Was watching an old video of Steve Jobs doing a very good interview which was a bit before he returned to Apple, and he talked about how some coders were just incredibly good, and I won't give the statistics he gave as to how much better, but it is remarkable to me how hidden that is.
Like consider mathematics, where you have great names like Gauss, where there are all kinds of "gaussian" things. Just do a web search. I just checked now and Google had four ready suggestions, like gaussian distribution.
In code you have design patterns which are great. But that to me is more about common themes in coding versus standout code itself. Of course there are so many languages, and algorithms I'm sure get named, but you ever have that bit of code that you keep thinking about? Buried in some application you helped build and design years ago? Ever wonder about that code?
I do.
There is an art to coding, which I think isn't yet being recognized fully yet. And having some idle thoughts though I have been putting more brainstorming ideas in this direction, like my suggestion that coders get paid by how often their code is used in an application.
Coding is still too anonymous I think. Big names get known more for products though you have people I think of as code heroes like Linus Torvalds. But even there I haven't dug into his coding but know of him, of course, because of Linux.
Of course I'm on the periphery of the software industry now. Haven't hung out with coders in a while.
You know? I do kind of miss that excitement, like when your team goes home because you're going to re-write everything more efficiently--which I know is frowned upon these days--certain you're nuts, and they come back in the morning and you've re-done weeks of coding work. And it's better, easier to read, more efficient, and includes coding solutions that just seemed to appear only to now just be part of one more application.
When will masterpieces of coding work get their due?
But you know? If a particular coding block in an application makes millions because people are paying attention to what code in the application is the workhorse as it actually gets used then yeah, that's Superstar code in our money focused world.
Wouldn't you think? Heck, even major newsers with no clue really how the code even worked would report on it, just because. And then you'd have this freaking famous coding block. To me that just sounds like it should already be here. It belongs here.
Just some Sunday musing in the morning, listening to, um, Fiona Apple on web radio, sipping my second cup of coffee.
I like to call Fiona Apple the Muse, and hey, everybody has to find their own muse and there is no judgment allowed, of muses. Hey, when you find a muse that works, don't question.
(Oh yeah, some Radiohead came on while I was editing, listening to that now as I type. I didn't even realize I knew any of their music.)
James Harris
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Why ideas rule
To me ideas are like precious gems that can be easily found on the surface of our reality, or are deeply buried requiring deep mining. But they are indestructible gems, when they are worth anything.
You can try to leverage an idea early, which is ok for small ones, or you can play the long game.
If you play that well enough, then maybe you can find your place in human history, as your best ideas can simply drag you there.
That's my opinion.
James Harris
You can try to leverage an idea early, which is ok for small ones, or you can play the long game.
If you play that well enough, then maybe you can find your place in human history, as your best ideas can simply drag you there.
That's my opinion.
James Harris
Saturday, January 17, 2015
My opinion on best case idea scenario
The web world is so new that I find myself trying to figure out things, and do things that make sense from that analysis so maybe to other people it's too mysterious. And while I think mystery matters, I also think it pays to help people understand.
So I'm going to explain what I think is a best case idea scenario, by using an example of what I think was very close.
Years ago I was frustrated with my pc waiting on it to load.
After a bit I opened a web browser which was going slowly while the freaking thing continued to load, and I'm thinking to myself: that's silly, why is this computer loading a bunch of stuff I don't need?
So at some point I decided to write a post. And while writing, it occurred to me that what I was thinking was that there should be a browser focused operating system. And I'm like, hey, that's BOS.
So that's what I called it. And that post was back May 2008. And if you read it, I was a little hyperbolic. Was kind of in a ranting mood that day I guess. Smiling re-reading it now, as it's not too bad, but that's why I try to not post too emotional. And noticed that I didn't go too much into specifics though I kind of surprise myself reading it as to how many I did give, or tried to give.
But you know it's just some ideas I had. Had a place to put them, and kind of wanting that to happen, plus I assumed it was inevitable.
And of course Google came out with a COS, the Chrome Operating System.
Did they use my ideas? I have no idea and would just as soon presume, no. It's not like it's that big of a leap. And reality is that I don't need the attention if they did, though I was mentally prepared for it. Like I've done with lots of things.
The web lets you do this weird thing, as it gives independent validation for the factual points. Notice, nothing for anyone to challenge in this post, and no reason for me not to have put that post up over 6 years ago!
