i like the book
Thank you for your post. I really enjoyed reading it. You are absolutely right saying that brevity is beautiful. I consider this topic is extremely important for all mankind…
“Brevity is the soul of wit.” - Shakespeare
Really struck a chord!
Especially the reference to translation.
I learned sign language in High School with the goal of becoming an interpreter at my church. I picked up the language fairly quickly, but the art of interpretation took a lot more time and a lot more practice. It all clicked when I saw a huge revelation: everything is translation. It’s not just Sign to English, or English to Spanish. It is also when two native English speakers talk in English. As a matter of fact there are two translations:
- I have an idea in my head and translate it to words.
- You hear the words and translate it to an idea.
The frustrating part is that we can never really convey the idea directly. We can only talk about the idea. We build a bridge from our consciousness to the idea, our words are that bridge. If we are skilled linguists/bridge builders then hopefully we’ve built a structure that others will recognize; a structure that will withstand vigorous use by others. In the end the degree to which the other has cognition of our idea depends largely on his ability to navigate our bridge, not just our ability to build it.
Excelsior,
Eric
Kalid, you have a khalid (“endless” in Arabic) love for teaching, math, and your fellow beings and you’re a good friend (according to http://www.babycenter.com/baby-names-kalid-530875.htm). And according to this site (http://genealogy.familyeducation.com/surname-origin/azad), you’re a free man (Azad). A free man with an endless love, that’s what you are.
Yours truly is going through betterexplained.com with a fine-tooth comb. Your Calculus in 1 Minute (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbX6foyRwjY) is phenomenal; what did you say at 0:22 and at 0:57? Thanx much! I cry of sheer joy as I read your site.
You love slang and have a great sense of humor. Please read this site below and get in touch with this dude ASAP. He’s an unbelievable teacher and writer with a weird sense of humor, perhaps not even 30 yet. I cry of sheer joy as I study and practice his (Poignant) Guide to Ruby.
http://mislav.uniqpath.com/poignant-guide/
Wishing you, your wife, and your children everything that is good and beautiful in life,
Jerry Hunter (my name in English)
Gerardo Montero (mi nombre en español)
" The best work is the work that is done by your own hand. "
To send a concise and sharp message in plain IS very hard*. This is not a small effort especially if you GET the idea /feel in your native language, but doesn’t have and equivalent english word to represent it.
Same goes for graphics, to get a really good All-In-One poster/picture/chart/ideagram/simplified-model will take you days/months to finish. Compiling idea + get the right symbol + the right arrangement + scale + color tone + … is a professional skill by itself.
Point is, knowledge is precious. To teach/share/learn efficiently is not easy. Patience is the key.
Have a nice ride. 
I’ve learnt to avoid actually reading textbooks (typically programming textbooks) through having tried and failed to wade through pages of prosy padding. Now I skip immediately to the exercise section, try and understand the solutions and reference the main text to aid understanding as necessary. Any textbook author worth his or her salt will embody each key idea in an exercise.