I'm working my way through LPTHW, and from what I can tell (I'm at exercise 35 now) most of these criticisms are now out of date with what he's currently teaching.
From what I understand, LPTHW was essentially a book/course that the author had written to help a friend with zero programming knowledge learn how to write code, so with that in mind I can let some of the criticisms go, namely the weird order in which things are taught compared to other beginner language books and the condescending tone. I can also let some of the naming conventions go, because the book is meant to be followed in a linear fashion.
Given that many of these criticisms are out of date, and given that Zed Shaw is teaching Python 3 despite having some strong opinions, it's entirely possible that Zed the person can continue to hold these opinions, but can swallow his pride enough to fix issues other experienced developers have found with the book, and has chosen to teach Python 3 without pushing an agenda.
As for my opinions on the book, as an experienced .NET developer trying to enter the Python/Linux world I find it a bit too basic at times. What I've really enjoyed has been the rote learning aspect. Paired with the videos for each chapter, forcing myself to write the code, follow the study drills, and then watch the video after each chapter to compare approaches has resulted in me retaining much of what has been taught. As a book it feels lacking, but as a packaged course it feels good.
Once I finish his course, I'll probably follow up with another Python book to fill any holes before I move onto any particular web framework stuff.
1. "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. Taught me how to be more productive and simplify thinking about productivity. One of the books I re-read every year.
2. "The Bible" - I am not too religious, but I am a spiritual person. I find the new testament to be a good blueprint on how to live a righteous life.
3. "The Pragmatic Programmer: from journeyman to master" - such a timeless classic. Just get it...
wow! ok I am not even sure if there is a way to refute this without sounding angry...like, what part of anti-discrimination laws don't you like? the fact that marginalized groups can have equal access to gov contracts?education? healthcare? housing? please elaborate....
When they had the affirmative action proposition on the ballot in California there were a lot of people against, and a lot of those people were the very minorities the law was intended to help.
The main argument against it was that it tainted their success. What I mean is, for example, if a black person got into college, everyone would always question if they were truly qualified or if they only got in because they were black.
The other big argument against it is that it was fixing the wrong problem. You're fixing the roof when the foundation is crumbling. They argued that the affirmative action had to happen much earlier, in elementary and middle school, not college admissions.
So those are some of the arguments people make against it.
And another one specifically against government contract anti-discrimination is the thing I mentioned above, about the pass through problem. A minority will start a business, get a government contract, and then just pay a non-minority business as a subcontractor to do all the work, so they're basically just skimming off the top. So yes, a minority gets some money, but it's basically just a government handout.
I also dislike anti-discrimination laws in general though. I think a good compromise would be to limit them to certain kinds of jobs. This also reminds me of wrongful termination lawsuits, and anti-discrimination happens to be one of the reasons. I have been thinking about Yishan-style CEOs for a while now.
Getting a quality 7 hours of sleep every night, 7 days a week...oh and giving up alcohol(or at least drink only on weekends) which is easier said than done.
