tom_b

28 ms·

181.
by tom_b 14y ago
When possible, take jobs that require you to do the work that you want to do. Consider turning down perfectly good or even great jobs that do not directly require that "want to do" work if you can.
182.
by tom_b 14y ago
I think the neatest outcome it that this may encourage more people to play around with datalog. Coming from a SQL background, I used to say that I wanted first class functions in SQL. Who knew that this little restricted version of prolog
183.
by tom_b 14y ago
From the hacking perspective, I sometimes mindlessly play at a REPL. Tweak a function a little, see what it does, another tweak . . . I feel guilty about it - it's almost like being a monkey at the keyboard. "Will this push give me a pell
184.
by tom_b 14y ago
TPS reports rule (I know it's really below the belt) . . . http://www.indeed.com/jobtrends?q=sql%2Cjava&l= I had not thought deeply about runtimes in relation to this question. It's certainly true that one reason I can hack around in
185.
by tom_b 14y ago
I can't help but respond: http://www.indeed.com/jobtrends?q=java%2Cclojure%2Chaskell%2... Having any "most in-demand functional programming language" seems to be a bit silly. In the larger view, there simply isn't any demand. I REALLY
186.
by tom_b 14y ago
Nicely done. A (surprisingly) hacker-oriented process features in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Dummies by Rhenna Branch and Rob Wilson. The tl;dr version is that you can (and probably should) step back from your thoughts, observe, and
187.
by tom_b 14y ago
Recent password db leaks and considerations around storing HIPPA data in the cloud had me thinking about encrypted data in RDBMs. Given the limitations that seem apparent, I am wondering more about whether the correct approach is to encrypt
188.
Order-Preserving Encryption Revisited [pdf](cc.gatech.edu)
1 points by tom_b 14y ago|1 comments
189.
by tom_b 14y ago
I think there are a variety of vendor front-end tools that are basically fine. Pentaho, whatever Corda is these days, even the YC start-up chart.io Then you have all the enterprise-y stuff, Crystal, Oracle's Warehouse Builder, Business Obje
190.
by tom_b 14y ago
"the highest form of artistry is the application of pragmatism to manifesting our dreams" Have been sitting on that sentence just waiting to use it or are you feeling particularly poetic today? Thanks either way. Very nicely phrased.
191.
by tom_b 14y ago
I very much like the "Koans" approach to grabbing the basics of programming languages fundamentals. I would love if HackerRank included language-specific functions and methods that any hacker wanting to claim mastery of that language should
192.
by tom_b 14y ago
Benford's law strikes! I was all set to read about crazy, complex data analysis that detected this, but instead check out the abstract below: "With an eye to providing a methodology for tracking the dynamic integrity of prices for importan
193.
by tom_b 14y ago
For better or worse, there are employers and fields where obtaining a certification is an important signalling mechanism. Carefully consider whether or not a Linux administration gig is one of those - I personally don't know. I know in a s
194.
by tom_b 14y ago
This is an important question for software development in general. I find it interesting to see just how much simple tasks (say parsing data and combining it with other data) results in significant improvements in user experience. I am n
195.
by tom_b 14y ago
Are data hackers gravitating to R? Given that Oracle and (surprisingly to me) SAS now both support R in their offerings, it seems that at least the enterprise will be taking up more R for analytics.
196.
by tom_b 14y ago
I think online, low-cost education will supplant courses taught with low or no instructor-to-student interaction in a very short window of time. Less obviously, I think that mentors (teachers and professors at all levels) who provide value
197.
by tom_b 14y ago
There are some interesting research efforts that explore the link between early-age bilingual learners and positive cognitive effects [1]. What is striking to me is that hackers have long made statements that learning different programming
198.
by tom_b 14y ago
Yes, quicklisp is cool. I've used it and it makes package management much easier for my tasks. I think you are right that Clojure (and noir) is probably much newbie-friendly that Common Lisp (and hunchentoot). One aspect of the Clojure mo
199.
by tom_b 14y ago
http://weitz.de/ hunchentoot Prepare to be blown away by Edi Weitz's libraries. Excellent code reading.
200.
by tom_b 15y ago
Wow! Please tell me that you used ORM as a personal choice on a project you were putting together rather than being handed an ORM before a little SQL in coursework. Nothing wrong with ORMs at all. Just that I would have expected at least
201.
by tom_b 15y ago
Always test your data operations on data volumes (and user load) that mirror what you expect to see in production. This is important across the entirety of your dev stack.
202.
by tom_b 15y ago
Think Stats is available for free under a Creative Commons License: http://greenteapress.com/thinkstats/
203.
by tom_b 15y ago
Yes, but not rates being charged for using the listed skill. As to the dreaded axis values: I think your chart, in this context, does exaggerate the variation in hourly wage by skill. At first glance, almost all your data points are betwe
204.
by tom_b 15y ago
This analysis is deeply flawed. The association between skills listed in a worker's profile and hourly wages is accidental. The actual analysis we want to see should be project based, showing what projects (in which I would like to see tec
205.
by tom_b 15y ago
Maybe. They are certainly aware of spaced repetition. I am not sure what form any adaptive response the exercises take. Any fellow HN'ers with insight?
206.
by tom_b 15y ago
Forget the hardware. What we really need is a way to get Anki (spaced repetition learning software) hooked up with enough logic (AI like?) to allow individualized learning with different instruction methods that tailor themselves to each st
207.
by tom_b 15y ago
I think what Prolog, SQL, Lisp, or even J really offer is cheap exploratory development. I am tremendously productive sitting in front of a REPL with access to data. Even with my Ruby hacking, I tend to be playing with 1 to 4 lines of code
208.
by tom_b 15y ago
Startup opportunity for accelerometers in helmets/pads/shoes and real-time data collection? I imagine if you came up with the right visualizations, that fans would be interested, e.g., "omg, did you see how the LB lit up that receiver comin
209.
by tom_b 15y ago
I have recently been experimenting with Treetop, a ruby gem that allows you to easily work with parsing expression grammars. I may move to Common Lisp or Clojure for writing DSLs, but I am pretty happy with my early experience with Treetop.
210.
by tom_b 15y ago
This is scary to me because of the similarity to HR drone-speak. "oh, we need a candidate who has written blub on corporate blub platform X instead of corporate blub platform Y. thanks for your interest." The worst part is that this hypoth

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