Looks more like a Puma

So long and thanks for all the fish

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 20:17:00 +0000

So long Blogger, I've gone and switched my blog over to Wordpress. This happeed about two minutes ago, so if you're reading this you used an old link, old bookmark, or old rss feed, which should updated in the unlikely event that you would like to continue reading Looks More Like a Puma.

Classic Trombonium: 12-14-2005

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:39:00 +0000

If you read this blog regularly (admittedly the odds are about the same as me getting run over by a snowmobile...in Georgia), you may recall me introducing what I intended to be a regular entry for this blog, and that is Classic Trombonium in which I reprint an old entry from the Xanga blog I kept when I was a freshmen. Regardless, here's another one that's somewhat topical due to the date. Don't expect me to ignore this blog for a month, though. The internet's not that lucky.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

On the day of GoingHome, my true love gave to me...

Well, we've had one fine semester of superior blogging. Now it's Christmas Break. I am going home. I will not be on Xanga for one solid month. I will not be on Facebook either. The same goes for you. Get off the stinkin' computer. Spend time with your family (yes, they're the strangers on the couch in the living room).

One other administrative detail: the Pirate rave/polka is gone. You can all uncover your ears, now. I've had my fun. Let this also serve as a gesture of goodwill to others with Blogs of Mass Sonicification. We can all lay down our music in peace and make the world free of obnoxious singing webpages. I do try to be a good example.

Regards,

The fish formerly known as,

-Rick

(No, that's not my real signature. Don't try to print it off and steal my identity. It won't work.)

Innovation

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 03:39:00 +0000

Caption on a billboard:

Introducing the World's First Touch-Screen Blackberry

Woah, that's pretty impressive, RIM. You've made the first touch-screen phone made by you. Innovative...

It actually reminds me of a phrase that's become a modern cliche: "First African-American/Hispanic/Asian/Female/Icelandic/Whatever person to do X." Don't get me wrong, I believe in celebrating legitimate accomplishments, but usually when I hear this phrase it's just baloney.

Things I like about Linux (Ubuntu)

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:22:00 +0000

Package Manager - is the nicest way to get software I've ever worked with. If you're looking for freeware, whether it's a video editor or a ruby interpreter, you can find it and install neatly within minutes. Updates to the OS and all the software is integrated through the package manager so I automatically get security fixes for Ubuntu and new versions of my IM client all through the same helpful interface.

Geek Friendly - as in, an operating system that helps me do stuff rather than trying to continuously throw up road blocks. It's nice to have an OS that doesn't do its best to bury the terminal and actually comes with a C compiler installed.

Virus Software - I don't use any. Whoop.

Community - is friendly and helpful. Ubuntu has it's share of problems, but its community of users and (often emphatic) fans is a pretty good resource for solving problems.

Well this wraps up my little series about operating systems. If I haven't bored you yet, go on over to computerworld.com for the OS Smackdown.

Things I like about Windows

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:19:00 +0000

This post is the third in a series about Operating Systems which I began with Things I hate about Linux and continued with Things I hate about Windows. Those posts might have left you thinking I hate everything, which isn't entirely true. Even Windows has a (short) list of things to recommend it.

Simplicity - is why even my dog can use a Windows computer. There needs to be a computer for those people whose only interest in a computer is checking email and looking at pictures. There needs to be an operating system that treats its users like infants because, let's face it, some users need all the help they can get. Windows is that operating system.

Standards - do have value. It's nice for users and third party vendors to know that Windows is always the same everywhere you go. Users have a familiar interface that looks the same on their computer at home, their computer at work, and the computer in the public library. Writers of software and makers of hardware can be assured that the Windows they have on their test machines is the same Windows that users have which simplifies compatibility.

Office 2007 - is the best Office suite there is. I really have to hand it to Microsoft on this one. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are pretty stinkin' good programs, and I have yet to see an imitator that duplicates the quality of these essentials.

