March 29, 2007
There are three qualifying rounds for the 2007 TopCoder Open Algorithm Competition, and if you place in the top 550 in one
I ranked 705; I didn't qualify. I feel very fortunate though that I've still got two more qualifying rounds where I could redeem myself.
The best way to describe my performance today would be: I sucked. To be honest, I expected to qualify today. The problems weren't all that hard. The difficult problem was too tough for me and I never bothered with it, but the easy and moderate problems were a cinch... or so they were supposed to be.
(The following narration won't make much sense unless you know the rules.)
I got fixated on a messed-up and error-prone approach for the easy problem which I couldn't even get to work properly (runtime errors). Then I panicked, opened the moderate problem, thought it was too difficult, then went back to the easy problem. I finally managed to submit a a solution which didn't have any runtime errors.
The moderate problem turned out to be not as hard as I thought. I hastily submitted a working solution, but I lost a lot of points because the timer started ticking as soon as I opened it. After that, I reviewed my solution to the easy problem and found a bug. I fixed it and submitted it again, which merited a 10-percent penalty for resubmitting. Later on, despite all my efforts, it would fail the system test because the whole approach was just plain wrong.
Discouraged, I didn't bother with the difficult problem and simply waited out the rest of the Coding Phase. The Challenge Phase did not turn out well for me either. I made one unsuccessful challenge, and got beaten to the punch to three would-be successful challenges by a matter of seconds! Argh!
(Edit: I missed the second qualifying round today... One last chance on Wednesday!)
I ranked 705; I didn't qualify. I feel very fortunate though that I've still got two more qualifying rounds where I could redeem myself.
The best way to describe my performance today would be: I sucked. To be honest, I expected to qualify today. The problems weren't all that hard. The difficult problem was too tough for me and I never bothered with it, but the easy and moderate problems were a cinch... or so they were supposed to be.
(The following narration won't make much sense unless you know the rules.)
I got fixated on a messed-up and error-prone approach for the easy problem which I couldn't even get to work properly (runtime errors). Then I panicked, opened the moderate problem, thought it was too difficult, then went back to the easy problem. I finally managed to submit a a solution which didn't have any runtime errors.
The moderate problem turned out to be not as hard as I thought. I hastily submitted a working solution, but I lost a lot of points because the timer started ticking as soon as I opened it. After that, I reviewed my solution to the easy problem and found a bug. I fixed it and submitted it again, which merited a 10-percent penalty for resubmitting. Later on, despite all my efforts, it would fail the system test because the whole approach was just plain wrong.
Discouraged, I didn't bother with the difficult problem and simply waited out the rest of the Coding Phase. The Challenge Phase did not turn out well for me either. I made one unsuccessful challenge, and got beaten to the punch to three would-be successful challenges by a matter of seconds! Argh!
(Edit: I missed the second qualifying round today... One last chance on Wednesday!)
Labels: :(, contests, programming, TopCoder
March 28, 2007
Students held hostage on bus in Manila:
"I love these kids; that's why I am here," says Jun Ducat, the hostage-taker and owner of the day-care center where the children were taken from. Ducat said the hostage-taking was for the children's benefit. With the children chanting his name, Ducat was allowed to make a rambling statement, with media microphones laid beside a loudspeaker, in which he railed against corruption and politicians' failure to make good on promises of free education and housing for the poor. "I am asking for justice so they can have continued education up to college."
That is one sick bastard.
"I love these kids; that's why I am here," says Jun Ducat, the hostage-taker and owner of the day-care center where the children were taken from. Ducat said the hostage-taking was for the children's benefit. With the children chanting his name, Ducat was allowed to make a rambling statement, with media microphones laid beside a loudspeaker, in which he railed against corruption and politicians' failure to make good on promises of free education and housing for the poor. "I am asking for justice so they can have continued education up to college."
That is one sick bastard.
Labels: current events, Philippines
March 22, 2007
I've qualified for Online Round 2 of the 2007 TopCoder Open Marathon Match Competition! Take a look at the standings here.
Well, that wasn't so hard. All you had to do was make a submission that compiled and you'd make it to the next round because the cut-off score was zero to become one of the top 500 advancers. Awesome achievement, huh? Well, I did score 2523.80 (and ranked 186) so I guess I actually earned my ticket to round 2... and a limited edition 2007 TopCoder Open t-shirt!
