Always lick your hands
Most of the artificial sweeteners already on the market are the result of pure dumb luck. The oldest was discovered by accident when Constantin Fahlberg,… Read More »Always lick your hands
C. Thi Nguyen on Twitter, Gamification and Thin Metrics
I came across this paper via Ezra Klein’s NYT piece about Elon Musk and Twitter. It reads like a blend of Finite and Infinite Games… Read More »C. Thi Nguyen on Twitter, Gamification and Thin Metrics
Lambda Calculus for people a step behind me (2): Boolean Logic
Disclaimer: I’m not a computer scientist or mathematician. This post is about what I’ve learnt so far about Lambda Calculus. Most of the resources I’ve… Read More »Lambda Calculus for people a step behind me (2): Boolean Logic
Lovecraftian Theology; or, Holmes in the Hammam
This is a nice summary of the Lovecraftian worldview from James Lovegrove’s Sherlock Homes and the Miskatonic Monstrosities, to compare and contrast with your own.… Read More »Lovecraftian Theology; or, Holmes in the Hammam
Lambda Calculus for people a step behind me (1): Basics
Disclaimer: I’m not a computer scientist or mathematician. This post is about what I’ve learnt so far about Lambda Calculus. Most of the resources I’ve… Read More »Lambda Calculus for people a step behind me (1): Basics
Harrison Bergeron: Kurt Vonnegut imagines true equality
THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren’t only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody… Read More »Harrison Bergeron: Kurt Vonnegut imagines true equality
The Wizards (2): Harold Abelson on controlling complexity and real vs idealised systems
So in computer science we’re in the business of formalising this how-to, imperative knowledge. How to do stuff. And the real issues of computer science… Read More »The Wizards (2): Harold Abelson on controlling complexity and real vs idealised systems
The Wizards (1): Harold Abelson on the essence of computer science as formalising procedural knowledge
Computer Science isn’t Computer Science is a terrible name for this business. First of all, it’s not a science. It might be engineering, or it… Read More »The Wizards (1): Harold Abelson on the essence of computer science as formalising procedural knowledge
The Brilliance of Honda (and Mini Motor Man) (and YouTube)
Let’s say it one more time: YouTube is amazing, and Kevin Kelly and Tyler Cowen are right to describe it as the world’s preeminent educational… Read More »The Brilliance of Honda (and Mini Motor Man) (and YouTube)
Whose Dhansak? Food and Authenticity
While there is a shared understanding [about what constitutes a particular dish], that isn’t absolute compliance. If we had to argue that there is only… Read More »Whose Dhansak? Food and Authenticity