Taylor Smith
@taylorjsmith.bsky.social
🇨🇦 Theoretical computer scientist. Assistant professor at @stfx-university.bsky.social. Website: taylorjsmith.xyz.
Pinned
Taylor Smith
@taylorjsmith.bsky.social
· Dec 16
With students writing my theory exam today, I figured it's a good time to share a link to my open textbook with all you current (and future!) theoreticians.
This term was the first time I used it in class, and students loved it. Big plans for future editions, so stay tuned!
taylorjsmith.xyz/tocopen/
This term was the first time I used it in class, and students loved it. Big plans for future editions, so stay tuned!
taylorjsmith.xyz/tocopen/
It's my first day of participating in NSERC Discovery Grant deliberation meetings, and I'm surviving so far! But check in with me again by the end of the week and we'll see if my answer stays the same.
February 9, 2026 at 4:06 PM
It's my first day of participating in NSERC Discovery Grant deliberation meetings, and I'm surviving so far! But check in with me again by the end of the week and we'll see if my answer stays the same.
Reposted by Taylor Smith
In 1979, the “New York Times” asked Isaac Bashevis Singer if he planned to watch the Super Bowl.
February 8, 2026 at 9:37 PM
In 1979, the “New York Times” asked Isaac Bashevis Singer if he planned to watch the Super Bowl.
Watching competitors at this level is always impressive. But seeing people say "he beat the guy without needing any high-tech shooting equipment!" is hilarious when said "high-tech shooting equipment" is two pieces of plastic.
Turkiye's shooter Yusuf Dikec, wins the European Champions League.
February 7, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Watching competitors at this level is always impressive. But seeing people say "he beat the guy without needing any high-tech shooting equipment!" is hilarious when said "high-tech shooting equipment" is two pieces of plastic.
Reposted by Taylor Smith
Breaking: Tragedy at the Winter Olympics
February 7, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Breaking: Tragedy at the Winter Olympics
Reposted by Taylor Smith
New SIGACT award expository work, created in memory of Luca Trevisan: "intended to promote and recognize high-impact work expositing ideas and results from the Theory of Computation."
A wonderful initiative—consider nominating people!
⏰ Nomination deadline: April 10
sigact.org/prizes/trevi...
A wonderful initiative—consider nominating people!
⏰ Nomination deadline: April 10
sigact.org/prizes/trevi...
ACM SIGACT - Trevisan Award
sigact.org
February 6, 2026 at 12:31 AM
New SIGACT award expository work, created in memory of Luca Trevisan: "intended to promote and recognize high-impact work expositing ideas and results from the Theory of Computation."
A wonderful initiative—consider nominating people!
⏰ Nomination deadline: April 10
sigact.org/prizes/trevi...
A wonderful initiative—consider nominating people!
⏰ Nomination deadline: April 10
sigact.org/prizes/trevi...
When I was in London last summer, I was walking back to my hotel after dinner and had to wait at an intersection for the signal to change. As I waited, a fellow on a rental bicycle stopped right in front of me.
In my post-dinner satiety, it took me a beat to realize that fellow was Rami Malek.
In my post-dinner satiety, it took me a beat to realize that fellow was Rami Malek.
One of my academic colleagues looks a bit like Bob Mortimer. One time near our labs I saw him walking towards me and I warmly said Hey Kevin. It was Bob Mortimer.
Please share your very low impact celebrity encounters here.
Please share your very low impact celebrity encounters here.
Fun low level anecdote: I once sat near Peter Mandelson in a theatre but I had a name blank and said rather too loudly ‘ooh look it’s Michael Portillo!’
He was visibly unamused.
He was visibly unamused.
February 6, 2026 at 2:18 AM
When I was in London last summer, I was walking back to my hotel after dinner and had to wait at an intersection for the signal to change. As I waited, a fellow on a rental bicycle stopped right in front of me.
In my post-dinner satiety, it took me a beat to realize that fellow was Rami Malek.
In my post-dinner satiety, it took me a beat to realize that fellow was Rami Malek.
Here's a fun little afternoon distraction: what is the smallest value of n, 1 ≤ n ≤ 26, for which there does not exist an English word of length n starting with the nth letter of the English alphabet?
February 4, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Here's a fun little afternoon distraction: what is the smallest value of n, 1 ≤ n ≤ 26, for which there does not exist an English word of length n starting with the nth letter of the English alphabet?
