MetaFilter posts tagged with computerscience

Computer science doesn't require a computer

orthogonality — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:12:13 -0800

Learn (or teach) fundamentals of computer science, without a computer. Provided as hands-on exercises suitable for children, or even CS-illiterate adults. (If this is too basic for you, go here.)

Big book of algorithms

Wolfdog — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 07:02:22 -0800

If you could use a great big free handbook of discrete math and algorithms, Jörg Arndt's fxtbook wants to be your friend. Plain text table of contents to whet your appetite.

"That half-destroyed paperwork is a tantalizing secret."

amyms — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:42:54 -0800

"That half-destroyed paperwork is a tantalizing secret." The Stasi fostered a pervasive and justified paranoia. And it generated an almost inconceivable amount of paper, enough to fill more than 100 miles of shelves. The agency indexed and cross-referenced 5.6 million names in its central card catalog alone. Hundreds of thousands of "unofficial employees" snitched on friends, coworkers, and their own spouses, sometimes because they'd been extorted and sometimes in exchange for money, promotions, or permission to travel abroad. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Stasi tried to destroy its records. Now, with the help of computer science, the "billion-piece puzzle" is finally coming together. The article is an interesting update on the one featured in this 2003 Metafilter post . Related: The Stasi Museum in Berlin If It Had Not Been For 15 Minutes (an incredible defection story)

Pixar's papers on computer graphics

brundlefly — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:39:14 -0800

1982-2007 Pixar's papers on computer graphics

Computing In Dark Rooms

migurski — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:01:54 -0800

Courtesy of Daniele Gallifa's Mentegrafica, a video demonstration of Multi-User Interaction using Handheld Projectors. An update to the classic Ghostbusters toy, this set of position-aware hand held projectors lets users share information by shining light onto walls. Some of the smart details in the video include: sharing calendars by overlapping light from two projectors, adjoining projections to create larger screens, and blurring private information when outsiders are nearby. No mention of applicability to first person shooters.

Gerrymandered

chunking express — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 06:23:31 -0800

The shortest-splitline algorithm for drawing N congressional districts. You can seee examples of their unbiased district-drawing algorithm in action compared with the gerrymandered districts drawn by politicians.

Jeff Hawkins unleashes his brain: Numenta's new AI platform

grumblebee — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 13:35:42 -0800

Jeff Hawkins, co-founder of Palm and Handspring, has started a new company, called Numenta, to test his controversial theory of intelligence. Whether you find his theory plausible or not, his book, "On Intelligence" is fascinating. Numenta is attempting to build A.I.s using Hawkins' theory as a backbone. They've developed a software engine and a Python-based API, which they've made public (as free downloads), so that hackers can start playing. They've also released manuals, a whitepaper (pdf) and videos [1] [2]. (At about 30:18 into the first video, Hawkins demonstrates, with screenshots, the first app which uses his system.)

Online topics in computer science research and engineering

Blazecock Pileon — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 06:57:24 -0800

The University of Washington CSE Colloquium features accessible talks by leading computer scientists and computer engineers from the University of Washington, the region, the nation, and the world, most of which are available as MP3 audio and/or Real/Windows Media video online for free. Personal favorites include talks on quantum computing, de novo protein design, and in silico biology as a smarter way to learn how our genes work.

Who can name the bigger number?

gregv — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 00:16:49 -0800

Who can name the bigger number? I guarantee you will lose to the Busy Beavers. (No, infinity is not allowed, the bigger infinity is a different game.) The author also debunks in very simple terms the recent story that quantum computers perform calculations without being turned on. My first post and disclaimer: I know the author from our mutual field of quantum information.

Intelligent Design by Trial and Error

fatllama — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 09:41:21 -0800

A more efficient microbe genome. A more efficient sorting algorithm. A more efficient keyboard layout.