[ExI] standard form for creating a test, was: RE: humanities plus schmooze

[spike]

-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org
[mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of BillK
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2012 4:06 PM
To: ExI chat list
Subject: Re: [ExI] standard form for creating a test, was: RE: humanities
plus schmooze

On 12/9/12, Mike Dougherty wrote:
<snip>
>>... Typing (a la qwerty) is an old protocol you learned once and have 
> forgotten was an acquired skill.  Your google-fu is an acquired skill 
> you forget that many people (still, sadly) lack...

I have a good example of this I will share soon, but not now because I have
family obligations.

>...I may be mistaken, but I don't think Spike wants to be a programmer...

You are not mistaken.  This is why evolution has given us people like Mike.
They like coding and are good at it.  I find it tedious and I suck.

>... even in SQL...

Right again.

>...He might be misleading you with his descriptions of torturing Excel...

No actually I have done some wacky complicated stuff in Excel macros.  They
have their advantages, for everyone at work uses Excel.

>...Mission: Creating a viable free open source alternative to Magma, Maple,
Mathematica and Matlab. BillK

I have used both Mathematica and Matlab at work, as well as Simulink, but I
don't have any of those three packages at home, which is where I do all my
fun and games stuff.  I managed to have Matlab on its knees as well as
Excel, so it isn't clear to me that it was a lot better.  Matlab is good at
what it does.

spike