The Dancing Man

This kind of sums up how I feel - no words needed after finishing (I am assuming successfully) my Masters course and dissertation . . . . . lol

Edinburgh festival,Travel; London; Vancouver coming; Life, Dissertation

Howdy folks

Well 'tis Tuesday on the morrow -Oops looking at time that's today now . . .lol.

What have I been up to not a lot - turns out our mechanised chair my Mum bought - didn't work - but all is not lost they have taken it back and have promised given an undertaking that it will be sorted . . . watch this space.

Was over at Judi's on weekend and she surprised me by just turning up on Friday evening - Wow! it was a nice surprise - I had said I''d be over on Saturday - so we drove over - the Edinburgh festival is in full swing - Fringe weekend - lots and lots of people . . . .terrible weather though - Saturday absolutely poured the whole day . . .

Right well had a meeting with my supervisor Murray and basically we had a long hard look at the dissertation - in real terms we are left with about 2 weeks to finish off - my number 1 priority is to address the evaluation and specifically beef up and evaluate on object oriented principles - i.e. have a look at each one of the IDEs and rate them in terms of pedagogically how well do they assist students (the likes of me) in learning oo principles - simple enough - I have some books and some additional material - need to compile a list similar (in a way) to my errors and then apply that to all of the IDE's and rate them . . . simultaneously finish off rest of body - but I will have a week for that after I finish criteria . . .so its all go - its been ongoing for quite some time now - need to just pull it all together now and finish . . . .

I suppose not the best time to take a trip to London then is it . . lol - well more a case of house sitting as Sam & Hud leave for Switzerland on Thursday evening - so its just a change of scenery and I can house sit and look after Bubbles although because its locked inside Sam says it will drive me through the roof . . . lucky their place Hanwell is on the suburban Haethrow - Paddington line and is only about 20 minutes on the suburban train . . . .then a wee walk and I'm there - the key is to be left somewhere discreet . . . . under the front door mat???

So its the Jazz Cafe Wednesday evening - criteria there will be whether or not they have Leffe beer and not oo principles - perhaps ooi (out of it) - well you need to relax as well . . .

2 bits of exciting news -- received a tax rebate last week - a sizeable one I'll have thee know . . . and lo and behold returned home this evening and voila a bonus bond prize awaited me - I was hoping it was the £1m . . . . not yet though I'm afraid . . . . just short by £999 950.00 - it was close though . . . .

More exciting news - when I finish my dissertation - my Mum & I are off to Vancouver for a week - 14 Sept - flying Zoom - direct flight from Glasgow and we come back via Manchester - although we don't get off the plane . . . just off-load the MU Rowdies then we'll be on our way again - arrive back the Sat afternoon and then its off to the rugby world cup with Judi - Scotland vs New Zealand @ Murrayfield on Sunday 23rd.

Anyway that about all for now - wow what are all these photos - well as you can see an ecelctic Fringe / Festival (all borrowed from the Scotsman festival blog - don't tell anyone . . .) weel lets see Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum - the 2 exhibitionists; a random female flasher - I think not - Vaudeville couple; and a whole lot of other random stuff; Charlise Theron; a squirrel - yes well that comes from a number of squirrels that were arrested near the Iranian border for spying - it is claimed they had eavesdropping equipment strapped to their bodies ???? - and the other picture is what most Iranian's in Baghdad have to put up with - how long have the allied troops been there - they still don't even have basic services and we want to talk about democracy . ???? I think not - or perhaps a bit premature . . . . stop ripping off their oil money and let them gut the place and put in all of the essential servise that they need - they must be ruing the day allied forces arrived in their country . . .



Reading:
Wired - Web 2.0 leaves porn behind - at last?

Voting with their hearts and what it means for the UK??

Listening:
Rodrigo Y Gabriela he is coming to Carling Academy in November - methinks.

Watching:
best football transfers of season

Old South African Ads (thanks Matt)

FLying Confessions - on at Film Festival

Dumbarton Rd; Chair; Bed; Travel; Dissertation;

