The Armchair Programmer

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44006974849318402112011-07-08T08:34:13.626+01:00The Armchair ProgrammerGetting caught up in theory and discussionarmchairprogrammer (at) googlemail (dot) comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229010465598341533noreply@blogger.comBlogger111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400697484931840211.post-61834209643657068982009-07-03T15:52:00.008+01:002009-07-03T18:02:06.331+01:00How might we be mistaken about right and wrong?

I take it that ethical reasoning involves reasoning. This claim doesn't look contentious, but it has implications that do seem surprising, at least to me.When we reason about a subject we sometimes miscalculate. A mistake in our reasoning leads us to a conclusion that does not follow from our assumptions.Not only do we miscalculate, we are often led astray by "common-sense intuition." When one

armchairprogrammer (at) googlemail (dot) comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229010465598341533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400697484931840211.post-52646065400639724472009-04-16T15:50:00.002+01:002009-04-16T15:58:56.544+01:00A Policeman's Lot Is Not A Happy One

The question, of course, is how to be happy. It strikes me that it's a good start to have a job the performance of which can be objectively assessed and in which one is skilled in the art. Plumbers and hairdressers are happy, apparently, and I imagine this is why. Leak: fixed. Hair: cut. Job: done. If you can't get such a job, then at least try to arrange that whatever job you have wants of you

armchairprogrammer (at) googlemail (dot) comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229010465598341533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400697484931840211.post-84685032388850298592009-03-24T18:15:00.003Z2009-03-24T19:02:37.036ZHow to make spam irrelevant

Apparently 90% of all emails are spam. Here's a proposal:Invent digital cashAutomatically discard any email unless it has 1p attachedCharging for email has been proposed before. I presume the reason it hasn't taken off is that we haven't solved step 1. (At least, not in a way that has been widely adopted.) Typically, it's instead suggested that the ISP should charge for emails. And no-one likes

armchairprogrammer (at) googlemail (dot) comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229010465598341533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400697484931840211.post-73230727885599674772009-03-17T16:38:00.003Z2009-03-17T16:41:11.215ZMusical instruments

You may not know this, but there are two kinds of musical instruments in the world. They can be distinguished by immersing them in helium gas. Type A instruments do not change pitch in helium; Type B instruments do. If you've ever made your voice sound funny by inhaling the helium from a party balloon, you'll know that the human voice is Type B. Quick puzzle: What's the cause of the distinction?

armchairprogrammer (at) googlemail (dot) comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229010465598341533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400697484931840211.post-35209412769685237262009-02-08T09:38:00.001Z2009-02-08T09:38:32.038ZThings my 2-year old has this morning successfully flushed down the toilet

1. A pair of socks.2. A banana.

armchairprogrammer (at) googlemail (dot) comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229010465598341533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400697484931840211.post-35518049715962052702009-02-08T08:35:00.002Z2009-02-08T08:42:14.504ZSpotted in Zagreb

Graffiti. In braille. In Croatian.

armchairprogrammer (at) googlemail (dot) comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229010465598341533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400697484931840211.post-90628249543154691802009-02-07T20:14:00.003Z2009-02-07T20:25:12.758ZPound cost averaging (Part II)

Pound cost averaging crops up a lot as an investment strategy.Most proponents tout pound cost averaging as a way of "beating the market," but, to the extent that there's a meaningful comparison to be made, I claim it does not beat the market. That's not to say that it's a silly strategy; after all, "invest a little bit each month" is quite a sensible strategy if what you want to do is save money.

armchairprogrammer (at) googlemail (dot) comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229010465598341533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400697484931840211.post-77025969633401480552009-01-30T16:33:00.003Z2009-01-30T17:15:35.505ZIs John Kay crazy or am I?

John Kay is a serious economics writer. Here's what he had to say in the Financial Times last week (An averaging system to pile up the pounds):Here is a scheme for beating the market that really works. Imagine a volatile share that sells for 50p in odd years and 100p in even years. If you invest £100 every year in this share, over a 10-year period you will have accumulated 1,500 shares at an

armchairprogrammer (at) googlemail (dot) comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229010465598341533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400697484931840211.post-41390793731974233352009-01-28T14:27:00.003Z2009-01-28T14:32:19.037ZWays in which conversations with my two-year-old, in which his contribution is the question "why?", end

1. Infinite causal regress, historicalWhy can't we go into the playground?Because it's lockedWhy?Because the man didn't unlock itWhy? Because he couldn't come here this morningWhy?Because his car broke downWhy? Because he left the lights onWhy?Because -- hey! look at this stick!2. Finite causal regress, teleologicalWhere are we going?We're going to the post boxWhy?Because I want to post a

armchairprogrammer (at) googlemail (dot) comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229010465598341533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400697484931840211.post-89572851618802703782007-11-27T20:58:00.000Z2007-11-28T19:48:24.862ZWhere's my stuff?

Everybody knows that something is wrong.What is wrong is that I can't find my stuff. I know I put it in a folder somewhere, but I don't know which folder I put it in. I didn't have an apposite folder at the time, so I created one; but now I'm not sure what I was thinking when I created it.I think my stuff was red. I have a folder for red things, but my stuff isn't in there. That folder is just

armchairprogrammer (at) googlemail (dot) comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229010465598341533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4400697484931840211.post-63860909079315626832007-02-08T16:42:00.000Z2007-02-08T17:08:54.652ZConversation with a Martian

My Martian friend Marvyn and I were having a conversation the other day. The following is a rough transcript.AP: I've been meaning to ask you this for a while, Marvyn. Why does smoke occasionally come out of your ears?Marvyn: Oh that; that's parfing.AP: But why do you, as it were, parf?Marvyn: I parf when I'm flox. That is to say, when I feel flox, I parf.Look, I've actually been meaning to talk

armchairprogrammer (at) googlemail (dot) comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229010465598341533noreply@blogger.com0