The web validates everything for you. That's so cool. Takes a while to process though.
But take it from me, it's very annoying arguing with people about stuff. Web can handle that for you on automatic.
That's my best case idea scenario: I put out some ideas, a little later the market produces something I think is similar, and I don't get bothered by any of it.
James Harris
So I'm going to explain what I think is a best case idea scenario, by using an example of what I think was very close.
Years ago I was frustrated with my pc waiting on it to load.
After a bit I opened a web browser which was going slowly while the freaking thing continued to load, and I'm thinking to myself: that's silly, why is this computer loading a bunch of stuff I don't need?
So at some point I decided to write a post. And while writing, it occurred to me that what I was thinking was that there should be a browser focused operating system. And I'm like, hey, that's BOS.
So that's what I called it. And that post was back May 2008. And if you read it, I was a little hyperbolic. Was kind of in a ranting mood that day I guess. Smiling re-reading it now, as it's not too bad, but that's why I try to not post too emotional. And noticed that I didn't go too much into specifics though I kind of surprise myself reading it as to how many I did give, or tried to give.
But you know it's just some ideas I had. Had a place to put them, and kind of wanting that to happen, plus I assumed it was inevitable.
And of course Google came out with a COS, the Chrome Operating System.
Did they use my ideas? I have no idea and would just as soon presume, no. It's not like it's that big of a leap. And reality is that I don't need the attention if they did, though I was mentally prepared for it. Like I've done with lots of things.
The web lets you do this weird thing, as it gives independent validation for the factual points. Notice, nothing for anyone to challenge in this post, and no reason for me not to have put that post up over 6 years ago!
The web validates everything for you. That's so cool. Takes a while to process though.
But take it from me, it's very annoying arguing with people about stuff. Web can handle that for you on automatic.
That's my best case idea scenario: I put out some ideas, a little later the market produces something I think is similar, and I don't get bothered by any of it.
James Harris
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Expected alignment idea
One of those things that interests me is what people expect to see in a certain social media context. And I'm still thinking as well about some ideas I quickly brainstormed at the end of last year. And oh yeah, by the way, that's a lot of fun. So I kind of just began musing to myself, realized I had quite a few ideas, and then just dumped them out on my blog.
It's so much fun to have your own blog. Like, if I didn't have this blog, where would I have put that writing?
It really wouldn't have fit on my other blogs as well as here, and now I'm pondering other aspects of what a social media company might, in my opinion, need.
One thing I think would be an innovation would be allowing posters to put up an expected alignment. Like tags, I guess, so if I'm going to put up math, I'd note for the expected audience that the subject would be mathematical in nature.
It's already a concept used in gaming. I'm thinking about something more specific though, where for instance a person might note an alignment of conservative, religious, pragmatic. And I'd keep out alignments too closely related to prejudice, like race or sex, or sexual orientation, or a specific religion, or age. Another person might align, liberal, free spirit, creative.
That may seem like it's primarily for the audience, but I think finding people who just want to make a mess of things is good, but how do you identify them?
And I think expected alignment could work as it's self-identification, and then you can check complaints against expected alignments.
So if you have a group of people who align well, and one person mis-aligns and receives a lot of complaints you can easily check to see if that person is crashing the party for some reason or other. If their behavior is in keeping with their alignments then they may or may not be.
Or you can check people's behavior against their declared alignment to see if they're lying.
And people could change them at will though a record would be kept, so you could trend to their usual alignment.
Declaring alignment could be completely voluntary. So if people didn't want to do it, they could just, not.
I like that idea. It's kind of like letting people put metaphorical clothing on their cyber selves. And what expected alignment they choose is considered in the context of their behavior, like you wear a suit to one event, and dress down in jeans for usual wear.
James Harris
It's so much fun to have your own blog. Like, if I didn't have this blog, where would I have put that writing?
It really wouldn't have fit on my other blogs as well as here, and now I'm pondering other aspects of what a social media company might, in my opinion, need.
One thing I think would be an innovation would be allowing posters to put up an expected alignment. Like tags, I guess, so if I'm going to put up math, I'd note for the expected audience that the subject would be mathematical in nature.
