dias Diaz
Computer Science Adventures

Weekly Check-In 11-02-2020

Posted by Alejandro Diaz on November 02, 2020

An update from the last time we spoke. I want to get some in depth articles up, but I’ve only been putting time into mathematics in preparation for more theory based courses I am expecting this upcoming semester.

Working on

  • I was able to finish Hefferon’s Linear Algebra. I am now working on the labs provided in the book.
  • On my efforts in cpp:
    • Completed Udacity’s free C++ for Programmers
    • About a fifth through Bjarne’s excellent book Programming Principles and Practice Using C++
    • finished up Hackerrank’s relevant cpp exercises and obtained the gold badge.
    • Exercism.io
    • Found an excellent and noteworthy site thanks to reddit. It’s called Advance Projects for Beginners and currently working on the life project.
  • Started diving into Al Doer and Ken Levasseur’s Applied Discrete Structures but Dropped it in favor of Lehman’s Mathematics for Computer Science along side MIT Opencourseware’s Mathematics for Computer Science I found these sources too convoluted. Instead, I switched to a recently published THIN and excellent introduction by Harry Lewis and Rachel Zax on the subject.
  • Hitting 60 wpm consistently since my last post. Touch typing is proving to be fruitful. For resources check out:

Goals for the Upcoming Week

  • Aiming to finish Hefferon’s Lab modules by mid-December.
  • Hit 80-90 WPM using touch typing.
  • A medium sized C++ program on my git.
  • finish exercism’s C++ course.
  • Finish intro level Discrete Mathematics textbook (and exercises) by the New Year.

Reflections Since last Post

It has been a month since I’ve really done the morning routine bit. That is, waking up at ~04:30. I found the hump was the first two weeks, but it has been rewarding. I get at least 4-6 hours of studying in every day because of it.

I feel a little regret for not getting a regular post in these past few weeks, but I think it’ll be this way until I gather enough confidence in the upcoming school year, unfortunately.

There was a covid scare recently at my workplace. There was a lot of anxiety and a reminder that this virus is unpredictable and ever-present.

We are planning a weekend trip but have been finding it difficult to book. We were still lucky enough to check out some of the museums near us…

There’s so much frustration learning that you know very little. It’s never ending, but I think it’s ok. and I enjoy it at the same time. I’m rambling now.

-Well, till next time space cowboy

Alex