Gave up on the particle filter thing today, for this project at least. I did get it working, but my heuristic position estimations were already so good that there wasn't really any improvement to be gained using the particle filters anyway. I've started implementing a different kind of filter that I'm not sure has a name, but which should help to smooth out the kinks in my data with MUCH less computational overhead than the particles.
The way I look at it, even if what I'm currently trying to do comes to nothing in the end, the act of going through and implementing it will force me to clean up my code a lot, which will make it easier to reuse for the next project. I look forward to the day when I don't have to implement any of the nuts and bolts stuff from scratch anymore. In fact, I look forward to the day when "programming" is little more than the act of "having an idea", and the rest is automatically taken care of for you. Seriously... I feel like 80% of the work of programming is just managing little details that, with a little thought, could easily manage themselves.
Other quick updates on my life - I went on sort of a date tonight, but the "awesomeness" of that is highly dependent on future developments, so it doesn't go into the T3A yet. My room is still a disaster area, although once I can get my hands on a pipe cutter, things will be much more manageable. :) My inbox is as full as ever, but I'm hoping to start dealing with that now that things seem to be cooling down at work, and I'm almost completely finished listening to the Hitchhiker's Guide radio series. Also, it sounds like a few of us may get together to go to the Agonshu Hoshi Matsuri again this Sunday! Not sure I wouldn't rather just sleep in, but I guess once the wheels are rolling, they're rolling.
T3A for today:
#1 - A new friend.
So I finally got to meet this guy Gary at work. I've heard of him, of course... usually in hushed tones between paranoid glances over the shoulder. But today, by chance, I ended up having lunch with him. He's lefty, which is an a priori plus, and I remarked that I thought he looked kind of like Matthew Broderick. His response... "Yeah, sometimes people tell me that, but I don't get it. I mean, Matthew Broderick is white!" (Gary is Canadian.) Anyway, I'm glad I was able to make that connection. He seems like a cool guy. Oh, and his name is a near-homophone for the Japanese word for diarrhea. That's gotta be tough.
#2 - Christian Slater
I was stunned to discover today that Christian Slater starred in the Hitchhiker's Guide radio series (Quandary Phase) as Wonko the Sane! Christian Slater!!!
Of course, if I had known from the start that he was in it, I would have expected something more in line with his characters from "Heathers" or "Pump Up The Volume". Sort of a sneering cynicism or something. He played the part pretty straight, as it turns out. Still, hearing his name in the end credits was pretty cool, especially since I've never heard of any of the other voice actors in the entire production.
#3 - Random.
This was something kind of funny that Andrew observed at the drink bar at Joyfull today. It's the hot tea machine, and we were all pretty stumped as to what this could be trying to communicate by the phrase, "Do Not Serve". Note that the tea dispenser was fully-functional, as always.
(Sorry for the substandard photo quality... took this one with my phone)
Haha, so much for "making it short" tonight.
2 comments:
Ah, wish I was there, you know how I like tidying stuff up. :) Anyhow, my idea for the handle is that it's in the "off" position AKA "do not serve"? Either that or you're not supposed to eat it.
"Tidying up?"
Tidying up is something you do to a living room with matching wood furniture, floral-print curtains, and doilies, just before the guests come over for tea.
My room needs something more on a par with using a backhoe to sift through earthquake wreckage.
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