Life of a NUS Computing Student

Getting your NUS Exam Results for 2009 Semester 1

2009-12-22T01:37:00.011+08:00

(UPDATED 22 Dec 1925PM, at end of article)(UPDATED 22 Dec 1210PM, at end of article)NUS has released a 'enormous benefits' system that requires VPN access to get your exam results. The old exams page is no longer up, neither is there any information there on how to get the exam results.How to get my NUS exam results! How? How! (Image stolen)Most of the online exam results should be released by

NUS CO-OP Textbook Prices: More Expensive Than Other Bookshops

2009-08-18T20:00:00.001+08:00

If you are getting brand new textbooks, get it from Clementi Book Store. Don't believe the marketing crap about NUS Co-op bookshops being cheaper and giving further 5% discount. Which is a marketing gimmick to give you a omg-wow-awesome-discount feeling. Generally, most textbooks in NUS Co-op is more expensive than Clementi Book Store. NUS Co-op has many branches around NUS, but you pay

A Peek Into a NUS Mailbox: Events, News, Careers and Advertising

2009-08-15T19:02:00.014+08:00

Besides the regular CORS and IVLE alerts that I look forward to receiving in my mail, most of the mails in the account are advertising (read: spam) forwarded and sent by NUS members. It is quickly reaching to a level where many minor events are sent in e-mails to the whole NUS even though it affects only a small percentage of the recipients. For example: Sports facility closures, various

The Unofficial NUS CORS FAQ For Freshmen

2009-08-07T23:02:00.014+08:00

(Updated 4th January 2010) Going through my analytics, people are coming to my blog with some questions not really covered in my blog. Here is a collation of the most frequently asked questions with my best answers. Again, note that this is an unofficial CORS guide.CORS FAQ Does the NUS CORS system suck? Not really. Only when the bidders exceed the vacancy, the closing period sucks as we

The Unofficial NUS: School Of Computing (SoC) FAQ For Freshmen

2009-08-07T22:59:00.006+08:00

(Updated 15th August 2009) Going through my analytics, people are coming to my blog with some questions not really covered in my blog. Here is a collation of the most frequently asked questions with my best answers. Again, note that this is unofficial. Does NUS School of Computing (SOC) suck? Depends on the modules you take. Some modules have lecturers who you may have trouble

The Unofficial NUS FAQ For Freshmen

2009-08-07T22:11:00.015+08:00

(Updated 4th January 2010) Going through my analytics, people are coming to my blog with some questions not really covered in my blog. Here is a collation of the most frequently asked questions with my best answers. Again, note that this is unofficial. Can I convert my breadth module to an Unrestricted Elective? Ask the person in charge of the module. In some cases it may be possible.

Bid, Win & Succeed in NUS CORS: Tips, Tricks, Strategies &... Having Fun!

2009-08-06T10:31:00.003+08:00

So you want to win your modules in Centralised Online Registration System? You want to use at little points as possible. And you want to secure the modules with as few points as possible. Mr. CORS. We meet again. For the last time...This post summarizes some knowledge from my experience before it expires into long term memory. Many of them can sound bad and going against general bidding

Connect Your NUS E-Mail To GMail. Get Real Unlimited Disk Space

2009-07-30T21:04:00.001+08:00

The System Administrator. If you don't know him, count yourself lucky. He will contact you personally when there is something wrong with your NUS e-mail account.Otherwise, he never shows himself in public. He stays with his Administrator, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ensuring that no one is flouting the rules that is set for the NUS e-mail accounts. The System Administrator. (Image Stolen)

NUS SameMail LargeMail - The Same Mail As Before

2009-07-29T17:58:00.001+08:00

It's been said that things that are too good to be true, are usually are. NUS Large Mail is a fine example of that. What it actually means. SourceWhen you go to the fine print of this upgrade here, it becomes clear. What is thought to be a simple 1GB upgrade of all mailboxes is actually a complicated addition of a secondary 'vault'. Something like the Closed Bidding period in CORS - where

Unofficial NUS Guide To Getting Your Message To All NUS Students

2009-05-30T20:51:00.005+08:00

So you have a job vacancy. Or a survey. Or a lab experiment. Or a seminar that needs seats filled up. What are you going to do? How are you going to get the 'manpower' to fill the slots? How? How? Can even Einstein figure this out? (Image Stolen)Let's see... You are a Staff, a NUS employee. That gives you many rights. Cool!Next... you have at your disposal, access to a complete database of

Lecture Theatre Chairs

2008-10-19T14:23:00.002+08:00

Have you ever noticed - the chairs in some lecture rooms are so uncomfortable to lean back on? For example, the chairs in LT8. Try leaning back, and you find that your bottom goes forward and you lean back too much. And the chairs are actually designed to be like that. Uncomfortable Lecture Theatre Chairs - 3 images stolenThe best comfortable one I've been to in SOC is LT27. Congratulations

Furniture and IT Equipment Conditions in SoC

2008-10-18T02:23:00.000+08:00

Go to the study area in SOC. Find a nice study table with a innocent looking chair. Sit down. A Computer Chair - image stolen Count your lucky stars if you get a chair that doesn't have any one of these problems: Automatic height adjustment feature. Seat goes down when you sit down, lifts up when you get up. Gas lift doesn't work and hence you find yourself

