From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Mon Jan 2 13:47:11 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 21:47:11 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] Sudoku Message-ID: So Eric what advance info are you willing to share on Perl and Sudoku? - Lloyd From eric at uc.org Mon Jan 2 14:17:01 2006 From: eric at uc.org (Eric Maki) Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 17:17:01 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Sudoku In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: For Christmas, I got a Sudoku book from my mother-in-law (and this fetching sweater). Donning the sweater, I did three or four before thinking: Perl would do this a lot faster. ( If you haven't heard of Sudoku: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku ) As a brain exercise, I wrote a surprisingly simple Perl program to solve Sudoku. It was indeed about 6000 times faster than me. My hope is to be able to re-work the program to retain enough information how it is solved to "grade" it's difficulty - and to also weed out puzzles that are impossible or ambiguous - so that it can build puzzles for me. Then it can solve them for me too. I'll share my solution, but more interesting (possibly): - why I love cheating on puzzles using Perl - how a real-live (not me) human decided that they liked the Perl solution better, and changed the way they solve Sudoku to match - other Sudoku/Perl solutions, including this humbling three-liner: http://www.ecclestoad.co.uk/blog/2005/06/02/sudoku_solver_in_three_lines_explained.html Also, I'll start with another Perl solution to a brain teaser. If anyone else has used Perl to solve puzzles, please email me ahead of time, or bring code with them to share. Daniel loves snappy titles, so I am hereby renaming this talk: "Sudoku and Perl, or Why My Other Brain is an x86" fishbot ---- original message : 2006-01-02 9:47pm : lloyd carr ---- So Eric what advance info are you willing to share on Perl and Sudoku? - Lloyd From daniel at coder.com Mon Jan 2 14:20:32 2006 From: daniel at coder.com (Daniel R. Allen) Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 17:20:32 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Sudoku In-Reply-To: Message-ID: On Mon, 2 Jan 2006, lloyd carr wrote: > So Eric what advance info are you willing to share on Perl and Sudoku? Hah. That would be telling, wouldn't it. :) As for the aforementioned Skiing event: we've pretty much ironed out a date and time; this Thursday the 5th, 7pm, at Mount Chicopee. If you like strapping things to your feet and throwing yourself at a hill, we'd be pleased to have you with us. We are looking for talks for February onward. This list has been quiet lately, but a few of us have been hanging out on IRC. I think/hope we've mentioned where on this list: irc.byxnet.net channel #uc. -Daniel > > - Lloyd > > _______________________________________________ > kw-pm mailing list > kw-pm at pm.org > http://mail.pm.org/mailman/listinfo/kw-pm > From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Mon Jan 2 14:54:23 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 22:54:23 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] Why would anyone go to a Perlmonger's meeting? Message-ID: All, I've been thinking about this question,"Why would you go to a Perlmongers meeting?" We have 58 members on this mailing list (Why, when there is little to no activity is another question) and we get 8-10 people at a meeting. Granted some of those 58 may live at a great physical distance from KW, but for those of you without that excuse what would make YOU have to come to a meeting? What topic, subject or style of presentation would you be unable to resist? Let us know and we'll do our best to deliver what you want. I for one find Eric's topic completely irresistible. I love puzzles. But perhaps you hate puzzles. Perhaps ... but anything more would just be speculation on my part, it's your turn, speak up. - Lloyd From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Mon Jan 2 15:10:27 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 23:10:27 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] Sudoku In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: > This list has been quiet lately, but a few of us have been hanging out on > IRC. I think/hope we've mentioned where on this list: irc.byxnet.net > channel #uc. Am I the only one that finds IRC ... well ... OK so if it's the mailing list or IRC, I opt for mail. - Lloyd P.S. And although Eric probably already mentioned it on the IRC, he has just posted a Hangman puzzle solver on the kw.pm wiki http://kw.pm.org/wiki/index.cgi?HangmanGolf From matt at sergeant.org Mon Jan 2 15:56:14 2006 From: matt at sergeant.org (Matt Sergeant) Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 18:56:14 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Why would anyone go to a Perlmonger's meeting? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <7e70705bc30afacdfbb787006694820e@sergeant.org> On 2 Jan 2006, at 17:54, lloyd carr wrote: > I've been thinking about this question,"Why would you go to a > Perlmongers > meeting?" We have 58 members on this mailing list (Why, when there is > little to no activity is another question) This may be unrelated to the real question, but from running other mailing lists I know that the "critical mass" of a mailing list is around 350-400 members - that's for constant chatter. 95%+ of those members never say a word. Matt. From marko at isfoundhere.com Mon Jan 2 16:58:22 2006 From: marko at isfoundhere.com (Marko Vidberg) Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 19:58:22 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Why would anyone go to a Perlmonger's meeting? