CS 373 Fall 2020: Week of 5 Oct— 11 Oct
What did you do this past week?
I am working on the backend team for this phase and we did a lot of planning this past week as well as building up the database. I started working on some Python scripts that can be used to auto-fill the database with all of our relevant information. I also had a midterm for my Modern Web Apps and have a test for this class and for my Data Mining class in the coming week. It seems like I have a lot on my plate in the near future.
What’s in your way?
As mentioned earlier, I have two tests this week and need to get a lot of progress done on Phase 2 of the IDB project. Luckily I have learned how to use Flask from my Modern Web Apps class and it looks like that will definitely come in handy for this class as well. As of right now, the main goal is to build up our database so we can get our APIs working and functional. We can start to unit test for them as well.
What will you do next week?
I really need to crack down on studying for this test because it seems like the format will be a two-part test where each part takes 45 minutes. Furthermore, the first part will be done individually and then as a group right after. Thus, in total it will be a 3-hour test with an hour and a half on each day. I plan to go through all of the examples we have covered as well as take notes. I think I have a good understanding of the content so I don’t think I will have to go through all of the lectures again but it will be more of a review style of study.
If you read it, what did you think of The Open-Closed Principle?
It was a good paper and it made sense, especially when I remember learning about abstract classes and inheritance from high school and CS 314 (Data Structures and Algorithms). However, the paper was written in 1996 and I just wonder how well the principle has held up against the test of time. It would be interesting to note how closely major projects and companies still follow this kind of guideline.
What was your experience of iterators, generators, and yield?
It was pretty good although towards the end it got a little confusing when introducing the map object in python and how that really differs from a generator. I think I need to brush up on the semantics but it definitely seems very useful and I even remembering using them for a few of my projects in the Intro to Python class!
What made you happy this week?
Honestly, getting my Modern Web Apps test out of the way was a major relief and took a major stress off my plate (the class only has a midterm and a final) so I’m glad I got it over with. Now it’s time to finish up this testing season this week.
What’s your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?
Going through such a busy week, I’ve learned that it’s really important to not only manage your productive time but as well as any time you take off to de-stress. Normally I would feel like binging YouTube videos but channeling that time into working out or just going for a walk can be a much better way to get your mind in a better place. This is especially crucial during times like exam week or even recruiting season (both of which I have right now).
