Life on Lin's Blog

Year 110 (2021) NYCU CS Master's Program, Group D (Practical): Notes on the Recommendation Admission

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 23:06:01 +0000

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 D
Group D admission process
Content of the second-stage exam for Group D
What to note when applying to Group D
What if I currently have a job?
Reference thesis topics for Group D
Does 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?
Disclaimer
Conflict of interest disclosure

How to Schedule Meetings Efficiently?

Sat, 08 Apr 2017 00:18:28 +0000

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!

Zhangmen Craft Beer - An Awesome Beer Bar Perfect for a Drink After Work

Sun, 15 Jan 2017 01:13:53 +0000

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).

EP Books: What They Sell Is Not Books, Drinks, or Space, but Reading

Sat, 24 Dec 2016 20:50:16 +0000

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.

What I Saw as an Attendee - PyCon Taiwan 2016

Thu, 23 Jun 2016 15:09:56 +0000

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.

Going to University Can Be a Choice, Not a Necessity

Wed, 22 Jun 2016 16:43:45 +0000

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.

Some Thoughts on Bitcoin

Wed, 20 Nov 2013 09:24:24 +0000

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.

A Few Notes on Preparing University Application Portfolios

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:46:36 +0000

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.

Don't You Know the Balance of Learning and Thinking?

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 22:00:08 +0000

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!

The So-Called "Law of Attraction"

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 01:12:53 +0000

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!

PHPConf Takeaways

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 17:57:20 +0000

To be honest, my first language was VB, but the one I actually use most and know best is PHP. For example, when I took part in the Taipei City Software Competition, I solved every problem in PHP, since that’s what I know best~ So when I heard PHPConf was happening, I was so happy that I signed up to be a staff member XD

9/9 Notes from the Information Research Club's Static Exhibition~

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 23:01:13 +0000

The blog hasn’t had any new posts for the past few days, because I (the blog owner) have been busy with the club’s static exhibition all week. It finally wrapped up successfully today. I give this club static exhibition an 80 out of 100. Our booth’s popularity was far beyond what I expected. I thought the Information Research Club would be cold, because to many people, “research” = playing with computers = nerd… But maybe my tactics worked today XD. The crowd was so big I could barely keep up! Although the popularity exceeded my expectations, there were still a lot of things we didn’t do well.

COSCUP 2011: A Gathering of Open Source People

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 19:17:13 +0000

Over the last two days (August 20 and 21), I attended COSCUP 2011, the annual gathering of open source people. It is the yearly event of the open source community, and this year marked its sixth edition. Many experts give talks there, so you can learn a lot of new things and meet many new friends XD. Also, all of COSCUP’s funding comes from sponsors, so attending costs nothing at all!

8/18 Those Years, Summer Break, and the Joint Freshman Welcome XD

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:16:41 +0000

It’s been a while since I last wrote a diary entry. Before I knew it, summer break is almost over, and I’m about to become a second-year student. Another year of memories has piled up, and we’re going to have juniors of our own!! Things have been really busy lately. I spent the first month of summer break just goofing off, so all the work piled up until August, and I only finally have a little time to rest today～

2011 MIT-YZU Camp Reflections

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:38:44 +0000

MIT-YZU Camp (My Camp for short) is an event co-hosted by MIT and Yuan Ze University. It lets people who want to experience English and foreign education do so without spending a lot of money on studying abroad. Last week I went to this event, and it kept me from writing for the whole week. It was worth it, though. Even though the five days of commuting by train were exhausting, I really did learn some things.

May 27 Diary: A Milestone

Fri, 27 May 2011 15:43:33 +0000

This was a busy semester in the second half of Grade 10. Up until this week, most things have finally come to a close. This semester has been really busy. We had to take a lot of certification exams: the Ministry of Labor’s basic accounting exam, basic software application exam, TQC typing in Chinese and English, and PowerPoint. Apart from school, I also had a lot of things to do personally. Luckily, everything has wrapped up so far.

Basic Phone Etiquette Every Junior High Student Should Know

Sun, 01 May 2011 15:14:39 +0000

For some reason, phone etiquette, which was a “required course” back in elementary school, doesn’t seem to be taught anymore. Phone manners are basic common sense, but lately I keep getting calls from my younger brother’s classmates asking for him. They usually blurt out a name the moment the call connects. For example, if my brother’s name is A, they might shout, “Hey A~ what’s the homework for tomorrow?” or “Dude, A, why aren’t you on IM?” and so on… And these classmates aren’t elementary school kids anymore. They go to a top junior high school…. Plus, they aren’t calling a cell phone. They’re calling our home!

Field Trip: 2010 Flora Expo Travelogue (So Tired...)

