Python-Less Syntax, More Logic ?
The second week of this studio was all about python. It started with us presenting our A1’s. A1 was technically my first submission for an HCD class and I think it was nice to see all the different ideas and the effort put into the exhibition. Making the video to articulate the idea made us actually realise how badly we need a faculty locator. Locating Manjari and Vineeta to take their shot was probably the toughest thing we had to do. On presenting the work, one very common feedback was regarding privacy concerns. Surprisingly, this was something that hadn’t occurred to me at all. Srishti is a college where the relationship between students and faculty is quite casual and we feel comfortable approaching them with concerns. I have personally never thought twice before asking a faculty for guidance and while doing so I have often faced a problem locating them. Sometimes we don’t know what faculty room they sit in and sometimes they are in class or not in campus at all. I felt like it would be more convenient if this information could be accessed rather than asking random people around us. The common theme of privacy concerns made me go through the whole concept and its dimensions in order to understand the root of this feedback.
As far as python is concerned, it is definitely a language that makes you work a lot less than the others. No defining variables, pre defined library functions for things like pop and most of all not using the ‘semi colon’. There is scope for less mistakes. Of course once we get accustomed to a particular language, its little rules become a part of us. I still enter the condition of the if statement within brackets, when figuring out the solution of a problem I still write the for loop as written in java as that comes more naturally to me. Yet I feel like in just 2 days I have grown a little used to python and its syntax. Python is a lot less work but that is probably a good thing as that allows the focus to shift from the syntax to the actual logic of the code.
I remember practicing output of codes back in school. That used to be one of the key things that helped us realise how well we had grasped the concepts. One more thing that we did was fill in the blanks in a code which was also sometimes quite challenging as it forces a person to solve a program in a certain way. While we naturally think of one solution, getting into someone else’s head and figuring out their way helps us think differently.
Lastly I really enjoyed solving the problem on pascals triangle. I remember doing it in school but didn’t remember the logic behind it. It had been 2 years since someone had thrown a challenge in my way. Of course it took a bit of a struggle, mostly because I don’t remember binomial theorem or permutations and combinations. I had to go back home and find the formula, before I could successfully write the code. The sad part was that 2 years back this would have been a piece of cake for me. I was actually quite disheartened when it took me so long. I have always defined myself by my logical ability and I’d like it to stay and grow rather than fade away. At times like these I wonder if I should have maybe studied computer instead of design as I realise how strong my interest in it really is. It makes me sad that I am doing things that I have done years back but either way its nice to meet my old friend programming in a land far away.
