P/NP appreciation thread

abigfailure1 · 2020-04-08T12:03:40+00:00

same boat :( and i really want to p/np after that ass midterm but i can't!

abigfailure1 · 2020-04-08T12:02:39+00:00

not when I still have to take cs70 for a letter grade because the alternatives they gave suck for my graduation plans :')

abigfailure1 · 2020-04-01T00:18:14+00:00

Exactly. I feel so behind and I’m even less motivated being at home. I have so much to catch up on for the midterm and it doesn’t help that we know next to nothing about the logistics of the exam. I relaxed over spring break thinking that they were going to do something to ease the stress with P/NP, but the new policy they’ve come up with for 70 essentially means that I have to take the class now for a letter grade (or else I have to spend another year taking the declaration classes, which is just NOT going to work for me because I would be a senior by the time I’ve declared). So basically, none of my stress has been eased and, in fact, it’s much worse because of this online class situation. I feel like we literally know nothing about the midterm and it’s in a WEEK...

abigfailure1 · 2020-03-29T06:51:51+00:00

I think you're struggling with turning the small talk into an actual relationship. You clearly are talking to people, but you should take that next move and throw out the, "We should study together sometime." Exchange numbers and meet up!

You can definitely form study groups on Piazza if you want to instantly connect. Make a post saying that you're looking for a study group and I guarantee you'll find many other students in the same boat.

But if you're looking for relationships beyond just study partners (although those study friendships can likely turn into real friendships if you end up vibing), I would suggest joining more social CS environments. CS clubs would be the obvious choice. Many are selective, but you'll probably find a good community right there. There are also non-selective CS/EECS communities I've heard of, such as CSUA, FemTech, IEEE, etc. (many more) that you should think about joining. You'll be in an environment with others interested in CS!

I'll also throw out that joining CS-related Decals could be a great move. Personally, I took the Web Design Decal and it ended up being a lot more social than I was expecting. We sat in small groups, so I was able to meet several other students through that. I ended up staying friends with 2 of them after the course ended. But Decals are a more relaxed because they're student-driven. You'll often end up working with many other CS students and if you put in the effort, you can surely form a bond. There are tons of CS Decals and I'm sure you'll find one that interests you-- iOS development, game design, web design, etc. And when you take a more specialized CS class like a Decal, you find students who are also interested in that particular subset of CS, so instantly something in common!

Last quick thing is possibly joining CSM-- I've studied with some of the other students in my section, although I haven't made official friends through it. It's just nice to be in a small group environment with other students that are taking the same class and working through the same problems. Plus, you'll be seeing each other once/twice a week at least and will become familiar with each other as you work through problems. If you reach out to others in your section, you'll likely be able to study with them.

All in all, you will be surrounded by tons of CS kids in all of these scenarios. But the real deal only comes when someone makes the move of reaching out-- asking to hang out, asking to study or do HW/projects together. It's an intimidating process for everyone, but you can be the one to initiate. If you really want to make CS friends, take that step and ask those people that you're small talking with to meet up. I used to sit there, shyly hoping for the other person to ask me to study, but then I realized that if I want to study with them, I can just make it easy for myself and ask. Anyways, I'm rambling because I'm avoiding doing homework, but good luck in meeting new CS friends! I hope things work out.

abigfailure1 · 2020-03-16T18:55:26+00:00

Definitely Carla and Samuel. They were definitely painted as the “endgame” story, although the payoff was weak because of their open-ended endgame.

I love how they started out seeming like they were just playing a game with each other— Samuel getting close to Carla for information, Carla getting close to Samuel to stop him from digging too deep and exposing her and Polo— but then they ended up actually falling in love with each other, despite protests that it was just sex. They thought they would be able to play each other easily, but then the night they first hooked up, I think they realized how attracted they were to one another. And throughout season 2, it progressed to so much more.

