Fall 2015 Computer Science 458 9/14/15

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export DISPLAY - another try.
As you may recall, as I was not able to export the DISPLAY from the zoo on Friday, the hist() command in R did not appear on my screen. I later discovered that R tried its best, and produced a pdf file.
Instructor office hours: Wednesday 1-3 pm, AKW 410.
If you do not have a zoo account, apply for one here: http://zoo.cs.yale.edu/accounts.html Specify CS458. You probably want the bash shell as well.
The zoo gets crowded. Try the zoo-annex at 17 Hillhouse. Click here for instructions.
To give you an idea about what I have in mind, shortly, I will post a draft list of sample final projects.
Office hours. Ronghui Gu is holding office hours at 305 AKW.
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Wednesday 2-4 pm.
Thursday 7-9 pm.
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You should have received an email announcement about this yesterday.
Ronghui has created a class Piazza site for the course. You should have received an email on friday notifying you of your enrollment. This should facilitate communication. https://piazza.com/
The submit program on the zoo appears to be working. Use that to handin your files for homework 0.
Ronghui has prepared a test script for hw0.
How many have completed / submitted hw0?
Questions about hw0...

Discussion

Recapitulation of discussion Friday September 4th:
- Getting a tattoo. class discussion
- Changing the name of Calhoun College. (note: Graham Allison) class discussion
- Decision taxonomy (possible components of a data structure)
  - Stakeholders. Need to incorporate the views or reactions of people who are or will be affected by the choice. For the tattoo, this group includes friends, relatives, future employers, future spouse and in-laws, and future children.
  - Consequences. What happens if you make a choice? What are the results? The consequences of getting a tattoo are likely more long lasting than the consequences of getting drunk. Although, you could get drunk, cause a car accident that results in serious injuries or death. This is a case of causality in reverse: the prospect of future outcomes alters the decisions you make today.
  - Explanation. What are the reasons behind your decision? How would you explain or justify the decision? Would you have a different explanation for different people or at different times?
  - Cost / Resources. What costs are associated with the decision? How expensive is the tattoo, pace Professor Spielman and the Petersen Graph? Costs need not be limited to economic costs. Other resources include time, agent relationships (asking a friend for a favor), reputation. Businesses explicitly consider the reputation risk associated with decisions. (How would this look on the front page of the Wall Street Journal?) See next.
  - Risk. What risks are associated with the decision? Broadly speaking, this is another kind of cost. What if you make a mistake, and get the wrong Chinese character? Is it possible to mitigate the risk? For example, can you remove a tattoo?
    Every risk raises the question of a mitigation strategy. Removing a tattoo is an example. How does the presence or absence of a mitigation strategy affect a decision?
    Also, someone observed that the quality of the tattoo will degrade over time. I noted that the same could be said for your Yale education. Upon reflection, I believe that for most alums, their Yale experience improves with age. They do not have an eidetic or photgraphic memory. Personally, I have a photoshop memory.
  - Precedent. Past decisions provide justifications for future choices. There is a presumption of consistency in decisions. If you rename Calhoun college, could that lead to arguments for renaming other Yale buildings, or even Yale itself? Note that the conversation about Calhoun College resulted in part by South Carolina's decision to remove the confederate flag from the capitol grounds.
  - Societal Norm. A lot of decisions are explained by saying that this is the normal course of action. For example, a sailor would not be questioned for getting an anchor tattoo. Norms can be seen as a case of strong precedents. Also, different societies have different norms.
  - Emotion. Sometimes the decision seems to be driven of the affect or emotion involved. Getting a tattoo can be impulsive, like buying candy at the checkout counter. You may want to change the name of Calhoun College because it reminds you of centuries of racial injustice.
  - Principles, Ethics, Beliefs, Religion. Getting a tattoo can preclude your admission to a Jewish cemetary. There are constellations of principles that can impinge on decisions.
Introduction to Decision Making We left off talking about Outcomes.
Capital Budgeting and Net Present Value

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