You might fairly consider this an insignificant anecdote, but: I have rejected people for contract work because they insisted on retaining copyright, sometimes on this basis alone.
Here's my problem with using quicksort at interview:
A developer who writes an implementation of the quicksort algorithm as part of their job should usually be removed from their post for incompetence.
The interview process should be a two-way procedure which also allows the candidate to understand what is expected of them in a role (and make their decision about the job accordingly). If regurgitating quicksort is expected, then this is a fair test: otherwise, this is not how you should be presenting the job.
That doesn't stop them from adding dark patterns on top. Acting with business interests in mind, airlines are practically compelled to add dark patterns.
Other airlines have moved towards RyanAir's model, not away from it.
I find that frightening, as an ethical person who wants to run a business.
There's a dichotomy here on HN:
Best marketing practice generally praises upselling and A/B testing conversions to increase sales and profits.
But, taking these to a natural conclusion typically results in exactly the Dark Patterns we see here: where users are tricked or misled into agreeing to things they might not if they were offered clear, open and full disclosure upfront.
We can identify dark patterns - but in many cases, these are here because they work. At least, large international businesses such as RyanAir believe that they have a positive outcome which overwhelms any damage to the brand.
I would like to know: how can we resolve these two ideas and run ethical but viable/competitive businesses?
I think this is hard because it's not immediately obvious that direction is such an important concept in kinematics.
It's probably the most important thing to get across when teaching the subject, but you have to battle against prior knowledge:
Math students (that is, everyone) earlier learned that this sign-flipping strategy is ok and perhaps an encouraged shortcut when e.g. subtracting.
(see also that Khan Academy video - "first do the multiplication, then think about the sign")
I am not sure of the pedagogical benefit of what is being described here - a separation of arithmetical and algebraic thinking at the level of school mathematics.
By the distinction that Prof Devlin tries to make, primary school subtraction is typically taught/learned in an 'algebraic' way (logical reasoning to invert addition).
This makes it difficult to understand what he is trying to say.
I most strongly doubt the claim that students who are strong in arithmetic find it harder to learn algebra. It's obvious that students with good arithmetic skills are more quickly able to find value and purpose in algebra.