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ollran

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I think the most common thing to implement is the perceptron algorithm from scratch.

I would recommend Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning by Christopher M. Bishop. It assumes no previous knowledge of pattern recognition or machine learning.

Similar quote from Steve Jobs (1998)

"That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."

Interactive and high-level languages are really fun to use. This reminds me of Sharp tools essay in The Mythical Man-Month (1975).

"The most important two tools for system programming today are two that were not used in OS/360 development almost a decade ago. They are still not widely used, but all evidence points to their power and applicability. They are (1) high-level language and (2) interactive programming. I am convinced that only inertia and sloth prevent the universal adoption of these tools; the technical difficulties are no longer valid excuses."

Oh yes, reader macros, now I get it. As far as I know, you cannot write your own reader macros in Clojure (unlike in Common Lisp).

I started reading The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith and I think I'll continue with Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber. Not really compexity economics, but classical economics and anthropology.

The Art of Electronics is on my technical reading list as well.

If you are into Clojure, you will probably enjoy Elements of Clojure by Zachary Tellman. It is not a tutorial, it's more like an attempt to bring tacit knowledge of idiomatic programming practices into light.

Paul Graham is great and his blog is one of the most quotable and inspiring blogs I have ever read. I even bought Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age. It is a must read for anyone attempting to found a new start up company.