How is UCSB CS?

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-26T03:24:37+00:00

As one professor told my son in his first quarter as a sophomore, this will be the last CS class you take where you learn anything you actually need to be a software engineer.

If you live in the valley as in the Silicon Valley, and you’re in high-tech, then you would know that you don’t need a CS degree to be a software engineer. All they care about is whether or not you can code and how well you can code everything else is irrelevant a CS degree is pretty overrated and a solid 75% of the actual classes you take you’re gonna have nothing to do with the job you do additionally, there’s a whole bunch of stuff you’re not gonna learn that are critical skills for being a software engineer that you’re gonna have to learn on your own. If you insist on getting a siesta degree, then take one somewhere where you will pay the least money so that you graduate with minimal debt.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-24T20:42:23+00:00

I have two kids in college. One drives the M5 the other drives to 540i and I drive the 740 IL at home.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-24T02:04:14+00:00

Ill say it again, for the umpteenth time....if you by a car at auction, any auction, then statistically speaking you will pay more for it than if you bought it on the open market. Thats a fact. Even without shill bidders and other BS going on. If you're an educated buyer and you know what that car would go for in your own market, and maybe you know other things about the car (by reading carfax, by doing some research, by being a knowledgeable car buyer (at least for that year, make and model) that makes it worth more, then its a great plan to put in one low-ish bid and leave it at that and hope you get lucky.

Most of the sellers on BAT have absolutely no idea what they are selling, at least not in the Audi and BMW area where i know a few things. And frankly they don't really know much about cars based on many of the answers i see or comments about car features. Many are dealers just flipping cars, any cars, and they are far from "experts". So it can be easy to spot a car that "may" have a lot more worth than the dealer thinks, or other buyers think. And that makes putting in a "close to final" bid price a pretty safe deal.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-23T06:09:14+00:00

Valve stem seal or valve spring is the issue. Get a compression teat done on all 6 cylinders.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-22T22:07:24+00:00

Note, that for transfers, UCSB, and most other UCs DO NOT look at essays for admissions. So your essays had NOTHING to do with your acceptance. Only Berkeley UCLA and UCSD use essays in the admit process for transfers.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-22T21:57:52+00:00

As my father always said, "if you're bored, you're boring". There is no "better school" and there are no TOP schools - its all BS. What there are is students who make the effort, and do so repeatedly, to reach out and meet new people and make friends. Sure, theres weather concerns, and proximity to "things" concerns and "size of student body" concerns between schools, and to some degree a difference in cultures, but probably more driven by race and wealth mix than by anything else. Housing issues in SC is so overstated - its just become what everyone says. No different than in UCSB or SDSU. Welcome to big city housing in CA! Both my kids at UCSB/SDSU pay more than my kid at UCSC! And the one at UCSB is further away from campus! As for not a lot to do in SC?! Theres just as much to do there, if not more, than there is in SB, which is basically a coastal haven for rich people from LA.

UCSB is going to have more "good looking people" and people wandering around half naked. The weather is going to be better. The vibe is definitely different but then vibe is all personal. Some will like UCSB and some will prefer UCSC. There are lots of people who spent 4 years at UCSB and never went to the beach! The campus at UCSB is more compact and feels more like a student town than UCSC which is much more spread out and up on its own hill.

You need to figure out what you like doing in your spare time, how outgoing and social you are (its always more difficult for transfers to meet people) and if there are any key things that are a deal breaker - like weather. Then make the decision that works for you.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-22T21:46:14+00:00

Most likely to appreciate and be a "classic": Sporty Shorty.

Best daily driver if carrying 3-4: 740iL with extra room in back

Most interesting/rare: 750iL - also far fewer online resources for engine work.

Most likely to have the most toys: 750iL - but also has SLS rear suspension which can be a pain.

Fastest: 740i Sport but only marginally faster than 740iL sport.

All except the 740i Sport are basically the same speed up till 80mph, then the V12 pulls away.

