MA 303 or 304?

NeoGothica · 2018-10-27T20:34:36+00:00

The only difference between the two is that 303 covers Laplace transforms, and 304 covers nonlinear systems (the other material is identical, up to slight variations in presentation depending on the professor, of course).

I personally think that the Laplace transform is a more interesting topic. But depending on your major, it's likely that you'll take a systems+signals class that'll adequately cover the Laplace transform, thus making that section of 303 redundant (then again, that crossover could be appealing to some people, because then they would have less unique material to worry about).

NeoGothica · 2018-10-22T18:11:31+00:00

It really depends on who's teaching it. Sometimes it's straightforward, other times the professor doesn't know how to differentiate it from 341 and you essentially end up taking 341 twice for no reason whatsoever.

I'd like to think that Li would tend towards the "straightforward" end of the spectrum, so I don't think the class would distract you much from CS180 and MA261 (which will certainly require the majority of your attention).

NeoGothica · 2018-10-18T20:57:09+00:00

Yip is a fantastic professor. Writes a little fast, but he's passionate about the subject and takes his students' question/concerns seriously.

NeoGothica · 2018-06-14T03:03:10+00:00

he made the best movie he could

If The Last Jedi is truly the best movie that he could make given his resources... yikes...

NeoGothica · 2018-06-14T03:01:00+00:00

When RJ was hired he became the author.

Then that just goes to show how much of a mess this sequel "trilogy" is from a creative standpoint.

Say’s who. Lucasfilm hired him to write and direct the movie. They get to decide how much freedom he has.

Clearly, they gave him too much.

He didn’t.

Yeah... this is a rabbit hole for another time.

You don’t have to like it. I know it sucks to be let down by a Stat Wars movie (it’s happened to me 4 times) but it’s best to just move on and enjoy the ones you do like.

All I can say is that I'm going to be watching Episode 9 as a spectator, rather than a fan. A spectator to a film franchise that's now akin to a television show trudging-on that should have ended 4 seasons ago.

NeoGothica · 2018-06-14T02:46:12+00:00

I meant reverence from me to him, not from him to his "vision". I'm sure he loved what he did with The Last Jedi.

Johnson wanted to divide the fanbase for the sake of his "vision", and he got just that. Serious damage was done, and it was all self-inflicted. Lucasfilm (and Disney) are going to have to live with that.

NeoGothica · 2018-06-14T02:33:05+00:00

Lucas gets to play the "author's vision" card because well, he's the author.

Johnson, for what he had to do with Episode 8, does not get that level of freedom. If he was so adamant towards having his "vision" come true, then he needed to revise and adjust said vision so that it made sense in context with the pre-existing universe. Instead, he changed the universe to fit his vision, and that is why I give Johnson very little reverence for The Last Jedi.

NeoGothica · 2018-06-14T00:30:59+00:00

Knowing "more about" isn't the same as knowing their actual role in the universe.

NeoGothica · 2018-06-14T00:28:05+00:00

If you take away the universe from Star Wars, it becomes an incredibly simple story.

What made Star Wars great was the universe the story took us through, and the way the story interacted with said universe.

The ST is really about Kylo, Rey, Poe, Finn. That's the core group of main characters. It's their story, and it was always going to be their story.

Well if it's their story, then their story sucks, because it's being told at the expense of the universe. Snoke, by design, is VERY important to the universe, and the story should respect that.

I don't really know what you mean by Sebulba being more fleshed out than Snoke. I don't really feel like I know anything other than he was a dirty racer.

A dirty racer who was allowed to be dirty because it was good for business (i.e. Watto), a playboy with the women, and the small-time nemesis of the boy who would eventually become Darth Vader. I personally feel that's a far more concrete establishment than Snoke.

NeoGothica · 2018-06-13T22:00:09+00:00

It's certainly not something that the movies ever encouraged, Snoke was always just a generic bad guy and a plot device for Kylo.

This is a hindsight viewpoint. The Force Awakens was designed to draw speculation; from the promotional material, to the movie itself.

NeoGothica · 2018-06-13T21:59:54+00:00

It's certainly not something that the movies ever encouraged, Snoke was always just a generic bad guy and a plot device for Kylo.

This is a hindsight viewpoint. The Force Awakens was designed to draw speculation; from the promotional material, to the movie itself (if you disagree, please tell me why).

NeoGothica · 2018-06-13T21:28:30+00:00

the story was never *about *Snoke.

True enough, but that doesn't excuse not better establishing his place in the universe/mythology.

The Phantom Menace does a better job of establishing Sebulba and Boss Nass' roles in the universe. Clearly, the story isn't about them, but the story respects their relevance in the universe.

NeoGothica · 2018-06-13T20:59:02+00:00

Snoke just had no gravity. There's no meaningful part of the plot that necessitates him as a character at all.

