Why does Blogger's post editing page only display correctly in Internet Explorer?
Anyway, let's recap:
(1) 3 exams down. 1 more on Monday, and another on Friday.
(2) TOOL coming to Fresno. Ticket ordered and paid for.
(3) ProgWest happening in LA in November. Need to get my ticket.
(4) Michelle Branch tomorrow at the fair.
As for today, I went through more than I needed to with regards to a UPS package that has been attempted for delivery to my apartment twice, only for me to not be there each time (unfortunately, due to whatever the shipper specified, I was *not* allowed to sign a card and authorize them to leave it at my door). I called this morning, and was told the package was supposed to be held at the station for me to pick up. I go there in the afternoon, and it turns out that the package had been sent out on a truck for delivery. Yay. Oh, and backtracking a moment, the UPS station was way the heck on the other side of town, in an area that I'm not familiar with and don't plan on becoming intimite with, and the offramp off of Highway 99 was closed. Yeah, it was one of those days.
It got better after I got back home. Stacey stayed at my place and worked on her homework, while I went on this little escapade. Not terribly long after I got home, the delivery truck made its way to my door. Yay, my package (FINALLY) is in my hands. What is it? Why, it's my wireless networking hardware. Yippee skippy.
After that, my parents showed up, and Stacey and I went with them to the Fresno State vs. Colorado State football game. Fresno won, 32-30, against the top 25 ranked Colorado St. Rams. After losing three games to top-25 teams (one of which they lost on an officiating call, another of which they just barely choked away), it was nice to WIN one. Of course, had they nabbed a "W" on even one of those first three games, they'd probably be due for their own top-25 ranking. Oh well, it just can't be like last season.
Tomorrow, Stacey and I hit the fair. Hopefully, it'll be entertaining. Meanwhile, I need to start studying for my music exam, and my assembly language test (I have a ton of catching up to do in there).
Saturday, October 5
Friday, October 4
C SCI 60 test is over. Some of it was hard. I hope I did well.
I was at Stacey's yesterday, and I saw a commercial for TOOL coming to play at Selland Arena here in Fresno. Tickets went on sale this morning at 10:00am. I booted up my laptop and ordered mine while in class. I got tickets in the front-and-center section on the floor. Should be great.
I showed some people in my C SCI 112 class (before class, before I had to go buy my tickets) the lab that I finished yesterday. They were impressed at my solution. We're still not sure if it's "allowed" or not, though we think she'd have to accept it because what I did was not explicitly disallowed. I can't help it if I'm brilliant and good at researching my work...
On my way to class, I saw a paper posted on the wall, asking "Can You Solve This?". The problem went as follows:
"Given 12 gems, each of which are identical in outward appearence, but one of which is counterfeit and lighter in weight, use a balancing scale to determine which gem is the counterfeit. You may use the scale no more than 3 times."
It took me about 2 minutes to solve this problem. I don't know if that means that I'm smart, or if it was just a brain-dead problem. The paper asked for people to e-mail their solutions to a couple of the math professors. So, I wrote down their e-mail addresses, typed up my solution before class, and e-mailed them.
[Update: I saw a problem just like this on the Internet, which was solved by grade schoolers. So obviously it's not that hard.]
I was at Stacey's yesterday, and I saw a commercial for TOOL coming to play at Selland Arena here in Fresno. Tickets went on sale this morning at 10:00am. I booted up my laptop and ordered mine while in class. I got tickets in the front-and-center section on the floor. Should be great.
I showed some people in my C SCI 112 class (before class, before I had to go buy my tickets) the lab that I finished yesterday. They were impressed at my solution. We're still not sure if it's "allowed" or not, though we think she'd have to accept it because what I did was not explicitly disallowed. I can't help it if I'm brilliant and good at researching my work...
On my way to class, I saw a paper posted on the wall, asking "Can You Solve This?". The problem went as follows:
"Given 12 gems, each of which are identical in outward appearence, but one of which is counterfeit and lighter in weight, use a balancing scale to determine which gem is the counterfeit. You may use the scale no more than 3 times."
It took me about 2 minutes to solve this problem. I don't know if that means that I'm smart, or if it was just a brain-dead problem. The paper asked for people to e-mail their solutions to a couple of the math professors. So, I wrote down their e-mail addresses, typed up my solution before class, and e-mailed them.
[Update: I saw a problem just like this on the Internet, which was solved by grade schoolers. So obviously it's not that hard.]
Thursday, October 3
Not surprisingly, Stacey is attached to her WinXP. We'll break that Microsoft dependancy soon enough...
Quick shout-out to Greg Buchold, who tried to message me when I was with Stacey this afternoon/night (for some reason, Trillian did not go into idle mode - I had three messages from people that I had not talked to in a long time). Greg was a friend back in P-town... yet another brilliant mind trapped in an otherwise mentally deficient mini-tropolis. He said he's attending UC Santa Cruz, and is double majoring in quantum physics and pimping. (OK, I made those majors up).
I don't think my C SCI 60 exam will be too tough, but you never know. I think I'm going to skip C SCI 1 tomorrow (that class is the definition of "skippable" - I've skipped it a few times already and I know I pounded the crap out of that exam), and use the extra time to study for the test.
After this, I have to study for my music exam on Monday, and for my C SCI 112 (assembly language, ugh!) exam on Friday. THAT one is going to be terrible. Honestly, C SCI 112 is a class I just want to pass (I know, I know Stacey, I've said that before... but unlike last time, Dr. Seki has a reputation for being a *real* tough grader. Dr. Yeung graded very softly for us in C SCI 41). I've neglected assembly language for the last couple of weeks, because I was so focused on my C++ assignments and exam. It's hard to learn two languages at once! You just kinda learn them in stages. So, anyway, it's assembly language study time.
I want a better laptop. Maybe I should save up some money and try to get my parents to pay for half of one for Christmas or something. My laptop has become so inseparable from me that I could use one with some extra power. I'd love one of the sleek new Apple laptops (now that Mac OS is built on top of BSD Unix), but they're *too* expensive. Whatever I get, it has to be STURDY. My Thinkpad is a workhorse. I need something I can sling into my backpack's laptop slot and carry around on my back. I wouldn't want to carry Stacey's laptop that way... it's too delicate. I need a manly laptop. :)
If you feel like supporting a good cause for the day, click here, and a can of soup will be donated by Campbell's for the hungry, on your behalf.
