Learning computer coding - an "update"

So, another week has gone by.

Another week of watching videos, 

answering quizzes to the videos, 

puzzling at why my codes don't work the way I thought they would, 

seeing the answer (possibility - I think that to some of the questions more than one solution is possible but only one best fitting to the lesson taught at that point is shown) after the quiz, 

going back to the quiz to correct my answer and finally 

getting a "You got it right!" button shown.

Only to go to the next video lesson and repeating it all over again. 

(For unit/week 2 it was "only"  about half of the amount of the first unit/week - but about as much information to digest)

And then, finally, daring to answer the homework questions.

And during the week also going over to the forum to the course 

to see how my fellow students are doing, 

what kind of difficulties they encounter or 

if it is only me that seems to have problems with the online python interpreter or the loading of the videos and such things. 

And being "oh so relieved" to see that I'm not alone with these kind of difficulties.

Yes, this kind of teaching and online course has it's problems. Not the method as such - visual (videos) teaching is well done with good examples. And a plus is the interactive quiz for most of the contents with additional "lesson" right after it.

But the amount of traffic, the amount of "students" being there at the same time is giving the server this course is on some BIG "hiccups". These make many of "us" having to spend more time waiting to see if our code, that we just wrote, is working or not.

So once again the deadline of the homework was pushed back for one more day - the teacher adding some hints to the most discussed questions of the homework. This shows that they too do read the forum to see what's going on, a plus! 

I went through my homework answers again - re-writing some of my code. Finally, this homework has been graded. The result? :( <-- not disappointed, but not expected THAT much "incorrect" this time as my codes worked for my testings.

I did not repeat the mistakes of the first unit - to rush through and not even listen to / read the questions properly. I worked harder and my codes worked. Just not for ALL cases that are possible. And that made the answer "wrong" right away.

So, I went through the video answers to see what was not correct - and, sure, now I understand. The hints did help a bit - but not enough. The main "problem" was that there is NO feedback on MY homework; no feedback on where I was wrong in coding. Only how it should have been done.

Now, I do understand that there are "thousands" of students at this course the same time. A personal feedback is sheer impossible. Also the server and/or online interpreter is having issues due to "overflow" of input it has to work through. reading through the forum to get some other feedback on why my answer was "incorrect" I had to notice to my digress that most of the problems my fellow students have is not the lessons as such but the work with the interpreter like me.

Now, unit/week 3 has started. This time it's many videos again - as much as in the first unit. Again tiny steps. But, with me wanting to understand what I did "wrong" in the first two units I go through them even slower. About half way through I have come to a "conclusion":

As much "fun" all this is and truly helps me to understand computers and their programs better I will have to downgrade (that is seen as good - a positive) myself from "student status" to just wacthing the videos and doing the quizzes and do some of the homework but fail at most of them due to my "normal" offline life getting into the way of my "online" life ;).
I found myself spending more and more time leafing through the forum trying to make sense of all the posts that either ask for help or give help than in actually watching the videos and learning and working with the Python interpreter.
I'm not saying goodbye or farewell at all. I'm only stating that I now know that this type of course is not made for me at the phase of life I'm in. Not that I feel too old or stupid to learn this. I just can't spend as much time on it as I would want and need to.
Three hours a week is not enough to watch the videos, understand what is being explained and answer the quizzes and do the homework (correct of course). I'm not stupid or slow in grasping new concepts. With enough time I can do this. And with a well working system for answering/writing and testing the codes - the biggest handicap for most of the students.

But, most of all, I just don't have the time anymore now from what I had planned for this when I had started.
Many in my work got sick and I have to work overtime now to help out there. To me that has more priority than finishing this course. And there are some other projects too that are waiting to be finished; projects that overall give me more personal satisfaction and pleasure than doing well (or be one of the best - my competitive side coming through again) in this course.
And, this time is "missing" for participating fully in this course now. As this course progresses it gets harder and harder (<--of course :P) and I would actually have to spend more time on each unit than less.

My "luck" is that this is hobby and not related to work. I do not have to excel at it at all. I can drop it any time without consequences. I have already learned so much from taking this course up to this point. 
No regrets at all. And repetition of the course is not rejected.

