Yesterday was the Qualification Round of Google Code Jam.
I am happy to report that, not only did I blow through the required 20 points to advance, but I ranked 750 / 18365 code jammers with a score above zero. (Nearly a full 20,000 competed in total.)
The first three problems were interesting and I really enjoyed coding up the solutions for them. The final problem (Hall of Mirrors) was much more "mathy" than any of the others, and although I'm pretty good at these sorts of problems, I didn't feel up to spending the effort and headache of solving the problem in order to code it up. I already had a potential of 60 points, so why overdo it before it really counts? Plus I had to head into the city to go to the gym and do a huge load of shopping for the cookout we're having today, and by the time I got back I was feeling pretty bushed.
It was fun to dust off Java for this though, and I look forward to using it more for the next round! PHP is a mess of a language compared to the structured fascism of Java. But damn if I don't just love them both.
The next round will start at Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 01:00 UTC. I am competing under the pseudonym 'illiteratus' if you want to watch me compete!