Quick shout-out to Greg Buchold, who tried to message me when I was with Stacey this afternoon/night (for some reason, Trillian did not go into idle mode - I had three messages from people that I had not talked to in a long time). Greg was a friend back in P-town... yet another brilliant mind trapped in an otherwise mentally deficient mini-tropolis. He said he's attending UC Santa Cruz, and is double majoring in quantum physics and pimping. (OK, I made those majors up).
I don't think my C SCI 60 exam will be too tough, but you never know. I think I'm going to skip C SCI 1 tomorrow (that class is the definition of "skippable" - I've skipped it a few times already and I know I pounded the crap out of that exam), and use the extra time to study for the test.
After this, I have to study for my music exam on Monday, and for my C SCI 112 (assembly language, ugh!) exam on Friday. THAT one is going to be terrible. Honestly, C SCI 112 is a class I just want to pass (I know, I know Stacey, I've said that before... but unlike last time, Dr. Seki has a reputation for being a *real* tough grader. Dr. Yeung graded very softly for us in C SCI 41). I've neglected assembly language for the last couple of weeks, because I was so focused on my C++ assignments and exam. It's hard to learn two languages at once! You just kinda learn them in stages. So, anyway, it's assembly language study time.
I want a better laptop. Maybe I should save up some money and try to get my parents to pay for half of one for Christmas or something. My laptop has become so inseparable from me that I could use one with some extra power. I'd love one of the sleek new Apple laptops (now that Mac OS is built on top of BSD Unix), but they're *too* expensive. Whatever I get, it has to be STURDY. My Thinkpad is a workhorse. I need something I can sling into my backpack's laptop slot and carry around on my back. I wouldn't want to carry Stacey's laptop that way... it's too delicate. I need a manly laptop. :)
If you feel like supporting a good cause for the day, click here, and a can of soup will be donated by Campbell's for the hungry, on your behalf.
OK, now that things have calmed down a bit (even with an impending test in C SCI 60 tomorrow)........
My C SCI 115 test was difficult (surprise!). I wish I would have studied my actual Knight's Tour code more, and the pseudocode from the book less, because sure enough, we had to actually code it (despite a couple of my classmates insisting we'd be writing it in pseudocode - I thought I had heard differently, and turns out I was right). I think I did well on the Knapsack problems, which were the very last things I studied for. We'll see how the grading goes...
I finished my C SCI 112 lab this morning/early afternoon. It ended up being a whole whopping *one* line of code. At least, that's how I coded it. It's so simple that I wonder if maybe I "cheated". I found out that the "eval" function has the ability to easily change number bases. I wonder if maybe we weren't supposed to know that or not. But then again, I don't know how I would do it otherwise. And we're just supposed to write a macro that simplifies the process of changing a number from decimal to hexadecimal, so maybe it wasn't supposed to be a difficult problem. We're given very little direction in these matters... we're pretty much left to fend for ourselves. It's really like a teacher throwing you a math book and a French book and saying, "Here. Learn math and French. You've got one semester."
Tuesday evening, I went to Round Table Pizza to get myself some pizza. (I didn't have much time to leave the house, so one big pizza would provide dinner, a late night snack, and the next day's lunch before my exam). While waiting, I sat down at an arcade game called Arctic Thunder. It's a snowmobile racing game. What's cool is that the handlebars and bench seat shake to simulate the rough ride and acceleration. But what's REALLY trippy is that the game machine has these fans (I'm guessing they're fans) built in, and they kick in when you're moving and blow cold air on you! It's kinda cool, because the moving air and bumping ride give you a decent sense of motion. I bet the game would be more fun during hot summer months than it is in winter. It reminds me of an old PC Games column, jokingly talking about the future of force-feedback, and it included fans and water sprayers for simulating wind/movement and moisture. Funny how reality's catching up to satire.
Stacey's laptop and Windows XP continue to be at odds with each other. I'm wondering if she wouldn't be better off with Red Hat Linux. Maybe if one of the all-in-one instant messengers works well (I'll try Imici very soon, Frank). KaZaA can be installed using Wine, I've read. Hmm. I'll bounce the idea off her, after I've used Linux a bit more, unless I'm able to resolve the XP issues on the laptop.
My C SCI 115 test was difficult (surprise!). I wish I would have studied my actual Knight's Tour code more, and the pseudocode from the book less, because sure enough, we had to actually code it (despite a couple of my classmates insisting we'd be writing it in pseudocode - I thought I had heard differently, and turns out I was right). I think I did well on the Knapsack problems, which were the very last things I studied for. We'll see how the grading goes...
I finished my C SCI 112 lab this morning/early afternoon. It ended up being a whole whopping *one* line of code. At least, that's how I coded it. It's so simple that I wonder if maybe I "cheated". I found out that the "eval" function has the ability to easily change number bases. I wonder if maybe we weren't supposed to know that or not. But then again, I don't know how I would do it otherwise. And we're just supposed to write a macro that simplifies the process of changing a number from decimal to hexadecimal, so maybe it wasn't supposed to be a difficult problem. We're given very little direction in these matters... we're pretty much left to fend for ourselves. It's really like a teacher throwing you a math book and a French book and saying, "Here. Learn math and French. You've got one semester."
Tuesday evening, I went to Round Table Pizza to get myself some pizza. (I didn't have much time to leave the house, so one big pizza would provide dinner, a late night snack, and the next day's lunch before my exam). While waiting, I sat down at an arcade game called Arctic Thunder. It's a snowmobile racing game. What's cool is that the handlebars and bench seat shake to simulate the rough ride and acceleration. But what's REALLY trippy is that the game machine has these fans (I'm guessing they're fans) built in, and they kick in when you're moving and blow cold air on you! It's kinda cool, because the moving air and bumping ride give you a decent sense of motion. I bet the game would be more fun during hot summer months than it is in winter. It reminds me of an old PC Games column, jokingly talking about the future of force-feedback, and it included fans and water sprayers for simulating wind/movement and moisture. Funny how reality's catching up to satire.
Stacey's laptop and Windows XP continue to be at odds with each other. I'm wondering if she wouldn't be better off with Red Hat Linux. Maybe if one of the all-in-one instant messengers works well (I'll try Imici very soon, Frank). KaZaA can be installed using Wine, I've read. Hmm. I'll bounce the idea off her, after I've used Linux a bit more, unless I'm able to resolve the XP issues on the laptop.
Wednesday, October 2
"Be our guest
Be our guest
Put the rumors all to rest
Bring in all your top inspectors
and watch Saddam pass the test!
Come inside!
Look around
There's no nerve gas to be found!
The only thing we're making
Is some cookie dough for baaakingggg..."
-- A fake Saddam Hussein and the candle guy from Beauty and the Beast, singing on Conan O'Brien last night.
