Taylor Smith
@taylorjsmith.bsky.social
🇨🇦 Theoretical computer scientist. Assistant professor at @stfx-university.bsky.social. Website: taylorjsmith.xyz.
Holy legendary thrift store find! I’ve been lusting after this collection of Dickens’ works for some time, but the prices I saw online put me off of buying the set. This weekend, I snagged 19/21 books for $50 total.
November 2, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Holy legendary thrift store find! I’ve been lusting after this collection of Dickens’ works for some time, but the prices I saw online put me off of buying the set. This weekend, I snagged 19/21 books for $50 total.
Today in spurious correlations: @blorkatomic.bsky.social discovers the secret to the @torontobluejays.bsky.social winning the World Series.
October 29, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Today in spurious correlations: @blorkatomic.bsky.social discovers the secret to the @torontobluejays.bsky.social winning the World Series.
5a. Again, generous how I earned 5 marks for a woefully incomplete answer, and one that ties in ambiguity for no reason.
5b. I deserve 0 marks here. But looking back at my notes, I think this question was implicitly asking to convert the CFG to CNF. So why phrase it that way?
5c. Nice parse tree.
5b. I deserve 0 marks here. But looking back at my notes, I think this question was implicitly asking to convert the CFG to CNF. So why phrase it that way?
5c. Nice parse tree.
October 25, 2025 at 4:16 PM
5a. Again, generous how I earned 5 marks for a woefully incomplete answer, and one that ties in ambiguity for no reason.
5b. I deserve 0 marks here. But looking back at my notes, I think this question was implicitly asking to convert the CFG to CNF. So why phrase it that way?
5c. Nice parse tree.
5b. I deserve 0 marks here. But looking back at my notes, I think this question was implicitly asking to convert the CFG to CNF. So why phrase it that way?
5c. Nice parse tree.
4a. This one's funny to me, not only because I tried to claim {a,b,c}* = a^i b^j c^k for some reason, but because I hammer on the mistake of fixing a specific decomposition every single time I teach the PL now.
4b. I mean, I did construct a PDA here, it just assumes all the a's come before the b's.
4b. I mean, I did construct a PDA here, it just assumes all the a's come before the b's.
October 25, 2025 at 4:16 PM
4a. This one's funny to me, not only because I tried to claim {a,b,c}* = a^i b^j c^k for some reason, but because I hammer on the mistake of fixing a specific decomposition every single time I teach the PL now.
4b. I mean, I did construct a PDA here, it just assumes all the a's come before the b's.
4b. I mean, I did construct a PDA here, it just assumes all the a's come before the b's.
3a. Incredibly generous how I earned 3 marks for writing a sentence fragment.
3b. I don't even know what I was going for here. I must've vaguely remembered the Myhill–Nerode theorem and just ran with that.
3c. Okay, I made one small mistake here and lost all but one mark. I'm mad about this one.
3b. I don't even know what I was going for here. I must've vaguely remembered the Myhill–Nerode theorem and just ran with that.
3c. Okay, I made one small mistake here and lost all but one mark. I'm mad about this one.
October 25, 2025 at 4:16 PM
3a. Incredibly generous how I earned 3 marks for writing a sentence fragment.
3b. I don't even know what I was going for here. I must've vaguely remembered the Myhill–Nerode theorem and just ran with that.
3c. Okay, I made one small mistake here and lost all but one mark. I'm mad about this one.
3b. I don't even know what I was going for here. I must've vaguely remembered the Myhill–Nerode theorem and just ran with that.
3c. Okay, I made one small mistake here and lost all but one mark. I'm mad about this one.
2a. Evidently, the procedure to decide whether |L| < |L'| involves deciding whether |L| < |L'|. How tautological. (Also, counting "the number of states"?)
2b. This seems right about where I started to struggle, seeing how I'm attempting to convert a PDA to an NFA in step 3.
2b. This seems right about where I started to struggle, seeing how I'm attempting to convert a PDA to an NFA in step 3.