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <45923.67.43.133.190.1136249902.squirrel@localhost> > All, > > I've been thinking about this question,"Why would you go to a Perlmongers > meeting?" We have 58 members on this mailing list (Why, when there is > little to no activity is another question) and we get 8-10 people at a > meeting. Granted some of those 58 may live at a great physical distance > from KW, but for those of you without that excuse what would make YOU have > to come to a meeting? What topic, subject or style of presentation would > you > be unable to resist? Let us know and we'll do our best to deliver what you > want. I for one find Eric's topic completely irresistible. I love puzzles. > But perhaps you hate puzzles. Perhaps ... but anything more would just be > speculation on my part, it's your turn, speak up. > > - Lloyd I am signed up to the mailing list and read most of the posts to it, but I have never attended a meeting. Why? Well, I used to be a perl programmer, for a while, and now I am mostly doing PHP, so I feel I don't have anything to contribute. I just lurk. -marko From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Mon Jan 2 17:06:13 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 01:06:13 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] Why would anyone go to a Perlmonger's meeting? In-Reply-To: <7e70705bc30afacdfbb787006694820e@sergeant.org> References: <7e70705bc30afacdfbb787006694820e@sergeant.org> Message-ID: > This may be unrelated to the real question, but from running other mailing > lists I know that the "critical mass" of a mailing list is around 350-400 > members - that's for constant chatter. 95%+ of those members never say a > word. So I'm not sure what conclusion to draw. Are you saying talking to this list is like beating a dead horse? So what is the critical mass of a IRC channel, wait I know the answer two, one person and one bot ;) Wouldn't the silent 95%+ plus be true of almost all group communication situations even dinner parties ;) - Lloyd P.S. Yes unrelated, but very clever to reply and yet fail to answer the real question, top marks! From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Mon Jan 2 17:33:53 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 01:33:53 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] Why would anyone go to a Perlmonger's meeting? In-Reply-To: <45923.67.43.133.190.1136249902.squirrel@localhost> References: <45923.67.43.133.190.1136249902.squirrel@localhost> Message-ID: > I am signed up to the mailing list and read most of the posts to it, but I > have never attended a meeting. Why? Well, I used to be a perl > programmer, for a while, and now I am mostly doing PHP, so I feel I don't > have anything to contribute. I just lurk. Hi Marko, Aha one of Matt's 95%+ I think we may have met at the kwlug once. Hmmm... PHP, I know there was mention of perhaps having a talk on ruby once, but PHP! Would we get our license revoked if we had a talk on PHP? - Lloyd From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Mon Jan 2 18:04:36 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 02:04:36 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] Perl puzzles and 20Q Message-ID: Eric and All, Has anyone else encountered the 20Q device by Radica? I find it's ability quite eerie. You can try the online version at http://20q.net/ I find the pocket device has more of a "how can that little thing do that?" punch. Hmmmm ... could Perl play 20 questions? - Lloyd P.S. Eric I wrote a very similar program to your hangman, to cheat at crosswords. We now have a pocket Franklin device someone gave us, but I don't us it. When you cheat by looking it up in a reference book you learn something, with the program or device you learn nothing. From eric at uc.org Mon Jan 2 18:23:10 2006 From: eric at uc.org (Eric Maki) Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 21:23:10 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Perl puzzles and 20Q In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: > When you cheat by looking it up in a reference book you > learn something, with the program or device you learn > nothing. Ahhh... but when I cheat by -programming- I learn a lot. If I sat at home filling out Sudoku by feeding it into the computer, that would be pointless. I still solve them with my brain, but I actually figured out a lot about how to solve them by programming something to do it for me. And now you have spoiled five minutes or so of my talk. You are required to fill that five minutes. Eric From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Mon Jan 2 19:22:31 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 03:22:31 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] Perl puzzles and 20Q In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: > And now you have spoiled five minutes or so of my talk. You are > required to fill that five minutes. Strange, as I recall you seem to have had no problem filling any amount of time in the past. Didn't you prevent us from going for a pint a number of times by running overtime? ;) - Lloyd From matt at sergeant.org Tue Jan 3 05:31:34 2006 From: matt at sergeant.org (Matt Sergeant) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 08:31:34 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Why would anyone go to a Perlmonger's meeting? In-Reply-To: References: <7e70705bc30afacdfbb787006694820e@sergeant.org> Message-ID: On 2 Jan 2006, at 20:06, lloyd carr wrote: >> This may be unrelated to the real question, but from running other >> mailing lists I know that the "critical mass" of a mailing list is >> around 350-400 members - that's for constant chatter. 95%+ of those >> members never say a word. > > So I'm not sure what conclusion to draw. Are you saying talking to > this list is like beating a dead horse? No, it's one of those fuzzy numbers, because as you see there's still conversation on this list, it's just quiet most of the time. I base this number on open source projects I've worked on. When there's less than about 350-400 people subscribed to the project's mailing list it is up to the project owner (i.e. me) to keep conversations going, mostly by responding to questions. After the 350 threshold is breached you can pretty much expect there to be multiple "experts" in the topic area to reside on the list and thus answer questions for you, and even pose some more interesting questions of their own. > So what is the critical mass of a IRC channel, wait I know the answer > two, one person and one bot ;) Actually about 50. What I mean by this is that take the kwpm IRC channel for example - people will regularly ask something on there and not get a reply from anyone for a good few minutes (even hours sometimes). At about 50 users on a channel there is constant chatter. > Wouldn't the silent 