What makes a good work environment? It's being part of a larger event...for an architect, putting your mark on inspiring spaces. Not big, not finely detailed, but a space that matches the present day, in both needs and in relevancy. I cringe when some brilliant programmer comes up with a puzzle to help weed out the competition. If one had the time to do this, they would probably be using their spare time on a paying side project, or consulting. It says nothing about the ability to function in the appropriate environment.

Computer Scientist/Programmer
Join a team of extraordinary engineers ....

...Puzzles
Most applicants solve one of these puzzles. Unless otherwise specified, you may use any language you like. Aim for clarity and efficiency. Please include your program's final answer in the body of your email, and please send code that actually compiles and runs so we can test it -- no pseudo-code please!


Tour the T
Objective

Given a T timetable, write a program to compute the quickest route that passes through every station on the Red, Blue, Green, and Orange Lines, ending at Kendall Square.

Details

Your program should compute a route that visits all T stations at least once. A station has been visited if you stop there (to change to a different line) or pass through on a train. You may start at any station.

The supplied T timetable contains the definitive list of all T stations and the travel time between them. All trains in the timetable should be assumed to run in both directions. Assume that the expected wait time for a train at a given station is fixed:

* Red Line - 5 minutes
* Blue Line - 4 minutes
* Green Line - 3 minutes
* Orange Line - 2 minutes

For example, if part of your route includes changing from the Green Line to the Red Line at Park Street, you should assume that you will wait 5 minutes for the Red Line train to show up. You should also assume that the wait time is the same for all trains (e.g. you will wait 5 minutes for the Red Line to Braintree, Ashmont, or Alewife).

At the end of the line, you must get off the train and wait the appropriate amount of time for a train going in the opposite direction.

Include in your answer the total time to visit all stations, plus enough information to verify your solution. Sample output for a (suboptimal) route starting at Kendall Square might look like:

0:00:00: Arrive Kendall/MIT
0:05:00: Board Red Line Braintree
0:07:00: Arrive Charles/MGH
0:09:00: Arrive Park St
0:12:00: Board Green Line B
0:14:00: Arrive Government Center
0:17:00: Board Green Line B
...

Of course, your code should not be in any way specific to the Boston subway topology, but generalize easily to other data files, representing, say, the New York subway.

So, if one must go to the big G - what's wrong with being in management, or in administration? Nothing that I can tell.

Good and bad personalization

I found two examples of personalization in commerce, one good, one not.

A new pen - yes, the writing instrument - from OfficeMax has launched a massive (apparently) ad campaign in search of a "better handwriting". Well, with cursive being a lost art and all, one could argue that our writing techn(nique)ology is going to change dramatically over time. We are the first generation that will choose HOW we give information to our ancestors. Anyway, that's a speech for another time. This ad was cool, using flash and inserting handwriting that I wrote on a postage paid card. I was pleasantly surprised to see my scribbles in the animation, despite the tongue in cheek 'science':





Contrast this to the individualized sayings that are now being printed on my pringles. What? I know 100% of our food is machine processed and engineered, but do you have to remind me at every bite? At least put something interesting on them, I don't really care about mass-music trivia. I urge the food scientists out there, get together with your marketing people and make something better. I'd love to see the ingredients listed on the ship, or how about the calorie content? That would be something.

Different than usual

I am not one to use this space to rant (and I haven't used it much lately), but here is my take on a Craigslist phenomenon that I can't stand.


The free listing for a "bag" of stuff. If it's in a bag, that might be the first reason you haven't been using it. If you just put it there, so what? I'm not coming for the bag -but if you are somehow trying to sell me something, the "bag" fact makes it seem totally against my expenditure of time to come get it. Even better, you have taken the time to list the contents of the bag, and I'm pretty sure something like a TV wouldn't even fit in a bag to begin with! So, will you be giving me a bag on the side? That might make it worth my while.

Example listing:

I have two big trash bags full of stuff I need to get rid of:

VCR
Plastic Totes
Clothes

and tons more! I am located in Sharon, MA. I would like to get rid of this stuff tonight. If you'd like to pick it up, please reply with your estimated time of arrival. I will email you back, letting you know I'm going to put the bags outside and also to give you the address.

Why not just remove the bag from the equation and forget it...it didn't excite me even for a second, ok? I'm still on the lookout for the empty bag listing as a followup...yes, they are reusable.

So, how is that for worthless blogging?