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I haven't retired per se. I just retired from software development. I hated doing it for a living eventually. I still work some, but I also eventually went mad (literally) so I can't work as much as I used to. boooo. (The normals won't have me. j/k) Oh well. I can't code for a living anymore because my brand of crazy doesn't do deadlines. Like, at all. Just for starters. But I left before all that because I guess I burned out and just needed a change.
If I wasn't a computer nerd I would have been a robotics nerd. I love servos and little "AI"s and such. the combination of computing and mechanical engineering has always struck a chord with me, ever since i was little. I was the way a lot of kids are with trains when i was young. so your post is definitely relatable content. 
I have no idea what kinematics are though, so I will have to google that. 
When I was growin' up, I was the smartest kid I knew. Maybe that was just because I didn't know that many kids. All I know is now I feel the opposite.
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For me it's the combination of mathematics and 3D graphics that appeal to me. That's why I only build virtual robots. 
Kinematics is the mathematics of motion essentially. Forward kinematics is - given a set of axes, if we set the motors to position (a,b,c,d,...) calculate where the end effector is. Inverse kinematics is - given a set of axes, if we want the end effector to be at position (x,y,z) calculate where the motors need to be positioned. It's the reverse process and it's key to making robots go where you want to them to. It's really fun stuff I think.
"They have a consciousness, they have a life, they have a soul! Damn you! Let the rabbits wear glasses! Save our brothers! Can I get an amen?"
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I am that choir you've heard about preaching to.
Most of the time (at least when I have m'druthers), I'druther create abstract code, too. And, extensible from the start since it is a given that new features will be needed eventually and if it's well done it will be around a while.
So - roughly half the company runs on a couple of my engines (article, some day) - and their portable can (and have) been repurposed because they really are abstract enough to run pretty much anything.
And what do I hear? What gets back to me? Management wonders what I do. Were it not for ethic's I'd have pulled the plug on them and they'd find out that way. Option 2: put my name and creation date on the pages (never thought I'd ever need to sign my work). They're beginning to get the picture.
But - as you observed from and with your own experience - an abstraction that is reusable to solve endless problems doesn't get much appreciation. A graceful solution, maybe by it's graceful nature, goes unnoticed.
"So it goes" - Kurt Vonnegut
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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First of all: absence of votes/comments does not mean absence of readers.
Second: how many votes do you need to make you feel your work is good/excellent ? The article you mention got #16 _5 votes: imho, that's pretty good for an article with rather specific utility.
Third: are you sure each article you publish (not in a series) has enough"meat" to be seen as useful on its own: I suspect the article you mention is a piece of your other projects, and probably should not be a separate article.
Being over-concerned with votes is a lousy habit. Soliciting votes by complaining about your ratings is a waste of time for everybody, and, on the Lounge, a form of spam.
I have seen articles here that initially received few votes go on, over years, to being top-rated.
Now, if you had posted a friendly interrogatory on the Article Writing forum, like:
"I would like to ask the CP community what I can do to make my article "X" of greater interest to CP readers; I'm puzzled it appears it hasn't had the readership my other articles had." You might have a very different type of response.
«Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?» T. S. Elliot
modified 18-Jul-19 6:58am.
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I wasn't trying to solicit votes. I was dwelling on the irony of the response it got.
I'm honestly fine with it. I have an article that did far worse, and I understand why.
BillWoodruff wrote: Now, if you had posted a friendly interrogatory on the Article Writing forum, like:
As far as the responses I got here? My responses have been primarily positive, except yours. Just sayin'
It was a lighthearted post. I think maybe you're reading it in a different spirit than the one I wrote it in and that might be my fault for not making it clearer.
When I was growin' up, I was the smartest kid I knew. Maybe that was just because I didn't know that many kids. All I know is now I feel the opposite.
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"I was dwelling on the irony of the response it got."
So, those who do not respond are sending you a message with an ironic intent ? In psychiatry, we refer to that as "ideas of reference," and, consider it an indication of primary narcissism.
I am going to quit reading, or responding, to your posts here: it's evident to me you do not respond to the substance of what is said to you; rather, you respond in terms of how you imagine you might "appear."
I live in a country where a native language proverb is: "a big face breaks the mirror;" "ใบหน้าใหญ่แตกกระจก;" "Bıh̄n̂ā h̄ıỵ̀ tæk krack."
«Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?» T. S. Elliot
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No that's not what I meant by that. I just meant I thought it was weird that much more generally useful code was rated lower compared to code that does the same thing but is less useful.
When I was growin' up, I was the smartest kid I knew. Maybe that was just because I didn't know that many kids. All I know is now I feel the opposite.
