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Comment Re:No (Score 1) 186

FP variables are const by default, and have to be explicitly made mutable.

Your code is actually a perfect example. In C:

const float X = Get_Current_Spped();
Display(X);

In an ML-style FP language:

let X Get_Current_Spped() in
Display(X)

In both cases, you are not changing X - you are creating a new X every time, keeping the previous X unchanged.

Comment Re: Which decades-old problem? (Score 1) 96

Look, I found and skimmed the Nature article before writing my original post. But I am not a QC expert, and so have no clue what a surface code is, why they are important, and what exactly was unsolved about them for 20 years. I can have a guess based on skimming the article, but it is completely lazy that the ABC West Sydney did not bother to include any explanation in their article, not even mentioning "surface code", and instead just filling the whole article with fluff. And given that the original article is just fluff and is missing the background info, the original Slashdot poster should have included some of that background info in their summary, not just linked to fluff.

Comment Re:that's fine (Score 2) 408

Honestly, you can say it wasn't their fault, but nearly 10% of them in 6 months have been involved in accidents. Even if it wasn't the fault of the technology itself, why is the accident rate so high?

Because they are constantly on the road, for testing and data collection. I would imagine that they drove more in these 6 months than many cars do in 6 years.

Comment Non non-free option either. (Score 1) 578

And why is it that you are owed free content?

It's not about not having free access - it's not about having access period. I would have gladly paid for an online-only access, but there is no such option. I've tried signing up for a TV service with Comcast (which owns NBC) - not only I have to pay something like $70/month for huge package of channels I would never watch, but the only way to buy it is to sign up for installation of equipment for TV I do not own, and I would only get access when such equipment arrives - there is no option to sign up for online access and not have their cable equipment shoven down my throat.

P.S. I looked into using a Canadian VPN service, but had trouble getting www.cbc.ca olympic coverage to show up correctly on Linux. Now I am planning to watch Olympics on eTVnet - a Russian-language site in Canada, which, unlike NBC, is happy to take my money to provide me with access to content I want to watch.

Comment Re:The have your punk kid nephew do it mentality (Score 3, Informative) 327

1. Python. I thought all the quants liked C, assembler, and even VHDL for their high frequency stuff.

Not necessarily. For example, an HFT company Jane Street Capical uses OCaml, claiming it makes code reviews go a lot faster and Knight-style errors a lot less likely. https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fqueue.acm.org%2Fdetail.cfm%3Fid%3D2038036

OS X

Apple Patches Massive Holes In OS X 246

Trailrunner7 writes with this snippet from ThreatPost: "Apple's first Mac OS X security update for 2010 is out, providing cover for at least 12 serious vulnerabilities. The update, rated critical, plugs security holes that could lead to code execution vulnerabilities if a Mac user is tricked into opening audio files or surfing to a rigged Web site." Hit the link for a list of the highlights among these fixes.
Mozilla

Mozilla Thunderbird 3 Released 272

supersloshy writes Today Mozilla released Thunderbird 3. Many new features are available, including Tabs and enhanced search features, a message archive for emails you don't want to delete but still want to keep, Firefox 3's improved Add-ons Manager, Personas support, and many other improvements. Download here."
Education

Computer Games and Traditional CS Courses 173

drroman22 writes "Schools are working to put real-world relevance into computer science education by integrating video game development into traditional CS courses. Quoting: 'Many CS educators recognized and took advantage of younger generations' familiarity and interests for computer video games and integrate related contents into their introductory programming courses. Because these are the first courses students encounter, they build excitement and enthusiasm for our discipline. ... Much of this work reported resounding successes with drastically increased enrollments and student successes. Based on these results, it is well recognized that integrating computer gaming into CS1 and CS2 (CS1/2) courses, the first programming courses students encounter, is a promising strategy for recruiting and retaining potential students." While a focus on games may help stir interest, it seems as though game development studios are as yet unimpressed by most game-related college courses. To those who have taken such courses or considered hiring those who have: what has your experience been?

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