7/26

I just watched a guest lecture from airbnb. It seems really complicated to build a web app because I have to learn a bunch of languages and ways to use tools such as Amazon EC2. It is something I used a year before but I just don't understand why don't they make a computer on their own. It is less costly if they buy a raspberry pi and have a larger band width. Amazon instances are not cheap though.

Another problem I am facing now is language preferences. I need to make a choice between php and rails. It is a hard decision because I think php is easier to learn but many others claim rails is more efficient for developing. I am trying it currently but encountered numerous difficulties using the rake command. A step-by-step tutorial does not always provide all the steps therefore some crucial points are missing and further process cannot progress. 

When developing it further in the future, I probably can integrate two languages. But it will be in 2 years so I don't need to worry about it now. I am now taking some courses provided by Stanford. I found it hard to learn cryptography or financial market because I still lack some knowledge in maths or computer. Besides, the great fire wall keeps lots of resources out therefore I cannot locate something I need.