Things that make you go "Wow!"
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The Dazzle Kaleidoscope program. For its time, you could tell that every single line was hand-crafted assembly because it made all other programs feel super slow. [Dazzle (1993) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV7T1eqnvas)
Circa 1993 I was somewhat chuffed when I managed to render a Mandelbrot set in less than twenty minutes on a 386, so yes, that's pretty darned quick! Something else that impressed me a lot in those days was [Fractint](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractint) which could render fractals in seconds rather than minutes by doing all the calculations with ints rather than floats.
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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Circa 1993 I was somewhat chuffed when I managed to render a Mandelbrot set in less than twenty minutes on a 386, so yes, that's pretty darned quick! Something else that impressed me a lot in those days was [Fractint](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractint) which could render fractals in seconds rather than minutes by doing all the calculations with ints rather than floats.
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
If you missed it, I released a Mandelbrot browser a couple weeks ago that allows you to zoom, pan, and recolor to your hearts content[^]! 1080p in approximately 0.2 seconds!
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As developers we often look at software and start reverse engineering it in our heads. There's plenty of stuff that might deeply impress us but we can figure out roughly how it does what it does even if we wouldn't be confident in writing it ourselves. Sometimes, though, you see something and think "Blimey! I wouldn't have come up with that in a million years. That's not code, that's sorcery!" For me, the Great Amazer has always been Shazam - yes, it's been around for years and I've read a fair old bit about the central fingerprinting algorithm (much of which has passed over my head) but it still absolutely blows me away. As Ozymandias put it: "look upon my works ye mighty and despair!" What does it for you?
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
For me, it has always been the game StarFlight. How did they get so much awesome gameplay and adventure on a 3 1/2 inch floppy disk?
When you are dead, you won't even know that you are dead. It's a pain only felt by others. Same thing when you are stupid.
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If you missed it, I released a Mandelbrot browser a couple weeks ago that allows you to zoom, pan, and recolor to your hearts content[^]! 1080p in approximately 0.2 seconds!
I did, indeed, miss it but look forward to taking a look. Thanks!
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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For me, it has always been the game StarFlight. How did they get so much awesome gameplay and adventure on a 3 1/2 inch floppy disk?
When you are dead, you won't even know that you are dead. It's a pain only felt by others. Same thing when you are stupid.
Yes, there have certainly been some "how on earth did they fit that in there?" games over the years. Some of the 16k Spectrum things are amazing - [Way of the Exploding Fist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA5b8Zhdb7c) is a nice example.
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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As developers we often look at software and start reverse engineering it in our heads. There's plenty of stuff that might deeply impress us but we can figure out roughly how it does what it does even if we wouldn't be confident in writing it ourselves. Sometimes, though, you see something and think "Blimey! I wouldn't have come up with that in a million years. That's not code, that's sorcery!" For me, the Great Amazer has always been Shazam - yes, it's been around for years and I've read a fair old bit about the central fingerprinting algorithm (much of which has passed over my head) but it still absolutely blows me away. As Ozymandias put it: "look upon my works ye mighty and despair!" What does it for you?
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
The thing that most makes me go "Wow" is how my GPS device can plan a route through real-world roads and take into account all the traffic laws, such as where you're not allowed to turn left, and such. Amazing! :)
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The thing that most makes me go "Wow" is how my GPS device can plan a route through real-world roads and take into account all the traffic laws, such as where you're not allowed to turn left, and such. Amazing! :)
... and then direct you into a river and give up ... :laugh:
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay... AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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As developers we often look at software and start reverse engineering it in our heads. There's plenty of stuff that might deeply impress us but we can figure out roughly how it does what it does even if we wouldn't be confident in writing it ourselves. Sometimes, though, you see something and think "Blimey! I wouldn't have come up with that in a million years. That's not code, that's sorcery!" For me, the Great Amazer has always been Shazam - yes, it's been around for years and I've read a fair old bit about the central fingerprinting algorithm (much of which has passed over my head) but it still absolutely blows me away. As Ozymandias put it: "look upon my works ye mighty and despair!" What does it for you?
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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As developers we often look at software and start reverse engineering it in our heads. There's plenty of stuff that might deeply impress us but we can figure out roughly how it does what it does even if we wouldn't be confident in writing it ourselves. Sometimes, though, you see something and think "Blimey! I wouldn't have come up with that in a million years. That's not code, that's sorcery!" For me, the Great Amazer has always been Shazam - yes, it's been around for years and I've read a fair old bit about the central fingerprinting algorithm (much of which has passed over my head) but it still absolutely blows me away. As Ozymandias put it: "look upon my works ye mighty and despair!" What does it for you?
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
Pretty much anything. Wow, how can a computer compute? Wow, how can a (cell) phone, or computer for that matter, connect to any other device anywhere in the world in milliseconds? Wow, how can we build big ass skyscrapers with all kinds of fancy architecture? Wow, how could the early civilizations do pretty much the same without all our fancy technology? Wow, how can Google calculate the shortest or fastest route from anywhere to anywhere by car, public transport, bike or foot (and so accurately)? Wow, how can anyone write decent code in JavaScript? Actually, I haven't seen this for myself yet and I'm not ready to believe this exists. Wow, how can Google search through millions of websites for some random string in milliseconds. Wow, you already mentioned Shazam, who does the same but with music, WOW! I know it's all perfectly logical. Some physics, some chemistry, some math... But wow. And that's just some human achievements.
