111–120 of 137 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
ok sorry, I mean't the career analysis.
Whoops. In that case, I think they are referring to http://danluu.com/learning-to-program/
"I managed to get a B.S. degree without ever using or seeing anyone use version control."
This agrees with my own experience. Do tech courses teach VCS's these days?
The best Calculus book I've ever found is free from MIT. https://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-18-001-calculus-online-tex...
Stewart, Calculus , at a mere $285. Or like $5 for the fifth edition. He's very readable. Strang is a fine lecturer, especially his Linear Algebra videos. But Linear Algebra Done Right is much better than Strang. MIT, Stanford and Berkeley agree on this one thing. http://www.linear.axler.net/ The abridged version sans proofs is available in PDF: http://linear.axler.net/LinearAbridged.pdf
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Some students might learn how to learn as a side effect of surviving the system, but there are easier ways of surviving the system than actually learning. There are strong incentives against actually learning too -- e.g. when the material to be learned is obsolete or irrelevant in the face of modern technology. In any case I think you're the first I've heard say they thought the point of the system is to learn how to…
"The aim of the University is a true enlargement of mind... the power of viewing many things at once." [0] Would very much like to see Cardinal Newman's Ideas around 'liberal' and 'servile' education catch the attention of the HN crowd. We're doing learning and advancement all wrong by focusing on utilitarian outcomes for universities rather than pure development of the mind (whence would flow marvellous creativity).…
"Instances, such as these, confirm, by the contrast, the conclusion I have already drawn from those which preceded them. That only is true enlargement of mind {137} which is the power of viewing many things at once as one whole, of referring them severally to their true place in the universal system, of understanding their respective values, and determining their mutual dependence. Thus is that form of Universal Knowledge, of which I have on a former occasion spoken, set up in the individual intellect, and constitutes its perfection. Possessed of this real illumination, the mind never views any part of the extended subject-matter of Knowledge without recollecting that it is but a part, or without the associations which spring from this recollection. It makes every thing in some sort lead to every thing else; it would communicate the image of the whole to every separate portion, till that whole becomes in imagination like a spirit, every where pervading and penetrating its component parts, and giving them one definite meaning. Just as our bodily organs, when mentioned, recall their function in the body, as the word "creation" suggests the Creator, and "subjects" a sovereign, so, in the mind of the Philosopher, as we are abstractedly conceiving of him, the elements of the physical and moral world, sciences, arts, pursuits, ranks, offices, events, opinions, individualities, are all viewed as one, with correlative functions, and as gradually by successive combinations converging, one and all, to the true centre."
If the quote comes from this, it is crucially leaving off the continuation: "...as one whole, of referring them severally to their true place in the universal system, of understanding their respective values, and determining their mutual dependence." This implies that by learning a lot, you enlarge your mind, and then can connect everything. This has nothing to do with learning how to learn, especially as a primary goal of university. Here is a college that supposedly follows his guidance: http://www.thomasmorecollege.edu/academics/true-enlargement-... Again, from that page, "it is plainly both the knowledge of architectonic principles and the familiarity with the substance of the various arts and sciences of which a liberal education is composed, including such pursuits as history, literature, rhetoric, mathematics, and the study of the natural world." So what you learn matters.
Thanks for the link though, should be interesting reading later. I agree it'd be nice if universities embodied some of the purpose they historically set out to be for, and we resurrected utilitarian trade schools with tight integration into what companies want so that those without the inclination or ability to pursue intellectualism can still learn something useful and create a better life for themselves.
Can anyone recommend a good book about compilers? I just watched Martin Odersky's talk from Scala World [1] where he talks about the new Scala compiler he is working on called Dotty [2], but he talks a bit about other compilers and now I am interested to learn more. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1ca4KL9UXc [2] http://dotty.epfl.ch
* Engineering a Compiler: https://www.amazon.com/Engineering-Compiler-Second-Keith-Coo...
* Modern Compiler Implementation in ML: https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~appel/modern/ml/
* Compiling with Continuations: https://www.amazon.com/Compiling-Continuations-Andrew-W-Appe...
Can anyone recommend a good book about compilers? I just watched Martin Odersky's talk from Scala World [1] where he talks about the new Scala compiler he is working on called Dotty [2], but he talks a bit about other compilers and now I am interested to learn more. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1ca4KL9UXc [2] http://dotty.epfl.ch
My three favorite books on compilers (in no particular order) are: * Engineering a Compiler : https://www.amazon.com/Engineering-Compiler-Second-Keith-Coo... * Modern Compiler Implementation in ML : https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~appel/modern/ml/ * Compiling with Continuations : https://www.amazon.com/Compiling-Continuations-Andrew-W-Appe...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Baseball players waste 9 of every 10 swings on misses. It's a terrible waste.
>Baseball players waste 9 of every 10 swings on misses. And swinging a bat is one of the skills baseball players need to use for their job. The comment you replied to was talking about skills that are not going to be used every day. So I don't think your analogy is very useful.
The best Calculus book I've ever found is free from MIT. https://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-18-001-calculus-online-tex...
The best Calculus book I've ever found is free from MIT. https://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-18-001-calculus-online-tex...
Stewart, Calculus , at a mere $285. Or like $5 for the fifth edition. He's very readable. Strang is a fine lecturer, especially his Linear Algebra videos. But Linear Algebra Done Right is much better than Strang. MIT, Stanford and Berkeley agree on this one thing. http://www.linear.axler.net/ The abridged version sans proofs is available in PDF: http://linear.axler.net/LinearAbridged.pdf