Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
You Like Biology, But I Like Computer Science
There's a rather simple reason why I never really write computer programs for anyone as far as I can avoid it—most people don't really treat computer programs seriously. The general reaction borders between "holy cow that's really cool" to "yeah... so what is it good for". The person who goes "holy cow that's really cool" is likely to be obnoxious, having some issues with attitude: either always trying to pilfer all that you know, or just want to one-up you.
The other one that is nonchalant is probably someone who doesn't care about computers other than computer games and maybe some office productivity suite. They usually think of me as a dork/geek/nerd, and would have as little to do with me as possible. These are the same people who will only gladly want to talk to me if they want something that I can do easily, and on other occasions they will just ignore me for as much as I can.
I've met enough of both kinds of people to not want to write programs for anyone as much as I can avoid it. That's enough of a blurb for now.
——
The week has been long, with almost everything due last Tuesday. Thankfully, I managed to get everything completed in time, and hopefully am faring rather well. The schedule for this semester is such that things generally snowball into a huge clump, but in between, there's enough time to plan around the crunch, only if careful discipline is maintained in trying to ensure that one does not end up doing the "death march" all over again. The thought of returning to work in A*STAR scares me a little—I'm mildly terrified in having to deal with some of my peers who are just plain obnoxious, who are happy to tear into any thing that you do just to get into an argument, to always try to prove that they or their field is superior than you or yours; the general know-it-all obnoxious attitude.
Inasmuch as I hate to say this, I just hate these kinds of people. Like, seriously. What makes them think that Computer Science is no less important than Biology? What makes them think that their double degree is worthed more than my single Bachelor's in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon? And lastly, who are they to say that I am less intelligent than they are?
All these nonsense... I hope that I don't have to put up with that when I return. I'm happy to work on machine learning research all day, and have little to deal with these kinds of people as much as possible. Knowledge has intrinsic value and power; I don't have to stoop to their level to take pot-shots just to prove a point.
To each his own, suckers.
The other one that is nonchalant is probably someone who doesn't care about computers other than computer games and maybe some office productivity suite. They usually think of me as a dork/geek/nerd, and would have as little to do with me as possible. These are the same people who will only gladly want to talk to me if they want something that I can do easily, and on other occasions they will just ignore me for as much as I can.
I've met enough of both kinds of people to not want to write programs for anyone as much as I can avoid it. That's enough of a blurb for now.
——
The week has been long, with almost everything due last Tuesday. Thankfully, I managed to get everything completed in time, and hopefully am faring rather well. The schedule for this semester is such that things generally snowball into a huge clump, but in between, there's enough time to plan around the crunch, only if careful discipline is maintained in trying to ensure that one does not end up doing the "death march" all over again. The thought of returning to work in A*STAR scares me a little—I'm mildly terrified in having to deal with some of my peers who are just plain obnoxious, who are happy to tear into any thing that you do just to get into an argument, to always try to prove that they or their field is superior than you or yours; the general know-it-all obnoxious attitude.
Inasmuch as I hate to say this, I just hate these kinds of people. Like, seriously. What makes them think that Computer Science is no less important than Biology? What makes them think that their double degree is worthed more than my single Bachelor's in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon? And lastly, who are they to say that I am less intelligent than they are?
All these nonsense... I hope that I don't have to put up with that when I return. I'm happy to work on machine learning research all day, and have little to deal with these kinds of people as much as possible. Knowledge has intrinsic value and power; I don't have to stoop to their level to take pot-shots just to prove a point.
To each his own, suckers.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Length of Paper Required for n Folds
According to this, if L is the minimum length of the paper with thickness t required to make n folds, then L=(tπ/6)×(2n+4)(2n-1).
Hmm…
And finally, I've managed to get LaTeXMathML working. Note that you might need additional fonts to display the math properly here.
Oh, by the way, if you are using Internet Explorer, you might need something that can handle MathML. (Why are you using Internet Explorer?)
[Ed: I removed the LaTeXMathML functionality because it was starting to become annoying and that this blog doesn't actually need to demonstrate math formula. From now on, if there's any important math-like thing that I want to share, it will be formalised and be available from my portal instead.]
Hmm…
And finally, I've managed to get LaTeXMathML working. Note that you might need additional fonts to display the math properly here.
Oh, by the way, if you are using Internet Explorer, you might need something that can handle MathML. (Why are you using Internet Explorer?)
[Ed: I removed the LaTeXMathML functionality because it was starting to become annoying and that this blog doesn't actually need to demonstrate math formula. From now on, if there's any important math-like thing that I want to share, it will be formalised and be available from my portal instead.]
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Jobs and Professions
Jobs and professions that I might have done in another life:
- Pathologist
- Musician
- Writer
- Spelunker
- Blacksmith
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
iPod Shuffle? Why I Hardly Even...
First, I have a new iPod Shuffle, courtesy EWT trading. They were giving out free iPod Shuffles to graduating CS majors who sent in their résumés. I thought, why not? And here's a picture of my newly obtained iPod Shuffle.
