Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Vorthon]

This may sound stupid, but have you considered taping bags of frozen vegetables to your chest? Our ice-packs?

[alway]

Microsoft interview. Failed to come up with the optimal algorithm for the question. What's worse, I had heard the question and the optimal answer for it a mere 2 weeks ago from someone else who had a Microsoft interview. D:

If I'm lucky, my knowledge that
for(int i=arraySize-1; i >= 0; i--)
is more efficient than
for(int i=0; i<arraySize; i++)
will convince them to put me through to the next round of interviews; though I'm not optimistic about my prospects now.

[kaenneth]

Microsoft interview. Failed to come up with the optimal algorithm for the question. What's worse, I had heard the question and the optimal answer for it a mere 2 weeks ago from someone else who had a Microsoft interview. D:

If I'm lucky, my knowledge that
for(int i=arraySize-1; i >= 0; i--)
is more efficient than
for(int i=0; i<arraySize; i++)
will convince them to put me through to the next round of interviews; though I'm not optimistic about my prospects now.

Is it? perhaps based on the idea that comparing to zero is a shorter op? or something else?

[Nadaka]

Microsoft interview. Failed to come up with the optimal algorithm for the question. What's worse, I had heard the question and the optimal answer for it a mere 2 weeks ago from someone else who had a Microsoft interview. D:

If I'm lucky, my knowledge that
for(int i=arraySize-1; i >= 0; i--)
is more efficient than
for(int i=0; i<arraySize; i++)
will convince them to put me through to the next round of interviews; though I'm not optimistic about my prospects now.

Is it? perhaps based on the idea that comparing to zero is a shorter op? or something else?

Integer comparison on a hardware level involves subtracting the two numbers and determining if the result is 0, positive or negative. comparing to 0 means you can skip the subtraction. Also of note is that addition is less efficient than subtraction because of issues with carrying.

[Telgin]

I wonder if this is something that a modern compiler can optimize for you?  Because if I saw code like that, I'd be asking some questions.

I'm also curious how much of a difference there would be on a modern ALU anyway.  I at least would suspect that the carry from the addition wouldn't actually affect speed in any way, unless the compiler had to do something funny with the carry flag.

The comparison to 0 makes sense though, the compiler could do away with a subtract instruction that way.

[Greiger]

Customer brought in a half built homebuilt computer, thinks they may have screwed it up putting it together because it's throwing out a beep code.

I solved the first beep code(somehow, it was graphics system related and all I dd was reseat the card) but now there is another one keeping it from POSTing.  A single beep and no video output.   The single beep code seems to refer to a memory error, but I switched out the memory with known good and it is still happening.  I also tried switching out the graphics card with a known good.  Also still happening, though that card displays a black screen with the number 98 on the bottom right.  Google has nothing on that other than the beep code and numbers I don't have.

Stupid motherboard! Y U NO POST!   I'm leaning toward a damaged motherboard, but that does not satisfy me for some reason...

[Telgin]

Sounds completely possible to me.  I've had a couple of bad motherboards.  The first had some insulation or something to drip onto it during manufacturing, damaging some PCB traces to the memory slots.  No matter what combination of known good memory I put in, it would always give me beep codes for bad memory.

Of course, it might be worth it to just take the whole thing apart and rebuild it.  Might just be something loose somewhere.  If it was mine, that's what I'd do, but for a customer that might eat up a lot of time and inflate their bill, so you might just want to chalk it up as a bad motherboard and let it be that.

[Vector]

I clearly need to build up to the caffeine available in one cup of coffee, because I'm seriously higher than a kite right now and keep wanting to try to sneak down the halls, but can't because my pants are too loud and I can't move slow

EDIT: Seriously, my hands are quivering uncontrollably.  This is amazing.

[nenjin]

but can't because my pants are too loud

Out of context is best context!

[Frumple]

I clearly need to build up to the caffeine available in one cup of coffee, because I'm seriously higher than a kite right now and keep wanting to try to sneak down the halls, but can't because my pants are too loud and I can't move slow

... obvious answer is "No pants, problem solved."