BSOD - is just plain classic. The world would be a sadder place without these pictures to brighten our day:

From an airport

From a Canadian department store

From the Beijing Olympics

Thank You Aggie Moms of Atlanta

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:02:00 +0000

If you're a new Aggie, and your mom is thinking about joining an Aggie Moms club, try to get her to join the Aggie Moms Club of Atlanta (Texans please note that the word Atlanta not followed by the name of a state means Atlanta, Georgia; not Atlanta, Texas). Why the Aggie Mom's Club of Atlanta? Because at the end of the fall semester Aggie Moms make care packages, and while most students find themselves with a little bag that has a couple cookies and a pencil in it; we get this:

The package. Dwarfing everything in my room.

Nothing less than a Swiss Army knife could get it open.

Such a quantity of projectiles. No one in the dorm dares oppose me anymore.

Whoa! Where did my mom find this? You know they just don't make 60's TV shows like they used to...

A cling-on (Klingon?) bear making himself at home on my uniform...

...and on my mug...

...and on my trombone.

And then there's all the food. It's pretty ridiculous, I had to stand on my chair to get this all in one picture.
EDIT - After reading the bottle more carefully I discovered that the Bubble solution is "Not for human consumption."

Ah, that's what the Bubble solution is for...

So...shout out to the Aggie Moms of Atlanta: Y'all are awesome.

Things I hate about Windows

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:08:00 +0000

What the heck is Windows?

This continues my little series on what's good and bad about the various operating systems for personal computers (by which I of course mean computers for persons, not non-mac computers). Last time I listed the things I hate about Linux, and the next entry in the series will be the things I like about Windows.

Performance - is the reason I got tired of running Windows in the first place. Windows seems to have a habit of bogging down in awkward places like when right clicking on anything in File Explorer, or when trying to use the Start Menu. I hate logging onto Windows machines in various labs because I inevitably end up waiting for about a minute while Windows "Loads my personal settings" (I don't have any personal settings!), and then when it looks ready, you still usually have to wait for another 30 or 60 seconds before it becomes responsive.

Security - means you have install some kind of anti-virus software which is inevitably a resource pig. Sure security is a really hard problem, but they could at least do the simple things, like salting passwords. I can take a cd which I downloaded for free and put it in your Windows computer and it will tell me your password, because unlike every other system that stores hashed passwords, Windows doesn't use salt them to make the hash unique for each machine.

Reliability - means most Windows user have to restart their computer. Often. And then there's my favorite Windows anecdote. The US Navy actually had a trial "Smartship" program which integrated all of the ship's systems together using a network of computers running Windows NT. It worked fine until one guy accidentally entered some wrong data which cause a divide by zero error which crashed the system leaving the ship dead in the water for 3 hours. Curiously, I haven't heard anything about that program since.

The little things - which I had no idea were missing until I started using Ubuntu Linux regularly. Things like:

Lack of ssh/scp. I don't know of any built in way to communicate with a server in Windows
Lack of workspaces. So simple and useful. So glaringly absent.
Always on top. This is an option for every window in Ubuntu. Really simple. Really useful. Really not available in Windows.
UI Customization. I can completely change every menu, icon, sidebar, and shortcut on my desktop in Ubuntu. In Windows, I can have my Start Menu on the bottom or the side or the top. And that's about it.
Notepad. The worst text editor ever written. Could they not put more than 15 minutes of effort into it, or better yet just bundle in one of the 5 gazillion existing free text editors?
Printscreen. Why do I have to paste into Paint to get an image file?
Cmmand prompt. Everything is backwards from all the other operating systems.
"Are you sure you want to send file XXX to the Recycling Bin?" Isn't that kind of the point of having a Recycling Bin? That you don't have to be sure?

And finally, my absolute favorite is this dialog right here.

Seems innocent enough, until you try the "Restart Later" option. That makes the dialog go away for all of 10 minutes, and then it pops up right back in your face, asking you the same stupid question and giving you the same stupid countdown. Of course you're trying to use your computer so you click "Restart Later" and of course 10 minutes later it pops up again with another dose of helpful Windows user interface...

Well, I guess that's about it. Windows isn't all bad though. Stick around through the commercial break and I'll tell you what I like about it.