Well, that wasn't so hard. All you had to do was make a submission that compiled and you'd make it to the next round because the cut-off score was zero to become one of the top 500 advancers. Awesome achievement, huh? Well, I did score 2523.80 (and ranked 186) so I guess I actually earned my ticket to round 2... and a limited edition 2007 TopCoder Open t-shirt!
Labels: :D, contests, programming, TopCoder
March 19, 2007
I was invited by Dr. Rodrigo to be a mentor for the Ateneo teams joining in this year's Imagine Cup; more specifically, to the three teams joining the Software Design invitational. As a participant in the in IC 2004 (finalist in Brazil) and IC 2005 (didn't make the finals), I was more than happy to contribute what I can to the teams: project ideas, technical expertise, and lessons learned from the contest.The theme of this year's Imagine Cup is "
Labels: :D, books, contests, Imagine Cup
March 16, 2007
When you've got a broadband connection, you're probably maximizing its potential by download ingeverything you can lay your hands off. Which means your hard disks are bound to run out of space at some point (if they're not full already). Burning your stuff to DVDs is a pretty good solution, but sometimes you just want everything in one place without having to organize an entire library.
So I treated myself to an external hard disk. It's a 200GB Toshiba MK2035GSS 2.5-inch laptop hard disk that comes with a SATA-to-USB enclosure. I got it at a dirt-cheap price from TipidPC: PhP 7500 (around US$ 150). (The enclosure may look like a cheap knock-off, but at least the hard disk itself is sealed/brand-new.) A Froogle search reveals that a MK2035GSS sells for around US$ 220 so I definitely got an awesome deal.
It works perfectly, it won't hurt your wallet (but only of bought from TipidPC), it does its job well, it's huge, and it's all ready to get filled up. For all these reasons and more, the Toshiba MK2035GSS is this week's RubeTube Pick of the Week. (It is only worthy of a PoW if bought from TipidPC, so check out the seller's list if you are looking to score one of your own.)
(Interestingly enough, if you take a look at the screenshot below, Windows says that the capacity is only 186 GB. A look at the fine print below the product specs reveals the answer: "*Toshiba defines a megabyte (MB) as 1,000,000 bytes and a gigabyte (GB) as 1,000,000,000 bytes." I was fooled!)
So I treated myself to an external hard disk. It's a 200GB Toshiba MK2035GSS 2.5-inch laptop hard disk that comes with a SATA-to-USB enclosure. I got it at a dirt-cheap price from TipidPC: PhP 7500 (around US$ 150). (The enclosure may look like a cheap knock-off, but at least the hard disk itself is sealed/brand-new.) A Froogle search reveals that a MK2035GSS sells for around US$ 220 so I definitely got an awesome deal.
It works perfectly, it won't hurt your wallet (but only of bought from TipidPC), it does its job well, it's huge, and it's all ready to get filled up. For all these reasons and more, the Toshiba MK2035GSS is this week's RubeTube Pick of the Week. (It is only worthy of a PoW if bought from TipidPC, so check out the seller's list if you are looking to score one of your own.)
(Interestingly enough, if you take a look at the screenshot below, Windows says that the capacity is only 186 GB. A look at the fine print below the product specs reveals the answer: "*Toshiba defines a megabyte (MB) as 1,000,000 bytes and a gigabyte (GB) as 1,000,000,000 bytes." I was fooled!)
March 12, 2007
Wish me luck, friends. I'm going to test my coding skills at the 2007 TopCoder Open. Aside from the lure of fame and fortune, I had this nagging problem solving itch that I felt compelled to scratch.
I'll be joining the traditional Algorithm Competition and I'll also be trying out the Marathon Match Competition for the first time. The Marathon Match Competition doesn't have the same nerve-wracking time pressure as the Algorithm Competition, which is good since I have responsibilities at work that I can't just drop.
Registration is closed for the Marathon Match but it's not too late to register for the other three events (Algorithm, Component Design and Development, Studio Design). What are you waiting for?
I'll be joining the traditional Algorithm Competition and I'll also be trying out the Marathon Match Competition for the first time. The Marathon Match Competition doesn't have the same nerve-wracking time pressure as the Algorithm Competition, which is good since I have responsibilities at work that I can't just drop.
Registration is closed for the Marathon Match but it's not too late to register for the other three events (Algorithm, Component Design and Development, Studio Design). What are you waiting for?
