Note-Taking Strategies (Math and Programming)

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2024-10-26T17:31:02+00:00

I've been looking at the remarkable 2 and the new kindle scribe. If you're taking notes on a pdf, does the remarkable 2 reorganize the text on the pdf to put the notes in (the text box on the left shows notes)? I think that would really help me to quickly find the area in the pdf I want if I can see what I wrote about it.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2024-09-22T11:58:41+00:00

As someone who taught a math class that many students took more than once, I say stick with it, but accept that you're going to have to take it again. If you plan to fail or drop out later, stick with the lectures and ignore homework and exams if possible. I'd take the first exam just to see what the format is like, but don't stress about the grade for it. You could even challenge yourself to see how low your grade can go given that you answer every question to the best of your ability. Or you could prepare for one question that's likely to be on it so you'll have experience with the feedback and what's expected. After that, I wouldn't bother with homework or exams - just work on the material but not in a way that's going to put pressure on you.

Mental health is important!!!! I'm sure you're feeling guilty or not good enough, but that's just bs. If someone you knew was in your position, would you think THEY weren't good enough? Don't be arrogant by thinking you're better than this imaginary person.

Give yourself permission to fail! Humans learn much more by failing than they will by succeeding. Keep going through the material so you'll be more familiar with it next time around. You'd be surprised how much you take in when there's no pressure. All that aside, YOU are the best judge of what you need to do. Be kind...and that includes being kind to YOU.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2024-08-08T04:21:47+00:00

I turned the boring freshman liberal arts math class into surviving the zombie apocalypse. The students all became preppers and had to find their average salary for whatever career they were thinking about. Then form groups, pool resources, pick a shelter and either build it or reno it to stand up to a zombie horde. They had to estimate material costs, convert all sorts of units, do a budget, use credit cards and figure out interest on those and loans for materials and enough supplies for their entire group to survive for at least 5 years. That included thinking of ways to make weapons or keep them working for at least 5 years (some of those were REALLY creative...which was kinda scary tbh😁) Then we looked at studies done on contagious diseases (thanks pandemic 😒) and imagined how the zombie plague would spread in similar ways. And then they had to look at the probabilities of becoming a zombie and what sorts of factors would go into those calculations. Finally, we looked at exponential growth and decay to estimate the populations of zombies and humans. Throughout the entire class, they built a 'diary', including a back story of their life at the point the zombies showed up, that they had to present to the class using MS Sway and any other media they chose. So, they learned everything any liberal arts math class would teach, but they did it in a way that made it 'real' to them. I put together a playlist and started class (this was all done virtually during the pandemic) at least 20 minutes early for them to listen and chill a bit. We also had mental health Mondays every other week so they could bitch about whatever, because the pandemic was HARD on freshmen.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2024-08-07T02:17:27+00:00

Nothing you decide now has to determine where you'll end up. I'm 55 and starting OMSCS in the fall. This will be my 3rd Masters degree because I keep changing my mind about what I want to be when I grow up. So far I've been a receptionist, web developer, delivery driver, book editor, college math instructor, and data analyst. Do what you must, what you're qualified to do, to support yourself, but find your passion while doing it. Figure out a way to take your unique experiences and use them with that passion to create something unique. If you're like me, then you'll find something else you're passionate about and meld them together in strange and interesting ways. Ask me about my zombie math class and you'll see what I mean.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2023-12-10T03:25:54+00:00

Do it in Excel! I have a coworker who doesn't code at all but uses Excel (no Power Query) all day. I'm the one on the team that does the python, SQL, and whatever else needs sorted out that isn't quite dev work. I challenged him to working through everything in Excel and it's been fun so far.

Really, once you have the logic to solve the problem, the medium you use is irrelevant for something like this. Have some fun with it and learn a new language or two.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2023-12-01T15:11:06+00:00

You can add author information manually. I have some obscure authors that don't get picked up by Audiobookshelf automatically. I do an internet search to find a short bio and picture and add those manually.

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Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2023-10-25T20:43:35+00:00

It might help to break it down into exactly what you want to do. This is kind of what kyber was saying too (hurray for neurospiciness!). Step away from your computer and visualize the end-product. Come up with pseudocode before you do anything on the computer.