Aside - Luck is no Lady

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:36:00 +0000

I recently went to an interview at Naval Reactors in Washington DC (which went well), and I observed that everybody that I talked to about it beforehand wished me "good luck". Everybody save one, that is, and naturally this exception caused me to pause and consider. I know I would have said good luck, but I would have hated it even as I said it. Good luck? I don't even believe in luck (the concept of random chance is incompatible with that of a sovereign God). And even if I did, what good does it do for me to wish it upon someone. The only function served by the phrase is to express some kind of good will and solidarity (and even that gets thrown out in bizarre situations we've all seen such as an individual wishing good luck to both sides in a sporting event). As it turns out, there's a much better alternative which is what my one exception said. Rather than an empty expression of her hope for my good fortune, she simply said that she'd pray for me. Now that is a meaningful and practical thing to say to someone, and having observed its clear advantages, I have resolved to strike the phrase "good luck" from my vocabulary.

Don't worry I haven't forgotten: more on operating systems next time...

Things I hate about Linux (Ubuntu)

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:49:00 +0000

What the heck is Linux?

This kicks off a little series about operating systems. If you've heard of Linux but you're really not sure what the deal with it is, here's your opportunity. Stick around for a few posts, and I'll give you what I think are the pros and cons for Ubuntu Linux and Windows. (For the mac-lovers who are probably steaming right now, I'll try to work in some stuff about OSX. The thing about that is that I haven't used it for any extended period of time and don't know much about it).

Network Manager - is just plain flaky. It goes through phases for no apparent reason. It'll go through a phases where it works perfectly, then one day it will suddenly not be able to connect to a usual wireless network. Eventually I figure out some trick to make work again (toggle the wireless switch...or the power) and that's about when it shifts to a different phase with a totally different problem. This thing is so creative with the problems that it has, I sometimes have a hard time beleiving that it is a deterministic piece of software.

Hardware Support - is often lacking. Honestly I'm actually really impressed by how well this works on a variety of machines with a variety of peripherals. Still, it's pretty frustrating when your printer is on the list that either doesn't work, or only works after sifting through forums and fiddling with config files for a day.

Networking - is hard. I have yet to figure out how to get to windows machines on the LAN without knowing their IP address. I didn't work on it for very long, but shouldn't it be pretty straightforward?

Open Office - is the number one reason why I don't recommend Ubuntu to every single person. Compared to MS Office 07, it is just plain lacking in terms of features, ease of use, and the experience in general. Every time I use it, I found out some little thing that isn't there. The other day it was that you can't crop pictures that are inserted into a text document. The day before that it was that charts in the spreadsheet program can't be displayed in log scale. Admittedly, that's probably a rarely used feature; but when you need it, there's no substitute. And the only thing I know about the slideshow program is that I started it once when I had a presentation to make, tried to work with it for 5 minutes, then rebooted my computer into windows to use PowerPoint. I haven't looked at OpenOffice Slideshow since.

So I was kind of shooting for a top 10 list, but I could only come up with 4. Next time I'll be back with Things I hate about Windows (I wouldn't expect it to be as short as this one).

Youtube'd: The Erhu

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:11:00 +0000

The erhu is a traditional Chinese Fiddle with two strings. It is a versatile instrument and performances can range from the elegant to the adorable to the less-elegant to the seductive to the just plain amazing.

*For some reason these links do not work in Internet Explorer. I am not motivated to fix the problem, download Firefox.

Classic Trombonium: 2-2-2006

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:34:00 +0000

I was browsing through the blog I kept on Xanga my freshman year, and I thought it might be fun to periodically pull some of the better entries out of mothballs. Therefore, dear readers, I humbly present the inaugural issue of Classic Trombonium.

During dark, cold months like February, people don't have much to do but blog, so they tend to write a lot of really inane stuff. One particularly popular idea in 2006 (not that I think things have changed much) was taking some goofy survey and answering it. I also got caught up in this fad, and this is that entry:

Thursday, February 02, 2006

This is ridiculous. I never do these things. But, hey, I need to kill some time until all the mean sophmores go away. So...here it is: Read it. If you're really, really, really bored.

