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High-Resolution Mandelbrot in Obfuscated Python
Here’s a followup to last month’s post about Penrose Tiling in Obfuscated Python. The Mandelbrot set is a traditional favorite among authors of obfuscated code. You …
Top posts
Every blog post that took off on Hacker News, ranked by the votes of its best submission. 2,393 posts.
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The "Soft Maximum" function
The soft maximum approximates the maximum function, and approaches it in the limit, but is easier to work with.
2163
Deconstructing Bézier Curves
Graphists, animators, game programmers, font designers, and other graphics professionals and enthusiasts are often working with Bézier curves. They're popular, extensively documented, and used pretty much everywhere. That being said, I find them being explained almost exclusively in 2 or 3 dimensions, which can be a…
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Z-order curve usage to decrease dimensionality to 1
Personal blog about system engineering and devops
2165
Derivation and Intuition behind Poisson distribution
Made in Notion, the connected workspace where AI agents and teams organize docs, projects and knowledge together.
2166
There Is(Ǝ) – Such That (∋)
Let me tell you about a language. But if you wish to go play instead go here. It's going to get a little abstract below. There is a Canvas to Compose Upon The canvas is a square with the largest circle that has a radius of ρ. There are
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Using obscure graph theory to solve programming languages problems
Usually I write about solutions to problems I’ve worked out, but I’ve found myself increasingly becoming interesting in where solutions come from. Maybe it’s because I’ve been reading Boorstin’s excellent The Discoverers , which I’d strongly recommend.
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New partition function record: p(10^20) computed
The partition function p ( n ) counts the number of partitions of n , i.e. the number of ways n can be written as a sum of positive integers when disregarding the order of the terms. For example, 4 has the five distinct partitions 4, 3+1, 2+2, 2+1+1, 1+1+1+1, so p (4) = 5. This week, I set a new record by computing…
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Fractran: Computer architecture based on the multiplication of fractions
By Devine Lu Linvega
2173
Understanding Multiple Neighbourhood Cellular Automata
Multiple Neighborhood Cellular Automata (MNCA) produce complex and robust emergent structures not commonly seen in simpler models
2174
Gradient Boosting Explained in 3D
Understanding gradient boosting with interactive 3d-demonstrations
2175
Explanation of Bitcoin’s Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm
Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) has grown to be very popular in public-key cryptographic systems, most popularly used in Bitcoin. ECC is…
2176
Cache tables
Hash tables are the most popular probabilistic data structure, by quite a margin. You compute some hash code then compute an array index from that hash code. If you’re using open addressing-c…
2177
Beyond public key encryption
One of the saddest and most fascinating things about applied cryptography is how little cryptography we actually use. This is not to say that cryptography isn’t widely used in industry —…
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Derivatives and Logarithms of 3D Transforms
Understanding derivatives and logarithms of transforms
2179
Generalized linear models, abridged
Generalized linear models (GLMs) are indispensable tools in the data science toolbox. They are applicable to many real-world problems involving continuous, yes/no, count and survival data (and more). The models themselves are intuitive and can be used for inference and prediction. A few very high quality free and open…
2180
A Gentle Introduction to Markov Chain Monte Carlo (2012)
Applying probabilistic models to data usually involves integrating a complex, multi-dimensional probability distribution. For example, calculating the expectation/mean of a model distribution invol…
2181
Efficient algorithms, the Exponential Time Hypothesis, and losing the plot
On efficient algorithms, the exponential time hypothesis, and losing the plot.
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What are the "worst" spelling bee pangrams?
Thomas Ptacek wondered on mastodon whether there were any Spelling Bee pangrams that would get you to the highest scoring level on spelling bee just by finding that word.
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On Melissa O’Neill’s PCG random number generator
Computers often need random numbers. Most times, random numbers are not actually random... in the sense that they are the output of a mathematical function that is purely deterministic. And it is not even entirely clear what "really random" would mean. It is not clear that we live in a randomized universe... it seems…
2185
What Is Dimensional Analysis?
Mathematics is famously concerned with numbers . However, most of the physical quantities that we encounter in everyday experience cannot be expressed as numbers alone.
2186
Ryanair, Hamiltonian Cycles, and using graph theory to find cheap flights (2018)
Using graph theory and Ryanair route data to find cheap multi-city flight loops through Europe.
2187
How Game Theory Solved a Religious Mystery
"All will be well if you use your mind for your decisions, and mind only your decisions." Help me make more videos and posts! A monthly membership directly supports the channel and allows me to make more videos that inspire students and teachers around the world. You also get early access to new videos. Support with a…
2188
Weighting an average to minimize variance
How would you allocate money to a set of independent assets with to minimize volatility if some assets are more volatile than others?
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Why telephone keypads are arranged the way they are
Why are the push buttons on a telephone arranged the way they are?
2190
Noether's Theorem in a Nutshell (2020)
Noether's theorem is an amazing result which lets physicists get conserved quantities from symmetries of the laws of nature. Time translation symmetry gives conservation of energy; space translation symmetry gives conservation of momentum; rotation symmetry gives conservation of angular momentum, and so on.