October 25, 2025 at 4:16 PM
2a. Evidently, the procedure to decide whether |L| < |L'| involves deciding whether |L| < |L'|. How tautological. (Also, counting "the number of states"?)
2b. This seems right about where I started to struggle, seeing how I'm attempting to convert a PDA to an NFA in step 3.
2b. This seems right about where I started to struggle, seeing how I'm attempting to convert a PDA to an NFA in step 3.
1a. I feel I described well how to convert RE -> NFA, I just left out all the details. Maybe I was a bit too concise.
1b. Okay, this is a fairly decent conversion. Nice work, me!
1c. I'll be honest, I don't teach minimization to my students, so I forget the process. But the final DFA looks right.
1b. Okay, this is a fairly decent conversion. Nice work, me!
1c. I'll be honest, I don't teach minimization to my students, so I forget the process. But the final DFA looks right.
October 25, 2025 at 4:16 PM
1a. I feel I described well how to convert RE -> NFA, I just left out all the details. Maybe I was a bit too concise.
1b. Okay, this is a fairly decent conversion. Nice work, me!
1c. I'll be honest, I don't teach minimization to my students, so I forget the process. But the final DFA looks right.
1b. Okay, this is a fairly decent conversion. Nice work, me!
1c. I'll be honest, I don't teach minimization to my students, so I forget the process. But the final DFA looks right.
Since I'm marking the midterms of my undergrad theory students this weekend, let's take a trip 12 years back in time to when I wrote MY undergrad theory midterm and earned a 52% (rounded generously up to 66%).
Spoiler alert: you'll wonder how I managed to become a theoretical computer scientist.
Spoiler alert: you'll wonder how I managed to become a theoretical computer scientist.
October 25, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Since I'm marking the midterms of my undergrad theory students this weekend, let's take a trip 12 years back in time to when I wrote MY undergrad theory midterm and earned a 52% (rounded generously up to 66%).
Spoiler alert: you'll wonder how I managed to become a theoretical computer scientist.
Spoiler alert: you'll wonder how I managed to become a theoretical computer scientist.
One thing nobody tells you about flying to/from an airgun competition is that your boarding pass gets this neat WEAP designation that makes all the airline staff give you a mildly concerned look.
August 29, 2025 at 8:50 PM
One thing nobody tells you about flying to/from an airgun competition is that your boarding pass gets this neat WEAP designation that makes all the airline staff give you a mildly concerned look.
Had a great time these past few days at the Canadian Pistol National Championships, and came home with a silver medal in the men's 10m air pistol marksman class. Looking forward to upgrading this to a gold next year!
August 19, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Had a great time these past few days at the Canadian Pistol National Championships, and came home with a silver medal in the men's 10m air pistol marksman class. Looking forward to upgrading this to a gold next year!
I couldn’t leave England without first paying a visit to this otherwise unassuming building.
August 1, 2025 at 1:56 PM
I couldn’t leave England without first paying a visit to this otherwise unassuming building.
I did it. I went to the British Museum and I saw the meme. Forget the conference, this was my real justification for going to England.
July 31, 2025 at 10:35 PM
I did it. I went to the British Museum and I saw the meme. Forget the conference, this was my real justification for going to England.
It really was something else to stand in the Bletchley Park office of the man himself. I feel like this is the computer science version of a pilgrimage.
July 27, 2025 at 8:20 PM
It really was something else to stand in the Bletchley Park office of the man himself. I feel like this is the computer science version of a pilgrimage.
This cupcake had a table of six of the world’s best automata theorists (and me) sitting and staring, trying to figure out what language the Turing machine recognizes. You might say we were as busy as beavers.
July 23, 2025 at 11:20 PM
This cupcake had a table of six of the world’s best automata theorists (and me) sitting and staring, trying to figure out what language the Turing machine recognizes. You might say we were as busy as beavers.
Came across a great book at the used bookstore this past weekend ("Broad Band" by Claire L. Evans, @theuniverse.bsky.social) and within it I found a delightful poem by Radia Perlman. This is definitely getting worked into my lecture next year on spanning trees.
