For developers on the Mac, Xamarin Studio is now available as a benefit of your Visual Studio Professional or Enterprise subscription. Developers can use the newly-created Xamarin Studio Community Edition for free. To begin developing iOS and Android apps with the full power of Xamarin and C#, download Xamarin Studio or Xamarin for Visual Studio today."
“I was really surprised, to be honest,” he said. “Even already having this optimistic viewpoint that lead me to doing the acquisition, I wasn’t expecting the level of talent, passion, optimism, cooperation, and enthusiasm that I saw among Satya’s and Scott’s top team.” He also noted that he doesn’t think “the public reputation of Microsoft, even though it has improved, has caught up to the reality of what’s going on inside Microsoft.”
Base64 code encoding is convenient but not optimal, since it is using only 64 codes out of 95 view-able available in ASCII, and is using '/' and '+' that are not URL friendly.
It is using 6 out of 8 bits in a byte, so overhead compared to binary is 22/16 (37%).
It is still better than typical hex format that takes 32 bytes instead of binary 16 (100% overhead).
Since whole bytes are used, 22 final bytes can hold 132 bits,
and GUID is 16 bytes = 128 bits, so there is a 4 extra bits that could be used for checksum.
He has studied complete MIT undergrad curriculum in computer science available online for free, that includes videos of lectures, tests and exercises, and then tested himself on real exams that are also available with solutions on MIT, and in less than a year. The "trick?": online can speed up or skip lectures, and focus only on effective materials and labs.
He also traveled with a friend in 4 countries for 3 months each, to learn language.
Apparently that worked well also, since they used immersive, "no English" learning.
"Dropbox discussed their migration away from Amazon Web Services (AWS) on their blog. The blog post recounts all of the activities that have allowed them to achieve their goal of serving 90% of all user data exclusively from their own data centers. The project, named “Magic Pocket”, called for in-house developed software and hardware to be built to support their customer needs.
Dropbox has seen 12x growth since 2012. During this timeframe, the amount of storage required for customer data has increased from 40 petabytes to 500 petabytes in order to serve their 500 million users.
“There were a couple reasons behind this decision. First, one of our key product differentiators is performance. Bringing storage in-house allows us to customize the entire stack end-to-end and improve performance for our particular use case. Second, as one of the world’s leading providers of cloud services, our use case for block storage is unique. We can leverage our scale and particular use case to customize both the hardware and software, resulting in better unit economics.” Dropbox Intro Video - Magic Pocket - YouTube
Ikigai - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Ikigai (生き甲斐, pronounced [ikiɡai]) is a Japanese concept meaning "a reason for being". Everyone, according to the Japanese, has an ikigai. Finding it requires a deep and often lengthy search of self. Such a search is regarded as being very important, since it is believed that discovery of one's ikigai brings satisfaction andmeaning to life.[1] Examples include work, hobbies and raising children.[2] The term ikigai is composed of two Japanese words: iki (生き?), referring to life, and kai (甲斐?), which roughly means "the realisation of what one expects and hopes for".
In the culture of Okinawa, ikigai is thought of as "a reason to get up in the morning"; that is, a reason to enjoy life. In a TED Talk, Dan Buettner suggested ikigai as one of the reasons people in the area had such long lives.[3]"
"A rich library of helpers, services, and base classes for new and existing Windows UWP apps to maximize awesomeness and minimize boilerplate garbage.
A community-built, set of Windows XAML/.NET app templates with basic design patterns. It leverages the Template 10 library (in NuGet) to maximize awesomeness and minimize boilerplate garbage. This extension adds two new project templates for Windows apps: Template 10 (Blank) and Template 10 (Minimal)."
A Developer's Guide to Windows 10 | Channel 9 "Want an in-depth look at the Universal Windows Platform (UWP)? Engaging experts Jerry Nixon and Andy Wigley, of the Developer's Guide to Windows 10 Preview, return to show you how Windows capabilities and social integration can help you create amazing experiences on devices running Windows 10, including phones, tablets, PCs, and even (coming soon) Xbox"
"Samsung has announced that it is now shipping its PM1633a SSD...isn't just the biggest SSD around, it's straight-up the biggest drive around. At 15.36TB, it dwarfs other SSDs and surpasses the capacity even of the very latest magnetic spinning disks. Remarkably, it packs all this storage into a conventional 2.5-inch package."