Well it was the week of toothache . . . eventually managed to get a emergency appointment . . and really felt that I was butchered . . . last Wed 14h05 walked in - first question was which tooth was giving you the problem - a logical question - I didn't have a definitive answer - so we took an x-ray and then he blew air in amongst my teeth - well the very first one it was OUCH! that's him - he then told me there was nothing wrong with my crown - I'm like OK - and then he told me I had had root treatment on my crown - do we see a pattern here . . I told him I had had extensive root canal work on my crown . . . so he had to take a filling out to get a look at what was going on but first he gave me about 4 injections - felt way too much - I was still shaking when I left and you know how you feel your face is all swollen well mine was . . . he took out my filling and then drilled some of the tooth away and put in a new filling - now all my other teeth feel quite smooth - this one feels like a gravel road if you know what I mean - feels very rough - almost like it was an emergency appointment - wait a minute - it was - Hmmm maybe - but I'm not convinced - I must say he kept up a running commentary - apart from that he had a couple of aerial pictures on the ceiling so at least I had something to look at - I think they should have flat screen TV's flat on the ceiling - but hey! What do I know . . lol - Anyway I have another appointment on Wed - with both my dentist and oral hygienist . .

So what have I been up to - well had to use some whisky again as local anaesthetic again - damn that is me run out now - seeing as I don''t pay for medicine at moment - you think I could go to off-lic and get a bottle for medicinal purposes - No??? Hmmm.

T'otherwise been a quiet week really - Judi was on week's leave - still suffering with yon eye infection apart from that she just had a lazy week - hanging out with the boys - taking the boys to the airport - lol . . . 2 sons left the country - No, they're coming back . . . .

Me watching a bit The Wire still - finished Harry Potter - a bit drawn out really and didn't think the 19 years later part was necessary . . . I think your own imagination is better in that regard - perhaps she done because she had made that decision that there would be no more 'arry Potter's??? Not sure.

Still in limbo with PhD - had preliminary discussions with paisley and I am very excited about undertaking the studentship - Games-based learning is something I think I could really get into . . .looking forward to starting . . . but need to complete my dissertation first . . . how is it going your thinking - still loads to do - more or less finalised criteria and thus far worked through all the tutorials for each environment - now need to move over to evaluating each one against the rest of the criteria. I have a number of programs and want to introduce faults into the programs and see how each environment deals with it - error messages it generates whilst writing it and then debugging and how that works - still on schedule but time is running out . . . next 2 weeks crucial.

Friday night went through to my Mum and we had a good couple of drinks not been seeing much of her lately - work; travel; Edinburgh; etc., - anyway good catch up and a good blether - we hit Dumbarton Road all the charity shops working our way along - Maureen my sister came along and she was looking for toys for her 2 grandchildren coming out soon - me just looking - cut a long story short my Mum getting on in years has been struggling to get up / out of chairs recently and we had told her (Maureen and I) she needs one of yon lazy boys - why not? One of the chairs with remote - where you can stretch out but it also tips forward to throw you out - no well help you out of the chair. So we spy ed one - well Maureen did and I led the charge and my Mum bought it - then on the way out a bed caught my eye and it was one of yon electric beds - so you can sit up to read etc., and she bought that as well . . . shop assistants were calling her the Bionic woman before she left - one guy said all you need is a power cut now . . . lol - so that was Saturday and as you know today Sunday has been a bit miserable - but I don't really mind as it fine for me when I am working as it is somehow easier when it is cold wet and overcast - it is murder sometimes when it is lovely weather and you are stuck inside typing away trying to be creative with words when it would be nice to be strolling along the waterfront or somewhere in the sun . . . .lol

Another snippet of information - might be off to New York next month . . . still need to do my research - flight prices / accommodation etc.,

Photo's - Czech Republic: Prague - Lenin Marx Engels photo by Radim Beznoska - the three liars - celebrating independence from Russian domination. Monthly wages in Zimbabwe - money but its worthless . . . just Germany after world war 2 . . . USS Enterprise sailing through the Suez canal - show of force for Iran's benefit - photo Be Curtis; Zapiro - infant mortality rates in South Africa - swept under the carpet; Bush & Brown meet for the fist time - Rowson

Read all about it:

• Removable permanent tattoo's - Contradiction in terms


• kids sentenced to life in prison - yep America


• Listening to Sum 41


• Watching: Spider cat


• Watching: Cat Hello!

Iraq wins; Toothache; Judi's Birthday; Barcelona; Dissertation

So the fairy tale finish to the Asian Cup would have been for Iraq to have won and what happened . . . . they won . . .Good Luck & Congratulations to them! More celebratory pictures

The awesome waves are surfing in Cape Town . . . pictures of Iraq celebration & Cape Town courtesy of Guardian - cartoons of Le Tour - Zapiro from Mail & Guardian South Africa.


