RiderOfGiraffes's recent activity

  1. Comment on How I get things done in ~life

    RiderOfGiraffes
    Link Parent
    Pomodoro is just what you use when you get down to doing the work. This post is talking about the structure around that, the ways of sorting things out to make the space in your mind then to be...

    Pomodoro is just what you use when you get down to doing the work. This post is talking about the structure around that, the ways of sorting things out to make the space in your mind then to be able to apply Pomodoro to the slabs of work.

    Maybe I'm seeing more in this than you are, maybe I'm seeing things that aren't there. If you didn't find it helpful, interesting, or useful, then that's OK. Dismissing it as "just pomodoro" might be missing the point.

    4 votes

  2. Comment on How I get things done in ~life

    RiderOfGiraffes
    Link
    I don't agree with everything in this post, but I do find that having a semi-rigid process to go through every morning gets me "in the groove" and doing things, instead of flailing around failing...

    I don't agree with everything in this post, but I do find that having a semi-rigid process to go through every morning gets me "in the groove" and doing things, instead of flailing around failing to do things.

    4 votes

  4. Comment on Is truth binary? in ~humanities

    RiderOfGiraffes
    Link
    I wonder what he would make of the Smullyan Two Envelope "Puzzle": Envelope 1: Of the sentences on the envelopes, at least one is false. Envelope 2: The prize is in envelope 1. Each of these...

    I wonder what he would make of the Smullyan Two Envelope "Puzzle":

    • Envelope 1: Of the sentences on the envelopes, at least one is false.
    • Envelope 2: The prize is in envelope 1.

    Each of these appears to be a proposition by his definition, and therefore each should be either true or false.

    If the statement on Envelope 1 is false, then it states that at least one of the statements is false, and that's true, giving a contradiction. So the statement on Envelope 1 must be true.

    In turn that means that one of the statements must be false, and it's not the statement on Envelope 1, so the statement on Envelope 2 must be false.

    Thus the prize must be in Envelope 2.

    But I can give you Envelopes with these statements, and put the prize in Envelope 1.

    So the statements on the Envelopes, which are clearly propositions, cannot be binary in respect of their truth values. Makes me feel that the article is either wrong, or content-free.

    1 vote

  5. Comment on Thoughts on running online communities from the creator of Improbable Island in ~tech

    RiderOfGiraffes
    Link Parent
    When I replied to the author, showing them a distilled copy I had made, they reacted violently, blocked me, and inserted the section here: I think they would react very, very badly to having a...

    When I replied to the author, showing them a distilled copy I had made, they reacted violently, blocked me, and inserted the section here:

    Another thing about community management, which came up in this very thread: I really wanna re-emphasize the whole "Let people delete their past selves" thing.

    I think they would react very, very badly to having a copy taken and posted here. or anywhere.

    You may argue that if it's been "published" on the web then it's fair game, but I'm pretty sure the author would be very unhappy for there to be a copy here.

    If you care about the author's thoughts and opinions, you might want to delete this.

    6 votes

  6. Comment on Measuring the size of the Earth in ~science

    RiderOfGiraffes
    Link
    I thought I had posted this, but prompted by someone asking a related question, I realise I hadn't. So here is a technique to measure the size of the Earth ... I use this as an adjunct to my talk...

    I thought I had posted this, but prompted by someone asking a related question, I realise I hadn't. So here is a technique to measure the size of the Earth ... I use this as an adjunct to my talk on how to compute the distance to the Moon.

    1 vote

  8. Comment on Proving the Earth is round at home in ~science

    RiderOfGiraffes
    (edited )
    Link
    I wrote about this sort of thing here: https://www.solipsys.co.uk/new/TheRadiusOfTheEarth.html?tj22tl I give a talk in which I compute the distance to the Moon, and then as part of that I show how...

    I wrote about this sort of thing here:

    https://www.solipsys.co.uk/new/TheRadiusOfTheEarth.html?tj22tl

    I give a talk in which I compute the distance to the Moon, and then as part of that I show how you can compute the size of the Earth using nothing more than a stopwatch, a ruler, and a clear view of the horizon. The simple version starts with that link, then there's a more refined version, and then a further refined version. As a bonus the series also includes how to compute your latitude just by watching the Sun rise or set.

    I was pretty sure I'd posted those, but maybe I didn't.

    3 votes

  9. Comment on What are some drinks I should try? in ~talk

    RiderOfGiraffes
    Link
    When I used to go sailing, and when I used to go ballroom dancing, my drink of choice was, and to some extent still is: half'n'half pineapple juice and (ginger ale or ginger beer). Flavourful and...

    When I used to go sailing, and when I used to go ballroom dancing, my drink of choice was, and to some extent still is:

    half'n'half pineapple juice and (ginger ale or ginger beer).

    Flavourful and refreshing.

    2 votes

  13. Comment on Back of the Envelope: COVID-19 in ~science

    RiderOfGiraffes
    Link
    This is not a complex or sophisticated simulation or projection. This is just the simplest thing I could think of to get a handle on what's happening. It's terrifying. People ... self-isolate,...

    This is not a complex or sophisticated simulation or projection. This is just the simplest thing I could think of to get a handle on what's happening.

    It's terrifying.

    People ... self-isolate, wash your hands, practise social distancing.

    It won't be enough, but everything will help.

    1 vote

  17. Comment on Programming Challenge: Merge an arbitrary number of arrays in sorted order. in ~comp

    RiderOfGiraffes
    Link
    Python2 def sort_list_of_lists( lol ): combined = sum( lol, [] ) combined.sort() return combined That's just the function, I leave the I/O to the front-end people.

    Python2

    def sort_list_of_lists( lol ):
    combined = sum( lol, [] )
    combined.sort()
    return combined

    That's just the function, I leave the I/O to the front-end people.

    4 votes

  18. Comment on A friend an I are going on vacation in Oxford (UK) next week, with an option to stay longer and travel through England. What places should we visit/things should we do under all circumstances? in ~talk

    RiderOfGiraffes
    Link
    Bletchley Park and the attached Museum of Computing are both fabulous if you are at all into things technical. I was lucky enough to be shown around Bletchley by one of the women who had actually...

    Bletchley Park and the attached Museum of Computing are both fabulous if you are at all into things technical. I was lucky enough to be shown around Bletchley by one of the women who had actually operated one of the Bombe machines, and I got to touch and "use" an original WWII Enigma. If you can get there when there are talks then that's a bonus.

    But everything depends somewhat on your background and interests.

    1 vote

  19. Comment on A dog called Mixture in ~books

    RiderOfGiraffes
    Link
    Just to say, although I tagged this "parable" it is genuinely a true story.

    Just to say, although I tagged this "parable" it is genuinely a true story.