The Friday after Thanksgiving I saw Sidney. It was the third year in a row I saw him the day after Thanksgiving. Even though he now resides in Reno, it was the second time I saw him in November.
We went to The Bruery in Placentia. They have a lot of sour beers. While that is great for people like Sidney who enjoy them, I did not like them.
These are the beers I had in my flight with my comments:
Loakal Red - Oak-aged American red ale (good, but not great)
Bryeian - hoppy cascadian dary rye ale (good, not great)
Oude Tart - Flemish style red (No)
Humulus Wet: Centennial - fresh hopped pale ale (nothing special)
6 Geese-a-laying - spiced dark ale with gooseberries (OK for a holiday brew)
I also had another beer. I do not remember the name, it was an Ebony & (something).
After enjoying the beers there, we went to Hopscotch in Fullerton. I enjoyed a duroc pork butt with apples, pickled red onion, garlic, and roasted root vegetables. I had a Dudes' Grandma's Pecan brown ale to go with it. I liked the ale, while I usually avoid brown ales.
Then we went to The Night Owl Cafe.
Music and more
A week later on Friday I was at StillWater in Dana Point. I was there to watch my friend who sings and plays modern blues music. When he texted me about the show at 2 that afternoon, I was not planning on going. Finals were the following week, and I had a programming project, two lab reports, and a research paper all due on Tuesday. However, my friend Romeo said he was going, so I decided to go as well. I did not want him to drive the 45 minutes down to Dana Point and watch the show by himself. Also, Romeo is my new best friend. I met him in the spring at Beach Newman and saw him at a few meetings. Then he was in my technical writing class this semester. Many of the Mondays I saw him in class I had just seen him that weekend.
While I was at StillWater, I had a one of their cocktails, a Bulleit creek tea. It was Bulleit bourbon with lemon, Angostura bitters, and some other stuff. It was on their menu, but must be too secret to put on their website. I would not order it again, so it is no big loss. I was only planning on staying there to watch my friend, who started playing at 8:30. However, the performer after him was really good, so we stuck around past midnight. Since I was around for a while, I enjoyed a Trestles IPA from the Left Coast Brewing Company.
This Friday Frank and Sabrina are having a Sinterklaas party. If it were not for my Advanced Math for Electrical Engineers final today things would be great.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Adventures in Graduate School
Since I am finishing my first semester of graduate school, I have some things to share. Before I started as a masters student, my thoughts of graduate school were colored by what I heard at top tier research schools. However, when I started at a modest state school, I discovered graduate school was not what I had expected.
At the school where I am, the masters program seems like a simple extension of their undergraduate program. Compared to their bachelors classes, the only differences are the teachers teach less and most of my classmates are from India. I was taking a survey the other day and I realized something. While I am happy I am in school working toward an electrical engineering degree, I am displeased with the quality of my classes, professors, and the education overall. If I could have gotten into a better graduate school, I would have gone there instead.
I have experienced some interesting moments in graduate school. Since these gems of higher learning will not be experienced by a lot of people, I want to share them with you.
Impediment to learning
In one of my classes we were filling out instructor evaluations. For the question of "Were there any impediments to your learning?" someone wrote "the professor." He was right.
The value of timely work
I put off doing a lab for one of my classes. I had to simulate a circuit and then layout another circuit on silicon as if it was being constructed on an integrated circuit. When I told one of my friends I did not have the lab working, he emailed me the files. With a couple of quick changes, I demonstrated the working lab to the professor and received full credit for the demonstration. Sometimes it pays to procrastinate.
Understanding an important algorithm
I had a lab due for my VLSI class. It was supposed to be a Viterbi encoder/decoder. However, neither the professor nor anyone in class could explain how the complete algorithm worked. The people I knew just took an example in the textbook and made some changes to it. I built a glorified shift register. It takes the inputs, stores them, then displays them two cycles later so it looks like it does the processing it needs. It completely side-stepped the XOR gates and PSK transmitting I was supposed to do. Since there was no noise in our simulation, any other stuff I added would be unnecessary and optimized out by the IDE. However, the professor was happy when I showed him a working program. I wrote up the report and included a figure and table from the textbook on the part I did not do.
