Month: May 2004

Computing coursework is going well.

For anyone who doesn’t know what I’m doing – I’m designing a search system to help you find a bus to go where you want to go. I’m using tralk (the PII L.A.M.P. web server sitting next to me) to host a PHP/MySQL web based system where a user can come along, tell the web page where they want to go from and and to, the day and time on which they want to travel and they will get a list of possible buses to catch.

It was handed in for a look over yesterday and so far I’m looking at very high marks. I just need to get the user manual finished and some tweaks to the design section, then I can concentrate on some maths.

Feeling quite ill today, possibly through lack of sleep. Must get on…

Last night lauperr and I made a list of things we’d like to do next year and it will be interesting to see which of them actually happen. I then fell asleep to some sweet sounds crafted by Paul Avgerinos and slept exceptionally well considering everything going on at the moment.

This evening the fox visited the back garden again and stayed around for a long time. I looked out into the garden from an upstairs window and noticed how wonderful it looks at this time of year with everything springing into life. The fox was sat there eating under the apple tree and I watched the horses in the field behind the house as the sun set.

I’m glad I’m going to be able to stay here for another year, I really do love this place. People give Bourne a lot of stick for being boring and having nothing to do, but it’s my home and I’m perfectly happy to stay around a little longer 🙂 Besides, how can I leave my wonderful bedroom behind? 😛

Coursework is still dragging on and my first exam is in just over two weeks – it’s stressful. But at the moment at least I’m feeling pretty good about it. It’s quite comfortable to know that my plans next year don’t rely on my results and it will be really good to get out of education for a bit and do something a little different, something I may learn more from in the long run.

I’ve been looking into an intensive driving course to get me on the roads. I’m still not overly keen on putting another car (with me in it!) on the roads to be honest, but I really do need to be more mobile. So that will be happening after the exams are over.

So for now I go back to the long slog. Only a couple of months before it’s all over.

In a moment of madness I gave my desktop a white wash – a change from the normal dark gloomy theming and matrix and anime wallpapers (screenshot). I am developing the art of wasting time to a yet unseen level. Oh how I miss fluxbox, only 2 months to go and I can re-liberate my desktop with Debian.

Friday night was oh so cool with djkoa, lauperr and kes with pizza and videos and a house to ourselves. We had a good laugh at the Windows XP action and the “latest technology” web cams in the film, Three Blind Mice. Not really a great film but good for a laugh (possibly worrying as one of the core themes is murder).

The rest of the weekend was spent with lauperr housesitting. Much fun had, some music making, photography, coursework, dodgy food and another film, Cypher. Again an average film. Funksome weekend.

After my 48 hour coursework stint to get my DT coursework finished by the “final final final” deadline I found out today it hasn’t even been sent off yet! [insert obscene cursing here]

Computing coursework is the stress of the week. I had a “constructive conversation” (:P) with Mr M and Mr C after school about Normalisation. Mr M started the conversation which went roughly (:P) as follows…

Mr M: Ben, your normalisation is wrong.
Me: It is? I went by what it says in the text book.
Mr M: In that case, the text book is wrong too.
Me: Right.
[some skim reading]
Mr C: Well that’s what it says in the other text book too…
Mr M: Yes, it’s written by the same person. They’re both wrong.
Me: *grumble*
Mr C: What about this one? This one says the same as the other two.
Mr M: Oh. Well that one must be wrong too. There’s no hope.
Me: *grumble*
Mr M: OK?
Me: Not really.

After a long and drawn out discussion we decided I didn’t really have it majorly wrong at all and with some minor adjustments it would be fine. Although it did pose the question: Do I do what my teacher (who marks it) thinks is right, or what the text book (recommended by the examining board with moderates it) thinks is right? Personally I think they’re both wrong and normalisation should be banned. Someone please remind me to avoid Database modules when I do my CS degree. It’s my fault really for choosing a vaguely interesting project which hasn’t been done a million times before.

Anyway, things are coming along slowly and I’m wishing July would hurry up so I can have a nervous break down in peace.

lauperr: myello my loverrrr…