Lynx's recent activity

1. Comment on Day 19: Monster Messages in ~comp

   Lynx

   December 19, 2020 (edited December 19, 2020)

   Link

   Haskell Yo dawg, I heard you like parsers, so I built a parser for your parser! day19.hs I first use a set of ReadPs to parse the rules themselves, then construct a new ReadP from these rules and...

   Haskell

   Yo dawg, I heard you like parsers, so I built a parser for your parser!

   day19.hs

   I first use a set of ReadPs to parse the rules themselves, then construct a new ReadP from these rules and run it against the input strings to see which match.

   Funnily enough, this approach was robust enough that I didn't have to change anything at all for part 2 (other than appending the new rules to the list of rules, overwriting the previous definitions).

   module Day19 where
   
   import AoC
   
   import Control.Applicative
   import Data.Char
   import Data.Foldable
   import Data.Map (Map, (!))
   import qualified Data.Map as M
   import Data.Maybe
   import Data.Tuple
   import Text.ParserCombinators.ReadP
   import Text.Read.Lex
   
   data RuleElement = Literal String | Reference Int
   
   parseElement :: ReadP RuleElement
   parseElement = parseRef <|> parseLit
       where parseRef = Reference <$> readDecP
             parseLit = Literal <$> between (char '"') (char '"') (many1 $ satisfy isAlphaNum)
   
   parseRule :: ReadP (Int, [[RuleElement]])
   parseRule = do ruleNum <- readDecP
                  string ": "
                  alternatives <- parseAlternatives
                  return (ruleNum, alternatives)
       where parseAlternatives = parseSequence `sepBy` string " | "
             parseSequence = parseElement `sepBy` char ' '
   
   buildParser :: Map Int [[RuleElement]] -> Int -> ReadP String
   buildParser m i = buildAlternatives $ m ! i
       where buildAlternatives = asum . map buildSequence
             buildSequence = foldl1 (liftA2 (++)) . map buildElement
             buildElement (Literal s) = string s
             buildElement (Reference j) = buildParser m j
   
   countRootMatches :: [String] -> Map Int [[RuleElement]] -> Int
   countRootMatches input rules = length . filter (isJust . oneCompleteResult rootParser) $ input
       where rootParser = buildParser rules 0
   
   main = runAoC splitInput run (run . withExtraRules)
       where splitInput = swap . fmap tail . break (=="") . lines
             withExtraRules = fmap (++ ["8: 42 | 42 8", "11: 42 31 | 42 11 31"])
             run = uncurry countRootMatches . fmap parseRules
             parseRules = M.fromList . map (fromJust . oneCompleteResult parseRule)
   

   AoC.hs (runner and utility functions)

   module AoC
       ( (.:)
       , enumerate
       , oneCompleteResult
       , splitOnEmptyLines
       , runAoC
       )
   where
   
   import Data.Function (on)
   import Data.List (groupBy)
   import Text.ParserCombinators.ReadP
   
   (.:) :: (c -> d) -> (a -> b -> c) -> a -> b -> d
   f .: g = (f .) . g
   infixl 8 .:
   
   enumerate :: Enum i => i -> [a] -> [(i, a)]
   enumerate _ [] = []
   enumerate i (x:xs) = (i, x) : enumerate (succ i) xs
   
   oneCompleteResult :: ReadP a -> String -> Maybe a
   oneCompleteResult p s = case readP_to_S (p <* eof) s of
                             [(x, "")] -> Just x
                             _ -> Nothing
   
   splitOnEmptyLines :: String -> [[String]]
   splitOnEmptyLines = filter (not . any null) . groupBy ((==) `on` null) . lines
   
   runAoC :: (Show r1, Show r2) => (String -> i) -> (i -> r1) -> (i -> r2) -> IO ()
   runAoC inputTransform part1 part2 = do
       contents <- inputTransform <$> getContents
       print $ part1 contents
       print $ part2 contents
   

   4 votes

2. Comment on Day 16: Ticket Translation in ~comp

   Lynx

   December 16, 2020 (edited December 16, 2020)

   Link

   Haskell Yep, this one was fun. Unlike some of the previous ones, it was a breeze to implement in haskell. Repo link day16.hs {-# LANGUAGE NamedFieldPuns #-} module Day16 where import AoC import...

