Programming Throwdown

• Falsehoods Junior Developers Believe about Becoming Senior
  • https://vadimkravcenko.com/shorts/falsehoods-junior-developers-believe-about-becoming-senior/
• Pure Pursuit
  • Tutorial with python code: https://wiki.purduesigbots.com/software/control-algorithms/basic-pure-pursuit 
  • Video example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYR7mmcwT2w 
• PID without a PHD
  • https://www.wescottdesign.com/articles/pid/pidWithoutAPhd.pdf
• Google releases Gemma
  • https://blog.google/technology/developers/gemma-open-models/
    
    

Book of the Show

• Patrick: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time)
  • https://amzn.to/3uEhg6v
• Jason: How to Make a Video Game All By Yourself
  • https://amzn.to/3UZtP7b

Patreon Plug https://www.patreon.com/programmingthrowdown?ty=h

Tool of the Show

• Patrick: Stadia Controller Wifi to Bluetooth Unlock
  • https://stadia.google.com/controller/index_en_US.html
• Jason: FUSE and SSHFS
  • https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-sshfs-to-mount-remote-file-systems-over-ssh
    
    

Topic: Transformers and Large Language Models

• How neural networks store information
  • Latent variables
• Transformers
  • Encoders & Decoders
• Attention Layers
  • History
    • RNN
      • Vanishing Gradient Problem
    • LSTM
      • Short term (gradient explodes), Long term (gradient vanishes)
  • Differentiable algebra
  • Key-Query-Value
  • Self Attention
• Self-Supervised Learning & Forward Models
• Human Feedback
  • Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback
  • Direct Policy Optimization (Pairwise Ranking)

• BlueScuti, Willis, beats Tetris
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuJ5UuknsHU
• PalWorld accused of being an AI Product
  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/01/22/palworld-accused-of-using-genai-with-no-evidence-so-far/?sh=26a9651b4239
• 4 Billion if-statements to determine if a number is even or odd
  • https://andreasjhkarlsson.github.io/jekyll/update/2023/12/27/4-billion-if-statements.html
• Seamless M4T
  • https://ai.meta.com/blog/seamless-m4t/
    
    

Book of the Show

• Patrick:
  • Foundation by Isaac Asimov
    • https://amzn.to/3SrmgnP
• Jason: 
  • Propaganda by Edward Bernays
    • https://amzn.to/47JUCXJ

Patreon Plug https://www.patreon.com/programmingthrowdown?ty=h

Tool of the Show

• Patrick: 
  • The Room Game
    • https://www.fireproofgames.com/games/the-room
• Jason:
  • Incredibuild
    • https://www.incredibuild.com/
      
      

Topic: Compilers and Interpreters (Request by Jessica W.)

• Machine Code
  • Architecture Specific
• Assembly
  • Single vs Two Pass Compiler
• High level Languages
  • Intermediate Representation
  • JVM ByteCode vs Machine Code for portability
• Scripting/Interpreters
• JIT
• Profile Guided Optimization
• Resources
  • https://www.craftinginterpreters.com/
  • https://nandgame.com/
  • Turing Complete

• Tech Layoffs still going on
  • https://www.sfchronicle.com/tech/article/google-layoffs-california-companies-18465600.php 
• Real-time dreamy Cloudscapes with Volumetric Raymarching
  • https://blog.maximeheckel.com/posts/real-time-cloudscapes-with-volumetric-raymarching/
• Robot Rascals
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_Rascals 
• Meta Quest 3 
  • https://www.theverge.com/23906313/meta-quest-3-review-vr-mixed-reality-headset
    
    

Book of the Show

• Patrick:
  • HyperLogLog Paper
    • https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.com/en//pubs/archive/40671.pdf 
• Jason: 
  • Eureka! NVIDIA Research Breakthrough Puts New Spin on Robot Learning 
    • https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2023/10/20/eureka-robotics-research/ 

Patreon Plug https://www.patreon.com/programmingthrowdown?ty=h

Tool of the Show

• Patrick: 
  • Techtonica: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1457320/Techtonica/ 
• Jason:
  • ESP32 development board: https://amzn.to/3Qpmb20 
  • WEMOS

Topic: HyperLogLog

• Motivation
  • Cardinality Counting
• LinearCounting
  • Hash + expectation of collision based on how full
  • Bloom Filter
• LogLog
  • Use first N bits as bucket
  • Use max sequential 0s in each bucket
  • Average
• HyperLogLog
  • Handle empty buckets
  • Use correction factor like linear counting for low counts (number of empty buckets) and high counts
• Distributing
  • Transfer bucket counts

• Pushing for a lower dev estimate is like negotiating weather with a Meteorologist
  • https://smartguess.is/blog/your-estimate-is-less-than-that/
• Announcing python in excel
  • https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/excel-blog/announcing-python-in-excel-combining-the-power-of-python-and-the/ba-p/3893439
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective Software Engineers
  • https://makingsmallercircles.com/articles/7-habits-of-highly-effective-software-engineers/
• Raspberry pi 5 begins shipping
  • https://www.phoronix.com/news/Raspberry-Pi-5-Shipping
    
    

Book of the Show

• Patrick:
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Illustrated Edition
    • https://amzn.to/3St3L35
• Jason: 
  • The Pete and Sebastian Show
    • https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pete-and-sebastian-show/id570256898

Patreon Plug https://www.patreon.com/programmingthrowdown?ty=h

Tool of the Show

• Patrick: 
  • Obsidian
    • obsidian.md
• Jason:
  • Ink by Inkle
    • https://github.com/inkle/ink
      
      

Topic: Godot

• What is a game engine?
  • Graphics, animation, particle effects
  • Tilemaps
  • Entity component systems
  • Physics
  • Sound
  • I/O
  • Input handling (touchscreen, joystick)
  • GDScript
• Why use a game engine?
  • Portability
  • Allow for testing individual components of the game
  • Libraries for ads, in-app-purchases
• Godot
  • Open source
  • Focused on 2-D but now many 3-D features
  • Great development environment
• AI Hero
  • Started in phaser (development rut)
  • Moved to Godot, rapid prototyping