And another month passes before I have time to blog!  As per usual I've been stupidly busy.  I’ll try and remember everything, but I’m sure I’ll leave out something awesome!

First MSP Event

I guess I should start with my first MSP event, held at the Microsoft Campus in Reading last month.  Paul, Mykel and I flew up together, which should have been a simple task, but somehow we managed to balls it up!  All was going swimmingly until we arrived in Reading and realised none of us knew where the Travel Lodge was.  No bother, said I, we can use the Vodafone maps service on my shiny new phone (more about that later!).  Now, this is all good and well, but between two forth year undergraduates and one third year PHD student, it turns out we can’t read a map.  Anyhow, it ended up taking us about 25 minutes to walk the 5 minutes down the road to the damn place.  Not a good start!  After dumping our stuff in our rooms (and watching some Scrapheap Challenge on the telly!) we met up with the other Edinburgh MSP, Kate, and everyone else.  Ian and Mark took us all to a bar called Bar 38, where we abused the free bar and food, not getting to bed until about 1am.  Oooops.

Anyhow, the day’s events were pretty cool.  I especially enjoyed the presentations on AJAX by James Croley and one on Win FX by Andy Sithers.  Oh, and the free copy of Microsoft OneNote 2003, which I’m now using to keep tabs of all my dissertation stuff!  We (the Edinburgh MSPs) are planning a few things, so watch this space!

New toys!

It has been a month of new toys as well.  Firstly, I got rid of my rubbish Motorola V3 Razr (which crashed all the time, and was generally useless) and replaced it with a Sony Ericsson K500i.  As much as I like this phone, I can’t help but be a little disappointed.  The hardware is identical to that of the horribly orange W800i (which I could have got), but the software cripples it somewhat.  It only came with a 64MB Memory Stick Duo card, while the W800i comes with 512MB.  Not too bad, as I can just replace it with a nice 2GB card.  The feature that I really want though (and the W800i has this), is “Airplane mode”.  I want to listen to my MP3s on the plane, but I can’t.  :(  I can hack the firmware to make it a W800i, but I’m not sure I want to risk the warrantee.

I have also bought myself a new laptop.  It’s awesome!  My dissertation is all .net based, but none of our university machines have Windows on so I needed some way of being able to work outside of my flat.  I ended up choosing an Acer TravelMate 3212, which has an amazing spec for only £940.  In short, it has 1GB of RAM, a 1.73GHz Centrino, 80GB HDD, DVD/RW drive, ATI Mobility X700 graphics, and other stuff!  I’m so chuffed.  Paul bought one too.

The rest of the month has been about job applications, work, pub, cinema and been to a few plays.  Nothing of note really, but enough to take up all my time…

Well, after spending a large(ish) chunk of my summer holiday creating an admin area for the Badminton Club website and arguing with the university to get a MySQL database THIS has happened to it.  Yes, that's right.  It has been turned into a frame using, Front Page montrosity.  Mine was so much better!

**goes off to cry**

First things first, here is what should have been my last blog entry!

Well, the last week or so has been awesome.  Some of you may remember my group project last year from this blog entry.  Well last week it emerged we got the highest mark in the year and as such we were all awarded with "The 2005 Citigroup Prize for the top System Design Group Project".  We had a drinks reception where we got presented £75 each by a representative from Citigroup.  Then, a few days later I get an email saying I've been accepted onto this years MSP scheme (is it incredibly sad that I can't wait for the first event in a few weeks time?!).  Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Paul and I have been trying to get ELMS up and running on campus here, but it's proving to be a slow and painful task!  Hopefully we'll get it working soon!  Check Paul's blog for the details because I'm too lazy to repeat it all!

Anyway, I should stop procrastinating and get back to the joy of coursework...again!  See some of you soon at the MSP meeting! :)

I would have my blog entry here, but this new version of The Spoke isn't letting me post more then a few sentences without crapping out! :@

After the jubilation of us getting the 2012 Olympics yesterday, today has been a bit of a shock.

After an anxious hour trying to track down my mum, I'm very grateful that (touch wood) no one I know has been caught up in today's horrible events.  My thoughts are with all of those who were.