95%+ plus be true of almost all group > communication situations even dinner parties ;) It's an interesting question but I think with dinner parties there's a lot more direct questioning: "John, how do you like your new car?", rather than firing off a statement into the air and hoping there's a relevant response from the group. > P.S. Yes unrelated, but very clever to reply and yet fail to answer > the real question, top marks! What can I say - I don't lurk ;-) It'd be interesting to find out whether people here are generally learning perl or just use it every day, and if they're just learning would they be interested in the Intro to Perl talk that Eric was talking of giving. Matt. From rdice at pobox.com Tue Jan 3 09:44:34 2006 From: rdice at pobox.com (Richard Dice) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 12:44:34 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Why would anyone go to a Perlmonger's meeting? In-Reply-To: References: <7e70705bc30afacdfbb787006694820e@sergeant.org> Message-ID: <1136310274.43bab802b152b@webmail.tht.net> Matt said: > It'd be interesting to find out whether people here are generally > learning perl or just use it every day, and if they're just learning > would they be interested in the Intro to Perl talk that Eric was > talking of giving. Hi everyone, Please refresh me -- when is the next KW.pm meeting? Is this talk the 19th? (I see something along these lines on the kw.pm.org web site.) Cheers, Richard ------------------------------------------------- This mail sent through IMP: http://horde.org/imp/ From eric at uc.org Tue Jan 3 10:20:58 2006 From: eric at uc.org (Eric Maki) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 13:20:58 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Re: Why would anyone go to a Perlmonger's meeting? In-Reply-To: <1136310274.43bab802b152b@webmail.tht.net> References: <7e70705bc30afacdfbb787006694820e@sergeant.org> <1136310274.43bab802b152b@webmail.tht.net> Message-ID: > Please refresh me -- when is the next KW.pm meeting? Is > this talk the 19th? (I see something along these lines on > the kw.pm.org web site.) The talk on Sudoku-solving/etc. is on the Thurs, Jan 19th. 7pm, directions on the website. A gnome and/or Daniel will post an announcement to the list a bit closer to the date. Also, pizza announcements will be made at that time. Eric From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Tue Jan 3 13:22:01 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 21:22:01 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] Why would anyone go to a Perlmonger's meeting? In-Reply-To: References: <7e70705bc30afacdfbb787006694820e@sergeant.org> Message-ID: Thanks for taking the time to reply Matt, I am encouraged. > It'd be interesting to find out whether people here are generally learning > perl or just use it every day, and if they're just learning would they be > interested in the Intro to Perl talk that Eric was talking of giving. OK so Matt asked a direct question. If your lurking out there would you come out to an Intro to Perl talk? Even if your not a lurker, do you think an Intro to Perl talk is the type of thing we should have, let's say, once a year? - Lloyd From Greg.Fenton at sybase.com Tue Jan 3 13:46:08 2006 From: Greg.Fenton at sybase.com (Greg.Fenton@sybase.com) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 16:46:08 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Why would anyone go to a Perlmonger's meeting? In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Lloyd asked...so I respond: - Am (mostly) a lurker - Would only come out of sheer curiosity ( not new_to("perl") ) - Think it is a great idea if KW-PM wants to grow...likely good to hold in Oct or Feb, away from midterms and after "New School Term" startup events - Would be happy to help out. greg.fenton ---- Greg Fenton Consultant, Solution Services iAnywhere Solutions -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.pm.org/pipermail/kw-pm/attachments/20060103/9775a87a/attachment.html From daniel at coder.com Tue Jan 3 14:32:14 2006 From: daniel at coder.com (Daniel R. Allen) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 17:32:14 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Perl puzzles and 20Q In-Reply-To: Message-ID: On Tue, 3 Jan 2006, lloyd carr wrote: > I find the pocket device has more of a "how can that little thing do > that?" punch. > > Hmmmm ... could Perl play 20 questions? Blast from the past (2003): http://use.perl.org/~Matts/journal/13127 Anyway... writing a bot to play 20 questions would be very easy, the difficulty is with training it. Which is why 20q.net called it a "game" and let the intarweb do all the work for them. :) -Daniel > - Lloyd From matt at sergeant.org Tue Jan 3 15:10:42 2006 From: matt at sergeant.org (Matt Sergeant) Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 18:10:42 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Perlski In-Reply-To: <0319dd9af3b6ca605596649c9bc490e2@sergeant.org> References: <0319dd9af3b6ca605596649c9bc490e2@sergeant.org> Message-ID: OK, here's the final details for Perlski: When/Where: Thursday 5th Jan, 7pm, Chicopee Ski Club. Meet up at 7pm at the Ski School hut (this is a small brown shed next to the main chalet). If you need to rent skis/snowboard etc then plan to get there 10m earlier to get your gear. Obviously we won't stick together because that's really hard to do with two-to-a-lift and 14 different runs, but we'll plan to meet up afterwards for drinks, and meeting beforehand will help people recognise each other in full ski gear. The 2 hour ski pass will take you to 9pm, after that we can adjourn in the chalet bar. See you there! Matt. PS: This event is open to lurkers too - you don't even have to geek out! And if you don't want to ski the bar is open. From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Tue Jan 3 17:29:03 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 01:29:03 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] Perl puzzles and 20Q In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: > Blast from the past (2003): > http://use.perl.org/~Matts/journal/13127 So I'm only three years behind the curve on this one :-( - Lloyd From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Tue Jan 3 17:40:10 