Be our guest
Put the rumors all to rest
Bring in all your top inspectors
and watch Saddam pass the test!
Come inside!
Look around
There's no nerve gas to be found!
The only thing we're making
Is some cookie dough for baaakingggg..."
-- A fake Saddam Hussein and the candle guy from Beauty and the Beast, singing on Conan O'Brien last night.
The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is ridiculous.
If anyone wonders why I download so many MP3s with no apparent regard for artist royalties, consider this:
At a recent hearing to U.S. Senators, one member of the Backstreet Boys (Kevin Richardson) stated that the members of their band have NEVER received a royalties check. NEVER. Millions of albums sold, and not one penny gets to the artists. Surprised? It happens all the time.
Don Henley (of the Eagles) brought royalty statements to the hearing, despite being threatened of lawsuits by the label (gee, think someone's not wanting information like this disclosed?). Henley didn't budge, and lo and behold, the royalty statements clearly show that the label withheld more money than was allowed by the contract for the band's live reunion album, Hell Freezes Over. The contract also deducted over $80,000 for free promos for Europe, despite the fact that the contract specifically states NO freebie deductions for that market.
It gets better. Leslie Chambers, the wife of one of the Chambers Brothers (remember them? "Time has come today..... TIME!") states that their label has lied to them about royalties. The Chambers Brothers, according to Leslie, have not received a royalty check for 30 years (gee, about the time that the industry became commercialized). The label claimed that there were no European distributions on their albums. After scoping out eBay for Chambers Brothers stuff, imagine how Leslie felt when she found European distributions of her husband's work! And not bootlegs either, but from foreign affiliates of their label, Columbia Records! Howzabout that?
These artists are making NOTHING off of album sales. $0.00. Imagine a business model where you paid a few pennies to download a song, and got to do so at high speeds, without the hassles of bad rips, slow downloads, and other weird stuff. A few pennies is nothing, but it could add up for these artists fast. But who does that leave out? Why, the precious members of the RIAA.
The RIAA lives by a line from Blazing Saddles: "We've got to protect our phony baloney jobs, gentlemen!". Harrumph!
If anyone wonders why I download so many MP3s with no apparent regard for artist royalties, consider this:
At a recent hearing to U.S. Senators, one member of the Backstreet Boys (Kevin Richardson) stated that the members of their band have NEVER received a royalties check. NEVER. Millions of albums sold, and not one penny gets to the artists. Surprised? It happens all the time.
Don Henley (of the Eagles) brought royalty statements to the hearing, despite being threatened of lawsuits by the label (gee, think someone's not wanting information like this disclosed?). Henley didn't budge, and lo and behold, the royalty statements clearly show that the label withheld more money than was allowed by the contract for the band's live reunion album, Hell Freezes Over. The contract also deducted over $80,000 for free promos for Europe, despite the fact that the contract specifically states NO freebie deductions for that market.
It gets better. Leslie Chambers, the wife of one of the Chambers Brothers (remember them? "Time has come today..... TIME!") states that their label has lied to them about royalties. The Chambers Brothers, according to Leslie, have not received a royalty check for 30 years (gee, about the time that the industry became commercialized). The label claimed that there were no European distributions on their albums. After scoping out eBay for Chambers Brothers stuff, imagine how Leslie felt when she found European distributions of her husband's work! And not bootlegs either, but from foreign affiliates of their label, Columbia Records! Howzabout that?
These artists are making NOTHING off of album sales. $0.00. Imagine a business model where you paid a few pennies to download a song, and got to do so at high speeds, without the hassles of bad rips, slow downloads, and other weird stuff. A few pennies is nothing, but it could add up for these artists fast. But who does that leave out? Why, the precious members of the RIAA.
The RIAA lives by a line from Blazing Saddles: "We've got to protect our phony baloney jobs, gentlemen!". Harrumph!
One exam down (the easy one). One more (the very hard one) to go.
I finished my C SCI 1 exam in 20 minutes, and I'll be disappointed if I don't get 100%. It was pretty much a joke.
C SCI 115 will be a different story. I'm still cramming, trying to memorize all this code and pseudocode and crap. Wish me luck.
I finished my C SCI 1 exam in 20 minutes, and I'll be disappointed if I don't get 100%. It was pretty much a joke.
C SCI 115 will be a different story. I'm still cramming, trying to memorize all this code and pseudocode and crap. Wish me luck.
Tuesday, October 1
Another crappy day of studying. Well, at least when I've been able to focus on studying. Which isn't as often as it should be. I've gotta stay up tonight learning some more things. Man, the C SCI 115 test is going to be obnoxious. Why can't I ever go into a test with some degree of confidence?
Well, I got a call from my mom today, telling me that they'll have an extra ticket to the Fresno State vs. Colorado State football game on Friday, so I called Stacey and asked if she wanted to go. She said yes, so we're watchin' football Friday, and then Michelle Branch on Saturday. Should be fun. Football will be the best, though. :)
Enough studying! I just want a few days where I can play some games.
I installed Red Hat Linux 8.0 onto my laptop. Unlike Mandrake, Red Hat 8.0 has actually saved my network configuration and remembers it when I boot up. It's got potential as a desktop OS. I need to get a program that serves a similar purpose as Trillian. I also need to configure Samba so that it can network with my Windows machines. I need to be able to share my class notes on all my machines.
I ordered my wireless networking gear today. Can't wait for that stuff to come. Next on my list: big hard drives for my server.
Well, I got a call from my mom today, telling me that they'll have an extra ticket to the Fresno State vs. Colorado State football game on Friday, so I called Stacey and asked if she wanted to go. She said yes, so we're watchin' football Friday, and then Michelle Branch on Saturday. Should be fun. Football will be the best, though. :)
Enough studying! I just want a few days where I can play some games.
I installed Red Hat Linux 8.0 onto my laptop. Unlike Mandrake, Red Hat 8.0 has actually saved my network configuration and remembers it when I boot up. It's got potential as a desktop OS. I need to get a program that serves a similar purpose as Trillian. I also need to configure Samba so that it can network with my Windows machines. I need to be able to share my class notes on all my machines.
I ordered my wireless networking gear today. Can't wait for that stuff to come. Next on my list: big hard drives for my server.
Monday, September 30
Sunday, September 29
Tonight's study session was essential. I coded the two algorithms that I needed to (though using plenty of outside resources to accomplish that). Of course, the goal wasn't to code them, but to learn them to the point where I can write up the code on an exam. Naturally, coding them once is the major 1st step. I already have one memorized, and I can get the other one down with a little more memorization.