I feel like a winner after all. :D

Learning computer coding

A report not about the actual computer code,

but on how I experience the learning process.

Multitasking on leap day 2012

Just one week ago, on Sunday, 26th February,  I enrolled to a free online course at www.udacity.com. 

It's about "Building a search engine". 

Well, not one like "Google"!! They are not going to teach us that. The main goal is to understand how coding works. The search engine part is only to get people interested in this course and is a basis for the exercises.

Now, I've been out of school for some years and thought it challenging to see if I still could learn something new this way. And if I would manage as well as in school or do much, much worse since I'm "out of practise".

"Class" already started a week earlier (on the 20th), but it was still open for enrolling and the first set of "homework" was not yet closed. So, anyone interested could still catch up and be "graded" as any other that had started "on time".

The first unit went in very small steps, with quizzes to test how well you understood the lesson. All in all there were 40 lessons for the first unit and week. 

When I saw that, my first reaction was "ooff" that's a lot to catch up with. But actually it wasn't. Each lesson has a short video between 30 seconds to maximum 8 minutes; most range on 3 minutes. It doesn't take much time to watch them. To understand what is being shown, well, that depends on how well you grasp the contents.

And on how well you concentrate and not distract yourself (or get distracted) if you forgot to "shut out" any outside influence i.e. phone, doorbell, demanding children and pets or even other websites you follow, like G+, at the same time.

I was lucky to have some time to myself in the next few days after I had enrolled. And the homework deadline had been pushed one day behind too. Thinking that it was all so easy, I hurried through the lessons, quizzes and the homework. I was finished fast. Too fast, I know now, as I didn't take the time to read the questions for the homework properly and got many of them "incorrect" because of that.

No, I'm not disappointed about that at all!!! It taught me something too!! :D

It's part of a learning process to realize that you need to read carefully and do exactly what is asked of you. And not creatively make a new question out of the one asked. Sure, the answer to the question as I had interpreted it was correct, but it was not the correct answer to the one asked.

That is a little problem with this online course. Different with school classes in the traditional way, here a computer examines the answers. For the computer program there is only a "true" or a "false" to the question. There is no "you did it the right way, but it is not what had been asked of you to do".

So, besides the actual understanding of how the coding works, I also learned that:

a) I need to take my time and not hurry, assuming I already know the answer

b) I need to concentrate on what I'm doing fully

c) I have to exactly follow the rules that are given

d) I have to think like a computer

And the last two points are the ones that feel not so good to me. I have my own mind, want to be "free". But for this course they are necessary. As to the first two points listed: yes, that is something good to learn. Not only for this course, but for every day. To be able to concentrate on what you are doing fully and do it with care.

Unit 2 started before the homework of Unit 1 was returned. And like most of the students (They have been commenting in the additional forum about it. I joined the forum a few days after I had enrolled when I noticed a question asking about how old the "students" were and the poster stating he was "old", over 40, which I think is not old at all to learn something new like this.) I, too, started with Unit 2 before I had the results of my homework. Eager to go on, confident that I had passed the first unit well, and as I wanted to do things with more care and not in a hurry, start early enough to be able to do that.

When the homework to Unit 1 was returned I was well into Unit 2 - and had to laugh out loud to some of the answers I had given. By now I understood what I had done wrong - even without having seen the answer video. Yes, I had finally understood the lessons in Unit 1! But too late for "good" homework grades. *lol* (Thinking of learning as a competition here.)

Still, although I gave myself more time for each lesson, I was "through" with them fast again. Time to start on the homework. This time we had to do some coding that advanced the one we had in the lessons. The question was similar, but added a "creative" note to it. It made it challenging to write it all yourself. Not just repeat what had been taught in the lesson.

I was so "into it" that even on my way to work or back home, or right before going to sleep and right after waking my mind jumped to the still unsolved homework question trying to figure it out. It was obsessed to get an answer. 

I do not like this "obsession" (you could call it even addiction) and it made me think on why and what for I do this course. Work, rest, fun and other daily activities have a priority (not necessarily in this order ;) ) to solving these homework problems. I do not have to solve them! Nothing will happen if I don't; except my own "ego" might feel "cracked" or disappointed. So, I took a "time out" to do other things: painting, being on my favorite websites, spending time away from the computer again and again.