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 01:40:10 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] Perlski In-Reply-To: References: <0319dd9af3b6ca605596649c9bc490e2@sergeant.org> Message-ID: The kw.pm website shows Perlski as Thursday, January 5th, 2005! > When/Where: Thursday 5th Jan, 7pm, Chicopee Ski Club. > PS: This event is open to lurkers too - you don't even have to geek > out! And if you don't want to ski the bar is open. I know first aid, maybe I could just wait in the bar with my splints ;-) - Lloyd From matt at sergeant.org Wed Jan 4 08:25:46 2006 From: matt at sergeant.org (Matt Sergeant) Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 11:25:46 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Perlski In-Reply-To: References: <0319dd9af3b6ca605596649c9bc490e2@sergeant.org> Message-ID: <34a883622b5cd6ddbe2f6ff694a785b1@sergeant.org> On 3 Jan 2006, at 20:40, lloyd carr wrote: > The kw.pm website shows Perlski as Thursday, January 5th, 2005! > >> When/Where: Thursday 5th Jan, 7pm, Chicopee Ski Club. > >> PS: This event is open to lurkers too - you don't even have to geek >> out! And if you don't want to ski the bar is open. > > I know first aid, maybe I could just wait in the bar with my splints > ;-) Snowboarding is so bad I wear my splints full time (not kidding). From akohlsmith-pm at benshaw.com Wed Jan 4 09:05:55 2006 From: akohlsmith-pm at benshaw.com (Andrew Kohlsmith) Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 12:05:55 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Perl puzzles and 20Q In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <200601041205.55155.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> On Monday 02 January 2006 21:04, lloyd carr wrote: > Has anyone else encountered the 20Q device by Radica? I find it's ability > quite eerie. You can try the online version at > > http://20q.net/ I tricked it 4 times out of 5 with regular everyday items... The 5th time was when I selected something just to let it win. :-) -A. From rpjday at mindspring.com Wed Jan 4 09:20:32 2006 From: rpjday at mindspring.com (Robert P. J. Day) Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 12:20:32 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Perl puzzles and 20Q In-Reply-To: <200601041205.55155.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> References: <200601041205.55155.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> Message-ID: On Wed, 4 Jan 2006, Andrew Kohlsmith wrote: > On Monday 02 January 2006 21:04, lloyd carr wrote: > > Has anyone else encountered the 20Q device by Radica? I find it's ability > > quite eerie. You can try the online version at > > > > http://20q.net/ > > I tricked it 4 times out of 5 with regular everyday items... The > 5th time was when I selected something just to let it win. :-) just to be cantankerous, i thought of a condom to see how far i could get. i had to stop on question 9 when it asked me, "Can it be washed?" Ewwwwwww. rday From akohlsmith-pm at benshaw.com Wed Jan 4 09:28:01 2006 From: akohlsmith-pm at benshaw.com (Andrew Kohlsmith) Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 12:28:01 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Perl puzzles and 20Q In-Reply-To: References: <200601041205.55155.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> Message-ID: <200601041228.01452.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> On Wednesday 04 January 2006 12:20, Robert P. J. Day wrote: > just to be cantankerous, i thought of a condom to see how far i could > get. i had to stop on question 9 when it asked me, "Can it be > washed?" Ewwwwwww. Actually that was one of my items that I tricked it with, although I did not get that question... hahahahaha -A. From rpjday at mindspring.com Wed Jan 4 09:48:18 2006 From: rpjday at mindspring.com (Robert P. J. Day) Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 12:48:18 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Perl puzzles and 20Q In-Reply-To: <200601041228.01452.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> References: <200601041205.55155.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> <200601041228.01452.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> Message-ID: On Wed, 4 Jan 2006, Andrew Kohlsmith wrote: > On Wednesday 04 January 2006 12:20, Robert P. J. Day wrote: > > just to be cantankerous, i thought of a condom to see how far i could > > get. i had to stop on question 9 when it asked me, "Can it be > > washed?" Ewwwwwww. > > Actually that was one of my items that I tricked it with, although I > did not get that question... hahahahaha being the trooper that i am, i actually answered it and soldiered on until question 23: "Does it taste good with butter?" then i really did stop. rday From akohlsmith-pm at benshaw.com Wed Jan 4 09:51:25 2006 From: akohlsmith-pm at benshaw.com (Andrew Kohlsmith) Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 12:51:25 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Perl puzzles and 20Q In-Reply-To: References: <200601041228.01452.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> Message-ID: <200601041251.25784.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> On Wednesday 04 January 2006 12:48, Robert P. J. Day wrote: > being the trooper that i am, i actually answered it and soldiered on > until question 23: "Does it taste good with butter?" then i really > did stop. Prude. -A. From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Wed Jan 4 13:29:24 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 21:29:24 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] Perl puzzles and 20Q In-Reply-To: <200601041205.55155.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> References: <200601041205.55155.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> Message-ID: > I tricked it 4 times out of 5 with regular everyday items... The 5th time was > when I selected something just to let it win. :-) Strange I have found it quite good. My wife and I thought of mongoose and then when it began to ask questions like "Does it travel in groups" we realized we knew very little about mongeese ;-) In spite of our lack of knowledge it guessed hyrax at question sixteen (I learned something by looking up hyrax) and mongoose at question twenty, eerie. It also got barbie doll, vodka and nebula! I find the mechanism very hard to explain to non-techies. I thought it might be simple to make a version that learns how to play high-low, with the advantage that it could be trained by another program. The high-low version might be simpler to explain. - Lloyd From matt at sergeant.org Thu Jan 5 05:05:45 2006 From: matt at sergeant.org (Matt Sergeant) Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 08:05:45 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Perl puzzles and 20Q In-Reply-To: References: <200601041205.55155.