Currently listening to the Finnish psych/neo-Krautrock band Circle (album: Taantumus). I've been interested in this band on an academic level, but the music never really clicked before. It's starting to click now. It's very repetitive, very entrancing, very noisy cacophonic blend that will annoy those in the wrong mindset and hypnotize those in the right one.
SO much more to do in the next two days. One step at a time...
Currently listening to the Finnish psych/neo-Krautrock band Circle (album: Taantumus). I've been interested in this band on an academic level, but the music never really clicked before. It's starting to click now. It's very repetitive, very entrancing, very noisy cacophonic blend that will annoy those in the wrong mindset and hypnotize those in the right one.
SO much more to do in the next two days. One step at a time...
JAGUARS WIN, 28-3!
(The real Jaguars this time, not my NFL2K3 team).
I read an interesting story on Slashdot about DirecTV hacking, and I saw a comment that made me think. It read:
"Economics is how to allocate scare resources amoung various competing consumers. Technology enables us to achieve an almost utopian state with some products, 0% scarcity. These companies are trying to apply old-world economics to new-world goods and servicies by creating an artificial scarcity."
It's a very interesting point. With a technology like satellite, there is no scarcity of the resource. The only thing that keeps prices what they are is artificial measures and controls applied to "lock" this technology.
Anyway, I went to Porterville today to watch the football games. It was fun watching the Jags pound on the hapless Jets. I took some of my books too, but I didn't really spend much time with them. I'm staying up tonight to try and code a couple of these algorithms... if I can do that, it will cut my workload leading into Wednesday's tests by a good measure.
I'm a little burned out right now, and it's not really a good time to be burned out. I have to get through these tests, and then two more midterms next week. After that, I will probably go "splat" for a week. It's just a never-ending workload, which seems to self-replicate much more rapidly than any other semester of work.
My toe is feeling mostly good, except if I bump it. Like the doctor indicated, it will be tender for a little while longer.
My handicap parking pass expires at the end of this week. Bummer. I rather enjoyed the choice parking. Maybe I should hurt myself again....
This Saturday, I'm taking Stacey to see Michelle Branch at the Fresno Fair. I need to go to a pop/rock or jazz concert for my music class, and she likes Michelle Branch, and the tickets were pretty cheap, so it seemed like a good move on all fronts. Should be fun, even if I'm not really a fan of the style of music. I can think of far worse ways to spend an evening.
That's it for now. I'm tired, but the night is still young.
(The real Jaguars this time, not my NFL2K3 team).
I read an interesting story on Slashdot about DirecTV hacking, and I saw a comment that made me think. It read:
"Economics is how to allocate scare resources amoung various competing consumers. Technology enables us to achieve an almost utopian state with some products, 0% scarcity. These companies are trying to apply old-world economics to new-world goods and servicies by creating an artificial scarcity."
It's a very interesting point. With a technology like satellite, there is no scarcity of the resource. The only thing that keeps prices what they are is artificial measures and controls applied to "lock" this technology.
Anyway, I went to Porterville today to watch the football games. It was fun watching the Jags pound on the hapless Jets. I took some of my books too, but I didn't really spend much time with them. I'm staying up tonight to try and code a couple of these algorithms... if I can do that, it will cut my workload leading into Wednesday's tests by a good measure.
I'm a little burned out right now, and it's not really a good time to be burned out. I have to get through these tests, and then two more midterms next week. After that, I will probably go "splat" for a week. It's just a never-ending workload, which seems to self-replicate much more rapidly than any other semester of work.
My toe is feeling mostly good, except if I bump it. Like the doctor indicated, it will be tender for a little while longer.
My handicap parking pass expires at the end of this week. Bummer. I rather enjoyed the choice parking. Maybe I should hurt myself again....
This Saturday, I'm taking Stacey to see Michelle Branch at the Fresno Fair. I need to go to a pop/rock or jazz concert for my music class, and she likes Michelle Branch, and the tickets were pretty cheap, so it seemed like a good move on all fronts. Should be fun, even if I'm not really a fan of the style of music. I can think of far worse ways to spend an evening.
That's it for now. I'm tired, but the night is still young.
Saturday, September 28
Today was a lazy day. I wasn't in any mood to start my studying, although I actually did get half of my C SCI 60 homework done. I got a workout in too, which was good. So it wasn't ALL lazy.
I slept in until past noon. I had been up late for the past few nights (particularly Thursday night's late-night programming session), and I needed the rest. I watched the Fresno State football game (close win on the road vs. Rice), which, again, is 100 times better on a big flat screen. I'm glad they didn't lose this one. I hate seeing teams that run an OPTION offense win games. How lame.
Some brilliant soul on GameFAQs's NFL2K3 board is trying to convince me that Kurt Warner currently sucks because of his "thumb injury", and that he and Mike Martz are keeping it a secret from the world. Riiiight. Warner's thumb had an offseason to heal. If it ain't healed now, it's never going to be. Apparently it's an arthritic condition, but it's something he's had since the Arena league. So it's basically just an excuse when things are bad. Or, if it's not, can you say "Bozworth"? Either way, the jig is up.
I went to Target, and bought a cordless phone (with caller ID) for my upstairs bedroom. I also got a headset for the phone. And, I got a cool clock radio for my bathroom. Nothing like NPR classical radio in the mornings.
Speaking of classical, I'm currently listening to Dvorak's String Quartets #10 and #11. Pretty good. String quartets are great when you're in a tired mood. They're almost surreal to listen to in the mornings when you've just woken up, and your mind isn't moving very fast yet.
I'm going to Porterville tomorrow, to watch the Jaguars game (they *better* beat the Jets!). I'm taking my programming books with me. Gotta study for midterms (THREE of them on Wednesday). Time to figure out the Towers of Hanoi...
I slept in until past noon. I had been up late for the past few nights (particularly Thursday night's late-night programming session), and I needed the rest. I watched the Fresno State football game (close win on the road vs. Rice), which, again, is 100 times better on a big flat screen. I'm glad they didn't lose this one. I hate seeing teams that run an OPTION offense win games. How lame.
Some brilliant soul on GameFAQs's NFL2K3 board is trying to convince me that Kurt Warner currently sucks because of his "thumb injury", and that he and Mike Martz are keeping it a secret from the world. Riiiight. Warner's thumb had an offseason to heal. If it ain't healed now, it's never going to be. Apparently it's an arthritic condition, but it's something he's had since the Arena league. So it's basically just an excuse when things are bad. Or, if it's not, can you say "Bozworth"? Either way, the jig is up.
