Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How These Things Work – A book about CS from first principles (2016)

reasonablypolymorphic.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–62 of 62 posts

Re: How These Things Work – A book about CS from first principles (2016)

#61

Post by elbear »

kragen wrote: post #59
elbear wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I agree with you. I think that pursuing our interests in mathematics, music, literature or whatever strikes our fancy is admirable. And I think it makes us happier, wiser and more humble as you say. At the same time, I maintain that we shouldn't feel guilty if we aren't doing it that, for whatever reason. Sure, sometimes we actually want to pursuit some of these things, but don't. Maybe it's because we have a m…

Agreed, except that I don't think pursuing our interests in whatever strikes our fancy is admirable.

As long as it's not hurting someone, anything goes as far as I'm concerned.

Re: How These Things Work – A book about CS from first principles (2016)

#62

Post by naasking »

latexr wrote: post #56
porknubbins wrote: post #54

A few years ago, I asked my engineer friend about how much of civilization he could rebuild singlehandedly, should he survive some hypothetical apocalyptic event. “All of it,” he replied. “Not all at once, but I know enough to be able to puzzle together the pieces I don’t know right this second.” While I admire the Connecticut-Yankee optimism of the engineer, as a non engineer I am seriously skeptical about how a sin…

I share your skepticism. Seems to me the engineer is falling prey to the Dunning-Kruger effect[1]. Rather than knowing enough to be able to puzzle together all the pieces they don’t know, I’d wager they don’t know enough to be able to discern what they won’t be able to figure out. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

We studied a lot of detailed semiconductor physics in my engineering degree. Certainly loads of details were left out, but knowing something is possible and roughly along which lines it could be achieved is a huge hurdle in the innovation process.
Post reply on HN