CSUS CSC 130 Final Exam Grades

The final exam grades from my class this semester are in; it was yet another bloodbath:

• Class peers' overall final exam average: 67.32%
  
  
• Class peers' overall semester average: 61.35%
  

Maximum possible points were 100. The test counts for 30% of the final grade. No grade distribution breakdown is available for the final. However, since the final exam average is roughly consistent with the second midterm average, the distributions are likely consistent with the second midterm.

I earned a 98 on the final exam. o_O;;;; Overall, I earned 96.23% of the points available this semester, a solid A! :D

As I mentioned after taking the second midterm:

This comment on SacRate.com, however, may provide hope for even these students: "Has a huge curve. I had 47% before the final, got 66/100 and ended up with a B+ after the curve."

Food for thought. :X

Radio Songs

Leigh, UK-based The Ting Tings' "We Walk" from their 2008 album "We Started Nothing" on the Columbia and Red Ink labels. Video.

Tanton, Massachusetts-based Boys Like Girls' "Love Drunk" from their 2009 eponymous album on the Columbia, Red Ink labels. Video.

Hanna, Alberta-based Nickelback's "If Today Was Your Last Day" from their 2008 album Dark Horse on the Roadrunner and EMI labels. Video.

Colorado Springs-based OneRepublic's "All The Right Moves" from their 2009 album Waking Up on the Mosley Music Group and Interscope labels. Video.

Job Satisfaction

Instead of staying late this evening to increase profits, I stayed late to ensure kids get fed.

The Last Byte

Finished up my LZW compression/decompression code today. It took my all day to figure out the last byte of the compression algorithm was not getting written out to the encoded file. x_x

The problem was masked by several things: (1) confusion over whether the problem existed in the compression or decompression algorithm; (2) careless (in my opinion) compression/decompression pseudo-code provided in the class notes (for example, the pseudo-code compression algorithm is just plain wrong as written); (3) intermittent nature of reproducing the problem: input "abababa\r\nabababa" decompressed OK, but "abababa\r\nabababa\r\n}" did not (the byte for character "}" was not getting written to file by the compression algorithm)....; (4) complexity of the algorithm; (5) some limitations of using stock tools (for example, jdb).

Happily, it is now done. On to the final program for the semester: an implementation of a lexer using hashing functions.

Favorite NES Ninja Gaiden Tune

Watched a no-death run through the NES Ninja Gaiden this evening and remembered my favorite tune from the game; 6:16 in, the background music to the mineshaft level.

Radio Songs

Akron, Ohio-based The Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping" from their 1981 album "A Christmas Record" on the ZE Records label.

Lowell, Massachusetts-native Gary Hoey's "Twelve Days of Christmas" from his 2003 album "Ho! Ho! Hoey: The Complete Collection" on the Surfdog Records label.

Roswell, New Mexico-native (!) John Denver & The Muppets' "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," from the 1979 album "John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together", on the RCA label.

Indianapolis, Indiana-based Sloppy Seconds' "Hooray for Santa Claus" from their 1990 album "Destroyed" on the Musical Tragedies/Toxic Shock label. :D This is a song from "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians."

Stockton, California-born Chris Isaak's "Christmas on TV" from his 2004 album "Christmas" on the Reprise label.

Creepyheads.com

Saw this web site on a bumper sticker :)

http://creepyheads.com

Turns out it is an artist's web site.

Radio Songs

This evening as I scanned the dial:

East-Harlem, Manhattan-born Tupac Shakur's Changes from his posthumous 1998 album Greatest Hits, on the Amaru/Death Row/Interscope Records labels. Video.

Houston-born Beyoncé's, Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) from her 2008 album I Am… Sasha Fierce on the Columbia label. Video.