I went to Target, and bought a cordless phone (with caller ID) for my upstairs bedroom. I also got a headset for the phone. And, I got a cool clock radio for my bathroom. Nothing like NPR classical radio in the mornings.
Speaking of classical, I'm currently listening to Dvorak's String Quartets #10 and #11. Pretty good. String quartets are great when you're in a tired mood. They're almost surreal to listen to in the mornings when you've just woken up, and your mind isn't moving very fast yet.
I'm going to Porterville tomorrow, to watch the Jaguars game (they *better* beat the Jets!). I'm taking my programming books with me. Gotta study for midterms (THREE of them on Wednesday). Time to figure out the Towers of Hanoi...
Last night, I stayed up until 1:30am, completing all of my assignment programs.
I must be becoming a programmer. Every "milestone" deadline that I set for myself, I ended up missing. I actually had 0 programs fully functioning at the end of Thursday night. So then I wanted to have 2 done Friday morning. I finished one, and finished another one in the afternoon. Then, I spent a LOT of time on the 3rd program (these first three were all in C++). I got it done, and done well, but it was a fight. After that, I did my assembly language lab. I didn't do a good job on this one - the code was not optimized, and I don't know if it was correctly functional either. But, it wasn't worth that many points, so it was the lowest priority. The first three programs (a real "assignment" in C SCI 115) were the big ones, and I nailed those (I think).
So, this afternoon, I was done with programming. I got a haircut after I got out of class. Later this afternoon, Stacey came over. We went to Blackbeard's to play miniature golf. Well, let's just say the outcome of the game wasn't in my favor. I got way behind on the first 9 holes, and though I made up a lot of ground on the second 9, it wasn't enough. Then, we played some arcade games (I rule at air hockey ;) ). We drove the go-karts too. Stacey had flip-flops on, so she couldn't drive. Thus, she rode as a passenger in my car. Now, most of the people we were racing against were early-to-mid teens. By myself, I'm heavier than most of the tandems, and with another person, our car was definitely more weighed down than everyone else's. There were a couple where only one person was in a car (and they were paper-thin teen girls too, so they weighed nothing at all). Naturally, those single-occupant cars "won" the race. Stacey and I finished third, behind those two, though. My driving was crisp and skillful. I had a REAL hard time fitting my long legs into the car, though! I hit the brake on accident a few times, because my leg was just cramped in there.
Anyway, we went to dinner after that, and sat outside to eat. It was fun. We came back to my place and added some stuff to her website. All in all, a pretty good day.
I know I'm missing some things, but I'm not all that coherent at this hour. Oh, I installed a new Linux distribution - Mandrake 9.0 - on my laptop. More on that later.
I must be becoming a programmer. Every "milestone" deadline that I set for myself, I ended up missing. I actually had 0 programs fully functioning at the end of Thursday night. So then I wanted to have 2 done Friday morning. I finished one, and finished another one in the afternoon. Then, I spent a LOT of time on the 3rd program (these first three were all in C++). I got it done, and done well, but it was a fight. After that, I did my assembly language lab. I didn't do a good job on this one - the code was not optimized, and I don't know if it was correctly functional either. But, it wasn't worth that many points, so it was the lowest priority. The first three programs (a real "assignment" in C SCI 115) were the big ones, and I nailed those (I think).
So, this afternoon, I was done with programming. I got a haircut after I got out of class. Later this afternoon, Stacey came over. We went to Blackbeard's to play miniature golf. Well, let's just say the outcome of the game wasn't in my favor. I got way behind on the first 9 holes, and though I made up a lot of ground on the second 9, it wasn't enough. Then, we played some arcade games (I rule at air hockey ;) ). We drove the go-karts too. Stacey had flip-flops on, so she couldn't drive. Thus, she rode as a passenger in my car. Now, most of the people we were racing against were early-to-mid teens. By myself, I'm heavier than most of the tandems, and with another person, our car was definitely more weighed down than everyone else's. There were a couple where only one person was in a car (and they were paper-thin teen girls too, so they weighed nothing at all). Naturally, those single-occupant cars "won" the race. Stacey and I finished third, behind those two, though. My driving was crisp and skillful. I had a REAL hard time fitting my long legs into the car, though! I hit the brake on accident a few times, because my leg was just cramped in there.
Anyway, we went to dinner after that, and sat outside to eat. It was fun. We came back to my place and added some stuff to her website. All in all, a pretty good day.
I know I'm missing some things, but I'm not all that coherent at this hour. Oh, I installed a new Linux distribution - Mandrake 9.0 - on my laptop. More on that later.
Wednesday, September 25
I got my MP3 player in the mail today! I checked Amazon.com a couple of times today... once, it said to expect delivery tomorrow, and once it said to expect delivery on the 30th! (Given that I paid for two-day shipping, I was going to demand a refund in the latter case). However, true to the "two-day shipping" name, it arrived today.
After letting the batteries charge for 6 hours, I'm now loading it up with albums. By my math, this little handheld device (smaller than a Discman) will hold approximately 250 albums at a time. That's at an album size of 80MB, which is a rough average for the bitrates that my stuff is encoded at (usually 192kb, which to my ears is more or less indiscernable from CD audio). I currently have 50 albums on there, and haven't yet taken up a full 5GB (out of the drive's 20GB capacity), so we're more or less on target for the 250 album ballpark. How sweet is that? 250 albums on one device is enough to satisfy even me (ask Stacey sometime about my "backpack o' CDs" travel habit). I can't hook this up to my car stereo (unless I get a short-range radio device, which works the way hands-free cell phone devices do), which is a distinct possibility at some point.
Right now, I'm listening to Latin Jazz: The Essential Album, a 2CD compilation of, well, "essential" Latin jazz cuts. Kind of interesting at points.
I'm going to be up for a while tonight, working on my programming assignments (due Friday). I'd like to get 2 out of 4 programs done tonight, and knock off the other 2 at my convienence tomorrow (I have the day off).
[Update: My linked list classes are working! Woo!]
After letting the batteries charge for 6 hours, I'm now loading it up with albums. By my math, this little handheld device (smaller than a Discman) will hold approximately 250 albums at a time. That's at an album size of 80MB, which is a rough average for the bitrates that my stuff is encoded at (usually 192kb, which to my ears is more or less indiscernable from CD audio). I currently have 50 albums on there, and haven't yet taken up a full 5GB (out of the drive's 20GB capacity), so we're more or less on target for the 250 album ballpark. How sweet is that? 250 albums on one device is enough to satisfy even me (ask Stacey sometime about my "backpack o' CDs" travel habit). I can't hook this up to my car stereo (unless I get a short-range radio device, which works the way hands-free cell phone devices do), which is a distinct possibility at some point.
