I'm not sure if it's the same at other colleges, but at Champlain, it seems that the week before finals week, which I refer to as "Crunch Week," is so much worse than finals week itself. That continues to be true this semester as well.
My AI project feels like it's going well. I have the hunter searching using pathfinding, it has a field of view implemented, and the hunter randomly chooses where to search next rather than going on a path. I'm also pretty happy with how it's coming together considering this is my first project in Unity 3D. It's not too far off from Unity 2D, but it's been an adjustment.
Physics is also making progress. We have already established the orbital patterns and now we need to implement the physics for the gravity, which is going to be my job on the team. I don't mind though, I think the math is really interesting and it sounds like a fun thing to do.
My IT & Ethics group has decided on a topic of Cryptocurrency for our final presentation, which has an open-ended prompt. I think it'll be really cool to really dive into the ethics of the cryptocurrency industry. We will mainly be talking about the intent of what cryptocurrency was supposed to be and the good things it was going to do (no currency exchange/a worldwide currency, Blockchain, etc.), but how it's been twisted by some groups to become almost a scam. The companies that will offer Bitcoins and then steal data, the groups creating their own cryptocurrency to immediately go bankrupt and lose the money, the way that some people who don't know enough about it will get trapped in the system... The ethics behind this topic seem complex and fascinating to research.
I'm making progress through finals and that feels good. The long and overwhelming list of things to do is decreasing and I am excited to finish the semester and have a break. We have actually lost our spring break for next semester, so it'll be a long 4 months straight of classes and working. We will get through it though.
I've been doing a lot of reflection lately about this past year and where I am now. I've found that listening to music has helped a lot. I need those lyrics that really speak to the soul.
The one that has been on my mind the most is "It's Been a Year" by Tom Rosenthal. I lost both of my grandparents this year and this song reminds me so much of my grandmother. Lyrics like "I would give you an Oscar for the movie you made with me. The one no one is going to see." That line specifically hits home.
2020 has been so chaotic, I can barely even remember everything that happened. I hope that I can reflect on what the year has been, but I will be needing to save that for after finals. One thing at a time.