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danvonk

20 karma · joined August 29, 2014

dan at danvonk dot com
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danvonk··on Nearly all binary searches and mergesorts are broken (2006)
Relational databases often require searching and sorting gigabytes of data to answer queries (sometimes larger than RAM if e.g. k-way merge sort is used) so it doesn't seem that far-fetched, especially given that there are database systems written in Java.
danvonk··on Why Polars rewrote its Arrow string data type
They were developed by the database group at TU Munich.
danvonk··on Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent
If it really is a bottomless well everywhere, I must be doing something wrong...I just graduated from a well-regarded university in Germany with a degree in computer science and to be honest, it's not all that easy to get a job.

For example, in London, as someone with no experience, you'll probably have to go with a graduate scheme--mostly at tech companies and banks. But when you apply, you'll be barraged first by cognitive aptitude tests, followed by situational judgement tests, then a LeetCode/HackerRank test. Deutsche Bank additionally requires you to pre-record answers to interview questions that they pose in an e-mail. Perhaps afterwards you'll be invited to an on-site interview where you can repeat the process.

All of this machinery to filter out candidates doesn't scream out that they are that short on candidates.

danvonk··on Germany’s no-emotion voting guide surges despite campaign of personalities
One of the problems with the Wahl-O-Mat is you are given 38 questions and big Agree/Disagree buttons, so most people just go with their gut-feeling and click through as fast as possible.

E.g. the question "All of the labour force must be covered by the state pension" sounds great but glosses over the whole problem of provisioning that money for future generations (Germany's worker/pensioner ratio is supposed to sink to 1.7 in 2050) and certainly doesn't cover potential alternatives like an Australian Superannutation style system.

danvonk··on Was Germany’s 19th century industrial expansion due to an absence of copyright?
I'm currently finishing off my Bachelor at one of those universities with amazing programmes. However, I really don't see how you can claim that Germany has destroyed its system when really all they have done is kept it and instead give you a Bsc after the 3rd year and a Msc after the 5th year. Courses are still 100% exam based, with those exams often having 50%+ failure rates. In fact, at least for my subject, the bachelor is universally considered harder because of the challenging 'Grundstudium'.