Harsh J

Discovered that PowerISO has a free Linux CLI tool for opening .DAA (Direct Access Archive) files and allowing conversion to other formats as well. Can be downloaded and installed from the .tar.gz package available at their website here or click here for a direct download!

College’s been pretty hectic, or I instead have been very lazy since my last blog post (27th January).

Other stuff am trying these days are problems, both old and new, from IIT-K’s Bitwise (Of course, in Python!). I did try the still-alive Krypton but I got fed up of it at the 6th level, lost my touch I guess.

Also trying to learn nasm bit by bit (Pun intended) but I can’t be an avid user of it any time soon, its hell mighty! .Net is going into my brains too, as my College’s Lab projects require it. IMO .Net’s pretty good to use, with its heavy abstraction, its very easy to build stuff with it. Strictly NO for efficient applications though. Its a dependency hell (sort of) too but thats okay with me.

Well thats all for now, more on what movies, etc I’ve seen, later! Darn records.

I’ve got a 10 day break from college for this Pongal festival. Of course it didn’t come free, as I have a ton load of assignments to complete before it ends.

Off to some distant land for now. BRB.

My 4th semester’s begun, and its back to college for over 8 hours a day.

The subjects this time are all mostly theor-ish.

Here are my subjects this 4th semester:

• Probability and Statistics
• Microprocessors and Microcontrollers
• Computer Architecture
• Software Engineering
• Digital Signal Processing
• Information Coding Techniques

Probability is fun, but also involves a wrote of writing, than solving. Bah.

Microprocessors and Computer Architecture are interesting ones which I don’t mind paying full attention to. Though Computer Architecture is something very basic and I end up day dreaming in its classes.

No one’s turned up for Digital Signal Processing yet but from the syllabus it looks like its just a deep extension of the Signals and Systems I had last semester. Signals was easy last year, but I don’t know how it could be an IT Industry application. But the problems were simple nevertheless.

Information Coding Techniques is the lone nice subject I have this semester. It has all those things about data compression, various formats of compression, and so on. Neat.

Software Engineering is full theory of various models, concepts, blah. I never would understand the need of learning so much corporate stuff until I start working I think. But the subject’s just started so I can’t say much. Having the word ‘Engineering’ in its name makes me think its more than just what it looks.

So am off to another grueling 3 months I guess. This time am gonna need 2x the amounts of pens I used last semester. Since there is NO CODE at all. I wish there were more Code/Algorithmic subjects.

In Labs we’ve got 3 again:

• Digital Signal Processing and Communication Lab
• Microprocessors and Microcontrollers Lab
• Software Engineering Lab

Software Engineering Lab has project stuff where we have to make teams of 4 or more and build something redundant. They advised us to use VB and MS-Access even while the Syllabus stated the use of just simple C/C++. Meh. I’m gonna see if they allow the use of other languages and GUI tool-kits as well.

Microprocessor one is all OP-Code and programs with those. Adding two numbers was never this fun.

Not been to DSP & Communication Lab yet, will update this part next week or so. Its gonna be boring, am sure of that. Cause to me, Communication stuff is ALL boring. Don’t even get me started on how I managed to write things in that Principles of Communication paper in December’s Anna University exams.