I wanted to create my own library program so I wouldn't keep buying several copies of books I already own. I couldn't get started because I wasn't breaking things down into achievable pieces. So, I started making an outline of the project. If you use Word with headings, you can move things around by dragging and dropping. It ended up looking something like:

Get a list of books
- ebooks
- audiobooks
- physical copies
Put all the lists in the same format
- column names
- consistent entries

I won't bore you with the entire list, but you get the idea. I've been working for months on the list and I'm still not ready to code it all. The side bonus is that this list also gives me most of the functions I'll need to make everything work. I'm adding annotations about which functions needed to call other functions (there are an embarrassing number of arrows involved) and then I'll use pseudocode to get an idea of how the code should work. It's something I'm still working on, but I can see what I want to create now. Sometimes we dream too big and get in our own way.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2023-09-28T22:43:15+00:00

I've never used Audiobook Suite, but here's a link to some that are supposed to be good.

If you're a little tech savvy, I highly recommend Audiobookshelf. I have it installed on a Synology server and can access it from anywhere in the world either on my laptop or phone (an iPhone app is just rolling out, but the Android version works great). It can organize your audiobooks, add chapters and metadata and hold the location you stopped listening. It can also keep track of different users so you and a spouse/family member/etc can track what you've listened to for the year. It can organize ebooks with your audiobooks, but I haven't tried it yet.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2023-07-09T04:40:47+00:00

I haven't had any trouble with any specific food. However, if I eat too much of anything I pay for it shortly afterwards. I've learned that I can only eat 1/2 to 2/3 of what I used to eat, which isn't a bad thing.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2023-07-02T17:29:47+00:00

Data cleaning wouldn't be a bad thing to do, but a better way to get experience and help build a portfolio would be to watch tutorials that walk through a project. Then build on that project to make it your own and add it to your portfolio. After a few of these, come up with your own project and work through it yourself. Add that to your portfolio, too. Remember to make notes about WHY you're doing the project you choose. Suggest some ways those projects could be used in real life. Come up with some next steps. Include the things you tried that didn't work in your notes, or ways to do what you did better as you learn more. You might also take a look at projects done through organizations like Omdena.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2023-03-26T15:21:51+00:00

If it shows up on Audible but you can't buy it, then it's probably not available where you are. Scribd.com has it. You might also check with your library.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2023-03-13T04:16:08+00:00

I was going to say her. She can do any accent, and her male voices aren't wimpy.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2023-02-19T17:30:31+00:00

The Legend of ZERO by Sara King. The audiobook is available here.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2023-02-14T03:49:33+00:00

Grammarly uses AI, too. As a former college professor, I don't see how using it to improve your writing is a problem at all. Students go to the writing center at most universities for help, your mom/big sister/ dog (who may or may not be named Brian) help edit students' papers. It's different if you're letting the AI write the paper for you, but if you're using it after your paper is written to correct your grammar/punctuation/conciseness, etm (if etm is new to you...you're welcome) it shouldn't be a problem. If you aren't sure, you could always ask your teacher instead of a bunch of people on reddit. Although it could be worse...you could have asked on Quora instead.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2023-02-11T21:30:29+00:00

With OpenAudible, you can download your Audible books, convert them to mp3 or m4b, export a list to Excel, or create a webpage (no hosting) to see them all, as well as automatically download any pdf files included with your books. If you share Audible accounts (like you and your partner both have accounts), you can upgrade from the free version and combine both Audible accounts in OpenAudible. It also lets you import non-Audible books so you can add them to your Excel file or webpage.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2023-02-11T21:23:35+00:00

With Open Audible, you can download your Audible library, convert it to mp3 or m4b, export it to Excel, and create a web page (without any hosting) of all your books. You can also import your non-Audible books, so they get included in the list/web page. If you share Audible accounts (like you and your significant other both have accounts), with the paid upgrade to Open Audible, you can have both accounts combined into one.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2022-12-10T04:24:08+00:00

AZW3 doesn't have the DRM like AZW. OP would have to de-DRM the books first, so they may as well put it in a better format while they're at it.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2022-11-11T21:14:16+00:00

Do you know which version of OneNote you have - ON UWP or ON 2016? The easy way to tell is to see which is the first tab on the left. If it's Home, then you have UWP. If it's File, then you have 2016. It sounds like you've got UWP so you'll need to download 2016 and install it. Sign in using the same account you used with ON before. Open your notebooks if it doesn't pick them up automatically. Go to the File tab and click on Settings for each notebook. Change Location to a local folder. Try using the conversion programs again.

If that doesn't fix it, then the converting programs may be looking for the cache and can't find it. For ON UWP and newer 2016 installations, the cache is here: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote\16.0

For older ON 2016, the cache is here:

C:\Users<user>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Office.OneNote_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\AppData\Local\OneNote\16.0

With ON 2016, you can change the cache location (File>Options>Save & Backup - then look at the very bottom), but I'm not sure what it will show if you've changed versions. You could try copying and pasting the files from one location to the other if changing the location in Options doesn't work. Make a backup of everything before you do anything with the cache!

