Me No Rocket Scientist

Day 24

Win! Although since this was more or less just a research project, I’m not sure it’s really a win/lose sort of scenario.

Task 24: How do algorithms work

“The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.” ~Albert Einstein

The best part of this task? If you type “how do alg” into Google, it auto-completes with “how do algorithms work.” Now that’s some AI I can get behind. I was happy when result number 2 was a lesson from Kahn Academy. I love those guys. I wish I could send them more money — but I live in the Bay Area so that mere fact sucks up the bulk of my dough.

Algorithms — turns out they’re really not as complicated as I initially thought. They’re just a system of steps that teach a computer how to get from point A to point B. They aren’t even as difficult as those obnoxious story problems where a train leaves Boston at 8am carrying 57 passengers and then crosses the English channel to land on Mars. My question now is, why the hell didn’t anyone tell me that sooner? Every time I’ve asked a computer type to explain algorithms I get an earful of what essentially ends up sounding like the grown-ups in a Peanuts cartoon. Granted, I only researched basic algorithms for this particular project; my company uses “heurisitc algorithms” and semantic something-or-others. Which is basically just more gobbledy-gook for saying our algorithms are really, really smart. And fast. And just basically downright awesome. Now that I’ve educated myself I can be especially appreciative of their raw, unadulterated computing power. Sarcasm? Me?

I find it funny that, since starting this job, my vocabulary suddenly includes terms I never imagined would be useful or necessary. Most aren’t even really terms, they’re acronyms. AEC, MEP, BIM… I could go on but I’ll spare you. All I really picked up after 20 years in bars and restaurants was some broken Spanish and how to smile while telling someone off. That’s not 100 percent true; I also learned how to tell someone off without them knowing I was telling them off. Which is a terribly handy skill to have at one’s fingertips.

In truth, years working in and running bars gave me a broader range of skills than one might realize. And a serious appreciation for manners. Which is the topic of my next discussion…

The sun is out, the sky is blue, the day is grand.