Many of the real problems in the world are NP. Things like Scheduling, Register Allocation, Routing packages, etc. In solving these really hard problems, we invent heuristics. Typically such heuristics are specific to the problem domain. For example, UPS might exploit certain characteristic about the geographical layout of the country; they face a certain subset [...]
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In my last post on Information Flow, I noticed that some flows are more informative than others. I used a switch statement for my illustrative example of that observation. But, from my experience as a software developer, I have a small aversion to switch statements. Usually, when I feel compelled to use one, it’s because [...] Ideal Key Layout For a long time, I have hated the layout on all keyboards I’ve ever laid hands on. It’s not just that I prefer Dvorak to Qwerty; it’s that the slanting of the rows causes an awkward bending of the left wrist, that the space key is far too large when you [...] I sent the following letter to Mike Maloney, CEO of GoldSilver and WealthCycles. Let’s see if he answers back. Promotion of silver as a form of money. You and I both share a preference for the GOP candidate Ron Paul, who advocates a return to hard money. His ‘End the Fed’ campaign has successfully [...] In the beginning, Apple Computer was a hobby in Job’s garage, advertised through computer hobby magazines. Dedicated hackers were busy building their community, and Apple was one of the hobby friendly architectures. Key here is the small, but critical, start-up costs: advertisement in a targeted venue. Can the same be done with education? That is, [...] I finished my reading of Mike Maloney’s Guide to Investing in Gold and Silver, partially to get an idea of how he got started in the business of bullion. He’s actually had several businesses throughout his life, including one where he designed “stereo amplification electronics were selected as one of five permanent exhibits at the [...] I’ve been reading quite a bit about the economics of the financial sector, and have come to two interesting conclusions. One is that the fractional reserve and central banking systems are very much akin to a Ponzi scheme; except that once it reaches scale, it doesn’t necessarily have to collapse. Bankers can rake in [...] I heard through the blogosphere about DeMillo’s book Abelard to Apple. I checked it out from the library, because, if I’m to be self-employed as an educator, I thought it would be useful to get an institutional view of the education system in the US. The book specifically focuses on higher education, especially the universities [...] A couple weeks back I substituted as the TA for a discussion section. I was recorded on video, which was reviewed by the Teaching, Learning, & Technology Center. Here are some notes about educational techniques that I took during the consultation session: Hand out small whiteboards to the students, and ask relatively easy questions, with [...] Since much of programming is about creating and manipulating abstractions, it figures that a large amount of education is going to be about leaning those abstractions. Things like classic data structures, the useful sloppiness of O-notation for algorithm analysis, and Design Patterns. But how should we introduce these things to our students? Should you teach [...] |
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