Best, Sander Continuous Integration, Delivery, and Deployment arrgh.js - Bringing LINQ to JavaScript Object-Oriented Programming in C# Succinctly
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Long ago: Elite[^] Or how about 3D fractal landscapes - on a 1.7 MHz 6502? Atari XL/XE - Rescue on Fractalus[^]. I think there could still be something to learn from reverse engineering the graphics routines.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats. His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
Here, read yourself some of these articles if you're up for that kind of thing. You'll get smatterings of code and explanation. Iq is no dummy. He's also incidentally, the one that came up with ShaderToy and SoundToy [Inigo Quilez :: fractals, computer graphics, mathematics, demoscene and more](http://www.iquilezles.org/www/index.htm)
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First time I saw a blinking cursor on a green CRT screen, press a key on the keyboard and the character appears on the screen. I said the myself, "Wow!" :omg:
The first time I spent a day on a green CRT, I said "Wow! That's what I call eye-strain!" I used to hate those things with a passion, the amber ones were so much nicer to work with but everywhere had those horrible green ones.
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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Parking machines in hospital car parks are the example that springs to mind why do the option to change to German (& only German) appear in the 'Do You Want A Reciept sub menu', were the testers not involved or has a quick mod unearthed a whole? :laugh:
and if you switch to German while pressing a button, there is an option, in German, that says "rebate my parking fee." There are probably "unlocks" on the meters for testing purposes like most games have: up, down, down, left, right -> install mock for credit card payment interface that always "accepts" payment up, down, down, left, left -> install mock for credit card payment interface that always "declines" payment
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As developers we often look at software and start reverse engineering it in our heads. There's plenty of stuff that might deeply impress us but we can figure out roughly how it does what it does even if we wouldn't be confident in writing it ourselves. Sometimes, though, you see something and think "Blimey! I wouldn't have come up with that in a million years. That's not code, that's sorcery!" For me, the Great Amazer has always been Shazam - yes, it's been around for years and I've read a fair old bit about the central fingerprinting algorithm (much of which has passed over my head) but it still absolutely blows me away. As Ozymandias put it: "look upon my works ye mighty and despair!" What does it for you?
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
Cryptography - I've never had the math to understand it. Flight control for aircraft - I was involved with one project and it's scary stuff. Lots of complex, high-rate data acquisition coupled with complicated math. In that software, if there was a bug that let the aircraft go unstable, the pilot died 2-3 seconds later.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
Cryptography - I've never had the math to understand it. Flight control for aircraft - I was involved with one project and it's scary stuff. Lots of complex, high-rate data acquisition coupled with complicated math. In that software, if there was a bug that let the aircraft go unstable, the pilot died 2-3 seconds later.
Software Zen:
delete this;I don't think I'd ever get a wink of sleep if I worked on stuff like that.
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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I don't think I'd ever get a wink of sleep if I worked on stuff like that.
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
We actually built a software emulator of the flight control system for the purpose of validating the system's design. Our emulator could be 'flown' in ways that a normal flight test would not allow. Still scary stuff (if we missed something :~ ), but a step removed from direct responsibility for the pilot's safety. As I recall we only found two or three minor design errors, none of which had flight safety concerns.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
As developers we often look at software and start reverse engineering it in our heads. There's plenty of stuff that might deeply impress us but we can figure out roughly how it does what it does even if we wouldn't be confident in writing it ourselves. Sometimes, though, you see something and think "Blimey! I wouldn't have come up with that in a million years. That's not code, that's sorcery!" For me, the Great Amazer has always been Shazam - yes, it's been around for years and I've read a fair old bit about the central fingerprinting algorithm (much of which has passed over my head) but it still absolutely blows me away. As Ozymandias put it: "look upon my works ye mighty and despair!" What does it for you?
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
My biggest AHA Moment was realizing that the WEB + Browser <==> MainFrame + Page Mode Terminal. Think about a Browser being a Terminal Emulator for a few seconds. Specifically Page Mode. You get your screen. You edit/work locally. and you XMIT/SEND/POST/SUBMIT all responses on the page. The job of the Terminal Emulator is to take "escape sequences mixed in with field data" and separate them out, and control how they display. == Direct Programming. Learning how Mathematical Change of Basis is the underpinning of AutoCads ability to draw from various perspectives! ==
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Cryptography - I've never had the math to understand it. Flight control for aircraft - I was involved with one project and it's scary stuff. Lots of complex, high-rate data acquisition coupled with complicated math. In that software, if there was a bug that let the aircraft go unstable, the pilot died 2-3 seconds later.
Software Zen:
delete this;Control Theory is the perfect blend of mathematics and engineering. I mean, eyeballing tune values has an equation :D
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As developers we often look at software and start reverse engineering it in our heads. There's plenty of stuff that might deeply impress us but we can figure out roughly how it does what it does even if we wouldn't be confident in writing it ourselves. Sometimes, though, you see something and think "Blimey! I wouldn't have come up with that in a million years. That's not code, that's sorcery!" For me, the Great Amazer has always been Shazam - yes, it's been around for years and I've read a fair old bit about the central fingerprinting algorithm (much of which has passed over my head) but it still absolutely blows me away. As Ozymandias put it: "look upon my works ye mighty and despair!" What does it for you?
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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The first time I spent a day on a green CRT, I said "Wow! That's what I call eye-strain!" I used to hate those things with a passion, the amber ones were so much nicer to work with but everywhere had those horrible green ones.
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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I don't think I'd ever get a wink of sleep if I worked on stuff like that.
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