Sure, when returning to the coding my mind had to think hard and "change the way of thinking" again to get into the coding. But oddly enough, with giving myself more breaks between working on the homework, there were moments when "suddenly" the code I wrote finally worked (that is: gave a correct answer and not a red text telling me there is a mistake in the coding or produced an answer that was not the one I had wanted to achieve).

Whenever that happened I felt "free"! My mind was "done" with the problem and I felt no more "urge" to go on. 

Now, there is only one more homework to do. It's marked with two gold stars. This means that it's not expected that everyone will solve them already and will require much thinking. 

Well, even "normal" questions took me more time than I felt comfortable with. I still have some time until the deadline for this one. Maybe I will spend some more time on solving it. Maybe I have sudden insight at how to do it - and when testing it, it actually does give the "correct" answer. But is not "necessary" for me to solve this last question. I will get the answer (or at least a useful hint at how it can be coded) when the homework gets graded. I can learn then how to solve similar problems and not "waste" so much time on trying to solve it all by myself NOW.

I feel, I already learned a lot. Enough that I could stop with this course now. 

Not enough about the code and how to use it, not for building a search engine easily. For this I will (have to) continue with the course. It does interest me, or I wouldn't have started with it in the first place. 

But I learned enough to know that code writing is not my interest as such. Nor is the way a computer thinks my way. Nothing against structure, clear structure too. But not as rigid. Not so "close-minded". There is no way for me to express what I think, feel and want to share this way.

You just need to look at how I composed this text. There is structure; but I also break free from it when I feel it is necessary. Necessary for further explanation or additional thoughts that do not actually fit into the stream of the happenings described.

As a conclusion (after a week - this is not a "final" conclusion - such will never happen as my whole life consists of continuous learning, even about myself) I can say:

I do not regret having taken this opportunity. 

Even if it took (and might still take) a lot of my "free" time that I could spend on other things I love to do. And even if I won't succeed in this course and be able to actually code a "program" all on my own. I do understand it a lot more than before. 

And I understand ("get") other things much better and easier than before too. Things that seemed strange to me suddenly make sense. In a way that I can not yet put into words. Seeing i.e. movies, I had liked a lot, again and now seeing even more "contents" and messages (hidden behind the actual scenes and action) in them. What a wonderful expansion. :D

And I "re-found" what is more my "inborn" ability (or abilities :P). And that I prefer the non-usual way of doing things over the strictly regulated. 

Once the course is over in about another five weeks I might give an update on this - if there is anything that needs to be added.

PS: Writing this took about as much as solving one of the last homework questions. But it was more fun to do, gave me less "headache" and can be shared so much better than that little code I wrote.

How do you paint?

Art in Progress

original photo by Jasbir S. Randhawa

 

 

 

 

A good question.
And pictures show it best, I think ;) .

I had seen a photo in my stream in G+ and thought:
"Wow!! That would look great as a painting too."

I have not done such a painting yet. So I asked the creator of the photo if I could make a painting out of it.
And he agreed and send me the original photo (many thanks to him again) so I could "study" the details better.

And there are a lot of details in that photo. Makes it actually harder for me. See, I do not want to make a simple copy of this rose. I'm not that good as a painter or do "paintography". There are some that can do it. I've seen and been awed by those paintings, an example is Ray Bilcliff. The photo / painting that amazed me on first look is this: Lotus Kiss

I want mine to simply look good. And to try out my techniques I have accquired with colored pencil drawings. It will take a while until it is done and I'm please with the results. Meanwhile I'm just enjoying the painting and the progress!!

When I'm done I'll update on the result. :D

Solan - a whole life in one picture

Dream about Solan - a sketch done right after waking up

Sometimes when you wake up from a dream all you remember is an image and a name. And emotions. Strong emotions. And some sort of memory that is the background to the image. Something that makes you remember it even after years as strong as it was that time you woke up from it.


For me it was like this with this image and name. On waking up I had sketched the image that was still in my mind with all the details I could recall. Then, as I am lucky enough to have access to the internet, I searched for the name as I remembered it. And some derivations of it too. Just in case I had not recalled it right.


