[Edu-sig] Low Enrollments - programming as anti-intellectualism

[Kirby Urner]

>    If you'd rather an easier start, I like "Concrete Mathematics" --
> by Graham, Knuth, and Patashnik.  Reads much faster and covers the
> mathematics needed to analyze algorithms.  This path is a much more
> abstract approach to the problem.  I remember in the introduction to
> the class (upon which this book was based), he claimed "we call it
> Concrete Mathematics because it is hard."
> 

And I recommend tackling CM via J, as the late K. Iverson wrote a tutorial
to go along with CM in his J language (derivative from APL in a lot of ways,
but pure ASCII).  Roger Hui & Co. are continuing the work.

But you don't have to be a CS major to play with J, which is a joy, nor even
to earn a living that involves some programming (if "earning" is your gig --
some coders just give it away, but make it back, and then some, doing
trades).

I don't want people to feel weighed down by my philo-informed approach to CS
(my focus at Princeton).  Too many mathematicians run that trip: "here, read
this heavy book [thunk!]."

CS needs better movies, visualizations/animations, is the long and short of
it -- of Knuth's 256-cylinder engine's internals along with the rest of it
(roar!).

Kirby


> 
> 
> --Scott David Daniels
> Scott.Daniels at Acm.Org
> 
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