v0cab

11 ms·

61.
by v0cab 14y ago
Well I hope you make it clear exactly why raccoons are being put on a battleship, so that the candidate has a clue about the kind of logic he's expected to use and the level of accuracy required.
62.
by v0cab 14y ago
> There is a lot of variance in bus sizes, but not enough to put you off by more than an order of magnitude. I didn't know that 'within an order of magnitude' was an acceptable degree of accuracy. > Knowing what kind of accuracy is
63.
by v0cab 14y ago
> Maybe, after we estimate the number, perhaps we can estimate the time-to-fill based on various rates of child-miscreant golf-ball theft. This comes across as a kind of punishment for asking stupid questions.
64.
by v0cab 14y ago
I am using a pseudonym. I realise that things I write can be linked back to me, but I want to not make that too easy. I haven't posted anything stupid.
65.
by v0cab 14y ago
Is the bus in space? Is it a toy bus? Is it a bus for aliens? Can I assume the bus is perfectly spherical? Is the bus a ghost? Do I have a ray gun that can shrink and enlarge things? Are the golf balls made out of water? Do kids keep
66.
by v0cab 14y ago
> they'll make assumptions (and note the dangers of assumptions) So is it OK to make assumptions or not?
67.
by v0cab 14y ago
> Ask some people how many golfballs fit in a bus. They'll be stumped. They'll have no idea how to proceed. They'll just stop, and look at you, and flounder. Because, as ebbv said, there is absolutely no way they can get a decent level
68.
by v0cab 14y ago
There's so many different kinds of buses, and it clear what kind of level of accuracy is required. I can just say 'two thousand' and that's a good enough answer. The problem is, that isn't good, as the interviewer wants to 'see how I think
69.
by v0cab 14y ago
The hoops are invisible in this case. It's a matter of putting on a show for the interviewer. But we don't know what kind of show. A show where we make assumptions about things? or ask questions? A show where we try to get as 'real-worl
70.
by v0cab 14y ago
It isn't a well-formed question. There's so many different kinds of buses, there might be furniture, it might be toy bus, the doors might be open, it might be an alien bus, it might be full with people or superglue; Who knows? The questio
71.
by v0cab 14y ago
> Experience says it's the first thing that springs to a relatively small percentage of minds, actually. Can you explain in more detail about what experience lets you know this? > No, someone who didn't ask about the kind of bus isn
72.
by v0cab 14y ago
How do you know that it's OK to make assumptions like that? How do you know that a quick estimate is acceptable? Is this level of accuracy acceptable? How do you know? I can't get the point of this. The interviewer wants to know how many
73.
by v0cab 14y ago
"Asking about an irrelevant problem makes it clear that this question is about your logical process and not about your knowledge related to this job." 1. But it doesn't make it clear (that my logical process is being tested). This problem
74.
by v0cab 14y ago
> "Short bus? Long bus? Double decker bus? Coach bus? VW Bus?" Since I'm not sure of the relevance of the question, I choose a Matchbox Bus. The answer is 0. 0 golfballs fit in a matchbox bus. You never know how far they want you to go
75.
by v0cab 14y ago
Everybody knows there are different kinds of buses. It is the first thing that springs to everybody's mind when you ask "How many golfballs fit on a bus?". Someone who didn't ask about what kind of bus is under the impression that,
76.
by v0cab 14y ago
Then why wouldn't you ask a real-world question like that, rather than a stupid one about filling a bus with golf balls?
77.
by v0cab 14y ago
Can I just say "I assume it's about 2000." and be done with it? I mean, that's a good enough estimate when we're not actually going to be putting golf balls on buses and are just chatting about it.
78.
by v0cab 14y ago
I just want to keep my identity here separate from my IRL identity. The more info someone can piece together to me, the more chance they'll find out who I am. It's not (at the moment) a case of having changed my mind about something I've
79.
by v0cab 14y ago
Well that sucks. I should at least be allowed to anonymise an older comment.
80.
by v0cab 14y ago
I apologise if I have misrepresented you. You are right, I do not know what your views are.
81.
by v0cab 14y ago
The problem is, talented people (some of them, not all of them) are not interested in ridiculous problems like this. It comes off as making the applicant jump through a hoop and watching them squirm for your own amusement, rather than as a
82.
by v0cab 14y ago
Ability to edit or delete comments more than a day old. At least let us 'delete' our username on a comment.
83.
Ask HN: Deleting comments
1 points by v0cab 14y ago|8 comments
84.
by v0cab 14y ago
It is very unethical. Don't judges have ethical guidelines they have to follow?
85.
by v0cab 14y ago
The tables are turned. Someone born in Western Europe might well lead a life of poverty while a Japanese or South Korean person will have a great education, get a job straight out of university, and not want for material needs. Will Sou
86.
by v0cab 14y ago
> I fail to see how the gypsy beggars are the problem and not your legislation or enforcement. If hostile begging is an issue, legislate it out of the streets. He did explain why that wasn't being done. > Instead of complaining, you
87.
by v0cab 14y ago
It is interesting and helpful, because the reasons that these beggars are operating in Sweden was given (internal migration within the EU). If he hadn't said it, replies would have expressed surprise that the prosperous Swedes had resorted
88.
by v0cab 14y ago
His comment was relevant to the discussion, and was a relevant comment reply (talking about organised gangs using begging to further their goals). I'm guessing you just want to shut out views that are at all critical of immigration, or even
89.
by v0cab 14y ago
It might just be someone doing it as a 'job', to supplement their trust fund, or their government benefits, for instance. Or they might be using the money to buy meth and support meth dealers.
90.
by v0cab 14y ago
It might affect your insurance premiums. Or, search for 'headache' too many times and you might become uninsurable.

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