Jessie L. '07 | March 10, 2007
"Oh look, an update"
I haven't posted in a long time. This is largely because I have been swamped with work. This term is a crash course in time management.
I'll have more real updates soon - I actually have some planned - but I figured that I'd let you know what I'm taking this term, since some of you might be interested.
9.07 (Statistical Methods) - It's the probability and statistics class for course 9 (Brain & Cognitive Sciences). It's, well, a statistics class, with a focus on neuroscience-related applications. All course 9 students have to take a probability and statistics class (either 9.07 or one of the others) for the major. Honestly, I hate the textbook more than just about any other textbook I've had to use, but I like the material. It's relevant to what I want to do.
6.033 (Computer Systems Engineering) - Most people who take this do so because they're in a major for which it's required. Also, because they're computer geeks, and this is a class that plays to the strengths of computer geeks. I'm in it for two major reasons. The first is that I'm a systems geek. Not computer systems in particular, but systems in general. I study the brain, remember? That's an interesting system, there. I like thinking about systems, and patterns. The second reason is that I don't have as much computer clue as I'd like, and I'd like to get more. The technical papers that we read are interesting, though I struggle with the jargon. They've covered, among other things, the design of X Windows, the structure of the UNIX time-sharing system, and the design of the Ethernet.
6.170 (Laboratory in Software Engineering) - Death by Java. The computer language, not the coffee, though I guess if you're a coffee drinker and don't manage your time well it could be death by that form of Java too. It lives up to its reputation as a time sink. I like that so much of it is hands-on, and that the software we're writing actually seems like a useful application rather than an exercise (problem sets 2-6 involve different aspects of building a software system that finds the shortest routes between points in Cambridge and Boston, kind of like Google Maps but local and with some different features).
SP.776 (Design for Demining) - This one is getting an entry of its own soon. Throughout the world, there are land mines left over from military conflicts, causing injury, death, and economic loss to civilians. Throughout the world, deminers are working to clear the land of mines so that people can inhabit it safely. We design products to make their job safer, more efficient, and more effective. Some products from past years are now in use throughout the humanitarian demining community.
Good luck to those waiting for their college decisions!
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Responses To This Entry:
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hey for the first time!! first post!
Posted by: Devil Bone on March 10, 2007 02:00 AM
god...u just posted that...thought i'd make the first post...oh well....2nd....
Posted by: Arwen on March 10, 2007 02:03 AM
...still... third post
Posted by: sea on March 10, 2007 04:32 AM
Wow, that demining design class sounds really interesting.
Posted by: Karen on March 10, 2007 04:54 AM
third
Posted by: Anonymous on March 10, 2007 07:19 AM
Very Interesting Picks.
What would you do in a situation where you needed more time than you had?
Posted by: Chandresh on March 10, 2007 07:42 AM
Great post, Jessie!
Posted by: Hopeful on March 10, 2007 09:59 AM
How is 6.170? I'm considering taking down in the future after 6.001.
Posted by: Nur'10 on March 10, 2007 10:15 AM
whoa...Jessie...did you post this in the middle of the night?
Posted by: anonymous on March 10, 2007 11:16 AM
I've heard all of this awesome stuff about Design for Demining. Unfortunately, I've also heard that the class won't be around for much longer...
Posted by: Keri on March 10, 2007 12:24 PM
Arwen where do you live in India?
Posted by: The madman who makes people fly aka Captain SS Wandering Albatross on March 10, 2007 08:55 PM
Once I came across a line that read "Beauty has got a name - KDE" --- Sadly I found myself flying blind and crushing my head here and there. There was a Cross-Platform IDE which I got for my win -- but I couldn't make the buttons look 3D -- That day I understood linux is not for me ..... For more information download the Kbasic IDE. Good Luck.
Posted by: The madman who makes people fly aka Captain SS Wandering Albatross on March 10, 2007 09:16 PM
SP.776 sounds awesome!
Speaking of brains, patterns, and systems, did you know Douglas Hofstadter is coming out with a new book on consciousness? I read Godel, Escher, Bach last summer and must say it was one of the best reads of my life alongside The End of Poverty and Freakonomics.
Anyway, cheers to you and other cognitive science researchers! As Brian Greene said, its probably one of the two coolest parts of pure science (the other being fundamental physics).
Posted by: Steve on March 10, 2007 11:20 PM