"At the Flash Memory Summit, as reported by Golem.de, Samsung showed off a server with 48 of these new SSDs, with a total storage capacity of 768 terabytes and performance rated at 2,000,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second). By comparison, the consumer-grade SSD that you have in your PC is probably capable of around 10,000-90,000 IOPS, depending on the workload. ... Today, an enterprise-grade 1TB SSD will cost you about £600 or $1,000; an enterprise-grade helium-filled 8TB hard drive from HGST costs about £400 or $700." IOPS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"This course gives you easy access to the invaluable learning techniques used by experts in art, music, literature, math, science, sports, and many other disciplines. We’ll learn about the how the brain uses two very different learning modes and how it encapsulates (“chunks”) information. We’ll also cover illusions of learning, memory techniques, dealing with procrastination, and best practices shown by research to be most effective in helping you master tough subjects. Using these approaches, no matter what your skill levels in topics you would like to master, you can change your thinking and change your life."
The Most Popular Online Course Teaches You to Learn - The New York Times "With 1,192,697 students enrolled since the course was created last year, “Learning How to Learn,” which is offered by the University of California through Coursera, an online learning company which has partnered with a number of universities, has narrowly edged out the more tightly focused course, “Machine Learning,” taught by Stanford University professor Andrew Ng, which currently has 1,122,031 students enrolled."
... procrastination... studies have shown that if you look at something you don't like, the pain centers of your brain actually activate. ... And so in some sense, procrastination can actually be a little bit like an addiction.
You do it once, you do it twice-- it's not that big a deal. You do it a lot of times, though, and it actually can be very, very detrimental for your life.
... the most effective way to help you deal with procrastination... Pomodoro Technique. ... recommends you set a timer for 25 minutes...and then you turn off everything else.
...And then you work with as careful a focused attention as you can for those 25 minutes.
... focusing on the task and the time, and not the pain of "I must complete this task,"
it somehow makes it so much easier to do... And then when you're done, you reward yourself.
And that reward is actually very important.. relax, and enjoy, and do something different.
...Because we know that some aspects of learning take place during this relaxed process"
"The Pomodoro Technique starts with a 25-minute interval of work...Once the 25 minutes is up, you take a 5-minute break. The break is meant to be away from the work entirely"
relaxed, neural resting, broad thinking, big picture perspective
when you need to find a new pattern
For learning, need to do a little work every day, to build "neuro-scaffold" for thinking
Brain is switching between modes, can't be in both at the same time. Learning: creating and reinforcing synapses connections between neurons, changing structure of the brain. Sleep is essential for learning.
Chunking
"chunks": compact packages of information, that the mind can easily access it is enough to get main idea, "the chunk"
"illusion of competence in learning" when just reading / viewing material without testing or recall
"overlearning": sometimes ineffective, spending too much time
"interleaving": intelligent switching between subjects
How to form a Chunk:
grasp bits o knowledge, skills, "mini chunks" that letter join to form larger chunks, more complex skills. Learning "bit by bit", starting from sample problems and workouts with solutions. It is important to focus on connections between the steps:
Focusundivided attention on information trying to learn
Understand the basic idea; understanding is like a supper-glue holding memory together without understanding chunks are mostly useless, since they can't relate to other material Just understanding is not enough; need to review/test soon after learning to reinforce. Only doing something yourself creates neural patterns for mastery of a subject.
Gaining context, lean not just "how" but also "when" to use and not to use the chunk. Repeating and practicing in related and unrelated problems.
bottom up learning (practice and repetition)
top down (big picture) learning
Avoid "illusions of competence"
Importance of recall, mini-testing, and making mistakes
re-reading is much less productive that recall (look away and see what you remembered) and practicing and testing.
drawing concept maps is also found not to be as effective as recall and practice since basic chunks is not well established
retrieval process itself enhances deep learning, help in forming of chunks, building "neural hooks"
4 slots in working memory; chunks take less space
"you" need to practice, not to just recognize somebody else's solution
highlighting and underlining must be minimized
notes and words on margin and very useful
testing is the best way to avoid illusion of competence
mistakes are very valuable for learning, to repair thinking errors
useful to recall outside of the typical environment
Bigger Picture
When you are interesting in something learning is easy. Why?
