RANT ALERT: All the college / uni project questions

Did you win some kind of competition for token cynic? ]:slight_smile: When was it held anyway? ]:smiley:

I'm cynical enough to know that a competition for token cynic would be rigged against me. Thus, the preemptive strike.

Pete

There's probably enough cynics here to form clubs and have a cynic's olympics.
IMO, years of dealing between machines and people should do it to anyone.

Thumbs up for the post, reply #2, 10, 14 and 18. :smiley: In particular "Instant gratification" - yes, please. :wink:

That's what's been pumped into their heads since before they could reason, from cartoons to movies. Smart kids "just know what to do" without actually studying and doing a thing. You just walk up and presto-a-priori pull off the next miracle.
To be fair, that's probably how language, art and acting majors see science and engineering majors.. and who makes the shows?

I was going to try to be more cynical, but I realized I would probably suck at it anyway and nobody would care even I could.

like the recent radio PSA's encouraging kids to go to college (in my area)?

Some are worse than others, the latest a kid is playing a "war game" of some sorts online and is excited to make "MVP of the round!"

well ok, grats kid .. then he goes on to say "its that kind of skill, determination and hard work thats going to make me succeed in college!"

wait what?

Would it be un-cynical to say at least they're better than climate change deniers? :slight_smile: :blush:

Osgeld:
like the recent radio PSA's encouraging kids to go to college (in my area)?

Some are worse than others, the latest a kid is playing a "war game" of some sorts online and is excited to make "MVP of the round!"

well ok, grats kid .. then he goes on to say "its that kind of skill, determination and hard work thats going to make me succeed in college!"

wait what?

Seriously? That's a PSA? Wow. Perhaps the Mayans were right. Some the things that people see as "accomplishments" are just incredible. That'll look just dandy on the CV, kid.

my bad they dont say anything about hard work (and the kid only says determination ... hey its a radio ad my bad)

http://www.knowhow2go.org/partners/assets_files/files/1300207075.mp3

who knew, video games and break dancing are college skills

who knew, video games and break dancing are college skills

What's wrong with these kids: don't they drink beer anymore?

Boffin1:
I wonder if one day we will get a poster asking where to start on making a project that flashes an LED on pin 13 every second ?

When I was doing my engineering diploma at a Melbourne technical college (a long time ago), the lecturer told us a tale of this student who used many many NOP's for a delay loop. Sigh ! don't they RTFM, was my thought at the time.
Well, having read this thread, I guess he at least tried to be constructive.

JimboZA:

who knew, video games and break dancing are college skills

What's wrong with these kids: don't they drink beer anymore?

And the hard stuff too and think nothing of it in quite the same way that everything else is easy.

Look up an "every 15 minutes" video. That's how often drunk driving wastes another life in the US alone. But hey, at least it's not guns!

A: I'm so thirsty! I need water.
B: So get some from the well.
A: What well?
B: It's right over there.
A: Wow, that must be 10 meters away!
B: Then you'd better get started.
A: Hey, I don't have a bucket.
B: Bucket's in the well.
A: And I don't have a cup.
B: Use your hands.
A: Why don't you get the cup and water for me? And some lemon for taste.
B: So long....

the lecturer told us a tale of this student who used many many NOP's for a delay loop.

Depending on the circumstance, it could be the smartest decision or the dumbest decision. Without knowing how the student arrived at this decision, it is impossible to assess.

JimboZA:
[rant]
I know forums are magnets for school / college / uni project help... that's the nature of the beast.

But I can't help but think that right now, there are too many threads started by people who literally don't know where to start.

I can kind of understand that with a school project: with so little knowledge it's easy to underestimate the skill level. I'm spending quite a bit of time helping one such poster right now, and am doing so (reasonably) gladly.
[/rant]

I made it through engineering and associated projects before the internet and forums even existed (1984).

I wonder how I did it? :slight_smile:

Yeah but you're probably competent on your own.

I wonder how I did it?

You probably used the library, the "web" of the "olden days"

Did you win some kind of competition for token cynic?

Hey! Why wasn't I told?
I demand a recount.

AWOL:

Did you win some kind of competition for token cynic?

Hey! Why wasn't I told?
I demand a recount.

Wouldn't help, the recount would be rigged.

Lefty

GoForSmoke:
Yeah but you're probably competent on your own.

Thanks, yes. I worked in engineering for my career (retired now) and have time to play with model RR and Arduinos. In my career I did a lot of data acquisition using LabView and related hardware.

I can actually answer a fair amount of questions I've seen here because a lot are covered by basic engineering and "common sense" but I don't want to be too out front since I'm a newbie here.

And it does seen that a fair amount of these projects seem to be something related to a college lab project or the like - I mean, what have I run across lately: an ethernet controlled coffee pot? Counting chickens and when they lay eggs? I don't mean to say they couldn't be useful "real-world" projects but they sure sound lab-related, something a professor would dream up as a challenge.

Back in the day we couldn't write an email or go to the internet for help or canned answers - no texting, no video chat, and many articles that were useful were just ripped out of the periodical so they didn't exist either. I'd either go to the library or sit at my desk with the related text books and come up with the answer myself, or working with a classmate. Ah the good old days.

I think it's a good resource to have forums for help but I wonder how many students take the time to work out the answer themselves these days?