Re: [FRIAM] Message to the non-posting 95%

[Russell Standish]

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=slagging%20off

Mind you, in Australia, I don't think it necessarily means behind your
back, it can be in front of you too. Essentially a synonym for "bad
mouthing".

Cheers

On Sun, Feb 21, 2021 at 09:49:09PM -0600, thompnicks...@gmail.com wrote:
> Hi, Russ, 
> 
> I don't know what slagging-off means but it doesn't sound good.  It's
> probably true that the average age of FRIAM members is way north of sixty,
> but we do have some young pups, for which I am profoundly grateful.  Some of
> the younger ones, I think, code and write to FRIAM at the same time, using
> two keyboards and two hands, while reading posts on obscure bulletin boards
> on a third screen.  
> 
> Never a dull moment on FRAIM. 
> 
> In short, we'll take you when we can get you.
> 
> Nick 
> 
> Nick Thompson
> thompnicks...@gmail.com
> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: Friam  On Behalf Of Russell Standish
> Sent: Sunday, February 21, 2021 7:57 PM
> To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group 
> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Message to the non-posting 95%
> 
> I would partake, if I weren't in a pertual state of crunch.
> (https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=crunch%20time)
> 
> As evidenced that I'm only now reading a post that is almost a month old.
> 
> Maybe in a year or so, things will calm down :)
> 
> PS - I got slagged off a few years ago for insinuating that only old folks
> (ie retired) and the unemployed have the time to keep up with these very
> interesting conversations.
> 
> On Tue, Jan 26, 2021 at 08:58:48PM -0600, thompnicks...@gmail.com wrote:
> > Dear non-bloviators,
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Some of us bloviators have suddenly woken to the realization that we 
> > have no idea what you are thinking or what topics require discussion 
> > in a forum vaguely related to complexity.  I for one, am curious.  
> > Hallooo!  Anybody out there?
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Nick
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Nick Thompson
> > 
> > thompnicks...@gmail.com
> > 
> > https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/
> > 
> >  
> > 
> 
> > -  . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-.  . .-. .
> > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn 
> > GMT-6  bit.ly/virtualfriam un/subscribe 
> > http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
> > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/
> > archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> 
> Dr Russell StandishPhone 0425 253119 (mobile)
> Principal, High Performance Coders hpco...@hpcoders.com.au
>   http://www.hpcoders.com.au
> 
> 
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> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/
> 
> 
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-- 


Dr Russell StandishPhone 0425 253119 (mobile)
Principal, High Performance Coders hpco...@hpcoders.com.au
  http://www.hpcoders.com.au


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Re: [FRIAM] coding versus music

[Stephen Guerin]

Archive pointer to 2013 FRIAM thread on literate programming:
  http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/Literate-CoffeeScript-td7581862.html

Owen gave a nice WedTech talk sometime around then, too.

-Stephen

On Sun, Feb 21, 2021 at 8:24 PM Russell Standish 
wrote:

> On Wed, Jan 27, 2021 at 11:45:46AM -0700, Prof David West wrote:
> >
> > But — a program has two audiences: the machine (no communication here)
> and
> > other programmers (tons of miscommunication here). This is what the
> reference
> > from Eric Smith talks about. There is an entire, usually ignored,
> paradigm in
> > computer science called "literate programming"  — the most prominent
> advocate,
> > Donald Knuth.
> >
> > If one were skilled at literate programming, one would be communicating
> to
> > another programmer (or herself at a later point in time) all the
> knowledge and
> > meaning necessary for the latter to understand, modify, enhance, or
> correct the
> > program as needs be. If possible this would be a communication skill
> worth
> > developing — might lead to more precise and accurate communication
> outside the
> > world of the computer.
>
> Literate programming is alive and well in modern software engineering
> - it just isn't called that. Knuth's tools which involved a special
> input language, a tool for converting that to compileable Pascal and
> Latex for producing humane readable printouts of the code were
> fantastic for the 1980s, but are rather dated for current software
> development requirements.
>
> In C++, one uses a tool called Doxygen, which parses standard C++
> code, and produces HTML, Latex and other possibilities. The "dot"
> network graphics tool is used to produce interactive UML diagrams of
> the class structures, and source code is annotate with hyperlinks
> allowing you to click on (say) a variable name, to find out what type
> it is, where it is defined and so on. Plus, there is a huge amount of
> doxygen markup features available, allowing things like embedded LaTeX
> equations, or adding in crafted HTML links and so on. In short it does
> everything Knuth's web tool did, and more, without the need to write
> in an idiosyncratic source language.
>
> When I come across a piece of unfamiliar code, the _first_ thing I do
> is run doxygen on it, and then start reading the code using a web
> browser. People are sometimes amazed at how quickly I find my way
> around a new code base - when that happens, I let them in on my
> superpower, ie doxygen.
>
> Doxygen handles a number of programming environments, Java, C#,
> Fortran even, though not Python nor Javascript alas. Other
> environments have similar tools, of greater or lesser power: eg Java
> has Javadoc (which is broadly compatible with Doxygen, in fact).
>
> Knuth should be commended for being 30 years ahead of his time with
> literate programming, and should be glad the industry does finally
> "get it", even if his contribution is largely forgotten, and not
> acknowledged by the hordes of software engineers currently practising.
>
>
> --
>
>
> 
> Dr Russell StandishPhone 0425 253119 (mobile)
> Principal, High Performance Coders hpco...@hpcoders.com.au
>   http://www.hpcoders.com.au
>
> 
>
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> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/
>
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Re: [FRIAM] Message to the non-posting 95%

[thompnickson2]

Hi, Russ, 

I don't know what slagging-off means but it doesn't sound good.  It's
probably true that the average age of FRIAM members is way north of sixty,
but we do have some young pups, for which I am profoundly grateful.  Some of
the younger ones, I think, code and write to FRIAM at the same time, using
two keyboards and two hands, while reading posts on obscure bulletin boards
on a third screen.  

Never a dull moment on FRAIM. 

In short, we'll take you when we can get you.

Nick 

Nick Thompson
thompnicks...@gmail.com
https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/

-Original Message-
From: Friam  On Behalf Of Russell Standish
Sent: Sunday, February 21, 2021 7:57 PM
To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group 
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Message to the non-posting 95%

I would partake, if I weren't in a pertual state of crunch.
(https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=crunch%20time)

As evidenced that I'm only now reading a post that is almost a month old.

Maybe in a year or so, things will calm down :)

PS - I got slagged off a few years ago for insinuating that only old folks
(ie retired) and the unemployed have the time to keep up with these very
interesting conversations.

On Tue, Jan 26, 2021 at 08:58:48PM -0600, thompnicks...@gmail.com wrote:
> Dear non-bloviators,
> 
>  
> 
> Some of us bloviators have suddenly woken to the realization that we 
> have no idea what you are thinking or what topics require discussion 
> in a forum vaguely related to complexity.  I for one, am curious.  
> Hallooo!  Anybody out there?
> 
>  
> 
> Nick
> 
>  
> 
> Nick Thompson
> 
> thompnicks...@gmail.com
> 
> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/
> 
>  
> 

> -  . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-.  . .-. .
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn 
> GMT-6  bit.ly/virtualfriam un/subscribe 
> http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/
> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/


-- 


Dr Russell StandishPhone 0425 253119 (mobile)
Principal, High Performance Coders hpco...@hpcoders.com.au
  http://www.hpcoders.com.au


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Re: [FRIAM] coding versus music

[Russell Standish]

On Wed, Jan 27, 2021 at 11:45:46AM -0700, Prof David West wrote:
> 
> But — a program has two audiences: the machine (no communication here) and
> other programmers (tons of miscommunication here). This is what the reference
> from Eric Smith talks about. There is an entire, usually ignored, paradigm in
> computer science called "literate programming"  — the most prominent advocate,
> Donald Knuth.
> 
> If one were skilled at literate programming, one would be communicating to
> another programmer (or herself at a later point in time) all the knowledge and
> meaning necessary for the latter to understand, modify, enhance, or correct 
> the
> program as needs be. If possible this would be a communication skill worth
> developing — might lead to more precise and accurate communication outside the
> world of the computer.