LAST PERSON THAT
1. Slept in your bed: uh...me
2. Saw you cry: not going to answer this, on principle
3. Made you cry: ditto

4. Went to the movies with you: such boring factual questions, my family
5. You went to the mall with: boring
7. You went to dinner with: fish Biddle (there, now you know the real me)
8. You talked on the phone with: fish May (I think, coulda been Zorn)
9. Bought you something: yes, because I really remember that
WOULD YOU RATHER
1. Pierce your nose or tongue: we're going to go with c: neither

2. Be serious or be funny: c: both

3. Drink whole or skim milk: c: neither
4. Die in a fire or drown: c: not die

ARE YOU
1. Simple or complicated: simply complex
2. Gay: don't ask... (actually I'm not, but these questions are so boring)
3. Hardcore: about blogging? no
4. Honest: hey, you know what they say about Aggies

DO YOU PREFER
1. Flowers or angels: angels, duh (flowers don't fight demons)
2. Grey or black: blue
3. Color or Black and white photos: just white photos are fine (but color if I have to choose)
4. Lust or love: are we talking about someone in particular?
5. Sunrise or sunset: oh, it's always better if the sun's coming up
6. M&Ms or Skittles: c: both
7. Rap or rock: may rap die a fiery death
8. Staying up late or waking up early: bagging in early and sleeping in late

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY
1. Do you like anyone: no, I hate you all
2. Do they know it: I just said no, who's they?

DO YOU PREFER
1. Being hot or cold: oh, I'm hot (sorry, bad joke)
2. Sun or moon: I like it sunny (but don't feel bad, moon, you got a close second)
3. Winter or Fall: summer!
4. Left or right: left or right what? generally I use them both

WHAT DO YOU WANT
1. Where do you want to live: Cleveland. (actually where I am is just fine with me)
2. How many kids do you want: none for the moment (but later...)
3. What kind of job do you want: one involving money

4. Do you want to get married: to who?

UNIQUE
1. Nervous Habits: I am never nervous
2. Are you double jointed: if you break my elbow, yes

3. Can you roll your tongue: if it wasn't stuck to my mouth
4. Can you raise one eyebrow: both, actually
5. Can you cross your eyes: no, the skull does a good job of holding them where they are
6. Do you make your bed daily: no, I try to make every couple of weeks or so and not mess it up in the meantime

FOOD
1. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it: I prefer eating it (it's much tastier in your mouth)
2. Have you ever eaten Spam: actually, gmail has a spam blocker
3. Favorite ice cream: c: all of them
4. How many kinds of cereal are in your cabinet: I have a cabinet?
5. What's your favorite beverage: I'm going to hold judgement until I meet the alcholic ones (not really)
6. What's your favorite restaurant: home (what else could I say, my mom reads this blog)
7. Do you cook: that depends, does it need to be edible?

MANNERS
1.Do you swear: to uphold the Constitution? Yeah I did that
2. Do you ever spit: eh, I'm too impatient to think of a good (or not so good) joke
3. You cook your own food: didn't I answer this already?
4. You do your own chores: and my roommate's (that lazy fish Clark)

5. Did you get payed today: not yet, you got money?
6. You like beef jerky: I don't like hardly any jerks
7. You like pepsi or coke: yes
8. You plan on going to college: what kind of question is this???
10. You own a dog: unless Dad shot 'em
11. You spend your money wisely: that takes all the fun out of it
12. You're always making new friends: I thought they finally ended that show (please don't make any more)

13. You like to swim: no, that's why I'm in the Navy
14. Have you ever got so bored you called a friend: no, when I'm bored, I call my enemies

LET'S BE HONEST
In the last month have you...
1. Had a bf/gf: hang on, I'm counting (not really)
2. Bought something: unless you want to pay for all the stuff I need
4. Sang: define singing. does there have to be a recognizable tune?
5. Been kissed: do you need a number... or would "yes" suffice? (not really)
6. Felt stupid: why would I feel stupid?
8. Missed someone: nope, I'm very accurate as a matter of fact
9. Got drunk: well there was that orange juice incident
10. Gotten high: I live on the 4th floor, that's pretty high
11. Danced crazy: I haven't even been crazy, much less danced at the fact
12. Gotten your hair cut: is there an alternative?
13. Watched cartoons: where I live, it's a cartoon everyday
14. Lied: An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal. (But they do exagerate, cooperate and appropriate...)