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> Message-ID: <867073a74a1b5f4aebe3b68c5bed1371@sergeant.org> On 4 Jan 2006, at 16:29, lloyd carr wrote: > I find the mechanism very hard to explain to non-techies. I thought it > might be simple to make a version that learns how to play high-low, > with the > advantage that it could be trained by another program. The high-low > version might be simpler to explain. Doesn't it just use bayes? From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Thu Jan 5 13:34:36 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 21:34:36 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] Perl puzzles and 20Q In-Reply-To: <867073a74a1b5f4aebe3b68c5bed1371@sergeant.org> References: <200601041205.55155.akohlsmith-pm@benshaw.com> <867073a74a1b5f4aebe3b68c5bed1371@sergeant.org> Message-ID: > Doesn't it just use bayes? >From the year 2000: http://web.archive.org/web/20000304200031/www.20q.net/avmdesc.html From matt at sergeant.org Fri Jan 6 13:32:32 2006 From: matt at sergeant.org (Matt Sergeant) Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 16:32:32 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Perlski was a success! Message-ID: Well sorry if you missed out, but Perlski was a huge success. We all had a great time, and some people who hadn't skied for years got to find their ski-feet again. And the hot chocolate with beer was superb. We'll probably do another Perlski in a few weeks - join us then, more details closer to the time. Matt. From roberthpike at yahoo.com Thu Jan 12 11:19:09 2006 From: roberthpike at yahoo.com (Robert Pike) Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 11:19:09 -0800 (PST) Subject: [kw-pm] Excel and Win32::OLE Message-ID: <20060112191909.72176.qmail@web54701.mail.yahoo.com> Hi All, Just wondering if someone could answer this one. I have a perl/cgi application that utilizes the Win32::OLE module. I was having problems with permissions for some users logging in using Windows Authentication (on our customer's site), didn't realize I had to set permissions accordingly on the DCOM service running. I also had the problem whereby once finished using the Excel object (retrieved it by using the GetActiveObject method from Win32::OLE) I couldn't close the process down on our server using just Quit(). Someone referred me to the Uninitialize method and said to call it preferably in the END block. I tried that and it worked... here. Once put on the customer's site the Excel.exe processes are still hanging around. Can someone suggest how to get rid of them? Are there permissions at work here as well? Thanks in advance. Rob __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From kw-pm at datademons.com Mon Jan 16 08:17:37 2006 From: kw-pm at datademons.com (Justin Wheeler) Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 11:17:37 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] I'm back! Message-ID: <43CBC721.5040300@datademons.com> I don't know how many of you would even remember me, but I was a member of KW-PM a few years ago, until I unsubscribed due to my move out to Ottawa. Alas, I missed my friends and family far too much, and moved back to Waterloo again. So here I am. I was a member of the OCLUG in Ottawa for a *very* short time, only to find it was more of a constant flamewar than a LUG at all. Ottawa was good to me for the most part -- I worked for Cybersurf (owners of Cyberus, 3web, IGS, Surf the Net, etc) and at Roaring Penguin for a little while, but in the end, I find myself back in Waterloo. Hope I didn't miss much. Justin From kw-pm at datademons.com Mon Jan 16 08:58:55 2006 From: kw-pm at datademons.com (Justin Wheeler) Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 11:58:55 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] I'm back! In-Reply-To: <71157FC6AFED794AA91333926F0C23F020DBDC@EXMAIL2.ec.cf.com> References: <71157FC6AFED794AA91333926F0C23F020DBDC@EXMAIL2.ec.cf.com> Message-ID: <43CBD0CF.2010703@datademons.com> > My memory is terrible; did you come to any kw.pm meetings? Will you be > able to make it out to this months meeting? Only one. A social at Ethel's sometime in mid-2004. I wasn't a member for very long, and the meetings always landed on the worst possible dates for me. As for this month's, I'm not sure. Possibly. > You can catch up by going to kw.pm.org I've done a little of that already. > We don't have flame wars, we have ;) wars. ;) Justin From kw-pm at datademons.com Mon Jan 16 10:00:49 2006 From: kw-pm at datademons.com (Justin Wheeler) Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 13:00:49 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] I'm back! In-Reply-To: <71157FC6AFED794AA91333926F0C23F020DBE9@EXMAIL2.ec.cf.com> References: <71157FC6AFED794AA91333926F0C23F020DBE9@EXMAIL2.ec.cf.com> Message-ID: <43CBDF51.4060200@datademons.com> > OK I remember you now. That was a good social; I wonder why we haven't > gone back. Because I wasn't there to make it worthwhile.. uh.. yea.. that's it. :D >> As for this month's, I'm not sure. Possibly. > > Come on Justin this one looks like a barn burner, besides it takes all > our collective intelligence to understand fish ;) > >>> We don't have flame wars, we have ;) wars. >> ;) > > You all saw it he threw the first ;), this means ;) war! > > - Lloyd > > P.S. What have you been doing with Perl lately? Hm. Where to start? I have a few modules on CPAN, both of which are pretty crappy, but people use them. I'm rewriting Business::CanadaPost at the moment, and it should be done (and far sexier) in the next little while. I worked at Roaring Penguin software for a short time working on their next product shortly before moving back to Waterloo. I've been working on my own eBusiness engine which is