Dan Grossman
@dangrossmanseattle.bsky.social
Nothing makes me love my past self more than finding the check list of all the things to do when getting ready to teach a course again.
September 15, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Nothing makes me love my past self more than finding the check list of all the things to do when getting ready to teach a course again.
Some things we've been saying in a place where you can see us say them...
"The sky is not falling": With all the chatter about computer science graduates and employment in the #AI era, professors Magda Balazinska and @dangrossmanseattle.bsky.social examine the myths and realities surrounding AI and the prospects for #UWAllen majors. news.cs.washington.edu/2025/09/09/m...
MythBusters, computer science edition
There has been a lot of chatter about new computer science graduates and employment in the AI era. Professors Magdalena Balazinska and Dan Grossman examine the myths and realities surrounding AI and t...
news.cs.washington.edu
September 9, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Some things we've been saying in a place where you can see us say them...
I don't know who pushed for the overleaf list-of-projects page to have a pdf button for each project, but I bet they had tenure.
September 8, 2025 at 4:17 PM
I don't know who pushed for the overleaf list-of-projects page to have a pdf button for each project, but I bet they had tenure.
From an information theory perspective we should have a process for replacing rarely used short words with longer words in order to free up room for new short words.
Lute, asp, vex, yak, cud — these are so inefficient. Please nominate others and propose new uses for these.
Lute, asp, vex, yak, cud — these are so inefficient. Please nominate others and propose new uses for these.
July 3, 2025 at 2:52 PM
From an information theory perspective we should have a process for replacing rarely used short words with longer words in order to free up room for new short words.
Lute, asp, vex, yak, cud — these are so inefficient. Please nominate others and propose new uses for these.
Lute, asp, vex, yak, cud — these are so inefficient. Please nominate others and propose new uses for these.
The main daily newspaper of a major American city -- my city -- has an interactive graphic that the editors allowed to be called the Dumper Dinger Tracker. And I love it.
June 23, 2025 at 4:36 PM
The main daily newspaper of a major American city -- my city -- has an interactive graphic that the editors allowed to be called the Dumper Dinger Tracker. And I love it.
There are only two ways to feel like a wealthy professor:
1. Actually be wealthy
2. Get all-new whiteboard markers for your office
1. Actually be wealthy
2. Get all-new whiteboard markers for your office
June 13, 2025 at 4:58 PM
There are only two ways to feel like a wealthy professor:
1. Actually be wealthy
2. Get all-new whiteboard markers for your office
1. Actually be wealthy
2. Get all-new whiteboard markers for your office
Phenomenal work by folks down the metaphorical hall
Congratulations to #UWAllen Ph.D. grads Ashish Sharma and @sewonm.bsky.social, 2024 @acm.org Doctoral Dissertation Award honorees! Sharma won for #AI tools for mental health; Min received honorable mention for efficient, flexible language models. #ThisIsUW news.cs.washington.edu/2025/06/04/a...
‘Bold,’ ‘positive’ and ‘unparalleled’: Allen School Ph.D. graduates Ashish Sharma and Sewon Min recognized with ACM Doctoral Dissertation Awards - Allen School News
Each year, the Association for Computing Machinery recognizes the best Ph.D. dissertations in computer science with its Doctoral Dissertation Award. Ashish Sharma (Ph.D., ‘24), now a senior applied sc...
news.cs.washington.edu
June 5, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Phenomenal work by folks down the metaphorical hall
We’re doing a thing. Tell your Seattle friends.
Are you a #STEM professional looking to understand and leverage the latest in #AI and machine learning in your work? #UWAllen’s Graduate Certificate in Modern AI Methods has entered the chat. Learn about our new program starting fall 2025: news.cs.washington.edu/2025/05/28/s... #UWinnovates
Allen School launches new stackable Graduate Certificate in Modern AI Methods - Allen School News
While AI may be decades old, its impact on the way we work, the way we learn and, indeed, the way we live clearly has been accelerating in recent years. What isn’t clear is what comes next; regardless...
news.cs.washington.edu
May 31, 2025 at 5:58 AM
We’re doing a thing. Tell your Seattle friends.
The penduluum-swing of emotions as you go to find the video link on your calendar for your 9AM meeting, see there are two separate meeting entries for the same meeting (uh-oh!), but they both have the same link (mayhem averted!)
May 16, 2025 at 4:01 PM
The penduluum-swing of emotions as you go to find the video link on your calendar for your 9AM meeting, see there are two separate meeting entries for the same meeting (uh-oh!), but they both have the same link (mayhem averted!)
Why is it called "cut and paste with formatting" and not "a bold move"?
May 14, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Why is it called "cut and paste with formatting" and not "a bold move"?
Some days I'm just regular evil and then there are the days like today where I'm nested VLOOKUP plus an INDIRECT evil.
