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User: Shortguy881

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  1. Re:More... on Why You Should Choose Boring Technology · · Score: 1

    Astronomy existed before telescopes, microbiology before microscopes, physics before particle accelerators. These are all just tools that increased measure-ability leading to a more accurate scientific approach. Things like sonar are an initial run at quantifying things like readability and rules compliance and they do a fantastic job.

    You can predict with some degree of accuracy what a programs optimal efficiency would be, or did you miss that in your computer science classes? You are right that different languages/environments change the results, and while it adds a large layer of complexity it is still quantifiable. There is and will always be a "best possible solution." I work in an enterprise and not in research, so nothing I do will ever reach that point, but that doesn't prevent it from existing.

    Lets take a quick look at the definition of science: systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation. Everything I have said has revolved around this definition, observation and experimentation to gain understanding. Its as if you are intentionally being obtuse.

    On the other side art: the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. You don't do whats beautiful or appealing when coding. You do what is right. You don't right a recursive loop when you can do it in a normal loop, just because it looks prettier.

    As for memory vs speed vs readability, you can weight requirements making them more or less important and there by altering the target optimal performance. Its simple math.

    At this point you are either just a troll or are an incredibly incompetent coder. Do you honestly sit in dev meetings and when asked why you did something respond with "because its art man"?

  2. Re:Woop Di Do Da! on California Has Become the First State To Get Over 5% of Its Power From Solar · · Score: 1

    April Fools! Its only 1%.

  3. Re:More... on Why You Should Choose Boring Technology · · Score: 1

    The first two are very easy, percent code coverage of unit tests and percent of methods documented. As for additional standards, every language has its best practices.

    We are a java shop and use most of the default settings in sonar for best practices. This includes minor things like magic numbers and constant/method naming conventions, all the way to critical errors like dead stores to variables and threading issues. Sonar then takes the number of errors weighted by severity and divides it by number of lines of code. This gives us a nice percentage of code compliance to the defined rules. The goal again is to make that 100%. We also modified a few of the standards in house. For example, we count if statements without brackets against you. That is more of a trivial one, but we as a group agreed it makes the code more readable when working on projects with several developers.

    The best possible solution would have 100% code coverage of unit tests, be 100% documented, 100% rules compliance on top of being the fastest, lowest memory consuming solution possible.

  4. Re:More... on Why You Should Choose Boring Technology · · Score: 1

    Not if your metrics also include readability and maintainability, which mine do. To think there isn't a best possible solution, is delusional. Something like sonar can easily quantify your readability and adherence to coding standards. Thus you can use it as a metric.

  5. Re:This is going to go over well. on Why America's Obsession With STEM Education Is Dangerous · · Score: 1

    writing illiterate

    That's an oxymoron.

  6. Re:What the "doomsday" critics all have in common: on Robots4Us: DARPA's Response To Mounting Robophobia · · Score: 1

    But you had to qualify it with "in your lifetime."

  7. Re:More... on Why You Should Choose Boring Technology · · Score: 2

    In programming there is a best possible solution to the given problem. You can maximize memory usage and speed and any of a number of other variables to come to best answer. I use a scientific approach to achieve this. I set my metrics, I run my baseline tests, make my improvements and test again. I can then quantify my results.

    There is no right answer in art. There is no possible quantification on quality. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.

    I'd argue the opposite. Programmers who call themselves artists are just glorifying their own work. These tend to be the people who don't understand the logical nature of their work. Not that it matters, but logic was one of my strongest subjects.

    Additionally, your tag line isn't a real quote.

  8. Re:What the "doomsday" critics all have in common: on Robots4Us: DARPA's Response To Mounting Robophobia · · Score: 1

    There are many feeble, or weak or decrepit, minded people out there that can function day to day, pay their bills, tie their shoes, but I wouldn't trust one to guess the technologies of the next ten years. A feeble mind lacks imagination.

    Disregarding something you don't fully understand as improbable, shows more their unwillingness to consider new ideas and possibilities. I'd also consider that feeble minded.

  9. Re:More... on Why You Should Choose Boring Technology · · Score: 1

    Jesse: You're a goddamn artist.
    Walter: Why thank you Jesse but it's just basic chemistry.

    One of my favorite quotes from Breaking Bad. It really shows the difference in mentality between someone who thinks they know what they are doing and someone who actually does. No respectable computer programmer calls their work art. Its just science.

  10. Re:Cause, or effect? on Poverty May Affect the Growth of Children's Brains · · Score: 1
    FTFA

    In their paper, the team cautions that despite these clear correlations between socioeconomic status and the size of the cerebral cortex, the reasons for the correlations are not yet clear.

