For beginner who wanna learn Haskell and Purescript, I recommend those resources:
Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming
191–200 of 319 posts
Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming
#192What is truly astounding about this is the patience to even attempt to explain free theorems to a 6 year old. Most parents would likely answer "math" and that would be the end of it. I don't (yet) have kids, but when I do I hope I have the wherewithal to recognize and take advantage of moments like these.
Note kid asked "dad what are you doing", not "what is functional programming". That's a simple call for attention, and it was equally suitable to close the book and play frisbee with him.
The kid got the attention and some more. How would frisbee be any better?
Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming
#193This sounds a lot like the card game "New Eleusis":
http://www.logicmazes.com/games/eleusis/index.html
http://matuszek.org/eleusis2.html
http://matuszek.org/eleusis0.html
It's meant to "simulate scientific research", sorta: one player ("God" or "Nature") comes up with a secret rule for what cards are legal to play in a given situation, and then the other players take turns playing cards to figure it out. It's a lot harder than you think, even with quite simple rules. (The scoring system is meant to reward a "God" player for coming up with a rule that's not obvious but still guessable.)
Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming
#194Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming
#195Earlier quoted context omitted.
I mean, is there any other solution? There are certainly no integral solutions to the problem, but there is a unique (rational) solution. I feel like I’m missing something entirely, though...
I was also stuck thinking in integers for a few seconds, perhaps because of the context. But yeah, a 10-year-old would already know about fractions.
I also mentally started thinking about integral solutions. I wonder if it's also because of the variable names... a,b,c tend to be used to represent integers (e.g. Fermat's Last Theorem, Euclid's algorithm etc).
x and y are more commmonly used to represent real numbers.
Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming
#196Brent is one of the greatest teachers I've ever experienced. I used to take classes from him (and TA some others he taught) and was consistently blown away by his enthusiasm and capacity for sharing concepts. He has a great essay on pedagogy as well ( https://byorgey.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/abstraction-intuiti... ) If you're interested in learning some of the beautiful foundations of functional programming, I highly…
There is an updated set of lectures from fall 2016 [0]. Although I just noted that it's taught by Joachim Breitner rather than Brent Yorgey.
Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming
#197I've failed as a parent. My oldest is 9 already, and we still haven't discussed functional programming. Well, maybe the 3 year old still has a chance.
But you've explained the concept of a blockchain to them though, right?!!
Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming
#198Functional programming? What he's describing is machine learning! :)
Actually, for a rather unconventional understanding of the term "machne learning", which is basically anything that makes living and working with machines easier, you don't necessarily need to make the machine's functionality more versatile. It might be enough to boost its user's understanding. With more effect, too, because an informed user by far beats any RNN-based AI.
What I'm actually trying to say is that brains are simply better at learning to grok machines than machines are at figuring out how to brain.
Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming
#199I've grokked programming only after being exposed to Lisp. Before Lisp, learning how to programme seemed like a never ending exercise. After, I realised I already know everything I need to know - data in, data out…
Yes. There is an old piece of sage advice: learning Lisp will make you a better programmer, whether you actually end up using it or not. Any paradigm you can think of is really just something you could do in Lisp...
Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming
#200Earlier quoted context omitted.
> My problem is unschooling is that just because you’re not interested in something (as a kid) doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn it. In my experience as an unschooled child who was in constant contact with the parents of other unschooled children, and other unschooled children, if a child isn't interested in something, that almost always changes over time. One example was where one kid did not wish to learn to read, u…
This sounds great! I remember teaching myself to read before I was supposed to (very standard Belgian education), and probably as a result I was from that point on always ahead of my classmates simply because I'm very curious. I tended to read ahead for subjects that interested me, and not really bother for those that didn't. Teachers were sometimes annoyed because they really didn't understand why I could do insanel…
Would you say that not getting the degree was justified, since getting a degree is 50% the display of having the intellect to the subject and 50% the display of having the diligence, persistence and discipline to finish something, which is one of the most important traits in the professional world.
Not trying to be snarky, but genuinely interested.
Did the "inability" to focus on things you're not interested in impede you later in life, e.g. with taxes, social life, exercise etc?