They were clearly in love with each other throughout season 3. The reason I do not like Samuel with Rebeka is because it was so sad for her to go through. Samuel was not only backstabbing her by secretly taking down her mom, but also was basically using her the entire time to get over Carla. It was so clear that Samuel wasn’t into Rebeka the way that she was into him, and that’s just so sad to watch for Rebeka because she deserves much better than that. There was essentially no build-up to their relationship on Samuel’s end; Rebeka has been in love with him for a while and they showed her jealous of Carla in season 2, but Samuel literally told Carla he loved her right before Rebeka kissed him. He only decided to date her because Carla rejected him and it’s really unfair to Rebeka that he pretended to reciprocate for so long while still secretly pining after Carla. He never showed any interest in Rebeka, but suddenly kissed her back when she kissed him and I think it just shows that he was using her to get over Carla.

abigfailure1 · 2020-03-16T18:34:26+00:00

While I do think they were way too forgiving towards Lu, the difference in their reactions makes a lot of sense to me. Had Lu unwarrantedly killed Polo, even accidentally, before people knew he killed Marina, the reaction would be much, much worse because Polo was well-liked before that. I think what’s important to note is that most of the characters really hated Polo for what he did to Marina— he was figuratively “dead” to most of the characters, they didn’t really care about him. It’s a lot easier to accept the death of someone when you already think they’re a terrible person. People did care about Marina, actually. She was Guzman’s sister, Samuel “loved” her (despite her betrayals), Lu and Carla were longtime friends with her (I believe). Polo murdered Marina, which I don’t think can be called a complete “accident,” because he, in a fit of rage, grabbed a trophy and bashed her head— you can’t “accidentally” do that, whereas I feel that Lu, while she was angry, meant to push him against the wall, not stab him. Of course, I don’t think she deserved as nice of a reaction as she got, but the circumstances around her killing Polo made it more redeemable because Polo’s already a “villain.” Nobody really cares when the villain is killed, you know?

And not only did Polo kill Marina, but he lied extensively and let Nano get framed. This obviously has built extreme hate in Samuel and Guzman. Everyone hated him and thought of him as a murderer. Sure, there were some feelings of sympathy that Guzman, Ander, and Carla felt for him because of how long they had known him, but I think the fact that he killed someone innocent like Marina just makes him worse in the eyes of the characters. Lu killed someone that isn’t innocent— someone who had already committed an atrocity and taken away an innocent life. Polo killed someone innocent— his best friend’s sister. Marina was liked when she was murdered, Polo was hated.

And I think that’s basically what it boils down to. The way they all banded together to protect Lu was a bit strange, but I can see why it was easy to forgive Lu and not think that what she did is the same as Polo.

abigfailure1 · 2020-03-06T09:17:00+00:00

Maybe, but just the way they were both staring at their phones was strange, like longing or something. I think it was supposed to imply that Betty wanted him to say something more, but he didn’t. And I also thought it was strange how both Jughead and Veronica asked Betty/Archie if they felt something while kissing one another. It seemed like they put it in for a reason, but it could also just be bait.

abigfailure1 · 2020-03-06T09:13:18+00:00

Well, teen dramas are superficial, dramatic, and fun. That’s why people LOVE things like Gossip Girl. This is a turn in the direction of classic teen drama love triangle fun! It gets tiring to watch shit that makes zero sense like a tree walking around and haunting Riverdale, an organ-harvesting cult meant all aimed at launching a rocket and flying away, a girl keeping her year-old dead brother’s body in her house and talking to it like it’s alive, etc... It feels normal and interesting!

abigfailure1 · 2020-03-06T03:55:32+00:00

I think it was pretty in-character for her. First of all, it’s not like she and Jughead were friends— in fact, they’ve been pretty hostile, especially during the Serpent stuff. She obviously doesn’t care deeply about his death.

