Think Like a Freak

Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is a lot to like about this book. I really enjoyed the multiple short stories format that remained connected without repeating large chunks.

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Using Spatial Words Can Help Kids Be More Comfortable With STEM

I like the below news story:

The way you talk with your child can help them to understand science and math
https://wkow.com/news/top-stories/2018/12/24/the-way-you-talk-with-your-child-can-help-them-to-understand-science-and-math/

Although there are two points that I would like to consider:

1. I suspect that the additional time spent with your kids has a bigger impact than the subject matter.
2. The story focused on very little kids with concepts that they will almost definitely will pick up later if you don't introduce those ideas. However, if they are the last ones to learn those concepts then they might be embarrassed and will shy away from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

I know adults that would be hesitant about which way to turn an object if I said, "Please rotate that to the left." They definitely can figure it out but they are not comfortable with the language.

Of course, the same phrase, "rotate to the left," could mean something different to someone from a different part of the world but that consideration is about teaching to consider context.

You might be thinking that this is a silly little thing to put any thought into but imagine what it means to rotate an array to the left or right. Or to rotate a multidimensional array. You quickly start to get into college level computer science and mathematics. And we're still just talking about how to orientate your perspective.

Anyway, I like this story because at the heart of the news story is encouragement for parents to spend more time with their kids and to impart their knowledge.

Provide All The Information The User Needs And Nothing More

A key part of the design process is the precise definition of each and every software component in the system. This specification will become the "public" part of the component. It must include everything a user needs, such as its purpose, its name, its method of invocation, and details of how it communicates with its environment. Anything that the user does not need should be specifically excluded. In most cases, the algorithms and internal data structures used should be excluded. For if these were "visible," users might utilize this information. Subsequent enhancement or modification then becomes profoundly more difficult because any change to the component has a cascading effect on all components that use it (related to encapsulation).


Reference:
Parnas, D., "A Technique for Software Module Specification with Examples," CACM (May 1972).

Use Efficient Algorithms

Knowledge of the theory of algorithm complexity is an absolute prerequisite for being a good designer. Given any specific problem, you could specify an infinite number of alternative algorithms to solve it. The theory of "analysis of algorithms" provides us with the knowledge of how to differentiate between algorithms that will be inherently slow (regardless of how well they are coded) and those that will be orders of magnitude faster. Dozens of excellent books exist on this subject. Every good undergraduate computer science program will offer a course on it.


Reference:
Horowitz, E. and Sahni, S., Fundamentals of Computer Algorithms, Potomac, MD: Computer Science Press, 1978.

Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just as another reviewer said the movie made me want to read the book. The catch is either I don't remember the movie or the book is different enough that I can't link them in my mind. Doesn't really matter. I enjoyed the book. I think Calcifer was my favorite character. I'd like to know why he fell.

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Gather 'Round the Sound

Gather 'Round the Sound by Paulo Coelho
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good short stories that fit the season. Be warned the first story, "12345," is a bit of a tear jerker.

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Light Falls: Space, Time, and an Obsession of Einstein

Light Falls: Space, Time, and an Obsession of Einstein by Brian Greene
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Exciting and revealing. Provides insight into the passion that drove Einstein while working on a theory of general relativity.

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Write Programs For People First

In the early days of computing, computers were relatively slow. Almost anything that could be done to shave off a few instructions was worth the effort. The most efficient use of any of the resources on the very expensive computer system was the major goal. Things have changed. The most valuable resources is now people: people to develop the software, people to maintain the software, and people to enhance capability. With few application exceptions, programmers should think first of the people who will later attempt to understand and adapt the software. Anything that can be done to assist them should be done.¹ Efficiency is also important,² but they are not mutually exclusive. If you need efficiency, that's fine but upgrade the readability of your program so that you don't lose the humans in the process.

1. Avoid Tricks
   Avoid Global Variables
   Write To Read Top-Down
   Avoid Side-Effects
   Use Meaningful Names
2. Evaluate Alternatives
   Use Efficient Algorithms
   Get It Right Before You Make It Faster

Reference:
McConnell, S., Code Complete, Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.

Use Meaningful Names

Some programmers insist on naming variables with names like nflt or nFlight. The usual argument is that it makes programmers more productive because of reduced key presses. Good programmers should spend a very small percentage of their time typing (maybe 10 to 15 percent); most time should be spent thinking. So how much time is really being saved?

A better argument is that overly shortened names actually decrease productivity. There are two reasons:

1. Testing and maintenance costs rise because people spend time trying to decode names, and
2. more time is spent typing comments to explain the shortened names!

Reference:

Ledgard, H., Programming Proverbs, Rochelle Park, NJ: Hayden Book Company, 1975.

Avoid Side-Effects

A side-effect of a procedure is something the procedure does that is not its main purpose and that is visible (or whose results are perceivable) from outside the procedure. Side-effects are the sources of many subtle errors in software, that is, the ones that are the most latent and the ones that are most difficult to discover once their symptoms manifest themselves.


Reference:
Ledgard, H., Programming Proverbs, Rochelle Park, NJ: Hayden Book Company, 1975.