I survived.
Managing Teams
We had a mid-term exam this week. He had given us an outline of all the relavent points from the book. I spent a lot of time memorizing the bullet points because I thought that he'd ask us a question and then we'd have to spit out the bullet points and then comment on them. Instead, he gave us the bullet points and asked us to explain them in detail. So I didn't do as well as I would have liked.
After the exam, we did some team-building challenges. The topic was creativity. He gave us about 25 problems and we had to figure out the solution. The problems were in a box with words in different parts of the box. For example, one of them had the word "world" repeated several times. The answer: World Series. Our team did pretty well. The next challenge was for each team to do a review of the chapter in a creative way. So we took about 15 minutes and discussed the chapter and did something creative with the paper he had given us.
SV&S
We had an exam in this class too. It wasn't too difficult. I think I may have missed about 20% of the questions. He threw us a few curve balls. I knew the material very well, but I just don't do well on exams for some reason. This morning I reviewed my notes and realized that I had made a few mistakes. I'll still do well in the class. We just have two more classes with new material before the final. The final isn't comprehensive, but it will build a lot on the first exam.
Family Event Update
We had our 4th. She is doing very well. I've been catching up on my blog readings this week and it looks like a few other bloggers had new borns this week or in the last month. Heavy Lifting had a girl, Hungarian Knight's sister had a new one, and I also found out from ChessBase that Judit Polgar gave birth to her 2nd on July 6th this year.
Chess
Well, what can I say. I havn't been playing at all and I haven't been doing anything with The Quest. Now that school has quieted down a bit and that #4 has safely arrived, I plan on reviewing some chess vision drills during lunchtime. I should be ready to start the circles on August 11.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Summer Week 10
This next week will be a bit stressful.
Managing Teams
Not much of a class this week. We did an activity at the beginning of class. As a team, we were supposed to assemble a helicopter out of Lego parts. We could send one person to look at a finished model sitting in front of the room. But other than that and a picture of the model, that was all we had to work with. Our team finished 3rd which means we get one bonus point.
The rest of the class was a review of the chapters. We have a mid-term on Monday.
SV&S
Tonight's class wasn't too difficult. A lot of what we covered was review. We have a mid-term in this class next week too. We got into WACC and how to derive all the parts of WACC.
Family Event
My wife is giving birth to our 4th child tomorrow, so studying for my exams and tending to her and the new one will be a bit stressful. I'm pretty prepared for the managing teams class, but I'll need a few more hours for the finance exam.
Needless to say, I won't be playing a whole lot of chess or studying chess for the next few days. As soon as life settles down a bit, then I can do my chess vision drills review before I start into the circles on August 11th.
Managing Teams
Not much of a class this week. We did an activity at the beginning of class. As a team, we were supposed to assemble a helicopter out of Lego parts. We could send one person to look at a finished model sitting in front of the room. But other than that and a picture of the model, that was all we had to work with. Our team finished 3rd which means we get one bonus point.
The rest of the class was a review of the chapters. We have a mid-term on Monday.
SV&S
Tonight's class wasn't too difficult. A lot of what we covered was review. We have a mid-term in this class next week too. We got into WACC and how to derive all the parts of WACC.
Family Event
My wife is giving birth to our 4th child tomorrow, so studying for my exams and tending to her and the new one will be a bit stressful. I'm pretty prepared for the managing teams class, but I'll need a few more hours for the finance exam.
Needless to say, I won't be playing a whole lot of chess or studying chess for the next few days. As soon as life settles down a bit, then I can do my chess vision drills review before I start into the circles on August 11th.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Summer Week 9
The 2nd week of mod B is done.
Managing Teams
Not much of a class this week. We had a new team member join our group. Then we did another team-building exercise. We had to design our logo. Next we discussed Brigg-Meyers stuff and related that to last week's Marooned exercise. Then he had each group do a presentation. The topic: a chapter from the text book. After all the presentations, every had to rank the groups ... this would determine who gets the bonus points.
SV&S
More note-taking. We got deeper into the topics. Nothing is "complicated" but we will have to memorize a lot for the final. As long as you know CAPM and WACC, it isn't too tough.
Quixote Update
Still plugging away. I have about 300 pages to go.
Chess Update
Not much of an update. I've been playing on and off. Not too many rated games though. I'm still working on the Quest.
Managing Teams
Not much of a class this week. We had a new team member join our group. Then we did another team-building exercise. We had to design our logo. Next we discussed Brigg-Meyers stuff and related that to last week's Marooned exercise. Then he had each group do a presentation. The topic: a chapter from the text book. After all the presentations, every had to rank the groups ... this would determine who gets the bonus points.
SV&S
More note-taking. We got deeper into the topics. Nothing is "complicated" but we will have to memorize a lot for the final. As long as you know CAPM and WACC, it isn't too tough.
Quixote Update
Still plugging away. I have about 300 pages to go.
Chess Update
Not much of an update. I've been playing on and off. Not too many rated games though. I'm still working on the Quest.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
ROCKY BALBOA Official Trailer
The official trailer has been out since July 7th when Pirates of the Caribbean 2 came out in theaters. Now Yahoo! has the trailer online. Go check it out!
Also, I've updated a link to the side. There's a blog for Rocky 6 and it has lots of pictures and info.
Can't wait for this movie to come out in December!
Also, I've updated a link to the side. There's a blog for Rocky 6 and it has lots of pictures and info.
Can't wait for this movie to come out in December!
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Summer Week 8
Both my grades are finally out. My leadership class grade was posted earlier this week, but my database grade wasn't posted until late last night. I found out the grade in that class this morning.
Leadership: A- I expected this grade. I aced the paper, so the points that I got docked on were from the presentation and my participation points.
Database: A I usually get A-'s and B+'s. So getting this A made my happy. It was an easy class. I think most people in there got A's.
So now on to Mod B.
Security Valuation & Selection
Jeffery Hart teaches this class. I've heard he's a pervert. He lived up to his reputation for the first class. He doesn't hand out notes. Everything he talks about he puts on the board. I ended up writing 3 pages (front and back) of notes the first night. We're not going to really learn anything new per se, but he is going to show us some usages of all the models out there.
At one point in the class he lost his train of thought and then stopped to tell us that on Thursday nights when he gets home from a late class and his family is all asleep, he watches adult movies on cable TV. Now I don't know if he is joking trying to shock everyone or if he is serious. I tend to think he's serious but making a joke out of it. I think he personifies the typical financial, greedy, business whiz who doesn't really have a balance in life. That's my first impression of him.
Anyway, the class will be tough. We have two tests and a project. Lots of fun. At least there isn't any required reading, so I can just focus on knowing the notes.
Managing Teams
George Ritcheske (rit-chess-kee) teaches this MNO class. He's a good guy. Sitting in his class is like going to one of those Covey seminars. Lots of pro-syner-activeness and sharing feelings and thoughts and openess. It's a feely, touchy, get-to-know you kind of class. For social outcasts like me, it isn't that much fun. I did enjoy the first class. It wasn't too bad.
