I’m not an optimization guru by any means. It’s never been something I’ve been allowed to focus on at work, sadly. At some jobs, performance is secondary to correctness and robustness, and at others, it’s secondary to flashy features.
But, I’ve used the following tricks in hotloops
- Dimension reduction (esp via convolution)
- Branchless calculation
- SIMD
SIMD gets a lot of love, but it’s a constant-factor improvement and can be tough to coax out of the compiler (unless you use a library).
view full postBuilding things is our higher purpose
Ergo, the most shameful thing is not not finish a creation
I feel deep in my bones that making things is the higher purpose of humanity. It’s our secret weapon against devolving into tribes. The simplest creations improve ones life, and that’s what makes us human: Having agency to improve our lot. The true strength of our gift is making for others. Making something desireable from something less desireable underpins every part of cities, is the foundation of medicine, and a basic requirement of our economy. It will make us an interstellar species, because we can make it so if we want. We can make anything so, if we really want it. The wanting is the hardest part.
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