Deliberate Practice: Learn to Type
If you’re gonna be in the software industry. You have to communicate, not only through code but also through email, forums, IRC or IM. It’s not so important that you be a fast typing in order to bang out code…
Project Course in Web Services
I’ve just finished reading Phillip Greenspun’s experience report, Teaching Software Engineering, which details a project course in building Web Services. Even though I personally, hate the Web’s architecture (but that’s a rant for some other time), it still remains as…
Not All Flows are Considered Equal
When I was writing last post about information flow terminology, I noticed something interesting: when knowledge of control flows are used to determine the values of variables, some branches yield more information than others. Previously, I had only considered the…
A Configurable Keyboard
For a long time, I have hated the layout on all keyboards I’ve ever laid hands on. It’s not just that I prefer Dvorak to Qwerty; it’s that the slanting of the rows causes an awkward bending of the left…
Merovingian Neckwear
Somehow, I feel that I betray my cyberpunk heritage because I’ve recently found it entertaining to don extravagant neckwear. But, my recently conducted anthropological expedition has revealed evidence that I am in fact upholding a veritably geek tradition.
New Terminology in Information Flow Research
Information flow is about tracking the flows of information within a computer program, i.e. what values influence other values as the program executes. Denning and Denning looked at this problem in the late 1970’s [1, 2] and distinguished between flows…
Homo Economicus can vote, but chooses not to
Interesting lecture, put out by the Adam Smith Institute, about The Lessons of Public Choice Theory. It turns out that democracy is a less efficient system than the free market. For example, voters rationally remain ignorant because their input in…
Separating the Wheat from the Chaff
From Coding Horror: Separating Programming Sheep from Non-Programming Goats I learned of a paper, The camel has two humps, which describes a test that allows teachers to differentiate students likely to do well studying computer science from those who will…
Notes: Teaching Demo Workshop
1 general always have a backup plan! ask questions that show you care about teaching want to connect with audience being in the same age groups helps build repor can connect better have common frame of reference students don’t age,…
Notes: Getting a Job at a State School
Getting a Job at a State School Created Friday 04 November 2011 PUI (primarily undergraduate institute) many have balance of teaching and research 1 What is the appeal of a CalState? it’s in California the more teaching experience you can…