FAQs
Chances are that you might have some queries about this website. I will attempt to answer some of them in this section.
How long did it take you to make this website?
Roughly one school semester (i.e., about 13 weeks).
Do you have something else like this for other courses (e.g., BS2003)?
I do.
However, I am still in the process of refining those websites; furthermore, they will not be free to access like this one.
There will be more information on that to come, but for now, this is what I have to offer. This website is 100% free to access (always), so you may as well use this website to your advantage.
Are you considering creating a .pdf version of this website for those who have places to be that have spotty internet connections?
I was going to, but unless I know how receptive others are to this website, making a .pdf version of this website would likely turn into a case of “too much effort, too little reward.”
Plus, it’s not as easy as one might think to make a .pdf version of this website. As much as I love to use \(\LaTeX\) to typeset and format my documents, this is a content-heavy website.
Why the decision to create a website for this module? That sounds like overkill.
I initially authored this website as my study notes: a more visually-appealing way of studying Biochemistry I (traditional pen-and-paper notes can be quite hideous to look at at times).
However, I only thought of sharing this website after the semester ended. I wanted others to have access to quality learning materials (plus it would be a shame to see all this hard work stashed aside on my desktop, never to be touched again), so yeah - I decided to upload this website onto the bookdown servers for all to see.
That said, you probably thought that this website was overkill because you also thought that I designed the website and poured countless hours into its HTML and its CSS. I did not. I used a pre-made template provided by gitbook.
What technologies did you use to make this website?
Like I mentioned in the previous question, I did not use any HTML or CSS (at least not directly) to make this website. Instead, I used the following languages:
R
To construct tables, to include graphics, and to publish this website.
R Markdown
To render the content (i.e., the bulk of this website).
\(\LaTeX\)
To typeset mathematical formulas and symbols. There’s a good reason why \(\LaTeX\) is the “gold” standard for most professional mathematics writing.
YAML
To customize certain features of this website.
Surprising, no?
Why not just make this website public? Why must I sign up for a RStudio Connect account to view your notes?
My notes contain copyrighted content. I don’t want to risk Pearson Education or NTU stumbling across this website by chance and sending me a stern warning via email or worse.
Hence, I have decided to make it so that only people who I have okayed will be able to see this website. And in order for that to happen, I needed people to first make an RStudio Connect account.
Yes, it sucks for both you and I, but hey - it doesn’t cost any money to start a RStudio Connect account nor is it a complicated process to grant people access to this website.