Weiqi Gao's Observations - learning tag

Teaching Experience?

Fri, 29 Aug 2003 12:33:39 GMT

Have you ever bought a book that supposedly will teach you "experiences of the masters"?

I have. From Code Complete to Design Patterns to The Mythical Man-Month to The Pragmatic Programmer.

I don't think they succeeded. It's true that they contain valuable information. But, at least for me, I become more and more appreciative of what they have to say as I gained my own experience.

After all, it won't be called experience if you can get it by reading books.

A computer is like a violin. You can imagine a novice trying first a phonograph and then a violin. The latter, he says, sounds terrible. ...

---Marvin Minsky, quoted in SICP

Multiplication

Sat, 16 Aug 2003 01:30:05 GMT

"Quickly, what is 1000 x 1000?"

"1,000,000."

"How did you arrive at the answer?"

"Simple. I just multiplied them together."

"You sure?"

"Of course!"

"Hmm... Now, what is 999 x 999?"

(Timed out thinking) bzzz---

"You didn't do the multiplication that time, did you?"

"Uhh... No, I didn't."

"What did you do?"

(Hang head in shame, low voice) "I counted zeroes. There are three zeroes in 1000. And three plus three is six."