CS 373: Abdul-Ghaffar Balogun
Blog #13
What did you do this past week?
This past week I spent not doing too much, I was finding it hard to build the motivation to do my Algorithms homework. I also met with my team to go over action items for us to tackle in this phase. We discussed how to split up our tasks that align with both our usual responsibilities. Therefore, the person with the most knowledge on a specific issue would be able to work on making any fixes or implementations that need to be made.
What’s in your way?
I need to make sure I stay steadfast upon my responsibilities. Now that we’re drawing near the end of the semester I find myself yearning for the break. I need to find the motivation to push through these final weeks. In addition, I also need to ensure I finish up the last bits of the final project with my group. I also need to make better use of my time to ensure I don’t spend too much of my time wasted because that would lead to many problems for me.
What will you do next week?
Next week I want to make sure that I put in the necessary effort to study for the exam coming up as well as stay on top of my work for school. Given that next week is Thanksgiving, I want to both stay connected with my family but also not compromise any efforts needed to do well on the exam. Essentially, I want to pick up some slack with my classes at a comfortable rate, so when those busy weeks come around they won’t be as busy as they could be.
I also want to go shopping on Black Friday and see if I can get anything useful on sale. Of course, my shopping would be mostly online, which makes shopping a little harder as there are more options at your disposal.
4. If you read it, what did you think of What Happens to Us Does Not Happen to Most of You?
I personally think this is a much-needed topic that needs to continue to be part of our conversation. We don’t really discuss this topic in school, I would argue. If there is an overt case of discrimination that is taking place you can possibly speak up. In addition, it’s the subtle microaggressions or the systemic framework in which we operate that allows for this kind of behavior to remain. We need to tackle these problems at the roots to ensure we’re taking steps forward in the right direction.
5. What was your experience of refactoring? (this question will vary, week to week)
I personally have mixed feelings about this topic. I am not really a big fan of looking through someone else’s code and refactoring it to make it better. If it’s my code, I like to do that in bits and pieces. For example, I want to code something small for functionality to get it to work and because I understand my code it would be easier to go back and optimize after getting it to work. I guess the downside is that I may feel as inclined to make it better after getting it to work the first time. In a nutshell, refactoring is interesting when it doesn’t involve looking through code I don't understand.
6. What made you happy this week?
I was able to play soccer with my brother and my cousin this weekend. I haven't really played soccer in quite some time, so it was nice to go out and play again. Although we played in our backyard, it still felt like a real match with the intensity.
7. What’s your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?
Stay safe during this Thanksgiving break. I understand people may want to have large gatherings with their families, but I advise you to be smart in how you go about this holiday. As cases begin to rise, we don’t want to contribute to that or even undermine the threat we may pose to our family members. Beyond that, have a great break with family and detox!
