What happens when I write code

(Click on picture to see it larger.)

I have a C++ (computer language) project that I'm working on (I'm making an Uno game). I have found that I think about it non-stop while I am doing anything else.
Then when I get to sit down and code in the features that I've been thinking about, I say to myself "What was it that I was going to do?";

(Note - in C++ the semicolon indicates the end of a line of code. When you write a sentence of text to be printed you have to enclose it in quotes. I have learned that when I write a print statement in C++ that I should do both quotes and the end semicolon then go back and fill in the sentence. It is now apparent that I have been doing too much coding this last week. See last sentence of previous paragraph.)

I came across the second comic, funnily enough, while I was waiting for my IDE (program that makes what I type turn into stuff that the computer runs) to attempt to close after it had crashed.




And I just couldn't go without sharing this third comic. I think that this happens around me much more often than I realize.

Inquisitive Minds Want to Know

This week I had to give a 4-6 minute speech in my communication class on a personality trait of mine. I was to bring 3 objects which represent this trait in the past, present and future. I brought 3 books: "Discover How Things Work," Java and an Engineering textbook. Here's the rough copy of what mom typed up after I gave her my practice speech. You might see some of Mom's input with idioms. Maybe, I'll sit down sometime and correct the speech to what I actually gave, but this gives those interested an idea of one of my traits.

Curiosity Speech
Have any of you wondered how something works? Well, so do I, because I have a curious and inquisitive personality.
Well, I take things apart to discover how they work on the inside and then read about how they work and how to make things work other ways and how to build altogether new things.
I developed my inquisitive nature very young! When I was 9 months old, I learned how to climb out of my crib and started a life of exploring. When I was less than two years old, I would unscrew the light bulbs in my lamps; peel the layers apart to get to the filament. I wanted to know how that light bulb would glow. So, my concerned parents took out all of my lamps. I also was curious about the plugs that covered all the outlets in my room. I figured out how to pop the plugs out and started putting things into the outlets to see what would happen. When my mother saw me sticking a bobby pin into the outlet, my room was rearranged so all the furniture was placed over each outlet. Wow, my curiosity had put me in the dark!
My dad seeing my inquisitive nature began to read to me when I was 3 from the 26 volume set of the Children’s Encyclopedia. I can remember sitting unusually still and quiet while he read each page and we would then discuss each article. This further fueled my curiosity of life.
My mom bought me this great book, “Discover How Things Work,” hoping to satisfy my curiosity before the house was dismantled. What a great book. In this book I learned how things work that use electricity. I also learned how other things work such as an ________(flip open book). I was always known in school as the boy with lots of questions. I just wanted to know how it worked.
In high school I loved my physics, chemistry, math and Engineering Challenges classes. I would work on building the lightest and strongest balsa wood tower . I designed and built a tower that weighed less than 3 pieces of printer paper, was 7 ½ inches tall and held over 700 pounds. With this competition win I was able to go to the World finals in TN where I actually got to question a theoretical physicist. Wow, was that cool.
Now in college, I decided early on to major in mechanical engineering with a minor in computer science. I have taken many computer classes because I really want to know how computers work, what they can do and how they can do what I want. Currently I am taking a JAVA class and a C++ class where I’m learning these computer languages.
I intend to use my curiosity for life in my career. I am majoring in engineering so I can learn how things work, and how to make things work better. I know that engineering is really just applied curiosity.
Curiosity may have killed the cat and satisfaction brought him back. Fortunately, as a child, curiosity didn’t kill me and satisfaction was achieved in taking things apart, reading, learning and applying my knowledge. I find great satisfaction in applying my curiosity to the world around me. I hope I can develop this curiosity in my career to help make the world a better place.

Review?

I was observing how many people like to catch up on their blogging on Sunday and posted a tweet to that effect. Mom promptly informed me that I was now required to blog, ergo the following.

So the new semester started recently and I have several classes (ok, all of them) that decided to begin with a review of past material. I do not like to review material from previous classes at the beginning of new semesters or years and I have not liked it since I came home from first grade and told Mom that we wouldn't be learning anything new in first grade since we had already covered the material in kindergarten.

I feel that if material is a prerequisite for a class then all of the students should already be familiar with it, or be willing to review what they need to on their own. I feel that this will allow the class to progress at a more rapid rate and avoid wasting time covering something that all students should already know. For example, in my Digital Systems class (ENGE 240 - not even a freshman level course) we began our semester by learning about powers of 10 and SI prefixes. I believe that this is ridiculous because this is material that students should be learning in their middle school science classes, not their 200 level college courses and taking TWO class periods to cover that material is a waste of time. (I might be persuaded to admit that passing out the reference sheet would be OK.)

Other than the endless review that we are subjected to as students, my classes are going well. I am enjoying learning about logic gates and digital circuitry in my engineering classes, C++ and Java classes in my computer classes, and ways to interact constructively in my communications classes.

Two Peas in a Pod

I started my new semester this last Monday. I'm taking two engineering classes at City College and 2 communication classes and 2 computer classes and institute at Grossmont. Dad and I are taking Java (online class) and C++ together (it's on Monday nights).

When I got to my communications class yesterday, the teacher recognized me. I was surprised as I didn't know her! She asked if that was my dad I was walking with on campus Monday evening. I said, yes. She then told the class that while she was walking on campus on Monday she saw two students that looked definitely like a father and son walking on campus. She said she spent 5 minutes thinking while she was walking how cool that would be to take a class together with your father. So, that is why she recognized me. She then said that we are clones and asked if I had any of my mother in me! Ha.

Just another day at work

I need to take two engineering classes at City College. Because I attended a college out of state, I had to prove my California residency. So we all tried to figure out the best day and way to get me downtown. Since we have 4 people going in 4 different directions and only two working cars, transportation arrangements have often been pretty creative. I could drop Mom and Chelsea off at work, take the car to classes and then park the car at the trolley and use Dad's jury trolley pass to go downtown right near the college. Or, I could.... Dad came up with a great solution. Since he works downtown anyway, I could go with him on Friday when I don't have any classes and then walk to the college (just a few blocks from where he parks). And then, he thought after I finish at the college, maybe I'd like to go over to his work for the rest of the day. Yeh, cool! So, he had one of the men he works with, figure out a task that would be good for me to work on. So, it was pretty cool to go to work at Dad's office! And of course, fun to use a few computer skills and see what Dad does everyday. Thanks Dad!

Computer Language???

Dad and I have been having a great time on Monday nights taking two computer classes over at the college. One class is assembly language and the other is C++. I've really been getting into studying the book and working through problems - even ones not assigned. Dad and I discuss our questions together and enjoy sharing this together. We've even helped TA during class lab time because we both understand the material well.

This morning at breakfast (I was still pretty groggy from just being awakened), I said that I must be getting into the computer stuff pretty heavily. I woke up this morning thinking that a new phrase for a measurement of memory could be, "bit -ty baby." This might only be funny to my sisters who knew how much Chelsea loved her American Girl doll called, "bitty baby."

Another Brentism

Tonight after roundtable, I came in and found cookie dough in a bowl on the counter and cookies waiting to be baked on a cookie sheet. Hmmmmmmm, wonder what kind of cookie dough that is (I do prefer cookie dough over baked cookies). So of course, (and wouldn't you), I get out a spoon (ok if Mom weren't standing there I would just grab a handful) to taste the dough. Hmmmm, I comment to Mom, "It tastes like some kind of hybrid! Can't tell what kind it is!" "Hmmmm," Mom replies, "It's peanut butter cookie dough with chocolate chips, hybrid, eh??"