Reposted by Taylor Smith
PSA: it is in fact possible for universities to address financial challenges by slashing (incredibly expensive and largely useless) admin positions.
Memorial University just downsized VPs from 7 to 3.
Yes we can!
universityaffairs.ca/news/memoria...
Memorial University just downsized VPs from 7 to 3.
Yes we can!
universityaffairs.ca/news/memoria...
February 3, 2026 at 1:43 PM
PSA: it is in fact possible for universities to address financial challenges by slashing (incredibly expensive and largely useless) admin positions.
Memorial University just downsized VPs from 7 to 3.
Yes we can!
universityaffairs.ca/news/memoria...
Memorial University just downsized VPs from 7 to 3.
Yes we can!
universityaffairs.ca/news/memoria...
Reposted by Taylor Smith
Thomas Watson has a new computational complexity textbook about to be published by Cambridge University Press. There's a free version online for personal use.
complexityincs.com
complexityincs.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Thomas Watson has a new computational complexity textbook about to be published by Cambridge University Press. There's a free version online for personal use.
complexityincs.com
complexityincs.com
Hey, if the groundhog gets a snow day, I do too. I don’t make the rules.
(Weather) Groundhog Day Event Cancelled Due to Storm
** Release
waterfrontmediahfx.the902hxir.ca/102863-2
** Release
waterfrontmediahfx.the902hxir.ca/102863-2
February 1, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Hey, if the groundhog gets a snow day, I do too. I don’t make the rules.
Reposted by Taylor Smith
mother just referred to a pop star named 'taylor smith'
December 24, 2025 at 3:59 AM
mother just referred to a pop star named 'taylor smith'
I had someone share with me some posts from a different website. I was just sitting here minding my own business, what'd I do to be attacked like this?
January 30, 2026 at 4:39 AM
I had someone share with me some posts from a different website. I was just sitting here minding my own business, what'd I do to be attacked like this?
Excited to soon be able to add to my (currently very small) collection of math-related Magic cards that I put on my office door.
January 28, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Excited to soon be able to add to my (currently very small) collection of math-related Magic cards that I put on my office door.
Reposted by Taylor Smith
Ok a raise please for the sub editor who chose the photo
To shred or not to shred? Is it OK to throw out sensitive documents?
To shred or not to shred? Is it OK to throw out sensitive documents?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions this week tackles the issue of potential identity fraud via our rubbish and recycling bins
www.theguardian.com
January 25, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Ok a raise please for the sub editor who chose the photo
Reposted by Taylor Smith
Was editing and noticed that if you rotate-left "those" you get "ethos". Was curious how many of these are in English. Big dicts have a lot of junk, and most endings in "s" are for plurals. Here's a good list of rotwords.
January 25, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Was editing and noticed that if you rotate-left "those" you get "ethos". Was curious how many of these are in English. Big dicts have a lot of junk, and most endings in "s" are for plurals. Here's a good list of rotwords.
Reposted by Taylor Smith
Please submit your research papers and join us at the 27th International Conference on Descriptional Complexity of Formal Systems (DCFS 2026), to be held in Kingston, Canada from August 9 to 11, 2026!
Details: research.cs.queensu.ca/dcfs2026/
#tcssky #mathsky
Details: research.cs.queensu.ca/dcfs2026/
#tcssky #mathsky
December 10, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Please submit your research papers and join us at the 27th International Conference on Descriptional Complexity of Formal Systems (DCFS 2026), to be held in Kingston, Canada from August 9 to 11, 2026!
Details: research.cs.queensu.ca/dcfs2026/
#tcssky #mathsky
Details: research.cs.queensu.ca/dcfs2026/
#tcssky #mathsky
Reposted by Taylor Smith
Please submit your research papers and join us at the 30th International Conference on Implementation and Application of Automata (CIAA 2026), to be held in Kingston, Canada from August 5 to 8, 2026!
Details: research.cs.queensu.ca/ciaa2026/
#tcssky #mathsky
Details: research.cs.queensu.ca/ciaa2026/
#tcssky #mathsky
December 10, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Please submit your research papers and join us at the 30th International Conference on Implementation and Application of Automata (CIAA 2026), to be held in Kingston, Canada from August 5 to 8, 2026!
