On Wed, 2009-11-18 at 18:46 +0900, Todd Benson wrote: > On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 8:16 PM, Eleanor McHugh > <eleanor / games-with-brains.com> wrote: > > On 17 Nov 2009, at 19:55, Gregory Brown wrote: > >> On Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 2:13 PM, Rick DeNatale <rick.denatale / gmail.com> wrote: > >> > >>> When I was a young lad, it used to be that young programmers took a > >>> semester long course on numerical analysis, which started with, and > >>> continuously came back to dealing with the properties of floating > >>> point numbers. > >>> > >>> I guess that doesn't happen much anymore. > >> > >> I took numerical analysis, but ironically, only after dropping my CS > >> major and going for a math major. > >> Also, I'll content that abstract algebra was about the best course > >> I've taken for helping the way I think about programming. > >> > >> Too bad the CS students are all too busy trying to get their Java/C++ > >> projects to compile :) > > > > Never hire a computer scientist if you can get a maths, physics or philosophy grad instead ;) > > Don't want to hijack (these are all good qualities by the way, but > with a sardonic tone :) > > Maths grad: F equals MA if the axioms are founded > Phys grad: F does in "fact" equal MA no matter what > Philosophy grad: F equals MA only when it must > Engineering grad: F sometimes equals MA, but that's not the crux of the issue > Cultural studies graduate: Bourgeois hegemony constructs F as an arbitrary signifier of MA. I'll get my coat. Rosie