Python comes with extensive support for exceptions and exception handling. An exception event interrupts and, if uncaught, immediately terminates a running program. The most popular examples are the IndexError, ValueError, and TypeError. An exception will immediately terminate your program. To avoid this, you can catch the exception with a try/except block around the code where … Read more
The integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) into software systems introduces a paradigm where stochastic programming becomes a focal point, challenging the deterministic norms that have long been foundational in software engineering. Traditional software engineering approaches, such as unit testing, are predicated on the ability to predict outputs given certain inputs, ensuring that the software … Read more
A couple of years ago, I watched a TED talk that changed my life. I had just finished my computer science master’s degree and was starting out as a fresh Ph.D. student in the department of distributed systems… … and I was overwhelmed. There are many computer science students reading the Finxter blog so I … Read more
The following answer is based on my experience as a doctoral researcher in distributed systems. Computer science is a big field with vast differences in the quality and quantity requirements of your Ph.D. supervisor. Having said this, you’ll probably need somewhere between two to five publications to get a Ph.D. in computer science. I have … Read more
Both Python and Go are extremely relevant today. Both languages are widely used. Golang fans argue that people flock from Python to the newer and faster language Golang, also known as Go. Is this true? Not really. See this search volume comparison from Google Trends: 👇 Go is a much newer language than Python, released … Read more
🦙 LlamaIndex is a powerful tool to implement the “Retrieval Augmented Generation” (RAG) concept in practical Python code. If you want to become an exponential Python developer who wants to leverage large language models (aka. Alien Technology) to 10x your coding productivity, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s get started with the concept first. … Read more
An autoencoder is a neural network that learns to compress and reconstruct unlabeled data. It has two parts: an encoder that processes the input, and a decoder that reproduces it. While the original transformer model was an autoencoder with both encoder and decoder, OpenAI’s GPT series uses only a decoder. In a way, transformers are … Read more
I just realized that the link to my doctoral thesis doesn’t work, so I decided to host it on the Finxter blog as a backup. Find the thesis here: 🔗 PDF Download link: https://blog.finxter.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/dissertation_christian_mayer_distributed_graph_processing_DIS-2019-03.pdf Here’s the abstract: 💡 Abstract: Distributed graph processing systems such as Pregel, PowerGraph, or GraphX have gained popularity due to their … Read more
Python Multiprocessing Fundamentals 🚀 Python’s multiprocessing module provides a simple and efficient way of using parallel programming to distribute the execution of your code across multiple CPU cores, enabling you to achieve faster processing times. By using this module, you can harness the full power of your computer’s resources, thereby improving your code’s efficiency. To … Read more
Bitwise Operators in Python Overview Bitwise operators in Python are used to perform bit-level operations on integers. They enable you to manipulate individual bits of data, providing an efficient way of handling binary data. The main bitwise operators in Python include AND, OR, XOR, NOT, and SHIFT. The AND operator (&) compares each bit of … Read more
Understanding Boolean Operators Boolean operators in Python help you create conditional statements to control the flow of your program. Python provides three basic Boolean operators: and, or, and not. These operators help you construct sophisticated expressions to evaluate the truth or falsity of different conditions. And Operator The and operator returns True if both of … Read more
The AI scaling laws could be the biggest finding in computer science since Moore’s Law was introduced. 📈 In my opinion, these laws haven’t gotten the attention they deserve (yet), even though they could show a clear way to make considerable improvements in artificial intelligence. This could change every industry in the world, and it’s … Read more