   Haskell

   Yep, this one was fun. Unlike some of the previous ones, it was a breeze to implement in haskell.

   Repo link

   day16.hs

   {-# LANGUAGE NamedFieldPuns #-}
   
   module Day16 where
   
   import AoC
   
   import Data.List
   import Data.Maybe
   import qualified Data.Set as S
   import Data.Set (Set)
   import Text.ParserCombinators.ReadP
   import Text.Read.Lex
   
   data Field = Field { name :: String
                      , valids :: Set Int
                      } deriving (Show)
   
   type Ticket = [Int]
   
   data Input = Input { fields :: [Field]
                      , myTicket :: Ticket
                      , otherTickets :: [Ticket]
                      } deriving (Show)
   
   line :: ReadP a -> ReadP a
   line p = p <* char '\n'
   
   parseField :: ReadP Field
   parseField = do
       name <- many1 $ satisfy (/=':')
       string ": "
       ranges <- parseRange `sepBy` string " or "
       let valids = S.fromList . concat . map (uncurry enumFromTo) $ ranges
       return $ Field { name, valids }
       where parseRange = do
               n1 <- readDecP
               char '-'
               n2 <- readDecP
               return (n1, n2)
   
   parseTicket :: ReadP Ticket
   parseTicket = readDecP `sepBy` char ','
   
   parseInput :: ReadP Input
   parseInput = do
       fields <- many1 $ line parseField
       line $ string ""
       line $ string "your ticket:"
       myTicket <- line parseTicket
       line $ string ""
       line $ string "nearby tickets:"
       otherTickets <- many1 $ line parseTicket
       return $ Input {fields, myTicket, otherTickets }
   
   matchesAnyField :: [Field] -> Int -> Bool
   matchesAnyField fields n = any (n `S.member`) . map valids $ fields
   
   iterateUntilDone :: (a -> Maybe a) -> a -> a
   iterateUntilDone f x = case f x of
                            Just x' -> iterateUntilDone f x'
                            Nothing -> x
   
   data Resolve a = Resolved a | Choice (Set a) deriving (Show)
   
   resolve :: Ord a => [[a]] -> Maybe [a]
   resolve = sequence . map fromResolved . iterateUntilDone resolve' . map (Choice . S.fromList)
       where fromResolved (Resolved x) = Just x
             fromResolved _ = Nothing
   
   findSingletonChoice :: [Resolve a] -> Maybe (a, [Resolve a])
   findSingletonChoice (c@(Choice s):xs) | S.size s == 1 = let [x] = S.elems s
                                                           in Just (x, Resolved x:xs)
                                         | otherwise = (fmap.fmap) (c:) $ findSingletonChoice xs
   findSingletonChoice (x:xs) = (fmap.fmap) (x:) $ findSingletonChoice xs
   findSingletonChoice _ = Nothing
   
   resolve' :: Ord a => [Resolve a] -> Maybe [Resolve a]
   resolve' xs = do
       (x, xs') <- findSingletonChoice xs
       return $ map (dropChoice x) xs'
       where dropChoice x (Choice s) = Choice (S.delete x s)
             dropChoice _ r = r
   
   part1 :: Input -> Int
   part1 Input { fields, otherTickets } = sum . filter (not . matchesAnyField fields) . concat $ otherTickets
   
   part2 :: Input -> Int
   part2 Input { fields, myTicket, otherTickets } = product departureValues
       where validTickets = filter (all $ matchesAnyField fields) otherTickets
             columns = transpose validTickets
             fieldNames = fromJust . resolve . map findPossibleFields $ columns
             departureIndices = findIndices ("departure" `isPrefixOf`) fieldNames
             departureValues = map (myTicket !!) departureIndices
             findPossibleFields col = map name . filter (\field -> all (`S.member` valids field) col) $ fields
   
   main = runAoC (fromJust . oneCompleteResult parseInput) part1 part2
   

   AoC.hs (utility functions)

   module AoC
       ( (.:)
       , enumerate
       , oneCompleteResult
       , splitOnEmptyLines
       , runAoC
       )
   where
   
   import Data.Function (on)
   import Data.List (groupBy)
   import Text.ParserCombinators.ReadP
   
