This is the only answer that makes sense to me so far. You can measure pretty much any length multiple times this way. I think it is cool.

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. [Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)]

I agree with Jim. It's too bad that it seems so easy to confuse and make developers feel insecure with code. We spend more time looking for crutches than understanding the code abstractions and how to use them to our benefit.

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. [Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)]

Thank you, Keith. I did enjoy the discussion because it makes you see things from different perspectives and helps you discover new things. I think that it is very smart to use binary as flag variables. Nice and quite flexible application. Well done. Blushfully yours :)

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

: ) what I gathered from the wiki pages, is that a formal language can be defined as a set of words over an alphabet (with or without grammar). Since binary code is a set of words formed by putting together 0s and 1s, it constitutes a language. The meaning/usage of the words, if you think about it, is independent of the language construction. '0110' may mean 7 or may mean that there are 4 switches of which two are on and two are off. 'Cool' may describe a thing with a temperature between 10-15C degrees or may describe a thing that we like. It seems to me that if you are smart in your choice of language, you can reuse it later for a different purpose. Braille is an interesting illustration of this where binary code is used for written communication for the blind people rather than for representing computer processor instructions. But this discussion becomes confusing pretty fast if you ignore the distinction between human, natural, and artificial languages.

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

modified on Monday, April 11, 2011 11:14 PM

I would argue that Binary Code is a formal language. Based on wiki's language disambiguation[^], there is a distinction between human, natural, and artificial languages. A formal language, i.e. an artificial language - a language created for a specific purpose, is a concept used in mathematics and computer science. Thus[^], a formal language L over an alphabet Σ is a subset of Σ*, that is, a set of words over that alphabet. In computer science and mathematics, which do not usually deal with natural languages, the adjective "formal" is often omitted as redundant. While formal language theory usually concerns itself with formal languages that are described by some syntactical rules, the actual definition of the concept "formal language" is only as above: a (possibly infinite) set of finite-length strings, no more nor less. In practice, there are many languages that can be described by rules, such as regular languages or context-free languages. The notion of a formal grammar may be closer to the intuitive concept of a "language," one described by syntactic rules. By an abuse of the definition, a particular formal language is often thought of as being equipped with a formal grammar that describes it. If by binary[^] we understand binary code[^], a way of representing text or computer processor instructions by the use of the binary number system's two-binary digits 0 and 1, then we have a formal language. For another example, Braille is a type of binary code that is widely used by blind people to read and write. This system consist of 6 dot positions, three in each column. Each dot has two states, raised or not raised. Braille is a language, right? : )

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

I would argue that Binary Code is a formal language. Based on wiki's language disambiguation[^], there is a distinction between human, natural, and artificial languages. A formal language, i.e. an artificial language - a language created for a specific purpose, is a concept used in mathematics and computer science. Thus[^], a formal language L over an alphabet Σ is a subset of Σ*, that is, a set of words over that alphabet. In computer science and mathematics, which do not usually deal with natural languages, the adjective "formal" is often omitted as redundant. While formal language theory usually concerns itself with formal languages that are described by some syntactical rules, the actual definition of the concept "formal language" is only as above: a (possibly infinite) set of finite-length strings, no more nor less. In practice, there are many languages that can be described by rules, such as regular languages or context-free languages. The notion of a formal grammar may be closer to the intuitive concept of a "language," one described by syntactic rules. By an abuse of the definition, a particular formal language is often thought of as being equipped with a formal grammar that describes it. If by binary[^] we understand binary code[^], a way of representing text or computer processor instructions by the use of the binary number system's two-binary digits 0 and 1, then we have a formal language. For another example, Braille is a type of binary code that is widely used by blind people to read and write. This system consist of 6 dot positions, three in each column. Each dot has two states, raised or not raised. Braille is a language, right? : )

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

There will always be women. :cool: When I was a kid I wanted to be a writer. It was fascinating to me how imagination can take you to places that nobody has been before. However, my marks seemed to indicate that I am better at math. Mathematics is an ugly duckling. It hides more power than most languages. But it requires patience and no greed. Thus, I became a programmer. It is practical. And I discovered that even though I may not be creative enough for the artistic world, I am resourceful enough for the world of 'men'. ;) I like working with men. They know what they want most of the time and they are much more predictable than women are. I haven't had trouble with discrimination. If anything it amuses me or flatters me. For example, I got this comment from PIEBALDconsult: "Thank you, kind sir"[^] (Thank you, PIEBALDconsult). It has been said that 'Genuis is 1% talent and 99% hard work'... I'd like to think that women soften the landscape a bit sometimes.

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

: )) Would you be surprised to know that Charles Darwin married his cousin Emma Wedgwood in 1839 [^]? Was your mention of 1839 random? There is art in science and science in art.

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

If only people were reading the news ; ) That's why I shared. And I really like the way you succinctly put it: vary, measure, pick. Development is a process whereby insignificant and imperceptible quantitative changes lead to fundamental, qualitative changes. Qualitative changes occur not gradually, but rapidly and abruptly, as leaps from one state to another. A simple example from the physical world is the heating of water: a one degree increase in temperature is a quantitative change, but between 99 and 100 degrees there is a qualitative change - water to steam. "Merely quantitative differences, beyond a certain point, pass into qualitative changes." --Karl Marx, Capital, Vol. 1. [^]

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

Here[^] is an interesting demonstration of creativity. Not the only one, I know, but it also provides an example of a cross-domain application of ideas. It is always a 'winner' to make an idea appear obvious. :)

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

Given all the questions surrounding what a competent programmer is, I thought that the Programmer Competency Matrix[^] presents a nice summary on the subject. Math does not lie ;). On the same note, I also like the Dreyfus Model Of Skill Acquisition[^]. [Zombieland Rule #32 - Enjoy the Little Things :cool:]

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

Congratulations and all the best!

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

SUPER COOL!!!! CANADA ROCKS! :cool: Congratulations to all the medalists in all the countries, too!

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

I will refrain from signing the petition because I do not live in US. However, I wanted to say the I find the site (Tychotics[^]) and the message professional, concise, and effective.

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

I read sarcasm into Joel Spolsky's article: ...you’re not here to write code; you’re here to ship products. However, here are two related compilations: - Dirty Coding Tricks By Brandon Sheffield [^] When the schedule is shot and a game needs to ship, programmers may employ some dirty coding tricks to get the game out the door. - Cowboy Coding [^] [^] Cowboy coding is a software development methodology without an actual defined method – team members do whatever they feel is right. Typical cowboy coding will involve no initial definition of the purpose or scope of the project, no formal description of the project, and will often involve one programmer. :cool:

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

I suggest DbDesigner 4[^] DBDesigner 4 is a visual database design system that integrates database design, modeling, creation and maintenance into a single, seamless environment. It combines professional features and a clear and simple user interface to offer the most efficient way to handle your databases. DBDesigner 4 compares to products like Oracle's Designer©, IBM's Rational Rose©, Computer Associates's ERwin© and theKompany's DataArchitect© but is an Open Source Project available for Microsoft Windows© 2k/XP and Linux KDE/Gnome. It is release on the GPL. : ) Ilka

I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy. -- Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)