[musicale]

"He was middle-aged and had learned to code a few months ago."

I don't like the idea that older beginners are necessarily worthy of contempt.

I do like the idea of suggesting that he take some courses in bioinformatics.

I don't know who Terry Davis is, but does he deserve the "even" qualifier before his name?

[seventhtiger]

Many similar cases approach anyone who is viewed as capable in tech, from app ideas to game ideas to buzzword mashups. They usually come from people who have spent minimal time trying to build their own capability or researching prior work done in the domain. They are only focused on making their own dream a reality and latch on to the one they perceive as able to realize it.

What they need is a mentor. Which is fine, of course. Mentorship is one of the best thing to look for when you're starting out. The issue is that mentorship cannot begin without humility from the mentee. Even if the mentee presented a legitimately great idea, an idea is still not an equal contribution, because they will need to be guided through the whole process.

So I think the disdain is warranted. Not because of age or inexperience. But because they're engaging a mentor with an offer of partnership. It's very arrogant.

[rabidrat]

Those are fair critiques. I brought up his age as evidence that it was not simply the arrogance of youth; if it were, education and exposure to a wider world would be the proper prescription. But his blank stare after I gave him a keyword and gently nudged him towards reality, along with the subsequently quoted followup message, confirmed that this was not youthful inexperience and naivete.

As to Terry Davis, I debated whether to include the 'even' qualifier, and decided to include it. I don't know if he deserves it either. You should look him up and decide for yourself. He was a complicated figure (just passed away recently) and I'm sure people would argue both ways.