Top all-time · #2427
Random Observations
Personal blog · bentilly.blogspot.comdatamathprogramming
Random Observations is a personal blog at bentilly.blogspot.com about data, math and programming. Since 2009, 31 different Hacker News readers have linked it 108 times, most often “How you eat corn on the cob predicts whether you're an analyst or algebraist”. The last post was in 2023, but the archive is still widely read.
Too few sampled comments (18) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
HN readers link this blog for its math-teaching posts, such as teaching linear algebra with spaced repetition and structuring a formal class. It also has a humorous post on analysis versus algebra thinking.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 18 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Most-linked posts?
- How you eat corn on the cob predicts whether you're an analyst or algebraist12 people · 13 mentions · first linked 2010-08-20
- Teaching Linear Algebra7 people · 11 mentions · first linked 2009-09-29
- Analysis vs Algebra predicts eating corn? (2010)4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2018-03-12
- Why I left math3 people · 7 mentions · first linked 2009-11-09
- Finding related items3 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2011-02-15
- /2009/09/teaching-linear-algebra.html2 people · 6 mentions · first linked 2017-03-06
- Designing a Reporting System2 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2009-12-12
- Piaget Water Level Test2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2010-08-26
- Preference for algebra or analysis suggests preference for eating corn2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2019-02-01
- Why NSA Surveillance Scares Me2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2016-01-11
What Hacker News says?
A Schaum's book can be a cheap supplement with lots of solved example problems. For proofs, you can find the free Book of Proof online [0]. It includes solutions to the odd exercises. Velleman's How to Prove It is also a great text, though not free. Regarding math pedagogy, I think this post might prove useful [1]. [0] http://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/ [1] https://bentilly.blogspot.com/2009/09/teachin…
Comment linking /2009/09/teaching-linear-algebra.html
on “Mathematics for Computer Science [pdf]”Submitted How you eat corn on the cob predicts whether you're an analyst or algebraist as a story · 290 points
HN discussionIt is possible to demonstrate good approaches to engineering with your solution. But if you're cranking out PE problems, you really are better off just throwing out a bunch of one-off unmaintainable scripts. It is a good test of math and cleverness. It is not a good exercise for maintainable software. See http://bentilly.blogspot.com/2010/01/solving-project-euler-p... as evidence that I am not just talking out of my…
Comment linking /2010/01/solving-project-euler-problems.html
on “Announcing Starfighter”Submitted Things I've learned at Google so far as a story · 264 points
HN discussionTwo adjustments that I would make. Remove Metcalfe's law. It is a massive overestimate. See http://www.dtc.umn.edu/~odlyzko/doc/metcalfe.pdf for the better n log(n) rule for valuing a network. And I find Le Châtelier's principle generally applicable, and not just to Chemistry. It says that if you observe a system at equilibrium, and try to induce a change, forces will arise that push it back towards the original equ…
Comment linking /2010/05/le-chateliers-principle-not-just-for.html
on “Mental Models I Find Repeatedly Useful”Submitted Why NSA Surveillance Scares Me as a story · 245 points
HN discussionWhere to begin? I'll just make random points in no particular order. - When a man widely recognized as one of the top geniuses of his generation is determined by a test to not be a genius, it is not Feynman's status as a genius that should be questioned. - "Correlated with" is very different from "the same as." See the second half of http://bentilly.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-is-intelligence.ht... for some sample cal…
Comment linking /2010/02/what-is-intelligence.html
on “My IQ”Submitted Teaching Linear Algebra as a story · 208 points
HN discussionHe also later expanded it into a blog post: https://bentilly.blogspot.com/2009/09/teaching-linear-algebr...