Incidentally, that sounds a bit stronger than a single dose of coffee. Are you sure it was, yanno', just caffeine? M'probably a bit desensitized to the stuff, but the last time I had that sort of reaction was when I boiled mountain dew and steeped honey/lemon/ginseng green tea into it (Molten. Sugar. And six+ hour caffeine high, it's great. The crash is legendary.). Was a lot more caffeine in that than your normal cuppa' joe

[PyroDesu]

M'probably a bit desensitized to the stuff, but the last time I had that sort of reaction was when I boiled mountain dew and steeped honey/lemon/ginseng green tea into it (Molten. Sugar. And six+ hour caffeine high, it's great. The crash is legendary.). Was a lot more caffeine in that than your normal cuppa' joe

What. The. Fuck.

[nenjin]

As someone who brews strong coffee, you never really know unless you brew it yourself. If you drink coffee, you can tell by the taste.

I figure it's like nicotine though. Anyone that has smoked, stopped smoking, then had a cigarette will tell you.....tolerance is a fluid thing. Just one cigarette after not smoking for months will have you buzzing so hard you'll struggle to stand upright.

The only time I've ever gotten a caffeine overdose (and I've been hooked on soda since I was a kid) was from caffeine pills, back in high school. Of course...that was before I started drinking coffee.

Awful feeling though. Nausea, shakes, sweats, headache. It's almost like being hung over except your heart is going a mile a second.

What. The. Fuck.

There's an old Southern recipe for boiling Coca Cola to calm an upset stomach. Still haven't figured that one out.

[Frumple]

Honestly, I first ran into it because I wanted to see if boiling something carbonated would cause an explosion. Turns out it doesn't! Makes it smooth, actually. Boils out the carbonation, like microwaving sodas with a reduced chance of actual explosion.

Then I was like, shit, I like green tea. Needs a boiling liquid, right? Let's see what the hell happens.

Turns out it was to my taste. I've tried seven or eight different kinds of soda at this point and a few different sorts of tea (Barqs rootbeer/goji berry tea is pretty tasty~ Orange laced tea doesn't go well with an orange soda base, though.). Some turn out pretty good, some pretty nasty, but the overall results have been positive. Don't have it very often, though, for kinda' obvious reasons.

Best part was when I made some for class. That purple mountain dew from years back and said honey/lemon/ginseng caffeinated green tea. Small class of about eight or so all got a cup, including the (50ish) teacher. Everyone liked it, heh.

[Vector]

No, I'm pretty sure it was just normal coffee.  French roast, blah blah blah.

[PyroDesu]

What. The. Fuck.

There's an old Southern recipe for boiling Coca Cola to calm an upset stomach. Still haven't figured that one out.

I haven't heard that one before, and I'm Southern. Question is, does it actually work?

Honestly, I first ran into it because I wanted to see if boiling something carbonated would cause an explosion. Turns out it doesn't! Makes it smooth, actually. Boils out the carbonation, like microwaving sodas with a reduced chance of actual explosion.

Then I was like, shit, I like green tea. Needs a boiling liquid, right? Let's see what the hell happens.

Turns out it was to my taste. I've tried seven or eight different kinds of soda at this point and a few different sorts of tea (Barqs rootbeer/goji berry tea is pretty tasty~ Orange laced tea doesn't go well with an orange soda base, though.). Some turn out pretty good, some pretty nasty, but the overall results have been positive. Don't have it very often, though, for kinda' obvious reasons.

Best part was when I made some for class. That purple mountain dew from years back and said honey/lemon/ginseng caffeinated green tea. Small class of about eight or so all got a cup, including the (50ish) teacher. Everyone liked it, heh.

I may actually try this, did you ever make Boiled Mountain Dew + Lemon tea?

(I seriously hope it doesn't make me too wired. Only reason I'd be willing to try it is I do have a substantial bit of caffeine intake a day. Hell, this might even keep me awake for my Spanish II class, which makes EVERYONE fall asleep. I shouldn't tell my brother though, his medication makes him shake a bit much already, no need to wire him up like that.)