OK so where are we since last week - well the first thing that springs to mind . . .can't think why is this toothache I have at the moment . . . . I have a dentist and the oral hygienist appointment for next week - but I had had toothache off and on and decided to get an emergency appointment as well . . . . seeing as I am unemployed student at the moment - it is free - thank goodness - well went in this afternoon and
his first question is right which tooth is it? I'm like right don't worry step aside I know exactly which tooth it is I placed this dye on it last time it was aching . . . . i.e. I don't have a clue - Monday night - it was so bad I couldn't even concentrate - could hardly speak to Judi - was in so much pain - all I can say is thank the Lord for whiskey - as I used that as a local anaesthetic and it eventually worked - - - Yes, before I passed out . . . lol . . . well - I could not specify exactly which tooth he worked on the one that reacted to air being blown on it . . . . now I have so much toothache I'm not sure we addressed the correct tooth . . . thank goodness I kept my appointment for next week Wednesday - hopefully we can sort out these teeth because -there is only so much whiskey a man should have to drink for medicinal purposes - seeing as I only had Malt whiskey that is what I used . . . . . It is funny - when your healthy and fine you don't spare a thought and when something is wrong - how it changes your life - how unpleasant things can be . . . you don't realise what it is to be healthy - you just take it for granted and something as simple as toothache - shows you - how helpless / what a difference it makes when you are healthy . . .



Well last Saturday went through to Judi's - we had the Barcelona vs Hearts game on Saturday - I had worked at Loch Lomond Folk Festival as a steward on the Friday and had said I wasn't coming through until Saturday - I am a glorified parking attendant really - tell people where they can and can't park - where caravans can go etc., - actually beginning to get to know some of the characters involved - Wilma & Campbell; Andy; etc., as well as some of the guests that turn up regularly every year - people recognised me I recognised them - for some it was their 4th or 5th year for me it was my 4th year in a row . . . and I intend being back there next year . . . .

I had my right hand side mirror removed from my car Friday evening - the other one had been trashed a number of months ago - this time it was almost professionally removed almost as if to order . . . .???? I was on the phone to Judi on Friday evening and I said to her - " the natives are restless tonight, I don't think I'll even put my head up and peer at them over the top of the couch, they might just put another brick through the front window. . . ." - little did I know they were removing my side mirror as we spoke . . . my car is know un-roadworthy and I could be fined in its current situation . . . my Mum is very keen for me to move out of this area . . .

On to Barcelona / Hearts game - 'not worth expanding upon' . . . . I really think of Barcelona as one of the teams in European football . . . and players like Ronaldinho; Eto; Messi; Thuram; Guti etc., have always meant so much to me . . . so I was more than excited to see them play . . . the opposition in this game meant nothing to me . . .there were many Hearts supporters there - the first half was the highlight as the second half had so many changes - we did get to see Henry - and he made a good goal by laying off the ball . . . but the level of football 2nd half was not as good as the first half . . . I enjoyed the experience . . .


It was Judi's Birthday on Sunday - I had already taken her to Rome on her Birthday but sent her some flowers for the actual day . . . . in the evening it had been decided that we would go for dinner and if any of the boys wanted to come along they were more than welcome . . . turned out all four of her sons; Andy; Pete; Mike & Tom all came along and Naz, Mike's girlfriend, came along as well . . . Now between you & I - I had never met Tom yet - and there was some issues there (not from my side) - so I was more than curious as to how it might go . . . . nothing to worry about - it all went fine - met Tom we shook hands and that was about it . . . . . we had a very pleasant evening . . .it was special for Juid as she has not seen all 4 her boys together for quite some time - so she was pleased and ended up footing the bill - so the boys were pleased . . . .lol.


So what's up? I am still plodding away with my dissertation. Hence the BlueJ welcome screen . . . one of the IDEs I am looking at . . . what with toothache and all - been a bit difficult to get going sometimes . . . but still more or less on target - need to cut down and precise my work more . . .


I have receive another PhD rejection slip which I don't think I mentioned - Loubourgh Uni - that leaves 2 - Paisley with whom I had the interview last week and Glamorgan - whom I haven't heard from at all, yet . . . If Paisley is successful - I have decided to move to within walking distance from the uni as this is a 3 year commitment . . .I will probably have to go private for this . . . but location is important here.

So they say lightning never strikes in the same place twice ???

Morally abhorrent - but the UK Govt. knew about these renditions - who is fooling who ???

Lastly - if you remember my link to 'The Wire' TV series - courtesy of the Guardian - I've been watching and really enjoying some of the rest of the episodes - using Bit Torrent - downloading the episodes and watching them . . . . then it turned out it was in a format I did not have a player for MCV - needed to download a player as well - very impressed with the quality though - downloads very slow though . . . . but hey! when you dealing with a busy man . . . not a problem. Main sources torrentspy.com and of course other sites like . . . . www.mininova.com

All for now folks . . . .

