"The future is not about what you know but what you can create!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

I've become quite the Python programmer.

I know nothing about Python

This is both the conundrum and the wonderful possibility of the AI age.

As I type this out on the deck at 526am, there's a large jet lumbering overhead, a few thousand feet above. I know at this moment that it's a big old MD11 for UPS, flying a load of cargo from Louisville to Toronto. It's exactly 7,200 feet overhead, moving southeast. It is precisely this type of concise but useless information that I share with my wife that she finds crazy. She is unimpressed.

But this is one of the promises of the AI age. Yesterday, I wrote about how I was using AI to manage all the technical support around this complicated home office and home. Today, a short overview of how I can master a complex computer programming language without ever knowing much about the program.

Some cards on the table first - I do have some pretty intense coding skills. Enter AI. If you spend any time online, you will be hearing about the idea of 'vibe coding' - that's the idea where you are using it to help you write, structure. fix and test code. I've certainly been doing a lot of that - and this little project is a great example.

For a long time, in my home, I've been running an ADS-B receiver on a Raspberry PI - that's a little $35 computer that can be used for a wide number of small projects. The little antennae on the device pull in all the details on the various flights that pass over or around my home; each plane sends out an ADS-B signal with height, speed, callsign, tail number and more. 

But the folks at FlightAware, FlightRadar, Planespotters, and other apps you might use to track flights or find arrival and departure information have developed programs that let you turn this raw data into magical maps. My Raspberry Pi, for example, takes the data above and turns it into this image, accessible via my Web browser. The same data is uploaded continuously to all those flight services - with tens of thousands of people participating in this hobby, that's how this live flight tracking app you might use on your iPhone or iPad came to be.

It's a fun little hobby that tens of thousands of people around the world participate in - having their own 'feeder' stations grab this ADS-B information, feeding it to tracking services.

Onwards. One day, I saw someone post about the FlightWall - a display that someone could place over a window in their apartment or home, to know exactly what plane was just outside the window.

I decided to build my own. 

Here's the story, and why it matters.

**#Creation** **#AI** **#Programming** **#Python** **#Learning** **#Skills** **#Aviation** **#Technology** **#Innovation** **#Augmentation**

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/09/select-decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-knowledge-skills-the-future-is-not-about-what-you-know-but-what-you-can-create/

I occasionally write about education, being cultured, etc. so I thought it's only right that I explain myself. I wrote this a long time ago and have modified it several times since.

To my mind, this represents the perfect education. My focus is on the West, so things may be different in other parts of the world. This is meant as a guide from elementary (primary) through high (secondary) school, so some courses will depend on the age of the students. M means mandatory while o means optional. As for university, my belief is that, unlike a vocational school, it should be primarily a place of learning, not merely of obtaining employment. Therefore, the continuation of some of these courses should be encouraged. I also believe in proper dress, addressing teachers respectfully, etc. but that holds true everywhere, not just in school.

reading (at first using phonix), writing, spelling (m)
English grammar, taught as such and prescriptively (m)
English composition, may be taught with or separately from grammr (m)
elocution (m)
rhetoric (o)
English and European literature and poetry, nineteenth century and earlier (m)
world and/or later literature and poetry (o)
Latin, using memorisation and recitation (m)
French, Italian, or other modern language, using translations, readings, dialogues, etc. (m)
Attic Greek (o)
typing and general computer use (m)
national and European geography, with some basic world geography (m)
world geography (o)
national and European history, may be taught separately (m)
world history (o)
elementary philosophy, classical (m)
advanced philosophy, modern (o)
elementary art or art history (m)
advanced art (o)
elementary music (m)
advanced music (o)
physical education or some sort of exercise if student has disability (m)
health, including sex education (m)
basic science, a course with real-life, general ideas of biology, chemistry, Earth science, nature, etc. taught via lectures and videos (m)
advanced sciences, more advanced forms of the above, plus other sciences, taught with labs (o)
basic mathematics, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers and fractions), percentages, etc. (m)
advanced mathematics, algebra, calculus, geometry, trigonometry, etc. (o)
home economics (m)
religion, taught in a scholarly manner (o)
vocational trade or general shop (o)

A well-rounded education makes a person truly cultured. The rudiments must always be in reading, writing, and speaking. Far too many people today were never taught these most basic things and it shows in everything, from their speech, to their daily communications online, to their business letters. Literature not only stimulates the imagination but also provides a window into the past and demonstrates the beauty of the language. Latin and Greek help with English, teach discipline, and strengthen the mind. French is an international language and many books, articles, etc. from the past often contained paragraphs or words in it, but other modern languages can still offer knowledge and enjoyment for those who would rather not learn French. There is no need to waste time with advanced maths and sciences if you're not going to use them in daily life, but it is necessary to know the basics and also a bit about plants, animals, and nature. Likewise, health and sexual education are essential for making important decisions later in life. I also think it's wrong to separate the sexes. If each understood what the other goes through, it could make life easier in the future. History is valuable not only as a means of becoming cultured, but so that the mistakes of the past aren't repeated. Learning geography is necessary so that you literally know your place in the world and where others stand in reference to you, as well as where various historical events occurred. Home economics is important because, regardless of sex, you should know how to run your household, cook enough to survive, and also deal with money. Learning to type is necessary because computers are used so much today. Art and music are really more about culture and appreciating beautiful things. In my case, being totally blind, I can't see the art, but it's at least good to know the history of it. Music, from the basics of what instruments are and singing songs as children, to learning about classical music and opera later, is a wonderful world onto itself, just like literature. Shop and vocational training are really only necessary for those who wish to obtain jobs in those fields or who are genuinely curious about them. Finally, physical education provides an outlet for energy and an excuse to get out of the classroom for a bit. Plus, it's good for the body.