Hello World

I am a hermit, so any sort of social network is difficult for me. Be gentle. I am also older than the average participant in these newfangled things, so often feel out of place. Please be gentle.

So, why am I subjecting myself to steemit? (Or, perhaps, why am I subjecting steemit to me?) I am currently researching blockchains and their applications, so it seemed sensible to participate in one.

This is not the only blockchain I am participating in. I own a very little bit of Bitcoin. The ~$10 of Bitcoin I had sitting around at the start of the year is worth around $90 now. So, I bought another $100 of Bitcoin a few days ago. I'm also planning to invest in some Ethereum. Just small amounts and slowly so that I don't lose anything I can't afford.

From the past couple of months of research, I believe that blockchain is quietly building up to a revolution in how computer networks are organised. I believe that this is the tip of an evolving iceberg and I'm about to be a part of the next paradigm shift. I was an early adopter of the Internet, having my first email address through a university in 1994. I watched that revolution as consumer more than prosumer. I'll have a go at prosuming this time.

I'm also teaching myself programming. I've done a bunch of MOOC courses as well as a Graduate Certificate in Information Technology from a bricks and mortar university. I have dabbled in C, C#, C++, Java, Python and web programming (html, css, javascript and some frameworks). I'm working my way, in fits and starts and restarts through freeCodeCamp, which looks like the most likely venue to eventually get me doing something solid, rather than endlessly fiddling with courses.

I am also teaching myself a side order of maths with Khan Academy. This, I guess, is my version of someone else doing a crossword puzzle. It's recreational. Take a problem, apply a system of rules to find a solution (which is not always as straight-forward as it sounds: you first need to identify which rules could apply). Satisfaction. Take the next problem.

Which brings me back to what I am intending to do on steemit. I figured that some of this might be of interest to others; either steps I've taken to work my way through a programming problem, or just the motivational side of a 50 year old woman taking up programming and math and, although not being in any danger of blinding anyone with brilliance, at least moving along at my tortoise's pace and gaining something like a sense of fulfilment along the way.

So, hello steemit. Please be gentle.