IIFIFFIFPFIIICCCIICIFPPCFIIC

Since 12PM European time on Friday (3AM here), I've been working on and off on the ICFP contest (http://icfpcontest.org). It is a "functional programming" contest by name, but just a difficult programming puzzle by nature.

The general idea is that we have a blob of text (containing only I, C, F, and P) about 7.5MB long, that we have to get a picture from. First, there is a procedure in which the text is read in chunks, and then modified (by prepending), until it is all gone. During this, a new stream of text is created, which must be parsed into instructions for how to draw on a 600x600 canvas. Once we can do this (according to some given rules) correctly, we have to figure out how to create an almost completely new image by adding some prefix to the original blob and running it through again.

It is a pretty intense puzzle, as they've basically created a virtual stack machine in machine code written in 4 characters, but the cool thing is that after two days, we've begun to understand a significant portion of it. It's pretty cool being able to look at a bunch of seemingly random characters (see title) and actually see form and semantic meaning come out.

Box of Sunshine?

I awoke today to a smell that seemed familiar, but from a place and time far away, as if it was a commonplace sensation in a past life. It was somewhat disturbing, but faint, and I paid it little mind.

I found its source when I walked outside. Into rain.

What.

(It was gone by lunchtime, don't worry.)

Battles!

Last Monday, I went to see a band called Battles play in San Francisco. They were very good. If you find yourself listening to something they've recorded, make sure to turn it up really really loud in order to enjoy it the most, and then go see them live because the recordings really don't capture much of what's there.

On Wednesday, I returned to San Francisco to see fireworks. They were firework-ish, as expected. The return trip was pretty rough, because apparently all of the Bay area chose to go see the same fireworks in the same spot, using the same Caltrain to get there. One would think I would have thought of that beforehand.

That is all. I have a new mini-project that involves lots of reading Ruby, which is unfortunate, because I love writing Ruby but it is absolute torture to read.