   (.:) :: (c -> d) -> (a -> b -> c) -> a -> b -> d
   f .: g = (f .) . g
   infixl 8 .:
   
   enumerate :: Enum i => i -> [a] -> [(i, a)]
   enumerate _ [] = []
   enumerate i (x:xs) = (i, x) : enumerate (succ i) xs
   
   oneCompleteResult :: ReadP a -> String -> Maybe a
   oneCompleteResult p s = case readP_to_S (p <* eof) s of
                             [(x, "")] -> Just x
                             _ -> Nothing
   
   splitOnEmptyLines :: String -> [[String]]
   splitOnEmptyLines = filter (not . any null) . groupBy ((==) `on` null) . lines
   
   runAoC :: (Show r1, Show r2) => (String -> i) -> (i -> r1) -> (i -> r2) -> IO ()
   runAoC inputTransform part1 part2 = do
       contents <- inputTransform <$> getContents
       print $ part1 contents
       print $ part2 contents
   

   2 votes

3. Comment on Day 6: Custom Customs in ~comp

   Lynx

   December 6, 2020

   Link

   haskell again today, nice and concise. day6.hs Knowing about some data structures really pays off here - these are just set operations (union and intersection), so converting all the lines to sets...

   haskell again today, nice and concise.

   day6.hs

   Knowing about some data structures really pays off here - these are just set operations (union and intersection), so converting all the lines to sets and then folding them (in blank-line-separated groups) is really all it needs.

   import Data.Function (on)
   import Data.List (groupBy)
   import qualified Data.Set as S
   import           Data.Set (Set)
   
   splitOnEmptyLines :: String -> [[String]]
   splitOnEmptyLines = filter (not . any null) . groupBy ((==) `on` null) . lines
   
   main = do
       answerSets <- ((fmap . fmap) S.fromList . splitOnEmptyLines) <$> getContents
       let countSetsFolded f = sum $ map (S.size . foldr1 f) answerSets
       print $ countSetsFolded S.union
       print $ countSetsFolded S.intersection
   

   3 votes

4. Comment on Day 2: Password Philosophy in ~comp

   Lynx

   December 5, 2020

   Link

   After finishing a fairly boring python implementation, I decided to implement this as a digital electronic circuit, described in VHDL. The problem is perfect for this, since solving it needs only...

   After finishing a fairly boring python implementation, I decided to implement this as a digital electronic circuit, described in VHDL. The problem is perfect for this, since solving it needs only a small, fixed amount of state.

   The design consists of three main parts:

   • A parser that extracts the fields from the policy header, converts the ASCII-encoded decimal numbers to binary, and marks the start of actual password data for the verifier:

   parser.vhd

   library ieee;
   use ieee.std_logic_1164.all;
   
   entity parser is
   	port (
   		clk : in std_logic;
   		reset : in std_logic;
   		is_record : in std_logic;
   		is_data   : out std_logic;
   
   		char : in character;
   
   		num1, num2 : out natural range 0 to 99;
   		letter : out character
   	);
   end entity;
   
   architecture behaviour of parser is
   	type state_t is (S_NUM1, S_NUM2, S_LETTER, S_COLON, S_END_SPACE, S_DATA);
   	signal state : state_t := S_NUM1;
   
   	subtype digit is natural range 0 to 9;
   	type multiples_lookup_t is array(digit) of natural range 0 to 90;
   	constant TEN_MULTIPLES : multiples_lookup_t := (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90);
   
   	-- most significant digit of number
   	signal prev_digit : digit := 0;
   	signal current_digit : digit;
   	signal complete_num : natural range 0 to 99;
   
   	function char_to_digit(input : in character) return digit is
   	begin
   		if not (input < '0') and input <= '9' then
   			return character'pos(input) - character'pos('0');
   		else
   			return 0;
   		end if;
   	end function;
   begin
   	current_digit <= char_to_digit(char);
   	complete_num <= TEN_MULTIPLES(prev_digit) + current_digit;
   
   	process(clk)
   	begin
   		if rising_edge(clk) then
   			if reset then
   				prev_digit <= 0;
   				state <= S_NUM1;
   			else
   				prev_digit <= 0;
   
