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In order to really show how simple the fundamental model of a computer is, we have developed a physical implementation of the Turing machine, using LEGO Mindstorms NXT. I build, therefore I am.
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Very nice, indeed. I'd have preferred an actual commentary instead of the so-called music playback loop. Mindstorms is an amazing concept. I especially liked the one that solves Rubik's cube which is on youtube I think.
"I do not have to forgive my enemies, I have had them all shot." — Ramón Maria Narváez (1800-68).
"I don't need to shoot my enemies, I don't have any." - Me (2012).
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I'd prefer to see the state table somewhere -- I don't trust that the device is actually a Turing Machine.
Additionally, I don't think the "tape" allows for blanks.
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A friend recently tweeted a list of story basics from Pixar Story Artist Emma Coats. These basics are some of the story-writing guidelines Emma has learned from her colleagues and they’re pure gold for writers. As I was reading the list I was struck by just how many of the items on her list–with just a little modification–apply to programming as well. It’s all creative work. It’s all writing. Simplify. Focus. DRY it up.
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This is the first of a series of posts that explore functional programming in F#. My original intent in this post was to explore how to manage state in a pure functional program by implementing a very simple stack machine in F#. It turns out that this exercise illustrates, in a very short piece of code, several important principles of functional programming in F# and consequently provides a simple, succint general introduction to functional programming in F#. Let's begin with a Very Simple Stack Machine.
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Not everyone knows that the SSL handshake is not encrypted. When you think about it - there isn't other way, before the keys are exchanged the communication must be unencrypted. But I doubt many people think about it. Phone's ringing, Dude. Thank you, Donny.
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It's been one of my major pet peeves on both Android and iOS: the total and utter lack of consistency. Applications - whether first party or third party - all seem to live on islands, doing their own thing, making their own design choices regarding basic UI interactions, developing their own non-standard buttons and controls. Consistency died five years ago, and nobody seems to care but me. Skeumorphism and schadenfreude.
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It's the end of an era. Or maybe the start of a new one. Microsoft is trying out a new business model with next Windows release. The company is going to offer two Microsoft-branded tablets of its own, both of which are branded as Microsoft Surface. It's a tablet... no, it's a netbook... no, it's a...
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Microsoft threw one hell of a party tonight; its pair of Microsoft Surface devices could be one of the biggest jumps forward in product design in recent memory. Could, because there's still so much we don't know. And Microsoft's not sharing. Do the specs really matter that much anymore? Other than price...
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Is mobile dead? It appears to be a silly question given all the hype – but it seems like the majors have it sewn up. Now that the mobile market is large, mainstream, and mature it’s time to start monetizing lucrative niche audiences–narrow and deep. Games are not one-size-fits-all.
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Close to three-quarters of smartphone owners in the United States use location services on their mobiles. Most of those interactions involve a map in some way. No wonder then, that both Apple (iOS) and Google (Android) recently held public events talking about the future of their mobile map products. As these stats illustrate, maps are a big deal on mobile.
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Despite companies' hamfisted, male-focused marketing efforts, women are the dominant users of a wide variety of new technologies. If you want to find out what the future looks like, you should be asking women.
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At the live event taking place now, Microsoft have announced a new tablet called Surface.
Their website has been updated: http://www.microsoft.com/surface[^]
Edit: Youtube video now up; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzu3HM2CIo[^]
9.3mm thick
Detachable cover includes keyboard and touchpad (3mm think)
Built in stand
HDMI
USB2.0
Front and Rear cameras.
WinRT, Arm processor by NVidia.......
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Friggin' amateurs ...
When you do an announcement for a product, you DO NOT have a web page with a :
------
Welcome to Microsoft Surface.
Coming Soon
------
Right smak on the front page.
I WANT TO SEE ALL THE SPECS RIGHT NOW, AND I WANT A BUTTON TO BUY IT.
BUT it looks good; except for the foldable "stand" that will break just by looking at it (over-engineered).
Watched code never compiles.
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The website wasn't even up when I went to it as soon as they announced the link.
It just gave an 'unexpected error'
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Maximilien wrote: except for the foldable "stand" that will break just by looking at it (over-engineered).
Magnesium alloy is pretty tuff you know, would be more likely to break if it was plastic or aluminium.
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Moving parts, moving parts.
Fow all we know, the hinges are crap plstic.
Watched code never compiles.
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Magnesium is not particularly tough at all. You are confusing it with Titanium, which is tough. Magnesium is also quite flammable (and once started, hard to put out - water accelerates the burning). Battery fires should be a whole new experience. The only advantage magnesium has is that it is lightweight...
"People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them." Eric Hoffer
"The failure mode of 'clever' is 'a**hole'" John Scalzi
"Only buzzards feed on their friends" Patrick Dorinson
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No I am not confusing it with titanium, I know what titanium is.
Pure magnesium is pretty nasty flammable stuff.
However Magnesium Alloys can be relatively strong (otherwise we wouldn't make car wheels out of them!) From wiki: The strength –to-weight ratio of the precipitation-hardened magnesium alloys is comparable with that of the strong alloys of aluminum or with the alloy steels
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AKA, the Windows iPad.
Actually, years ago they had this giant multi-touch table they called Surface. It was something like $10,000+. Hard Rock in Las Vegas had one. Looks like they're doing different form factors now.
I do love that marketing video though; I don't even know what it does and I want one.
And I just tried to go to Surface.com (as indicated in the video), but it redirected me to Microsoft.com/Surface/ and gave me "Unexpected error occured". Which is funny, because this is the second time I've seen them misspell "occurred".
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Typical Microsoft…
Claim it's new and different… it's not.
Demo crashed.
Over designed.
Fairly ugly.
Not available for months.
No definite pricing.
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Typical smoke and mirrors only difference after you buy it you need to smoke one.
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I wonder if the TSOD (Touch Screen Of Death) will also be the newest product output from Microsoft? Just a thought.
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BSOD, TSOD - we all SOD togeth...
Oh wait - nevermind.
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OK, but where do you plug in the mouse?
/ravi
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