Notice that it is sitting on top of Edythe-EEE.
I hate iTunes. Okay, maybe hate might be a tad too strong a word, but at least, the way iTunes supposedly mangles one's music files/directories while trying to be "helpful" makes me sad. If you looked carefully at the picture, you'll find that Edythe-EEE is running a program: gtkpod. It is yet another open source program that can fulfill a need that I require.
On another note, the battery of my Motorola V195 is bjorked. Couple that with a rather loose hinge, it is high time to get a new phone. I'm not sure if the service plan works that way, so I decided to get an unlocked Motorola V197 instead. Notice my fascination with clam shells still.
Hopefully things will start to fall in place.
Oh, the B♭ soprano clarinet has arrived, and I've basically tuned it somewhat. Turns out that the notation for the instrument is weird; it writes E but sounds like a D, which confused the hell out of my ears while trying to figure out the actual tuning of the instrument. It also appears that my horrendously powerful lung power acts up again, and ends up causing the instrument to be sharp by 25cents before proper tuning.
The reed case has arrived, and now the clarinet is almost fit for playing. I just need to practice more on it so that I don't squeak that much 30 minutes into the playing.
That's about it for now, I guess...
Notice that it is sitting on top of Edythe-EEE.I hate iTunes. Okay, maybe hate might be a tad too strong a word, but at least, the way iTunes supposedly mangles one's music files/directories while trying to be "helpful" makes me sad. If you looked carefully at the picture, you'll find that Edythe-EEE is running a program: gtkpod. It is yet another open source program that can fulfill a need that I require.
On another note, the battery of my Motorola V195 is bjorked. Couple that with a rather loose hinge, it is high time to get a new phone. I'm not sure if the service plan works that way, so I decided to get an unlocked Motorola V197 instead. Notice my fascination with clam shells still.
Hopefully things will start to fall in place.
Oh, the B♭ soprano clarinet has arrived, and I've basically tuned it somewhat. Turns out that the notation for the instrument is weird; it writes E but sounds like a D, which confused the hell out of my ears while trying to figure out the actual tuning of the instrument. It also appears that my horrendously powerful lung power acts up again, and ends up causing the instrument to be sharp by 25cents before proper tuning.
The reed case has arrived, and now the clarinet is almost fit for playing. I just need to practice more on it so that I don't squeak that much 30 minutes into the playing.
That's about it for now, I guess...
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Weekend Grouses
Yet another week has passed, and I'm still none the wiser on so many things. Some interesting hacks though, if you are a coder and would like some really clean but tiny monospaced fonts to program with, I highly recommend proggy fonts. They are highly legible and are sharp enough to not have to rely on hinting to make them look good. Also, they can be easily integrated with the Windows Console as an alternative font.
That hack aside, my clarinet has finally arrived, as well as my reeds and a plethora of random geeky apparel/cool stuff. The instrument seems to be okay, but I seem to keep playing notes a tad too sharp; at this stage I'm not sure if I'm to be blamed for that one, or if the instrument is the one that is at fault, or if my tuning meter is bjorked. The clarinet is ebonite, so it will not suffer unduly under the rapid changes in temperature/humidity like how a wooden one might. On a somewhat related note, I realise that I have slightly better control over reeds that are harder than reeds that are softer. I wonder if this is a good thing or not.
Last year in college, last year in many things. It is a tad strange to be thinking of things in this way, considering how I was raring to get back into society and do work just a couple of years ago. Indeed, time can change a person's thought and demeanour, and as things go, it might seem that I'm slowly having mine changed too.
I've long since given up on looking back on what I have done, figuring that those were rather inconsequential in the life that I have chosen anyway. Some might say that I have done plenty in the past that is worthy of mention, but I believe that what I did was nothing compared to what others might have done in that same time. A nobody trying to eke out a name for himself—that's basically what I am at the moment. I know I'm not as smart or as aggressive as some of my other peers, but I try my best given my somewhat limited abilities. I know that some of my peers just downright... dislike me, since I'm always so odd and strange by their standards. I used to worry a lot about blending in; now I just want to be able to convince myself that I do not answer to them with regards to behaviour and understanding—I am only answerable to myself.
Not too long ago, a peer chided me somewhat jokingly that I was "asking for it" when I decided to do Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University while he was doing a double degree (which included Computer Science because he was bored) at another university. That thought had stuck with me for quite a while, making me rather uncomfortable and having various misgivings about what I had done. But today, I think I know better. I might have been a dumbass (by his standards) for doing Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, but I am pretty certain that I learn much more here than I could ever learn elsewhere.
I was basically getting sick of having to correct people on their views/thoughts on Computer Science, and by "people", I do mean those who were supposed to be teaching us. At least over here in Carnegie Mellon University, I have professors who are doing cool stuff, who are happy to teach us what they know, and who are willing to challenge us on our perceptions on what we believe and think about Computer Science. Perhaps that is the reason why the CS Department is one of the best ranked Computer Science programmes in the world. Perhaps that is why I am here, since I've decided to actually do Computer Science as my profession.
