Plebs in Time : mathematics as a species of economics

Evolutionarily : mathematics arises in society as a species of economics.

Maths is concerned with the notion of difference. Differences in category A across a variation in time. Sometimes (time) is replaced by some other category B, such that we say the study is a consideration of timeless spaces. To an analyst, time is just a variety of space. And the concept of a function, is a study of differences between As and Bs.

But to the pleb, space and time are distinct. In fact in practice, not a single person considers the notion of timeless spaces, without some passage of time. So, sociologically, and perhaps fundamentally, time has a unique phenomenology, among variables.

So we are all plebs.

Economics of Product Design : when the product is a programming language

1. I started work in interpreted languages. The ethos/culture at this level is that there's always "something that will make things faster without losing the GC feature". Hence Java, Go, Rust etc. are in this category of sweets.

2. Now I'm just forcing myself to do C to throw out all the mysterious grey optimisation trade-off questionmarks lock-stock.

3. PLT : in lang(or any)-design, the front-end design matters most ... back-end design is boring : we already know how things work. But if someone sells/ships a poorly DESIGNED product, then it handcuffs the back-end implementation options. This continues to be interesting on a daily basis when I think about langdesign.

4. In general, the design of things is "80% can it be built"; "20% can it be sold". Mistakes in marketing are when people sell3 but can't ship what was promised, or can't maintain it past the gotomarketstage.

As usual : study AAPL

Human State Machina : maximising neuroplasticity

Mental state. For many people, it is always complex. For some, it is too simple. Nerves and hormones interact in only a few ways. The F-heuristics are few :  flight freeze fawn fight friend feed fuck ... roughly in order of productivity from the point of view of genes. From the arbitrary individual point of view, the order is slightly different. Fucking is of no long-term benefit, but a pastime; feeding is part industry, part pastime. Such are the states of men.

Fighting and friending are the main modes of industry. Neuroplasticity, i.e. learning, is therefore limited only by how many of the other hormones one can smack out of the way on a daily basis : do not fly, do not freeze, fawn very minimally, fight correctly, proceed to friendship quickly, feed as needed, fuck all.

Social Daydreams in Solitude

This is my third sabbatical. I would count college as the first, and the period from 2007 to 2008 as a failed attempt where I ended up working, mostly.

My sabbaticals are characterised by solitude, since I am the slowest node in my learning network, I only have to wait for myself. 

As I don't see people for days at a time, my social cognition daydreams for exercise. I think of the feelings I have had for people over the years, in various situations, commercial, and non-commercial. I think of the folks I admired, younger, and older, and I wonder what they are up to. That is the nature of a social brain.

Rudiments of Computer Programming for K12 Education : Malaysian Model

The Malaysian Ministry of Education should make these mandatory in public schools  ( there are 13 years ) :

• Years 1-3 : maths, must be taught with spreadsheets.
• Year 4-6 : maths, must include coding in the Forth language ( it is very simple, and used it in electronics ).
• Years 7-9 : maths, must include coding in the Python language.
• Years 10-11 : an SPM elective, for the C language, must exist
• Years 12-13 : an STPM C++ elective, must exist