I did find some interesting things about "Solan":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solan - a town in India - founded in 1972.
And "Solana" is a female name: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solana - Spanish; but also the name of areas/towns in Philippines, Spain and USA - the meaning is associated with "on the sunny side" or "sunshine".
Just as "Solon" is a male name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solon - an ancient (BC) Greek "reformer" and poet for (his) pleasure.


All this had something to do with what I remembered - but it didn't not fit all of it. So, after all these years (nearly five actually) I decided to finally write down my version of Solan. It might all be just fictional.

SOLAN 

My name is Solan. 

I am still a girl, and I have a twin brother. No other brothers or sisters live with us right now.

Our house is full with people during the day. They do not live with us. Some are servants that take care of the house and garden. Some are workers on our property that surrounds our house and the fields close by.

And some come to ask my father for advice and plead him to judge in difficult situations. Like two men fighting over the border of two neighbouring fields. Or some possessions. 

Once they even asked him to decide who has the right to take a certain woman into his household. They both wanted her. Contrary to our tradition, my father let the woman decide where she wanted to live. And she decided to have no man at all and live all alone. That caused an uproar in our village; it was feared that all women would decide now where they wanted to live. But it did not happen. The only change from that day on was, that now parents first asked the girl and the boy if they would appreciate to found a household together before it was decided. My mother does the same for the females of the village. But not as often; women don't seem to quarrel so much or are able to settle differences between themselves.

My brother and me are privileged children in our village. Not that we really care about it. It just happens that our father has this position of being the highest ranked man in the area. And thus all the people coming at daytimes. We two prefer to play with all other children of the village with no differences. The places we most often go to is the little harbour down at the ocean and the little wooded areas in the hills close to the village.

But many of the children in our age do not have the time for play anymore. They have to help their parents in the daily work in the house, on the fields and some even on the fishing boats. I do help in the house and garden when I want to. Like my brother does like to help on the fields or sometimes even goes with the others for fishing. But we are not expected to these things as daily chores like most of the other children. We are free to do what pleases us. But of course, never be in the way when our parents do their work. We may be there and listen (and learn from them). One day, so our parents told us, we are expected to take over their position in the village.

And this is what I do not really like. Usually, the first-born male inherits the position of the father. If that one is not capable of it or dies before, the honor of the position goes to the next born male. Now my father has a slightly different view on this. He thinks that any first-born, if capable, will inherit. That would be me. My mother wants him to stick to the tradition; he thinks that all are equal and have equal rights. They do quarrel about it sometimes at night. 

Then this sad day came. My brother decided to go with one of the fishermen. Not just for a day or a week out for fishing. No, this man was an adventurer and wanted to sail along the coast for a longer time. To visit some further away places to trade with. Nothing unusual. It happened every year during this season; the weather pleasant, most field work and harvesting done and the sea calm enough for it. 

My parents took some days to decide. In the end they thought my brother to be old enough (and strong and healthy), and the man trustworthy, to go on this journey. I had asked for it too. Connected to my twin brother as I was, sharing everything, I did not want him to go alone. I wanted to be with him. But my parents wouldn't let me. I was a girl, not a fisherman or seafarer. That was surely not a work for a woman. I thought it not fair, but I couldn't do anything against it. So my brother left us with a big grin on his face, a small bundle in his hand and his heart full of expectation about all the adventures he would have.

I stayed back, crying, waving him a goodbye as if I would never see him again. My mother tried to calm me. She too felt sad at him leaving and joyous the same time for all the experiences he would have. My father wasn't as pleased with it. He had planned to start teaching us about our future work at being in the highest position in the village. 

This was the moment I had captured in the drawing. The father sitting at the table with a strategic game (chess) he had played with the children until it was time for the boy to leave. And yes, I had felt it to be in India, tiled floors, colorful flat-roofed houses and the clothing reflecting this a little.

Now, you might wonder what became of Solan and her brother? I will tell you:

From the next day on, I had to sit and listen when my father had to give advice and do judging. And in the evenings he told me a lot about the history of our village, our country and about the world as he knew it. It was very interesting and I learned a lot. Also why he thought everyone to be equal and should be treated that way. A view so different from the traditions he had to follow. But he managed it and I learned to understand how he did it. 

