our poor people starve in the undeveloped countries or
even in our own cities? If we want to prove we belong to the next world
we should start now. Open work communities where everyone can start
working and get paid. The same thing as open source code or usenet but
now with money for everyone.

Anton

'sorry, I don't want to start a flamewar, but I really believe what I
wrote here'