   				case state is
   					when S_NUM1 =>
   						if is_record then
   							if char = '-' then
   								state <= S_NUM2;
   							else
   								num1 <= complete_num;
   								prev_digit <= current_digit;
   							end if;
   						end if;
   					when S_NUM2 =>
   						if char = ' ' then
   							state <= S_LETTER;
   						else
   							num2 <= complete_num;
   							prev_digit <= current_digit;
   						end if;
   					when S_LETTER =>
   						letter <= char;
   						state <= S_COLON;
   					when S_COLON =>
   						state <= S_END_SPACE;
   					when S_END_SPACE =>
   						state <= S_DATA;
   					when S_DATA =>
   						if not is_record then
   							state <= S_NUM1;
   						end if;
   				end case;
   			end if;
   		end if;
   	end process;
   
   	is_data <= '1' when state = S_DATA else '0';
   end architecture;
   

   • A verifier that takes the policy information and a password stream and evaluates whether the password matches the policy (with two implementations, one for each part)

   verifier.vhd

   library ieee;
   use ieee.std_logic_1164.all;
   
   entity verifier is
   	port (
   		clk : in std_logic;
   		reset : in std_logic;
   		is_data : in std_logic;
   
   		num1, num2 : in natural range 0 to 99;
   		letter : in character;
   
   		char : in character;
   
   		verified : out std_logic
   	);
   end entity;
   
   architecture step1 of verifier is
   	signal count : natural range 0 to 99;
   begin
   	process(clk)
   	begin
   		if rising_edge(clk) then
   			if reset then
   				count <= 0;
   			elsif is_data then
   				if char = letter then
   					count <= count + 1;
   				end if;
   			end if;
   		end if;
   	end process;
   
   	verified <= '1' when num1 <= count and count <= num2 else '0';
   end architecture;
   
   architecture step2 of verifier is
   	signal count : natural range 1 to 99;
   	signal parity : std_logic;
   begin
   	process(clk)
   	begin
   		if rising_edge(clk) then
   			if reset then
   				count <= 1;
   				parity <= '0';
   			elsif is_data then
   				count <= count + 1;
   				if (count = num1 or count = num2) and char = letter then
   					parity <= not parity;
   				end if;
   			end if;
   		end if;
   	end process;
   
   	verified <= parity;
   end architecture;
   

   • A top entity that ties the previous parts together and counts the amount of successfully verified passwords

   top.vhd

   library ieee;
   use ieee.std_logic_1164.all,
       ieee.numeric_std.all;
   
   entity top is
   	generic (
   		COUNTER_WIDTH : positive;
   		STEP : natural range 1 to 2
   	);
   	port (
   		clk : in std_logic;
   		reset : in std_logic;
   		char  : in character;
   		is_record : in std_logic;
   		num_verified : out unsigned(COUNTER_WIDTH-1 downto 0)
   	);
   end entity;
   
   architecture behaviour of top is
   	signal is_data : std_logic;
   	signal num1, num2 : natural range 0 to 99;
   	signal letter : character;
   
   	signal prev_is_record : std_logic;
   	signal record_ended : std_logic;
   
   	signal verified : std_logic;
   begin
   	record_ended <= prev_is_record and not is_record;
   
   	parser_inst: entity work.parser
   		port map (
   			clk   => clk,
   			reset => reset,
   			is_record => is_record,
   			is_data   => is_data,
   			char   => char,
   
   			num1   => num1,
   			num2   => num2,
   			letter => letter
   		);
   
   	generate_verifier: if step = 1 generate
   		verifier_inst: entity work.verifier(step1)
   			port map (
   				clk => clk,
   				reset => reset or record_ended,
   				is_data => is_data,
   				num1   => num1,
   				num2   => num2,
   				letter => letter,
   				char   => char,
   				verified => verified
   			);
   	elsif step = 2 generate
   		verifier_inst: entity work.verifier(step2)
   			port map (
   				clk => clk,
   				reset => reset or record_ended,
   				is_data => is_data,
   				num1   => num1,
   				num2   => num2,
   				letter => letter,
   				char   => char,
   				verified => verified
   			);
   	else generate
   		assert false report "Bad value for ""step""" severity failure;
   	end generate;
   
   	process(clk)
   	begin
   		if rising_edge(clk) then
   			prev_is_record <= is_record;
   			if reset then
   				prev_is_record <= '0';
   				num_verified <= (others => '0');
   			elsif record_ended and verified then
   				num_verified <= num_verified + 1;
   			end if;
   		end if;
   	end process;
   end architecture;
   

