jsomers

26 ms·

241.
by jsomers 19y ago
It probably depends on the professor: is this Gibbon guy a good teacher? Try to find out if he's taught the course before and how it went. It's the difference between just learning cute terminology (bad professor) and initiating a real inte
242.
by jsomers 19y ago
I just think it's unfair to say something is "masturbatory" when you're using human life as your measuring stick. You can't expect everyone to devote themselves to your idea of worthwhile work, and you shouldn't begrudge their momentary div
243.
by jsomers 19y ago
I don't like this argument. For one you're on "Hacker News," a forum for hackers who hack with (mostly) computers. Keep in mind also that a lot of what we regard as essential today, say, the foundations of computer science (bits, formal lan
244.
Nerve-Tapping Neckband Translates Thought to Speech(technology.newscientist.com)
1 points by jsomers 19y ago|0 comments
245.
by jsomers 19y ago
Save time and read a text summary: http://blog.longnow.org/2008/02/26/craig-venter-joining-35-b... > Venter proposed that our current energy and climate situation requires truly disruptive technology. One project he’s working on would
246.
by jsomers 19y ago
I think there's a good reason negativity signals intelligence. Scholarship is about _critical_ thinking, challenging assertions, falsifying hypotheses, etc. If you agree with something it could therefore appear like you didn't do enough res
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by jsomers 19y ago
I just look at my watch and take the seconds mod 3. 0:rock, 1:paper, 2:scissors. Pretty sure random play (insofar as this method is random) is best.
248.
"The Most Complex Piece of Engineering Known to Man"(groups.google.com)
48 points by jsomers 19y ago|21 comments
249.
by jsomers 19y ago
I'm not much of a hardware hacker but this looks like a pretty small DIY project. A tighter, nicer package might be nice but I think the point is that the ``commercialized" version (cf. Microsoft Surface) is really expensive.
250.
by jsomers 19y ago
The trick is you need to solve them in less than a minute (of computer time, of course). Believe me, it gets tricky. 52% complete, Rank 369 out of 7362.
251.
by jsomers 19y ago
Godel, Escher, Bach (An Eternal Golden Braid) by Douglas Hofstadter. Also, The Mind's I (more philosophical) edited by the same guy.
252.
by jsomers 19y ago
It gave my location to within a few blocks. In a small town without a car, though, "a few blocks" is significant. Not obviously useful to me, yet.
253.
by jsomers 19y ago
Yes, math -- like every other discipline that can take itself seriously -- is about models and relationships. But given these models, we ought not necessarily "apply them to real-world objects." Rigorous math is powerful precisely because i
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by jsomers 19y ago
At least in my area (Ann Arbor), the resolution is too low to see much. As a cyclist/runner, for instance, one might be curious about steep inclines around town. No such luck here.