Literate programming is alive and well in modern software engineering
- it just isn't called that. Knuth's tools which involved a special
input language, a tool for converting that to compileable Pascal and
Latex for producing humane readable printouts of the code were
fantastic for the 1980s, but are rather dated for current software
development requirements.

In C++, one uses a tool called Doxygen, which parses standard C++
code, and produces HTML, Latex and other possibilities. The "dot"
network graphics tool is used to produce interactive UML diagrams of
the class structures, and source code is annotate with hyperlinks
allowing you to click on (say) a variable name, to find out what type
it is, where it is defined and so on. Plus, there is a huge amount of
doxygen markup features available, allowing things like embedded LaTeX
equations, or adding in crafted HTML links and so on. In short it does
everything Knuth's web tool did, and more, without the need to write
in an idiosyncratic source language.

When I come across a piece of unfamiliar code, the _first_ thing I do
is run doxygen on it, and then start reading the code using a web
browser. People are sometimes amazed at how quickly I find my way
around a new code base - when that happens, I let them in on my
superpower, ie doxygen.

Doxygen handles a number of programming environments, Java, C#,
Fortran even, though not Python nor Javascript alas. Other
environments have similar tools, of greater or lesser power: eg Java
has Javadoc (which is broadly compatible with Doxygen, in fact).

Knuth should be commended for being 30 years ahead of his time with
literate programming, and should be glad the industry does finally
"get it", even if his contribution is largely forgotten, and not
acknowledged by the hordes of software engineers currently practising.


-- 


Dr Russell StandishPhone 0425 253119 (mobile)
Principal, High Performance Coders hpco...@hpcoders.com.au
  http://www.hpcoders.com.au


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Re: [FRIAM] Message to the non-posting 95%

[Russell Standish]

I would partake, if I weren't in a pertual state of
crunch. (https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=crunch%20time)

As evidenced that I'm only now reading a post that is almost a month old.

Maybe in a year or so, things will calm down :)

PS - I got slagged off a few years ago for insinuating that only old
folks (ie retired) and the unemployed have the time to keep up with these
very interesting conversations.

On Tue, Jan 26, 2021 at 08:58:48PM -0600, thompnicks...@gmail.com wrote:
> Dear non-bloviators,
> 
>  
> 
> Some of us bloviators have suddenly woken to the realization that we have no
> idea what you are thinking or what topics require discussion in a forum 
> vaguely
> related to complexity.  I for one, am curious.  Hallooo!  Anybody out
> there?
> 
>  
> 
> Nick
> 
>  
> 
> Nick Thompson
> 
> thompnicks...@gmail.com
> 
> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/
> 
>  
> 

> -  . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-.  . .-. .
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6  bit.ly/virtualfriam
> un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/
> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/


-- 


Dr Russell StandishPhone 0425 253119 (mobile)
Principal, High Performance Coders hpco...@hpcoders.com.au
  http://www.hpcoders.com.au


-  . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-.  . .-. .
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Re: [FRIAM] My View: "What's in your COVID-19 vaccination number?"

[Tom Johnson]

tkx.


Tom Johnson - t...@jtjohnson.com

Institute for Analytic Journalism   -- Santa Fe, NM USA
505.577.6482(c)505.473.9646(h)
*NM Foundation for Open Government*

*Check out It's The People's Data
*




On Sun, Feb 21, 2021 at 3:15 PM Chris Feola  wrote:

> Truth. And well written as always.
>
>
>
> Cjf
>
>
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail  for
> Windows 10
>
>
>
> *From: *Tom Johnson 
> *Sent: *Sunday, February 21, 2021 12:36 PM
> *To: *Friam@redfish. com 
> *Subject: *[FRIAM] My View: "What's in your COVID-19 vaccination number?"
>
>
>
> https://bit.ly/3bxcMRA
>
> MY VIEW TOM JOHNSON
> What's in your COVID-19 vaccination number?
>
>- By Tom Johnson
>
>
>
>- 13 hrs ago
>
>
>
>-  0
>
> 
>
>
>- Facebook
>
> 
>- Twitter
>
> 
>-
>
> www.santafenewmexican.com%2Fopinion%2Fmy_view%2Fwhats-in-your-covid-19-vaccination-number%2Farticle_f7f293da-71a2-11eb-87aa-db921a1c81bb.html%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Duser-share
>
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>- Print
>- Save 
>
> action="https://www.santafenewmexican.com/users/admin/list/";
> style="box-sizing: border-box;">
>
> Surely you too have heard many anecdotes of New Mexicans over 70 or 75,
> and maybe younger, who have driven to Amarillo or southern Colorado in
> pursuit of COVID-19 vaccinations.
>
> We don’t know how many of those vaccine tourists registered early on at
> the New Mexico Department of Health site, cvaccine.nmhealth.org, to get a
> magic code number apparently used to get in the queue for a shot or shots.
> We also don’t know what that seven-digit number means.
>
> You probably have a Social Security number. The three groups in that
> number each have separate definitions. For example, the first three digits
> reflect the state in which the individual first applied for a Social
> Security card. But who can tell us the definition of the COVID-19
> registration?
>
> Can anyone please tell us if that is simply a randomly generated number or
> if any single digit or combination of digits represents a specific piece of
> information being used by the health department? For example, do the first
> two digits mean an individual is in category 1A or 1B, etc. Do other digits
> indicate any other metadata relevant to the individual?
>
> Second, we might assume the digits are being used as some sort of index
> number in the statewide data set. Hence, it falls somewhere in a queue for
> scheduled vaccinations. If so, why isn’t it being used to tell individuals
> (a) how many peers are in a particular class (assuming a random
> distribution of our fellows for vaccination) awaiting vaccinations or (b)
> where do we fall in the list, i.e. how many individuals in our class or
> each class are ahead of us for vaccination(s)?
>
> This is an example of a classic failure of government employees to think
> that data like COVID-19 registration numbers belong to their specific
> departments instead of the taxpayers who paid to have the registration
> system set up. Especially in crisis cases like the pandemic, agency
> planners must start thinking, initially, how to make the data — our data —
> “public facing.”
>
> That is, the planning and implementation must be done on parallel tracks:
> Create a system that maximizes information for the public while also

Re: [FRIAM] My View: "What's in your COVID-19 vaccination number?"

[Chris Feola]

Truth. And well written as always.

Cjf


Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Tom Johnson
Sent: Sunday, February 21, 2021 12:36 PM
To: Friam@redfish. com
Subject: [FRIAM] My View: "What's in your COVID-19 vaccination number?"

https://bit.ly/3bxcMRA
MY VIEW TOM JOHNSON
What's in your COVID-19 vaccination number?

  *   By Tom Johnson


  *   13 hrs ago


  *
0

  *   
Facebook
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Twitter
  *   
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Surely you too have heard many anecdotes of New Mexicans over 70 or 75, and 
maybe younger, who have driven to Amarillo or southern Colorado in pursuit of 
COVID-19 vaccinations.

We don’t know how many of those vaccine tourists registered early on at the New 
Mexico Department of Health site, 
cvaccine.nmhealth.org, to get a magic code 
number apparently used to get in the queue for a shot or shots. We also don’t 
know what that seven-digit number means.

You probably have a Social Security number. The three groups in that number 
each have separate definitions. For example, the first three digits reflect the 
state in which the individual first applied for a Social Security card. But who 
can tell us the definition of the COVID-19 registration?

Can anyone please tell us if that is simply a randomly generated number or if 
any single digit or combination of digits represents a specific piece of 
information being used by the health department? For example, do the first two 
digits mean an individual is in category 1A or 1B, etc. Do other digits 
indicate any other metadata relevant to the individual?