   To actually use the design without having to set it up in hardware and toggling a bunch of switches for hours, there's also a simulation testbench that feeds a file into the circuit character-by-character, adds some framing information, and prints out the final number of verified passwords. VHDL isn't exactly an application programming language, so all the non-synthesizable constructs are a bit weird and quite Ada-y, but it's not actually all that bad.

   sim.vhd

   library ieee;
   use ieee.std_logic_1164.all,
       ieee.numeric_std.all;
   
   use std.textio.all;
   
   entity sim is
   	generic (
   		FILENAME : string := "input.txt";
   		COUNTER_WIDTH : positive := 12;
   		STEP : natural range 1 to 2
   	);
   end entity;
   
   architecture a of sim is
   	file file_handle : text open read_mode is FILENAME;
   	signal char_in : character;
   	signal clk, reset, is_record : std_logic;
   	signal num_verified : unsigned(COUNTER_WIDTH-1 downto 0);
   
   	procedure print(s: string) is
   		variable l : line;
   	begin
   		write(l, s);
   		writeline(output, l);
   	end procedure;
   begin
   	process
   		variable current_line : line;
   		variable current_char : character;
   		variable good : boolean;
   
   		procedure cycle_clock is
   		begin
   			wait for 10 ns;
   			clk <= '0';
   			wait for 10 ns;
   			clk <= '1';
   			wait for 0 ns;
   		end procedure;
   	begin
   		clk <= '0';
   		is_record <= '0';
   		char_in <= NUL;
   
   		reset <= '1';
   		cycle_clock;
   		reset <= '0';
   		cycle_clock;
   
   		lines_loop: loop
   			exit lines_loop when endfile(file_handle);
   			readline(file_handle, current_line);
   
   			is_record <= '1';
   
   			chars_loop: loop
   				read(current_line, current_char, good);
   				exit chars_loop when not good;
   
   				char_in <= current_char;
   				cycle_clock;
   			end loop;
   
   			is_record <= '0';
   			cycle_clock;
   		end loop;
   
   		cycle_clock;
   
   		print(to_string(to_integer(num_verified)));
   
   		wait;
   	end process;
   
   	top: entity work.top
   		generic map (
   			COUNTER_WIDTH => COUNTER_WIDTH,
   			STEP => STEP
   		)
   		port map (
   			clk => clk,
   			reset => reset,
   			char => char_in,
   			is_record => is_record,
   			num_verified => num_verified
   		);
   end architecture;
   

   3 votes

5. Comment on Day 5: Binary Boarding in ~comp

   Lynx

   December 5, 2020

   Link

   Started with haskell this time because it seemed like a good tool for the job; it was, but the whole parser business made it a bit more complicated than I would've liked. day5.hs import Data.List...

   Started with haskell this time because it seemed like a good tool for the job; it was, but the whole parser business made it a bit more complicated than I would've liked.

   day5.hs

   import Data.List (sort)
   import Data.Maybe (fromJust)
   import Numeric (readInt)
   import Text.ParserCombinators.ReadP
   
   -- utils
   
   oneCompleteResult :: ReadP a -> String -> Maybe a
   oneCompleteResult p s = case readP_to_S (p <* eof) s of
                             [(x, "")] -> Just x
                             _ -> Nothing
   
   runAoC :: (Show r1, Show r2) => (String -> i) -> (i -> r1) -> (i -> r2) -> IO ()
   runAoC inputTransform part1 part2 = do
       contents <- inputTransform <$> getContents
       print $ part1 contents
       print $ part2 contents
   
   -- end utils
   
   binarify :: String -> Maybe Int
   binarify = oneCompleteResult . readS_to_P $ readInt 2 (`elem` "BFLR") digitValue
       where digitValue 'F' = 0
             digitValue 'B' = 1
             digitValue 'L' = 0
             digitValue 'R' = 1
   
   findHole :: (Enum a, Eq a) => [a] -> Maybe a
   findHole (x:y:ys) | y == next = findHole $ y:ys
                     | otherwise = Just next
                     where next = succ x
   findHole _ = Nothing
   
   main = runAoC (fmap (fromJust . binarify) <$> lines) part1 part2
       where part1 = foldr1 max
             part2 = fromJust . findHole . sort
   

   5 votes

6. Comment on Google confirms it's letting third parties scan your Gmail in ~tech

   Lynx

   September 22, 2018

   Link Parent

   For something more easily associated with the site where it was used, there's also Subaddressing - with Gmail and a lot of others, user+something@example.com is the same as user@example.com.

