Coding the Matrix: Linear Algebra through Computer Science Applications About the Course When you take a digital photo with your phone or transform the image in Photoshop, when you play a video game or watch a movie with digital effects, when you do a web search or make a phone call, you are using technologies that build upon linear algebra. Linear algebra provides concepts that are crucial to many areas of computer science, including graphics, image processing, cryptography, machine learning, computer vision, optimization, graph algorithms, quantum computation, computational biology, information retrieval and web search. Linear algebra in turn is built on two basic elements, the matrix and the vector. In this class, you will learn the concepts and methods of linear algebra, and how to use them to think about problems arising in computer science. Recommended Background You should be an experienced programmer. You are not expected to have any background in linear algebra. Suggested Readings Coding the Matrix is an optional companion textbook.
Portfolio de Raphaël Velt Algorithmic Thinking (Part 1) - Rice University About the Course When presented with a problem from a scientific domain, a Computer Scientist goes through a set of steps in order to provide a solution for the problem. These steps include: (1) understanding the problem; (2) formulating the problem mathematically; (3) designing an algorithm; (4) implementing the algorithm; and (5) solving the original scientific problem. This course will train students in how to employ algorithmic thinking by following these five steps to solve real-world problems. Understanding the problem entails holding conversations with domain experts to understand the parameters of the problem, what data they can provide to the computer program, what answers they expect, etc. While the course emphasizes implementing the algorithms and solving the original problems that gave rise to the need for these algorithms in the first place, much of this two-part course (part 2 is available here) will be devoted to the third step, namely, algorithm design. Course Format
Nutrition and Physical Activity for Health About the Course Over 65 percent of adults and over 30 percent of children meet the classification of being overweight or obese, and with this excess weight comes numerous health conditions that include heart disease, diabetes, cancer, musculoskeletal disorders, and even impairments in cognitive function. Because in most cases the core cause of obesity and its related health conditions is a poor quality of diet and lack of sufficient physical activity, it is no surprise that to reverse this health problem a foundation of proper nutrition and sufficient physical activity is imperative. This course is designed to provide a foundation of nutritional knowledge to develop a sustainable pattern of healthy eating. Ultimately, this information can only be of value if individuals understand how to engage in these healthy behaviors within their daily lives when they are faced with challenges and barriers. Course Syllabus There are no required textbooks for this course. Week 1: Recommended Background
information design patterns cookbook a sophisticated online collection of about 48 design patterns that describe distinct methods for the display of interactive information graphics, their active behavior as well as the forms of user interaction with them. as part of the written thesis in Interface Design from Christian Behrens, a freelance interface designer in Berlin, the website aims to inform graphic designers who need to deal with complex tasks in the field of information design, but do not have any specific knowledge in statistics or data visualization. it is intended as an online "cookbook" that offers a set of tools & methods to cope with all common forms of data visualization, similar to design patterns in computer science, such as the Yahoo! Design Pattern Library. Chris informed me there is the possibility to publish the thesis as a book. any interest from infosthetics readers? [link: niceone.org|thnkx angus & Christian]
Video Listing Having trouble viewing lectures? Try changing players. Your current player format is html5. Change to flash. I. (expanded, click to collapse) II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XV. Nutrition for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Module 1: Introduction to Nutrition Science If you are what you eat, you should probably know something about how to eat! In this introductory module, you will learn about the field of nutrition science, the basics of nutrition research and some important terms that will set the stage for the remainder of the class. This module ends with a global look at meal planning guides and tools and provides you with an opportunity to determine your own individual nutrient needs. Module 2: Heart Disease Heart disease is the number one cause of death around the world. Module 3: Diabetes Globally, it is estimated that 438 million people – or roughly 8% of the world’s population – will have diabetes by 2030. Module 4: Cancer Diet and cancer are certainly linked; but the degree to which food intake impacts the development and progression of cancer is still not entirely understood. Module 5: Obesity and Weight Management Global statistics for obesity did not exist 50 years ago. Yes. Yes.
Accordion Pattern - Design Pattern Library An accordion (or accordion menu) is a grouped set of collapsible panels that provides access to a large number of links or other selectable items in a constrained space. Each inlaid panel may be individually expanded (usually leaving the rest collapsed), generally by hovering on or clicking the title of (or an expand/collapse element on) the specific panel, to display a single subset of the options. What Problem Does This Solve? When there are too many items to fit into a limited space or when the number of items, if displayed all at once, would overwhelm the user, then the question is how to give the user access to all of the items in digestible chunks and without requiring scrolling, which can remove the user from the context or page position they may prefer. When to Use This Pattern Use when the number of options is large, the space is constrained, and the list of items can be logically grouped into smaller, roughly equal sized chunks. What's the Solution? Recommendations Options
A Brief History of Humankind About the Course About 2 million years ago our human ancestors were insignificant animals living in a corner of Africa. Their impact on the world was no greater than that of gorillas, zebras, or chickens. Today humans are spread all over the world, and they are the most important animal around. This course will explain how we humans have conquered planet Earth, and how we have changed our environment, our societies, and our own bodies and minds. · We rule the world because we are the only animal that can believe in things that exist purely in our own imagination, such as gods, states, money and human rights. · Humans are ecological serial killers – even with stone-age tools, our ancestors wiped out half the planet's large terrestrial mammals well before the advent of agriculture. · The Agricultural Revolution was history’s biggest fraud – wheat domesticated Sapiens rather than the other way around. · Money is the most universal and pluralistic system of mutual trust ever devised. Part IV.
Getting Started - Design Pattern Library Welcome! You've found your way to our pattern library and we hope you find it helpful. If you still aren't sure just exactly what a pattern is then you may want to take a moment to review our About the Pattern Library page, where we explain what we mean when we talk about user experience design patterns. After getting oriented, there are a few ways you can plunge in and start working with the patterns in this library: Browse the Patterns When you're looking for inspiration, trying to find out what has worked in the past, or are trying to come up with a framework for a design project, explore the pattern collection, which currently offers patterns in the following categories: Download a Stencil Kit Patterns are informative and educational, and they can help you out in a pinch, but nothing speeds up brainstorming and design processes like a library of stencil shapes you can drag and drop onto your canvas. Try 'em out! Join the Community Let us know when you see something that could be improved.