Second, we might assume the digits are being used as some sort of index number 
in the statewide data set. Hence, it falls somewhere in a queue for scheduled 
vaccinations. If so, why isn’t it being used to tell individuals (a) how many 
peers are in a particular class (assuming a random distribution of our fellows 
for vaccination) awaiting vaccinations or (b) where do we fall in the list, 
i.e. how many individuals in our class or each class are ahead of us for 
vaccination(s)?

This is an example of a classic failure of government employees to think that 
data like COVID-19 registration numbers belong to their specific departments 
instead of the taxpayers who paid to have the registration system set up. 
Especially in crisis cases like the pandemic, agency planners must start 
thinking, initially, how to make the data — our data — “public facing.”

That is, the planning and implementation must be done on parallel tracks: 
Create a system that maximizes information for the public while also meeting 
the needs of the agency’s goals and personnel. Yes, actual and anticipated 
supply of the little glass vials is an issue. But if 
Kroger.com in Colorado can administer a registration system 
that is specific yet simple to use, shouldn’t our health department have 
similar capabilities?

If you go to the state’s vaccination site, you should be easily and quickly 
told if you need to gas up the car for a road trip east or north.

Tom Johnson is the coordinator of It’s The People’s Data, Santa Fe.



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FRIAM-COMIC 

[FRIAM] Four Lost Cities

[Jochen Fromm]

Since we are all locked in at home in our homes, here is a new book you might 
be interested in: "Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age" from 
Annalee Newitzhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9780393652666Here are some 
illustrations and photos from the 
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[FRIAM] My View: "What's in your COVID-19 vaccination number?"

[Tom Johnson]

https://bit.ly/3bxcMRA
MY VIEW TOM JOHNSON
What's in your COVID-19 vaccination number?

   - By Tom Johnson
   - 13 hrs ago
   -  0
   



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Surely you too have heard many anecdotes of New Mexicans over 70 or 75, and
maybe younger, who have driven to Amarillo or southern Colorado in pursuit
of COVID-19 vaccinations.

We don’t know how many of those vaccine tourists registered early on at the
New Mexico Department of Health site, cvaccine.nmhealth.org, to get a magic
code number apparently used to get in the queue for a shot or shots. We
also don’t know what that seven-digit number means.

You probably have a Social Security number. The three groups in that number
each have separate definitions. For example, the first three digits reflect
the state in which the individual first applied for a Social Security card.
But who can tell us the definition of the COVID-19 registration?

Can anyone please tell us if that is simply a randomly generated number or
if any single digit or combination of digits represents a specific piece of
information being used by the health department? For example, do the first
two digits mean an individual is in category 1A or 1B, etc. Do other digits
indicate any other metadata relevant to the individual?

Second, we might assume the digits are being used as some sort of index
number in the statewide data set. Hence, it falls somewhere in a queue for
scheduled vaccinations. If so, why isn’t it being used to tell individuals
(a) how many peers are in a particular class (assuming a random
distribution of our fellows for vaccination) awaiting vaccinations or (b)
where do we fall in the list, i.e. how many individuals in our class or
each class are ahead of us for vaccination(s)?

This is an example of a classic failure of government employees to think
that data like COVID-19 registration numbers belong to their specific
departments instead of the taxpayers who paid to have the registration
system set up. Especially in crisis cases like the pandemic, agency
planners must start thinking, initially, how to make the data — our data —
“public facing.”

That is, the planning and implementation must be done on parallel tracks:
Create a system that maximizes information for the public while also
meeting the needs of the agency’s goals and personnel. Yes, actual and
anticipated supply of the little glass vials is an issue. But if Kroger.com
 in Colorado can administer a registration system that
is specific yet simple to use, shouldn’t our health department have similar
capabilities?

If you go to the state’s vaccination site, you should be easily and quickly
told if you need to gas up the car for a road trip east or north.

*Tom Johnson is the coordinator of It’s The People’s Data, Santa Fe.*
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