Life

I'm a new student who joined Group D (Practical) of the NYCU CS master's program this past July. I've been here for three months and I really like it, so I'm writing to recommend it to everyone. But I wasn't sure how to write a proper experience post, so I decided to use a Q&A format for this article. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below, and I'll update the post with my replies. Here is a simple table of contents, which you can search directly: What groups does the NYCU CS master's program have?What is the department computing center? How is it different from the university computing center?The department computing center is mostly students. Does it feel like a club?Are Groups C, D, and E very experimental?What exactly does Group D do?Why did I choose Group D?What's my background? Does Group D really not care about grades?Who is Group D not suitable for?Downsides of joining Group DGroup D admission processContent of the second-stage exam for Group DWhat to note when applying to Group DWhat if I currently have a job?Reference thesis topics for Group DDoes Group D require choosing a professor?What qualifications do you need to get into Group D?I can't remember commands. Is it OK to look up man pages on the spot?Are there basic skill requirements?Do you have to use PHP to join the WWW group?Is there a lot of legacy code?Can I go on exchange?Can I graduate early?How do I prepare for the Group D recommendation admission?Other reference information?DisclaimerConflict of interest disclosure...

Scheduling a time to meet is something everyone runs into, and it is always a hassle. You usually have to go back and forth several times before you find a slot that works for everyone. Everyone has their own commitments: some have part-time jobs, some have classes. Finding a time that satisfies everyone is not easy. When I was in the student council, I picked up some experience with scheduling. I am sharing it here, and if you know better ways, please do share them too! ...

Today I want to share a craft beer bar near Yongkang Street, by Dongmen MRT Station. Yes, you read that right — today we’re not talking about code, we’re talking about bars! I’m sure you’ll gradually get used to all sorts of odd topics showing up on this blog. The place I’m introducing today, Zhangmen Craft Beer, is a great spot for a few friends to have a drink after work. The fact that I still have the energy to write a post after drinking today should tell you how suitable it is for office workers on a weekday — and this was the first time I ever took the MRT home after drinking! Alright, enough rambling. I’ve been to Zhangmen twice, and it’s been great every time. The beer is delicious, there are more than a dozen options to choose from, and they’re all brewed in-house!! The space is comfortable and great for bringing friends to chat, but there aren’t many seats and you can’t make a reservation. I’d suggest calling half an hour before you come and asking the owner to hold a seat for you (though there’s no guarantee you’ll get one). ...

I had always wanted to visit the EP Books bookstore, which was opened by Dai Sheng-yi, the founder of Wowprime Group, but I never had the time. This afternoon, while I was dropping something off for a friend, I also made my EP Books visit. It really is a place with character. It isn’t a bookstore, because it doesn’t sell books. It isn’t quite a café either, because it’s as quiet as a library. I had assumed it would be a café full of people working on laptops, and that the “book” in the name was just marketing. But once I got there, I found out that what it sells is neither books, nor drinks, nor space, but reading! So this is what EP Books is all about. ...

It has been almost a month since PyCon Taiwan 2016. I am very grateful to jserv for the ticket giveaway, which gave me the chance to attend this annual gathering of Taiwanese Python developers. After the event, I kept thinking about what angle to take for this write-up. In the past I mostly worked as a volunteer at community events. This time, since I was an attendee at PyCon, I decided to write a review from the attendee’s point of view, covering the good and the bad things I saw at this year’s PyCon Taiwan. The good parts are worth learning from for other conferences, and the bad parts are worth learning from too, so that they can be improved. ...

The past month or so has probably been the most eventful month of my life. I turned down a great opportunity, and halfway through final exams I suddenly decided to take a leave of absence from university. To people around me, it may look like a string of wild impulses, but to me, in a way, it feels perfectly natural. I’ll use this post to record how I feel right now. My last report is done, and my internship at NewTalk has ended too. I don’t have any plans for the future, yet I’m eager to try things out. Taking a leave of absence was an option I had never considered before. For me, and for most people in Taiwan, finishing university and earning a diploma is a path we must take, one that doesn’t require thinking about the reasons behind it. For us, going to university, or even graduate school, is a must rather than a choice. You can choose different departments, but you can’t choose not to go. That was my thinking in the past. ...

Bitcoin has been getting more and more popular lately, which made me want to research it. Here I would like to share some of my thoughts. However, I have only just started looking into this new thing, so if I have got anything wrong, please feel free to let me know. ...

I originally wanted to write a full series of articles introducing university application portfolios. But since I still have to prepare for the Tongce exam and simply don’t have time to write, I’ve put together some common questions and things to watch out for here for everyone’s reference, such as converting Word files to PDF and files being too large. ...

Here’s a small story from today. I was discussing an economics problem with a classmate, when another classmate, clearly annoyed, said: “XXX, why do you always like to come up with weird questions to trouble people? Just memorize what the textbook says! Why think so much?” In that instant I understood why some people spend a lot of time studying yet see no results. It’s not because they’re dumb. Their method is wrong! ...

Today I was reading The Secret at Eslite. I had always assumed it was a novel, and only today did I learn that it is classified under psychology. After reading The Secret, I have quite a few thoughts! ...