The Yoda of Silicon Valley

Donald Knuth, master of algorithms, reflects on 50 years of his opus-in-progress, “The Art of Computer Programming.”

Accessible to non-technical people, the biography of Knuth and his interests. How has his work greatly influenced the art of programming today?

The Google Trips app, created in 2016, is an “orienteering algorithm” that maps out a day’s worth of recommended touristy activities. The team was working on “maximizing the quality of the worst day” — for instance, avoiding sending the user back to the same neighborhood to see different sites. They drew inspiration from a 300-year-old algorithm by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler, who wanted to map a route through the Prussian city of Königsberg that would cross each of its seven bridges only once. Dr. Knuth addresses Euler’s classic problem in the first volume of his treatise. (He once applied Euler’s method in coding a computer-controlled sewing machine.)

The Yoda of Silicon Valley in The New York Times

The Rise of Grocery Delivery

A niche and unfamiliar channel deals with a rarely discussed new section of city business with lovely animations. What could be better? Do we even know what fast grocery delivery is?

What may stand out is their presence everywhere, be it through their riders or their advertising that you may have even seen before watching this video.

We already know common couriers on bicycles and food deliveries. But this is completely new. Shopping pushed to the extreme thanks to technology.

Watch The Rise of Grocery Delivery from Romulus

Why does anything exist?

Why does anything exist? Why is there something rather than nothing? Wouldn’t nothing have been so much easier?

The philosophical essay explores perhaps the most interesting questions in the history of mankind. Note, it's a long read.

Why does anything exist? in Always Asking

The Sample

Special offer

The Sample is a newsletter that lets you sample other newsletters by forwarding you a different issue each day based on your interests. If you like the issue, you have the option to “Subscribe in 1 Click” within the email. You can also rate the issues so that The Sample learns your preferences. I love this effortless way of discovering new things.

Refind

Special offer

Tens of thousands of smart people start their day with Refind. The 7 most relevant links from around the web, tailored to your interests. With summaries by the authors and highlights by the community.

If you liked this release, subscribe using the button below. Thank you!

PS: You can buy me a coffee in the ko-fi.