[Blindmath] A Blog Post on Pronunciation Guides for Mathematical Notation, Expressions, and Greek Letters

[Bernard M Diaz]

Hi,

There is a phrase in computing called Linus' Law by Eric Raymond
"many eyeballs make bugs shallow".  Eric, has modified what he
said to be politically correct - he wrote the hugely influential
samizdat article "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" on system
development; that trod on some big toes ...

Well it's true, "understanding" bugs are shallow when there are
many eyes.  Of course the delight (we know) is that all eyeballs
have different perspectives, and some, like this pair sometimes
drive fingers ... "thankyou", with a bow ... and yes, they do
(sometimes) read carefully ...

While on the topic, look at the IBM "Many eyes" project on
visualising pattern at:

http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/page/About.html

OK, "visualisations" here are mostly labelled blobs laid out such
that nearness and blob size, shape and colour impart some extra
grouping information.  Actual pattern? mmm, at best "hierarchy"
connected by drawn lines - as in graphs and special shapes
(the essential oblong that is US for example).
The best feature, well, each is limited to a notional single sheet.

The "patterns" are in all cases what you bring to the image, e.g.
that California is near to New York, and that lower is small and
higher (on a graph) is big.  A small blob, is well smaller, than
a big blob.  "Pattern" mmm?

Precise detail and standardisation, pose the bigger problem.
A little like 2D layout in some symbolic maths expressions
think of "summation" or "matrix" - is there anything that could
be borrowed to describe these that would make maths understanding
and some meaningful pattern, a little easier?  If keyboard keys
locked up, defining lines across the pattern of the keys, then
keyboard presses would identify areas - because they'd generate
a voicing - like mapping to groups of US states, perhaps?
(How may keys? how many states? - mmm could we knock a few smaller
ones together ...?)
What about the numeric pad, 9 values of a matrix/table. + takes
you to the right 0 down, enter back to the top (errm that's how
mine is laid out ...)? Yeah, well maybe not so good an idea ...
Or someone has already done it?

But maybe an "eyeball" out there may see something in addition
to the nonsense?

Kind regards - Bernard Diaz

Roopakshi Pathania wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Wow Bernard, I had no notion that people actually read the stuff I
> post to this list, let alone go into such depths.
> 
> Thanks