Our first class was on a Friday night for crying out loud! Since the school shut down for not only the 4th of July, but the 3rd of July, and since our first class would have been on the 3rd, we had to make it up by going to class on a Friday night! Not that that was bad enough, but Georgie boy kept us there the entire time. Most merciful people, in that situation, would let the class out early.
Anyway, we were placed in teams, got to know our teams and then did one of those "you are lost and have to survive so prioritize these 10 things (given) and make sure there is consensus among the group" things. Our team wasn't the best, but wasn't the worst.
I've already got names for the other five people on my team. Pigpen, MG, Emmy, Arizona and Fester. Maybe at the end of the mod I'll explain how I came up with these names.
Quixote Update
I've been reading on and off lately. I'm probably not on schedule to finish in August. But the book is really good and I'm enjoying it a lot.
Chess Update
I play every now and then. I'm still working on the quest. This month I'm going through the other chess vision drills outlined in de la Maza's book. August 11 is the day I'll start the Circles.
Leadership: A- I expected this grade. I aced the paper, so the points that I got docked on were from the presentation and my participation points.
Database: A I usually get A-'s and B+'s. So getting this A made my happy. It was an easy class. I think most people in there got A's.
So now on to Mod B.
Security Valuation & Selection
Jeffery Hart teaches this class. I've heard he's a pervert. He lived up to his reputation for the first class. He doesn't hand out notes. Everything he talks about he puts on the board. I ended up writing 3 pages (front and back) of notes the first night. We're not going to really learn anything new per se, but he is going to show us some usages of all the models out there.
At one point in the class he lost his train of thought and then stopped to tell us that on Thursday nights when he gets home from a late class and his family is all asleep, he watches adult movies on cable TV. Now I don't know if he is joking trying to shock everyone or if he is serious. I tend to think he's serious but making a joke out of it. I think he personifies the typical financial, greedy, business whiz who doesn't really have a balance in life. That's my first impression of him.
Anyway, the class will be tough. We have two tests and a project. Lots of fun. At least there isn't any required reading, so I can just focus on knowing the notes.
Managing Teams
George Ritcheske (rit-chess-kee) teaches this MNO class. He's a good guy. Sitting in his class is like going to one of those Covey seminars. Lots of pro-syner-activeness and sharing feelings and thoughts and openess. It's a feely, touchy, get-to-know you kind of class. For social outcasts like me, it isn't that much fun. I did enjoy the first class. It wasn't too bad.
Our first class was on a Friday night for crying out loud! Since the school shut down for not only the 4th of July, but the 3rd of July, and since our first class would have been on the 3rd, we had to make it up by going to class on a Friday night! Not that that was bad enough, but Georgie boy kept us there the entire time. Most merciful people, in that situation, would let the class out early.
Anyway, we were placed in teams, got to know our teams and then did one of those "you are lost and have to survive so prioritize these 10 things (given) and make sure there is consensus among the group" things. Our team wasn't the best, but wasn't the worst.
I've already got names for the other five people on my team. Pigpen, MG, Emmy, Arizona and Fester. Maybe at the end of the mod I'll explain how I came up with these names.
Quixote Update
I've been reading on and off lately. I'm probably not on schedule to finish in August. But the book is really good and I'm enjoying it a lot.
Chess Update
I play every now and then. I'm still working on the quest. This month I'm going through the other chess vision drills outlined in de la Maza's book. August 11 is the day I'll start the Circles.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Summer Week 7
Mod A is over! I am so happy that I only have 4 classes left!
Leadership
I worked on my huge paper Friday night and Saturday afternoon. I made some modifications to it on Monday. Tuesday night, we handed in our papers and then discussed them. I didn't feel like talking about mine.
After that, we did evaluations and then we were out of there by 7:15pm.
I think I'll get an A- in that class. I could understand if I get a B+ though.
Database
It was fun taking the test. Before he handed it out, he said that his two kids scored like an 80% on it. His kids are fairly young. I'm not sure if he was making a joke or if he was being serious. He gave us all the time in the world. When we handed in the test, he took a look at our normalization problems. If they didn't look right, he handed the test back to us. I was almost the last person to hand in my test. He had me change one thing.
I feel really confident about the final. I got a 53.8 out of 55 on the homework and quiz (97.8%). I think I scored at least a 90% on the test. Therefore I think I'll get an A in the class. He's going to send our final grade via email to those who signed a waiver, so I'll know by the weekend what I earned in this class.
Mod B
The next mod starts next week ... no rest for the weary. Because of the 4th of July holiday, I'll be having class on Thursday and Friday. Thursday is security evaluation. This is the 2nd half of Kumar's class. My other class is managing teams. That should be interesting.
Seven more weeks and I'm home free.
Quixote Update
Still on track to complete it by August.
Chess Update
Still working on the Quest. I've also been going through the Polgar puzzles. Yesterday I played a few blitz games. I lost to a lower rated player, but then beat a much higher rated player. I lack consistency. Click on the link 'My Recent Blitz Games' to see what a patzer I am.
I don't do the chessgames.com puzzle on this blog anymore. Instead I've been putting them in FEN format in a pgn file. I've got a file for each day of the week (except weekend days). It's a nice way to work the puzzle and learn a few things. I'm thinking I might post the pgns in a month or so.
Leadership
I worked on my huge paper Friday night and Saturday afternoon. I made some modifications to it on Monday. Tuesday night, we handed in our papers and then discussed them. I didn't feel like talking about mine.
After that, we did evaluations and then we were out of there by 7:15pm.
I think I'll get an A- in that class. I could understand if I get a B+ though.
Database
It was fun taking the test. Before he handed it out, he said that his two kids scored like an 80% on it. His kids are fairly young. I'm not sure if he was making a joke or if he was being serious. He gave us all the time in the world. When we handed in the test, he took a look at our normalization problems. If they didn't look right, he handed the test back to us. I was almost the last person to hand in my test. He had me change one thing.
I feel really confident about the final. I got a 53.8 out of 55 on the homework and quiz (97.8%). I think I scored at least a 90% on the test. Therefore I think I'll get an A in the class. He's going to send our final grade via email to those who signed a waiver, so I'll know by the weekend what I earned in this class.
Mod B
The next mod starts next week ... no rest for the weary. Because of the 4th of July holiday, I'll be having class on Thursday and Friday. Thursday is security evaluation. This is the 2nd half of Kumar's class. My other class is managing teams. That should be interesting.
Seven more weeks and I'm home free.
Quixote Update
Still on track to complete it by August.
Chess Update
Still working on the Quest. I've also been going through the Polgar puzzles. Yesterday I played a few blitz games. I lost to a lower rated player, but then beat a much higher rated player. I lack consistency. Click on the link 'My Recent Blitz Games' to see what a patzer I am.
I don't do the chessgames.com puzzle on this blog anymore. Instead I've been putting them in FEN format in a pgn file. I've got a file for each day of the week (except weekend days). It's a nice way to work the puzzle and learn a few things. I'm thinking I might post the pgns in a month or so.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Summer Week 6
Last week of classes.
