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nova

450 karma · joined May 28, 2009

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nova··on New study claims Transcendental Meditation 'cuts risk of heart attack by half'
And they will probably teach about the evil, evil meat and fats and say nothing about fructose and other carbohydrates...
nova··on Why Do We Need Limits and Infinitesimals?
Just mentioning another approach. I don't really understand it myself, but I kind of find it intriguing because of its relation to computability aspects.
nova··on Why Do We Need Limits and Infinitesimals?
There is also this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_infinitesimal_analysis

It uses intuitionistic logic, so no axiom of choice.

nova··on Boston Dynamics Dynamically Balancing Biped Walker
Very cool, but I think that the heel-toe landing move is a bit exaggerated.
nova··on Korea's Internet Is Mired in a Microsoft Monoculture
What free market? Intellectual "property" IS a government-given monopoly.
nova··on What’s Wrong with Probability Notation?
Besides SICM, http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/wisdom/AIM-2005-003.pd...
nova··on What’s Wrong with Probability Notation?
Oh yes, I agree. Standard probability notation is handy and fast but just depends too much on the context.

I wonder if someone has created a more orthogonal notation for probability, like Sussman did with the Schemish/functional notation for differential geometry.

nova··on Ask HN: If C++ is so bad, what should game developers use?
I think it's more that although C++ sucks there is no realistic alternative for this "niche".
nova··on What is more fundamental: Physics or Computer Science?
So physics = computing?
nova··on Majority of US Healthcare Costs Are Caused by Bad Eating Habits
Yes, but before advocating any diet please read Gary Taubes' "Good Calories, Bad Calories".

Please. The government already amplified a terrible mistake to colossal dimensions and could do it again.

nova··on I Hacked My Diet with Science
Why is the first law of thermodynamics so hard for people to internalize?

The first law of thermodynamics stablishes a relation between energy input, energy output and energy storage. It does not say which variables are independent, ie, the direction of causality. The theory of low-carb diets is that carbs affect energy storage via insulin first leaving a constraint bewteen energy in and out, not the reverse.

Also note that in the article cited the lowest amount of carbs was 35%, which still is a moderatelly high amount. And the result seems to be very modest (about 4kg lost only).

nova··on I Hacked My Diet with Science
I'm also doing a low-carb diet, for a month and a half. No exercise of any kind. 6 kg lost, and counting.
nova··on There is no free software, only software that is paid for by somebody else.
A coherent capitalist fanatic wouln't like intellectual property at all!
nova··on There is no free software, only software that is paid for by somebody else.
Exactly. The real disgrace is all those technologies developed with taxpayer money and yet patented, closed or restricted.
nova··on Economics in One lesson - Henry Hazlitt
It sure seems simplistic, but again and again we suffer from policies against that simple rule. It's amazing (and depressing) how many problems can be explained by it, like politicians implementing myopic short-term reforms in order to win the next election (and the future be damned), or to appease some selected and influential group (and be the rest ones left to pay it)
nova··on Economics in One lesson - Henry Hazlitt
Spoiler!!!!:

"The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups."

The rest is commentary and application examples.

nova··on Is obesity an oral bacterial disease?
Yes. The book "Good calories, bad calories" is the standard recommendation. It will however destroy your trust in the medical authorities.
nova··on New Exotic Material Could Revolutionize Electronics
Maybe when the patents expire and we get some competition.
nova··on Textbooks must die
The old 14 year limit was a good balance, specially if updated to only cover commercial distribution.
nova··on Textbooks must die
Yes but the professor is not the only provider of the required computer.
nova··on Factor's implementation of polymorphic inline caching
Good Factor is more about combinators than stack juggling.
nova··on Factor's implementation of polymorphic inline caching
Couldn't disagree more. The world already has enough von-Neumann-style languages and people working on them; we need to explore different ways.
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