I am well into chapter 2 of Bowles now.

I started to read Bowles's chapter 2 now. I would hope to have this chapter read by the end of today.

The reading of Beinhocker is ahead of schedule.

I have now made this week's reading goal by reaching page 99 of the Beinhocker book and have read the first four chapters. I have one day to spare so this book will be put aside for a day. Here is the general cite and brief comment.

Beinhocker, Eric D. The Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics (Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School, 2006).

The first three chapters are part I and I have read this completely now. I have read the first chapter in part II which is chapter four. This fourth chapter reviews an experiment in economics called Sugarscape. The experiment was performed by Joshua Epstein and Robert Axtell in 1995. This experiment simulates a number of microeconomic variables and the results are used by Eric Beinhocker to disprove some traditional economic theories. He also uses this chapter as his introduction and summary of complexity economics which is what the remainder of the book will cover.

Continuing to read economics.

I worked this week so could not do much study. I did just complete reading the first chapter of

Bowles, Samuel Microeconomics: Behavior, Institutions and Evolution (New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2004).

This chapter is a good sophisticated introduction to game theory. It was slow reading.

Reading continues

I got to page 45 of Bowles, Samuel Microeconomics: Behavior, Institutions and Evolution today on the third day of study. I got to page 60 of Beinhocker, Eric D. The Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics today. This second book is less technical and easier to read.

The economics course textbooks arrived and I started to read them.

I got the textbooks for the economics course on Christmas eve. That's Canada post for you. I have met one of their most radical leaders from the past and chatted with him briefly. I also volunteered with a postee at the green party convention this year. I also have better contacts for mobilizing postal workers now for labour actions.

The books for this course are:

Beinhocker, Eric D. The Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics (Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School, 2006).

This book is 600 pages long thus if I want to have it read in the first two months of school term, or first six weeks would be better, I need to read 100 pages a week and that's about 15 pages a day. On Christmas Eve I started to read it. I read the preface and part 1 chapter one that day. On Christmas Day I read part 1 chapter two, thus reading 43 pages in two days. So with this above rate of 15 pages a day I am ahead now by almost one day.

Bowles, Samuel Microeconomics: Behavior, Institutions and Evolution (New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2004).

This book is also about 600 pages long. Thus the same rate of reading will be applied to it. It arrived at the same time as the other course textbook. It is a textbook developed for a doctoral level course in economics from the University of Massachusettes. On Christmas Eve I read the 19 pages of the prologue and on Christmas got through to page 31 in part 1 chapter 1. So I am just on schedule with this book.

Reading began right away.

Some people know when I do things and get behind activities I get them done and often very rapidly. Often I do this with a computer so the effort is less than the result. But often I also do things like getting around on buses and bikes and do a great job of this. Sometimes I have to bum a ride and often these days people offer me rides.

But enough about results. I also systematically plan everything. I also document my reading with this blog which today helped me write for wikipedia. Another way I document required reading is to use check marks and little penciled in dates beside chapters and chapter sections. Today I managed to read chapter 1 sections 1 and 2 in my applied probability textbook. I now have a whole bunch of problems to do in section 2 chapter 1. So I stopped for today.

My other textbooks for winter are in the mail so I am fairly sure my textbooks will all be here before term begins. My schedule is being worked out and it will be tight full time work and part time school. I am increasing the course load this term but this also speeds up the degree progress. I have done a fair amount of real work today so I am now going to read more interesting and broadly related studies. I may read on the bus today or at home. I may buy some new book shelves today for my study office.

My first textbook arrived today.

The textbook I received today is for an introduction to stochastic processes such as markov chains, martingales, poisson processes and queueing. Here is the cite:

Taylor, Howard M. & Karlin, Samuel. An Introduction to Stochastic Modeling 3rd ed. (New York: Academic, 1998).

I read the table of contents and preface on the bus tonight. I will report more later.

One winter term textbook is in the mail now.

