Updates...

So it's been a few days... productive in many ways, though still perhaps not as productive as I would have liked.

Progress:
Watched through lecture 5 of Programming Abstractions. Completed first problem set but skipped last problem, which dealt with a memory diagram (Note: to address this deficiency in my knowledge, namely stack vs heap memory allocation, I watched lecture 14 of Stanford's Programming Methodology course. It was very informative. I might watch some more videos in this series to shore up whatever gaps exist in my basic programming knowledge. Side-side note: Java looks pretty interesting. I like that everything is an instance of an object. Python is similar of course, but maybe wears it a bit less on its sleeve. Well, like I said before, I'm sure I'll get around to Java sooner or later.)
Watched through section VI of Design and Analysis of Algorithms, and the first part of section VII. Completed second problem set. Once again I was able to get all answers correct. Yay. (Note: I'm worried I'll run out of space in the notebook for this class. Many notes have been taken.)


Unfortunately, this is the extent of my progress since the last update. It's not shameful but I'd like to be doing more. I still have yet to finish lecture 4 of Linear Algebra or complete the first problem set in that class. I hope to do at least one of those and ideally both before I go to sleep today. I also would like to get back to the udacity class before (a) I get too far out of the loop or (b) the class ends without me having completed it.

Next on the to-do for the next two days:

1. Linear Algebra lecture 4 and problem set 1. Watch lecture 4.
2. Finish unit 5 of Udacity's 101 class. If motivated, also watch unit 6 and maybe even 7.
3. Review basic combinatorics, probability and distributions. Watch second video of section VII of Algorithms.
4. (maybe?) start planning or thinking about a computer implementation of FreeCell, possibly in C++ (Python would be easier, but I could use the practice. Also I can try out new data types like the Queue or Stack in C++).

Aside: I'm becoming a total Stanford fanboy. The quality of lectures is overall amazing, the research is exciting, and they have the further positive of really having embraced the online-lecture paradigm, perhaps more so than any other major institution besides MIT. I can say with high certainty that Stanford would be my #1 pick for graduate school were I to get that opportunity, whether for a master's or a PhD.