Friday, March 31, 2006

The end of teaching

So, teaching is over. Quick, er?

Here we also have module review, the equivalent of course evaluation. The different thing is that it is me to collect the completed questionaires. I just keep on wondering, why don't I throw away some bad ones and make some good ones myself. But in any case, there are too few students to make any statistical significance of the results. Is it a miracle that some Arts students find "relational algebra" and "third normal form" interesting?

Friday, March 24, 2006

中國「語」「文」

據報聯合國將劃一使用簡體字。 這又使我想起:孫國父與毛主席兩大偉人,一個把外族語言拿來當國語,攪到 d 人以為唐詩宋詞以至古裝電視劇應該講「普通話」;一個發明了簡體字,以至乾炒牛河會譯成 fxxk fry cow river。短短幾十年就把中國幾千年文化廢了,對中國語言和文字的貢獻實在太大了一點 ...

Thursday, March 23, 2006

1/4 + 1/2 = ?

英國學生嘅數學水平,比香港更高...

話說呢到有個 Game theory in Computer science 嘅 MSc course, 聽眾一般包括 Reader, Lecturer, PhD 學生, MSc 學生及 "Notetaker" 各一名。某日有條數最後係 1/4 - 1/2 + 1, 正當那 MSc 學生要開計數機,那 Lecturer (教的那個, 不是聽的那個) 忽然喝止,於是佢地只好用紙筆計數。雖然那 Lecturer 已說明係等於 1/4 + 1/2, 不過佢仍然攪了半分鐘,仲同隔離對埋,才肯定佢嘅答案: 6/8.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Prudence's visit

Yesterday Prudence came to give a talk. I believe there is a more than usual number of people in the audience, including quite some people that has never appeared in any "algorithm" talk.

The dinner was in a south Indian restaurant. While I do not particularly enjoy Indian food, I'm ok with it and the dosa taste quite good. The starter is too "plain" for me though...

I drank more than usual amount of beer in the whole day, but that has nothing to do with the talk, or the St. Patrick's day.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Algorithms course

由於最高指示下年要整個新嘅三年班 Algorithms course,我走去睇吓佢地一年班嘅課程。有一科叫做 Algorithms and data structures,內容十分別開生面,包括 Exceptions, Inheritance and Polymorphism, GUIs and event-driven programming, applets 等等。唔,三年班學 sorting...

我就唔係好認為佢地識 Inheritance and Polymorphism 呢 d 嘢。佢地好似連 variable 係有 scope 嘅都唔係好知。其實老細改革課程都好不遺餘力。例如佢地終於 compulsory 要學 semaphore, thread, socket 同 TCP/IP layers 了...

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

罷工

罷工咁好玩都唔早 D 通知... 不過都係無我份... 但以下呢句野真係呢:

The AUT said many students had also shown their backing for the strike by not attending lectures and classes.

其實學生長期都很支持我地,佢地不嬲都唔係點上堂的...

Sunday, March 05, 2006

殺校

閱報得知 N 年前就讀的小學遭殺校。據阿媽說,學校早前想聯絡我,大概都係關於呢件事咁話。其實撻我個朵出來都係無濟於事,不過如果有乜野可以幫到手嘅,我係好樂意做 的。間學校好好係講唔上,但總算係生活左幾年,留有回憶嘅地方,盡下人事都好的。其實佢地捱到今日都算係咁了,不少同學的小學早就倒閉了...

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Bioinformatics, English department, and matrix

話說因為別人家有急事,我早幾日幾乎被召去代課教 database,即係我教緊既嘢 ─ 不過要頂既係 MSc Bioinformatics 既。喺 LG101 混了幾年聽返嚟既幾乎有用到既一日。不過最後唔洗,於是可以繼續去教英文系學生...

不過,結果今日都係頂左一堂。同三年班學生溫習 matrix multiplication。我都唔知點解 2x2 既 matrix 乘數都可以講到四十分鐘...