As of this morning at 1 am my applied probability course textbook is in the mail from Amazon.ca. This textbook should arrive before the term begins maybe today or tomorrow, if I am lucky. Also the professor from the economics course I will study this winter has sent me the titles of the textbooks for that course. He also said they are available at the bookstore now. I am not sure if I will have time tomorrow to go to school and buy the textbooks but I may try to do this. Right now I will check the pricing for on-line book stores.

I read the beginning of three papers from ISSS 2006.

I read the beginning on a paper on carbon dioxide emissions and lean business. I also looked at paper proposing systems sciences be reformed into systems studies. I also looked at a paper about torture. Then I read some Manual Castells in his The Power of Identity about patriarchalism.

I am going to check out some systems science papers this morning and also file away my probability course notes

I have some time to do some school research this morning and will check the papers out from this year's systems science association. I will also file my course notes and get my binder ready for the winter term courses. Speaking of winter term courses I did investigate the economics professor who is a retired professor and I sent him and intro email. I still don't know who is teaching the advanced probability course. I do have a past textbook for the applied probability course and have gotten through the first chapter of this book but should get through the second and third chapters before January.

Course ends with A+ grade.

I know I am bragging but I scored A+ in my course. This is my first A+ ever so I am quite pleased. This gives me confidence with Latex and math. I can again call myself a mathematician. This reminds me I need to pay my dues for the Canadian Math Society again this year. I should also get the application to the Statistical Society of Canada completed.

Tutoring again.

I did some tutoring for professor Ranjeeta Mallick. Two of her students needed help wth their study of the business statistics course at Carleton. I did 6 hours total tutoring on the weekend.

My exam is completed.

I wrote my first exam at the university of Ottawa on Thursday morning. I think it went well enought to raise my mark above B minus but maybe not well enough for an A. We will see soon enough.

I began random problem solving from the textbook.

I am trying to stay focused and in the mood to do probability problems. I picked two problems just now and solved them. One problem from chapter 3 and one from chapter 4. I am picking problems with solutions in the back of the textbook.

I am getting ready for the final study period before the exam.

It is down to the wire now as I read my notes and study my textbook. I will continue to study now for 12 hours until my exam tomorrow morning.

I just reviewed the notes from our course review class.

I just reviewed notes from our course review class last Thursday. I will continue to study all night tonight.

Wasting a little time but my review notes of my textbook are done on time.

I did waste a little time giving away a computer, surfing Second Life and updating Second Life, and just now updating myspace. So capitalist internet continues to ruin my school time. I did in fact get my review notes all done by 3 AM. I now need to read my review notes and then review problems and practice some problems. I should practice a problem from each studied section now. I will try to do that starting this time at the end in chapter 5.

Plan for this morning's study is to summarize my textbook.

I have summarized two chapters now and have three to go. I will get this all done by 3 AM and then practice problems. I will report my progress here in one hour.

I attended our last class in MAT2371.

I attended the last class in MAT2371 and we reviewed the last two thirds of the last year's exam. I have some weak areas like change of variables and and also poisson approximation but otherwise know what I am doing. I will be reviewing my own material and these weak areas tonight after work. I may leave work early today if I can. I have tomorrow off work but it is very important that I do well do this first exam of gradaute school.

The normal distribution, studied.

I studied the normal distribution this morning. I have studied most of the first chapter and this was chapter 5 I read today. I am working early today so I can leave work early and get to sleep early and wake up on time for our last lecture tomorrow. I write my exam on Thursday morning. I also have Wednesday off work so I can sleep in the afternoon and wake up plenty early for my exam on Thursday.

Last year's exam as a study technique.

The professor reviewed seven problems on Thursday from last year's exam in Thursday's lecture. I reviewed these solutions today. I then solved another 6 problems on my own this morning and had some difficulties with three problems. I think I will use her review structure also from Thursday's lecture to rewrite my own course summary today. I will also try to solve another 6 problems. But right now I am going to sleep having not slept since Friday morning.

I did not complete all the problems in the last assignment.

I had some union volunteering to complete on the morning my assignment was due. I also did not plan the final assignment work load very well. I ended up only completing about half of the assignment. I should end with about 75% on the term work.