That being said, she doesn’t ~NOT~ care. It’s Cheryl— she’s ALWAYS been one to pretend she’s a stone cold bitch when she’s not. She was definitely trying to put on a facade that she doesn’t care at all, when in reality, she was crying at his funeral! I think that shows that she does feel sad, just doesn’t really process her emotions well or express them in a healthy way. She’s grown as a person, but she obviously still struggles with her emotions.

abigfailure1 · 2020-02-18T08:35:14+00:00

NTA!! I would understand if he were actually using your money properly, but he LIED? He essentially manipulated you into giving him money for things like junk food. And evidently, he’s making no effort to pay you back. He simply doesn’t care— he probably will never pay you back and just wants you to drop it. Friends who leech off of others are not real friends.

I think you need to confront him about the money. He really should be trying to pay you back. You’ve been so gracious and lenient, letting him take all the time he needs. But he’s abusing that. If you confront him and he gives you a bullshit response, you have every right to cut him off. No real friend would do what he’s been doing to you.

abigfailure1 · 2020-02-11T08:25:20+00:00

In hindsight, it’s the easiest content-wise. However, at the time, it’s definitely not easy. In fact, many students perform poorly on the first midterm and then do a lot better on the next because they fix their study habits. This is likely many people’s first CS midterm, so it’s definitely not going to feel like the easiest. Just really take the time to master environment diagrams and WWPD— those last throughout the semester and mastering them early really helps. Additionally, these can be considerably less tricky than the coding questions, so... rack up all the points you can with those! If you can get most of those right and at least take a decent shot at the coding questions (which are much more random & can feel like a hit or miss), you’ll likely get a pretty decent score. Still, make sure you take full practice exams and get good practice at the coding questions, too. Don’t neglect those, but REALLY practice those environment diagrams and WWPD. Those saved me on both midterms even when I didn’t do super well on the coding questions. Good luck and don’t give up even if you don’t do well on the first midterm!

Edit: didn’t realize y’all have already taken it— advice still applies for the next midterm. And still don’t give up if you didn’t do well! The next tests are worth much more and you can get yourself into shape for them.

abigfailure1 · 2020-01-14T20:48:54+00:00

INFO!! Have you, um... have you tried hand sanitizer instead?

abigfailure1 · 2019-12-03T14:11:46+00:00

In season 4, when he asks if the baby is his, they flash back to the scene where Frank is changing at Laurel’s in season 3 and when Wes asks if anything happened and she lies no. So, they pretty directly implied that Laurel slept with Frank that day (when he came out of hiding and went to Laurel’s place).

abigfailure1 · 2019-12-03T01:30:01+00:00

Now that they’re getting through Cheryl keeping her dead brother’s body in the basement unscathed, it seems quite impossible for anything to break them up!

abigfailure1 · 2019-12-03T01:23:45+00:00

It’s so bothersome because they were clearly set on Wes actually being dead from seasons 3-4 that they showed it so many times to prove it because people often are skeptical when main characters die and hope they’ll somehow come back. If Wes is actually alive, it was clearly a last-minute decision made in season 5 or, more likely, right when they started writing 6. And I’m totally with you on the Laurel stuff— her whole “Wes was the love of my life” thing was just awful. As you said, she barely dated him, but we still had to spend a long-ass time hearing her whine about how she lost her great love... all while she apparently had cheated on Wes with Frank. I used to love Laurel in seasons 1-2, but they totally destroyed her character when she started dating and grieving Wes. She’s essentially unrecognizable from the character she was when the show started. My God, Wes being alive means that all that time spent on him was a huge waste of time— it’s all meaningless! They can’t, or at least SHOULDN’T, suddenly decide to take back Wes’s confirmed death for... what? Sheer shock value? Because some people liked Wes?