Right now, I'm listening to Latin Jazz: The Essential Album, a 2CD compilation of, well, "essential" Latin jazz cuts. Kind of interesting at points.
I'm going to be up for a while tonight, working on my programming assignments (due Friday). I'd like to get 2 out of 4 programs done tonight, and knock off the other 2 at my convienence tomorrow (I have the day off).
[Update: My linked list classes are working! Woo!]
Let me say it again: IT people are idiots.
In specific, CSUF's IT people are idiots.
There are many reasons why I say this. We can start with the lab in the Computer Science department: a room of computers of which only 50% are currently functional. If we had the network security clearence to work on the machines, and the tools & software that the IT guys have, my 112 lab class could probably bring that total up to 75% in a two-hour lab session. That's one reason that I do my lab work from home.
The reason I write this now, however, is that I got another e-mail in my never-ending struggle with my CSUF e-mail account.
For those of you just tuning in, let's recap:
1. My @csufresno.edu account can send and receive mail to/from anyone perfectly through the web-based interface.
2. My account can receive mail from anyone perfectly through the POP protocol.
3. My account can send mail to other @csufresno.edu addresses through POP.
4. My account can not send mail to non-csufresno.edu recipients through POP.
The error provided by the server reads: "551: Delivery not allowed to non-local recipient".
Let's dissect this error message.
551 is just a code number for the error. We can ignore that.
"Delivery not allowed"... sounds like sending this e-mail would be breaking a "rule". The rule isn't something my e-mail client sets, so that kinda narrows it down.
"non-local recipient". Hmm. It sends mail to csufresno.edu fine. It can't send to anything else. Let's see... "csufresno.edu" = local, non-csufresno = non-local.
This seems very cut and dry. The POP server is not allowing outbound e-mail to non-csufresno addresses.
Three chimpanzees could examine this evidence and come to the above conclusion.
Apparently, the CSUF help desk needs to start employing chimpanzees.
I sent one e-mail to the help desk, detailing the problem. After a few weeks, I got a reply, telling me to "check my settings" in my e-mail client. Nevermind that I *told* them in the e-mail what my settings were (they were correct), and nevermind that I tried this experiment on THREE different e-mail clients (Eudora, Outlook Express, and Netscape's mailer).
I replied, pointing out that my settings WERE correct.
A few weeks later, I get an e-mail from them, asking if I still need assistance on this problem. I reply, saying "Yes".
It has now been a few weeks since then, and I got an e-mail from them today, telling me to call them when I get a chance so that we can "go over my settings".
I am currently trying to figure out my next move. Possibilities:
1. Make the phone call, and jump through their hoops until they come to the realization that they are, in fact, idiots. (Barring that, upon completing the hoop jumping, I could simply take a moment to explain it to them).
2. Reply via e-mail, re-stating the evidence and explaining to them in no uncertain terms that they are, in fact, idiots. (Perhaps including a link to this)
3. Ask to have my work order forwarded to the chimpanzee department of the IT staff.
Stay tuned as more develops.
In specific, CSUF's IT people are idiots.
There are many reasons why I say this. We can start with the lab in the Computer Science department: a room of computers of which only 50% are currently functional. If we had the network security clearence to work on the machines, and the tools & software that the IT guys have, my 112 lab class could probably bring that total up to 75% in a two-hour lab session. That's one reason that I do my lab work from home.
The reason I write this now, however, is that I got another e-mail in my never-ending struggle with my CSUF e-mail account.
For those of you just tuning in, let's recap:
1. My @csufresno.edu account can send and receive mail to/from anyone perfectly through the web-based interface.
2. My account can receive mail from anyone perfectly through the POP protocol.
3. My account can send mail to other @csufresno.edu addresses through POP.
4. My account can not send mail to non-csufresno.edu recipients through POP.
The error provided by the server reads: "551: Delivery not allowed to non-local recipient".
Let's dissect this error message.
551 is just a code number for the error. We can ignore that.
"Delivery not allowed"... sounds like sending this e-mail would be breaking a "rule". The rule isn't something my e-mail client sets, so that kinda narrows it down.
"non-local recipient". Hmm. It sends mail to csufresno.edu fine. It can't send to anything else. Let's see... "csufresno.edu" = local, non-csufresno = non-local.
This seems very cut and dry. The POP server is not allowing outbound e-mail to non-csufresno addresses.
Three chimpanzees could examine this evidence and come to the above conclusion.
Apparently, the CSUF help desk needs to start employing chimpanzees.
I sent one e-mail to the help desk, detailing the problem. After a few weeks, I got a reply, telling me to "check my settings" in my e-mail client. Nevermind that I *told* them in the e-mail what my settings were (they were correct), and nevermind that I tried this experiment on THREE different e-mail clients (Eudora, Outlook Express, and Netscape's mailer).
I replied, pointing out that my settings WERE correct.
A few weeks later, I get an e-mail from them, asking if I still need assistance on this problem. I reply, saying "Yes".
It has now been a few weeks since then, and I got an e-mail from them today, telling me to call them when I get a chance so that we can "go over my settings".
I am currently trying to figure out my next move. Possibilities:
1. Make the phone call, and jump through their hoops until they come to the realization that they are, in fact, idiots. (Barring that, upon completing the hoop jumping, I could simply take a moment to explain it to them).
2. Reply via e-mail, re-stating the evidence and explaining to them in no uncertain terms that they are, in fact, idiots. (Perhaps including a link to this)
3. Ask to have my work order forwarded to the chimpanzee department of the IT staff.
Stay tuned as more develops.
Tuesday, September 24
I've been playing NFL2K3! I led my Jaguars to a 13-3 regular season record - good for 1st in the AFC, and a first round bye in the playoffs.
I took care of the Steelers in the divisional championship game. Jerome Bettis was their only real offensive threat.
Miami gave me a scare in the AFC Championship game. On their first play from scrimmage, Miami handed the ball to Ricky Williams, and he ran 74 yards for a touchdown. On their very next possession, Williams broke another 50+ yard TD run. Williams was knocked out of the game late in the 1st half. Fred Taylor, meanwhile, responded with over 180 yards and 3 TDs, as we won 28-24.
Then it was the Rams in the Super Bowl. There's no NFC team I would rather beat than St. Louis. Kurt Warner was, of course, all too willing to accomodate me. The Rams won the toss, and had only two real possessions in the first half. The first possession was a 3 and out. I then ran a ball-control offense that milked the rest of the quarter off the clock as I pounded Fred Taylor through their pourous defense. A pass to Kyle Brady scored the touchdown, 7-0. The Rams went 3-and-out on the next possession. I then drove down to scoring range again, but failed on a 4th down. St. Louis took over deep in their territory, but the half ended before they could get across midfield.