Neuro-modulators: chemicals that carry information about importance and value for the future
Acetylcholine: for focused learning, paying close attention, leading to new long term memory
Dopamine:controls motivation; reward learning; in basal ganglia; released when we receive unexpected reward; predicting future rewards; addictive drugs artificially increase dopamine activity, leading to craving and dependance lack of dopamine leads to rigidity, parkinson disease
Seratonin: affects social life; alpha males have the most; prosaic drug increases it; lower level of seratonin leads to risk taking behavior;
Motions are also strongly affecting learning; "amygdala" part of the brain where motion and cognition are integrated; part of limbic system for processing memory and decision making, and regulating emotional reactions
Library of chunks
"Chunks" are pieces of information bound together through use and meaning;
essential for effective learning: a way to compress information;
experts in various fields develop a large "libraries" of chunks (neural patterns) for effective problem solving. It it necessary to practice with new "chunks" otherwise they faint and disappear.
Chunks are best developed by focused attention, understanding and practice.
"Recall" is very effective, remember the single point without looking at the page;
building "neuro-hooks" to better understand the material; help to recall in different places;
Minimize highlighting, that can fool you into illusion of learning.
"Transfer" is using chunks in understanding new concepts in a different similar domain.
Solving problems techniques:
Sequential reasoning: step by step, focused mode
Holistic intuition: creative diffused mode; good for solving difficult concepts, new ideas; should be carefully verified by using focused mode; "intuitive" insights are not always correct.
Law of Serendipity: "Lady Luck favors the one who tries"
after the first concept, the second and third concept comes more easily
Just pick one tiny thing to learn, and then another, and another. Just keep trying.
Overlearning: Studying oven and over again is useful for "automaticity" that can be helpful, but is a waste in single learning session; repeating what you already know can lead to "illusion of competence" when you have only mastered "easy stuff"; instead, deliberately focus on what you find more difficult: "deliberate practice" very useful: mini-test yourself frequently, to verify you are learning the material
Eistellung (German word for Mindset) initial idea, thought, may prevent a better idea or solution to be found; to avoid jump to focused mode use diffused mode, to "unlearn" older wrong ideas.
Choking: "jumping to water before learning how to swim"
Interleaving: mastering a new subject requires not only creating chunks but also select and use different chunks. The best way to jump between different situations that require mixing different strategies. Learn not only "how" but also "when" to use a technique.
Procrastination
Good learning requires long term effort by spacing. Instant cramming does not build solid memory.
So postponing is a significant issue since it reduces available time to learn of effective pace.
Procrastination is similar to addiction, feels good on short term and can be devastating on long term. Willpower is a limited resource, so that is not an effective method to deal with procrastination.
Good habits are the best strategy to deal with procrastination.
The advantage of habits is that they do not require conscious thinking, so they save energy.
Habits can be good or bad. They include 4 parts
The Cue: a trigger
The Routine: "zombie mode", habitual response to the cue
The Reward: immediate feeling of pleasure
The Belief: habits have power because you believe in them
It is perfectly normal to have a few negative feelings about learning session. Solution: "focus on process, not on product":
i.e. spend 20 minutes working, put the best effort for a short period, "flow of work".
Note: this is common misunderstanding with pomodoro technique:
should focus not on "task" but "interval" of 25 minutes.
Process allows you to do unpleasant things that need to be done. Habits are useful since it is much easier to focus on process. Building good habits by changing reaction to a cue.
Cues categories: location, time, how you feel, reactions Avoid damaging habits by preventing cues, distractions (just let them flow away)
Key for re-wiring routine is to have a plan, a new ritual.
Reward could be substituted by sense of accomplishing something, even small, or some desired thing, to create sense of craving: expectation that help establish new habits. The better you become in something the more enjoyable it becomes.
Belief that you can do it is the most important. Community can help.
Effective learning: weekly list of key tasks => daily to-do task list evening before.
That helps subconscious mind to figure out how to accomplish them.
