[ot][spam][draft/notes] braindead learning: algorithms research

[Undescribed Horrific Abuse, One Victim & Survivor of Many]

Once I took a class in data structures and algorithms. In the class,
we went through various common structures and learned them and used
them, with say a lecture validating each topic with boardwork. Similar
to other classes.

I don’t remember well now, but I’m guessing about half of the
algorithms were new to me, and the others I was already using. I’d
imagine I had come up with some independently. CS was still a new
field, so hobbyists, especially young nerds, often had a jump on
things. I imagine it doesn’t have to be a new field for that to be the
case.

Relearning things, I often have to repeat them ad nauseum, as if I
have dementia, to retain much. I’d like to learn to _discover_
algorithms and data structures, like I used to, not simply parrot
what’s mainstream.