It is snowing outside, but this classroom is already getting hotter

It is snowing outside, but this classroom is already getting hotter. Some excitment and great hopes: my first class/lecture in MIT is about to start. It is about "the human side of technology". The course takes only 4 week, 6 hours lectures per week, and has a 600-page coursebook. I have not even taken classes in USA, only seen fictional charatecters taking them in movies. Let's see how much the movies are telling lies. Based on my experience so far, not much. As S pointed out, most American films, sitcoms, etc are not that fictional. This is not a value statement, so do not be offended.

The lecture was quite interesting. The teeaching stele seems to very interactive and repetitive. Every points will be illustrated by numerous examples, which is both good and irritating, if one gets the point right away. But one certainly learns what the lecture is about. Which is the purpose of lectures in general, I assume.

1 am, at home, trying to get something done. Not that succesfull, so a short blogging break. The other class today was "System Architecture" by Ed Crawley (e.g. the chief architect of Nasa etc). Great! Really good materil, lightning fast speed, no repetition, and really lots of homework and reading to do. I was first a bit shocked, but now I think it is going well. I like the topic, it is my long-time passion. Crawley emphasized, that an architect must think holitistically, read (e.g. NY Times, Financial Times, subject field issues, ), talk, listen. I love this approach and I hope that by doing really much thinking, reading, listening, and talking, I will both pass the course and learn a lot.

Robot is not ready and the excessive homework load is not exactly helping. I hope this all serves some positive purpose.

Alun perin julkaistu kuukausikoosteessa "Blogs January 2005".