Category Archives: Programming

Seven thoughts on neural network transformers

Posted on July 28, 2022 by schrodt735

If an elderly but distinguished scientist says that something is possible, he is almost certainly right; but if he says that it is impossible, he is very probably wrong.Arthur C. Clarke. (1962)[1] So, been a while, eh: last entry was … Continue reading →

Posted in Methodology, Politics, Programming | 1 Comment

Seven reflections on work—mostly programming—in 2020

Posted on January 13, 2020 by schrodt735

Reading time: Uh, I dunno: how fast do you read? [0] Well, it’s been a while since any entries here, eh? Spent much of the spring of 2019 trying to get a couple projects going that didn’t work out, then … Continue reading →

Posted in Methodology, Programming | 1 Comment

Seven current challenges in event data

Posted on March 13, 2019 by schrodt735

This is the promised follow-up to last week’s opus, “Stuff I Tell People About Event Data“, herein referenced as SITPAED. It is motivated by four concerns: As I have noted on multiple occasions, the odd thing about event data is … Continue reading →

Posted in Methodology, Programming | 1 Comment

Should an event coder be more like a baby?

Posted on June 5, 2018 by schrodt735

Last evening, as is my wont, I was reading the current issue of Science [1]—nothing like a long article on, say, the latest findings on mantle convection beneath the Hawai’i hotspot to lull one to sleep—when an article titled “Basic … Continue reading →

Posted in Methodology, Programming | 3 Comments

So, punk, think ya can start a data science program??

Posted on April 25, 2017 by schrodt735

This is the second part of a two-essay series addressing some of the features one might wish to include in a contemporary “data science” program using resources in existing quantitative “social science” programs. The first, a rather rambling polemic, addressed … Continue reading →

Posted in Higher Education, Methodology, Programming | 4 Comments

Reflections on Uber, brogrammers, and the effectiveness of working class programmers

Posted on March 5, 2017 by schrodt735

The toxic “brogrammer” culture has been in the news again, initially with the blog posting of engineer Susan J. Fowler’s year-long experience with sexual harassment at Uber, the reaction of Uber’s CEO [1] Travis Kalanick who was shocked, shocked to … Continue reading →

Posted in Methodology, Programming | 4 Comments