Life4
Some plans I suppose since no post in 14 days mb man
It is surprising, but I think that I have learned more from computer architecture than I have from any other class I’ve ever taken. In a singular moment of reflection, I have deduced that perhaps the trials were not for naught. That being said, I did earn a 2.5 out of 10 on the last quiz so I am thinking the A is now particularly out of the question…
Computer Architecture
What is Computer Architecture
I don’t know what computer architecture is to be honest. To be frank, it is probably easier to describe what computer architecture isn’t. Architecture is not OS. That’s a pretty good explanation!
Anyways, barring my atrocious CS 429H grade (which is due solely to my quiz grades and will hopefully not completely bar me from earning an A), computer architecture is surprisingly fun. Of course, I will always be a theory main because theory is simply better than programming, and absolutely nobody in this world enjoys debugging. However, even then, looking back at the past month’s activities (quite a long time ago if I say so myself), I can’t help but feel fond.
I will now recount the list or projects that I have engaged in while in CS 429H (each of which has been annoying, but each of which has also been extremely enjoyable to code, debug (ew), and finish): - Prog 1: Python interpreter (part 1, just arbitrary width integers and some recursive dissent) - Prog 2: Python interpreter electric boogaloo (just functions and closures with some global, nonlocal, kwargs stuff) - Prog 3: Python compiler (compiling everything + functions into x86 which I bsed by interpreting functions in my compiler (it is a valid solution since there is no edge case which breaks it though)) - Prog 4: Multithreaded ARM emulator (very fun project because it helped me understand memory and RISC is just nice to work with, I suppose also concurrency though that was just atomic spam) - Prog 5: Multiprocessed heap (current prog that I am planning on doing free list implementation)
It is still true that Computer Architecture is annoying, and I do hate it on some level, but at the same time, multiple conflicting things can be true at the same time. That is a weird perspective. My point is, architecture is fun looking back and horrible in the moment. Yes, that is a good way to put it.
I may be Cooked
Cooked
I feel like my life currently is only academics. Most of that is due to computer architecture (see above), but a non-negligible portion of that is also due to the rest of my course load. Either way I was planning next semester’s schedule and realized that perhaps I should not take so many classes! Instead, I could focus on other pursuits like chess or piano or writing. To be completely honest, I have neglected chess, forgotten about piano, and not picked up a book in about 6 months. It is rather disappointing.
At the same time though, I have fully ironed out my plans of triple majoring. Prior to this semester, I was under the impression that premed classes would take up a significant portion of my time. I now believe I was mistaken (man ts sounds so arrogant but like it’s fine so who cares).
Perhaps it is sad that the only think I have to write about is academic stuff, but such is life…
Future
Some Future Thoughts
I have often mentioned my thoughts on the future on this blog, thoughts on myself, thoughts on our future, thoughts on the world’s future. It would be less than lying to say that my information is misinformed. After all, I am but a college student in Texas. But, I will once again engage in such.
My thoughts on myself are that I need to earn an A in computer architecture. After which, I need to full commit to taking some risk this summer. I’ve often thought about starting a company or a YouTube channel since middle school, but I’ve always just put it off even when I have time. Now that I do not have such time, I am unable. However, this summer I have not fully tried for an internship, and as such, I am rather free. Thus, it only makes sense to take many risks this summer. Hopefully, I will have earned an A and can thus relax on the academic side. This first year has been rather stressful since I have been focused on petitioning into Turing, though if I get in for next semester, I can kind of take my foot somewhat off the gas. By this, I do not mean entirely relax – instead, I just mean I can stop stressing myself out to go into overdrive state. Funny story: I think my teeth have been irreparably damaged due to that overdrive state.
My thoughts on our future (my generation) is that we are cooked. The main problem is that we are a generation which simply has not been properly protected from older (more powerful due to time) generations. The internet is a great innovation, but it also demolishes any past protections that young people once had. Everything we do is tracked, all of our actions can be predicted, and thus all of our money, all of our power is rendered useless. Companies exist to suck out as much money from you – this is their purpose and there is no moral judgement here. That is what they promised to their shareholders, and thus, such is reality. From there, we find useless subscriptions, luxury products, and all sorts of hidden things in between. The problem is that there is simply too much information on the individual meaning that the amount of money company can extract is no longer an amount based on the consumer’s choice. No, instead it is something determined the moment you open up an app that uses an algorithm. We are cooked due to being consumers, and we are cooked because we will not be able to become producers. The fact of the matter is that there will be few jobs in the future. I think a good parallel to AI taking jobs is machines in chess. Yes, there are still chess players. Yes, there will still be jobs. Yes, people still get better at chess. Yes, people will still learn. But, employment will have changed. I cannot say how with precision, but my prediction is that there will be people working whose choices are checked over by machines. That means the end final decision (responsibility) will lie with the human, but it also means that there is not as much need for a human in the loop. I do not know how to articulate my point well, so perhaps this rant is too confusing.
My thoughts on the world is that America is a failing empire. I am American, and I do not believe that can ever be wringed out of me due to anything. That being said, America is falling off and pretty cooked. Like not even mentioning the elephant in the room, we are also owned by corporations. I hope America will succeed, and I cannot see myself following those people who leave America due to thinking it a failure (what is the purpose of patriotism then), but I also am growing more doubtful. We need a superhero.
Math
I like math
Man, that past section was a downer. Btw, if any government agent or otherwise professional is reading this, I definitely support whoever you support! Please give me a job…
Anyways, I like math. My math research is kinda popping off. That is good. I also got engaged in some biology research, but unfortunately, it seems more like ‘following instructions’ rather than thinking through problems. Of course, I will still work hard, but I was kind hoping for some more development things to work on.
Also, high-level math is really just definitions. Like, yes there is logic and intuition in it, but, at its base, everything is based on just a list of definitions and theorems you have to memorize/understand. You can argue that such is just understanding math and that getting the idea is different from memorization, but I would also argue that getting the idea and memorization are just two sides of the same coin. My point with this rant is to say that Discrete Math is truly the most beautiful math class. I think every undergraduate should take this class. To be honest, Calculus does not develop your problem-solving skills any more than Discrete Math does. In my eyes, Discrete should be added to the core curriculum (ie. force liberal arts and other majors to take discrete like how all undergrads are forced to take english or whatever). Moreover, I would argue that Discrete Math should be taught in high school over the Calculus track.
Yes, Calculus is important, but there is no basis to anything you learn in an entry Calculus class. Proofs are what makes mathematics important. Problem-solving is important too, but only as a precursor to proofs. There is a reason why mathematics is such a transferable discipline. It is because, simply put, proofs are the highest application of logic. The unfortunate thing is that proofs require knowledge (in other words memorization). Discrete Math is the perfect point at which proofs become possible. All you really need is a basic grasp of Algebra (and Geometry if you want to do some cool stuff) in order to fully engage with Discrete.
To conclude, I will conclude, by saying that in conclusion…
I like college quite a lot.
Best scammer in all of Texas
I have not played chess in about two weeks so I have nothing to show here except this. Interesting.