July 16, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Came across a great book at the used bookstore this past weekend ("Broad Band" by Claire L. Evans, @theuniverse.bsky.social) and within it I found a delightful poem by Radia Perlman. This is definitely getting worked into my lecture next year on spanning trees.
I don’t get the big deal about continued fractions, these things are super easy!
July 14, 2025 at 12:44 AM
I don’t get the big deal about continued fractions, these things are super easy!
![A meme of a staring cat. The image has been edited to make it appear as if the cat is holding a fan of money. Text above the cat's head reads "i be checking my own [Rate My Professor] reviews like... damn what the goat up to?"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:f6tvcgb4p6fmvinz23kus77k/bafkreigm4ljepjrxkdu54l35bcr4kv5d56kenygsy3xpd3geyjsvpdobu4@jpeg)
I feel like last Friday's @nytimes.com article about AI already gave away the answer to this Friday's @nytimes.com article about AI.
June 20, 2025 at 4:00 PM
I feel like last Friday's @nytimes.com article about AI already gave away the answer to this Friday's @nytimes.com article about AI.
I finally got around to buying a second living room bookshelf this weekend. I thought it might give me some space to expand, but nope: nearly full already.
(Did I learn some lesson from this to stop buying more books? Ha, no.)
(Did I learn some lesson from this to stop buying more books? Ha, no.)
June 15, 2025 at 4:56 PM
I finally got around to buying a second living room bookshelf this weekend. I thought it might give me some space to expand, but nope: nearly full already.
(Did I learn some lesson from this to stop buying more books? Ha, no.)
(Did I learn some lesson from this to stop buying more books? Ha, no.)
For context (because why not, it's a slow afternoon), here's the Great Seal of Canada as it was during Queen Elizabeth II's reign.
June 12, 2025 at 6:46 PM
For context (because why not, it's a slow afternoon), here's the Great Seal of Canada as it was during Queen Elizabeth II's reign.
Beginning the process of making additions and revisions to my book, "Theory of Computing: An Open Introduction", in anticipation of the looming fall term. I suppose it's a sign of the times that I'm including a statement like this in the new edition.
June 12, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Beginning the process of making additions and revisions to my book, "Theory of Computing: An Open Introduction", in anticipation of the looming fall term. I suppose it's a sign of the times that I'm including a statement like this in the new edition.
The only reason I know this bit of trivia (along with all of my other Texas trivia) is from watching King of the Hill.
June 10, 2025 at 5:42 PM
The only reason I know this bit of trivia (along with all of my other Texas trivia) is from watching King of the Hill.
I've been on a bit of a heraldry kick this week (completely normal activity), and while looking at the Papal coats of arms, I found the simplest and shortest possible blazon: Pope Alexander III's "Or."
I think this is what those in the 1100s would've called a "flex".
I think this is what those in the 1100s would've called a "flex".
May 30, 2025 at 6:35 PM
I've been on a bit of a heraldry kick this week (completely normal activity), and while looking at the Papal coats of arms, I found the simplest and shortest possible blazon: Pope Alexander III's "Or."
I think this is what those in the 1100s would've called a "flex".
I think this is what those in the 1100s would've called a "flex".
Spent this weekend at the Nova Scotia Provincial Airgun Competition watching some amazing shooting talent, learning lots of new tips, and leaving as the sixth-ranked air pistol shooter in the province.
May 25, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Spent this weekend at the Nova Scotia Provincial Airgun Competition watching some amazing shooting talent, learning lots of new tips, and leaving as the sixth-ranked air pistol shooter in the province.
Spent this past weekend at the Canadian Airgun Grand Prix and came home with a silver medal in the marksman class. Very happy with the outcome, considering it was my first international match and second match overall!
May 12, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Spent this past weekend at the Canadian Airgun Grand Prix and came home with a silver medal in the marksman class. Very happy with the outcome, considering it was my first international match and second match overall!