[EM] Re: BeatpathWinner algorithm

MIKE OSSIPOFF nkklrp at hotmail.com
Wed Jun 1 21:54:26 PDT 2005


Russ says:

Let's get this straight. Mike thinks that "Beatpathwinner" is a good
method, yet he could not program it correctly because he doesn't "have
Python."

I reply:

No, you haven't got it straight. I didn't say that I could not program it 
correctly. I said that I wrote and sent a correct Python BeatpathWinner 
program. That doesn't mean the same thing as saying that I could not program 
BeatpathWinner correctly.

Russ continues:

This would be sad if it weren't so funny. Python is available
for free public download at python.org, of course (not to mention
pre-installed with most Linux distros). But that is of no use to Mike
because he doesn't know how to download and install it.

I comment:

I was doing other things, including a social life, and particpating in EM. 
Russ should feel free to spend his time however he likes to, but hopefully 
he can forgive me if I don't spend my time doing what Russ thinks that I 
should do.

It was quicker and easier to write the program correctly without testing 
than it would have been to obtain and install Python. Now, if I were 
planning to write a lot of programs, then it would make sense to get the 
Python programming language. But it seemed to not make any sense to bother 
doing that just to write one program.

Russ continues:

And even if
someone did it for him, he still wouldn't know what to do with it,
because I'll bet a dollar to a donut he doesn't even know how to use a
text editor.

I reply:

It isn't entirely clear how it's relevant to the topic of EM whether or not 
I know how to use a text editor. As I said, I've written, edited, and run 
FORTRAN and BASIC programs, in courses and in individual projects, because 
those were the languages that were available at that time.

But again Russ wants to make me the topic. This is what I mean by Russ's 
100% off-topic postiing. Where are all the critics when Russ is posting 
messages that are entirely about a list-member, and which have nothing to do 
with this list's topic?

Russ says:

I'd like to pose a monumental intellectual challenge to Mike. This could
take days or even weeks to accomplish, but the result will be well worth
the effort. I challenge Mike to figure out how to change his name in the
"from" line of his emails from all caps to normal capitalization like
everyone else uses.

I comment:

Because I haven't  done anything to choose all-caps, the answer is no. I 
will not take the time and trouble to change the way my name appears. I 
couldn't care less how it appears, as long it is spelled correctly. No, I 
don't "use" all-caps. That's the way it appears, but not through any action 
by me. Get used to it, Russ.

Russ continues:

It's bad enough that I get his ponderous emails
cluttering my inbox, but I have to see "MIKE OSSIPOFF" all over the
place, like a child screaming for attention. Do you think Mike can
accomplish that, folks? I'll bet even money up to $50 that he can't or
won't do it within a month. Any takers?

I reply:

Don't wait a month. I'm not going to take the time or trouble to change the 
way my name appears because of a request from you.

Mike Ossipoff

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