Comment linking /2009/09/teaching-linear-algebra.html
on “Increasing Retention Without Increasing Study Time [pdf]”Submitted Teaching linear algebra as a story · 118 points
HN discussionI was curious about how reliable we should predict a Falcon 9 launch to be based on the stated design parameters (survives the loss of any 2 engines) and current launch data. I found that under a simple Bayesian model, the estimated probability of catastrophic failure during the next launch is 3.6%. See http://bentilly.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-reliable-will-falco... for details. Update: I made a careless calculation…
Comment linking /2012/10/how-reliable-will-falcon-9-be.html
on “SpaceX update: The engine did not explode”Submitted My son's flashcard routine as a story · 91 points
HN discussionThat is also applicable, but the line of reasoning to the conclusions is kind of abstract. See http://bentilly.blogspot.com/2010/05/le-chateliers-principle... for more on my opinions on that principle. :-)
Comment linking /2010/05/le-chateliers-principle-not-just-for.html
on “Humans once opposed coffee and refrigeration: why we often hate new stuff”Submitted Why I left math as a story · 84 points
HN discussionThe biggest SQL antipattern is failing to recognize that SQL is actually a programming language. Therefore you should create a consistent indentation style for SQL. See https://bentilly.blogspot.com/2011/02/sql-formatting-style.h... for mine. Second, you should try to group logical things together. This is why people should move subqueries into common table expressions. And finally, don't be afraid of commenting wis…
Comment linking /2011/02/sql-formatting-style.html
on “SQL Anti-Patterns”Submitted A/B Testing vs MAB algorithms - It's complicated as a story · 68 points
HN discussionNot with the way it is taught. But if the course structure is changed slightly to have reinforcement of early concepts woven through the course, people learn much better. At least that was my experience when I taught it. See https://bentilly.blogspot.com/2009/09/teaching-linear-algebr... for more detail on my experience.
Comment linking /2009/09/teaching-linear-algebra.html
on “Robotics 101 at UMich: Applied numerical linear algebra as intro linear algebra”Submitted Solving Project Euler problems as a story · 66 points
HN discussionLet's walk through the criticisms you make. unfocused interview loops leading to poor feedback Yes, and it sounds like that is an issue they are trying to address that. much too long process between phone screen and receiving approval from MTV Absolutely. I am an outlier there. I took over a year from initial interview to hire thanks to the hiring freeze. I'd like to see us A/B test different interview formats to fi…
Comment linking /2010/02/what-is-intelligence.html
on “Solving turnover (unusual dailywtf)”Submitted How I do Proofs as a story · 65 points
HN discussionBut how do you eat your corn? http://bentilly.blogspot.com/2010/08/analysis-vs-algebra-pre...
Comment linking /2010/08/analysis-vs-algebra-predicts-eating.html
on “A philosophical difference between Haskell and Lisp (2015)”Submitted Analysis vs Algebra predicts eating corn? (2010) as a story · 53 points
HN discussionYou might find this interesting - http://bentilly.blogspot.com/2010/08/analysis-vs-algebra-pre...
Comment linking /2010/08/analysis-vs-algebra-predicts-eating.html?m=1
on “What we've learned about hiring engineering managers”Submitted Rogue waves as a story · 53 points
HN discussionI had the same guess. See http://bentilly.blogspot.com/2012/11/speculating-about-hyper... for proof. In thinking afterwards about the many good comments that dpark made in the resulting HN discussion, I convinced myself that while my idea was neat, it was unlikely to be correct. (I did not say so anywhere in the discussion because by the time I had worked this out for myself, the discussion was long over.)
Comment linking /2012/11/speculating-about-hyperloop.html
on “We Think We Know What Elon Musk's Hyperloop Is”Submitted Speculating about the Hyperloop as a story · 41 points
HN discussionThese cultural differences even determine how you eat your corn: http://bentilly.blogspot.com/2010/08/analysis-vs-algebra-pre... (I know this is weak evidence that has been debunked by stronger studies.)
Comment linking /2010/08/analysis-vs-algebra-predicts-eating.html
on “Plwm – An X11 window manager written in Prolog”Submitted A/B Testing Scale Cheat Sheet as a story · 40 points
HN discussionBlog post posted to http://bentilly.blogspot.com/2012/11/speculating-about-hyper... and with any luck there will be discussion about my version of the idea at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4815665 .
Comment linking /2012/11/speculating-about-hyperloop.html
on “Elon Musk and the Hyperloop ”Submitted My thoughts on Google Go as a story · 39 points
HN discussion