I took the 2nd half kickoff, drove to just short of midfield, but was forced to punt. The Rams offense then started moving. They drove to my 7 yard line, and had 4th-and-inches. The Rams lined up in a 5-wide formation, and completed a 1 yard flat pass to (I think) Proehl. D'oh. Now they're 1st and goal on my 6. A short pass, and then an incompletion leads to 3rd and goal on my 4. They line up 3-wide, Warner drops back, and he underthrows Torry Holt - but he hit my defensive back, Fernando Bryant, right in the numbers. Interception, touchback, my ball on the 20. Way to blow a scoring opportunity in a one-score game, Warner.
Naturally, I drive 80 yards, mostly with Fred Taylor, topping off the drive with a 3 yard Freddie T. touchdown run. Warner & Co. get the ball back with the clock ticking. After completing a few passes to get a drive going, Warner drops back, throws to the left, and BAM, Fernando Bryant jumps in front of the pass, and takes it about 20 yards the other way. Another big fat "choke in the clutch" interception by Kurt Warner, who was obviously modeled very accurately in this game. I drive until time runs out - completed a deep one to Patrick Johnson, who got tackled on the 4 yard line before time expired. Super Bowl win for me, 14-0.
Time for some MVPs:
Season MVP: Jimmy Smith. Boy, it was hard to choose between the league's top-rated passer (Brunell), the halfback who was 8 yards short of the rushing title (Fred Taylor, just coming up short behind Curtis Martin), and Smith, the league's leading WR.
Defensive MVP: Donovin Darius. My leading tackler, Darius also hauled in 2 INTs and a fumble recovery.
Playoff MVP: Fred Taylor. In 3 games, Taylor ran for 401 yards. His 5.6 yards per carry and 7 touchdowns were the sole reason for my victories. In fact, Taylor ran for more yards than Brunell threw in the playoffs.
Super Bowl MVP: Fernando Bryant. The only interceptions that my defense came up with in the playoffs were Bryant's picks of Kurt Warner in the Super Bowl. Bryant was also tied for my 2nd leading tackler (equal with Darius, one behind Wali Rainer).
That's it for now. Time to go workout.
I took care of the Steelers in the divisional championship game. Jerome Bettis was their only real offensive threat.
Miami gave me a scare in the AFC Championship game. On their first play from scrimmage, Miami handed the ball to Ricky Williams, and he ran 74 yards for a touchdown. On their very next possession, Williams broke another 50+ yard TD run. Williams was knocked out of the game late in the 1st half. Fred Taylor, meanwhile, responded with over 180 yards and 3 TDs, as we won 28-24.
Then it was the Rams in the Super Bowl. There's no NFC team I would rather beat than St. Louis. Kurt Warner was, of course, all too willing to accomodate me. The Rams won the toss, and had only two real possessions in the first half. The first possession was a 3 and out. I then ran a ball-control offense that milked the rest of the quarter off the clock as I pounded Fred Taylor through their pourous defense. A pass to Kyle Brady scored the touchdown, 7-0. The Rams went 3-and-out on the next possession. I then drove down to scoring range again, but failed on a 4th down. St. Louis took over deep in their territory, but the half ended before they could get across midfield.
I took the 2nd half kickoff, drove to just short of midfield, but was forced to punt. The Rams offense then started moving. They drove to my 7 yard line, and had 4th-and-inches. The Rams lined up in a 5-wide formation, and completed a 1 yard flat pass to (I think) Proehl. D'oh. Now they're 1st and goal on my 6. A short pass, and then an incompletion leads to 3rd and goal on my 4. They line up 3-wide, Warner drops back, and he underthrows Torry Holt - but he hit my defensive back, Fernando Bryant, right in the numbers. Interception, touchback, my ball on the 20. Way to blow a scoring opportunity in a one-score game, Warner.
Naturally, I drive 80 yards, mostly with Fred Taylor, topping off the drive with a 3 yard Freddie T. touchdown run. Warner & Co. get the ball back with the clock ticking. After completing a few passes to get a drive going, Warner drops back, throws to the left, and BAM, Fernando Bryant jumps in front of the pass, and takes it about 20 yards the other way. Another big fat "choke in the clutch" interception by Kurt Warner, who was obviously modeled very accurately in this game. I drive until time runs out - completed a deep one to Patrick Johnson, who got tackled on the 4 yard line before time expired. Super Bowl win for me, 14-0.
Time for some MVPs:
Season MVP: Jimmy Smith. Boy, it was hard to choose between the league's top-rated passer (Brunell), the halfback who was 8 yards short of the rushing title (Fred Taylor, just coming up short behind Curtis Martin), and Smith, the league's leading WR.
Defensive MVP: Donovin Darius. My leading tackler, Darius also hauled in 2 INTs and a fumble recovery.
Playoff MVP: Fred Taylor. In 3 games, Taylor ran for 401 yards. His 5.6 yards per carry and 7 touchdowns were the sole reason for my victories. In fact, Taylor ran for more yards than Brunell threw in the playoffs.
Super Bowl MVP: Fernando Bryant. The only interceptions that my defense came up with in the playoffs were Bryant's picks of Kurt Warner in the Super Bowl. Bryant was also tied for my 2nd leading tackler (equal with Darius, one behind Wali Rainer).
That's it for now. Time to go workout.
Monday, September 23
My C SCI 1 instructor was late again. Thank goodness I have my laptop to amuse me.
I got a 20/20 on my C SCI 1 quiz. Not that there was really any doubt. This class is boringly easy (so far, at least).
If you want to see what my MP3 player will be like, look here. It's basically a USB 20GB hard drive that also plays MP3s. As far as playback goes, some reviews say it skips when jogging, while others insist it doesn't. All reviews, however, claim that walking does not cause it to skip at all, and that's what I'm concerned about (it's hard for a non-solid state player to not skip during jogging). Since I'm not a jogger, mine won't be subjected to that kind of abuse. Instead, it'll sit on the front panel of an elliptical trainer....
Also interesting is the fact that the device can be used to record things. This could open up some interesting concert bootlegging possibilities. It's hard to explain a DAT deck to security, but show 'em headphones and press "Play" on this device, and you've made your case. At least for now, until recording/playback combo devices become the norm.
I got a 20/20 on my C SCI 1 quiz. Not that there was really any doubt. This class is boringly easy (so far, at least).