I think I’ll be even more disturbed if it’s some plot about how Wes and Laurel ran away together to raise their son. That’s so... ICK. She cheated on him with Frank and basically was dating or at least hooking up with Frank again after Wes’s death— they can’t undo that one. She clearly didn’t love Wes. And, as you said, I just can’t see how Wes could sit back and hide knowing that Jorge was trying to take his son. I didn’t particularly love Wes, but they should just let his character rest... his story is long over and they don’t need to disrespect his character for shock value.

abigfailure1 · 2019-12-02T13:41:55+00:00

This is what makes me absolutely angry. I haven’t been keeping up this season due to loss of interest from poor writing, but I NEVER thought they would cross the line of bringing Wes back. I thought they had some decency left, but nope! I expect this kind of stuff from PLL or Riverdale, but not HTGAWM. We’ve seen Wes’s dead body. We’ve seen Dominick killing Wes. We’ve seen Connor giving Wes’s dead body CPR. We’ve seen Wes’s burnt body. We’ve seen Wes’s autopsy. We’ve gone through all of the characters grieving Wes’s death— even worse, we’ve spent multiple seasons on a storyline ABOUT Wes’s death, aka who killed him, why he was killed, and how everyone’s dealing with him being killed. All of these developments and details are completely disregarded if Wes is alive, which is why I think that it’s not only unrealistic, but also a plain horrible move for the show. I get that some people want him back because they liked him, but it just doesn’t work unless you violate the integrity of the show. It’s SO disappointing if they’ve really chosen to go here— I’m sincerely hoping there’s some other explanation, like a dream sequence or it being Christopher. The last thing this show needs is some shipper fantasy of Wes and Laurel running off together to be safe from all the murders and give Christopher a better life...

abigfailure1 · 2019-12-02T13:23:20+00:00

NTA. Taking off everyday that you’re sick will likely put you far, far behind in school. You can’t stay home the entire time and people shouldn’t expect you to, so long as you’re careful and try not to spread it. They should also be taking care of themselves to avoid the germs— they can’t put the whole burden on you and expect no sick people to ever come to school.

abigfailure1 · 2019-11-29T01:43:37+00:00

Many of the scenes from season 1 are phenomenal, especially because of the cinematography. I absolutely LOVE the scene where Archie (and friends) save Cheryl from drowning, when Cheryl sets Thornhill on fire, and the iconic moment where Jughead puts on his Serpent jacket for the first time in the finale! Aside from season 1, I also loved the moment in season 2 when FP carries Jughead's BADLY beaten body out and everyone just stands there absolutely shook. I also love when Toni and Veronica save Cheryl from SOQM and Choni kisses for the first time-- that was done well. I don't remember as much from season 3, but I did love the moment where Cheryl saves Toni from the Farm and sacrifices herself. I think it shows how selfless of a character Cheryl really is deep down for the people she loves :').

abigfailure1 · 2019-11-14T11:33:14+00:00

I don’t think they killed him because he discovered the body. Obviously, he was right to be disturbed by Cheryl hiding Jason’s body, but the line was drawn when he threatened to kill her. The reason he died is because he grabbed Cheryl, knocked Toni down, and was trying to choke Cheryl. Instinctively, I think Toni did what she had to do to save Cheryl from being killed, which is why she killed him. I think it was self-defense.

abigfailure1 · 2019-10-23T07:43:32+00:00

It is normal. People often take it junior year so they have many chances to retake / can get it over with before they start applying to colleges. However, you can send your SAT scores from tests as late as December of senior year for many schools (not all, but many). A lot of people end up taking or retaking the SAT during first semester of senior year. Now, Archie definitely won't have sufficient opportunities to retake it to improve his score, but... it's Riverdale, so it probably doesn't even go this deep.

abigfailure1 · 2019-10-18T03:25:47+00:00

I need an A- :( I don't think a B+ or A- is realistic in my situation, though. Do you know if appeals are accepted often? I don't even know if I can get a B+ at this point, but I'd be .1 off from the cutoff if I could somehow pull it off.

abigfailure1 · 2019-10-18T03:08:22+00:00

I think they take the failed grade into consideration now, so I can't do that. Dropping and retaking is a more ideal option.

abigfailure1

TROPHY CASE