operator

UofT pfft.

And if it matters, we don't touch Java beyond year 0. C for Os'es. Enterprise stuff we leave to the colleges. Not that it matters for grad school.

I_bRAD

english please!

somnambulant

No, thanks.

kergin

That's really ignorant for them to do. Actually, I'd say their doing their students a disservice. Employers want people who are both smart and know some technologies from the get-go. C is pretty good to know (better than Java, IMHO), but they should at least try to integrate some Java technologies into the CS programs, at least in the upper years. Focusing entirely on theoretical is great if you assume everyone will go to grad school, but most don't.

operator

Yeah, you've just discovered the core purpose of the undegrad CS proram here: to stream into grad school. Or you go to seneca afterwards do another 3 year program and learn it all.

Or the lucky kids who got coop placements are already working at IBM/ATI.

jeremywhitehorn

110000111000000011110000001111100000000101010100000...

cavit8

James [ronin2046] is the guy to ask. He works at CPUsed. I haven't seen him much on the forums of late.

I_bRAD

c3 80 f0 3e 01 54 00

jeremywhitehorn

what language is that? mmmmmmcaaaaaanot compute....

operator

Translation is this: Àð>
T

This is not valid binary, not to ascii anyways.

LordFoo

I thought that the purpose of the undergrad CS program at UofT was to make money/fund research and graduate programs *tongue in cheek* *maybe not so kidding*.

I'm feeling a bit disillusioned at this point in my career -- I quite enjoy the teaching part of my job, and am considering staying the academic route as a career choice. Unfortunately, the money & grants don't come for teaching, but only for research. As a result, the university doesn't place much of a priority on educating professors in pedagogy -- so you end up with many "smart" profs who can't teach worth a damn. There are of course always a few exceptions - those who care to put the effort in learning how to teach effectively -- but this has to be done fairly selflessly as there isn't much recognition (financially or career-wise) for teaching. *end rant*

Oh yeah - from what I've seen at talks/presentations, a Masters in CS does seem to be more theoretical.. you could, in theory, use whatever programming language you like to implement your ideas, so knowing specific J2EE extensions isn't going to make or break your application. Unless you're working in the field of developing programming languages.

EDIT: just reread -- you're using J2EE for 4th year projects.. keep working hard Kergin -- where do you go to school?
EDIT AGAIN: CPUsed at Bathurst/Dupont is gone -- it's now BeamEcho and is on Cumberland in the Yorkvilleish area.

jeremywhitehorn

i'm sorry, i confess to not speaking binary.

on a bike (clothing) related note: any of you lads/ladies know of a decent tailor around town? i have a couple pairs of dickies that i want to get made in to floods and the waist lowered on but when i take them to the guy in my neighbourhood he just looks at me funny and asks "..why you want them so short!? you're a tall guy!" better yet would be knowing of a cyclist with sewing machine skills whom i could barter with, etc...

nerdsgirth

CIVIL WAR!

kergin

I go to University of Guelph-Humber for Distributed Computing w/Wireless, which is why I got a theory/practical-mix curriculum. The CS & math profs come from Guelph and our wireless/network people come from Humber; make no mistake on the Humber profs, though. A good number of them have their PHDs, and seriously step up their game when teaching university-level courses. However, the duality of my program also yields a student body which is visibly divided along wireless or CS study paths, where the school cannot reasonably accommodate, given the number of students enrolled in our program. As a result, they are re-structuring the program to better meet the needs of prospective students. I really think they need to ditch the wireless & networking component (Humber).

Some of the Guelph profs do wireless research; however, most of their research is limited to layer 4 and higher. The Humber instructors took us as low as HDLC (Layer 2) and some layer 1.

Edit: I should add that I'm on a co-op right now, which ends in May. I'll graduate in December '08.

Danhalen

This information would also be useful to me.

Flimflam

Just got in from taking my daughter back, had quite the frostilicus thing going on around the mouth of my balaclava - not positive, but it's likely the coldest I've ever ridden in (those wind gusts were *awesome* coming west.... not)

Other than a short volunteer teaching spell at a high school and some French I took at GBC, I've not been to school here, it seems weird how it works to me. My degree (at a regular UK University) was a load of BS, however. I enrolled originally to the software engineering program, which let us in on the 'core' foundation year for all CS-related students. That was all OK, but I switched to "Internet Technology" - a new degree they'd launched in time for my 2nd year. This new "Internet" degree was so great, we didn't even so much as learn HTML, let alone anything else. Most useful stuff I actually remember from University that I actually use in the real world would be database design and development, and perhaps some of the HCI cognitive psychology junk for UI design. All in all University came close to killing my passion for computing... but I stuck it out, got work in a dot-bomb company which opened my eyes to PHP after learning ASP there, then I moved to Canada and taught myself more PHP while waiting for my papers, and I've been using that in various jobs since. I'm finding that I've been in my current job a while, but my skillset is getting stale - I'm behind the curve on a lot, and frankly had a lot of umming and arring on whether I even want to stay in the field.

Oh and I hate Java - it can go suck my balls our lecturer and tutor for Java were both pretty awful at keeping us engaged in actual learning.

jeremywhitehorn

if god were a bicycle this is what he would look like. wow.



some more photos from the NAHMBS

Flimflam

*cues Joan Osborne*

Lovely looking frame, delicate and original. not keen on the front disc, but she's a looker fo sho.

somnambulant

Not anymore he doesn't, but yes, he would still likely be a good person to ask.

I've been having jeans repaired at the cleaners at the Dufferin Mall. Every time I wear a hole in my jeans I bring 'em over there to have them patched. I guess that's just another cycling related cost! The missus gets pants hemmed and such there too.

operator

Looks like someone left that frame in the oven too long.

-17 outisde WTF.

MattRennick

-28 with the windchill. full face mask today, kids!

Flimflam

Agreed! Even on my short commute in, I could feel my moustache+breath freezing up on my lip again. Last night was the full-on white beard buildup on my balaclava, the whole mouth/nose area being frozen clumps by the time I got home - I didn't get chance to take a pic, but I impressed myself

Surprised it was snowing somewhat at this colder temp, really didn't think that could happen with it being so cold. Lots of big patches of hardpacked snow/ice on King too, just gotta watch for it though and all is well.

Had my first real oops on the fixed gear today, tried to coast approaching Sudbury lights and both feet came off the pedals while I was still doing about 40km/h - luckily I just used the brake and got things back under control - I knew well enough to get my feet WELL out of the way

I_bRAD

I had no idea you could get the waist lowered on pants (can you just get the crotch raised?)

If you find a place that does this for a reasonable amount of money let me know!

Flimflam

This sucks: https://toronto.craigslist.ca/tor/bik/569578453.html - assuming he had regular axle/track bolts on that's a pretty brazen/bold move indeed.

TRaffic Jammer

OMG, so many nice pron bikes
**goes to change boxers**

I have some things that could use some tailoring as well come to think of it.