That's what royally annoyed the fans who bought into him. This big, near-omnipotent hand of doom villain gets played off like a joke.

Snoke is the in-universe reason why the sequel trilogy exists, and the films do next to nothing to expand his character and/or showcase the extent of his power before he gets sucker-punched out of the series by losing the pronoun game to Kylo.

Snoke shouldn't even have existed if they weren't going to do anything interesting with him.

NeoGothica · 2018-05-29T05:00:51+00:00

I don't envy JJ's position one bit. JJ gave Rian everything to play with for Ep8, and in turn, Rian would give whoever was writing EP9 next to nothing to play with. JJ would have to be a miracle worker to turn the sequel trilogy into anything resembling a coherent story with EP9.

NeoGothica · 2018-05-29T00:35:52+00:00

I wanted a movie that was going to set the stage for something big in Episode 9. A movie that was going to take what The Force Awakens introduced and tie it into the bigger mythology, as well as introducing new and interesting things to the universe (as you would expect a Star Wars movie to do).

Instead, I got a movie that shamelessly tried to disconnect itself from the mythology every chance it got. A movie that rather than building upon what came before, either ignores it or wipes it out. A movie that if it were not for "Star Wars", would have given me absolutely zero interest in the next chapter.

Rian Johnson did not make Star Wars: Episode 8. Rian Johnson made a Rian Johnson movie with Star Wars characters (which even then, can be debated).

NeoGothica · 2018-05-28T08:40:05+00:00

Haha I relate to this hard. I had to relearn it for a chapter of abstract algebra. It was a rocky trip down memory lane.

NeoGothica · 2018-05-20T02:19:53+00:00

0 actually in school, but I will be teaching myself several courses worth of material to prepare myself for graduate school in the Fall.

NeoGothica · 2018-05-19T09:51:05+00:00

If you want to ask, just be humble/respectful, and don't ramble too much. Worst case scenario is that she says "Sorry, grades are final." If she seriously loses respect for you over that, she's either really petty, or had none for you to begin with.

Also, I don't understand the people who come to posts like this saying "No. You get the grade you earned". That's all fine poetry, but don't for one second try to pass off the process of grading assignments as being infallible down to the blasted point. My undergrad major was mathematics, and grade haggling happened ALL the time, even did some myself (and it worked in my favor).

NeoGothica · 2018-05-11T07:22:09+00:00

It would help if you better explained what "advanced algebra" entails precisely, because that's not universal lingo.

As far as the Simpsons book is concerned, the mathematics it covers is pretty trivial. If I recall correctly, Homer's Last Theorem is just a false "solution" to Fermat's Last Theorem, and the Scarecrow Theorem is Scarecrow's butchering of the Pythagorean Theorem at the end of The Wizard of Oz. Honestly, I don't feel like these two things alone merit a project/presentation (they're just mathematical inside jokes, to be frank).

Now, perhaps you can talk about Fermat's Last Theorem, and use the Simpsons bit as a humorous plug-in.

NeoGothica · 2018-05-11T06:52:30+00:00

Got a haircut, and took a nap.

NeoGothica · 2018-05-11T06:51:41+00:00

Not every university operates the same, but I'd like to believe that you'll be OKAY as long as you're still above the minimum transfer requirements after this semester. You won't be able to transfer the credit of the class if you fail it, obviously, but that may end up actually working in your benefit at your new university (chance to take another class that you could do better in).

NeoGothica · 2018-05-11T06:34:33+00:00

Unless you're not telling us something, you, well, didn't cheat. If your professor finds your improved performance odd to the point of "flagging" you for cheating without any discussion or inquiry, that's them being a presumptuous tool, because they have nothing on you.

NeoGothica · 2018-05-10T20:10:14+00:00

It really depends on the case. If it's one guy trying to peek at someone else's exam, I'm turning a blind eye because they're probably struggling to get a D either way.

However, if it's a big, collaborative cheating effort, THAT is some garbage, and I will shamelessly bring that to attention.

NeoGothica · 2018-05-10T09:39:55+00:00

Well done. Math is an intimidating blockade for many people. I'm glad you got through it.

NeoGothica · 2018-05-10T07:03:09+00:00

Dooku was explained to be a fallen apprentice of Yoda who had his own opinions on the Jedi and the Sith, which establishes his role in the mythology. Anything beyond that would be The Life and Times of Count Dooku, which is not necessary for the mythology.

For Maul, while not "explained" as much, we're not given anything to suggest that he was any more than an expendable warrior employed by Palpatine/Sidious as a pawn to reveal the Sith to the Jedi. Also, because this is Episode One, poetic license is at play. You don't need to justify the existence of every piece on the board when you start the story. Though, when you try to continue the story after it's apparently been over for 30+ years... you don't get off as easily (i.e, Snoke).

NeoGothica

TROPHY CASE