Team Name: hamten
Team Members: Minoru Fujita & Dai Hamada
Institution/Organization: teamLab.
SnackDown 2015 Rank: ROW 09
Q. CodeChef: When did you start coding and how did you learn?
Minoru Fujita: I started coding at 1990 (7 years old). I copied codes of game of books (F-BASIC) and played at that time.
Dai Hamada: I started coding when I’m high school student.
Q. CodeChef: Could you name and share your first programming contest experience?
Minoru Fujita: My first contest experience is ACM-ICPC domestic in Japan at 2004. I need not to say the result 🙂
Dai Hamada: My first competition was Topcoder Single Round Match.
Q. CodeChef: How often do you code on any given day & weekend?
Minoru Fujita: half of time not working, eating or sleeping. It is important to do it everyday.
Dai Hamada: I’m coding everyday
Q. CodeChef: What was the biggest hurdle on your road to where you are today?
Minoru Fujita: anta0.
Dai Hamada: that was elimination round.
Q. CodeChef: What do you think biggest mistake competitive programmers make?
Minoru Fujita: This year’s Facebook Hacker Cup Round 3. I can surely go to the final, but I mistook at two problems. I was down for one week. I have not gone to any final onsite round of foreign contests.
Dai Hamada: I spent much time on a difficult problem, while missing easy problems.
Q. CodeChef: What programming language do you use and why?
Minoru Fujita: Java. I’d used C++ around 2004, somehow, I use Java now. The reason will be that my main language of my job is Java, too.
Dai Hamada: Java. C++ is faster, but Java is easier to find memory-related bugs.
Q. CodeChef: What advice do you have for other competitive programmers?
Minoru Fujita: practice and review.
Dai Hamada: Practicing old problems is a good training. However, participating on contests is better if you can take time to review the unsolved problems.
Q. CodeChef: What do you like the most about CodeChef? and what would you don’t like in it?
Minoru Fujita: Like the most is: There is always the editorial of the contest, and can view every other contestant’s codes. Don’t like is: CodeChef does not always send me T-shirts. I’d sent the list contests of “not sent T-shirts”.
Dai Hamada: I like CodeChef long contest because it is easy to participate and have much time to spend on difficult problems.
Q. CodeChef: What factors do you believe help you win?
Minoru Fujita: Relax, and not thinking about my ranking until the end.
Dai Hamada: calm down and think to solve the problem
Q. CodeChef: What motivates you to compete?
Minoru Fujita: Get chance to know algorithms which is unknown for me.
Dai Hamada: studying math and computer science
Q. CodeChef: Where do you see yourself 5 years down the line?
Minoru Fujita: I want to increase my salary, and get free time to compete. I’ve been sluggish with this point, I’d like to find the way.
Dai Hamada: I want to have a job requiring my programming skills
That, ladies & gentlemen is Team hamten you. We thoroughly enjoyed their responses and hope you did too.
We will be back soon, so keep watching this space.
Regards,
Rudreshwar
Team Q. CodeChef