Leadership
Our group finally presented. We were the very last group to present. It was OK. I wasn't having a good day and so I didn't feel into it at all. The rest of the class was somewhat boring. I really don't remember much of it. I was watching the Mavs score on ESPN.com. What a disappointment.
All that is left is the final paper. I'll be working on it Friday night and Saturday. I should be done with it Saturday night. So far I'm earning a 91% in this class. Our presentation was a B+ and that is where I've lost most of my points.
Database
The last class was boring ... yaaaawn! We had our quiz. I aced it. During the rest of the class I played games on Yahoo!
Tonight I'm going to finish the 3rd homework. I just have to review chapter 6 and then do the problems. I think it'll take about 3 or 4 hours.
The final is next Wednesday. He said it will take us between 90 minutes and 2 hours. I'm pretty confident that I'll do well on it.
Quixote Update
I'm still reading about a chapter a night before going to sleep.
Chess Update
Still plugging away on MDLM program. I finished the vision drills and am now working on the knight sight.
I played a blitz game the other day. He had just moved his rook. The vision drills are paying off. I immediately saw Qe3+ ... forking the king and bishop.
Leadership
Our group finally presented. We were the very last group to present. It was OK. I wasn't having a good day and so I didn't feel into it at all. The rest of the class was somewhat boring. I really don't remember much of it. I was watching the Mavs score on ESPN.com. What a disappointment.
All that is left is the final paper. I'll be working on it Friday night and Saturday. I should be done with it Saturday night. So far I'm earning a 91% in this class. Our presentation was a B+ and that is where I've lost most of my points.
Database
The last class was boring ... yaaaawn! We had our quiz. I aced it. During the rest of the class I played games on Yahoo!
Tonight I'm going to finish the 3rd homework. I just have to review chapter 6 and then do the problems. I think it'll take about 3 or 4 hours.
The final is next Wednesday. He said it will take us between 90 minutes and 2 hours. I'm pretty confident that I'll do well on it.
Quixote Update
I'm still reading about a chapter a night before going to sleep.
Chess Update
Still plugging away on MDLM program. I finished the vision drills and am now working on the knight sight.
I played a blitz game the other day. He had just moved his rook. The vision drills are paying off. I immediately saw Qe3+ ... forking the king and bishop.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Summer Week 5
The first mod is almost over.
Leadership
More presentations to begin with. This week's presentations really sucked. I was bored out of my mind. I hope ours isn't boring. The first one was about servent leadership ... they talked about the usual suspects ... Gandhi, Jesus and other leaders. It was very un-memorable. The 2nd was about charismatic leadership. It was a little better. After the presentation, Rasberry was asking us questions and he asked what an un-charismatic leader was like. Just before he asked that question, I was thinking to myself about Michael from The Office ... how charismatic he is, but just an awful leader. So I was chuckling to myself when Rasberry asked what an un-charismastic leader is like. No one was answering. So he said, "Rocky?" He made it sound like I was an example of an un-charismatic leader. So I said, "what, you think I'm an un-charismatic leader?" The class got a laugh out of it. You had to be there to really get it ... one of those moments.
The other presentation was about volunteer leadership. Boring. All three groups were painfully boring. Maybe it was the topics.
After the presentations, we took a break and then came back and discussed the movies. Then he let us go an hour early since the Mavs were playing. I thought that was really swell of him!
The Mavs lost however ... pitiful.
Next week, our group presents. I also have to start on my final paper. I'll be taking a bunch of self-assesments today and gathering data. I really want to have my rough draft done by Monday.
Database
Rogers talks way too fast. He had a ton to cover last night, so he kicked it into overdrive. It was a blur. And this is supposed to be the most difficult part of the course! We talked about first, second and third normal form. 1st ... make sure all the "cells" have data. 2nd ... are there subsets? Can you make a lookup table from it? 3rd ... I'm drawing a blank right now. He gave us a quiz and it turned out to be just a practice quiz. So next week we'll have the official quiz. It'll be over update anomolies. He said something about secondary keys too. He assigned us the 3rd and final homework. It will take us the longest. We have to fix a bunch of tables and it's supposed to take us a long time. I'll be working on that all day tomorrow.
Quixote Update
I'm a few chapters into the 2nd part.
Chess Update
The number one reason BabasChess is better than Winboard (in my opinion) is that BabasChess has the ability to use a different port other than 5000. Port 5000 is usually blocked by firewalls. Port 23 is used for telnet sessions and is probably not blocked by most firewalls. BabasChess has this option under 'Preferences' (hit F11) then go to the 'Server' tab and click on the 'Advanced' button. Select 'Use alternate server tcp port (23)' and now you can probably log onto FICS from places where the firewall blocks port 5000.
Winboard may have this option, but I never found it.
Discovering this setting really made me happy this week.
Leadership
More presentations to begin with. This week's presentations really sucked. I was bored out of my mind. I hope ours isn't boring. The first one was about servent leadership ... they talked about the usual suspects ... Gandhi, Jesus and other leaders. It was very un-memorable. The 2nd was about charismatic leadership. It was a little better. After the presentation, Rasberry was asking us questions and he asked what an un-charismatic leader was like. Just before he asked that question, I was thinking to myself about Michael from The Office ... how charismatic he is, but just an awful leader. So I was chuckling to myself when Rasberry asked what an un-charismastic leader is like. No one was answering. So he said, "Rocky?" He made it sound like I was an example of an un-charismatic leader. So I said, "what, you think I'm an un-charismatic leader?" The class got a laugh out of it. You had to be there to really get it ... one of those moments.
The other presentation was about volunteer leadership. Boring. All three groups were painfully boring. Maybe it was the topics.
After the presentations, we took a break and then came back and discussed the movies. Then he let us go an hour early since the Mavs were playing. I thought that was really swell of him!
The Mavs lost however ... pitiful.
Next week, our group presents. I also have to start on my final paper. I'll be taking a bunch of self-assesments today and gathering data. I really want to have my rough draft done by Monday.
Database
Rogers talks way too fast. He had a ton to cover last night, so he kicked it into overdrive. It was a blur. And this is supposed to be the most difficult part of the course! We talked about first, second and third normal form. 1st ... make sure all the "cells" have data. 2nd ... are there subsets? Can you make a lookup table from it? 3rd ... I'm drawing a blank right now. He gave us a quiz and it turned out to be just a practice quiz. So next week we'll have the official quiz. It'll be over update anomolies. He said something about secondary keys too. He assigned us the 3rd and final homework. It will take us the longest. We have to fix a bunch of tables and it's supposed to take us a long time. I'll be working on that all day tomorrow.
Quixote Update
I'm a few chapters into the 2nd part.
Chess Update
The number one reason BabasChess is better than Winboard (in my opinion) is that BabasChess has the ability to use a different port other than 5000. Port 5000 is usually blocked by firewalls. Port 23 is used for telnet sessions and is probably not blocked by most firewalls. BabasChess has this option under 'Preferences' (hit F11) then go to the 'Server' tab and click on the 'Advanced' button. Select 'Use alternate server tcp port (23)' and now you can probably log onto FICS from places where the firewall blocks port 5000.