   For something more easily associated with the site where it was used, there's also Subaddressing - with Gmail and a lot of others, user+something@example.com is the same as user@example.com.

   4 votes

7. Comment on What if app stores were federated? in ~tech

   Lynx

   September 19, 2018

   Link Parent

   Eh, not really. Usually repositories are created/managed by the distribution, and many people around the world host mirrors of that master. Ubuntu PPAs might be similar from what I've seen, not...

   Eh, not really. Usually repositories are created/managed by the distribution, and many people around the world host mirrors of that master. Ubuntu PPAs might be similar from what I've seen, not totally sure though.

   4 votes

8. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~science

   Lynx

   September 19, 2018

   Link

   Article seems to have been deleted? Or, more likely, moved to its sister site: https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Mysterious-great-white-shark-lair-discovered-in-13234068.php

   Article seems to have been deleted? Or, more likely, moved to its sister site: https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Mysterious-great-white-shark-lair-discovered-in-13234068.php

9. Comment on How do you keep pypi programs up to date? in ~comp

   Lynx

   September 14, 2018

   Link Parent

   The AUR are just user produced build files, and they usually get updated (or flagged out-of-date) as soon as a new upstream version is out. Arch in general is rolling-release, so most software in...

   The AUR are just user produced build files, and they usually get updated (or flagged out-of-date) as soon as a new upstream version is out. Arch in general is rolling-release, so most software in the repositories is at most a week or two out of date. Debian tends to be more on the scale of months or years.

   5 votes

10. Comment on How do you keep pypi programs up to date? in ~comp

    Lynx

    September 14, 2018

    Link Parent

    Personally I've only ever found one python package that wasn't in the AUR, so I added it. Maintainers are usually pretty good at keeping up to date with releases too. But sure, if you need...

    System python based packages are almost always far too limited/old for my use cases.

    Personally I've only ever found one python package that wasn't in the AUR, so I added it. Maintainers are usually pretty good at keeping up to date with releases too. But sure, if you need something actually bleeding-edge (i.e. git master), or need to develop your own python software, use a virtualenv, possibly with a wrapper like Conda.

    2 votes

11. Comment on How do you keep pypi programs up to date? in ~comp

    Lynx

    September 14, 2018

    Link

    for pip, there are a few suggestions here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2720014/upgrading-all-packages-with-pip I just use pacman and AUR packages though, one package manager on a system is...

    for pip, there are a few suggestions here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2720014/upgrading-all-packages-with-pip

    I just use pacman and AUR packages though, one package manager on a system is plenty.

    2 votes

12. Comment on I'm new to Tildes. What must I know ? in ~tildes

    Lynx

    September 12, 2018

    Link

    First of all, read the docs. Not yet, as far as I know (other than the several competing ways to address the users of the site - "Tildoes", "Tilderinos", etc.) There are no mods, just @Deimos...

    First of all, read the docs.

    • Are there any private jokes or slang I should know to understand everything ? (like reddit's "/s", "FBI open up" or the verb "lurk")

    Not yet, as far as I know (other than the several competing ways to address the users of the site - "Tildoes", "Tilderinos", etc.)

    • Are "mods" uncompromising ?

    There are no mods, just @Deimos really. As long as you don't blatantly violate the code of conduct, it's unlikely that anything will be removed or anyone banned.

    • There's no downvote. Do I need to make a thoughtful comment every time I disagree ?

    Good thing there's no downvote then, seeing how you'd abuse it as a "disagree button" ;) yes, if you want to add your opinion, write a comment.

    16 votes

13. Comment on Factorio Friday Facts #259 - Scan-codes, prototype IDs, HR worm in ~games

    Lynx

    September 7, 2018

    Link

    I read over it multiple times but still don't understand what they did to the ID mapping system. It's just written in such a confusing way. at first it's mentioned that the "ID mapping" maps...