April 18, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Some days I'm just regular evil and then there are the days like today where I'm nested VLOOKUP plus an INDIRECT evil.
There's something oddly exciting about snoozing an only modestly-important email until mid-summer and it stems from the notion of, "oh, this will surprise in a small but positive way my future self."
April 4, 2025 at 9:39 PM
There's something oddly exciting about snoozing an only modestly-important email until mid-summer and it stems from the notion of, "oh, this will surprise in a small but positive way my future self."
The world is so irrational it’s like every day is Pi Day
March 14, 2025 at 2:31 PM
The world is so irrational it’s like every day is Pi Day
This was in the context of a thread, but it might be funnier without the context.
Just *try* to tell me 7 is a coincidence! Teach the controversy!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OSI_model
tacobell.fandom.com/wiki/7-Layer...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OSI_model
tacobell.fandom.com/wiki/7-Layer...
OSI model - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
March 8, 2025 at 8:54 PM
This was in the context of a thread, but it might be funnier without the context.
I have made this plea before. I am begging for someone to point me to a desktop utility that lets me point at or select a portion of the screen containing a qr code and then follow the link. I should not have to point a camera at the screen to test it.
March 5, 2025 at 4:51 PM
I have made this plea before. I am begging for someone to point me to a desktop utility that lets me point at or select a portion of the screen containing a qr code and then follow the link. I should not have to point a camera at the screen to test it.
One of my most old-fashioned / dinosaur-like opinions is strong opposition to having staging/test versions of course websites. Version control is fine, but just push straight to production. If you break it, fix it. Forgetting to post something is the far bigger issue.
March 5, 2025 at 4:39 PM
One of my most old-fashioned / dinosaur-like opinions is strong opposition to having staging/test versions of course websites. Version control is fine, but just push straight to production. If you break it, fix it. Forgetting to post something is the far bigger issue.
New favorite computer-science typo: treat model
March 4, 2025 at 3:54 PM
New favorite computer-science typo: treat model
Young enough to typically be able to get the printer to work, but old enough to be surprised when I am able to get the printer to work.
March 2, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Young enough to typically be able to get the printer to work, but old enough to be surprised when I am able to get the printer to work.
I did not know until today that Dvorak patented his eponymous keyboard while a professor at the University of Washington.
I've still never used it, but it does make me slightly more curious.
I've still never used it, but it does make me slightly more curious.
February 22, 2025 at 8:36 PM
I did not know until today that Dvorak patented his eponymous keyboard while a professor at the University of Washington.
I've still never used it, but it does make me slightly more curious.
I've still never used it, but it does make me slightly more curious.
I’m not a tax professional but removing a forced-air system from your home is surely a deduction.
February 11, 2025 at 2:01 AM
I’m not a tax professional but removing a forced-air system from your home is surely a deduction.
The first decision to actually make sense is designed to literally not make cents
February 10, 2025 at 3:34 AM
The first decision to actually make sense is designed to literally not make cents
I am actually, unironically, a big fan of what I've seen of elementary-school math instruction over the last several years.
And I think they should add a unit on how a 50% surcharge means ONE THIRD NOT ONE HALF of the total charge is the surcharge.
Apologies for yelling.
And I think they should add a unit on how a 50% surcharge means ONE THIRD NOT ONE HALF of the total charge is the surcharge.
Apologies for yelling.
February 9, 2025 at 9:12 PM
I am actually, unironically, a big fan of what I've seen of elementary-school math instruction over the last several years.
And I think they should add a unit on how a 50% surcharge means ONE THIRD NOT ONE HALF of the total charge is the surcharge.
Apologies for yelling.
And I think they should add a unit on how a 50% surcharge means ONE THIRD NOT ONE HALF of the total charge is the surcharge.
Apologies for yelling.
Today after a presentation showing UTF8 is backward compatible to ASCII (every ASCII file is a UTF8 file), I recalled this is only my 2nd-favorite backward-compatibility story. The winner:
Every Windows executable is a DOS executable that prints, "This program cannot be run in DOS mode" and exits.
Every Windows executable is a DOS executable that prints, "This program cannot be run in DOS mode" and exits.
February 7, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Today after a presentation showing UTF8 is backward compatible to ASCII (every ASCII file is a UTF8 file), I recalled this is only my 2nd-favorite backward-compatibility story. The winner:
Every Windows executable is a DOS executable that prints, "This program cannot be run in DOS mode" and exits.
Every Windows executable is a DOS executable that prints, "This program cannot be run in DOS mode" and exits.
Reposted by Dan Grossman
Remembering my friend and colleague Gaetano Borriello on the 10th anniversary of his untimely passing on February 1 2015. A super computer engineer, a superb person, and a superb role model and inspiration for us all.
January 31, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Remembering my friend and colleague Gaetano Borriello on the 10th anniversary of his untimely passing on February 1 2015. A super computer engineer, a superb person, and a superb role model and inspiration for us all.