College asshattery

[WTF]

Most EM papers aren't too hard. I'm not sure what texts you guys had but if it's the same old route starting with the Timoshenko and Young books they're fairly fun. I do remember one yearmate finding SoM fun and the other hated it.

 

Anyone here from a more electronics and/or computer science engineering background? I'm just curious if anyone actually enjoyed Electrical Instrumentation and Measurements (was probably one of the most boring crap I had to study). As a matter of fact most Electrical stuff is fairly dull coming to think of it.

[MasterDex]

I'm heading back into a software development course. I had previously made it through most of the first year before outside reasons made me leave. I like the electrical side of things but only have a basic working knowledge of that area, at least so far. I don't want to mess around in that field too much and want to stick to the software side more although I wouldn't mind dabbling a bit deeper either.

 

I received my timetables for the year yesterday. They look pretty nice. There's plenty of open space with Wednesday, Thursday and Monday ending at 3pm while Friday ends at 3.30. It's a common first year for computer science and I think I've got a very strong advantage going into it. How I'll get on in subsequent years remains to be seen but with my love of the subject and the fact that 90% of my knowledge is self-taught, I think I stand a good chance of getting out the other side. So yeah, I'm in positive fresher mode right now.

Edited September 14, 2012 by MasterDex

[fuchikoma]

Dex, when I was taking my computing diploma course (less CS, more trades/job skills) we had a HUGE attrition rate, but I think the thing that really matters is that you want to be there and find the stuff interesting. Most of the guys who were just in it because they thought there'd be an employment boom would burn out and drop out. The ones who really loved it like myself often found it tough... but interesting and quite doable.

[MasterDex]

I think I'm actually looking forward to the tough stuff. It's been so long since I really challenged myself mentally and technically that it holds a strange allure over me now. My only fear for this year is that the fact that much of it is old hat may give me a false sense of confidence and make me slip up.

[Mal]

Oh... they had to switch textbooks. I should of done well in Physics...

[TheMightyEthan]

Should have*

[Mal]

Ethan, I'll let all the grammar corrections go since I'll need it for an English test that required for graduation. Its much better than taking another class.

[TheMightyEthan]

lol, sorry, I wouldn't really consider myself a grammar nazi but I do have a few pet peeves, like should have/would have/could have, your/you're, there/their/they're, etc.

[fuchikoma]

lol, sorry, I wouldn't really consider myself a grammar nazi but I do have a few pet peeves, like should have/would have/could have, your/you're, there/their/they're, etc.

Ain't nothing wrong with that... I often notice when someone uses "that" instead of "who" to refer to someone, while most people could care less...

[MasterDex]

I'm much the same way myself, which is why many of my comments are edited after posting them, lol. I have a few bad habits myself though; I use the word 'though' far too much, for example. I'm also still not sure if I know how to use the semi colon correctly.

 

Thankfully, good English isn't much of a requirement for this year in College. The first week is just about over and it was very easy going. Today, I ordered a book recommended for Java by our lecturer. It'll be nice to have something so I can go ahead of the lectures if needs be.

 

Here's one of my programs - Tax.java

 

class Tax

// Date : 18/9/2012
// Purpose : A program to compute tax payable in a year

{
	 public static void main(String[] args)
	 {
		 double income ;
		 double incomeLessAllowance ;
		 int children ;
		 int allowance ;
		 int Personal = 5000 ;
		 double TaxRate =.24 ;
		 double tax ;

		 System.out.print("Enter your total income: ") ;
		 income = EasyIn.getDouble() ;
		 System.out.println("How many children do you have?") ;
		 children = EasyIn.getInt() ;
		 allowance = (children * 1000) + Personal ;
		 incomeLessAllowance = income - allowance ;
		 tax = (incomeLessAllowance * TaxRate) ;
		 System.out.println("You have to pay " + tax + " euro in tax") ;
		 System.out.println("Have a nice day !") ;
	 }
}

 

Edited September 20, 2012 by MasterDex

[TheMightyEthan]

could care less...