Labels: contests, programming, TopCoder
March 08, 2007
The first edition of TechBits comes courtesy of Lifehacker. You know how Firefox resizes images to fit in the browser window when they're too large for it? Personally, I find that annoying, and if you don't like how Firefox behaves, here's how you can disable that feature:
- Open a new tab (Ctrl+T) in Firefox. Type about:config in the address bar and press Enter.
- In the "Filter" text box, start typing browser.enable_automatic_image resizing. You don't need to type the whole thing; you just need to make the setting appear in the list below.
- Double click on the browser.enable_automatic_image resizing entry in the list and the value should change to false.
- You're done!
March 06, 2007
And for the long overdue next installment of the RubeTube Pick of the Week, I present to you... Hamad Darwish's Windows Vista wallpapers. Hamad Darwish is a professional photographer who was commissioned by Microsoft for some photos to be included in the Windows Vista's wallpaper collection, and these two are the ones that actually made the cut.
A lame pick? Perhaps, but I like shuffling my desktop wallpaper from time to time. When there's a bit of a lull in the work at the office, I press Windows+D to show my desktop and I just stare blankly. When my desktop wallpaper doesn't suit my current mood (e.g., angry, frustrated, bored, harassed-by-customers, just-got-my-paycheck), I open up my collection of downloaded wallpapers and pick one that fits best. Right now, this is what's on my desktop right now:
It's easily my favorite in Hamad Darwish's collection. And it fits my current mood of "I just need something pleasing to look at". The clouds and the ripples in the water produce a soothing, calming effect. The warm presence of the sand balances out the scene to prevent it from becoming dull and boring, and its gold/rust color is just right on the eyes (i.e., doesn't make your eyes burn). The presence of rocks beautifully interrupts the plainness of the vista (he he). Awesome shot!
A lame pick? Perhaps, but I like shuffling my desktop wallpaper from time to time. When there's a bit of a lull in the work at the office, I press Windows+D to show my desktop and I just stare blankly. When my desktop wallpaper doesn't suit my current mood (e.g., angry, frustrated, bored, harassed-by-customers, just-got-my-paycheck), I open up my collection of downloaded wallpapers and pick one that fits best. Right now, this is what's on my desktop right now:
It's easily my favorite in Hamad Darwish's collection. And it fits my current mood of "I just need something pleasing to look at". The clouds and the ripples in the water produce a soothing, calming effect. The warm presence of the sand balances out the scene to prevent it from becoming dull and boring, and its gold/rust color is just right on the eyes (i.e., doesn't make your eyes burn). The presence of rocks beautifully interrupts the plainness of the vista (he he). Awesome shot!
Labels: photos, PoW, Vista, wallpapers
March 01, 2007
("Attaboy" is the term popularized by Dilbert author Scott Adams that refers to an award given by a company to recognize one of their employee's achievements. Don't underestimate the power of an attaboy.)
Last Tuesday, I received my very first attaboy, in the form of an HP eAward. eAwards are given out monthly to individuals for their outstanding work, and I finally got my turn this month. This is the text on the print-out:
Last Tuesday, I received my very first attaboy, in the form of an HP eAward. eAwards are given out monthly to individuals for their outstanding work, and I finally got my turn this month. This is the text on the print-out:
Hewlett-Packard eAwards
Congratulates
Mark C Punzalan
in appreciation for your outstanding efforts
Reason for Recognition:
Kicking off a project three days before the Holiday shutdown. Mark was able to transform vague customer requirements to transform vague customer requirements and an aggressive timeline into a fully interactive blog that was the toast of the ****** [edited out] conference.
Congratulates
Mark C Punzalan
in appreciation for your outstanding efforts
Reason for Recognition:
Kicking off a project three days before the Holiday shutdown. Mark was able to transform vague customer requirements to transform vague customer requirements and an aggressive timeline into a fully interactive blog that was the toast of the ****** [edited out] conference.
Awesome! Extra effort does pay off; I had worked at times into the wee hours of the morning for this. And now I am more motivated then ever! The attaboy effect works indeed!
After I drove Andreé home late last night, I ran into a hellish traffic jam approaching Ayala, which is something you certainly would not expect at 11 in the evening (on a non-Friday). I was actually quite happy at this turn of events, because I finally had an excuse to cough up 85 bucks and get on the Skyway.
I turned right at Ayala Avenue and found my way to the Skyway's on-ramp at Arnaiz Avenue. Home in 20 minutes. Sweet.
I turned right at Ayala Avenue and found my way to the Skyway's on-ramp at Arnaiz Avenue. Home in 20 minutes. Sweet.
