For starters, I’ve been using Google’s searching engine for web contents and image for as long as I can remember. One of the things that it really stood out was the fact that the interface was simple. Click, bam, page is loaded and off you go. But recently Google made some of the stupidest changes. Continue Reading →

The article from the Toronto Star

The convicted murder the “Bathtub girl” is coming to the University of Waterloo this Fall! Here is the biggest kicker: Continue Reading →

I just purchased Starcraft II.

Enough said.

So this is kinda the same situation as salt. Sodium is reactive in air, and chlorine is just poisonous.

I discovered peanut butter and oatmeal :) by themselves, oatmeal bored the life out of me. On the other hand peanut butter is just too rich. But a mix of them is simply amazing. :) Life is good.

Recently I had to write a report for University, and for the life of me, I couldn’t get the format to look like what I had wanted. The software I used was Microsoft Word. But I Googled around and I came across Thomas Dimson’s website and he had a template written with LaTeX. Continue Reading →

So for the past couple of months I’ve been doing a couple of environmental integrated work. I have assumed a new identity and assimilated into the environment. My new identity was 18 year old female. Continue Reading →

I’m working in Ottawa from May to August and I use RBC, which is unfortunately 10km away from my home. Which is fine, I can do all my bankings online. But the problem is that work doesn’t do direct deposits. (Which is very odd). So I had to bus to RBC every two weeks. Which was fine, if I was in Waterloo, but the bus tickets would cost me 6 dollars, so I thought I would just get another account at CIBC which was a minute away from work. Continue Reading →

After 10 months of using my lean mean number adding machine the PSU sadly died today. (wtf?) I don’t know if it died or something odd happened. All I know is that my Enermax EVO 1250W PSU has known compatibility issues with my EVGA x58 Classified motherboard. Never the less I ordered another Corsair HX1000W PSU off of NCIX to replace my Enermax EVO 1250W PSU. Continue Reading →

Oh no! I am being accused of a PDdemic Offence!

So I received a lovely email from Judene Pretti, which was carbon copied to Jeff Henry regarding to my PD troll answers being posted on my blog.

Well, I’m not going to take them down, (well, I did, but now they are up,) I enjoy my right to freedom of speech, and share my “copyrighted” works to the public.

Now, if I get written up of committing academic offence, then at least I know someone else has gotten a good laugh out of trolling PD courses.

But honestly, if you want to troll PD. Troll with your own material…

Basically, now with every troll post, I have included the following header to “warn” people to not copy from me.

Warning: PD and CECS knows the existence of this blog. Thus if you copy from me, we will get into trouble, now, I personally don’t care about my outcome, but if you are smart, come up with your own (witty) answer to show them the stupidity of PD courses.

But here is the email that I received:

from: Judene Pretti <*@uwaterloo.ca>
to: “bill.li@uwaterloo.ca” <*@uwaterloo.ca>
cc: Jeff Henry <*@math.uwaterloo.ca>
date: Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 12:55 PM
subject: PD Courses
mailed-by: services04.student.cs.uwaterloo.ca

Hi William,

Your PD course submissions and postings to your blog have come to my attention. I recognize that co-op students are busy and have many competing priorities during their work terms which is why I see my role in the WatPD program as providing courses that are as relevant and engaging for students as possible. I spend a lot of time soliciting information from students on ways that the program and the courses can be improved. Many changes have been and continue to be made to the courses as a result of this feedback. If you are interested, I am quite interested in having a discussion with you to hear your opinions and suggestions on course/program improvements. You can reach me by email or phone.

On a different note, I am quite concerned about your PD assignment responses being posted on a public website. It is possible that another student could take your response and submit it as his/her own and you would end up involved in an academic offence. If you have questions about this, please contact me, or Jeff Henry, Mathematics Faculty Academic Integrity Officer (jahenry@math.uwaterloo.ca).

Sincerely,
Judene Pretti
———————————————————————-
Judene Pretti
Director, Professional Development Program (WatPD)
Office of Associate Provost, Academic and Student Affairs
University of Waterloo
Tatham Centre 519.888.4567 x32355
———————————————————————-

A peaceful solution:

Add an additional ranking to the employment ranking stating which areas in the PD courses that a student needs improve on, and then make the student take *that* course. Or give students whom have previous work experience the PD credits, thus exempt them from taking the course, which saves both the student’s time and as well as the TA’s time.