Getting your work back
With a week left in the semester, one of my professors decided it was a good time to give us back our graded work from the semester. He handed back seven homework assignments. However, he did not grade them; he just put a check mark on the front. There was a problem where I just wrote the question and left a big blank space below it. The professor did not read it, he just put a big check mark directly over it. After I got the homework back, I knew I should not work too hard on the last two assignments. I wrote some equations and copied circuits from the textbook and that was it. If only my paper for the class could be so easy . . . or is it?
If you do end up going to graduate school, make some friends in your program right away. You will probably learn more from them than your professors.
At the school where I am, the masters program seems like a simple extension of their undergraduate program. Compared to their bachelors classes, the only differences are the teachers teach less and most of my classmates are from India. I was taking a survey the other day and I realized something. While I am happy I am in school working toward an electrical engineering degree, I am displeased with the quality of my classes, professors, and the education overall. If I could have gotten into a better graduate school, I would have gone there instead.
I have experienced some interesting moments in graduate school. Since these gems of higher learning will not be experienced by a lot of people, I want to share them with you.
Impediment to learning
In one of my classes we were filling out instructor evaluations. For the question of "Were there any impediments to your learning?" someone wrote "the professor." He was right.
The value of timely work
I put off doing a lab for one of my classes. I had to simulate a circuit and then layout another circuit on silicon as if it was being constructed on an integrated circuit. When I told one of my friends I did not have the lab working, he emailed me the files. With a couple of quick changes, I demonstrated the working lab to the professor and received full credit for the demonstration. Sometimes it pays to procrastinate.
Understanding an important algorithm
I had a lab due for my VLSI class. It was supposed to be a Viterbi encoder/decoder. However, neither the professor nor anyone in class could explain how the complete algorithm worked. The people I knew just took an example in the textbook and made some changes to it. I built a glorified shift register. It takes the inputs, stores them, then displays them two cycles later so it looks like it does the processing it needs. It completely side-stepped the XOR gates and PSK transmitting I was supposed to do. Since there was no noise in our simulation, any other stuff I added would be unnecessary and optimized out by the IDE. However, the professor was happy when I showed him a working program. I wrote up the report and included a figure and table from the textbook on the part I did not do.
Getting your work back
With a week left in the semester, one of my professors decided it was a good time to give us back our graded work from the semester. He handed back seven homework assignments. However, he did not grade them; he just put a check mark on the front. There was a problem where I just wrote the question and left a big blank space below it. The professor did not read it, he just put a big check mark directly over it. After I got the homework back, I knew I should not work too hard on the last two assignments. I wrote some equations and copied circuits from the textbook and that was it. If only my paper for the class could be so easy . . . or is it?
If you do end up going to graduate school, make some friends in your program right away. You will probably learn more from them than your professors.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Fundamentals of Engineering Test: Pass
I learned I passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (or Engineer in Training) test. I am very pleased with myself.
I wrote a post in August about my preparation for the test and the material it covered.
I taught myself a lot of stuff I did not cover in a class. As a recap, it covered covered mathematics, probability & statistics, chemistry, computers, ethics & business practices, economics, mechanics (statics and dynamics), strength of materials, material properties, fluid mechanics, electricity & magnetism, and thermodynamics. Then there was an electrical engineering specific section in circuits, power, electromagnetics, control systems, communications, signal processing, electronics, digital systems, and computer systems. The night before the test I was up past 1. I was trying to learn things while responding to messages from my texting buddy before I got up around 4:30 for a 7am report time.
I took the test the last time it was administered on paper. Starting next month, it will be administered at computer testing centers on a rolling basis. I hate computer based tests, so I was glad I got it done on paper. I also got a fancy mechanical pencil as a souvenir.
Averaged over the last year, the test was administered 8,700 times in California and had a 56% passage rate. I was worried because I had not taken classes in most of the topics like the average engineer. However, I taught myself enough to do well. I filed a form with the State of California and mailed them a check. Now I am waiting for them to process it and send me a certificate.
Now I need to write a paper on finFETs, figure out how to program a boundary scan test in structural level hardware description language, write a report about it, do some user tests for my technical writing class, and write a report about the user tests. Then I just have to take 3 finals and I will be finished with the semester.
I wrote a post in August about my preparation for the test and the material it covered.