Winboard may have this option, but I never found it.
Discovering this setting really made me happy this week.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Summer Week 4
Another week comes to an end.
Leadership
The final push to complete this class has begun. The 4th class was decent. As with the previous week, there were three presentations. The first one was about corporate ethical conduct. As expected, the group discussed Sarbanes-Oxley and provided some examples of proper conduct as well as unethical conduct. The second group discussed forming character in the military. It was a very interesting presentation. They emphasized that the military tries to break each person and then build them up again according to standards. While they are building them up, they try to instill in them the proper character of a soldier. This was an interesting presentation in light of the recent on-going investiagations in the war in Iraq. The third presentation was about social entrepreneurship. It was an OK presentation. What was really funny about this one was that the group mentioned Ben & Jerry's and how that company tries to import materials from 3rd world countries. After they finished presenting, they informed us that they had brought some ice cream (trying to influence us on our feedback forms). Anyway, Dr. Rasberry is talking to them and the class when one of the presenters starts to get the ice cream ready! Rasberry is trying to tell us something vastly important about ethics and this guy is over there getting the ice cream out of the ice chest ... making noise ... dropping spoons ... unwrapping cups and Rasberry kind of glances over and the student keeps going! One of the other presenters notices and he just puts his hand over his eyes in disbelief. It was kind of comical.
The rest of the time, Rasberry talked about ethics. We talked about Stew Leonard too ... that is an interesting story.
It was a good class.
This week(end) will be busy. I have to watch Gandi, write a paper on it, read 3 chapters and get ready for our group presentation (in two weeks). Fun.
Database
The fun begins. We've left the basics of Excel and Access and now we're getting into referential integrity and normalization. This is still a review for me, but I am learning a few new things. I finished my 2nd homework after the game last night.
We still havn't had our official quiz yet. We may very well one next week.
Quixote Update
I'm still reading it. I need to read about 8 pages a night to finish it before I begin The Circles.
Chess Update
If anyone is reading this, you may know that I created another blog to track my progress with Michael De La Maza's program. His program just isn't about doing 1000 tactics 7 times. Before doing that, he suggests doing some vision drills for a few weeks. To remain true to his program and to honestly test his theory, I am going to go through these drills.
I played a few games with my friend from school. He won twice and we drew once. Upon review, I should have won the two games I lost. He is a very good player ... much more consistent than I am. You can review those games by clicking on the link 'My Recent Blitz Games.'
Leadership
The final push to complete this class has begun. The 4th class was decent. As with the previous week, there were three presentations. The first one was about corporate ethical conduct. As expected, the group discussed Sarbanes-Oxley and provided some examples of proper conduct as well as unethical conduct. The second group discussed forming character in the military. It was a very interesting presentation. They emphasized that the military tries to break each person and then build them up again according to standards. While they are building them up, they try to instill in them the proper character of a soldier. This was an interesting presentation in light of the recent on-going investiagations in the war in Iraq. The third presentation was about social entrepreneurship. It was an OK presentation. What was really funny about this one was that the group mentioned Ben & Jerry's and how that company tries to import materials from 3rd world countries. After they finished presenting, they informed us that they had brought some ice cream (trying to influence us on our feedback forms). Anyway, Dr. Rasberry is talking to them and the class when one of the presenters starts to get the ice cream ready! Rasberry is trying to tell us something vastly important about ethics and this guy is over there getting the ice cream out of the ice chest ... making noise ... dropping spoons ... unwrapping cups and Rasberry kind of glances over and the student keeps going! One of the other presenters notices and he just puts his hand over his eyes in disbelief. It was kind of comical.
The rest of the time, Rasberry talked about ethics. We talked about Stew Leonard too ... that is an interesting story.
It was a good class.
This week(end) will be busy. I have to watch Gandi, write a paper on it, read 3 chapters and get ready for our group presentation (in two weeks). Fun.
Database
The fun begins. We've left the basics of Excel and Access and now we're getting into referential integrity and normalization. This is still a review for me, but I am learning a few new things. I finished my 2nd homework after the game last night.
We still havn't had our official quiz yet. We may very well one next week.
Quixote Update
I'm still reading it. I need to read about 8 pages a night to finish it before I begin The Circles.
Chess Update
If anyone is reading this, you may know that I created another blog to track my progress with Michael De La Maza's program. His program just isn't about doing 1000 tactics 7 times. Before doing that, he suggests doing some vision drills for a few weeks. To remain true to his program and to honestly test his theory, I am going to go through these drills.
I played a few games with my friend from school. He won twice and we drew once. Upon review, I should have won the two games I lost. He is a very good player ... much more consistent than I am. You can review those games by clicking on the link 'My Recent Blitz Games.'
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Wrong Set Up ... Again
Among the chess community, there is generally known pet-peeve ... setting up the board incorrectly in advertisements, movies and videos such as this. Chessbase News posted a link to the video found on Google's Video site.
As you see, the author of the video overlooked this detail.
As you see, the author of the video overlooked this detail.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Summer Week 3
The Summer term rolls on ...
Leadership
The 3rd class meeting began with 3 presentations. Groups of three people present on a designated subject. If I recall correctly, the three topics were "Corporate Succession", "Executive Coaching" and "Level 5 Leadership." I remember that two of the groups did pretty well. The 3rd group wasn't all that great.
After the presentations, we got into the main topics. We discussed the chapters we read (style and situational leadership).
We have one more movie to watch and review. He gave us a few more options to choose from. Instead of "Goodnight and Good Luck," we can now choose "Gandi," or "Stand and Deliver." If we don't do a movie review of those listed above, then we have to watch and review "Elizabeth."
This week, we have an corporate ethics paper due. We were to review and major corporation's website and read its corporate governance statement. Then we were to compare that to some information from a database about directors of boards.
Database
We discussed SQL in this class. Just before the break, he gave us a mock quiz over the Excel stuff we had learned about the previous week.
He assigned the 2nd homework assignment. He said that the first two HW assignments are easy and that the 3rd will take us several hours to complete. So tonight, I'm going to try to get the 2nd HW assignment completed.
Quixote
I'm still plugging away. I've finished about half the book.
Chess Update
I played my friend in class last week. We played a 3 0 game. He won. Both of us missed huge tactical moves.
Last night, I was planning on playing a few games, but I turned on the TV and ended up watching the National Geographic Channel presentation "Space Race." I found it highly fascinating. Anyway ... I watched that instead of playing chess.
Leadership
The 3rd class meeting began with 3 presentations. Groups of three people present on a designated subject. If I recall correctly, the three topics were "Corporate Succession", "Executive Coaching" and "Level 5 Leadership." I remember that two of the groups did pretty well. The 3rd group wasn't all that great.
After the presentations, we got into the main topics. We discussed the chapters we read (style and situational leadership).
We have one more movie to watch and review. He gave us a few more options to choose from. Instead of "Goodnight and Good Luck," we can now choose "Gandi," or "Stand and Deliver." If we don't do a movie review of those listed above, then we have to watch and review "Elizabeth."
