What did you do this past week?
This past week I took it relatively easy. I knocked out a lot of minor assignments for my machine learning course, but I did not start Darwin or any of my projects from other classes. I used my free time to read a couple books, go grocery shopping, cook, and climb at the Greg wall. Having a relaxed week helped me readjust to school after Spring Break.
What’s in your way?
There is nothing significant in my way at the moment. I need to finish Darwin, but I am not too worried about it. However, I have an exam and several projects due over the course of next week, so I cannot put it off for much longer.
What will you do next week?
Next week I will spend most of my time studying for exams and finishing up projects. Along with Darwin, I have projects in my machine learning and nutrition courses that I need to complete, along with an exam in my geology class. Hopefully I will find time outside of studying to read, climb, and hang out with friends.
What did you think of Paper #10. Why getter and setter methods are evil?
I fully agreed with Paper #10: Why getter and setter methods are evil. Getter and setter methods break both abstraction and encapsulation, essentially making object-oriented design obsolete. I was curious to see that there are rare situations where you would want these methods, but this seems to be the case for most dangerous design techniques.
What was your experience of explicit, friend, and std::vector? (this question will vary, week to week)
I had a difficult time understanding explicit and friend, but by the end of the week they made much more sense to me. I found std::vector to be mostly straightforward, and I appreciated the exercises helping us to cement our understanding.
What made you happy this week?
This week I got to see all of my campus friends again after leaving for Spring Break. As much as I dislike being back in school, it is good to be back with my friends.
What’s your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?
My pick of the week is UT Registration Plus. It is a browser extension designed specifically for UT students to plan out their semesters before registering for classes. It allows you to create mock schedules, track which classes are open, and view course information. I have found it extremely helpful when mapping out my courses before registration.
