CS371P Spring 2020: Matthew Bianchi

Week 11

What did you do this past week?

This past week was more adapting to the new online class system due to the coronavirus. In class, we discussed the vector class and how that is implemented in C++, which I will talk about more below. We were also assigned our new project, which I started working on.

What’s in your way?

A large portion of my time at the start of this week will be devoted to studying for tests in my other classes, so I will need to make sure I devote enough time to getting this project done. I will need to be very disciplined with how I use my time in order to complete this project well.

What will you do next week?

This week, I will be working on and finishing the Darwin project for this class after I finish studying and taking my tests. This project looks to be a significant amount of work, so I need to ensure I start early and allocate plenty of time for me to complete it.

What was your experience of vector? (this question will vary, week to week)

The vector class of C++ has a lot of moving parts, but the way it was explained in class made it seem very reasonable. I felt that I understood how the class worked, and I see how these principles could apply to other classes in C++ and in other languages. The decision to use functions for vector as a wrapper for other calls makes sense, and saves us a lot of headache down the line (since we rely on these functions working rather than writing them ourselves, meaning less code we have to get right).

One question I did have about vector was that our implementations in class always seemed to use an array of exact size, whereas vectors can grow, and in our implementation, growth isn’t amortized. I assume this is simply because we either haven’t gotten into that function of the implementation or it isn’t necessary to show us that for the sake of understanding the principles of object-oriented programming. However, it doesn’t seem too difficult to actually implement this based on our current code.

What was your experience of the ethics material? (this question will vary, week to week)

I think the ethics material covers an increasingly important aspect of computer science, and of the world in general. With increasing amounts of data stored online, it is vitally important that companies and workers act in ethical ways to protect the public. Ethics doesn’t only apply to this aspect, however; Even as an employee, you should act ethically in your daily encounters. In society today, ethics is sadly undervalued but yet is still extremely important in every aspect.

What made you happy this week?

This week, several of my friends and I gained closed beta access to a new game called VALORANT, a strategic first-person shooter. It was only available to a few people, but several of us were lucky enough to gain access. The game is very fun, and I enjoy playing with my friends. Unfortunately, due to the many things coming up this week, I will have very little time to be able to play it, but it is still a fun game I look forward to playing.

What’s your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?

This is a tip for quarantining: Even though you have to isolate yourself, that does not mean you have to stay inside. You can go on walks, take a bike ride around the neighborhood, or whatever you really wish to do, as long as you stay away from other people. I know for me that getting a breath of fresh air helps a lot, and that is still very important and very doable in this time.