Well, it's winter break. So I'm once again almost entirely idle, which in turn means I'm once again killing an hour or so updating this old thing. Mindy was bugging me about it before school let out, and Lisa commented on the previous post just the other day, so I guess I owe them one.
Last semester was going fairly well, but it ended a bit disastrously. I'm not precisely sure how to describe it; I just suddenly lacked any will to continue my studies. It could've been the freak blizzard we had - snow has a way of making me want to slack off and let things go. It might also have been how well I did on midterms this year: well enough to feel like I could get away with blowing off finals/projects. Either way, I kind of doubt I got the C I needed in Modern Lab, which likely means I'll only graduate a semester early. C'est la vie.
It's not that I hate college or anything, but I really was hoping to get out after next semester. Learning is good for what it is, but I'd like to get out and start doing things. In any event, I'll spare you the moping about it now, and skip to the fun bits of last semester.
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Classes first. They actually were fun, and interesting, all massive-endgame-choke aside. Deductive reasoning wasn't entirely truth tables - we did proofs, too. However, because we learned only 25 (give or take) 'moves', the proofs were all pretty easy. Fun, in a logic-puzzle sort of way, but once you got the hang of it, not at all difficult. Predicate logic was a little bit trickier, but only because I skipped half the classes during that unit.
To quickly summarize, predicate logic involves quantifying the variables in your formula. The only quantifiers we dealt with were the universal (∀) and existential (∃). So for instance, predicate logic allows you to draw a distinction between:
Traditional - (P * R) .... "The ball is Purple and Round"
Universal - ∀(P * R) .... "Every ball is Purple and Round"
Existential - ∃(P * R) ... "There exists at least one ball that is Purple and Round."
It's useful, but a bit messy to keep track of within a proof. Of course, I'm probably just not thinking about it the right way. One of the nice things about logic is that it makes sense.
Next up, my two 'real' physics classes (I'm not counting Modern Lab, because I'm trying not to think about it at all). E&M was about as hard as I was expecting it to be, but apparently I was a lot better at it than I thought I'd be. It was kind of one of those classes where you can get hung up trying to solve really complicated problems. I didn't, because I reasoned that if the tests are an hour long, they can't have two-hour questions on them. Gauss' Law is still the single most important thing to know; 80% of the course just ended up being Phys 122 with extra Calculus.
Statistical Mechanics was almost as easy as I expected. That didn't stop me from getting a 52% on the final exam, though (which was a full 30% higher than last time I took it). Seriously, McCann kills me. It's pretty interesting material, though it's the kind of stuff that's difficult to really ask exam questions on. A lot of the second half of the course was quantum thermodynamics, which will definitely melt your brain if you look at it funny.
For example (that isn't even quantum, but is still weird): you're probably familiar with specific heat - that is, the amount of energy it takes to change something's temperature by one degree (more properly, dU/dT). Scientists like specific heat because it's easy to measure; you probably got to use a bomb calorimeter in your Chemistry class, and it's the same basic principle. Anyway, it turns out specific heat is related to the number of degrees of freedom the molecule in question can move in. So for instance, a monoatomic molecule has 3 degrees of freedom - x, y, and z. However, a diatomic molecule (like carbon monoxide, for example) has five degrees of freedom: x, y, z, and rotation around the y and z axes.
But why can't it rotate around the x-axis? Well, because the molecule is diatomic, it looks like a straight line. You can tell if it's rotating horizontal to the ground (think 'helicopter') or perpendicular to the ground (think 'propeller'), but looking at it from outside, you wouldn't be able to tell if it's rotating around it's own length (that is, like an axle). So that degree of freedom doesn't count.
Why's that weird? Well, it makes sense that you might not be able to notice it turning, but why can't the universe tell that it's turning? Mathematically speaking, there are definitely six degrees of freedom, so why is it that the universe cares if one of those freedoms is indistinguishable? Apparently, things that are indistinguishable in every way are, in fact, the same thing. Seems like a bit of a blow to rationalism, though I'm sure the rationalists don't think so.
Oh, and then there was gym class. I'd like to say I'm now covered in bulging, rippling muscles, but that'd be a blatant fabrication. I'm a bit more in shape, though: I can run a few miles pretty respectably, and lift enough to not get pitying looks from the jocks in the weight room. The nice thing about being too thin rather than too heavy is that it's a lot quicker to get back in shape (though on the downside, I'll be the first to die in the coming ice age).
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But what have I been doing for fun? Well, not playing 40k, that's for sure. I can't really play more until I've expanded to 1500 points. I kind of made myself promise I wouldn't buy more guys until I've painted the ones I have. And for some reason (probably my pathetic painting skills), I've been procrastinating on getting out the paint and brushes. Still, hopefully (with a little prodding from my roommate) I'll swallow my pride and give it a shot.
On the other hand, I did buy a rifle. It's a Mosin-Nagant 91/30, the gun that single-handedly killed off more Nazis than any other weapon (probably, at least...). I've already written a good bit here, so I'll save up my gushing and give it its own post later over the break. Also: apparently there's a place up in Frederick were you can shoot for only a couple bucks. If that's true, I'm going, and anyone who's interested in shooting is welcome to join me.
I wasted a lot of time playing Silent Hunter III, but it's been awesome so far. I downloaded one of the 'supermods', Grey Wolves. It's a sort of fan-made mass-overhaul that improves graphics, physics, weather effects, in-game events, everything. Naturally, this made what was already an instant favorite of mine even better. It even models some of the actual naval engagements of the Battle of the Atlantic, which of course I've done my best to "attend." My last patrol took place during the German invasion of Norway, and I got to Narvik in time for the First Battle of Narvik. Needless to say, it was a little sobering - Narvik was a disaster for the Kriegsmarine, and I wasn't able to turn it around (though I did sink two destroyers, which earned me an Iron Cross First Class). I've timed my next patrol to take place during the Dunkirk Evacuation, which will probably be pretty harrowing, but holds the promise of nabbing a juicy troopship. I might save this patrol for a detailed post, too; we'll see.
I've also been getting into Hearts of Iron II, an insanely detailed WWII strategy game. When I say 'insanely detailed', I mean it - the game makes calculations hour-by-hour, every single day from 1936 to 1964. It feels very real, for some reason: the basic combat units represent divisions of troops (~10,000 men), and rather than fighting to the death, they almost always break and fall back when defeated. They're also very hard to replace if they do get wiped out - it takes about three months of game time to train replacements, so you have to use them wisely. For some reason, I seem to be hitting all the hardcore WWII games lately - if I had a joystick, you can bet I'd be playing some Il-2 right now, too.
What else did I promise last time? PILOT: The Dogfightan hasn't seen much headway, unfortunately. I'm having a tough time with the system, mainly because I started out trying to keep it rules-light, but then have steadily increased the level of detail to the point where it's gotten a little out of control. However, a friend of mine wants to start a Hunter: The Vigil campaign pretty soon, which should at least give me a chance to get more experience with the system. I might even be able to rope them into test-playing it for me. I might also just scrap it and start over, which would be a bummer, but might be necessary. We'll see.
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Anyway, that summarizes my last semester, skipping any and all parts that might imply I have a social life. Of course, this means you owe me a post, too, and don't act like you don't.
Also, merry Christmas.
Next Time:
1) New Year's Resolutions, or "remember back when I was trying to get good at chess?"
2) Operation Dynamo - because murdering retreating soldiers is a job for heroes.
3) MoCo PD gives me a job - I wish.
4) Dr. Wu doesn't fail me - even less likely.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
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