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Test question from CIS 1055 Midterm:  Which of the following is the largest representation of data?

A) MB
B) ZB
C) TB
D) GB

Correct answer:  B,  but the “correct” answer was C.  Apparently someone never heard of the zettabyte or 10^21 bytes.

I narrowly missed the arrival of the 5:43 PM train so I went to the bathroom and started checking my email, in the process confirming a suspicion I’ve had since going to Temple.  Every bathroom stall in a building with a wifi connection receives a signal yet approximately 1/3rd of the bathrooms do not.  I applaud the Temple Technology Committee’s prioritization.

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Two groups presented case studies today in BA 4196.  For once, the humor was not from marketing majors fumbling to come up with financial justifications or accounting majors trying to explain how a solution could be sold but the instructor.  Over the semester, the number of students using laptops has continuously increased and today the teacher jumped on the bandwagon.  He spent the entire 45 minute period dicking around with his laptop, and not that dicking that’s just fudging with it while taking notes, this was hard-core screen adjustment, battery removal, USB mouse attaching and all.  He picked up nothing, and at the end of the period when he opened the floor no one said anything.  I was curious to see how he dealt with him having no information so when he looked towards me with the “you’re the fat one, you always have an opinion” glance I stared at the carpet weaving on the wall.

He began visibly sweating and eventually simply dismissed the class claiming he’d have to “look over” his notes.  I can’t wait for grades to be posted.

Update: They got a B-, I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean, but if I think my next presentation will go poorly, I think I’ll start using a laser pointer to try to distract him.

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In my BA 2101 “Get Ready to Work” class, one assignment consisted of creating a fake experience portfolio for a job interview.  The process was to think about a hypothetical piece of work you could provide to an employer to prove competence in your field.  Easy for a photographer, actor, or writer, not so easy for an actuary.  I wrote the following:

  1. Randomly select 10 people from local retirement home
  2. Guess when they’ll die
  3. Check-up periodically, select new people as fogeys succumb to icy hand of death

I hope that counts.  Should it not, like four would become “based on results, adjust investments in Centrum Silver and coffin manufacturers accordingly.

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I’m currently sitting in BA 2101 and looking over the shoulder of the guy in front of me’s laptop.  He’s on a Nike-fanboy site talking about some guy who stole prototypes of a new color (it was gold with green sparkles).  His Flickr feed consisted of pictures of his shoes in front of monuments and stuff  and he’s a moderator on NikeTalk.   During this he took a picture of his shoes in class. Somewhere, a marketing executive for Nike has just climaxed while a child factory worker shed a single tear.

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Today I tried not drinking the coffee.  I have a train-friend that regularly purchases coffee on the way to the station and I spoke with this friend about providing their cup of coffee.  So, I got the AA Kenya with 2 sugars and 2 creams and proudly brought it onto the train.  Train stopped at Somerton station, no friend.  So I figured I’d just hold the coffee and dump it when I got to Temple.

People start piling in and my arm’s getting tired as I have no real place to put it down.  I’m pretty sure the guy next to me starts looking at me funny as I hold this cup of coffee without drinking it and my arm starts shaking as holding out the cup starts getting to me.  I think about trying to give it away until realizing that no one would accept a fat stranger’s coffee.

In frustration I start drinking it, remembering why I hate regular coffee, so I’m sitting there downing piping hot coffee contorting my face in pain.  I’m the kind of guy guys like me hate sitting next to on the train thinking they’re crazy.  I’ve become a monster.

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In actuarial modeling we discussed estimating parameters as represented by phi.  We went over various methods of  estimating and other determinations and one student was having trouble figuring out what phi was doing.  After a tense interchange the instructor finally blurted out “don’t make a point estimate, only God knows phi!”

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BA 4196 – Instructed by the world’s ugliest man. In fact, during the opening discussion I had trouble talking with him as I was distracted by all the hideous he had on his face. He has bat-like vision and dog-like hearing and doesn’t like computers so I’ve been trying to find a way to type quietly.

Econ 3563 – Instructor’s taught the course for 38 years and does the entire course without notes or an outline and I’ve always admired teachers that could that. He has no concept of formatting and it appeared he was equally likely to double space after a period as to simply hit tab.

Him: Unless your an accountant or an actuary, most of the material in this course is useless.
Me: WOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (my shout of joy lasted a good three seconds and was impolitely loud)

He also made fun of Philadelphia for using the term jimmies instead of sprinkles.

Lunch-A delicious chicken Caesar sandwich. If tasty needed a representative on the UN Security Council, this sandwich would be in the running as a delegate from Tastionia.

Act Sci 3503-Worst handwriting I’ve ever seen, like difficulty making somewhat straight lines bad.   He read the syllabus as someone who’s retiring remembers the milestones of his work “Credibility indexes, we had some wild times when those first came on the scene.  We were young” and the like.

Train-Sandwiched between woman thinking I was reading her book and women whose book I was reading.

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Both the inbound and outbound trains were running late today and when exiting the R3 at Temple, a man ran up to me.
Man: I saw you earlier and I wanted to say good job.
Me: For what?
Man: For sticking it to ’em.
Me: *silence**silence**silence* Thanks.
WHAT THE FUCK IS HE TALKING ABOUT! Who am I possibly sticking it to? The fashion industry? Eskimos? Thin People?  Tell me crazy R5-train-taking man!

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The shorts thing really isn’t sinking in to the Temple Folk.  At Neshaminy, everyone knew, that simple.  They knew it wasn’t for a particular reason, I wasn’t being macho, I just didn’t like pants.  The extent of this oddity came today when I was walking to class near and one legged man in a wheelchair wearing one of those ridiculous jester ski hats and most people were looking at me.