Still, I wished he had allowed me to go with my brother on that journey too. I felt equal to my brother. He said I'm better suited to become his follower than my brother. I felt honored by this but also a little sad at being "forced" to take on a role and position that I did not freely choose.

My mother too started teaching me more than before. There were days I wished I was still a few years younger and just could run off to play with my friends. But, even if I would do it, there would hardly be anyone around most of the time. It's not easy to grow up. Most of all, I missed my brother.

We did not hear from him for a long time. It took the ship over a year to return. Longer than the usual time. When it finally did my brother was not on it. The man responsible told us that my brother had preferred to stay in a far away country. To learn their ways of leadership and guidance of people in their responsibility. My father was astonished and pleased at the same time. Yes, he thought that this way new ideas will come to our village. And he thought that it would be good for us. He felt proud of his son to want to learn this way and these things although he wasn't supposed to be the one taking his position.

My mother though was upset. He had not yet learned our ways. She feared that he would adapt to the different ways without reflection. And she missed him as much as I did. She only did not show it as open. 

A few years later she died; she had not seen him return. A short time later my father followed and I took over his position. I had to. There was no else to do it. I did not like to. But I did my work as well as I could with all that I had learned. The people of the village came to me as they had come to my father; the men and the women equally. At first, this had astonished me. Me, a woman, being asked by men for advice. So contradictory to our traditions. But it was them that had wanted this little change. And it did our village good. Women now were asked about their point of view more often than before. Their opinions were considered before decisions were made. People became more equal; servants were honored more for their work.

When my brother finally returned after years, he had grown up to be a man, strong and vital and with a keen eye and mind. And he brought a lot of stories from his adventures. It seemed that he was a very liked person and famous in those other countries for his ideas and opinions. Many of those were from our traditions. So my mother had been wrong that he had not yet learned enough about our way of living. In a quiet way I felt proud that he was my brother and had taken this chance in his life to have all those experiences.

I was so happy to see him. And on our first quiet moment together I asked him if he would now take over the position of our father. He agreed, but asked to be allowed to mourn for our parents before he did so. And with a condition: that I would advice him when he didn't not know what to do. Sometimes two minds are better than one before a final decision was made. 

To this I agreed happily. I was free again. Not having to fill a position and role that I did not feel to be mine. I never moved to another man's house. My brother though did take a woman to our house and had children. Both of us taught them what we had learned in our lives. One day they would take our place.

Although that one day in my childhood, that had been so sad and had changed a lot of the plans for my life I had had at that time and that had forced me into a position for some time of my life that I had not freely chosen, I must say in looking back that I did have a good fulfilling life. 

It is always an option to see the positive that is in any given situation and not only the negative that is there. 

So, this is the little story that goes to that image. A whole life in one picture. 

Dio - Born On The Sun

I usually don't post music or videos.

But this one I liked for the images of the sun 

that can't be seen with the naked eyes alone.

 

Dio - Born on the Sun 

source: youtube.com

A little Love Story

Longing

It had been such a lovely evening.

Myra sighed. She stood there looking at the sunset at the horizon.

A sunset like it had been on the last evening with him. Anua. Her love. 

Her only true love.

She missed him so much. Every day she missed him more. 

When she had first met him she thought of him to be common like all the other men at her town.

And that's the way she had treated him too. A friendly hello, goodbye and small talk. 

A smile here and there when she saw people she knew from seeing.

Polite. As she had been taught by her parents to be. 

And then this special day had come. A feast in the village to honour some ancient person.

Too long ago that anyone actually knew the person. Only the stories told about the great things he had done for the village and the future of its inhabitants. So that they all could still live here and be happy.

At first she had not taken much notice of him. Stayed close to her friends. Chatting with the girls, listening to their boasts about their friends and lovers. 

Suddenly her best friend, Tina, asked her when she would tell them about her lover. Myra protested. She didn't have a lover, not even a male friend.

Then Tina pointed over to him: "Well, he for sure seems to be in love with you. He only has eyes for you. All the time since he is here today. And all the time I see him seeing you, too. Stopping whatever he does when he spots you. And you smile so differently when you see him. Yes, we all can notice that."

"I don't know him. He is just a man that lives here. Nothing special and surely not my friend or lover. You are mistaken!" Myra was now angry at Tina for saying such stupid things. And stomped off.

