Month: September 2020

The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis and Learning a Language

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The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (also known as the linguistic relativity hypothesis) is one of the most major breakthroughs in modern linguistics. It states that your thinking is effected or affected by the language(s) you know. How you see and experience the world is a product of your linguistic understanding of how to express it. Two people seeing the exact same sunset will have a different interpretation of the exact same experience if they speak two different languages.… Read the rest

Learning Chinese: Using the HSK

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The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (汉语水平考试, HSK) is a standard language test in the PRC for testing levels of standard Mandarin. While the test is largely accepted, it still has its critics and criticisms (such as being too standard). Even if you don’t bother learning for the test, knowing how the test is put together and what the levels mean can make a massive difference for learning Mandarin.… Read the rest

The 3 Basic Paradigms of Machine Learning

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Modern machine learning is arguably the intermediate step between heuristics and artificial intelligence (AI). While AI will be a form of machine learning, the current generation of ideas we use will probably no longer be relevant when a breakthrough happens which allows for true artificial intelligence. Machine learning transcends traditional algorithms and rules when done right because it adapts to patterns which are harder to quantify and qualify.… Read the rest

21 Certificates Worth Getting If You Want a Better Tech Career

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You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t looking for a way forward in tech. This article is going to be heavily targeted towards traditional IT and support roles. If you’re looking for standard coding gigs or similar, go elsewhere. While I do cover certs which can help a coding career, they aren’t the focus. Tech is huge, but the “lower rungs” are easier to grab on to.… Read the rest

Why I Decided to Learn Another Language

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I love languages. There’s just something about the feeling of turning an idea into a linguistic expression. It’s an intimate way of understanding an entirely different way of thinking.

When I learn a language, I aim for perfection, or as close as I can get, but I hadn’t started learning a new language in ages. I decided to go back to basics and learn about Thai and Tibetan, two languages which have fascinated me for ages, but which didn’t really have a clear economic or career value.… Read the rest

The Curse of Blue Collar IT

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Tech has traditionally been one of the more unorthodox career paths for the better part of the past half century. Few other careers have had the raw flexibility or unbridled chaos of the tech industry. The tech industry has ridden out the dot-com boom and bust, the growth of Silicon Valley as a cultural element, and the corporatization of IT. Things have changed for better and worse, but the majority of IT has slowly evolved into a blue-collar office job.… Read the rest