undergoing a complete rewrite thanks to my own insanity -- perhaps I'll even release it if it gets to a point where I'm proud enough of it to release it unto the world for dissection and/or crucifixion. I read Perl Best Practices[1]. While it is a great book, it's made me look at all of my old code and hate it. Now, I'm working for a local company writing software in perl. [1] http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/perlbp/ That's the long and the short of it. Justin From daniel at coder.com Mon Jan 16 15:30:42 2006 From: daniel at coder.com (Daniel R. Allen) Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 18:30:42 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] I'm back! In-Reply-To: <43CBDF51.4060200@datademons.com> Message-ID: Hi Justin! Welcome back. Indeed, I do remember you, and from the LUG. Hope you can make the meeting this Thursday; the topic is puzzle-solving (and understanding) in perl. This month we have an anonymous pizza-donor, as added incentive for showing up... And likely we'll be heading out for beers afterward. -Daniel ps- Lloyd- I don't think your messages are getting to the list; might want to make sure the list was in the To/Cc? On Mon, 16 Jan 2006, Justin Wheeler wrote: > > OK I remember you now. That was a good social; I wonder why we haven't > > gone back. > > Because I wasn't there to make it worthwhile.. uh.. yea.. that's it. :D > > >> As for this month's, I'm not sure. Possibly. > > > > Come on Justin this one looks like a barn burner, besides it takes all > > our collective intelligence to understand fish ;) > > > >>> We don't have flame wars, we have ;) wars. > >> ;) > > > > You all saw it he threw the first ;), this means ;) war! > > > > - Lloyd > > > > P.S. What have you been doing with Perl lately? > > Hm. Where to start? I have a few modules on CPAN, both of which are pretty > crappy, but people use them. I'm rewriting Business::CanadaPost at the > moment, and it should be done (and far sexier) in the next little while. > > I worked at Roaring Penguin software for a short time working on their next > product shortly before moving back to Waterloo. > > I've been working on my own eBusiness engine which is undergoing a complete > rewrite thanks to my own insanity -- perhaps I'll even release it if it gets > to a point where I'm proud enough of it to release it unto the world for > dissection and/or crucifixion. > > I read Perl Best Practices[1]. While it is a great book, it's made me look at > all of my old code and hate it. > > Now, I'm working for a local company writing software in perl. > > [1] http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/perlbp/ > > That's the long and the short of it. > > Justin > _______________________________________________ > kw-pm mailing list > kw-pm at pm.org > http://mail.pm.org/mailman/listinfo/kw-pm > From kw-pm at datademons.com Mon Jan 16 15:42:34 2006 From: kw-pm at datademons.com (Justin Wheeler) Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 18:42:34 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] I'm back! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <43CC2F6A.4030302@datademons.com> I think I might have to make an effort to come out Thursday. If anyone in/around North Waterloo might need a ride out there, feel free to drop me an e-mail. Justin Daniel R. Allen wrote: > Hi Justin! Welcome back. Indeed, I do remember you, and from the LUG. > Hope you can make the meeting this Thursday; the topic is puzzle-solving > (and understanding) in perl. This month we have an anonymous pizza-donor, > as added incentive for showing up... And likely we'll be heading out for > beers afterward. > > -Daniel > > ps- Lloyd- I don't think your messages are getting to the list; might want > to make sure the list was in the To/Cc? > > > > On Mon, 16 Jan 2006, Justin Wheeler wrote: > > >>>OK I remember you now. That was a good social; I wonder why we haven't >>>gone back. >> >>Because I wasn't there to make it worthwhile.. uh.. yea.. that's it. :D >> >> >>>>As for this month's, I'm not sure. Possibly. >>> >>>Come on Justin this one looks like a barn burner, besides it takes all >>>our collective intelligence to understand fish ;) >>> >>> >>>>>We don't have flame wars, we have ;) wars. >>>> >>>>;) >>> >>>You all saw it he threw the first ;), this means ;) war! >>> >>>- Lloyd >>> >>>P.S. What have you been doing with Perl lately? >> >>Hm. Where to start? I have a few modules on CPAN, both of which are pretty >>crappy, but people use them. I'm rewriting Business::CanadaPost at the >>moment, and it should be done (and far sexier) in the next little while. >> >>I worked at Roaring Penguin software for a short time working on their next >>product shortly before moving back to Waterloo. >> >>I've been working on my own eBusiness engine which is undergoing a complete >>rewrite thanks to my own insanity -- perhaps I'll even release it if it gets >>to a point where I'm proud enough of it to release it unto the world for >>dissection and/or crucifixion. >> >>I read Perl Best Practices[1]. While it is a great book, it's made me look at >>all of my old code and hate it. >> >>Now, I'm working for a local company writing software in perl. >> >>[1] http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/perlbp/ >> >>That's the long and the short of it. >> >>Justin >>_______________________________________________ >>kw-pm mailing list >>kw-pm at pm.org >>http://mail.pm.org/mailman/listinfo/kw-pm >> > > From eric at uc.org Mon Jan 16 16:44:02 2006 From: eric at uc.org (Eric Maki) Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 19:44:02 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Re: I'm back! In-Reply-To: <43CBDF51.4060200@datademons.com> References: <71157FC6AFED794AA91333926F0C23F020DBE9@EXMAIL2.ec.cf.com> <43CBDF51.4060200@datademons.com> Message-ID: <43CC3DD2.8090604@uc.org> Welcome back, Justin. I'm pretty sure I haven't met you, I've only been around since September 2004. >> Come on Justin this one looks like a barn burner, besides it takes >> all our collective intelligence to understand fish ;) I'm not entirely sure what that means, but the more the merrier. I don't think that it will be a long talk, but I'm hoping it will get some discussion going about solving puzzles with Perl. If you have ever solved a