I taught myself a lot of stuff I did not cover in a class. As a recap, it covered covered mathematics, probability & statistics, chemistry, computers, ethics & business practices, economics, mechanics (statics and dynamics), strength of materials, material properties, fluid mechanics, electricity & magnetism, and thermodynamics. Then there was an electrical engineering specific section in circuits, power, electromagnetics, control systems, communications, signal processing, electronics, digital systems, and computer systems. The night before the test I was up past 1. I was trying to learn things while responding to messages from my texting buddy before I got up around 4:30 for a 7am report time.
I took the test the last time it was administered on paper. Starting next month, it will be administered at computer testing centers on a rolling basis. I hate computer based tests, so I was glad I got it done on paper. I also got a fancy mechanical pencil as a souvenir.
Averaged over the last year, the test was administered 8,700 times in California and had a 56% passage rate. I was worried because I had not taken classes in most of the topics like the average engineer. However, I taught myself enough to do well. I filed a form with the State of California and mailed them a check. Now I am waiting for them to process it and send me a certificate.
Now I need to write a paper on finFETs, figure out how to program a boundary scan test in structural level hardware description language, write a report about it, do some user tests for my technical writing class, and write a report about the user tests. Then I just have to take 3 finals and I will be finished with the semester.
Monday, December 2, 2013
The story of a paper
Recently someone texted me saying she was nervous about getting her paper back in class tomorrow. To make things easier, I will call her my texting buddy. I texted, "I have a great paper story to tell you. I will send it to you online, since it is too long to text."
Since this is a good story, I thought I might have made a post about it before. When my search turned up negative, I knew I had to make a post about it.
This happened toward the end of the fall my senior year at Berkeley, so it was 6 years ago. It was for Bronze Age Ancient Greek history. That was the official title, but the class really covered the Archaic through some of the Classical period. For my paper I chose to write about the people who rowed the Greek ships, the triremes. I also have a picture to share. Below are the books I used for writing this paper as well as my paper for Ancient Greek Religion.
I had a paper due on Monday. Actually, I had two major projects due that day. The other was either a 3D computer model for my Archeology of Pompeii and Herculaneum class or a paper on something for my Ancient Greek Religion class. While I could turn the essay in during class at 1pm, the professor said we could also turn it in to her box in the history office by 5 that afternoon. Since I was still working on the essay and her lectures were usually a complete waste of time, I skipped class.
As I was finished the term paper, I realized it was short on the length. It was supposed to be 10-15 pages. I put in some very long quotes, even if they had nothing to do with my main point. I double spaced the quotes, which you are not supposed to do. After I put the final touches on my essay, it was 8 pages long. It was almost 5, so I had to stop. I went to Derek's computer and printed out my essay. I could see from the green LEDs on Rohit's alarm clock it was 4:59 as it was printing out. Even after it finished printing, it would take me 10 minutes to get to Dwinelle, where the history department office was. As it was printing, Derek walked in the door. He asked me when it was due, and I told him 5 in the history office. Then he told me the history office closes at 4.
Since Derek is a history major, he knows these things. However, I did not know what I was going to do. I thought, my professor is very incompetent. Not only is she bad at lecturing and wastes class time asking students for their ill-informed input, but she doesn't even know when the office closes.
I stapled my essay and hurried to Dwinelle. I hoped the office would be open. By the time I got to the C floor of Dwinelle, I found the office; it was closed. I thought of sliding my essay under the door, but there was something blocking the threshold. I figured it was put there to stop students such as myself from sliding stuff under the door.
Not sure what to do, I decided to walk the halls of Dwinelle. I hoped to run into one of the graduate student readers for the class and give him my essay. While walking around, I remembered commiserating with Alex about the professor a few times. She had a class with the same professor who was terrible in her class as well. I remembered the class went from 5-6:30 in Mulford. I decided my best bet was to go to Mulford and try to catch the professor before that class ended. Before I went there, I decided to walk by the history office one more time on the off chance it was magically open. I walked by and to my amazement it was open! As I stepped inside I talked to a person who told me the office was closed. I politely asked if she could put my essay in the box for my professor. She said she would, but she had never heard of my professor. However, she found her box and I was very grateful. As I walked out of Dwinelle, I ran into Alex. Her class had ended early, so I told her about my paper adventure.
When I got back to my apartment, I decided to do something different. Instead of unlocking the door and walking in as I always did, I decided to enter through the window in the kitchen. My roommates and I had commented how easy it would be to enter the apartment if the window was open (or even if it was closed and locked), so I gave it a try. Except for avoiding knocking down the cans of food near the window, it was easy.