The NUS Financial Bill

2008-10-17T01:36:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I wonder why I am being charged for things I don't use. I don't even understand what some charges are for. Screen Capture from Current Tuition Fees Payable. Bright lines indicate things that I don't know why I am being charged for a) NUSSU Annual Subscription ($10 first year, $24 every year) NUSSU = National University of Singapore Students Union

The Online Student Feedback on Teaching Exercise

2008-10-16T01:58:00.000+08:00

Hey NUS Mates! You know those surveys that you are forced to take every semester? Yea, those student feedback surveys? Here's a letter from me with regards to that: Dear NUS Mate, How have you been doing? I hope you are going to graduate soon. Wish you the very best! I have a sincere request. Please don't specify that the modules you are taking as easy during the end of semester module

Odd Exam Hall Related Things in NUS

2008-10-15T02:11:00.000+08:00

These are some annoyances during the midterm or final term exams. A random exam paper heading that we are all used to a) Unstable Rocky Tables and Chairs Depending on your luck, you may get a table and chair that both tilt to one side depending on which side the force is on. This force starts becoming very noisy when you attempt to correct a mistake in the OCR form with a rubber.

Advertising and Useless Announcements in NUS E-Mail

2008-10-14T02:17:00.001+08:00

NUS E-mail is being used to communicate all sorts of things that should be posted in a bulletin board / mailing list. Recently I received the following mails: Racing Cars anyone? And from a source I would trust IMPORTANT news to all SoC students!! New music library operating times! Huh? Free advertising privilege for a NOC student? Some '

The NEW! CORS Gripes

2008-10-12T02:22:00.000+08:00

New CORS design. With a pretty ang mo and laptop that looks as if they were digitally combined (photoshopped)In a list of CORS gripes that keep growing, here are three new ones:a) Open Bidding Statistics Why, oh why, doesn't CORS display results of the open bidding statistics right at the Bidding Management page? Why do I have to go through one long long document for the

Top 5 Annoying Things Lecturers Do

2008-07-28T22:07:00.002+08:00

This is a follow up to the previous one, now that I am in third year. Not uploading PowerPoint slides in PowerPoint format What is with PDF that lecturers just love to post instead of the original PPT? Compatibility? Why not upload both versions? Copyright? Lecturer's lecture notes are NUS property, not personal property. It is a war of PPT vs PDF! 4 images stolen Some

Winning in CORS. Timetable Builder. Another Semester Start Irritant

2008-01-12T14:19:00.000+08:00

I'm through with CORS. The tactic works - Wait till 4:55pm and put in your points. Do not bid first (leave it at zero). Got all my modules with this tactic <evil laughter>. Oh no, did I just let out a tip? How to win (in) Centralized Online Registration System. And I am not alone, judging by the increasing number of bidders in the last 15 minutes. And who doesn't want to? The other bidders

The Closed Bidding Period in CORS is NUS's Way to Save Costs

2007-08-07T18:11:00.001+08:00

The Centralized Online Registration System, the first barrier that all NUS students have to jump over before any semester starts. CORS! We meet again!It comes with two bidding periods: The open period where you will be able to view the highest, lowest and the next minimum bid. The closed period where you will not be able to view any of the above except for the number of bidders.

Top 5 Things Freshmen to NUS Computing Faculty Should Know

2007-07-03T02:44:00.002+08:00

(Updated 2/Aug/07) Well, it has been long since an update due to the study break and me trying to make a few bucks. Freshmen Orientation is 85% games, 15% NUS information The official site of the Freshmen Orientation Project See my rant here. Don't attend if you are not into funny games, selling flags or more games! See the official site or just see the agenda for

Bittorrent in NUS

2007-04-08T01:03:00.001+08:00

The Bittorrent Logo DISCLAIMER: This post is in my personal opinion and may be RIGHT or WRONG! So do your homework before trying the stuff out!There have been some queries in the comments (Ok, there's only one, but the referrer logs show many entries).So, does bit torrent downloading work in the NUS network using a personal laptop? Short answer It works partially but not at optimal speed. Use it

The NUS Shuttle Bus Experience

2007-02-04T18:24:00.000+08:00

I like the free NUS Shuttle Bus service. Without it, I can't imagine walking for 10-15 minutes to Business faculty from School of Computing. Modern looking shiny orange buses. They are a beautiful sight on the roads.The hills provide for a unique experience that can be found in few places in Singapore. Sometimes, I wonder how the full bus ever manages to climb up such a slope. However, the

Mathematics with Java Doubles

2007-01-02T22:07:00.000+08:00

Today, I was trying to revise Java before the term starts. While in the process, I hit a simple addition problem:System.out.print(124.4 + 18.2); //Outputs 142.6 System.out.print(124.6 + 18.2); //Should output 142.8, right? No... //... // //it outputs 142.7999999999999!Weird no? After a bit of googling, I found out that this was due to the Java Language Specification, with doubles being converted

How CORS Loves to Irritate Me

2006-12-28T01:37:00.001+08:00

The holidays are almost over! I've just checked the Exam Results site for my New Year present from NUS. Well, I can say it has been a bad start.As usual I plough through the summary of degree requirements, Timetable Builder and Module Information (computing modules mirror). So now, back to meeting Mr. CORS. Been a long time since I saw you ol' buddy. The last time I saw you was during tutorial