• COSC 365  - Programming Languages and Systems (Brad Vander Zanden) – language paradigms, language design, and implementation issues.  Basically seems to be a in-depth look at the design of programming languages and it sounds pretty cool to me because I love learning all different languages. BVZ knows what’s going on when it comes to CS
• ECE 313 – Probability and Random Variables (Michael Thomason) – Probability.  Not terribly interesting but cool.  Crucial if I wanted to use Reinforcement Learning in AI as one of my upper level electives next semester.
• ECE 316 – Signals and Systems II (with the tyrant Michael J. Roberts) – can’t say I want to take this.  At all.  Here’s the miserable catalog description

Sampling theory, theory and application of Laplace transforms, feedback, root locus, gain and phase margin, theory and application of z Transforms, digital filters, and discrete-time state variables.

• ECE 342 – Analog Communication Amplitude and Frequency Modulation (Paul B. Crilly) – More signals and such.  Lots of electrical engineering that I’m not terribly interested in, but we’ll see how it goes.  I had Crilly for Digital Logic and I really liked him so that will be good.
• ECE 455 – Embedded Systems Design (Xiaorui Wang) – Embedded systems, assembly programming, and machine architecture.  Should definitely be interesting because I loved assembly programming in 355.
• EF 402 – Just a one hour classes to prepare for the FE exam.

I’m also trying to get into CS 360 which is Systems Programming.  Lots of user level programming with user control, file control, and memory management.  Just gotta see if I can take it despite the fact that it’s scheduled lab is at the same time as ECE 313.

Should be an interesting semester…

Why the hell are college athletes so dumb these days?  Why do SO few of them appreciate the incredible opportunity they’re given?  It seems like Tennessee just gets so many damn kids that just came here to drive around, smoke pot, and hold kids up with illegal guns.

We’re actually recruiting people to come here, smoke pot and hold us up? We’re giving them a free education (which they don’t give a shit about) so they can point guns at us?

I try to be as forgiving as I can.  I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt and say that these kids need second chances.  Everyone makes mistakes after all.  I know I sure have.  But sometimes the mistakes that are made just display how apathetic these kids are to the opportunity they’ve being given.  They just want to get theirs and get the hell away from campus.

Now lets be fair.  There are a lot of good kids in college sports.  There are players like Eric Berry, Dane Bradshaw, Myron Rolle, and Tim Tebow.  They work hard and appreciate everything they’re given.  But it seems like for every one of those there’s 10 Nu’keese Richardsons.

I’m currently ranting because the latest problem is four Tennessee basketball players who were caught speeding with an open container of alcohol, pot, and 2 handguns.  It’s about time Mike Hamilton institute a much much stricter policy of conduct.

If a player is caught in possession of ANY illegal firearm they should be gone.

If you are caught with drugs (or test positive for it) once, you can’t play for a year.  If it happens a second time, you’re done.

Any sort of serious violent assault should be MINIMUM a year suspension, and most likely done for their career.

Drinking and driving should also be a year suspension

Kids can make mistakes.  Miss curfew.  Oversleep for a meeting.  Have a little too much to drink.  Maybe miss some classes or struggle in a class.  They shouldn’t happen and should result in discipline, but they’re forgivable.

But this crap of guns and pot and we can do whatever we want is just absurd.  If other schools want to have kids like that, go for it, but I would ABSOLUTELY rather lose every game than win with kids with those attitudes.

If I keep going I’m gonna start getting incoherent, so I’m gonna stop.  But Mike Hamilton, it’s about time you make a SERIOUS stand before your program goes to shit.

</rant>

People freaking out about the break from tradition need to relax, it was just one game.  If you left the game when you saw them, don’t come back.  You don’t have to like everything to support the program.  No fan would leave because of a jersey.