shasta

58 ms·

511.
by shasta 15y ago
The concern is over how to eliminate a certain class of bugs from our software as it becomes increasingly complex to the point that no human understands it. If you ask your robot to get you a glass of milk, and it finds you are out, you do
512.
by shasta 15y ago
Apple devices tend to have one primary dimension of choice so that they have products at various price points On the iPhone/pad it's memory size. On computers it's screen size. But it is simpler than others, true.
513.
by shasta 15y ago
With shared information and rational actors (unrealistic, I know) stock prices should reflect long term expectation, even in the short term.
514.
by shasta 15y ago
Yes. The article frustratingly kept identifying "maximizing shareholder value" as the problem and the naive "delight customers" as the solution. Maximizing shareholder value would be much more closely aligned with society's interests if sh
515.
by shasta 15y ago
The only thing practically nonsense here is viewing a computer as a finite state machine with 2^trillion states! That state machines cannot decide primality is downright practical by comparison.
516.
by shasta 15y ago
They are sometimes clear. As long as its still funny with that clear.
517.
by shasta 15y ago
The Daily Show is much worse than other comedy news shows. The tradition Carson/Leno/Letterman format is to present the News story and then say something funny about it. The daily show formula is to misrepresent the facts in a manner that m
518.
by shasta 15y ago
You shouldn't support The Daily Show or Colbert, either. What those programs usually do is omit or distort key facts that make their victims seem hypocritical or otherwise unreasonable and then mock them for it. Much less funny and I got ti
519.
by shasta 15y ago
If you really favor protection from errors, then the correct choice is to require 'var' for new declarations but forbid shadowing (it's an error). Shadowing a la Scheme is a source of errors, too -- you can intend the outer variable, faili
520.
by shasta 15y ago
The problem with the Drake equation is the huge uncertainty in the factors. I propose instead that we get someone at Microsoft to estimate the number of piano movers in the universe and estimate from there.
521.
by shasta 15y ago
My boss walked in carrying a duck. I said "where'd you get the pig?" He said, "it's not a pig -- it's a duck." I said, "I was talking to the duck."
522.
by shasta 15y ago
Given how opinionated the dark background folk I've met have been (possibly just because they feel ignored by common windows editors) I'd worry about selection bias in a result like this.
523.
by shasta 15y ago
Agreed
524.
by shasta 15y ago
Looks like a good proof that any 'a' relatively prime to 7, 13 and 19 should pass the test. Why don't you try a=7 and see what happens?
525.
by shasta 15y ago
90% in 20 hours - amazing! Maybe someone good at math can eatimate how many months it will take them to do the other 10%...
526.
by shasta 15y ago
I've always found the Perlis quote to be false. It seems to assume that existing languages align well with how I think. A good quip only needs a grain of truth I suppose, but for that reason I wouldn't give such a quip a prominent place i
527.
by shasta 15y ago
I recommend rotating the pitchfork to make it look like a lambda.
528.
by shasta 15y ago
Multiprocessing doesn't help with TeX because compiling it is an inherently linear problem the way it was designed. One can imagine a layout language that sucks less (TeX is very powerful but one of the worst designed languages in existenc
529.
by shasta 15y ago
My suggestion was that the safe harbor provisions of the DMCA be weakened so that you only qualify if you've taken reasonable technological steps to identify copyrighted content. You're right that's not a solution to overseas websites.
530.
by shasta 15y ago
Some kind of audio/video fingerprint registry that allowed copyright holders to once and for all register their copyrights seems like it could be a good balance.
531.
by shasta 15y ago
You mean its hard to draw a circle and a square that intersect 8 times?
532.
by shasta 15y ago
The paradox is most interesting after only one day remains. On Friday, after Monday through Thursday have passed with no exam, the professor's declaration becomes "we will have an exam later today, but you will not know it until then." If
533.
by shasta 15y ago
Belief probability isn't an arbitrary number that you get to declare. A rational student isn't going to be 100% certain that the test is Monday. If you think you could be, let's set this up. Bring your wallet so that we can wager.
534.
by shasta 15y ago
I don't think change is impossible in our current system of government. The idea just needs to spread that reform is more important than how that reform is perceived to affect any pet political issue, because it will improve the outcome of
535.
by shasta 15y ago
I bet you're a master.
536.
by shasta 15y ago
Clarification: he was a rocket designer, not an interior decorator.
537.
by shasta 15y ago
People voting based on stances on real world issues is actually the problem. If you vote on any issue other than fixing the broken system, you're contributing to the problem.
538.
by shasta 15y ago
No. Where we disagree is on what the law should be.
539.
by shasta 15y ago
Also people shouldn't be able to drive on less than 8 hours of sleep, on allergy medicine, over the age of 65, when it's dark, or when it's raining. Better safe than sorry.
540.
by shasta 15y ago
Just to point out the obvious problems of having the elevator door start open: 1) you now have a common case where the door starts to close as someone is just about to walk in, startling and/or annoying them, and 2) not only does closing t

More ›