This week, we have an corporate ethics paper due. We were to review and major corporation's website and read its corporate governance statement. Then we were to compare that to some information from a database about directors of boards.
Database
We discussed SQL in this class. Just before the break, he gave us a mock quiz over the Excel stuff we had learned about the previous week.
He assigned the 2nd homework assignment. He said that the first two HW assignments are easy and that the 3rd will take us several hours to complete. So tonight, I'm going to try to get the 2nd HW assignment completed.
Quixote
I'm still plugging away. I've finished about half the book.
Chess Update
I played my friend in class last week. We played a 3 0 game. He won. Both of us missed huge tactical moves.
Last night, I was planning on playing a few games, but I turned on the TV and ended up watching the National Geographic Channel presentation "Space Race." I found it highly fascinating. Anyway ... I watched that instead of playing chess.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Commentary on MBA & Chess
Before I went back to school to work on my MBA, I played lots of chess. I would go running in the morning, get into work by 7:30am and be home by 5:00pm. We would eat dinner and hang out and play with the kids. Then after the kids were tucked in and asleep, I would dial-up, fire up Winboard, log onto FICS and play chess. Eventually, there were little reprimands from my wife about how long I was on-line playing chess. This was completely understandable since she wanted to use the phone and I was clogging it up (we couldn't quite afford high-speed in those days). But we came to an understanding and worked it out.
Anyway, I eventually joined a couple of slow time-control on-line tournaments and I would play my games on the weekends. I enjoyed the slower time controls. I could think, reason and calculate without pressure. I won a few games and lost a few games. Our team did average.
On occasion before a game began, I felt that I was going to win. I was confident that I could beat my opponent and win all the glory for our team. I made my moves carefully ... making sure not to blunder or mis-calculate. But despite all my efforts to play a tight game, I occasionally blundered. Sometimes that blunder occured with about 10 to 15 minutes on my clock. I knew I would lose the game, but I played on and eventually lost anyway. I would get so angry and frustrated with myself. I just couldn't believe what a patzer I was! How could I do such a thing! What an absolute waste of time!!
This last rant bugged me the most. I felt that after spending over 2 hours playing a careful chess game, only to throw it down the drain ... it was almost unbearable. I began to think of all the things I could have done in those two hours that would have been "better." I expressed my frustration to my wife and she would just agree that it was a waste of time ... that I should be working on something more meaningful. Out of this line of thought (and plenty of prodding from my wife) came the desire to get my MBA.
Instead of studying and playing chess, I could devote those two or three hours a night to studying the GMAT and working on homework. The guilt from playing chess and not working on my MBA was unbearable, so I did something about it.
If I always won those games, I don't think I would have started my MBA.
As odd as it sounds, the main (deep down) reason I decided to get my MBA was so that I didn't have those feelings of guilt of wasting time. I was motivated to get my degree so that I could focus on chess without the guilt. I wasn't motivated to get that MBA so I could earn more money or to move up the company ladder. I did it so that I could play guilt-free chess.
There now ... I've admitted it. I am addicted to chess.
It does not disrupt my life, but I do think about it a lot.
However, my addiction to chess just may turn out to be one of the best things that has occured in my life (that and the fact that I am a totally horrid chess player). Because of my addiction (and lack of ability to play real chess), I became motivated to go out and get that MBA degree. Upon graduation, I will have accomplished one of the biggest events in my life. I will be a Master of Business Administration! It will undoubtedly affect my career and has already affected my competitiveness.
After December 2006, I will either focus on moving up in the IT world or I will make a lateral jump over to the finance industry. With those moves I hope to find greater fulfillment in my career and be able to make a greater contribution to the company. Regardless of the move I make, my salary will increase significantly. With that increased salary comes greater financial freedom and security for my family. I might even be able to afford a subscription to Playchess and ICC as well as register with the US Chess Federation.
Besides affecting my career, my MBA has affected my competitiveness. My competitive spirit has always been mild. I like to compete, but I am no shark, who when smelling blood goes for the kill. That has changed now. I took a few classes that have turned me into a more tenacious competitor. The class that helped me the most with this aspect was the negotiations class with Pinckley. That increase in tenacity helped me become more mentally tough and less of a wallflower. I am thick-skinned now and I can handle a lot more crap and then bounce right back and ask for more.
I have matured. I have matured more by earning that MBA than if I hadn't.
When I play and lose a game of chess now, it just motivates me more to get back into the game and improve. My hunger to improve my tactical prowess grows each day. I am looking forward to devouring those 7 (or 10) circles of tactics. When I waste a bunch of time losing in chess, it doesn't affect me like it did a few years ago.
I view losing a game of chess like I do losing a game of pickup basketball. I play three times a week and our games get very competitive. The Saturday morning group is the most competive ... there are about 5 Harvard grads who play in that group. When our team loses a game, usually no one is upset. Rather we are eager to get back in and beat those bas****s! I've learned from MBA school and the Saturday morning bunch to channel those frustrations. This has not only helped me in chess, but in my work and home life.
So you see, my addiction to chess is a good thing.
Some might say as Abraham Lincoln once said, "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." Although I too can say that of my mother, I can also say, "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to chess!"
Anyway, I eventually joined a couple of slow time-control on-line tournaments and I would play my games on the weekends. I enjoyed the slower time controls. I could think, reason and calculate without pressure. I won a few games and lost a few games. Our team did average.
On occasion before a game began, I felt that I was going to win. I was confident that I could beat my opponent and win all the glory for our team. I made my moves carefully ... making sure not to blunder or mis-calculate. But despite all my efforts to play a tight game, I occasionally blundered. Sometimes that blunder occured with about 10 to 15 minutes on my clock. I knew I would lose the game, but I played on and eventually lost anyway. I would get so angry and frustrated with myself. I just couldn't believe what a patzer I was! How could I do such a thing! What an absolute waste of time!!
This last rant bugged me the most. I felt that after spending over 2 hours playing a careful chess game, only to throw it down the drain ... it was almost unbearable. I began to think of all the things I could have done in those two hours that would have been "better." I expressed my frustration to my wife and she would just agree that it was a waste of time ... that I should be working on something more meaningful. Out of this line of thought (and plenty of prodding from my wife) came the desire to get my MBA.
Instead of studying and playing chess, I could devote those two or three hours a night to studying the GMAT and working on homework. The guilt from playing chess and not working on my MBA was unbearable, so I did something about it.
If I always won those games, I don't think I would have started my MBA.
As odd as it sounds, the main (deep down) reason I decided to get my MBA was so that I didn't have those feelings of guilt of wasting time. I was motivated to get my degree so that I could focus on chess without the guilt. I wasn't motivated to get that MBA so I could earn more money or to move up the company ladder. I did it so that I could play guilt-free chess.
There now ... I've admitted it. I am addicted to chess.
It does not disrupt my life, but I do think about it a lot.