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 00:18:40 +0000

Today the school took us to see the Flora Expo, and the whole school came out~ This field trip was very different from usual, because we had to meet at Yuanshan MRT Station on our own XD. So the MRT station was full of students from Songshan Vocational School. Anyone who didn’t know would be startled, I bet, XD. Before we went to the Flora Expo, the teachers told us not to buy food inside, because there are long lines. But a friend who had gone on their own said… there aren’t that many people in line, but you should still buy your food outside before going in, because the food inside is very expensive, so expensive that nobody wants to buy it in there…

Songshan Vocational School New Student Training~ And School Is Starting Soon^^

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 23:47:55 +0000

It feels like it was the day before yesterday.

Songshan Vocational School new student training!!

Then the class lists came out too. I’m in the Data Processing Department, Class 15, Number 4~

In short, the new student training was a blast.

Except for the part at the very beginning where the principal rambled on, which made me regret going to the training a little.

But after I got to know my classmates, it was never boring.

We chatted and had a great time, and the teachers didn’t even stop us.

Planning Time with Charts, Plus a Note on Gantt Charts

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 00:37:57 +0000

Ouyang Xiu, a great Confucian scholar of the Song dynasty, once said that the three best places for thinking are "on horseback, in the restroom, and in bed." This quote shows how much Ouyang Xiu valued time. In this post I want to share a way to plan your time. The thing is, I'm someone who is terrible at time planning. Before the high school entrance exam, I tried making a time plan to review my schoolwork, but it was a complete failure. The plan was too complicated and too rigid. It wrote down everything I had to do each day, down to what I should be doing at each hour. The problem with that is that it's very hard to stick to. People just can't adapt well to a life that runs strictly by a timetable, and I couldn't keep to that plan for more than about two days. = =

July 3: Guanghua Market, July 4: Hack-Stuff Dinner

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:15:42 +0000

Because some of the people in this post are very famous, or maybe just naturally low-key, I’m using aliases for them.

Yesterday and today were both packed, so let me start with yesterday~ I still feel like I’m dreaming. The mysterious K turned out to be my senior? And he was taught by the same professor, too. He came with me to Guanghua Market. On Saturday, my classmates went to Guanghua Market to buy things, because my middle school classmates wanted to buy an iPod Touch and a camera. Originally, it was just me and two middle school classmates going… but then, while chatting with Mysterious K, I found out he was my senior, so I dragged him along too XD

EasyCard Now Works at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, and Other Convenience Stores!

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:40:37 +0000

On April 1st, when I woke up, I had totally forgotten it was April Fools’ Day, because that day there was something more important to me: I had a date… oops, typo! Actually, April 1st was the first day EasyCard could be used at the four major convenience stores (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, and one more I can’t remember = =). I had been waiting for this day since the Lunar New Year, because I don’t like carrying a bunch of cards around: EasyCard, iCash, bank card, ID card, phone card… The weight of the cards alone is equal to two iPod Touches! Now I can combine my EasyCard and iCash with my wallet (which I mostly use at convenience stores), so my whole pocket is free. If I really need cash, I can just withdraw it with my bank card (though the most convenient option is a stored-value credit card, which is basically an e-wallet). Right now I’m trying to combine my EasyCard, my iPod Touch, and my library card. Maybe after the Basic Competence Test (the high school entrance exam), there will be a service that converts an iPod Touch into an EasyCard phone~~~

Applying the Law of Comparative Advantage to Happy Aquarium!

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:34:39 +0000

Last semester, our civics class covered economics, including something called the law of comparative advantage. It explains the principles of international trade, talking about relative advantages being higher or lower. I am not a civics teacher, so I will skip the details of comparative advantage here. XD What I want to talk about is that I kept wondering how comparative advantage relates to our everyday lives. Then I realized it can be applied to Happy Aquarium, which is very popular right now! How? Most people, once they have saved enough money, spend it on the newest and most expensive fish. But have you considered that the newest, most expensive fish do not necessarily earn the most? For example:

Ringing in 2010 at Taipei 101

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:32:17 +0000

I hope everyone had a great time at yesterday’s New Year’s Eve party! I think most people living in Taipei went to see the fireworks at Taipei 101. I also went with a few classmates to the Taipei City Government for the countdown, and we watched the 3D version of the hit movie Avatar. My only takeaway is simple: 3D and 2D don’t make much difference. I expected characters to pop out of the screen, but at Xinyi Vieshow I found that the 3D version just makes the characters look a little floaty. It’s harder on the eyes, and you have to pay more for the ticket. The regular version is actually better. The newspapers kept saying this year’s Taipei 101 fireworks would last longer and be bigger than before, but no matter how I looked at it… it was basically the same. The fireworks also seemed to end faster this year. Compared with the Taipei 101 New Year fireworks, I would rather go to the Fireworks Festival. The two don’t even belong in the same league @@