A week later I had a dream. In the dream I got my paper back. In red pen and circled was my score of 57%. When I woke up I was worried because I knew I deserved a failing grade. When I told my roommate Derek about the dream, he told me I must have been remembering it incorrectly. He said I had the numbers mixed up and actually had a 75%. I hoped he was right, but I knew the paper I wrote.
A few days later, the papers were handed back. I got a 75%! I was happily surprised. When I looked over the comments on the paper, there was something written next to one of the long quotes I put in. It asked, "What does this have to do with your point?" I thought, that is a good question.
I ended up getting a B in the class.
Since this is a good story, I thought I might have made a post about it before. When my search turned up negative, I knew I had to make a post about it.
This happened toward the end of the fall my senior year at Berkeley, so it was 6 years ago. It was for Bronze Age Ancient Greek history. That was the official title, but the class really covered the Archaic through some of the Classical period. For my paper I chose to write about the people who rowed the Greek ships, the triremes. I also have a picture to share. Below are the books I used for writing this paper as well as my paper for Ancient Greek Religion.
I had a paper due on Monday. Actually, I had two major projects due that day. The other was either a 3D computer model for my Archeology of Pompeii and Herculaneum class or a paper on something for my Ancient Greek Religion class. While I could turn the essay in during class at 1pm, the professor said we could also turn it in to her box in the history office by 5 that afternoon. Since I was still working on the essay and her lectures were usually a complete waste of time, I skipped class.
As I was finished the term paper, I realized it was short on the length. It was supposed to be 10-15 pages. I put in some very long quotes, even if they had nothing to do with my main point. I double spaced the quotes, which you are not supposed to do. After I put the final touches on my essay, it was 8 pages long. It was almost 5, so I had to stop. I went to Derek's computer and printed out my essay. I could see from the green LEDs on Rohit's alarm clock it was 4:59 as it was printing out. Even after it finished printing, it would take me 10 minutes to get to Dwinelle, where the history department office was. As it was printing, Derek walked in the door. He asked me when it was due, and I told him 5 in the history office. Then he told me the history office closes at 4.
Since Derek is a history major, he knows these things. However, I did not know what I was going to do. I thought, my professor is very incompetent. Not only is she bad at lecturing and wastes class time asking students for their ill-informed input, but she doesn't even know when the office closes.
I stapled my essay and hurried to Dwinelle. I hoped the office would be open. By the time I got to the C floor of Dwinelle, I found the office; it was closed. I thought of sliding my essay under the door, but there was something blocking the threshold. I figured it was put there to stop students such as myself from sliding stuff under the door.
Not sure what to do, I decided to walk the halls of Dwinelle. I hoped to run into one of the graduate student readers for the class and give him my essay. While walking around, I remembered commiserating with Alex about the professor a few times. She had a class with the same professor who was terrible in her class as well. I remembered the class went from 5-6:30 in Mulford. I decided my best bet was to go to Mulford and try to catch the professor before that class ended. Before I went there, I decided to walk by the history office one more time on the off chance it was magically open. I walked by and to my amazement it was open! As I stepped inside I talked to a person who told me the office was closed. I politely asked if she could put my essay in the box for my professor. She said she would, but she had never heard of my professor. However, she found her box and I was very grateful. As I walked out of Dwinelle, I ran into Alex. Her class had ended early, so I told her about my paper adventure.
When I got back to my apartment, I decided to do something different. Instead of unlocking the door and walking in as I always did, I decided to enter through the window in the kitchen. My roommates and I had commented how easy it would be to enter the apartment if the window was open (or even if it was closed and locked), so I gave it a try. Except for avoiding knocking down the cans of food near the window, it was easy.
A week later I had a dream. In the dream I got my paper back. In red pen and circled was my score of 57%. When I woke up I was worried because I knew I deserved a failing grade. When I told my roommate Derek about the dream, he told me I must have been remembering it incorrectly. He said I had the numbers mixed up and actually had a 75%. I hoped he was right, but I knew the paper I wrote.
A few days later, the papers were handed back. I got a 75%! I was happily surprised. When I looked over the comments on the paper, there was something written next to one of the long quotes I put in. It asked, "What does this have to do with your point?" I thought, that is a good question.
I ended up getting a B in the class.
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