Week in Isolation 3.0

• What did you do this past week?

I had an exam which I think went well. It was on campus, which was interesting. I hadn’t been to campus since the Thursday before Spring Break. I have never seen it that empty, and I doubt it will ever be like this again once the pandemic clears up.

I found a partner to work on Project 4 with, which is always a good thing. Working in pairs definitely helps both members of the team. We made significant progress this week, and have gotten our creatures moving and infecting correctly. This seems to be slightly easier than Allocator, which took a while to understand.

I am slowly getting used to attending lectures via Zoom and making sure I am not distracted. I enjoyed learning about how to implement vector. Professor Downing really builds up on each concept he touches upon and gives us a good base off of which to go ahead and implement the projects.

• What’s in your way?

I think maintaining the intensity towards my classwork and job have become secondary concerns. The main issue is working out and staying fit/active.

• What will you do next week?

My project partner and I are aiming to wrap up the Hackerrank Tests by tonight/tomorrow and then work on the all other requirements. I have another 2 exams and a paper this week which I will work on. Additionally, I will resume recruiting again (after a large pause due to the pandemic).

• What was your experience of vector?

I enjoyed it. Professor Downing uses the concepts we learnt earlier in the semester to teach us how to implement vector. We understand the design patterns and under the hood mechanisms. Having very little recent C++ experience prior to this class, I have learnt a lot and appreciated the opportunity to get better at C++.

• What was your experience of the ethics material?

I believe I attended this presentation during my SWE class last semester. I enjoyed it then and I enjoyed revisiting it today. I am also enrolled in C S 378: Behavorial Ethics in the Digital Age, and I have begun to appreciate the ethical challenges with technology even more.

• What made you happy this week?

I have been reconnecting with older friends and relatives that I would not normally have spoken to due to being busier (being able to go outside etc.).

• What’s your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?

I would suggest not using any of the smart devices at home – Echo, Google Home etc. None of this is regulated yet and I do not believe any of these companies will be stopped by ethical quandaries in the pursuit of making profits off consumers.