ChapterZero

I was just reminded of Due South by one of the automated quotes up around the site– I haven’t thought of it in a really long time. I remember how much I idolized Benton Frasier. Heck, I even remember the name of the dog- Definbaker. Yep, I was a freak. I loved that show; I almst cried when it was canceled. That’s the only Canadian show I’ve ever liked (if it was truly Canadian). And I remember how I wanted to experience Canada (actually, just the Northern Territories) to see for myself how plausible it was that such a place could generate a person like B.F.

Anyhow, back to what I’m here for. I stumbled across some stuff today that would definitely solve my problem. I’ve been searching for some real content for the site for a while now. But I stumbled across some old stuff back from when I was making content for one of my earlier sites. I ended up not using it, but I kept it. So soon I might upload that to make this site more than an exercise in reflection. Blogs are cool, but I have to face the truth: websites predicated totally on one person’s life are invariably useless.

Some of the ideas I’ve been reconsidering include a Perl tutorial for those who already have experience programming, a Scheme tutorial, and a PHP tutorial. Why these particular tutorials? Because those are the coolest programming languages, and yet it’s hard to find a good online reference that isn’t simplistic or too technical. Overarchingly, I’ll try to concentrate on those languages to the level that they can be used for scripting, i.e. no OOP or pointers or other large task features.

Also, I’m going to upload my word list and book list– more for my benefit than anything else. Finally, I also have a project I’ve been working on every once in a while, when my interest in it is piqued; namely, the specification of a computer algebraic system (CAS). The point isn’t ever to reach the point where actual code is developed, just for me to experience the challenge of transferring mathematical knowledge to feasible algorithms. Seeing as how I’ve looked at books in the library on symbolic integration, and know that is way beyond my current knowledge level (and frankly, interest), I won’t be attempting anything more advanced than differentiation. So I’ll keep a page on just that project, which will be updated as I work on it; hopefully others will see it and be motivated to produce a free CAS of Maple caliber :), or more realistically, to donate their own ideas.

Possibly relevant posts:

• New Template (3/25/2002)
• Today’s reading schedule (4/25/2007)
• P2P and Me (9/16/2002)