I’ve been studying for a midterm.\u00a0 It’s been a little while since I’ve had to write a test like this, and I’d forgotten what it feels like.<\/p>\n
As a reward for some long studying, and a rather hard week for both of us, my girlfriend Em and I decided to watch The Lord of the Rings:\u00a0 The Twin Towers DVD last night.\u00a0 Three things:<\/p>\n
First, it’s better than I remember.\u00a0 Second, the special effects still hold up.<\/p>\n
Third, I’ve realized that studying for an exam might be a lot like how generals prepare for war.\u00a0 I try to out-think and out-strategize my opponent (the instructor)…what angles are they most likely to attack from?\u00a0 What are my best defenses?\u00a0 What can I attack with?\u00a0 How will they try to surprise me?\u00a0 What are my weaknesses?\u00a0 What ammunition do I have?\u00a0 What might I have to sacrifice?\u00a0 Will I lose?<\/p>\n
In this case, my opponent hadn’t given me much to work with.\u00a0 No past exams.\u00a0 No exam outline.\u00a0 Nothing.\u00a0 Just a point in the textbook, and everything up to it was fair game.<\/p>\n
And so I strapped on my armor this morning (a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, my boots, and my pea coat), sheathed my sword (a 0.5mm mechanical pencil into my pencil case), and prepared for my epic battle.<\/p>\n
I would be facing the Dark Lord of Automata Theory this morning.<\/p>\n
As I approached the battlefield, a disquieting and familiar cry entered my mind<\/a>:<\/p>\n