However, my addiction to chess just may turn out to be one of the best things that has occured in my life (that and the fact that I am a totally horrid chess player). Because of my addiction (and lack of ability to play real chess), I became motivated to go out and get that MBA degree. Upon graduation, I will have accomplished one of the biggest events in my life. I will be a Master of Business Administration! It will undoubtedly affect my career and has already affected my competitiveness.
After December 2006, I will either focus on moving up in the IT world or I will make a lateral jump over to the finance industry. With those moves I hope to find greater fulfillment in my career and be able to make a greater contribution to the company. Regardless of the move I make, my salary will increase significantly. With that increased salary comes greater financial freedom and security for my family. I might even be able to afford a subscription to Playchess and ICC as well as register with the US Chess Federation.
Besides affecting my career, my MBA has affected my competitiveness. My competitive spirit has always been mild. I like to compete, but I am no shark, who when smelling blood goes for the kill. That has changed now. I took a few classes that have turned me into a more tenacious competitor. The class that helped me the most with this aspect was the negotiations class with Pinckley. That increase in tenacity helped me become more mentally tough and less of a wallflower. I am thick-skinned now and I can handle a lot more crap and then bounce right back and ask for more.
I have matured. I have matured more by earning that MBA than if I hadn't.
When I play and lose a game of chess now, it just motivates me more to get back into the game and improve. My hunger to improve my tactical prowess grows each day. I am looking forward to devouring those 7 (or 10) circles of tactics. When I waste a bunch of time losing in chess, it doesn't affect me like it did a few years ago.
I view losing a game of chess like I do losing a game of pickup basketball. I play three times a week and our games get very competitive. The Saturday morning group is the most competive ... there are about 5 Harvard grads who play in that group. When our team loses a game, usually no one is upset. Rather we are eager to get back in and beat those bas****s! I've learned from MBA school and the Saturday morning bunch to channel those frustrations. This has not only helped me in chess, but in my work and home life.
So you see, my addiction to chess is a good thing.
Some might say as Abraham Lincoln once said, "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." Although I too can say that of my mother, I can also say, "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to chess!"
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Summer Week 2
Leadership
The 2nd class was interesting. As part of our grade, we are to contribute to the discussion. I've always have had a hard time making a meaninful comment in any class. I'm there to learn ... to receive input. After receiving input, I go home, review and internalize. That's how I learn. At one point in the discussion last week, he called on me and asked me a question. I didn't know what to say. The first thing that popped in my head was the movie Patton. So I said something about that and he stopped me saying that he didn't want to get into the movie yet. Oh well.
Another thing about the comments ... he asks for examples. He wants us to recognize these traits and skills in our working environments and other life experiences. I had a hard time thinking of examples last week. So when I was reading the chapter this week, I tried to think of examples so that I would be prepared to comment.
I think I have my final project planned out. I am going to use the questionaires at the end of each chapter to evaluate my leadership style. I am going to have my team lead, supervisor a co-worker and my wife fill out the same questionaires. Then I am going to compare my answers to their answers and then produce a plan to be better in those areas where I lack. I think it will be interesting.
I've got to start on my ethics paper today. It's due next week.
Database
Last week, we worked a lot with Excel. He showed us all the tricks and neat things Excel can do as a database. We did VLOOKUPs, text replacements, string commands, pivot tables and a few other things. It was a really good class.
He assigned us our first homework assignment. We read the 2nd and 3rd chapters and did some questions from the end of the chapter. We also imported some data from Excel to begin working on our database for the rest of the homework assignments. I finished last night. It's due Sunday night.
Quixote Update
I'm still reading it. I don't think I'll do chapter reviews any more. I'm not going to be posting here every day. Right now, I'm on chapter 47 (according to the on-line version).
Chess Update
I found out that friend from school teaches and plays chess. I told him about FICS and he signed up. If you're reading this, Todd, then you probably found my finger note with a link to this blog. When are we going to play?
I was able to play a few games this weekend. Nothing serious. While I was reading for the database class, I logged on to the Chessmaster site (UBI). I found a game and lost. The server isn't that robust. Plus, there aren't that many people who play there. At night, there are just a handful on-line.
The 2nd class was interesting. As part of our grade, we are to contribute to the discussion. I've always have had a hard time making a meaninful comment in any class. I'm there to learn ... to receive input. After receiving input, I go home, review and internalize. That's how I learn. At one point in the discussion last week, he called on me and asked me a question. I didn't know what to say. The first thing that popped in my head was the movie Patton. So I said something about that and he stopped me saying that he didn't want to get into the movie yet. Oh well.
Another thing about the comments ... he asks for examples. He wants us to recognize these traits and skills in our working environments and other life experiences. I had a hard time thinking of examples last week. So when I was reading the chapter this week, I tried to think of examples so that I would be prepared to comment.
I think I have my final project planned out. I am going to use the questionaires at the end of each chapter to evaluate my leadership style. I am going to have my team lead, supervisor a co-worker and my wife fill out the same questionaires. Then I am going to compare my answers to their answers and then produce a plan to be better in those areas where I lack. I think it will be interesting.
I've got to start on my ethics paper today. It's due next week.
Database
Last week, we worked a lot with Excel. He showed us all the tricks and neat things Excel can do as a database. We did VLOOKUPs, text replacements, string commands, pivot tables and a few other things. It was a really good class.
He assigned us our first homework assignment. We read the 2nd and 3rd chapters and did some questions from the end of the chapter. We also imported some data from Excel to begin working on our database for the rest of the homework assignments. I finished last night. It's due Sunday night.
Quixote Update
I'm still reading it. I don't think I'll do chapter reviews any more. I'm not going to be posting here every day. Right now, I'm on chapter 47 (according to the on-line version).
Chess Update
I found out that friend from school teaches and plays chess. I told him about FICS and he signed up. If you're reading this, Todd, then you probably found my finger note with a link to this blog. When are we going to play?
I was able to play a few games this weekend. Nothing serious. While I was reading for the database class, I logged on to the Chessmaster site (UBI). I found a game and lost. The server isn't that robust. Plus, there aren't that many people who play there. At night, there are just a handful on-line.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Summer Week 1
Leadership
Dr. Rasberry seems like a nice enough professor. He was a little sick the first night and could not talk well. He let us out early. The class will be busy. We'll have 3 short papers, 1 presentation and 1 huge paper to write. On top of all that, we have to really participate in class discussions. It will be a good and enjoyable class. The key (for me) is to get a head start on that final paper.
This weekend, I watched Patton the movie. Today I wrote the 2-page report on it. I framed it around the trait and skill model outlined in the book. The first two chapters of the book dealt with these models.
I think it will be a good class and I'm looking forward to the remaining weeks.
Database
Stewart Rogers teaches the database class. I took the Excel seminar from him. He talks a million miles an hour. He is very smart.
The class wasn't too boring. It looks like I'll have my nose in the textbook a lot during this class. All that we have are a few homework assignments, a pop quiz and a final for the class. I think I'll do well enough in this class.
I have a feeling that I'm going to really enjoy this first mod and really hate the 2nd mod. We'll see.