Details: research.cs.queensu.ca/ciaa2026/
#tcssky #mathsky
Details: research.cs.queensu.ca/ciaa2026/
#tcssky #mathsky
I gave a lecture this week where we worked through a proof, but class ended before I could explain to the students how we got the mysterious factor of 6 hanging out in the theorem statement. I couldn't figure out how to begin the following lecture, so I just wrote on the board "whence 6?"
January 24, 2026 at 4:48 PM
I gave a lecture this week where we worked through a proof, but class ended before I could explain to the students how we got the mysterious factor of 6 hanging out in the theorem statement. I couldn't figure out how to begin the following lecture, so I just wrote on the board "whence 6?"
Reposted by Taylor Smith
Today I learned that apparently kids in school are being given the assignment "go home and ask your parents what their favourite meme is and write a report about it"
January 22, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Today I learned that apparently kids in school are being given the assignment "go home and ask your parents what their favourite meme is and write a report about it"
I should start taking bets to see which book will be published first:
- Martin's "Winds of Winter"
- Rothfuss' "Doors of Stone"
- Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming, Vol. 4C"
- Caro's "Years of Lyndon Johnson, Vol. 5"
- My very roughly outlined vague idea of a book about the Montréal Olympics
- Martin's "Winds of Winter"
- Rothfuss' "Doors of Stone"
- Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming, Vol. 4C"
- Caro's "Years of Lyndon Johnson, Vol. 5"
- My very roughly outlined vague idea of a book about the Montréal Olympics
George R.R. Martin has said that if he never completes Game of Thrones sequel Winds of Winter (or the book after that), there's no plan for anyone else to step in. Instead, his Song of Ice and Fire series simply "won't be finished."
Game of Thrones Writer George R.R. Martin Says There's No Plan if He Dies Before Completing Winds of Winter, and the Series Simply 'Won't Be Finished'
bit.ly
January 18, 2026 at 6:48 PM
I should start taking bets to see which book will be published first:
- Martin's "Winds of Winter"
- Rothfuss' "Doors of Stone"
- Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming, Vol. 4C"
- Caro's "Years of Lyndon Johnson, Vol. 5"
- My very roughly outlined vague idea of a book about the Montréal Olympics
- Martin's "Winds of Winter"
- Rothfuss' "Doors of Stone"
- Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming, Vol. 4C"
- Caro's "Years of Lyndon Johnson, Vol. 5"
- My very roughly outlined vague idea of a book about the Montréal Olympics
Reposted by Taylor Smith
We will never accept this template: corporatization of higher education: No to Nousferatu
nationalpost.com/feature/how-...
nationalpost.com/feature/how-...
How to run a university in Canada? Outsource it to this management consulting firm
Nous Group's template for getting out of the red has been adopted by major schools. Critics call it the corporatization of higher education.
nationalpost.com
January 16, 2026 at 12:02 AM
We will never accept this template: corporatization of higher education: No to Nousferatu
nationalpost.com/feature/how-...
nationalpost.com/feature/how-...
Recent news led me to revisit an old cartoon I used to love watching (for some reason) as a kid. I can't believe how well this 25-year-old clip has held up.
January 14, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Recent news led me to revisit an old cartoon I used to love watching (for some reason) as a kid. I can't believe how well this 25-year-old clip has held up.
Just learned about a tradition at Oxford that needs some wider adoption: sconcing. If you're out for dinner with a group of friends and one of them starts talking about work, politics, religion, etc., you make them drink a tankard of ale right there and then.
January 10, 2026 at 11:40 PM
Just learned about a tradition at Oxford that needs some wider adoption: sconcing. If you're out for dinner with a group of friends and one of them starts talking about work, politics, religion, etc., you make them drink a tankard of ale right there and then.
Was reminded today that I haven't yet shared my 2025 flight history, which essentially amounted to flying between where I live and where my family lives, together with a fantastic couple of weeks in England.
Where will I go in 2026? (Invite me to visit/give a talk/take a vacation!)
Where will I go in 2026? (Invite me to visit/give a talk/take a vacation!)
January 5, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Was reminded today that I haven't yet shared my 2025 flight history, which essentially amounted to flying between where I live and where my family lives, together with a fantastic couple of weeks in England.
Where will I go in 2026? (Invite me to visit/give a talk/take a vacation!)
Where will I go in 2026? (Invite me to visit/give a talk/take a vacation!)
