Let's go.........RANDOM!

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NeatNit
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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby NeatNit » Sat Jun 21, 2014 3:04 pm

xander wrote:(44 minutes, by the way.)


*death stare*
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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby xander » Sat Jun 21, 2014 7:05 pm

NeatNit wrote:
xander wrote:(44 minutes, by the way.)


*death stare*

It helps that I have worked through the first couple of book of Euclid's Elements in some detail.

That being said, I really like that game as a model for playing with geometric construction. There is a certain game-like mechanic to the way in which new constructions unlock powers that parallels well-designed games with reasonable learning curves. Once you have constructed a line perpendicular to another line (either through a point not on the line or through a point on the line), you have proved that you can always perform such a construction. Hence you have "unlocked" a new skill. Throw in some fancy graphics and a story, and there might actually be a really good game in there somewhere.

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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby NeatNit » Sat Jun 21, 2014 9:45 pm

I think it already is a really good game. It just needs more levels. Not every game needs a story, and mathematics and fancy graphics often do not work well together.

It's just a very niche game. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby xander » Sun Jun 22, 2014 3:11 am

NeatNit wrote:I think it already is a really good game. It just needs more levels. Not every game needs a story, and mathematics and fancy graphics often do not work well together.

I think I was unclear. I don't mean to suggest that The Elements: The Video Game (or whatever it was called) is a bad game. I really enjoyed it (though I, obviously, am part of the niche audience that it should appeal to). Rather, I think that the mechanic of geometric construction could be used as a small part of something bigger and gamier. Euclid's methods build techniques in much the same way that many skill trees in (for instance) RPGs build techniques. I don't really know what to do with it, but I think that there is the kernel of a good idea for a more mainstream game in there somewhere.

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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby xander » Mon Jun 23, 2014 3:48 pm

So, now I have to figure out what to do to a student who slept through the last exam... Why do they do this to me?

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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby shinygerbil » Mon Jun 23, 2014 9:40 pm

You mean, aside from drawing on a beard?
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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby Xocrates » Mon Jun 23, 2014 10:52 pm

xander wrote:So, now I have to figure out what to do to a student who slept through the last exam... Why do they do this to me?

xander

How many exam dates do you guys have? We generally have two plus an extra date for worker students and stuff like date. Which means that sleeping through the last date is considered a "tough luck" case since it means that he either already skipped or failed on the first date.

On a somewhat related note, assuming I have passing grades on all my tests/exams (which I'm expecting to) I should have had my last test this saturday and should have graduated \o/
(ideally, due to the way the degree is set up, I should take an extra two years for a master level, but fuck that noise.)
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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby xander » Mon Jun 23, 2014 11:30 pm

Xocrates wrote:
xander wrote:So, now I have to figure out what to do to a student who slept through the last exam... Why do they do this to me?

xander

How many exam dates do you guys have? We generally have two plus an extra date for worker students and stuff like date. Which means that sleeping through the last date is considered a "tough luck" case since it means that he either already skipped or failed on the first date.

On a somewhat related note, assuming I have passing grades on all my tests/exams (which I'm expecting to) I should have had my last test this saturday and should have graduated \o/
(ideally, due to the way the degree is set up, I should take an extra two years for a master level, but fuck that noise.)

By "last exam", I meant the most recent exam (i.e. the last exam proctored) rather than the final exam. Sorry for the confusion.

To answer your question, finals (and all other exams) are one shot deals. Either you attend and sit the exam, or you don't, and you fail. Some instructors offer make-up exams. I do not, though I do allow students to override one midterm exam score with the final exam score, assuming that their work is substantially complete.

Also, congrats on graduating. I am going back to school (again) this fall to get it piled higher and deeper, so it is another four years (minimum) of school before I get to graduate again.

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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby Xocrates » Tue Jun 24, 2014 3:15 am

Just for clarification, what do you call exam?

Around here, an exam covers the entire semester, so it doesn't make sense to do more than one. If it only covers part of the semester, we just call it a test.

Generally speaking, a course either has one exam to be made at the end of the semester or 2+ tests, plus whatever work they throw at us, though I had one course with 2 tests AND an exam.
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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby xander » Tue Jun 24, 2014 3:45 am

In the American parlance, "exam" and "test" are synonyms. The distinction that you make between exam and test is similar to the American distinction between a "midterm [test or exam]" and a "final [test or exam]". This particular student missed the second of three midterm exams. He did not miss the final exam.

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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby NeatNit » Tue Jun 24, 2014 6:14 pm

My highschool teacher, when a student misses a test for an acceptable/understandable reason, would let students re-take the exact same exam, at home, limiting their own time. He trusted us not to cheat.

He was a good teacher.

I should mention that he only did it with students he trusted (such as myself). He said he once did it with less-than-trustworthy students and he was shocked (:O) that they scored substantially higher than usual. What do you know.
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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby xander » Tue Jul 01, 2014 6:04 pm

Seems that someone has already done something similar: http://wewanttoknow.com/elements/

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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby Colytic » Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:14 am

I stumbled across this once again, and it remains one of my favourite videos on the internet (you have to remember how unbelievably hyped the iPad was on first release).

The knowing smile on Stewart's face at the end underlines it like gold ink on brown paper.
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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby xander » Mon Jul 07, 2014 10:52 pm

Pardon my French, but how the ever loving fuck did this happen?

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Re: Let's go.........RANDOM!

Postby RGeezy911 » Tue Jul 08, 2014 1:51 am

Wow...



There are no other words that can describe my whats.

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