Calculus? OMGWTFBBQROFL… July 30, 2008
Posted by Josh Stroud in Personal, education.Tags: calculus, education, learning, math, opencourseware, self-taught
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Being bored at work today, mostly because I finished my project, and was waiting for my boss to give me my next project, I began to lurk some forums. In browsing the programming section, I realized how limited my programming knowledge was. I also realized that my mathematics knowledge is limited. I don’t know how I connected the two in the head, but for some reason I googled “calculus” and opened this MIT OpenCourseWare textbook (OCW is explained here) titled Calculus. So, I’m am/going to start reading/learning this. Mostly because this person, enrolled as he is in college, is taking Calculus. So, I need to teach myself so I can keep up. Otherwise, I have to wait like two years. So, wish me luck.
AND, lest I fall off, I will post progress on a weekly basis, detailing what I learned, and what chapter I’m on. In addition, I’ll post the answers to some of the practice problems posted in the textbook pdf.
Here’s to 1.1.
Also, if anyone know what the scientific word for self-taught is, please post it in the comments. It’s really annoying me. Thanks.
EDIT: The redcode review story is coming, kind of. I’ve been really busy because I’ve had work and football practice, but since practice ends today, I’ll have an additional three hours daily to spend on redcode (or sleeping). In other news, I stopped writing my blog posts in HTML, because, well, I’m just really lazy. My HTML knowledge will just become worse than it was; is it possible to have negative knowledge?
College from a Pre-Collegiate Perspective May 1, 2008
Posted by Josh Stroud in Musings.Tags: admission, college, college admission, college admissions, education, high school, Musings, pre-college, school, the point of college, university, why college
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In my high school, where tuition is $27,000 and rising annually, where the incomes of many families is measured in the millions (not mine, unfortunately), where every single student is expected to continue onto college, college is a big deal. Forget all those heartwarming stories in the movies of kids without money or ambition getting inspired or getting financial aid, and going to college, perhaps against a parent’s wishes; at my school, not going to college is taboo. If you tell people you don’t want to go, then you are told by every single person that you should: your friends, your teachers, your parents, your college counselor, even your neighbors. (more…)
