Selection sort

Selection sort is an \(O(n^2)\) sorting algorithm that works by searching through a list to find the minimum element and swapping it for the first in the list. After every swap, selection sort is performed on the list with the head removed (ie. the minimum element). Due to the way that elements are swapped anywhere in the list, this is not a stable sort.

Selection sort is similar in complexity to insertion sort but almost always performs worse. This is due to the fact that selection sort has an exact number of comparisons based on \(n\), which can be defined using the arithmetic progression:

$$(n − 1) + (n − 2) + ... + 2 + 1 = n(n − 1) / 2$$

This makes its best case always contain the same amount of comparisons as its worst.

While selection sort is faster than most \(O(\log n)\) sorts for small lists, insertion sort is normally the preferable choice. It's main favourable property is that it will perform at most \(n - 1\) element swaps, so it may be useful if swapping is expensive.

The output element

The output HTML element was introduced in HTML5 and represents a calculated value belonging to a form. An example use case is client-side calculation on a shopping website's checkout page.

output vs samp

The purpose of output can be easily confused with that of the samp element; to represent a block of program output. The output element should not be used for this purpose.

Its name comes from the input element, since the typical use case for the element is to output the sum of several input element values. Perhaps something like computed would have been a more fitting name to reduce confusion.

The q element

The q HTML element is used to represent an inline quote. Now regular quotes ("") can represent this just fine, surrounding the quote in the q tag differs in that it explicitly indicates that the text is a quote, removing ambiguities that it could be emphasis, irony, etc.

In addition to explicitly stating that the text is a quote, it also provides a way to consistently style all quotes with minimal markup.

Usage

A quote

To use the q element, surround the quote with the tag. Ensure you do not add quotes in addition to the q tag or they will come through twice.

<p>Gandalf opened the doors to Moria by saying <q>Mellon</q>.</p>

The samp element

The samp HTML element is used to represent (sample) output from a program. It has been around since HTML1, though back it was simply used to markup a sequence of literal characters.

By default samp is an inline element so it won't break the flow of the page, this means that it can be used within a block of text without any problems.

Usage

Inline sample output

The samp element can represent a program's output within a paragraph or block of text by simply wrapping the output in the tag.

<p>The browser will say <samp>404 Page Not Found</samp>.</p>

You can now inspect pseudo-elements in the Chrome DevTools!

The feature I've wanted for a very long time has finally arrived with Chromium v31; you can now inspect the :before and :after pseudo-elements within the Chrome DevTools! It is such a great quality of life change for anyone who spends a decent amount of time tinkering with CSS.

Previously you would have to find the pseudo-element styles within the styles of the parent, there would be no selection of the pseudo-element in the viewport and the width and height wouldn't display.

The kbd element

The kbd HTML element is used to represent some form of user input. Typically it represents keyboard input (where its name comes from) but can be used to represent any type of input that can be represented in text, such as voice commands. While it may not be familiar to most web developers it has actually been part of HTML since the first proposal for a specification (HTML1 was 1993!), though the meaning has changed quite a bit since then.

Usage

There are a few different ways to use it as defined by the HTML5 spec.

Keystrokes

The kbd element by itself generally represents a keystroke.

<p>Press the <kbd>Space</kbd> key to continue.</p>

When chaining keys together, ideally you would nest each keystroke within their own kbd element.

<p>Press <kbd><kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>S</kbd></kbd> to save.</p>

Moving to the US for work

I eventually made it to the US in September and have started working at Amazon! It was a pretty intense period in the couple of months leading up to leaving Australia. I have compiled a list of things that that helped me and also what I wished I had known before starting the move.

Keep your documents organised

There is a tonne of paperwork needed to make a move like this, from tax documents to housing applications, a lot of which you'll need to send or change multiple times. It's pretty important because of this that you keep everything organised so that you can find everything easily.
The vehicle in which you keep your items organised is up to you, make a good effort to keep it up though. Personally I used Google Drive and its fairly new scan functionality to keep all my documents organised and available on all my devices.

CSS multi-coloured rectangular borders

The borders in CSS are weighted equally which means if their colours differ, the split between them will be diagonal. This is the reason that CSS triangles work the way they do. Say your design wanted a more rectangular border though, where the top and bottom extended all the way out and covered the bottom portion of the left and right borders.

You can do this a couple of ways.