alias_sqbr

Posting live from my back garden

2012-09-12T06:42:59Z

So it finally occured to me that if I put my garden chair in the shade and used an extension cord, I could surf the web outdoors. Brilliant! (I do sometimes sit happily in the garden WITHOUT a computer, but I get bored eventually) The cat is happily exploring the garden and I am getting some fresh air.

Here's Kira sticking her nose out from underneath a black umbrella I was using to shade the screen for a while:

I did my Quantum Computation exam today, after literally no study because I couldn't be bothered and wanted to get it done. I got 75% which seems pretty good unless you know the pass mark is 80%...still, I think I'll pass overall given my marks on the assignments. I'm definitely not up to solidly concentrating for hours any more, luckily the questions divided pretty neatly by subject so I could take breaks, especially since we got 6 hours to do it in. All those years working in the maths learning centre gave me REALLY good skills at quickly scanning through notes (or in this case, lecture videos) to find the relevant equation and answer a question without thinking too hard. It was a fun course, anyway, I may have a go at explaining some of the simpler quantum algorithm wierdnesses at some point since they're pretty cool.

I made this banana baked porridge/oatmeal and snacked on it during the exam. It was pretty nice, like a cross between porridge and banana oat nut muffins. And that's using quick oats and mixed nuts because it's what I had to hand. I think using almond milk added to the flavour. Will definitely cook again, one of the variants looks like a good way to make a low fat alkaline version of fruit crumble/crisp with my leftover frozen boysenberries. Probably veganisable?

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Machine Learning

2012-08-20T11:49:41Z

The Machine Learning course at coursera just started, the lecturer put two weeks of videos and some linear algebra revision up all at once which was a bit intimidating (THIRTY ONE VIDEOS) but having started watching it's all pretty easy, I'm fairly sure we went through linear regression faster in highschool. Which is good because I am still feeling pretty woozy. Not very exciting so far, it's funny being reminded how much more dry and formal Computer Science lectures are compared to the slapdash intuitive approach of physics. Also he kept talking about the practical uses and job opportunities, when I'm here to write better scifi :D

Coursera very much feels like a beta run before they ramp up to making money from us all somehow, but the two lecturers I've had so far seem to be very genuine about teaching their subject well and getting across their love of it.

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Quantum computing for fun and profit

2012-07-18T01:22:49Z

The Quantum Computing Coursera course I signed up for just started, and it's fun so far. It feels more like that intersection between theoretical computer science and pure mathematics that I love instead of the more real world (ug) focus of the quantum mechanics I learned when I was doing physics.

The lecturer is pretty good, unfortunately the first assignment is not very well written and the multiple choice format is not well suited to someone like me who is good at theory but makes silly numerical mistakes. On the plus side you can take it multiple times with a 10% penalty, and I went from 26/60 the first time to 60/60 the second. Alas this was partly due to getting a feel for the kind of answer that would be right rather than entirely understanding why the answers were right, but hopefully this will improve as the course goes on, and it's not like I'll actually suffer any consequences if I don't pass. I found the optional, unmarked assignment much more fun: I got to do some proofs! Ah, proofs, how I have missed you.

I could feel my brain creaking at having to remember trig identities and how to project complex vectors. Partly because it's been so long, and partly because my cfs make it hard to concentrate. The course is supposed to take up 5-12 hours a week which is way more than my brain can handle, this first week took me more like 3, including checking out the forums, but I may well have to drop out as it goes on.

If any of you do decide to sign up, I recommend reading the forums before attempting the assignment, a lot of the ambiguities are teased out and there's some recs of further reading (which I don't have the brain for myself) There's people from all over the world, it's cool.

(...I need a "Science!" icon)

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