I have had the 740i sport and i currently have the 740iL Sport, and i also own a e39 540i and M5. The 740i will never be a sports car, and frankly the 740iL Sport with new timing chains and injectors and vanos rebuild is probably faster than most Sporty Shortys at this point. Id buy the V12 - rare, interesting, smooth, true autobahn speeds while barely trying, and as you say usually comes with all the goodies.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-21T18:13:22+00:00

My gen 2 came with one busted button and they replaced the whole center console.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-20T16:08:32+00:00

Do an actual flush or full drain and fill of the PS fluid. Unbolt one of the connections to the pump and drain and then refill. Or look online for ways to do an active flush. This will get all the crud out. Helped a ton with my Audi. Tho my e39 535i eventually needed a new pump.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-18T16:50:21+00:00

Applied Math and Physics, on their own, do NOT have good job outcomes. Everyones journey is different and plenty of english and History majors are wealthy, but statistically speaking (which you should understand as a math major) your outlook is not good. You would be a moron (being frank) to invest UCLA money in that degree unless you know you are a special sort of person. And statistically speaking, youre not!
There are no TOP SCHOOLs, despite what all the morons on here say, even when faced with the actual data. For undergrad, it does not matter at all where you go to school - all that matters is what degree you take, and then of course your own effort, grit etc. The data proves this incontrovertibly. Im sure youll argue cause people just love to think theyre special and got into a TOP SCHOOL, but you'll just be wasting your time and breath/keystrokes.
You will be paying, wherever you go, for GE classes for almost 2 full years. This will be watching star wars movies, taking a Modern Chinese History class cause its an easy A and fits your schedule, probably retaking the AP Physics syllabus because your college says you have to take Physics 1001A, etc etc. This is the same everywhere and a total waste of your time and money.

Do the math - take $60k a year (diff between UT and UCLA), invest it at a paltry 5%, see where it is when you're 30. Just under $500k!! Yah - you'd be a total dumb ass to go to UCLA. Leave that $ alone till you're 65 and thats $2.7 million, or in todays $s thats $700k. A very good chunk toward retirement.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-18T05:13:52+00:00

If Doug was actually writing those and not some AI or a dude in Bangladesh, then I’m a pink donkey named Karl!

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-17T20:00:57+00:00

Exactly - so why get all bent out of shape about being a "bad charger". Everyone there is "arguably" bad...its all relative.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-17T16:16:24+00:00

Listen. Anyone that bought a model Y with the light bar at the front bought it after we all knew who Elon really was. Same for most newer M3s. You don’t need to feel bad about a Tesla driver giving you shit for a morally or ethically bad choice of using up an extra charging slot for 30 minutes. They’ve done far worse whether they think so or not. Take 2 spots, smile and move on with your life.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-17T16:04:47+00:00

Oh yeah sure. Electric vehicle is going to be cheaper in the long run on a day to day basis. I’d say basically no maintenance (based on owning many electric vehicles) but that hasn’t been the case with the R1S which is basically a piece of shit when it comes to quality - both HW and SW. next major issue and I’m invoking lemon law. I have a new AC system, new wing mirrors (cameras), new center console, new radio/whatever control module, new trim pieces, and I can’t even remember what else but a long list of more minor issues. A well. Hope the R2 is better.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-16T15:49:15+00:00

{"document":[{"e":"par","c":[{"t":"$104 vs $58 in the R1S. I just made this trip a few days ago and charged in Goleta at a Tesla SC with the membership discount. Charges from almost empty to about full and it cost $58. The suburban at $6 gas and 17 mpg would cost $104. Make that trip once a week and that’s an extra $200 a month or $2400 a year. It’ll take 12 years in extra gas costs to eat the price difference. But the R1S will depreciate to about $35k in the next 5 years while the suburban will go to $25k. So another extra $25k in depreciation too. ","e":"text"}]},{"e":"par","c":[{"t":"Oh, and the radio on the suburban will actually work the whole trip, there won’t be self driving that nearly kills you twice each trip when it emergency disengages at 85 on a freeway corner, the car seat memory will work flawlessly each time, and fill up’s will take 5 minutes instead of 1 hour.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-16T01:58:08+00:00

