organization:brandeis university

Why We Should Build Software Like We Build Houses | Wired Opinion | Wired.com
http://www.wired.com.edgesuite.net/opinion/2013/01/code-bugs-programming-why-we-need-specs

Blueprints help architects ensure that what they are planning to build will work. “Working” means more than not collapsing; it means serving the required purpose. Architects and their clients use blueprints to understand what they are going to build before they start building it.

But few programmers write even a rough sketch of what their programs will do before they start coding.

Writing specifications is hard. Nobody likes to do it, especially if the joy of coding still runs through their veins. However, it can save you a lot of time down the road, both in implementing your design and showing others what you’re up to.

Personalising online prices: How deep are your pockets? | The Economist
http://www.economist.com/node/21557798

Businesses are offered software that spots which customers will pay more

#internet #optimisation

Heller study finds racial wealth gap has quadrupled since mid-1980s | BrandeisNOW
http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2010/may/wealthgaprelease.html

The wealth gap between white and African-American families increased more than four times between 1984-2007, and middle-income white households now own far more wealth than high-income African Americans, according to an analysis released by the Institute on Assets and Social Policy (IASP) at Brandeis University.

#inégalités #racial #races #noirs #pauvreté #us #income