It's already a concept used in gaming. I'm thinking about something more specific though, where for instance a person might note an alignment of conservative, religious, pragmatic. And I'd keep out alignments too closely related to prejudice, like race or sex, or sexual orientation, or a specific religion, or age. Another person might align, liberal, free spirit, creative.
That may seem like it's primarily for the audience, but I think finding people who just want to make a mess of things is good, but how do you identify them?
And I think expected alignment could work as it's self-identification, and then you can check complaints against expected alignments.
So if you have a group of people who align well, and one person mis-aligns and receives a lot of complaints you can easily check to see if that person is crashing the party for some reason or other. If their behavior is in keeping with their alignments then they may or may not be.
Or you can check people's behavior against their declared alignment to see if they're lying.
And people could change them at will though a record would be kept, so you could trend to their usual alignment.
Declaring alignment could be completely voluntary. So if people didn't want to do it, they could just, not.
I like that idea. It's kind of like letting people put metaphorical clothing on their cyber selves. And what expected alignment they choose is considered in the context of their behavior, like you wear a suit to one event, and dress down in jeans for usual wear.
James Harris
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Update on sum of squares discovery
Like to play with math to keep my mind active and a little bit ago I posted about a discovery I made with summing squares. There I gave the full result, but I think a special case looks simply prettier which is just a sum of two squares:
x2 + y2 = mn
will always have nonzero integer solutions for x and y, as long as m - 1 is a square and n is greater than 0.
For example: 4952 + 48882 = 176
That result looks like something from antiquity, but it's something I just recently noticed which follows from my own basic math research where I could have had the result back in 2008.
That is the underlying math discovery was in 2008, but I finally decided to name the thing, and with that event figured I should play with it some more and finally noticed this sum of squares result. I have lots of math laying around. Every once in a while I look back over something old.
Underlying technique allows you to do calculations with half the bits. The calculations to get there always involve half as many bits, and maybe that could be useful to someone? I don't know. May as well mention it.
The math is easy too.
Found out I could get answers for:
(x2 + ay2)(u2 + bv2) = p2 + cq2
Where I was web searching trying to see what mathematicians knew in this area--I am NOT a mathematician I should emphasize--and came across a search result which brought up a page where someone was asking that question and I answer it easily.
Here's an example:
(x2 + 2y2)(u2 + 3v2) = p2 + 11q2
Where my methods generate a potential infinity of solutions.
One of the solutions is: x = -1, y = 2, u = -2, v = 2, p = -10, q = 2
Gave my approach at the site too as an answer to the poster's question and it looks like it was promptly deleted! Here's a link to the site with the question.
That actually bugged me a bit but then made me feel better, as I have other number theory results like my own prime counter which I discovered over a decade ago. It's clear I'm doing my part, so the failure is elsewhere.
Regardless, something with which to do things. Does it really matter if some mathematicians somewhere acknowledge it?
James Harris
x2 + y2 = mn
will always have nonzero integer solutions for x and y, as long as m - 1 is a square and n is greater than 0.
For example: 4952 + 48882 = 176
That result looks like something from antiquity, but it's something I just recently noticed which follows from my own basic math research where I could have had the result back in 2008.
That is the underlying math discovery was in 2008, but I finally decided to name the thing, and with that event figured I should play with it some more and finally noticed this sum of squares result. I have lots of math laying around. Every once in a while I look back over something old.
Underlying technique allows you to do calculations with half the bits. The calculations to get there always involve half as many bits, and maybe that could be useful to someone? I don't know. May as well mention it.
The math is easy too.
Found out I could get answers for:
(x2 + ay2)(u2 + bv2) = p2 + cq2
Where I was web searching trying to see what mathematicians knew in this area--I am NOT a mathematician I should emphasize--and came across a search result which brought up a page where someone was asking that question and I answer it easily.
Here's an example:
(x2 + 2y2)(u2 + 3v2) = p2 + 11q2
Where my methods generate a potential infinity of solutions.
One of the solutions is: x = -1, y = 2, u = -2, v = 2, p = -10, q = 2
Gave my approach at the site too as an answer to the poster's question and it looks like it was promptly deleted! Here's a link to the site with the question.
That actually bugged me a bit but then made me feel better, as I have other number theory results like my own prime counter which I discovered over a decade ago. It's clear I'm doing my part, so the failure is elsewhere.
Regardless, something with which to do things. Does it really matter if some mathematicians somewhere acknowledge it?
James Harris
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