2024 1

Things I Learned - 20 Oct 2024

This week, I learned: SQL optimizations for multi-threaded web applications. Ref PRAGMA journal_mode = WAL. Improves performance for frequent writes. It allows concurrent reads and writes. PRAGMA synchronous = NORMAL. Improves performance. We might lose a few transactions but won’t corrupt the database. PRAGMA mmap_size = 128000000. Set global memory map for processes to share data PRAGMA journal_size_limit = 64000000. Limit WAL file to prevent unlimited growth BEGIN IMMEDIATE instead of BEGIN. Prevents writes to the journal file until the transaction is complete. Improves concurrency. AI seems to be slowing down apprenticeship since experts would rather use an AI than train an apprentice. Example: Robotic surgery. Ref How AI can improve education performance and engagement. Ref Student: Create study plan based on course and schedule Student: Focus on what you need to learn more Student: Align with your study style and pace Teacher: Grading MCQs Teacher: Writing conceptual guides “New collar workers” was coined by Ginny Rometty Embed tutor or document in video and ask for clarification! This is a new embedded interface. #TODO Playing Bad Apple in Minecraft. Ultra cool! OpenAI has a prompt generator. Currently it uses a meta-prompt but may later move to DSPy or Gradient Descent. Ref Great demo of using the Realtime API to read the latest Hacker News. Ref LLMs have reached the point where they can show a world, like CounterStrike, in near real time. Ref

2006 2

Videos you can learn from

Berkeley webcasts of their courses. Google TechTalks. Authors@Google. LongNow seminars about long term thinking. UCTV Video on Demand. Nova. Computer History Museum. Comments Michelle 5 Dec 2006 12:39 pm: Do you have books I can learn From? Top 10 non-fiction books?

A ringtone adults cannot hear

Teenagers use it in classes, to avoid detection by teachers. Shopkeepers use the same technology to drive away rowdy teenagers, by creating a loud sound that doesn’t affect adults. This works because adults gradually lose the ability to hear high-pitched sounds. (via NY Times) Comments Livy 12 Nov 2006 5:33 pm: I can here the sounds up to about 18KHz.

2001 1

Delhi children learn computing by themselves

Just leave a computer connected to the Internet near the slums of Delhi, and it’s incredible what the children there do with it! (More at India: Hole in the Wall)

2000 1

Scout report blog

Just the service I’ve been waiting for. The Scout Report – one of the oldest and best sources of what’s good on the Internet, has launched a web log.