    I read over it multiple times but still don't understand what they did to the ID mapping system. It's just written in such a confusing way.

    • at first it's mentioned that the "ID mapping" maps string names to numeric IDs, but everything after shows it the other way around. Yeah, they're equivalent if both are mathematical sets, but "setting the ID to 0" definitely breaks that requirement.
    • "Any time something was removed it was signalled by setting the ID at that location in the mapping to 0." - the graphic afterwards shows the name string set to nil, with the ID untouched, which is it now?
    • with the new system, "[IDs] are never allowed to change for the lifetime of the program", the graphic afterwards promptly shows IDs changing to completely different names.

    Oh well, I get what the end result was: enabling migrating from one ID mapping to another.

    2 votes

14. Comment on Tact filters in ~humanities

    Lynx

    September 7, 2018

    Link Parent

    Oh yeah, I missed that. But if we ignore the author's shitty attitude, those are actually pretty amazing guidelines and more people should read them before posting "it doesn't work"-style issues.

    Oh yeah, I missed that. But if we ignore the author's shitty attitude, those are actually pretty amazing guidelines and more people should read them before posting "it doesn't work"-style issues.

    2 votes

15. Comment on Tact filters in ~humanities

    Lynx

    September 5, 2018

    Link Parent

    I'm curious, why do you think so? I just read over it again and couldn't find anything out of place, other than the answers in the "Q&A" section (no need to get snarky, just ignore it).

    How To Ask Questions The Smart Way, one the most obnoxious essays in contemporary history

    I'm curious, why do you think so? I just read over it again and couldn't find anything out of place, other than the answers in the "Q&A" section (no need to get snarky, just ignore it).

    3 votes

16. Comment on Flight simulators: Do you play any? Which planes do you pilot the most? Do you have a home cockpit? in ~games

    Lynx

    September 2, 2018

    Link

    I own FSX, but have never really played much. Bought a used HOTAS a few years ago, but it was broken, haven't really bothered since. X-Plane 11 looks promising, if expensive, and it's even on...

    I own FSX, but have never really played much. Bought a used HOTAS a few years ago, but it was broken, haven't really bothered since.

    X-Plane 11 looks promising, if expensive, and it's even on Linux natively. I might give that a go some time.

    1 vote

17. Comment on Learna project reverts blacklisting in license in ~comp

    Lynx

    September 1, 2018

    Link Parent

    That just sounds unenforceable, useless and maybe even harmful (because it makes the whole license kinda iffy). What's "good" and "evil" in the eye of the law?

    The Software shall be used for Good, not Evil.

    That just sounds unenforceable, useless and maybe even harmful (because it makes the whole license kinda iffy). What's "good" and "evil" in the eye of the law?

    4 votes

18. Comment on Experiences with aphantasia or what does visualizing look/feel like? in ~talk

    Lynx

    September 1, 2018

    Link Parent

    Haven't had time to watch it yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm not face blind. I don't have much trouble recognizing people, just with visualizing faces.

    Haven't had time to watch it yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm not face blind. I don't have much trouble recognizing people, just with visualizing faces.

    1 vote

19. Comment on Fixing a broken popcorn machine in ~hobbies

    Lynx

    August 30, 2018

    Link

    Imgur links are broken for me on Android Firefox, they just redirect to the main imgur page.

    Imgur links are broken for me on Android Firefox, they just redirect to the main imgur page.

20. Comment on Experiences with aphantasia or what does visualizing look/feel like? in ~talk

    Lynx

    August 30, 2018

    Link Parent

    No, not really, funnily enough. It's not that I can't remember faces, or can't process them (face blindness), but just that I can't recall them. I can pretty much always tell that I've seen...

    No, not really, funnily enough. It's not that I can't remember faces, or can't process them (face blindness), but just that I can't recall them. I can pretty much always tell that I've seen someone before, but anything more than that (name, story, where I met them, etc) is hard. I guess it's similar to Alzheimer's/dementia, where you just lose access to memories, not the memories themselves? With a few pointers normally it all comes back.

    The only thing I'm quite good at recalling are spacial and "photographic" memory (if you can all it that, nothing crazy like pages of numbers, just imagery in general). I should probably look into mind palaces.