grn

I think that a good strategy of self-improvement is setting the bar a little bit higher than you can reach. You can achieve much with many little steps. Every step you take reminds you that you're making progress and motivates you to work.

I experienced it when I was studying mathematics. I read modern mathematics textbooks/papers at a snail's pace because mathematics is like a tall tower - in order to get to higher levels you have to climb the lower. When I looked at what I learned in a single day I didn't see much progress at all. But after a few months of learning I saw that I'd progressed much.

It's never too late to learn new things. It may be difficult when you are older but many mathematicians were late-lerners [1]. It's more important to be honestly interested in what you are doing. You should be pursuing your own goals not someone's else. That will bring you satisfaction and motivation for working and innovating in your field.

[1] http://mathoverflow.net/questions/3591/mathematicians-who-we...

I have:

  "\C-ga": "git add "

and so on in my .inputrc (https://github.com/grn/dotfiles/blob/master/inputrc). This allows me to type Ctrl-g, a to insert "git add ". It makes typing faster and is clearer than aliases.

That's the problem that can be witnessed in software development teams too. Analysts are over-represented in our craft so there's a real risk of analysis paralysis. A potential remedy is a more impulsive type on the team who prefers to start playing with the problem. You should be careful not to stop him from doing that. If there's no such a person then someone, preferably a leader, should move on to prototyping if the project got stuck.

All that applies to individual software development too. If you see no progress because you are constantly analyzing then start prototyping.

The same problems appears in Opera 12.00.

As far as I know they subcontract to local manufacturers, so quality may depend on where you live or buy.

Usually I listen to the sound of rain. If I listen to music then I prefer classical and jazz.

Thanks for the links! However I am thinking about a different article. If I remember correctly I found it somewhere in the Haskell Wiki. Wikibooks have also a similar article on the subject: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Haskell/Category_theory

That's right. That's how functors work in category theory.

I've seen a nice article explaining how Haskell types form a category. The objects of the category are types, an arrow a -> b is a function taking argument of type a and returning type b. A Haskell functor is then an endofunctor in this category (i.e. a functor from the category of types to itself). Unfortunately I cannot find the article anymore.

Giving a full proof that takes language semantics into account is very difficult. I think it isn't a practical way to verify programmes but maybe it'll be in future.

It seems that Asana doesn't support Opera which is quite surprising. A screen that I got tells that Chrome (>= 11), Safari and Firefox (>= 6) are supported.

Christ Stucchio wrote a HFT apology: http://www.chrisstucchio.com/blog/2012/hft_apology.html

I didn't like the part about Marconi vs Maxwell. There is a positive feedback loop between technology and science. Science investigates nature providing basic knowledge upon which technology can build. Technology applies these principles in practice building and improving devices. These devices are then used by scientists to study nature in more detail, to observe what was previously impossible to observe, to discover new laws of nature.

I can recommend git (https://github.com/git/git) and Plan9 (http://plan9.bell-labs.com/sources/plan9/sys/src/). Both are pleasure to read.

Correct me if I'm wrong but binding price ceilings and floors always lead to surpluses and shortages respectively and cause a deadweight loss.

Vim - because its everywhere and controlling it doesn't require much typing (I suffer from hands problems). Emacs - because it's so extensible and I prefer ELisp over Vimscript.

But it doesn't make reopening classes bad. You have a choice: you can use a public API or mess with implementation (for example for performance reasons).

Note that EU directives don't apply to website owners. They bind the member states to implement them in some form. The laws of individual member states contain guidelines that you should adhere to.

I can think of: chosen versions of programs and libraries and their interaction, default configuration, compilation options etc.

But is there an essential difference between these methods?

A link to the patent: http://www.google.com/patents?vid=6116545

I'd say it's the other way round: the greater the suffering of a society (poor health outcomes, higher crime etc.) the greater the inequality. Your ability to protect yourself grows with your income. Therefore those who earn less are more likely to loose which widens inequality.

I prefer music without lyrics because its easier to concentrate. I usually listen to classical music or jazz. I tried listening to noise but it makes me feel very uneasy. However the sound of rain (or other sounds of nature) work really great for me! I downloaded a recording of rain from http://rainymood.com

Many concepts from algebraic topology can be applied to algebraic geometry after appropriate redefinitions. These new tools seem harder to use than originals. For example I find it technically more difficult to work with étale fundamental group than with a topological fundamental group. Similarly cohomology of a topological space looks simpler than cohomology of a scheme with coefficients in a sheaf. There are many similarities but working with schemes and sheaves is more troubling (at least for me). This of course can follow not from intrinsic difficulty of the subject but from my ignorance and inappropriate intuitions.

I wouldn't compare algebraic topology to algebraic geometry. In my opinion the later is much more difficult both one the conceptual and technical side.

I don't think that the comparison with music or sports is correct. If I had to play an instrument I would ask for a motivation because I don't enjoy playing. Similarly someone who doesn't enjoy maths asks for a reason to study it. When you present maths to someone who doesn't like it on its own then the problem is to find a balance between abstraction and applications. When maths is presented too abstractly then it looks useless. When it's presented too concretely then it looses its essence and may seem trivial.

I've been having pain in my hands and forearms for 18 months. The initial pain was so strong that I had to stop working for 2 weeks. I did the following:

- replaced keyboards at home and work with Microsoft Natural 4000

- installed browser plug-ins that provide Vim-like navigation (Vimium for Chrome and Vimperator for Firefox)

- switched back to Vim (I had been experimenting with Emacs for a few months)

- moved the mouse to the left (now I moved it back to the right in order to relieve my left hand)

- installed Workrave to force myself to take regular breaks (I temporarily stopped using it because I'm experimenting with Pomodoro and it includes a five minute break every 25 minutes)

- enabled sticky keys and latchlock

That allowed me to work over the last 18 months. I'm trying not to use a computer at home. I'm planning to take holidays and give my hands a longer rest ... and some Voltaren! ;-)

His 4th point reminded me of Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Both made a great impression on me. When discussing them with my wife she observed that they didn't give you what you ought to think and feel. They just showed you and your feelings and thoughts were your own and not of the writer.

Visit Kimo's website (http://www.kimowilliams.com) and listen to the music. It's really nice.

You may also look at an alternative version at http://htwins.net/scale2/