puzzle in Perl, bring it along. But it's not a requisite for attendence. Free pizza, etc. Eric/fishbot From daniel at coder.com Mon Jan 16 17:11:01 2006 From: daniel at coder.com (Daniel R. Allen) Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 20:11:01 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] I'm back! (fwd) Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 18:42:34 -0500 From: Justin Wheeler To: Daniel R. Allen Subject: Re: [kw-pm] I'm back! I think I might have to make an effort to come out Thursday. If anyone in/around North Waterloo might need a ride out there, feel free to drop me an e-mail. Justin Daniel R. Allen wrote: > Hi Justin! Welcome back. Indeed, I do remember you, and from the LUG. > Hope you can make the meeting this Thursday; the topic is puzzle-solving > (and understanding) in perl. This month we have an anonymous pizza-donor, > as added incentive for showing up... And likely we'll be heading out for > beers afterward. > > -Daniel > > ps- Lloyd- I don't think your messages are getting to the list; might want > to make sure the list was in the To/Cc? > > > > On Mon, 16 Jan 2006, Justin Wheeler wrote: > > >>>OK I remember you now. That was a good social; I wonder why we haven't >>>gone back. >> >>Because I wasn't there to make it worthwhile.. uh.. yea.. that's it. :D >> >> >>>>As for this month's, I'm not sure. Possibly. >>> >>>Come on Justin this one looks like a barn burner, besides it takes all >>>our collective intelligence to understand fish ;) >>> >>> >>>>>We don't have flame wars, we have ;) wars. >>>> >>>>;) >>> >>>You all saw it he threw the first ;), this means ;) war! >>> >>>- Lloyd >>> >>>P.S. What have you been doing with Perl lately? >> >>Hm. Where to start? I have a few modules on CPAN, both of which are pretty >>crappy, but people use them. I'm rewriting Business::CanadaPost at the >>moment, and it should be done (and far sexier) in the next little while. >> >>I worked at Roaring Penguin software for a short time working on their next >>product shortly before moving back to Waterloo. >> >>I've been working on my own eBusiness engine which is undergoing a complete >>rewrite thanks to my own insanity -- perhaps I'll even release it if it gets >>to a point where I'm proud enough of it to release it unto the world for >>dissection and/or crucifixion. >> >>I read Perl Best Practices[1]. While it is a great book, it's made me look at >>all of my old code and hate it. >> >>Now, I'm working for a local company writing software in perl. >> >>[1] http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/perlbp/ >> >>That's the long and the short of it. >> >>Justin >>_______________________________________________ >>kw-pm mailing list >>kw-pm at pm.org >>http://mail.pm.org/mailman/listinfo/kw-pm >> > > _______________________________________________ kw-pm mailing list kw-pm at pm.org http://mail.pm.org/mailman/listinfo/kw-pm From daniel at coder.com Mon Jan 16 17:22:41 2006 From: daniel at coder.com (Daniel R. Allen) Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 20:22:41 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] I'm back! (fwd) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Rgh. sorry for the repost just now... -Daniel From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Mon Jan 16 19:01:24 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 03:01:24 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] I'm back! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: > ps- Lloyd- I don't think your messages are getting to the list; might want > to make sure the list was in the To/Cc? I know, sorry we switched to outlook at work and I haven't got used to it yet. I like pine :-) - Lloyd From dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org Mon Jan 16 19:20:29 2006 From: dcarr at sdf.lonestar.org (lloyd carr) Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 03:20:29 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [kw-pm] I'm back! (fwd) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: > Rgh. sorry for the repost just now... > > -Daniel *Lloyd is glad he is not the only one who doesn't know how to use his email ;) From daniel at coder.com Wed Jan 18 13:55:24 2006 From: daniel at coder.com (Daniel R. Allen) Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 16:55:24 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Reminder: Meeting tomorrow Message-ID: Our regularly scheduled meeting is tomorrow, 7pm, at the usual location (see kw.pm.org for directions). The topic is puzzle-solving with perl; the presenter is Eric, who has been working on a sudoku solver/generator/grader in his copious free time since Christmas. Pizza is sponsored by $anonymous this month. If you're interested, RSVP here: (by 3pm tomorrow so I can get the order in). http://kw.pm.org/wiki/index.cgi?PizzaList Hope to see you there! -Daniel From kw-pm at datademons.com Thu Jan 19 11:28:50 2006 From: kw-pm at datademons.com (Justin Wheeler) Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 14:28:50 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Just my luck... Message-ID: <43CFE872.7060201@datademons.com> I was awaken at about 3am this morning by a nasty stomach bug, which has me on my couch in my housecoat to this very moment as I've not yet recovered: tonight is a no-go for me. Next time for sure, though. Justin From daniel at coder.com Fri Jan 20 11:13:32 2006 From: daniel at coder.com (Daniel R. Allen) Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:13:32 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Meeting Wrapup Message-ID: Thanks Eric, for an engaging talk. At least it was to me; and either it was to everybody else, or they were polite. ;) Eric's slides should be available on the website soon-ish. Welcome to Suraklin, who's new to the area and to our group... After the meeting, most of us headed for drinks, where I was amusingly befuddled by the bill, and everybody got to see how sleep-deprived I really was yesterday. We're going to have a talk about 'bots next month; same time, same bat-channel. If people have talks they are interested in seeing, give a shout- either here, on the Wiki (MeetingTalks), or on IRC (irc.byxnet.net channel #uc is where we're hanging out). -Daniel From eric at uc.org Tue Jan 24 09:31:51 2006 From: eric at