First, she walked over to the table with the drinks. But she wasn't thirsty. She continued to the table with the foods. None she liked right now there too. She looked back to her group of friends. No one was looking her way, but she imagined them all talking about her behaviour now. Giggling, and saying things not true. Rumours.

She felt so embarrassed now. 

Searching around over the people at the feast, she suddenly noticed him. Yes, indeed, he was looking at her, directly, nearly staring. This was rude. You don't look at a person, friend or stranger, like that! She felt her anger rising over her embarrassment at being rumoured about and stared at. 

She gave herself a push and walked over to him. Directly. Like he was looking at her. Ignoring the people that nearly had to jump out of her way and their comments about that.

When she arrived in front of him, he stood up. She made herself even taller, stretching her back and pumping air into her lungs to start the angry talk she had prepared.

But before she could let the air and words flow out, he took her hand: "Myra, I love you. I love the way you smile, the sparkle in your eyes, the sun and moon shining on your hair. It's a great pleasure for me that you finally come over to me so I can tell you this!"

She was baffled. "I...I... Don't stare at me like you do all the time. It's rude", she managed to say. But the next moment she felt sorry for having said that.

Her face turned red: "Oh, sorry. Now I was being rude. My appologies. You said such nice things to me. Thank you, I feel honoured by them. But I don't even know you!" She felt confused; better to stop talking and searching for words.

"Well, then let me introduce myself. My name is Anua. And ever since I reached this village and have seen you, I knew that I love you. Always have loved you and always will love you. Let's move a bit away from the crowd so we can exchange our words and feelings." With this he, still holding her hand, walked with her along the street, to the beach and there to the little temple like outlook at the cliff. One of her favourite places since she could remember.

He made her sit down on the small stone ring, looking out over the ocean. And then he told her, that he wasn't from this side of the ocean. That he had come a long way to explore this coast, the people living here and if he perchance could trade with them. This was his living: to search for new trade possibilities for his people over on the other side of the ocean. And he also told her that he also did these journeys so that one day he would find that one girl that he felt so connected to deep in his heart and soul.

And that he now has found here.

At first she was silent after this. Slowly, very slowly she began to understand why she loved this place so much. She too had been searching, waiting for her love to find her. And she had to admit, now that he was so close to her, she too could feel that they were somehow connected. She now, for the first time fully conscious of it, looked at him. Directly, without shyness, taking in every detail of his face, his body, his posture, his aura.

"I'm sorry, I was so shut-off toward you. I had given up hope at finding a true love for me. All I knew was that it would not be any of the men from my village or any close by area. I did not know that you were not one of us. But now, " she hesitated.

He pulled her closer and gave her a tender kiss. And then another. And another, lower on the neck. She sighed and returned the kisses.

And they spend a long time there that day. Talking, hugging, kissing, enjoying at being together finally. Then the evening came and the sunset. Such a strong and beautiful sunset. Just one moment she had wondered why no one else had come to this place. It  must have been magic, the magic of love, that they had been undisturbed all that time. 

They had sat there together, arm in arm, until the sun had fully set and all the colour had gone from the landscape and sky. And the stars and moon had risen. She fell asleep in his arms holding her. She still felt that he placed his coat over her when he tenderly lay her on the stone ring much later. 

And he heard his whisper in her dream: "I am so sorry. I have to leave you now. My time here is over. I am glad that we did finally meet and had this time together. I wish, it would have been much longer. But alas, I have affairs to tend to that can not wait any longer. Farewell my love! I promise, I will come back to you. As soon as I can. I hope, you will wait for me and remember me. I will. I will always love you, I promise. No matter how much time will pass." And with a final tender kiss he left her. 

When she woke some time later, still dark, the moon just setting, the dawn still a few hours off, she could still feel his presence, his strong arms around her and his tender kisses on her lips. "I will never forget you and I will wait for you to return to me, I promise!"she called out over the ocean.

From this day on, whenever she had the chance, she returned to this special place to look out for him. Remembering his love, her love, their love.

Mars in 3D

Credit: Efrain Morales Rivera;  Source: www.spaceweather.com

Cross your eyes and mars is there in 3D.
Yes, It's worth the time he spent out in the cold for this photo!!