There, now that I've wasted 30 minutes of both our time...

(more pirates coming later

and yes, Mark, I will type until my dying breath)

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:57:00 +0000

See the original Demotivators.

Terry Tate: Role Model

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:22:00 +0000

If you haven't seen any of the Terry Tate: Office Linebacker videos, I highly recommend them. Not only are they very funny, but Terry is a pretty inspiring guy.

Terry Tate: Words to Live By

"100% heart: all day, every day."
What would you be like if you came to work/school with 100% heart everyday? Would you be amazingly motivating? Shoot yeah, you would!

"Just cause I'm on vacation, don't mean I'm out to lunch. I came to play, baby."
Terry Tate is the same awesome guy in the office and on the beach. Is it really necessary to become a total slob and turn off your brain just because you have a few days off work?

"Terry Tate's a hitter, not a quitter."
Terry Tate doesn't give up when he runs into a little resistance, he just starts hitting harder.

"Playing hurt? That don't phase me, baby."
Can't get out of bed because you have a cold? Maybe you could take a page (specifically this one) from Terry Tate's book.

"When things ain't happening the way they supposed to happen, you know Triple T gonna condense the nonsense."
You could never accuse Terry Tate of apathy. He has a high standard for himself and the people under him, and he holds them to it. Letting stuff slide...that's just being lazy.

"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." - Colossians 3:17

This is why I like our coach

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 02:20:00 +0000

Mid-Season Report From Mike Sherman

Since I have always considered this football team an extension of the student body at Texas A&M, I want to give you a mid-season update of your team.

Whether you are a football fan or not, the reality is that Aggie football has been a big part of Texas A&M history and tradition for a long time. A lot of you came to Aggieland not only because of great professors and academics, but also because of the people and traditions that exist - traditions that are unique to Texas A&M. It goes without saying that football has been part of that history and responsible for many of its traditions.

With that said, I want you to know I feel a huge responsibility to you, the students, to make sure you can take great interest, pride and ownership of this football team. I do not take that responsibility lightly. You deserve a team that represents you and this University with class, character and a competitive spirit. I fully understand many of you are disappointed with the way things have gone so far this season, as you should be.

To say I am disappointed with this season would be an understatement, but I want you to know I am far from discouraged.

More...

Still Using the Grassy Knoll of Windows As Your Desktop Wallpaper?

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:12:00 +0000

After observing the sad state of the desktop wallpaper of a friend of mine (a screenshot from a start trek video game), I resolved to provide my humble collection of high quality wallpaper to the world. These come from various sources; many are National Geographic pics and a couple I took myself.

Here's a tasty sample:

Get Nifty Wallpaper.

The absolute last thing...

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:14:00 +0000

...that you ever need to know about web design:
Avoid Unnecessary Whitespace in HTML.

Gotta watch out for those 2 byte newlines. About 250,000 of those suckers will add an extra second to your load time.

Sermon Notes

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:14:00 +0000

Who's in charge here?
1 Peter 2:13-17

Today's sermon at my church discussed submission to earthly authorities. These are the notes I took:

-Obedience to authority is a litmus test for your spiritual walk-

I. All authority is delegated by God
-Romans 13:1-2
-Colossians 3:22-24
II. Submission to authority reflects Jesus' character
-1 Peter 2:18-24
III. Submission to authority will ultimately be rewarded
-Romans 13:3-4
-1 Peter 2:19-20

Of course it was mentioned during the course of the sermon that the one exception to this is whenever an authority requires you to do something that directly violates something in God's law. That makes sense, but it's also noticeably absent from what Peter writes. If he meant that, why didn't he say it? Reading his flat statement to submit to "every human institution" seems to contradict with what men of God have done throughout the Bible (Daniel 3:8-12, Daniel 6:12-13, Acts 4:18-20).

These difficulties are resolved by thinking about what is implied by the word authority. The President of the United States is a person who has a great deal of authority. If he decides to, he can direct our (formidable) armed forces to attack some other country (for 3 months at least). However, when he visits Mexico, he can't tell anybody to do anything. Like every other human authority, his has limits. The authority of an individual is limited by where it applies, to whom it applies, and by topics it applies to. As an example of the last, a congressman in the State of Georgia can require me to pay taxes. However, he can't stop my car and issue me a speeding ticket. In the same way, he cannot tell me what church to go to, or forbid me to pray. Even if our state constitution allowed that, his commission from God does not. Considering the limits placed on all authority, it makes sense that authority given by God does not include the authority to contradict Him.