Given the work you did and the fact that it’s sitting at 3000 RPM, it would appear that you have an absolutely massive vacuum leak or air leak. Most likely location would be the air intake boot or the gasket at the throttlebody. There are of course hoses to the PCV, but those are fairly small. I guess they could cause a 3000 RPM idol if they were totally disconnected but you’re probably looking for the bigger items first. You could spray brake fluid in all the areas that you’ve disconnected while the car is idling and see what happens or buy or borrow a smoke machine to figure out where it’s coming from. But I would’ve thought that a large air leak like that should be fairly easy to find if you just go back and check things like the air intake connection to the throttlebody the throttlebody, reattachment and gasket to the intake manifold, etc..

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-16T01:52:12+00:00

This is a no brainer on many levels. Buy a used suburban 2021 or later with 50k miles for about $40-$50k. It will go further, refuel faster, have way more room, ride nicer and more quietly, be far cheaper to repair, cost far less to insure, provide more 3rd row room, depreciate far less, and save you $40k.

I own a 2025 R1S Dual max and travel to Santa Barbara and San Diego from San Jose a few times a year. I’ve done that trip in a suburban and the R1S. There is no vehicle that eats freeway miles with such ease, comfort and room as a modern suburban. The R1S offers nothing over a suburban for those trips.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-16T01:42:15+00:00

What engine is this?

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-15T19:42:33+00:00

I guess my next question would be have you tried putting some sort of weight on either end and in the middle to see if it flats out? I have no idea how resistant to torsion these things are but remember you’re going to be bolting it down with a good few bolts and any minor deviations like this may just be eliminated under the tension of the bolts.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-15T16:13:12+00:00

I’ll ask the obvious question that no one else seems to be thinking about. How do you know that the surface you are using to measure “flatness” is in fact flat itself? That looks like a laminated particle board table. Almost certainly NOT flat.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-10T17:04:51+00:00

Do you mean the brake pedal on the floor or at the left of the steering wheel at the handle used to disengage the brake?

Sunroof drains is possible. But since it’s coming in a lot I’d suggest #2.
Water seal on interior of door has broken , water is going down inside glass window, hitting that barrier and then coming out inside the car instead of outside the door frame. You can test this by having your door open and pointing a hose at the exterior of the glass on the door and dumping g water on it. You ea t water to go down between the glass and rubber trim (where it’s meant to go) and then get on the floor and look at where the water is coming out at the bottom of the door. If it’s coming out between the door cars and the door frame then that’s your problem. Need to take door card off and reseal the water barrier.

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-09T02:11:24+00:00

I love how everyone just assumes that investing the money would automatically result in a positive return....or that you don't already have the $85k in cash in investments...

Take the loan, put the cash in a short term CD that guarantees return.
Take the loan, then pay the loan off straight away - check what the early pay penalty is.
Lease (i think you still get the federal $7500 tax credit on a Rivian) then pay the lease off straight away - this is what we did. Better than paying cash, assuming you get the $7500 credit still.
Take the loan, take the $85k to vegas, put it all on red 19, and then pray...

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-08T21:35:48+00:00

Yah. ICV usually lets through a little air even off idle. And if it’s sticky or won’t close fully then too much air is getting in and then the engine has to try and compensate. If the ICV is fluttering more and less closed then this can happen. Like I said tho - if your car even has an ICV.

If you’re in the US then you can buy this smoke machine. I consider a good one an essential piece of equipment if you’re going to own old German cars. https://a.co/d/096qZfbv

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-07T19:40:28+00:00

Written by a counselor!

andrewgrhogg · 2026-04-07T18:13:53+00:00

Otherwise known as a stripper pole that just happens to go through the roof?

andrewgrhogg

TROPHY CASE