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In court today - an unusual experience, I'm used to being the defendant in speeding cases so it made a nice change to turn up without a suit on - supporting friends who were witnesses against the local Neighbours From Hell. Despite being released and allowed to go home because the Defence solicitor was sick and didn't turn up, then getting a call to come back when a few miles from home it worked out well.
Instead of putting her hand up and saying "Yes, I swore at them, and called him a pervert" which is worth an £80 on the spot fine she decided "Not guilty" was a better idea. And has ended up with a five year Restraining Order which is going to royally annoy them both ...
So ... what did I miss?
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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So you got no chance to deliver some surprising testimony that turned the tables on everyone and got them into jail for a long time? Including the judge?
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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Regrettably not. The prosecution solicitor didn't even look like Perry Mason!
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Did they at least wear these wigs or is that also a thing of the past?
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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 The Black Cap is right out as well, apparently.
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Perry was a defense lawyer, fer cryin' out loud.
Software Zen: delete this;
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It would have been ironic if you had been done for speeding whilst on the way back to court.
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OriginalGriff wrote: saying "Yes, I swore at them, and called him a pervert" which is worth an £80 on the spot fine
Wait, that isn't allowed? Guess I need to strike Wales off my places to visit, that or budget for obscene language.
I jest but coming from the US that is a bit surprising, does it have to do with public decency or is profanity illegal?
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RJOberg wrote: is profanity illegal?
Surprisingly, Yes. Profanities (specifically blasphemy) are illegal. But AFAIK no one has been arrested or convicted for it for many years.
You're more likely to be arrested for saying positive things about God or Jesus instead of using their names inappropriately as some folks consider that to be a hate crime against people who have different opinions even if the people with different opinions are OK with it. I have deleted the rest of what I was going to write in case it was more applicable to the Soapbox and I don't want to go down that route.
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Swearing and abusive langauge in a public place is illegal in the UK under Section 4 of the Public Order Act 1986[^] and is normally used to sober up drunks who are being annoying: finding themselves £80 lighter the next day is supposed to get them to think more next time. Doubt if it works, but ...
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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And was the person who was charged in this case drunk at the time - or does the complainant just have a thin skin?
Or both?
Socialism is the Axe Body Spray of political ideologies: It never does what it claims to do, but people too young to know better keep buying it anyway. (Glenn Reynolds)
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Long story - about seven years long - let's just say she truly deserves the title "Neighbour From Hell".
You wouldn't want to live next door to these two!
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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OriginalGriff wrote: speeding cases
Knowing the welsh roads, speeding means hitting THE 60km/h speed limit, doesn't it ?
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I think my record was in excess of an indicated 140mph in a 70 zone. It's difficult to be sure, I was changing into top at the time, and wasn't watching the speedo that carefully.
Don't you just love Ducatis? 
This does not in any way, form, or manner constitute a confession officer.
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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  Ouch. In France, you could not avoid jail time for this...
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On a sparsely occupied motorway in England, many, many, years ago in my much younger days I was in the fast lane, over-taking a string of cars doing about 85 - I was doing about 90, no real hurry. Zooming up behind me came a white AMG Merc in a hurry (aren't they always?), flashing his lights, honking his horn and getting upset because I was only doing 90! Having a specially built Audi Quattro (an ur-Quattro) with a "sport" engine from the rally version, I dropped down a gear and accelerated out of his way.
I got to 120 fairly quickly and found he was still less than 20ft behind me still flashing and honking. In a moment of righteous indignation, I floored it, accelerating to 135, then 145 - still behind me, although a little further back. Only when I reached 155 did he run out of oomph and fall behind, he had topped out at about 145.
Ahead I saw the road rise gently uphill with a crest ahead. I thought to myself, "If I were a police-car waiting to catch speeders, where would I hide?". I moved into the middle lane and hit the brakes a little. I crested the hill doing about 85, the AMG shot past me still doing 140+ just in time for the souped-up Jaguar police chase car on a launch ramp to start its lights and siren and charge off after him - they must be rocket assisted or something!
A couple of miles down the road I passed them, doing exactly 70. They had pulled him over, "License and registration, please sir - you won't need those anymore...". Karma! 
Impatience caused most accidents back then, inattention due to texting, etc. these days.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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Gotta love Welsh roads. Friend of mine lives outside Carmarthen. We used to regularly go to an August bank holiday weekend barbecue and hooli at his field, which involved many land-rovers, off road bikes and other improvised vehicles (a range rover was converted to a quad bike once with the aid of a plasma cutter), a large bonfire and a "fairly large" sound system. The run in once over the estuary and avoiding the motorway was always fun.
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