Task list is freeing working memory. Keep journal on what works and what does not.
Important to plan stop time also.
"Eat your frog": do most difficult task first in the morning, at least one pomodoro.
Memory
Humans have outstanding "visual-spatial" (space-related) memory system,
for retaining general info about a place. That is result of evolution and environment.
("where things are and how they look") Images connect directly to visual-spatial centers in brain, "neural hooks"
The funnier images the better, to be registered in temporary memory.
To store in long term memory need to: be memorable, and repeated.
Repeat sporadically over several days, i.e. by index cards, write by hand, on both sides. Anki - powerful, intelligent flashcards
There are short term (working) and long term memory.
Brain part hippocampus is related to learning and memory of facts and events.
Process of storing to cortex is called "memory consolidation" could take many years.
Memories are not fixed, they keep changing all of the time.
On every recalling of memory it changes, by "reconsolidation" (during sleep).
By this process it is even possible to implant false memories.
Reinstated memory is in a new context, and could also be saved to long term.
As we learn new things our old memories also change. Spaced repetition reinforces memory.
"Tricks" to enhance memory: create meaningful groups to simplify, i.e. acronyms,
or associating numbers with memorable events, or memorable sentences.
"Memory palace" technique: i.e. visually associate layout of known house to concepts to remember unrelated items. Improves with practice. Exercise in creativity, helps learning and understanding.
To become a better learner (based on brain scicence):
Exercise: new neurons are born every day, and used for learning; if not used for new experiences new neurons will die.
"Practice makes perfect" but only when the brain is prepared;
"prefrontal cortex", maturing in early adulthood": social behavior, complex analysis, making decisions, planning
"visual cortex", maturing in childhood
Techniques:
learn using metaphor and analogy: the more visual the better; stories help; metaphors "glue an idea to the mind" by connecting to existing structures
work profitably with teammates
perform well on tests
Progress in learning: not linear; occasional "restructuring"; takes time to assimilate new knowledge
Using "chunks" to represent complex concepts in a simpler way.
People learn by trying to make sense of the information they perceive.
Once learned, concepts (libraries of chunks) become well trained intuition.
Intelligence matters; larger memory helps, but it also makes it more difficult to be creative.
"Deliberate practice" can help lift average brains to compare with "natural gifts"
"Imposter syndrome": feeling of inadequacy, common in people
Some parts of brain don't finish development at different times for different people.
Teenage: wiring between intention and control area in brain is not completely formed.
Practice, using brain, help strengthen and reinforce connections between brain regions.
We can make significant changes in the brain by changing how we think.
"Perseverance": the virtue of the less brilliant, ability to admit errors.
Learning on your own, finding fresh paths; most important: taking responsibility for own learning, unique path to mastery. Each material (book, video) is a partial version (2D) of full (3D) reality of the subject.
Social environment: a challenge; the more you achieve, the more people feel threatened, criticize.
Empathy is not universally beneficial; sometimes need to "tune some people out".
Not everyone is naturally compassionate, some people don't want to help.
Avoiding overconfidence; brain hemispheres:
Left ("interpret the world", try not to change): "focused mode", analytical; + rigidity, dogmatism, egocentricity
Right ("reality check", big picture): "diffused mode", creativity + step back and verify
Quote: "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool" - Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize winning physicist.
One of best way to catch blindspots is to brainstorm, work and study with others.
While study groups can be very useful, if study sessions become socializing, all bets are off.
Testing is an extraordinary powerful learning experience, including mini-tests,
reinforcing recall, "concentrating the mind"
Testing is much more effective usage of time than just studying.
work with classmates on homework problems or check solutions with others
attempt to outline every homework problem solution
participate actively in homework group discussions
consult with the instructor
understand all homework problem solutions
ask in class for explanations of problem solutions unclear to you
use a study guide
outline lots of problem solutions quickly
go over study guide and quiz one another
attend a review session
reasonable night sleep before the test
Hard Start - Jump to Easy technique (for tests)
(usually wrong) idea: by the time you can tackle easy problem you will be confident in handling more difficult problems. This works for some people, but not for most people.
Solution: start with hardest problems and quickly jump to easy ones.
This way you initiate diffused mode for handling hard problems, avoid getting stuck.
