Stream of Ry

I found this old Soc. Sci. 2 paper while I was cleaning up my room and thought that it could be worth posting.

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I am probably the only person who ever replied like this to such assignments.

It’s just that, in my opinion, an instructor who asks his/her students to use a particular software is compelled to provide for them a copy of the software or at least a source where they can get a copy. Furthermore, being in education, the copy should be legitimate or else risk being a bad influence to his/her constituents.

Piracy is not an alternative and I do not want to be an educated pirate.

How can we, as academics, condemn plagiarism and not piracy? In essence, they are the same — making use of a legal intellectual property without credit — only that in software, credit is in the form of currency.

Seriously, if I don’t get an alternative or a legitimate copy, I will not do the Machine Problem.

Feel free to comment.

This came in from the CS Network mailing list:

[start message]

Things you need to know about the new registration process in the College of Engineering (effective Nov. 4, 2009):

• All registration activities (except Validation at the Eng’g Lib Entrance) will be transferred to the 3rd floor of the College. This means ALL BOOTHS (e.g. Info booths, releasing) can now be found at the 3rd floor.
• Nobody is allowed to enter the Administration Office regardless of reason. All inquiries must be coursed through RegCom only.

General Steps:

1. Proceed to the Regcom Central Station found at the 3rd floor lobby (in front of the Engineering Theatre) to check eligibility. A bulletin board containing information on student eligibilities will also be present.
2. If eligible, claim Form 5A at your respective departments and go on with your registration as before.
   If ineligible, you will be forwarded to one of the Regcom Satellite Rooms (see below)
3. You will be asked to present your I.D. together with pertinent documents to clear your ineligibility in the aforementioned rooms.
4. Wait in the room while Regcom processes your clearance in the Administration office.
5. You will then either be given Admin clearance (meaning you can already proceed with your enrolment) or a slip which indicates that your ineligibility has not been settled yet. With the latter case, you will be instructed by Admin as to your next step (e.g. submit more documents, file for an appeal etc.)

Regcom Satellite Rooms
Room 318-320 — Cases: Loans, Underassessment, Extension of Contract, Shifting/Non-Majors, F-137
Room 313-315 —  Cases: LOA, AWOL, Transferees, Ineligibility due to Grades (eg. only 2 units passed, did not satisfy 50% rule)
Room 314-316 — Cases: Issues on Graduating Status, Signing of Contracts, Readmissions to the College and University

Other Rooms to Remember:

• Room 305-307 – Releasing of COGs, TCGs, Certifications
• Room 306-308 – Application of COGs, TCGs, Certifications; Submission of forms such as Waiver and Overload; Permit for Removals; Certification of Form 5
• Room 309-311 – Regcom Headquarters; Form 5 station

Final Reminders:

1. Please bring your I.D.s during registration. You will definitely need them. If your ID is lost, your latest Form 5 will suffice.
2. Processing of ineligibilities in the respective rooms will be done on a first-come-first-served basis so be early.

**We apologize for the short notice but rest assured that Regcom is always trying its best to ensure that everyone enjoys a smooth registration experience this second semester.
-Regcom and the Office of the College Secretary

[end message]

Since tomorrow is enrollment time (again), here’s the steps on how to enroll (in case some of you forgot or I forget XD):

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“It looks like I won’t graduate on time.”

I see / hear it on a regular basis, be it from friends or strangers.
You see, in UP, especially in the College of Engineering, not a lot get to graduate on time.

That extra year entails additional cost of living, making you a liability to the family income and is generally viewed as “a waste of time”. That whole “waste of time” thing merits its own blog post but the crux of my opinion about it is that there is no such thing as a waste of time if you spend it as you see fit AND learn from it. It still amazes me how some people can say that they don’t have enough time for academics but in retrospect, they spend ALL of their free time playing games and in social networking sites.

If you look at that extra year as time to explore more before you graduate, then all is not lost. After all, only few have an idea how different life is between being an employee/employer and being a student and I daresay that a lot of employees sometimes wish that they had the luxury of being students again.

As I said a lot of times to people who feel bad about not graduating on time:

It is not about graduating on time. It is about graduating when you are ready.

After all, oftentimes we fail because we have not yet understand the subject matter fully. I should know, I dropped Math55 the first time I took it.