
I'm 85 and I Learned To Code. You Should Too. - zachgalant
http://blog.codehs.com/post/37288742720/im-85-and-i-learned-to-code-you-should-too
======
DigitalSea
Coding is good for the brain, it keeps you thinking and on your toes. I hope I
live long enough to get to 85 and am still coding. This was inspiring, if an
85 year old can learn Javascript maybe I can learn other languages I've been
putting off learning because I felt as though they were too hard.

~~~
padrian2ss
No! that's piano playing and not coding

------
mikeleeorg
In case you're curious about this 85 year old:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucFB9tk8zQc>

------
mtgx
10 days left to support CodeHS, by the way:

<http://www.indiegogo.com/csinhs>

------
widk
Fantastic. That flashing, pulsating roulette wheel is wild. ;) I hope I'm
(still) coding when I'm 85. Keep going!

------
jere
Seizure warning.

Anyway, very impressive stuff. Too often, people seem to give up on learning
new stuff at an older age. Usually around 30.

~~~
michaelochurch
I think when I run a company, instead of targeting only young people (on the
assumption that they can learn new stuff faster) I'm going to give a bump to
people who are 35+ and are _still_ learning new stuff.

It's the same theory as is behind choosing an attractive older person. You
know that the good-looking 35-year-old has started to age and is still taking
care of him- or herself; the good-looking 20-year-old could fall apart in a
few years once the metabolism slows down.

Everyone's curious at 22. I want the people who had enough of an
insubordinate/rebellious streak to protect their creativity and curiosity
through their 20s, despite their corporate masters' attempts to destroy it.

~~~
gcheong
Why do you think creativity and curiosity require protection through
insubordination and rebellion?

~~~
psionski
Because "fitting in" means exactly that - you fit in space that is just big
enough to allow you to work and not much else. Creativity and curiosity
require wandering around.

------
jkeesh
We are making CodeHS to be as accessible as possible. We've had students of
all ages, and it would be great to get feedback from everyone.

~~~
alexholehouse
FYI, the "Please support our crowdfunding campaign CS in HS." link from that
blog post doesn't work. Just a heads up.

~~~
zachgalant
whoah, thanks. should be fixed now.

------
Spoom
The comments on the article itself (not here) make me sad. It almost
immediately devolves into a language war. Why is it that some people _always_
have to find something to complain about?

I bet a conversation with the author of this article would be very
interesting. With the attitude he demonstrated here, he probably has a lot to
teach.

~~~
endersshadow
People have a need to feel superior to other people. I mean, I get it, you're
super smart because you're able to critique programming languages. But at the
end of the day, this guy was trying to learn a little about coding and did.
And that's pretty cool.

People have lost their sense of wonder, and it's been replaced with cynicism
and egomania. C'est la vie.

------
elomarns
Nice story.

I believe anyone can learn anything, regardless the age.

And I agree with the author, know how to program is a useful knowledge in a
world where computers are everywhere. And it also helps to improve the logical
thinking. But I'm not among those who think that everybody must to learn
programming.

------
JeremyMorgan
The idea that your brain turns to mush at 30 is completely ridiculous anyway.
Good for him!

------
finspin
Here is the code he wrote (with help of tutors):
<http://pastebin.com/93548yF7>

------
olgeni
I tried a few times, even with colors only, and didn't win once... Now I have
to stick to it as a matter of principle :)

------
apathetic
but... [http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2012/05/please-dont-
learn-t...](http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2012/05/please-dont-learn-to-
code.html)

~~~
mylittlepony
I'm free to do whatever I want. I chose to learn informatics for the fat
paycheck mostly. So what? I happened to like programming, nowadays I spend a
lot of my free time building stuff for no reason, and have fun doing that. But
in the end, if I were rich, I'm not sure I would be doing any of this. I would
probably be playing ping pong all day long, or travelling around the world, or
investing in space exploration, or learning astrophysics.

------
jaequery
we need to get this guy on the guiness book of world record for becoming the
oldest coder!

------
Tomis02
Should I what? Be 85, or learn to code? I so hate people telling me what I
should or shouldn't do without even knowing me.