uc.org (Eric Maki) Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 12:31:51 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Perlski II Message-ID: Perlski I was such a success, that we are doing it again. Grab or rent some skis or a snowbaud, and head for the hills next Thursday (Feb 02). Same meeting time, same meeting place. (7pm, the skischoolshed) I will post this on the website today. SOs encouraged... last time this contained so little geek related talk that I think we underflowed an unsigned charı. Notes: - if you feel that key details are lacking, email me - if you are worried that your skiing skills aren't up to snuff, don't be. We have a bunnyhill squad. Regards, fishbot ıyes, I know that joke is (a) lame, and (b) not applicable to Perl. From john at perlwolf.com Tue Jan 24 13:11:42 2006 From: john at perlwolf.com (John Macdonald) Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 16:11:42 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Perlski II In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20060124211142.GA21112@lupus.perlwolf.com> OK, the reference to unsigned char is, as you say, (a) lame, and (b) not applicable to Perl. So, does the fact that you did not put a second identical footnote mean that writing snowbAUd instead of snowbOARd was a serendipidous accident? On Tue, Jan 24, 2006 at 12:31:51PM -0500, Eric Maki wrote: > > Perlski I was such a success, that we are doing it again. Grab > or rent some skis or a snowbaud, and head for the hills next > Thursday (Feb 02). Same meeting time, same meeting place. (7pm, > the skischoolshed) > > I will post this on the website today. SOs encouraged... last > time this contained so little geek related talk that I think we > underflowed an unsigned char?. > > Notes: > - if you feel that key details are lacking, email me > - if you are worried that your skiing skills aren't up to snuff, > don't be. We have a bunnyhill squad. > > Regards, > fishbot > > ?yes, I know that joke is (a) lame, and (b) not applicable to Perl. > _______________________________________________ > kw-pm mailing list > kw-pm at pm.org > http://mail.pm.org/mailman/listinfo/kw-pm -- From da at coder.com Tue Jan 24 13:40:41 2006 From: da at coder.com (Daniel R. Allen) Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 16:40:41 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Perlski II In-Reply-To: <20060124211142.GA21112@lupus.perlwolf.com> Message-ID: On Tue, 24 Jan 2006, John Macdonald wrote: > OK, the reference to unsigned char is, as you say, (a) lame, > and (b) not applicable to Perl. So, does the fact that you > did not put a second identical footnote mean that writing > snowbAUd instead of snowbOARd was a serendipidous accident? Nope; it was merely a baud joke. [1] [1] http://use.perl.org/~Matts/journal/28269 > On Tue, Jan 24, 2006 at 12:31:51PM -0500, Eric Maki wrote: > > > > Perlski I was such a success, that we are doing it again. Grab > > or rent some skis or a snowbaud, and head for the hills next > > Thursday (Feb 02). Same meeting time, same meeting place. (7pm, > > the skischoolshed) > > > > I will post this on the website today. SOs encouraged... last > > time this contained so little geek related talk that I think we > > underflowed an unsigned charı. > > > > Notes: > > - if you feel that key details are lacking, email me > > - if you are worried that your skiing skills aren't up to snuff, > > don't be. We have a bunnyhill squad. > > > > Regards, > > fishbot > > > > ıyes, I know that joke is (a) lame, and (b) not applicable to Perl. > > > _______________________________________________ > > kw-pm mailing list > > kw-pm at pm.org > > http://mail.pm.org/mailman/listinfo/kw-pm > > -- > _______________________________________________ > kw-pm mailing list > kw-pm at pm.org > http://mail.pm.org/mailman/listinfo/kw-pm > From eric at uc.org Tue Jan 24 13:56:38 2006 From: eric at uc.org (Eric Maki) Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 16:56:38 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Perlski II In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: On 2006-01-24 4:40pm : Daniel R. Allen: > On Tue, 24 Jan 2006, John Macdonald wrote: >> OK, the reference to unsigned char is, as you say, (a) lame, >> and (b) not applicable to Perl. So, does the fact that you >> did not put a second identical footnote mean that writing >> snowbAUd instead of snowbOARd was a serendipidous accident? > > Nope; it was merely a baud joke. [1] > > [1] http://use.perl.org/~Matts/journal/28269 > I'm not sure how much that clarified. The only snowboarder (so far) is Matts := baud on IRC. The rest of us are bipedal. So, the answer to your question is: not serendipidous, only idiotmatic. From john at perlwolf.com Tue Jan 24 16:57:18 2006 From: john at perlwolf.com (John Macdonald) Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 19:57:18 -0500 Subject: [kw-pm] Perlski II In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20060125005717.GB21112@lupus.perlwolf.com> On Tue, Jan 24, 2006 at 04:56:38PM -0500, Eric Maki wrote: > > So, the answer to your question is: not serendipidous, only > idiotmatic. Clever actually, unless you're sufficiently unclued (like me) to not know Matt's handle. -- From daniel at coder.com Mon Jan 30 12:51:28 2006 From: daniel at coder.com (Daniel R. Allen) Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 15:51:28 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Perl Mongers User Groups Map Message-ID: http://www.pm.org/groups/map.html Thanks to Jay of Omaha.pm and the good folks at pm.org, their map of Mongers now uses the google API and is therefore interactive (showing all groups that have provided their lat/long... such as we have.) -Daniel From eric at uc.org Tue Jan 31 11:01:19 2006 From: eric at uc.org (Eric Maki) Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 14:01:19 -0500 (EST) Subject: [kw-pm] Perlski II (Update: Cancelled) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Due to the following factors: - ultra unco-operative weather - injury and illness - lack of response I am sad to announce that I am scuttling the PerlSkiII launch. Seriously, this weather is gross. If the weather is more co-operative, I will plan a mid-February date. If you are interested, contact me with dates. regrets while 1, fishbot