Quixote Update
It is still sitting there. I'll be getting back into my routine this week and so hopefully I'll find some time to read.
Chess Update
I worked from home on Thursday. I played a couple of games during lunch. I can't remember what happened.
Dr. Rasberry seems like a nice enough professor. He was a little sick the first night and could not talk well. He let us out early. The class will be busy. We'll have 3 short papers, 1 presentation and 1 huge paper to write. On top of all that, we have to really participate in class discussions. It will be a good and enjoyable class. The key (for me) is to get a head start on that final paper.
This weekend, I watched Patton the movie. Today I wrote the 2-page report on it. I framed it around the trait and skill model outlined in the book. The first two chapters of the book dealt with these models.
I think it will be a good class and I'm looking forward to the remaining weeks.
Database
Stewart Rogers teaches the database class. I took the Excel seminar from him. He talks a million miles an hour. He is very smart.
The class wasn't too boring. It looks like I'll have my nose in the textbook a lot during this class. All that we have are a few homework assignments, a pop quiz and a final for the class. I think I'll do well enough in this class.
I have a feeling that I'm going to really enjoy this first mod and really hate the 2nd mod. We'll see.
Quixote Update
It is still sitting there. I'll be getting back into my routine this week and so hopefully I'll find some time to read.
Chess Update
I worked from home on Thursday. I played a couple of games during lunch. I can't remember what happened.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Summer Term Is Here
The week-long break was very welcome and needed. I feel ready to start the last big push. A mere 14 more weeks of school and then I can relax a lot more. I'll only have one class a week from September to graduation in December.
Summer Term
The first two classes I'll be taking are Organizational Leadership and Database Design for Business Applications. In my mind, I think OL will be easy and DDBA will be the tough class. So in reality, it will be just the opposite. By the end of the course, I'll be hating OL and loving DDBA.
For Mod B, I'll be taking Managing Teams and Security Valuation and Selection. The SVS class is the 2nd part to the PTAP class. So I am a bit leary of that class. The MT class will be interesting. After reading the class description, it sounds like the teacher is an HR nutcase. The class is restricted to 35 students and if I remember correctly the teacher is pretty anal about showing up on time and stuff. This has me a bit worried because by the time I'll be taking this class, we'll be having our 4th child (sometime at the end of July and early August.) I hope the teacher won't be a jerk about the situation.
Last year's Summer term was very layed back. That's the way Summer semesters are ... most of the students are home or on internships and there are just a handful going to class. So the campus is really quiet.
I rememeber during orientation back in August 2004, the librarian was taking us newbies on a tour of the library. While we were walking through the study hall, she mentioned that it was finals week and we saw a few students studying hard on a Friday afternoon. That will be me this year.
Quixote Update
Chapter 40
I finished the chapter last night. I'm really lost concerning this Captive story. There is one more chapter before the story ends. It sounds like he is still in prison and is able to communicate with some lady who is also being held captive in a Moorish land. They are planning to make their escape. The next chapter deals with the escape I belive.
Chess Update
The NBA playoffs are on and as such, I'm not playing much chess. In fact, I don't think I've played in almost a week. The Mavs are up 2-1 on the Spurs. Tonight is the big game 4. I hope the Mavs can pull this one off and finish off the Spurs in SA.
The May 15, 2006 chessgames.com puzzle is 24. ... ? Qxe1+ 25. Rxd1 Nc2+ forking the K and Q. Black gains a rook
Summer Term
The first two classes I'll be taking are Organizational Leadership and Database Design for Business Applications. In my mind, I think OL will be easy and DDBA will be the tough class. So in reality, it will be just the opposite. By the end of the course, I'll be hating OL and loving DDBA.
For Mod B, I'll be taking Managing Teams and Security Valuation and Selection. The SVS class is the 2nd part to the PTAP class. So I am a bit leary of that class. The MT class will be interesting. After reading the class description, it sounds like the teacher is an HR nutcase. The class is restricted to 35 students and if I remember correctly the teacher is pretty anal about showing up on time and stuff. This has me a bit worried because by the time I'll be taking this class, we'll be having our 4th child (sometime at the end of July and early August.) I hope the teacher won't be a jerk about the situation.
Last year's Summer term was very layed back. That's the way Summer semesters are ... most of the students are home or on internships and there are just a handful going to class. So the campus is really quiet.
I rememeber during orientation back in August 2004, the librarian was taking us newbies on a tour of the library. While we were walking through the study hall, she mentioned that it was finals week and we saw a few students studying hard on a Friday afternoon. That will be me this year.
Quixote Update
Chapter 40
I finished the chapter last night. I'm really lost concerning this Captive story. There is one more chapter before the story ends. It sounds like he is still in prison and is able to communicate with some lady who is also being held captive in a Moorish land. They are planning to make their escape. The next chapter deals with the escape I belive.
Chess Update
The NBA playoffs are on and as such, I'm not playing much chess. In fact, I don't think I've played in almost a week. The Mavs are up 2-1 on the Spurs. Tonight is the big game 4. I hope the Mavs can pull this one off and finish off the Spurs in SA.
The May 15, 2006 chessgames.com puzzle is 24. ... ? Qxe1+ 25. Rxd1 Nc2+ forking the K and Q. Black gains a rook
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Second Clip Out on ROCKY BALBOA (Movie)
The second movie clip is out.
It shows Rocky walking to the ring before the fight. The music in the backgroud is (I think) the song that those street guys were singing in the very first movie.
Pretty cool clip.
It shows Rocky walking to the ring before the fight. The music in the backgroud is (I think) the song that those street guys were singing in the very first movie.
Pretty cool clip.
Summer Break
I've really been enjoying my Summer break. Last night I stayed up and watched the Dallas Mavericks rip the Spurs apart. If only the would have won game one ... At least the Mavs have homecourt advantage now.
Chess in the News
Much like the BCC, I will be posting some articles I found that are chess-related.
Kids in Tucson are really getting into chess.
This quote reminded me of my daughter (5 yrs). She loves to say the word diagonally.
Math, Reading, Spelling ... and Chess? AF4C's goal is to make chess another subject in elementary school curriculum. AF4C recently won an award for its First Move(TM) chess curriculum on DVD.
Chess Update
Tonight I'll be able to play some chess. My wife has a party planned for the evening, so she and all her friends will be invading our home. After I get the kiddos to bed, I'll going on a date with Dell and FICS.
The May 10, 2006 chessgames.com puzzle is 34. ... ? I'm pretty confident that Ng3+ is the correct move.
Oops ... Bxe4, then Ng3+
Chess in the News
Much like the BCC, I will be posting some articles I found that are chess-related.
Kids in Tucson are really getting into chess.
"My favorites are the bishop and the knight," Kyle said. "I like the bishop
because it moves diagonally . . . I really like diagonally. And I like the
knight because of the cool way it moves, in a L-shape."
This quote reminded me of my daughter (5 yrs). She loves to say the word diagonally.
Math, Reading, Spelling ... and Chess? AF4C's goal is to make chess another subject in elementary school curriculum. AF4C recently won an award for its First Move(TM) chess curriculum on DVD.
