End of semester; Research Methodolgy; e_Commerce

Well that day has finally dawned - Yes, its the last day of the semester but also more importantly the last day of classes for the course - that's in NO MORE formal classes - Wow, still trying to get my head around that one . . . . so what happens now I hear you saying??? Well - exams start next week with Artificial Intelligence and it will take some artificial and super-human effort but I am confident I will get there - the following week is Designing Usable Systems - DUS . . . I only have two exams - obviously more worried about AI - because of its complexity but also because it's exam makes up 80% of my class mark - as opposed to DUS where I have completed 50% of the work so the exam - maximum counts for 50% - a big difference . . . AI is the big bang approach - which I thought education terms they had moved away from a long time ago - it appears not - problem is we were not given any notes but had plenty of time to address that - I have both the Dechter as well as the Planning so in theory - I shouldn't have any problems . . . . but that is next weeks story . . .

This week - lets see Judi was across visiting me last weekend and left my place Sunday . . .I was supposed to get stuck in but found it hard to get going - I think we have had so much to do with one deadline after another that I have hit a plateau - almost saturation point - you work & work & work to meet a deadline - but then you just move on to meet the next one and this carries on and on . . . it get s to you after a while - but you just pick yourself up, dust yourself off - and get on with it - there have been a whole string of such deadline and this week was no exception - We started Research Methods last week Friday and had a presentation to do this week Friday, we also had a critique to hand in on a previous dissertation . . . things apparently got out of hand and out of a class of 24 - 16 people had asked for an extension . . . . no, not I - he says - I've just never believed in extensions - you get one and it means that your encroaching on the next assignments time and before you know where you are it has all snow-balled - I did get a 24 hour extension once on Java documentation if I remember correctly - there was a reason for that - can't remember what - something to do with them working on the gas or something . . . anyway I did not do well with that part of the project anyway - another thing is you are supposed to loose 10% of the marks so I think you need to give it plenty of thought - its as I say its usually the same people getting extensions . . . whenever I ask certain people they have not yet handed in.

Apart from research methodologies we had our final e-Commerce presentation as well as a portfolio of all our documentation . . . which we are at this late stage still putting together . . .

Thursday had a RM meeting - Nicole, Sonia, Chris and myself - and I was to meet with Christiaan - we were going to do AI - but he phoned at 14h00 - sounded half cut and mumbled something about International students night the night before and alarm clock - to which I replied 'I take it you had a good night then' to which I got a groan of a reply - no AI needed to now he wasn't going to come down in a hurry . . . .

Took wee Micra in for an MOT - was dreading it as wasn't sure what they would find wrong - took it in to Marshall just down the road and thought I'd just walk home - would the heavens not open up and it start pouring just as I dropped it off . . . .women immediately started quizzing me about year of registration and where the papers were etc., - anyway she just got my back up and we did not get off to a good start . . .but I had to ask someone to give me a lift home as there was no way I was walking in that rain . . .cost me about £140 all 'n all - there was a leak in the one lamp and couple of bulbs and draining plus some other rod as part of CV whatever . . . . Micra failed emissions test but they managed to get past that by charging me for some cleaning goodies . . . lol - I had asked them to get me a passenger side mirror but they couldn't get it as they claimed it was non-standard . . .I was very happy in the end as I thought there might be a lot more wrong with it . . .

Only other issue of note I stood down as chair of the BDC - with uni work it wasn't fair as they need more hands on - Brian was elected as chair and I think he will do well - a lot of hard work ahead - if they get funding that is - otherwise they are looking at about another 3 months and that will be the end of it . . . I think they are going to have to change things . . . but time will tell.

Next week its elections - my predictions are that the SNP will be the majority party across Scotland but I don't think the will have an outright majority - I think they will form a coalition govt with Lib Dem's - and it looks very much as if local elections will follow a similar trend although I see them actually controlling quite a number of councils with, I think, quite a few shocks in store - the big story I think will be the massive losses and swing away, by a dis-enchanted public . . . . long may it last - Tommy Sheridan - I think he will get back in . . . do I have money on all of this No - I am not a gambling man - but I may have to eat humble pie - who knows!