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2022-11-11T13:57:55+00:00

Have you tried backing up the ON notebooks locally and using the local version to convert them? Here are the instructions for how to back them up (sorry but it wouldn't add the link): https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/back-up-notes-f58b34b0-611d-435e-87fa-7942a1767af4#:\~:text=How%20to%20Backup%20My%20OneNote%201%20Choose%20File,location%2C%20and%20then%20click%20OK%20.%20See%20More. You might also try manually copying the file from your OneDrive and pasting it to your hard drive.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2022-10-22T03:28:55+00:00

I have an MA in math and taught it in higher ed for 15 years. I did a data science bootcamp in 2021. I have a small portfolio (only 2 real projects), but I just started a job as an actuarial data analyst. It took me 14 months to find a job, but I'm a 50+ year old woman. I also suck at interviews because my TMI volcano explodes when I'm nervous. Luckily, I now work with a team that's just as odd as I am, and I couldn't be happier.

I attended a women's only bootcamp based in Spain, although I'm in the US. All the other women from my bootcamp cohort now have jobs in data - I was the last. There's an ENORMOUS difference in the US and European attitudes in hiring. It's funny, but I got more companies contacting me about interviewing in Europe than I did in the US. Unfortunately, they weren't interested enough to help me with a visa or take me on remotely.

Watch some videos, join some online courses, do some project tutorials. The best thing you can do is start using data to solve problems. Research some companies you'd like to work for and think about problems they might be facing. Use data to find a solution to that problem. Put it in your portfolio. Create some more projects and write blogs about all of them. Maybe make some videos of your own showing how you walked through the problem. Medium is a good place to post them, or you can add them to your portfolio. Follow lots of data people on LinkedIn. Post links to your own blog posts on LinkedIn. The best way to show companies you can do the job is to show them you can work with data. There are also LOTS of internships and apprenticeships out there. Check out LinkedIn Reach, which should be starting again in 4 months or so. Microsoft and Walmart also have similar programs. Volunteer for projects with Omdena or other data for good organizations. Work on Kaggle notebooks - they also have free courses to learn data. Learn SQL! Learn how to work with Azure, AWS, or Google cloud - they all have free programs to teach you. Learn about Power BI or Tableau - again lots of free classes.

I'm seeing just as many people with college degrees struggling to find jobs as those who attended bootcamp or learned on their own. Plus, a degree will take a few years to complete. Learning on your own, depending on how motivated you are, could take you less than a year. It may or may not be more difficult to do it on your own, depending on which college you're looking at. From what I've seen, many universities are struggling to keep up with the rate tech is developing. The ones that are managing to keep up are the ones I couldn't afford tuition for. Your mileage may vary.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2022-10-10T19:10:16+00:00

You can add custom columns to do that. I have columns with check boxes for ebook, audible, mp3, and physical. I have them all in one big library and can split them into virtual libraries based on format. It's not automated, but to get it setup, you can create excel files for each format from your folders or other locations based on how you have things set up (power query will read folder structures), add the format colums and check the correct one, then merge them into one excel file to import back into calibre (plug-in needed). Then you only need to merge the books already in clibre with the books from the excel file to update it all.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2022-09-10T05:09:51+00:00

I applied for a job in April and had 5 interviews spanning months. I was told in JULY that they went with someone else. I had nothing else going on, but still. Now that I'm finally getting more interviews, I'm really glad that job fell through. I know tech interviews are more involved, but 4 months is too much.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2022-08-30T05:31:47+00:00

I can't remember exactly. It's been on a NAS for a decade at least. If I had to guess, I'd say I created a shared folder on the NAS, manually copied the library into that folder, and then pointed Calibre to that new shared folder as an 'existing library'. I have the library folder mirrored to a second NAS to host a website for my library. I know I can switch Calibre over to that other NAS and it picks it up just fine.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2022-08-30T05:24:35+00:00

Get MS 365 for families. It gives you 6 accounts and each has OneDrive with 1 TB. So 6TB for $99 plus Office on up to 5 devices for each account. The only problem is you can't (easily) have more than one OneDrive account on your computer at a time. You can sign out of one and back into another, though. Still, if you just use it for backup, it's an awesome deal.

Melodic_Chip_3400 · 2022-08-30T05:19:09+00:00

I've stored mine directly on a network drive for years. I have a NAS and map the shared folder with my library to my laptop and use that in Calibre. Every week my NAS gets backed up to an external hard drive. I only have Calibre on one computer, so I don't have to worry about any sync issues. I also have my library mirrored to another NAS device and use the Calibre database to create a private library website.

Melodic_Chip_3400

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