People here are doing it in Common Lisp and C standard library, meanwhile I’m just sitting here trying to get a curl call to download the data file.
You could open the dev console in the browser and copy the curl command off the network tab
Advent of Code 2024
271–280 of 580 posts
Re: Advent of Code 2024
#272Earlier quoted context omitted.
One reason I didn't enjoy it was that I felt the days don't build on each other well. So you get little code reuse. It was continually changing requirements, so it was especially like work.
In 2019 he built up about 12 challenges using a VM, for Intcode, you had to construct. It was poorly received because without a working version (developed over the first few Intcode challenges), you couldn't solve the rest of them. He hasn't done anything like that since, though I thought it was probably the more interesting series of challenges. The problem with continuity across days is that the later days can be b…
I agree. Intcode was fun, but completely destroyed the promise of skipping a day and still having fun with later puzzles. I didn't come to enjoy it until much later.
Re: Advent of Code 2024
#273People here are doing it in Common Lisp and C standard library, meanwhile I’m just sitting here trying to get a curl call to download the data file.
The command line tool included with this python library does just what you want once you paste your session token into an environment variable:
Re: Advent of Code 2024
#274Earlier quoted context omitted.
I re-read the intro and the fact it mentions leetcode and the like was enough for me to decide that it's an ultimately pointless endeavour for me. I have no interest at all in competitive programming or maths; I spend 40+ hours a week doing programming for work, I want games and challenges that pull me away from that so I continue to have a life outside of my job.
For what it's worth, I hate leetcode with a burning passion, have no real interest in math, and yet I personally find Advent of Code quite fun and enjoyable.
I have found AoC fun, but on some of the later days time constraints make it a little stressful (full time job + kids constrain my time).
I've done it (and completed it) the last five years. I used it to try out a few languages (Haskell, Idris, Lean) and did it in python one year I was feeling lazy. I've got a project going now, and I probably should do that instead.
However, that project is a programming language, so this is a way to test practicality. But solving problems and fixing shortcomings in the underlying language at the same time may be a bit too much. (It's a dependent typed language, so there is a lot of subtlety to deal with.)
Re: Advent of Code 2024
#275Last year I got stuck on Day 12 for a full week, and thinking about how to solve it consumed my every waking moment. I think this year, I'm going to be kind to myself and not participate so I can really enjoy the winter break from work.
What's so hard about Day 12? It's just +/'{x:".",x;H:(-1+;1+i-)@'+|\m*i:!#m:x=\:"#." R:(x=x)({[h;d;x;y;z](z#0),+\(((-z)_~"#"=x)&z_d>z)*(*y),(-z+1)_y-0^y h}. H)[x]/y (*|R)-R@*|0,&1_*+m}.''1({("?"/:5#,x;,/5#,y)}.')\@[;1;.:]'" "\:'0:`:i/12.txt
This is what programming languages looked like to me before I learned programming
Re: Advent of Code 2024
#276Earlier quoted context omitted.
My main complaint the last time I did this (2022) was the havoc it wreaked on my sleep schedule. Advent of Code is not kind to East Coast participants. Every year except for one has been kind of the same pattern for me: Day 1: this year, I'm just going to solve the problems. No futzing around. Day 3: but it would be kind of neat to turn the solutions into a reusable AoC library. Just something minimal. Day 5: and I s…
I'm in CET so time-wise it can be ok - problems open at 6am meaning if I get up I have about an hour around before I need to walk my walk my dog and get ready for work. But switching on at that time is really hard, the amount of stupid off-by-one errors, or referring to since-renamed-but-still-present functions in my Jupyter Notebook is not even funny. But I luckily managed to avoid the "reusable AoC library" problem…
I'm in CET too, and 6:00 is not an hour where I’m awake, and if I were, my brain functions would definitely not be at a level where I would be capable of coding.
Midnight would be much more acceptable.
Re: Advent of Code 2024
#277Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's a graph here of the "hardness" of each day/task, based on how long the 100th place on the leaderboard used. https://aoc.xhyrom.dev/ So it's not linear, and also based on your own knowledge. So perfectly fine to skip some days and still it's possible to solve some of the next ones!
Ugh, I hate log scales used arbirarily, every silicon valley nerd things it makes them cool like their EE profs teaching actual science or Ray Kurzweil singularity whatever nonsense.
Ray Kurzweil is indeed full of crap (I have a specific bone to pick with his intentional mis-use of life expectancy among other things), but what makes you think in this case the use of log is arbitrary? Did you look at the data with a linear axis? I just tried it, and the vertical space is dominated by 4 or 5 outliers, and on top of that you can’t see the trend as well when it’s linear and all the data is smooshed at the bottom. Log plots are great when your values span many orders of magnitude. That’s true in this case, and the log plot both uses less vertical space, which is nice, and it more clearly shows the trend and wastes less empty space on the small minority of outliers.
Re: Advent of Code 2024
#278Earlier quoted context omitted.
We run a private board for Advent of Code for the Carolina Code Conference. Eligibility for prizes starts after earning only 10 of 50 possible stars precisely for this reason.
Oh cool. I live in WNC and had just missed your last conference in August. Is it possible to join multiple private boards? I usually do one with my coworkers as well
Yep. I’m running a little behind but the announcement will come out later today on our site/email list.
Re: Advent of Code 2024
#279Last year I got stuck on Day 12 for a full week, and thinking about how to solve it consumed my every waking moment. I think this year, I'm going to be kind to myself and not participate so I can really enjoy the winter break from work.
All things in moderation! Now if I can just make it through the winter without installing the new Factorio DLC...
I've been playing half an hour each morning before the rest of the family wakes up. Just finally made it to the volcano world
Re: Advent of Code 2024
#280Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sounds sensible. It's important to set boundaries, and enjoy time off. For me Advent of Code is a slippery slope. The difficulty ramps up so at first it's easy, then it's rewardingly difficult. But then before I know it, it takes wayyyyy too much time. The danger is being emotionally invested by then.
There's a graph here of the "hardness" of each day/task, based on how long the 100th place on the leaderboard used. https://aoc.xhyrom.dev/ So it's not linear, and also based on your own knowledge. So perfectly fine to skip some days and still it's possible to solve some of the next ones!
For those just glancing at the chart do note the scale is logarithmic, so the difficulty increases exponentially.