Efficient, since it allows different parts of the brain to work simultaneously.
Helpful Hints for Tests
body "cortisol" chemical is reaction to stress, causing sweaty palms, racing hard, a knot of stomach.
Interpretation of stress makes all the difference: afraid (can't do it) => excited (do my best)
Good technique: turn attention to your breathingfrom stomach, slow, relax,
counter "fight or flight" response that fuels anxiety. Practice breathing before the test.
Especially helpful: deliberately move to a deep breathing pattern.
Cover up the answers and try to recall answers on your own first
Try test in similar conditions as real test
Face your fears; have a "plan B" that can help subside the fear
Study hard, and then "let it go"
"Good worry": motivation and focus; "Bad worry": wastes energy
Day before the test have a quick look on material, don't push too hard.
On the test, shift attention and then double-check answers from big picture perspective.
Do checking in reverse order, to get fresh perspective
"Change your thoughts, change your life"
Enhancing neural structure by practicing thoughts that use those neurons.
Use whole brain, to double-check if answers make sense, avoid overconfidence.
The tool is using code annotations and reflection to extract structure info from the code,
and then visualize from that information; also suggested GraphViz tool.
"Structurizr is an implementation of Simon Brown's C4 software architecture model - Context, Containers, Components and Classes (or Code). The C4 model provides a way to easily and effectively communicate the static structure of a software system using a simple hierarchy of building blocks and associated diagrams. It's a way to create maps of your software."
sw tool: Structurizr
people want to connect to ideas, to "true believer" leaders
"product that tells a story"
Comanche Marketing: Seth Godin on Marketing to Stand Out "Godin stresses the need to be boldly different to attract attention. According to Godin, playing it safe is risky. Godin also talks about attracting the early adopters because they're passionate and talk to other people, lots of other people."
A new buzz-word for "higher abstraction level" apps. The name should be more uplifting.
A common challenge: hiding too much, and no common vocabulary (explicit semantics)
A good solutions would be a web++, not rigid as semantic web but flexible as html.
TechNet VC 2016 | Channel 9 "TechNet Virtual Conference 2016 is a three day event covering products such as Windows 10 and Azure, and major IT topics such as security and management. It's a technology summit you don't want to miss, presented by expert Microsoft and industry speakers delivered straight to your desk or mobile device."
Webhook - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Webhooks are "user-defined HTTP callbacks".[2] They are usually triggered by some event, such as pushing code to a repository[3] or a comment being posted to a blog.[4]When that event occurs, the source site makes an HTTP request to the URI configured for the webhook. Users can configure them to cause events on one site to invoke behaviour on another. The action taken may be anything. Common uses are to trigger builds with continuous integration systems[5] or to notify bug tracking systems.[6] Since they use HTTP, they can be integrated into web services without adding new infrastructure.[7]" ASP.NET WebHooks RC 1
DraganSr: WebHooks (October 2015)
The semantics of callbacks is not standardized, so is just one more way to make HTTP API calls, different for each site. Is increasing complexity of web-based systems avoidable?
Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution! | TED Talk | TED.com "Short poem from W. B. Yeats: "Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths, Enwrought with gold and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths Of night and light and the half-light, I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." And every day, everywhere, our children spread their dreams beneath our feet. And we should tread softly." Ken Robinson: How to escape education's death valley | TED Talk | TED.com "curiosity is an engine of achievement" "education is about learning; if there is no learning going on there is no education" "the role of the teacher is to facilitate learning; that's it" "There's a wonderful quote from Benjamin Franklin. "There are three sorts of people in the world:
Those who are immovable, people who don't get it, or don't want to do anything about it;
there are people who are movable, people who see the need for change and are prepared to listen to it;
and there are people who move, people who make things happen."
Microsoft Is Testing Azure IoT Platform From The Stratosphere - Forbes "The team at Microsoft Research is deploying a balloon in the stratosphere loaded with sensors and cameras, which is connected to the Azure IoT platform. The balloon will send real-time telemetry along with live flight video. ...Pegasus 1 experiment relied on a distributed computing framework called Project Orleans, and Piraeus gateway – a high-velocity, self-organizing subsystem"
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