Some AVR Libraries
Here are a few commonly useful source code libraries intended to serve as hardware abstracting modules or general purpose modules for AVR microcontroller applications compiled with GCC. They are not guaranteed to be fit for any particular purpose, but I have used them over the years on a number of projects on ATmega32, ATmega64 and [...]
Posted in Software Development | Tags: adc, atmega, atmega32, atmega644, atmel avr, avr, avrgcc, data acquisition, fixed-point, gcc, library, lookup, microcontroller, spi, spi master, spi slave, trigonometry, uart | No Comments
Reliable Serial File Transport
Here is a small command-line tool for transporting small files (up to 1MB) over an unreliable serial link. Internally, it uses a flexible automatic repeat request (ARQ) protocol to maximize efficiency while guaranteeing reliable transfer over a serial link of unspecified reliability and latency. (It was originally used to transfer pictures between military radios.) The [...]
Posted in Software Development | Tags: ARQ, automatic repeat request, best-effort, comm port, file transfer, filepipe, quality-of-service, reliability layer, reliable communications, rs232, serial link, serial port, transport layer, unreliable connection | No Comments
Funny Tax Laws
Humour is not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of accountants and lawyers, but somehow, a joke has slipped into the South African Tax Code. It concerns depreciating assets, but before you can depreciate… ahem… appreciate the joke, you need a little accounting background. In the world of accounting, assets depreciate [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: asset depreciation, asset life, declining-balance method, depreciation, diminishing-value method, income tax, irs, linear depreciation, sars, straight-line method, tax, wear and tear allowances, write off period | No Comments
Information Theory Plots
When considering a matter in the light of both probability- and information theory, it sometimes becomes tiresome to switch between the two perspectives. Here is a little assistant for the mental juggling. (PDF)
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: binary channel, bits, entropy, information theory, probability, Shannon, surprisal | No Comments
Profitability and Information
In the previous post (Optimal Market Exposure), we saw how trading requires information superior to the “outside world’s belief”, in order to be profitable. The trader may obtain this information by analyzing market fundamentals or technicals, or both. It is actually obvious that better information facilitates better trading, and more profits, but here we will [...]
Posted in Quantitative Finance | Tags: efficient market hypothesis, entropy, forex, geometric growth, information theory, Kullback-Leibler divergence, lot size, market, random walk market, Shannon, trader | No Comments
Optimal Market Exposure
Having established in the previous post (Logarithmic Utility of Wealth) that the utility of a rational, small, long-term trader’s account is logarithmic in the account’s size, we are in a position to mathematically optimize how much risk (exposure) the trader should take on a given opportunity. We do this simply by maximizing expected utility with [...]
Posted in Quantitative Finance | Tags: amount, forex, investment, leverage, lot size, market exposure, modern portfolio theory, money management, optimal leverage, pips, spread, stop loss, take profit, trade | No Comments
Logarithmic Utility of Wealth
The previous post (Utility Function of Wealth) discussed and described the typical general shape of the utility function of wealth, and touched on some applications. Here, we will consider a special case, with an exact curve. Consider a rational trader – a trader that is emotionally detached from his account, and whose objective is to [...]
Posted in Quantitative Finance | Tags: forex, logarithmic utility, money management, trade, trader, utility function, wealth utility | No Comments
The Information Argument
You may want to read these posts before continuing: Ineffability of Qualia What is Sentience? The Dualist’s Predicament Refuting Physicalism Subjectively Imagine a universe with two rooms, called room0 and room1. In each room, there is a note lying face-down on the floor. These rooms are similar, but room0′s note has ’0′ written on [...]
Posted in Philosophy | Tags: conscious experience, dualism, information theory, objectivity, philosophy of the mind, physicalism, sentience, Shannon, subjectivity | No Comments
Refuting Physicalism Subjectively
(The content that used to be on this page has been simplified. The original argument is linked at the end of the page.) You may want to read these posts before continuing: Ineffability of Qualia What is Sentience? The Dualist’s Predicament In the universe, there is a red room and a blue room. I [...]
Posted in Philosophy | Tags: conscious experience, dualism, objectivity, philosophy of the mind, physicalism, sentience, subjectivity | 2 Comments
The Dualist’s Predicament
In philosophy of the mind, there are two major camps: The physicalists, who claim that everything is physical, and therefore mind is nothing more than physical brain: an extremely sophisticated biological computer. The dualists, who believe that mind consists of a physical brain, as well as a non-physical aspect, such as a soul, for example. [...]
Posted in Philosophy | Tags: dualism, materialism, mind, mind-body problem, objectivity, perspective, philosophy of the mind, physicalism, sentience, subjectivity | No Comments