If you want to see what my MP3 player will be like, look here. It's basically a USB 20GB hard drive that also plays MP3s. As far as playback goes, some reviews say it skips when jogging, while others insist it doesn't. All reviews, however, claim that walking does not cause it to skip at all, and that's what I'm concerned about (it's hard for a non-solid state player to not skip during jogging). Since I'm not a jogger, mine won't be subjected to that kind of abuse. Instead, it'll sit on the front panel of an elliptical trainer....
Also interesting is the fact that the device can be used to record things. This could open up some interesting concert bootlegging possibilities. It's hard to explain a DAT deck to security, but show 'em headphones and press "Play" on this device, and you've made your case. At least for now, until recording/playback combo devices become the norm.
Sunday, September 22
The theme of the last few days: fatigue.
I have been TIRED. It's way too early to be school semester rundown. I just hit a spell of fatigue, I guess. I was so tired last night. I went to bed before 11:00. And even today, I'm tired and lethargic. I had planned on staying up late last night to finish my C SCI 112 assignment (due tomorrow - Monday), but I'll do that tonight instead.
The only thing I really remember doing on Friday was checking the Costco here in Clovis for TVs. They didn't have what I want. Then I got a call from Stacey, telling me that she didn't have to babysit that night. So, she came over and hung out. We picked up Bobby Salazar's, played Day of the Tentacle, and watched TV. It was fun.
On Saturday, I got up at 7:00am, got showered and dressed, picked up Stacey, and we went and watched my brother's tennis tournament. After that, we shopped for my TV until finally finding one that I wanted (and that would fit in my entertainment center). We got it home, and then everybody (myself, Stacey, my parents and brother) all sat down and watched the first part of the Fresno State/Oregon State game. It was ugly to start, and it got REAL ugly later. Everyone left after a while, leaving me all alone. Then Derek came over for about an hour. We played a couple quick games, and then he left.
Today, I went to breakfast with my parents (who were in town for the 2nd half of Logan's tournament). After that, I checked out CompUSA to see what kind of MP3 players they had. I then went home, and ordered one from Amazon.com instead. I got the Archos Jukebox Recorder 20GB player. I really, really thought about getting the Apple iPod instead. I really wanted to. But Apple, once again, has priced themselves out of competition. Archos's 20GB player was $225. Apple's 5GB player was $299, and their 20GB player was $499. If their 20GB player had been $299, I would have gone for it. But for 5GB? No way. Apple's player is the best, hands down, but not for that price.
Football on TV (football's so much cooler on a big, flat, sharp screen). Gotta finish enjoying the day of football before dealing with my programming assignment.
I have been TIRED. It's way too early to be school semester rundown. I just hit a spell of fatigue, I guess. I was so tired last night. I went to bed before 11:00. And even today, I'm tired and lethargic. I had planned on staying up late last night to finish my C SCI 112 assignment (due tomorrow - Monday), but I'll do that tonight instead.
The only thing I really remember doing on Friday was checking the Costco here in Clovis for TVs. They didn't have what I want. Then I got a call from Stacey, telling me that she didn't have to babysit that night. So, she came over and hung out. We picked up Bobby Salazar's, played Day of the Tentacle, and watched TV. It was fun.
On Saturday, I got up at 7:00am, got showered and dressed, picked up Stacey, and we went and watched my brother's tennis tournament. After that, we shopped for my TV until finally finding one that I wanted (and that would fit in my entertainment center). We got it home, and then everybody (myself, Stacey, my parents and brother) all sat down and watched the first part of the Fresno State/Oregon State game. It was ugly to start, and it got REAL ugly later. Everyone left after a while, leaving me all alone. Then Derek came over for about an hour. We played a couple quick games, and then he left.
Today, I went to breakfast with my parents (who were in town for the 2nd half of Logan's tournament). After that, I checked out CompUSA to see what kind of MP3 players they had. I then went home, and ordered one from Amazon.com instead. I got the Archos Jukebox Recorder 20GB player. I really, really thought about getting the Apple iPod instead. I really wanted to. But Apple, once again, has priced themselves out of competition. Archos's 20GB player was $225. Apple's 5GB player was $299, and their 20GB player was $499. If their 20GB player had been $299, I would have gone for it. But for 5GB? No way. Apple's player is the best, hands down, but not for that price.
Football on TV (football's so much cooler on a big, flat, sharp screen). Gotta finish enjoying the day of football before dealing with my programming assignment.
Thursday, September 19
This afternoon, I was over at Stacey's house. She was working on Linguistics homework, and I was camped out in front of my laptop, writing SPARC assembly language code. She asked what sort of program I was doing. It was just a program to calculate the value of a certain polynomial. She didn't understand why I would be doing something like that. It wasn't something I could explain in few enough words to do so in a brief conversation, so I didn't.
Well, here's a brief explanation. We typically work on very small programs to learn new concepts/algorithms/instructions because the point of the exercise is to learn that one specific thing. We could write them into larger, more "useful" programs, but the point isn't to write a big program. If we did that, we would learn a lot less in each class, because we would spend a lot of time on all the extraneous coding for the program - stuff we *do* know how to do, but requires a lot of coding grunt-work.
Eventually, in later classes, we'll use all these things we learned and will put them together in bigger programs. Right now, the idea is to learn all of the "building blocks".
Ironically, the largest program that I've ever written was actually in my very 1st C/C++ programming class, back at Porterville College. We had learned the *very* basics (arithmetic operations, loop structures, etc), and put them together in a final project. The things that I have done since then have been a LOT harder and more useful in the long run, but we haven't implemented them into larger programs.
Anyway, I have plans to start some programming projects on the side in the not-too-distant future. After I learn a bit more...
Well, here's a brief explanation. We typically work on very small programs to learn new concepts/algorithms/instructions because the point of the exercise is to learn that one specific thing. We could write them into larger, more "useful" programs, but the point isn't to write a big program. If we did that, we would learn a lot less in each class, because we would spend a lot of time on all the extraneous coding for the program - stuff we *do* know how to do, but requires a lot of coding grunt-work.
Eventually, in later classes, we'll use all these things we learned and will put them together in bigger programs. Right now, the idea is to learn all of the "building blocks".
Ironically, the largest program that I've ever written was actually in my very 1st C/C++ programming class, back at Porterville College. We had learned the *very* basics (arithmetic operations, loop structures, etc), and put them together in a final project. The things that I have done since then have been a LOT harder and more useful in the long run, but we haven't implemented them into larger programs.
Anyway, I have plans to start some programming projects on the side in the not-too-distant future. After I learn a bit more...
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