News
January 31
Download the Julia executable from: https://julialang.org/downloads/
Choose the executable (installer) that suits your computer's operating system, by clicking on the text surrounded by the red circle below:
February 01, 11:15h. (edited at 12:50)
We will formally start our Macroeconomics M8674 course on February 2, 13:00-14:30h.
Our classes are scheduled for Wednesdays, 11:00-12:30 and 13:00-14:30. Some problems with the first slot seem to exist because some students have elective courses that overlap with that slot. To avoid that problem, I will reschedule the Wednesday 11:00-12:30 class to Thursdays, 11:00-12:30h.
As you also know, we will use a computing language called Julia and an IDE called Pluto.jl to cover the materials in our classes and the examinations. All evaluations will take place using a computer. Nowadays, there is no single model in modern macroeconomics that can be solved by pencil and paper.
We had a short introduction to computation in early September, but not all students enrolled in this course attended, and this is troubling me. We do need to have all students be able to use the computer in our classes.
Those who already have Julia and Pluto installed on their computers should update their system. There have been many improvements in the installed packages, and the computer will not run as smoothly as it should. There are two possibilities: (i) upgrade the system, (ii) install the new Julia version (now it is 1.7), and the same packages. I would recommend the second option. The Julia version you installed in September was version 1.6.
September 06, 17:20h.
Definitive dates. The sessions on the short course "Introduction to Computation for Economics --02877" will take place on the following dates:
20 September: 11:00-12:30h (Room C6.10, Building II)
21 September: 11:00-12:30h (Room C6.10, Building II)
22 September: 11:00-12:30h (Room C6.10, Building II)
23 September: 11:00-12:30h (Room C6.10, Building II)
Please bring your laptop with you; its battery with power for at least 1:30h working, and a minimum of 450MB hard disk free space. One small BIG detail: if your user name in the computer has some fancy characters -- like ã, é, empty spaces (j star), or Chinese characters -- try to change your user name. If you need help, send me an email. Julia will be installed under your user name, but it will not know what to do if the program finds strange characters there.
Once again, master students are strongly advised not to miss this short introductory course. This course will consist of an introduction to the Julia computing language and to an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) called Pluto. They will be widely used throughout the entire course, not only in classes but also in the evaluation process. Tests and exams will not be taken as usual (pen, calculator, paper) in this course. Instead, they require a computer and Pluto.
Notice that the notebooks are already available on the master's course website. See the menu "Code".
September 03, 23:00h.
Introduction to Computation for Economics --02877. We have to postpone the sessions on this preparatory course on computation for the reasons explained below.
There were eight new applications for this master during the first week of September, which is very uncommon. This fact imposes that accepting these new applicants will only take place up to September 10. For this reason, it is impossible to schedule those computing sessions before the acceptance deadline. Moreover, some new applicants are international students, which makes things more complicated due to the COVID constraints.
Therefore, the new schedule can only be announced early next week.
In the meantime, the computational materials are already available in the menu "Code" on the course's website. You can download the static html versions of the notebooks if you want. The notebooks themselves, it will be better to leave them out to our computational sessions.
August 23, 23:50h.
COVID19 restrictions. We are still waiting for instructions about the start of the new academic year. When they arrive, I will contact you. The short course mentioned below will take place, either using the usual facilities of ISCTE, or through a Zoom session, or both.
August 23, 22:30h. The dates below have been changed.
Do not miss the short preparatory course on computation (Introduction to computation for economics, 2877) that will take place on:
08 September: 14:30-17:30h (Room C6.07, Building II)
09 September: 14:30-16:00h (Room C6.07, Building II)
10 September: 14:30-16:00h (Room C6.07, Building II)
Students are strongly advised not to miss this short introductory course. This course will consist of an introduction to the Julia computing language and to an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) called Pluto. They will be widely used throughout the entire course, not only in classes but also in the evaluation process. Tests and exams will not be taken as usual (pen, calculator, paper) in this course. Instead, they require a computer and Pluto.
Attendance is not mandatory, but missing this short course means that students will have to learn everything by themselves, and this sounds like trouble.
Please bring your laptop to the sessions. The installation of Julia and Pluto will not require more than 450Mb in your computer's hard disk. Finally, one small BIG detail: if your user name in the computer has some fancy characters (like ã , é , empty spaces like j star , or Chinese characters, try to change your user name). If you need help, send me an email. Julia will be installed under your user name, but it will not know what to do if the program finds strange characters there.