Fall Semester 2006
Wednesday, August 30th, 2006
Classes have begun and I was definitely right about my class lineup being pretty killer. Here’s the lo-down:
- Understanding Music (Winston Stone)
- Probability and Statistics with Applications in CS (Michael Baron)
- Computer Architecture (Ivor Page)
- Organization of Programming Languages (Mr. Boring)
- Software Architecture (David Russo)
- Co-Op (Mickey Choate)
The music class should be a nice little change and the professor seems like he gives engaging lectures. We’re required to see 3 concerts over the semester, so I will be attending a Dallas Symphony concert, the Austin City Limits festival, and one other concert to fulfill these requirements. I’m looking forward to expanding my horizons by gaining a better understanding of music.
The probability class doesn’t seem too hard. It’s pretty structured with homework and quizzes every week, so I think it should be a pretty cut ‘n dry math class like several others I have taken.
I’m really excited about Computer Architecture especially because of the professor I managed to get, Ivor Page. Dr. Page has been a part of UTD since 1981 and held several prestigous positions throughout those years.
I don’t know what to say about the Organization of Programming Languages class. I’ve been to a couple of them already and the professor (which I forgot the name of) is incredibly boring. He has this strangely haughty accent that he uses to read straight from the notes stored online. There will be some programming assignments for the class, and I guess that will be the saving grace.
I don’t know quite what to say about Software Architecture yet, because I’ve been to so few classes. I will say that the professor (which is widely regarded as quite difficult) didn’t show up the first day of class and had the sub-Prof give us a huge assignment due next class. So, next class came around and I handed in an assignment to a professor that A) I had never met, and B) came to class 20 minutes late. Twenty minutes! Although, I think I will admit that I kind of like Russo. He reminds me a lot of my high school CS teacher, Mr. Bill Hill. Both of these guys have background in the military and although they are strict at times, they are also very understanding of your desire to learn and will facilitate that by all means possible.
The Co-Op class is something I kind of decided on at the last minute. Initially I had signed up for Advanced Algorithm Design & Analysis, but I was starting to get the feeling that this was going to be too much of a class load for me to balance with work, girlfriend, etc. So, I dropped that academic class and took up the professional class. All I really have to do is forward my weekly priority e-mails with my manager to my professor, write a few memos, and then write a 10 page paper at the end of the course to receive 3 elective hours. No class, no hassle, and just keep doing what I’m doing - pretty good trade.
Classes have begun and I was definitely right about my class lineup being pretty killer. Here’s the lo-down:
- Understanding Music (Winston Stone)
- Probability and Statistics with Applications in CS (Michael Baron)
- Computer Architecture (Ivor Page)
- Organization of Programming Languages (Mr. Boring)
- Software Architecture (David Russo)
- Co-Op (Mickey Choate)
The music class should be a nice little change and the professor seems like he gives engaging lectures. We’re required to see 3 concerts over the semester, so I will be attending a Dallas Symphony concert, the Austin City Limits festival, and one other concert to fulfill these requirements. I’m looking forward to expanding my horizons by gaining a better understanding of music.
The probability class doesn’t seem too hard. It’s pretty structured with homework and quizzes every week, so I think it should be a pretty cut ‘n dry math class like several others I have taken.
I’m really excited about Computer Architecture especially because of the professor I managed to get, Ivor Page. Dr. Page has been a part of UTD since 1981 and held several prestigous positions throughout those years.
I don’t know what to say about the Organization of Programming Languages class. I’ve been to a couple of them already and the professor (which I forgot the name of) is incredibly boring. He has this strangely haughty accent that he uses to read straight from the notes stored online. There will be some programming assignments for the class, and I guess that will be the saving grace.
I don’t know quite what to say about Software Architecture yet, because I’ve been to so few classes. I will say that the professor (which is widely regarded as quite difficult) didn’t show up the first day of class and had the sub-Prof give us a huge assignment due next class. So, next class came around and I handed in an assignment to a professor that A) I had never met, and B) came to class 20 minutes late. Twenty minutes! Although, I think I will admit that I kind of like Russo. He reminds me a lot of my high school CS teacher, Mr. Bill Hill. Both of these guys have background in the military and although they are strict at times, they are also very understanding of your desire to learn and will facilitate that by all means possible.
The Co-Op class is something I kind of decided on at the last minute. Initially I had signed up for Advanced Algorithm Design & Analysis, but I was starting to get the feeling that this was going to be too much of a class load for me to balance with work, girlfriend, etc. So, I dropped that academic class and took up the professional class. All I really have to do is forward my weekly priority e-mails with my manager to my professor, write a few memos, and then write a 10 page paper at the end of the course to receive 3 elective hours. No class, no hassle, and just keep doing what I’m doing - pretty good trade.