Dissertation; London; Photo's; Tour de France

Photo's - My Project Plan - rest devoted to Tour de France - 1)Fabian Cancellera - overall leader Yellow jersey; 2) David Millar - King of the Mountains (top with measles) 3) Robbie McEwan wins stage 4) peleton Goldhurst hill 5) Rochester Pipe Band - courtesy of Le Guardian & a cartoon of Brown who apparently wants to scupper the super casino blueprint . . .cartoon by Steve Bell

Let's start of with my project plan - this is my dissertation blueprint - and if you have a good look you'll see - I hit a milestone today - Literature Review and I am pleased to say I am more or less on target . . .Aha! your saying what the hell does that mean either you are or your not - I am!

What I've decided to do is to stretch my literature review across 2 chapters - 1st one being more general and the 2nd being specifically concentrating on IDE's and there own story - not sure may find there is a lot of overlap and end up with one big lit review chapter - my supervisor and myself will consider once we have it in some semblance of order . . .have to wait and see in the interim - I am very pleased to be more or less on target.



The approach I have followed is sort of a reductionist approach - there is so much to cover so keep trying to break it down into ever smaller parts - still not sure the sequence / flow is entirely correct and my criteria needs more work . . . brilliant article by Hristova on the generic errors / misconceptions students make in Java programming anyway . .I'll keep you posted . .

Extensive research - reading reading reading . . . . . read it a number of times - so often you basically know the article when you open it up . . . . this introduces you to the subject - take snippets as you go along . . . . eventually - independently you decide what your chapter should look like - slot what you have into the various categories - my chapter skeleton / outline - then takes shape - and its a matter of classifying everything into one of the identified sections within a chapter. Well that's how I am approaching it at the moment.

I realise now there is just no way I would have been able to cope with the O2 job and still keep on track with my dissertation . . .sad but true - I know I waste time but you can't just work all the time . . .

Anyway off to London this weekend - what did I say you can't just work all the time . . . lol - pushing it a bit - I am taking my notebook and will be working - yes, working whilst down in London - I will lose some time travelling but don't foresee a problem - might be different story last day before I hand in - OH woe is me why did I travel to London - as I say I am on target and have another weekend in August planned as well. Judi is attending a 3 day acupuncture workshop in London - so this is why we are really going down - I'm sort of tagging along and intend (as I said) working - although Sam & I will be out shopping on Sunday whilst Judi is on course - then we plan to have a celebratory barbecue as Sam (my daughter) has just bought a house in Ealing, London - (will save all those mad searches on the Internet for hotels . .lol) so willing be looking forward to seeing her and the house and Hud (her boyfriend) - now Judi no doubt will want my body in the evenings - to stick needles in to me that is - except she doesn't need needles - skilled in the martial arts - she'll be poking her fingers into me no doubt . . . there is only so much a man can take . . .


What else on the go . . . was reading an article describing 'The Political Brain by Drew Westen' For this is no partisan rant of the Michael Moore variety. Westen is a professor of psychology and psychiatry with a specialist's grasp of the science of the mind, not least the cognitive processes by which people absorb information. Through clear, repeatable experiments, rather than focus group hunch or vox pop anecdote, he establishes that "the political brain is an emotional brain". Voters make up their minds not by weighing the competing claims of different parties and deciding which best suits their interests, but by how they feel. They are not "desiccated calculating machines", as Nye Bevan famously cast Hugh Gaitskell, rationally estimating the likely utility for themselves or society by choosing policy A over policy B. Instead, they think with their guts.

Westen's evidence comes from his measuring of the brain activity of people assessing political information. The circuits that are activated are not those associated with logical reasoning but those that regulate emotion. Nor is this confined to the politically unaware or under-educated. Research shows that smart people think with their guts as much as anyone else.



It means that when politicians speak, they trigger a neural network of associations, positive or negative, and these associations owe more to emotion than reason. Indeed, some of these are all but hardwired, the product of thousands of years of evolution. The trick for politicians is to ensure they tap into the positive while associating their opponents with the negative.



More worrying still, Brown could easily be a British version of the Gore of 2000: in command of the facts, correct on all the big strategic questions, yet awkward with people and dull to listen to on TV. Meanwhile, Cameron maps easily on to Bush - a son of great privilege, born with a silver spoon, yet somehow able to present himself as an affable, regular guy.