Chess Update
Tonight I'll be able to play some chess. My wife has a party planned for the evening, so she and all her friends will be invading our home. After I get the kiddos to bed, I'll going on a date with Dell and FICS.
The May 10, 2006 chessgames.com puzzle is 34. ... ? I'm pretty confident that Ng3+ is the correct move.
Oops ... Bxe4, then Ng3+
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Spring Semester in Review
Spring Term
The grades finally came out.
Game Theory ... B+
Portfolio Theory & Asset Pricing ... B-
This was my 2nd worse semester since the very first semester. I've always earned at least one A- since that first term. This term ends that streak.
It was a tough semester. The spreadsheet class and PTAP kicked my hide. The negotiations and game theory class were enjoyable and I feel like I learned a lot from them.
I hope the Summer Term will go better. I am shooting for an A in both MNO classes.
Quixote Update
Chapter 38
Weird chapter ... Quixote is at the dinner table and delivers a discourse on the difference between a man of arms and a man of learning.
Chapter 39
This chapter begins the story of the captive traveller. A footnote states that this could be a semi-autobiography of Cervantes. It is a wild adventure and I don't see how it adds to the story.
Chess Update
I'm itching to get back in the ring (on-line tournaments). I haven't been able to play as many games as I would have liked. I've been doing a lot of projects around the house and helping out the wife and kids. By the time I have a few free minutes, I am too tired to log on to FICS and play. Instead, I just watch TV or read a book.
The May 9, 2006 chessgames.com puzzle is 38. ? At first, I think the pawn needs to advance to g6 to defend f7 and h7. But I think that there must be some sacrifice. Rh8+ would probably be my best bet. Then on the next move, advance the pawn to g6.
The answer ... Rh8+.
The grades finally came out.
Game Theory ... B+
Portfolio Theory & Asset Pricing ... B-
This was my 2nd worse semester since the very first semester. I've always earned at least one A- since that first term. This term ends that streak.
It was a tough semester. The spreadsheet class and PTAP kicked my hide. The negotiations and game theory class were enjoyable and I feel like I learned a lot from them.
I hope the Summer Term will go better. I am shooting for an A in both MNO classes.
Quixote Update
Chapter 38
Weird chapter ... Quixote is at the dinner table and delivers a discourse on the difference between a man of arms and a man of learning.
Chapter 39
This chapter begins the story of the captive traveller. A footnote states that this could be a semi-autobiography of Cervantes. It is a wild adventure and I don't see how it adds to the story.
Chess Update
I'm itching to get back in the ring (on-line tournaments). I haven't been able to play as many games as I would have liked. I've been doing a lot of projects around the house and helping out the wife and kids. By the time I have a few free minutes, I am too tired to log on to FICS and play. Instead, I just watch TV or read a book.
The May 9, 2006 chessgames.com puzzle is 38. ? At first, I think the pawn needs to advance to g6 to defend f7 and h7. But I think that there must be some sacrifice. Rh8+ would probably be my best bet. Then on the next move, advance the pawn to g6.
The answer ... Rh8+.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Mod B is Over
PTAP
The PTAP final was brutal.
Just imagine Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago both fighting Rocky in the same ring at the same time ... just imagine what Rocky would look like at the end of the match. His left eye would be completly closed. He'd have cuts above his eyes, blood gushing out his nose and maybe even missing a few teeth. But Rocky would still be standing. That is what the PTAP final did to me last night. It was the hardest test I've taken at Cox.
Kumar said that we should manage our time and that it would take at least 2 hours. The test started at 6:30pm. It was around 8:10pm when the first person got up and handed in his test ... he's probably the smartest student in the class and he was in our group. 8:30pm rolls around ... everyone is still there. 8:45pm and a second exam is turned in. 9:10pm and Kumar comes back in and says that the morning class was pretty much done by this time! One student said, "they just gave up early!" Everyone laughed. 9:20pm and I am done. I can't take it anymore ... my brain is fried, my hand is numb from writing and I'm tried of flipping between the 15 pages to see if I answered all the questions. I go through the test one more time and count up the points (what I think I'd get). I estimate that I'll get a 30/50 (60%). I add our project scores and I estimate I'll get about an 85% in the class ... a solid B. Anyway, I'm the 4th person to turn it in ... I give up. One other student turns in his exam at the same time. As we are leaving the building, he says that the test was a beast and that it was the hardest test he's taken. I agree with him.
I drive home and just sit on the couch. It wasn't until I woke up this morning that it sunk in that I'm done with the Spring semester.
Now I play the waiting game ... grades should come out early next week.
LET SUMMER BREAK BEGIN!
Quixote Update
Didn't read.
Chess Update
Tonight I play chess! After I put the kids to bed and do some light reading, I am going to play for a full hour. I can't wait!
The May 3, 2006 chessgames.com puzzle is 55. ? Nxc4+ Black would capture the knight with a pawn and then the white queen would check the king at d6. Black must block with his queen so white checks with the queen on b8. At this point, black will lose the queen and the game.
The answer is Nxc4+ and it follows as I said.
The PTAP final was brutal.
Just imagine Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago both fighting Rocky in the same ring at the same time ... just imagine what Rocky would look like at the end of the match. His left eye would be completly closed. He'd have cuts above his eyes, blood gushing out his nose and maybe even missing a few teeth. But Rocky would still be standing. That is what the PTAP final did to me last night. It was the hardest test I've taken at Cox.
Kumar said that we should manage our time and that it would take at least 2 hours. The test started at 6:30pm. It was around 8:10pm when the first person got up and handed in his test ... he's probably the smartest student in the class and he was in our group. 8:30pm rolls around ... everyone is still there. 8:45pm and a second exam is turned in. 9:10pm and Kumar comes back in and says that the morning class was pretty much done by this time! One student said, "they just gave up early!" Everyone laughed. 9:20pm and I am done. I can't take it anymore ... my brain is fried, my hand is numb from writing and I'm tried of flipping between the 15 pages to see if I answered all the questions. I go through the test one more time and count up the points (what I think I'd get). I estimate that I'll get a 30/50 (60%). I add our project scores and I estimate I'll get about an 85% in the class ... a solid B. Anyway, I'm the 4th person to turn it in ... I give up. One other student turns in his exam at the same time. As we are leaving the building, he says that the test was a beast and that it was the hardest test he's taken. I agree with him.
I drive home and just sit on the couch. It wasn't until I woke up this morning that it sunk in that I'm done with the Spring semester.
Now I play the waiting game ... grades should come out early next week.
LET SUMMER BREAK BEGIN!
Quixote Update
Didn't read.
Chess Update
Tonight I play chess! After I put the kids to bed and do some light reading, I am going to play for a full hour. I can't wait!
The May 3, 2006 chessgames.com puzzle is 55. ? Nxc4+ Black would capture the knight with a pawn and then the white queen would check the king at d6. Black must block with his queen so white checks with the queen on b8. At this point, black will lose the queen and the game.
The answer is Nxc4+ and it follows as I said.
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