First of all, this NYT is well worth reading. You might actually be interested in buying the product! k wrote:
] My interest in the politics of the word hacker has reached
] an all time low. An all-time low, perhaps, but it hasn't bottomed out yet. Who cares? Why not focus on something Important, like wordsmithing the GPL? ] sidetrack asisde, the story's interesting because it shows
] what a motivated individual can do, without the generally
] presumed benefits of a formal degree. Her motivation is admirable, but strong motivation is not a substitute for the college experience, any more than good looks are a substitute for kindness. When you use a phrase like "generally presumed benefits of a formal degree", it certainly sounds like a disparaging remark about classrooms, or books, or the System, or the Shaft, or somesuch. While most college students do encounter all of these things, they also encounter each other, in an environment that promotes scientific exploration and open collaboration. If you go to the best college you can get into, and seek out the best students there, you are likely to learn as much from them as from the professors. Working alone, Jeri has accomplished something impressive. If she had finished high school and gone on to MIT, Stanford, or any of several other schools with a rich spirit of entrepreneurship, she might well have become a legendary Internet billionaire extraordinaire, instead of a gadget guru hawking her warez on QVC. She may still get there, and I wish her all the best. A Toy With a Story | 