An Interview with RJC

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:18:00 +0000

So to give the readers who don't know anything about me (current estimate: 0) a little introduction, I decided to interview the author and find out a little about him.

RJC - So tell me a little about yourself.

RJC - Wait....aren't you, me?

RJC - Yes.

RJC - How are you interviewing me? Or....or am I interviewing you?

RJC - ....

So tell me a little about yourself.

RJC - Seriously, that's a lame question.

RJC - Oh, for crying out loud, just tell me where you go to school, your major etc.

RJC - Alright, alright (sheesh). I am a senior at Texas A&M University and I am studying Computer Engineering. etc.

RJC - So you're in the Aggie Band?

RJC - Yes.

RJC - Care to elaborate on "yes"?

RJC - What?

RJC - Elucidate! Tell us about the band!

RJC - Oh. The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band is a military style marching band that is a unit within the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M. We perform at all home football games, several away games, and other university functions.

RJC - And what are you doing after college?

RJC - My education comes courtesy of the US Navy, so I'll be learning to drive submarines when I graduate.

RJC - Speaking of submarines...

RJC - Yes, I was on a sub this summer. We did go to the North Pole. This is me:

RJC - So why do you have a link called "Bible" on your blog?

RJC - It's a good book

RJC - But didn't that all get disproved back in the 50's? You know, with science and ...stuff.

RJC - You mean the whole alleged conflict between Faith and Science?

RJC - Sure...

RJC - Yeah, that's a hyped up (by mass media) myth. Fact is, everyone relies on both faith and science for what they beleive in. Christianity is a very rational religion (Christians invented science), and I wouldn't believe it if it didn't make sense. On the other hand, atheistic scientists have to have faith. How do we know that the laws of physics will be the same tomorrow as they are today? We don't, we just kind of assume that. Or how do you know that everything you think exists actually exists? You could be dreaming. You could be in the Matrix!

RJC - Matrix, huh? So you're a geek?

RJC - The operating system on my computer is Ubuntu Linux.

RJC - Yeah, that's what I meant.

RJC - I switched because I wanted better performance from my computer, but now I just love all the little things that I've gotten used to: workspaces, a usable termal, being able set windows as "Always on top", ssh/scp, package manager, rythmbox, etc.

RJC - So what's the best thing you ever seen, done, or eaten?

RJC - Mountain Dew.

RJC - OK, that a wrap. Thanks for watching our program, folks. We be back...um...later.

On the study of electrical engineering

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:23:00 +0000

Well, I started this blog because I thought it might be interesting to put some of the things I think about down on paper. Or...electrons. So, here's a thought I thunk yesterday:

This thought I thunk as I was thinking concerned the topic of teaching electrical engineering. As you (might) know, I am a student at Texas A&M University studying Computer Engineering. My major is essentially a blend of Computer Science (software, code, programs) and Electrical Engineering (hardware, metal, electrons). As my professor was going over some of the principles of using transistors, it occurred to me that while all of my computer science courses have been focused on design, all of my electrical engineering courses have been focused on analysis. In CPSC 111, I learned Java (programming language (not not coffee (or an island))). How? By writing programs with Java. In ECEN 214, I learned about basic circuits. How? By studying the voltage, current, etc. of a bunch of complicated circuits, the practical use (if any) of which was not presented. In a word, it was lame. How enthusiastic would I be about programming, if the only way I had learned it was by reading code, and never writing my own? Admittedly, I don't know how practical any of this is, but it seems to me that students would be (I would have been) more engaged in the principles of electrical circuits if they were using them as a means in the process of creative design. If they were using them to build a useful circuit.

So if you happen to be the Dean of Electrical Engineering at Texas A&M, this is what one person thinks.

I don't even know if this is going to work...

noreply@blogger.com (RJC) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:13:00 +0000

...well whatdaya know....a blog.