• Finish Brooks. You can skim the last part of the book, reading closely only the parts that seem most interesting and relevant. But do think about No Silver Bullet and his reflections on that twenty five years later.

• Start Beck, eXtreme Programming eXplained (one of the assigned texts for the semester) and write a few paragraphs about your first impressions of some of what he has to say. If you hear him at the SDExpo, include reactions tohis talk in your discussion.

  We will discuss XP in class on Thursday, September 23. I expect you will have interesting things to say comparing Beck to Brooks.

• Write a few paragraphs responding to each of the five possible projects we have heard about:
  • managing medical data (Lesley Wojcik)
  • forensic botany (Prof Robert Stevenson)
  • teaching kids to type (Lorraine Theroux)
  • MGE Professor Brian White)
  • breast oncology graphics ( Dr. Kevin Hughes)

  Base each response on the assumption that that is the project you will work on. In class we will decide (collectively) which four of these we will do. Be prepared to contribute to that discussion! In particular, be prepared to express an opinion on each of the following questions for each project.

  • Is the project feasible? Is there some reasonable subset of the scope that we think we can actually do in the time allotted? (yes, maybe, no)

  • Would this project be fun/interesting to work on? (yes, maybe, no)

  • Would the product be used after we finished it? (yes, maybe, no)

  • How difficult is the project? (hard, OK, easy)

  • Would you learn from this project? (yes, maybe, no)

  • Are you willing to work on this project? (yes, maybe, no)

  The next assignment will give you a chance to let me know your first choice among the final four projects.

• Sign up for a project selection interview (details to be announced).

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