Well - Java boot camp was over - shell shocked and frightened, I clawed myself back to reality over the weekend (which in English means - I done shitall over the weekend).We kind of ease ourselves back into the new week as we have no classes on Monday's - so our week starts on Tuesday - not bad eh? But most of our assignments, by default are due in by 12h00 on Monday's so I am sure within no time we will be in need of the extra time - last minute typos changes and re-alignment when you look at your essay in the cold light of a Monday morning.
Well what did week 2 consist of - our first Internet programming class - very interesting and by the end of this term we will have our own web site up and running - using a minimum of Html; JavaScript; PHP & MySQL . . .So looking forward to that. As I have a wee bit of experience in that. Managed to have Nicole ejected from our lab - I thought I was helping but turns out she wasn't fully registered so they ejected her - I think she is still speaking to me though. Enterprise Architecture turned into a correspondence course for the first 3 weeks - we have been given the notes and told, by the lecturer, to go through them ourselves. Also have a group exercise - I have chosen Grid Computing - which culminates with a presentation in 2 weeks time - we chose the subject that is to be presented first - may as well get it over and done with - also we are all able to use this information for our first assignment. We are hoping to set a high standard which throws down the gauntlet to the other groups - 4 other groups / topics.
We had our first formal Java programming lesson - I was late (Yeah, I know my life story) got up late missed my train - couldn't see on my timetable where my class was - it was just one of those mornings - any cut a long story short - bumped into Abi (apologies for spelling) who guess what was also late and also did not know where he was going - so when everything fails - throw yourself on the mercy of the faculty secretaries . . .up to the 10th floor - into reception and caught Zakia's attention - told her we were lost - turns out we were in the right building but we should have been on 4th floor . . .rushed down - all of 1/2 an hour late - embarrassed etc., - get to class - lecturer not even there yet . . .no sooner sat down - when this Columbo character comes in behind us (all that was missing was the trench coat) and he is Italian as well. Well in not time he told us he has never taught Java - will discover with us as we go along and in fact doesn't think much of the language as he is a C man - and during the course of the lecture reminded us on countless occasions that C would have dealt with it much more efficiently . . . All n all though - he is very good and I warmed to him because he would scribble away on the blackboard to give you an example - just a pity the chalk didn't actually write on blackboard - some sort of invisible chalk - could see parts of the word but most of it was invisible ... and of course yours truly who knows next to nothing - managed to correct my lecturer because he had given it a capital letter (which is actually quite important in programming - I had him beaming from ear to ear over his mistake - probably cost me 10% in my assignment though).
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I was so frustrated with this BlueJ book we were told to buy, of course Columbo told us within 2 minutes that it was rubbish . . . fact of the matter though was that I had installed CD that comes with book - and wanted to work through material before the class (keen I know, this is what happens when you are a mature student, Yes boring isn't it - I know I should out there drinking with the best of them) - but do you think I could get it to work??? I even went on to web site of the book thinking there may be a known problem - I ended up signing up on the discussion forum on the web site - turning into a right nerd. And received a single reply suggesting I do what I had highlighted the problem could or might be (I knew it was a mistake to give people an easy option - I should have let them tell me or suggest that as a solution.) Anyway I have subsequently tried the work around and guess what it still doesn't work. Columbo, god bless him made a half attempt at sorting it out until he heard I stay in Dumbarton - to which he was heard to say "I no go to Dumbarton" - so at the moment back to square 1.
We actually had a seminar this week - presented by Marc Dunlop - one of the (groot Makulu's) - he attended a seminar recently in Finland on mobile (cell) human computer interface - which looked at amongst other things how mobiles could be use for:
* monitoring your heartbeat whilst training - communicating with your MP3 player
* having a group of people in your memory and constantly scanning to see if any of them are in your proximity. IEEE I am outside the cinema or I'm in mall lets meet for coffee
* DoCoMo - had developed software which could tell whether you were moving / involved in running / going up stairs or sitting at your desk - just an indication of whether you were likely to answer
* a group in Glasgow were experimenting with receiving pulses - with varied amplitude (I thought of using it for Morse code actually - showing my age again)
* for tourism instead of having street maps - have actual photos transmitted to your mobile - for direction purposes. 1 of the things which is disorienting in a strange city is direction and finding street names . . .let alone numbers
It was interesting to hear some of latest development taking place
Which took us to Friday an early start - listen to me settling in to this student lifestyle - of 09h30 . .Information Retrieval with Monica Landoni another Italian - Inter supporter who told is in the first class - she don't know about us but 09h00 (when we are supposed to start) is way too early for her - so there were NO complaints and 09h30 it is. Well we had no sooner started than she made us come up with a definition for information - well we were 6 in the group and I just take over these groups and my definition was "Information is meaningful data" - which I thought was very good - she had given us a number of categories and the one girl had started to work through the categories - but I was having none of that nonsense . . .someone else defined it the other way round Data is meaningful Information - but I told him (gently) what I thought of his definition . . .It is actually quite a theoretical subject . . dreading the exam as there are tons of definitions as I am discovering . . .
[ Glasgow webcam ] If you look at webcam 2 - I am actually attending university in some of the tall buildings in the background there . . . hmm - don't be surprised if it is raining . . . lol.
Had a brief meeting with my fellow group activity - Grid computing members: Matt; Rory; Anthony; Stephen; Christopher and Idong (and me of course) - just realised no women - well I did invite Nicole - but I suppose when she was still upset about being thrown out and banned from all subsequent labs - oh well - can't win them all!
And that folks was week 2.
Scotland play France tomorrow Euro qualifying match - couldn't get tickets for the love of money. Below is the score from Scotland's last match 6 - 0(in their favour against Faroe Islands) played here in Scotland . . . One can but dream tomorrow will produce a victory for Scotland. (He stands up hand over chest . . .and start singing . . "Oh flower of Scotland . . . .")
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