Well that is probably not everyone's cup of tea . . . . hmmm!


Some photo's I took during the week - prepare yourself for some London photo's next week - might capture those prodding fingers . . .lol

Bowling old harbour

Read about the house - going for a snip in the states -
at £85m - 29 bedrooms - wow

Other links I came across this week:

Water Babies

Hilary Clinton - YouTube1

Hilary Clinton - YouTube2

Nanotechnology

Future of Digital Media

PhD Apps; Dissertation; Dinner; Geordie's Myre;

Pictures - most of them Harvie Nichols - shop windows - and if you look carefully they are self-portraits as well. Connor decided my mop of hair was the place to be and sat on / made himself comfortable for a wee while - until mike left the kitchen and took Connor with him - otherwise he might still be on my head. Firth of the Forth in the background.

Well the last bit of my title comes from an old song - an old folk song - I don't know it - can't really recall it but these words have been going round my head the last day or two . . .something about mucking about in Geordie's mire (just a bit of poetic licence in the title . . .) - what does it mean - not sure - I don't know - well now your probably baffled . . . . ???? Don't ask me I'm only the piano player so to speak . . .

Last week was a funny week - I was still struggling to find my feet - my topic for the dissertation had been allocated and I had decided enough 'faffing around' - I voted for it i.e. my first choice - I was lucky enough to be allocated the topic - loads of people were given there 2nd and even 3rd choice - or that's what they are saying - so who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth - where have I heard that line before . . . lol - so I decided to knuckle down and run with it . . . .

I started by reading the book Writing your Dissertation written by Derek Swetnam that I had bought and found it to be a useful introduction to getting started. Plenty of useful tips and pointers / things to guard against and watch out for. Armed with this I was able to draw up a projected plan with rough guides as to when I should hopefully have finished various sections of my work - so I have a number of milestones and I will have to try and stick to them - my first milestone should be towards the end of next week . . . I foresee a lot of hard work between now and then . . .

I have set up my first official meeting with my supervisor and will discuss focus and structure with him on Tuesday - this will become a weekly event - to ensure that I stay on track.

I have sent off an number of applications now for my PhD
1) University College Dublin - OJAX++
2) Loughborough University near Leicester - Health Care tracking
3) Glamorgan University (near Cardiff) - Computing Education & Learning
4) Paisley University - Games-Based Learning
and await feedback. Its a big step - it will be a lot of work - I believe if I don't do it now I will never get round to doing it . . . so I am highly motivated to continue studying now that I have started . . .

Judi had some things on the weekend so never saw her - Sunday morning though she phoned me and invited me over for dinner - which I accepted - she had cleared the kitchen and she & I had a lovely candlelit evening - the boys drifted in and out once or twice but basically we were left to our own devices and it was quite a change - we are usually left to our own devices - it was just nice and I was made to feel very special . . . a lovely evening.

Monday night my computer drop-inn class and I found out that Alan has a doctorate - which was quite amazing - we have spoken about football once or twice but never really connected - he obviously has a passion for football and come to think of it seemed to have extensive knowledge of Rome - just shows you how prejudicial we are some times and now when he told me he has a doctorate I suddenly saw him in another light - I immediately respected him academically and for the first time perhaps saw Alan the person as opposed to Alan the person who checks up on me as to whether my time-sheets are up to date and my class register has been filled in etc., . . . a lesson there I think.

So not the most exciting week . . . and most of my weeks from now on will be head down and hard work . . . all necessary to get me where I need to be - if only our results would come out now - interested to see how my software construction went . . . more Java . . . not to mention Artificial Intelligencia . . lol

Nearly forgot went for my O2 interview with the agency Randstadt - turned out to be a bit of a waste of time - they phoned me and interviewed me telephonically on Monday afternoon and by the time I got to them 14h30 on Wednesday all - yes all the positions had been filled ????? They are now talking about end of July beginning of August before they will take anyone on again ????
Anyway I had time to kill before the interview and went into Borders as the interview was in Buchanan Street anyway - I even had a suit and tie on - wow first time in ages . . . didn't even wear one for my Mum's birthday . . . anyway went for coffee at Borders and on the way a book jumped off the rack at me the Secret by Rhonda Byrne well to cut a long story short - you probably will go to the web site (link) but it is all about your thoughts creating your own destiny and to prove it all after the interview I was telling Judi about the book and I was telling her about its all about thinking it and it will manifest itself and low and behold what happened - in the middle of Buchanan Street - I found £5 - amazing don't you think - you be the judge of that.

So long folks!