    Seriously, I see a lot of words being put in these researchers mouths.

    Additionally, the sample is from 1099 people of varying age (3-20) and socioeconomic status and its relation to brain surface area. While they do a great job correcting the data given, 1099 samples is not hugely statistically relevant given the number of variables. That's why they only admit to a correlation and no speculation on causation.

  11. Re:What the "doomsday" critics all have in common: on Robots4Us: DARPA's Response To Mounting Robophobia · · Score: 1

    Context is important. The whole article is about the future state of AI, so saying it isn't a reality today is kind of a moot point. Even you admit it could happen in the future, if not in your lifetime. I'm saying those who completely dismiss the scenario have no imagination.

  12. Re:Robots don't smash planes into mountains. on Robots4Us: DARPA's Response To Mounting Robophobia · · Score: 1

    Still no motive

  13. Re:What the "doomsday" critics all have in common: on Robots4Us: DARPA's Response To Mounting Robophobia · · Score: 1

    And those who easily dismiss it as science fiction, seem to be feeble minded.

  14. Re:Isaac Asimov: on Robots4Us: DARPA's Response To Mounting Robophobia · · Score: 1

    A few others have come true. I have a friend who is a psychologist working with advanced learning algorithms. He, in essence, is a robot psychologist.

  15. Re:Robots don't smash planes into mountains. on Robots4Us: DARPA's Response To Mounting Robophobia · · Score: 1

    More explainable than some guy doing it.

  16. Re:DARPA SJW on Robots4Us: DARPA's Response To Mounting Robophobia · · Score: 1

    I for one welcome our new sex bot overlords

  17. Re:The man in the high castle on Secret Service Plans New Fence, Full Scale White House Replica, But No Moat · · Score: 1

    Very interesting observation, but I was referring more to the whole country and the draconian fascist state it's becoming.

  18. Re:The man in the high castle on Secret Service Plans New Fence, Full Scale White House Replica, But No Moat · · Score: 1

    "The man in the high castle" - was that a thinly veiled reference comparing the US to the Nazi's? Because if so, bravo sir.

  19. Re:Optimist on FCC Chairman: Net Rules Will Withstand Court Challenge · · Score: 1

    I work for a cable company at the corporate level, so I'll give a little insight to the situation. Tom Wheeler is a long standing friend of the cable industry. He was put into his position through cable lobbyists. Most of what he has done has been a well masked throw to the people and cable industry at the same time.

    That being said, Tom Wheeler's actions to reclassify cable as Title II was not seen coming. Most from the executive level feel it as a bit of betrayal and honestly this decision won't help the people or the cable companies.

    Title II classification gives Wheeler nearly total control of the industry. He now not only has the cable industry's balls in a vice, but all internet based companies like Google and Netflix too. I personally think this is a case of power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Why extort one industry when you can have two?

  20. Re:LOL .... on US Air Force Overstepped In SpaceX Certification · · Score: 1

    The US government has over 4 million employees, so by your logic, they should be way more inefficient because hey are so much bigger.

    The next closest is Walmart (2 million), and while they are a terrible company with terrible customer service that I will never shop at, I wouldn't call them inefficient. Their supply chain management system was revolutionary.

  21. Re: LOL .... on US Air Force Overstepped In SpaceX Certification · · Score: 1

    Your lack of grammar alone should make your argument invalid, but we spend more than the next 20 countries combined, on our military. At some point it's wasteful.

  22. Re:Randian Dumbfuckery on First Lawsuits Challenging FCC's New Net Neutrality Rules Arrive · · Score: 1

    True, the government has an obligation to protect citizens from other citizens. They do not have any obligation to protect citizens from themselves. That is a HUGE difference and if you don't understand it, I'm not going to waist my breath. The case of forcing citizens to wear seat belts falls into the latter.

  23. Re:LOL .... on US Air Force Overstepped In SpaceX Certification · · Score: 2

    It's a bit of exaggeration, but exaggerations are based on truth. To think any part of the government is efficient is laughable at best.

  24. Re:green card on Millennial Tech Workers Losing Ground In US · · Score: 0

    And if you that smart, any career other career will do.

    I think I found your problem right there.

  25. Re:homeowner fail on Comcast's Incompetence, Lack of Broadband May Force Developer To Sell Home · · Score: 1

    I do the same thing with Charter cable. I have business internet and my whole block can go down, but I'll still have service. If mine does go down, they have someone onsite as soon as humanly possible. Its pretty awesome.

    Normal Charter sucks.