Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with autodidactary

Learning Java on Ubuntu

phrontist — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:55:55 -0800

How should I get started in programming Java on Ubuntu Linux? I'm interested in programming (web) applets with graphical interfaces particularly. I have no experience with Java at all. I'm looking for recommendations on setting up a development environment, helpful books, online tutorials, anything at all - all keeping in mind that this is under linux+firefox. Googling reveals a lot of stuff, much of it outdated, and I'm hoping the hive mind can separate the wheat from the chafe.

I realize Java is supposed to be the end all of portability, but I feel like most of the resources I'm finding assume a windows development environment.

Communities of developers (something like Perlmonks) would be awesome as well.

I have programming experience, and am a comfortable with OO concepts, but know nothing of the Java take on them.

Nu Klar!

phrontist — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 16:57:11 -0800

I want to learn German. By which I mean I want to do anything that will lead, in the long term, to fluency (by which I mean well enough to live a full life in a German speaking country some day). I have absolutely no experience. I am not a "busy professional" who wants to "learn the basics of communication". I'll be taking Introductory German in college next year (I don't know what textbook they'll be using, or I'd buy that). I have a summer free of distraction (except for a 40 hour workweek) and approximately $50 at the moment (though lets say $100 for the purposes of conversation). What should I do?

Learning Music Theory

phrontist — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 07:40:32 -0800

How should I go about learning music theory? Having read this excellent thread a while back I'd really like to learn more about music theory. My musical experience is highly limited: I do not play a musical instrument, though I learned to read sheet music fairly well whilst playing clarinet in elementary/middle school. In school the theory portion of everything was really downplayed in favor of musicianship, which is, in my humble opionion, really a shame.

This approach certainly seems interesting, is anybody familiar with it? Any reccomendations for solid music theory textbooks? I don't mind it being overly dry or technical, as long as it's comprehensible. A friend of mine is always telling me how mathematically interesting western music can be, and if there is any truth to that I'd certainly be interested in that angle.

Learning Dutch

phrontist — Sun, 12 Jun 2005 15:08:13 -0800

I'd like to take up a more rigorus study of the Dutch language, and am looking for resources to aid me in doing so. Much more inside... I'm have dual Belgian-American citizenship, as my mother is Belgian, and have spent some portion of practically every summer vacation of my life in Belgium. I was raised more or less bilingually, save when it came to reading and writing. My father and I can hold our own in conversation, but can't write at all and read slowly. I'm going to be taking formal lessons at the Belgian Embassy next year, but until then I'm looking for:

A good book that teaches Dutch Grammar
A Dutch grammar reference
A good Dutch-English/English-Dutch dictionary

Or any book that combines those elements.

In regards to improving my verbal dutch I'm trying not to speak to my parents, except in dutch, and listening to Belgian radio streams. During the hours I listen to it, Belgian radio seems to be mostly music, and mostly english or french language music, save for the hourly news updates. I enjoy talk/news radio (in the vein of NPR/BBC World Service) and would like to find a dutch equivalent. I'm willing to listen to the somewhat goofy and abrasive accents of the Netherlands if necessary.

(On a somewhat tangental topic, is anyone in the MeFi community going to What the Hack?)