Perhaps it is a sign to remind me that no one truly understands what another person's goals and aspirations are, and that I should stop listening and taking to heart reactions and words that have no positive consequential effect on me.
Perhaps it is also a reminder that I am still in control of my thought patterns, and that no outside influence has the right to claim that my thought patterns are wrong, particularly if that outside influence has no inkling of what he/she/it is talking about.
Perhaps it is time to realise that there are dumb people of all sorts, not all of them in a way that is stereotypical or easy to identify.
*sigh*
Going somewhat off-tangent again.
It's a nice Sunday today, and I've been up since 0700hrs. I have no idea why I keep waking up early these days, but it is something that I've slowly grown to accept and sometimes like. Nothing beats some semblence of silence in which work can be done, thoughts can be processes, and discomforts can be aired. It will be yet another long day.
That hack aside, my clarinet has finally arrived, as well as my reeds and a plethora of random geeky apparel/cool stuff. The instrument seems to be okay, but I seem to keep playing notes a tad too sharp; at this stage I'm not sure if I'm to be blamed for that one, or if the instrument is the one that is at fault, or if my tuning meter is bjorked. The clarinet is ebonite, so it will not suffer unduly under the rapid changes in temperature/humidity like how a wooden one might. On a somewhat related note, I realise that I have slightly better control over reeds that are harder than reeds that are softer. I wonder if this is a good thing or not.
Last year in college, last year in many things. It is a tad strange to be thinking of things in this way, considering how I was raring to get back into society and do work just a couple of years ago. Indeed, time can change a person's thought and demeanour, and as things go, it might seem that I'm slowly having mine changed too.
I've long since given up on looking back on what I have done, figuring that those were rather inconsequential in the life that I have chosen anyway. Some might say that I have done plenty in the past that is worthy of mention, but I believe that what I did was nothing compared to what others might have done in that same time. A nobody trying to eke out a name for himself—that's basically what I am at the moment. I know I'm not as smart or as aggressive as some of my other peers, but I try my best given my somewhat limited abilities. I know that some of my peers just downright... dislike me, since I'm always so odd and strange by their standards. I used to worry a lot about blending in; now I just want to be able to convince myself that I do not answer to them with regards to behaviour and understanding—I am only answerable to myself.
Not too long ago, a peer chided me somewhat jokingly that I was "asking for it" when I decided to do Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University while he was doing a double degree (which included Computer Science because he was bored) at another university. That thought had stuck with me for quite a while, making me rather uncomfortable and having various misgivings about what I had done. But today, I think I know better. I might have been a dumbass (by his standards) for doing Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, but I am pretty certain that I learn much more here than I could ever learn elsewhere.
I was basically getting sick of having to correct people on their views/thoughts on Computer Science, and by "people", I do mean those who were supposed to be teaching us. At least over here in Carnegie Mellon University, I have professors who are doing cool stuff, who are happy to teach us what they know, and who are willing to challenge us on our perceptions on what we believe and think about Computer Science. Perhaps that is the reason why the CS Department is one of the best ranked Computer Science programmes in the world. Perhaps that is why I am here, since I've decided to actually do Computer Science as my profession.
Perhaps it is a sign to remind me that no one truly understands what another person's goals and aspirations are, and that I should stop listening and taking to heart reactions and words that have no positive consequential effect on me.
Perhaps it is also a reminder that I am still in control of my thought patterns, and that no outside influence has the right to claim that my thought patterns are wrong, particularly if that outside influence has no inkling of what he/she/it is talking about.
Perhaps it is time to realise that there are dumb people of all sorts, not all of them in a way that is stereotypical or easy to identify.
*sigh*
Going somewhat off-tangent again.
It's a nice Sunday today, and I've been up since 0700hrs. I have no idea why I keep waking up early these days, but it is something that I've slowly grown to accept and sometimes like. Nothing beats some semblence of silence in which work can be done, thoughts can be processes, and discomforts can be aired. It will be yet another long day.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Hoop Dancing!
Something more random: hoop dancing!And no, I'm not about to try that anytime soon... >.>
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Pretty Eyes
Pretty eyes... eyes that mean something. Those attract me really deeply.
Unfortunately, it is not that easy to look into someone's eyes that deeply without them feeling awkward. Fortunately, I've found one who doesn't mind me gazing into her eyes deeply whenever I want to.
Need I mention that I'm madly in love with her also?
Unfortunately, it is not that easy to look into someone's eyes that deeply without them feeling awkward. Fortunately, I've found one who doesn't mind me gazing into her eyes deeply whenever I want to.
Need I mention that I'm madly in love with her also?
Monday, September 08, 2008
Musician vs Blargh Player
So, according to a friend, there's a difference with being a musician and a blargh player. A musician makes music, while a blargh player plays the blargh well. I wondered why he called me a musician as opposed to a blargh player—am I really a person who makes music instead of playing blargh well?
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