 

 

Then/than really bugs me too. Also to/too/two (although "two" usually isn't much of a problem).

[fuchikoma]

I'm much the same way myself, which is why many of my comments are edited after posting them, lol. I have a few bad habits myself though; I use the word 'though' far too much, for example. I'm also still not sure if I know how to use the semi colon correctly.

 

Dude... I know what you mean. I made this wordcloud from Kotaku posts near the start of 2011. Then, I've been told that I qualify my statements a lot and don't promise things in absolutes (this was by the director for research services at the college I worked at, so he's spent a lot of time analyzing the exact wording of survey questions and the like for potential bias...)

 

Semicolon... is simply a placeholder for either a comma or a period, where either one would make sense, but you don't capitalize after it. That said, I started using them a bit too much, probably a bit inappropriately. That's one of those things that could probably out me online pretty quickly through writing analysis... (/foilhat)

 

Ah, Java, the wacky world where everything is a class... Just wait until you start doing GUI projects. At first I thought "how clever - everything will be nice and flexible and cross-platform this way!" Then I realized that half the code I wrote for each assignment was to layout the form, while the other half was to actually handle the logic!

Edited September 20, 2012 by fuchikoma

[TheMightyEthan]

Semicolon... is simply a placeholder for either a comma or a period, where either one would make sense, but you don't capitalize after it. That said, I started using them a bit too much, probably a bit inappropriately. That's one of those things that could probably out me online pretty quickly through writing analysis... (/foilhat)

 

<Grammar Nazi Hat>

 

Semicolon is distinct from either a period or a comma. The closest thing to a semicolon is really conjunctions, like "because", "but", etc. For example:

 

"I like pancakes because they are delicious."

 

"I like pancakes; they are delicious."

 

Commas are used to separate clauses within a sentence, set off parenthetical statements, etc (or items in a list, as I used them there). Semicolons are usually used between distinct thoughts that are nevertheless related, like in my pancakes example. "I like pancakes" and "they are delicious" could both technically be complete sentences, but we link them with a semicolon because the thoughts are not as disconnected as a full-stop period would imply. People often use commas when really they should be using a semicolon, a la "I like pancakes, they are delicious."

 

</Grammar Nazi Hat>

 

All that said, if you want to use a comma in that sentence that's not something that bothers me. It's kind of like who/whom: you can use "who" when you should use "whom" and it doesn't sound too weird, but if you use "whom" when you should use "who" it sounds awful. Similarly, (ooh, look, another comma usage, this time to set off an adverb!) if you use a comma when you should use a semicolon it's not too awkward, but if you were to use a semicolon where you should just have a comma it's awkward as hell.

 

For fun, I could just as well have written that sentence, "Similarly, if you use a comma when you should use a semicolon it's not too awkward; if you were to use a semicolon where you should just have a comma it's awkward as hell." It's not as elegant though because it doesn't mirror the previous sentence's structure. I could also have rewritten the previous sentence though...

[Mal]

Working on my schedule for the next quarter is soul crushing. It always makes me feel really behind, which I am. What I have outline for the rest of my time here is so tentitive since its assuming I GET all my classes. I'm assuming I get out of here in two years...

 

Be smart and not a dumbass like me.

[Mal]

So I got a special college asshattery for you all.

 

My university is looking into and most likely will change into a semester system from a quarter system. There is for sure a push to resist. I'm somewhat one of them but I'm a transfer from a semester system so I don't really care. However I really fear the transition (Its going to be a clusterfuck) and I'm most likely am going to face it.

 

Personally I feel that a hybrid system would be better since some classes really don't need to be a semester long, while others really do. Non-bias third party, what do you guys think?

[fuchikoma]

S'gonna suck adapting all the courses and lesson plans to double length. Expect enough homework to kill someone?

 

A semester system can be fine, but yeah, I wouldn't be optimistic about the transition period unless they've known about this for over a year.