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Living in Southampton, Page 7

OpenChatter Project

OpenChatter Project Sometimes progress on a project can stagnate, leaving the end result as a load of odd bits of code that don't quite work when put together. This is especially true of group work where the aim is to integrate disparate technologies and there is no clear group leader. I finished such a project in January for the scripting languages course. Continue reading →

Undergraduate of the Year Awards

Undergraduate of the Year Awards The last two weeks couldn’t have been more different than the previous three if they’d tried. Out is the non-stop pressure and tedium of exam revision, in, an exciting new timetable of modules and a bit of spare time for societies to kick off properly again. As a result I’ve probably been even busier than before exams, although rather than spending all day cooped up in my room at home working I’ve hardly spent any time there at all. Continue reading →

Python

I had exams, and they stopped me blogging. No, really, they were not easy, and it's not A-level style papers all over again. Other than a few mishaps, which I will skip over for the sake of not going into a rant, I'm pretty confident I at least passed the exams. So that was two weeks of the past three. What else? Oh yes, Multiplayer Tetris! While mucking about in the labs after my last exam, I started, with a little help from Jack and his Python knowledge, to write Multiplayer Tetris. Continue reading →

Applying for MSc’s

A few months back I mentioned that I have been applying to do an MSc at a few US universities. I applied for a few really good ones with the hopes that I might be able to convince them that I would be worthy of one such place. Never had I imagined that my truly long shot, Carnegie Mellon, would offer me a spot. Don't get me wrong, it's been a hard and long process, and it's been tough balancing how much time I spent preparing for next year vs concentrating on my current degree. Continue reading →

Many opportunities all at once

Many opportunities all at once It is funny how when the mind is consistently focussed on what it wants, an endless stream of opportunities seems to materialise from nowhere. This effect has been described as the law of attraction in various online circles and takes a different form depending on who describes it. The gist of it seems to be that the ideas you hold on to intently gradually become self-fulfilling prophecies. I've been thinking about how to get my own business up and running. Continue reading →

2010 – New Year

First blog of 2010 and the first blog of year. Yep, its been hectic and challenging as predicted. I recall telling people that I felt the second year (or part 2 as they say round here) was going to be where we'd be kept busy with everything plus the kitchen sink being thrown at us and it has not disappointed. At this point in time, this is the day after the last of six exams. This is the time where it feels odd not to be revising or procrastinating on revision for some such subject. Continue reading →

Friends in high places!

Meeting Richard Hammond (Top Gear, Braniac, etc), scoring one-hundred percent in two courseworks and landing a job as an assistant programmer for the back-office in retail outlets; guess the connection. When I met Hammond (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bOuQAtJF9o#t=3m46s), I decided to ask him an obscure question which hasn't been asked before: “Do you like guitar hero? I've made a 2D version if you're interested.” His response was “Err... Continue reading →

Long Abscence

It's been an awful long time since my last entry in here, so I thought I should explain what I've been doing with myself since last January. Whilst I've been very lucky to have my parents support me throughout my course (so far!), I've also had a job pretty much since I started at Southampton. My first job involved cleaning lecture theatres after hours. Continue reading →

End of Term

Term came to an end. I went home. And, unsurprisingly, I found it incredibly hard to adjust - nothing is easy when you feel like it's sending you backwards. Where I was recovering from the two-and-a-bit months I'd spent here, I thought I was smacking my personality in the face over and over, and so, naturally, once January appeared I was gagging to get back. Home hadn't changed, save for the urge to be with friends more often. Continue reading →