So there's a lot of other things that can be done on the client other than interacting with the DOM. In particular, applications that render intense graphics, or manage a local database could GREATLY benefit from more efficient compiled code, and this would open up possibilities that the current JS engine wouldn't be able to deliver.
Sometimes you don't realize there's a problem until you try doing it a different way. If you always wait until there's a problem, you're likely to get stuck doing things the hard way. There's nothing wrong with taking the occasional moment to see what new tools are out there, if anything to simply be a bit more efficient. If you're looking for new tools all the time to procrastinate, or simply always hoping something will do the heavy lifting for you then that's another story.
Or the snake one called Nibbles - my 6th grade computer class teacher had made modifications to it adding levels, etc., and had his class play with what he had created. I was just starting to learn Qbasic at the time and he wouldn't let me have the source code :(
In regards to the length of functions, to me it comes down to whether it is preferable to have the entire content of the function visible to the programmer at the time any changes need to be made, or if there are multiple things going on that can be assessed independently of each other. The idea of setting a hard rule that a function can only be as long as your screen height ignores the context is what is being done within the function, and encourages the programmer to make breaks in places where it may not make sense to do so.
Whatever the default search target for travel stay is, if there is one, will probably determine a large percent of what users will simply stick to using without bothering to change it to another preference, since they may not know better. This default does leave an opportunity for some companies to have an edge over others, and potentially pay to make it so.
Viv is being presented as a platform for other developers to build on top of, and these 3rd party developers will be the ones responsible for fleshing out the specifics of how the queries will work given the domain they are implementing for. They will be the ones who will need to anticipate all of the different ways a user can request for something in particular and include all of the edge-cases that might trip-up the API.
In the end I think queries for certain types of well-established services like asking about the weather are probably going to yield better results than more obscure/complex things like placing an order for building custom furniture from a small workshop.
I too was left disappointed and wondering the same thing when I came to the end of an otherwise great article.
My best guess is that anyone can do purposeful practicing simply by changing things up and staying out of one's "comfort zone", whereas deliberate practice is more or less the same thing, with the difference being that you have an experienced mentor guiding you through the process in a more structured manner with a tight feedback loop.
In many cases, side projects have absolutely nothing to do with one's mainstream work, so trying to have them gain traction at a company is moot. For instance, if I work for the government doing IT services, why should they sponsor my idea of creating a mobile game app?
According to the article, supernovas occur more frequently in younger galaxies, and we know these can blow a star's heliosphere away temporarily exposing all its planets to deadly radiation (which it seems has happened to Earth before).