For once, I'm speachless.....  :(

I'll leave you with words from my favourite blog, Random Acts Of Reality (http://randomreality.blogware.com/):

"There are a number of dead bodies from the bus bomb being stored in the BMA building. There is blood up the windows. This comes from a friend who was there when the bomb went off."  :(

First I need to say DAMN IT!  I'd just written my blog entry when I accidentally nudged the "back" button on my IntelliMouse, wiping all my work!  :@ :@ :@

Besides bitching about the London bombings (which reminds me, check out this awesome blog entry) I haven't posted anything this summer yet.  So here goes an all-in-one update!  To be honest I haven't really been up to much.  It's been nice to enjoy not having any commitments, as for the first time in ages I don't have any university work and I'm not working at The National Archives.

Website stuff
I finally managed to find time to migrate the Edinburgh University Badminton Club website onto the university servers.  On the whole this was a fairly easy task, but trying to figure out the database the university gave me was a little harder then I had expected!  I also finished writing a fairly simple admin area for the site, so "non-geeks" will be able to keep the site up-to-date.  :)  All I need to do is write up some documentation.

I've also re-designed my personal website.  I need to thing of something interesting about me to put on it, as I doubt anyone would want to read a life history of me!  I haven't put the "Contact Me" form up yet, as I've got a load of code (that I wrote last year to sanitise input and prevent SMTP attacks) in Edinburgh which I want to paste in.

Learning C#
Well, I figured it was about time I learned C#, having been using Java for 3 years now.  I've written (well, still writing it actually!) a simple little RSS news feed ticker.  It doesn't do much atm, other then download a bunch of RSS feeds every 15 mins and scroll them across the window.

I haven't figured out how to make each news headline a hyperlink yet (if anyone has any ideas, please do contact me!), which is my next task...

That's it really!
Haven't done anything else really beyond lots of reading, seeing friends, dyi stuff around the house, shopping, etc, etc, etc!

Coming up
I'm going back to Edinburgh in a few days time for The Festival, which I can't wait for!  I went last year and it was such fun (even if it means the place has even more tourists then usual!).  On the 28th August I am due to see Basement Jaxx during the Edinburgh "T on the Fringe".  Then, on the 29th August I'm jetting off to New York with my parents and sister for a week.  I'm really excited, as the last time I went to America I was 5 years old (so can remember nothing about it!).

For f***s sake!  Give us a break here!

Hats off to the emergency services again.  The Police seem to be doing an excellent job chasing these mad-men, having just seen a guy beaten down outside Downing Street live on TV.

This one confuses me.  Either they were too stupid to be able to make bombs properly or they had some reason behind these silly little things.  Just to cause havoc I guess.  :(

The Beach

On Friday I went to North Berwick beach with Claireee (don't ask about that spelling - I'm told it's correct!), Nicki, Dan & Paul.  We got the train from Edinburgh's Waverly Station, and a quick 30 minutes later we where sunning ourselves (read, complaining about the fast approaching black cloud) in the picturesque seaside town of North Berwick.  While Claireee and Nicki set about to paddling in the icy cold sea, Dan, Paul & I thought I'd be a suitable childish use of our time to write the name "Tits McGee" in huge letters in the sand.  However, we were never aloud to complete it thanks to the sensible side of Mummy and Mummy (Claireee and Nicki).

After a brilliant pub lunch we wondered back to the beach to find the tide had gone out.  It didn't take us long to find crabs, fish and even two jelly fish stuck in various rock pools.  Whilst wondering along the beaches, we stumbled across the local RNLI Lifeboat Station and we all got presented with Blue Peter stickers (as it was home to the newly launched Blue Peter III lifeboat).  :)  My day was made!  We then found a nice "old lady's" cafe to get scones and tea (which bizarrely turned into a Thai restaurant in the evenings).

It really is amazing how a day at the beach can make you feel 12 years old again!

Back in London

The very next day I was jetting back to London for the Summer.  I'm not sure how long I'm going to stay down here, but I'm definitely staying away from Edinburgh until all the G8 nonsense has passed!

Anyhow, after a particularly annoying flight (through no fault of bmi) thanks to having an airplane full of pensioners going on holiday and Japanese tourists I arrived home.  I hadn't been home more then a couple of hours when I was whisked off into town with my family.  We battled our way through the always interesting Coin Street Festival to arrive at the OXO Tower for dinner.  I haven't been to the OXO before and was most impressed.  The view across the river was amazing.  I can't think of much I enjoy more then looking out across the London skyline.

After dinner we walked along the South Bank (past an impromptu rave that had sprung up on the river front!) to the Royal Festival Hall to see the legend that is Abdullah Ibrahim.  If you haven't heard of him, check out his website.  He is one of the world's best Jazz musicians and played at Nelson Mandela's presidential inauguration.  An amazing concert, and one of the last to be held at the RFH before it closes for refurbishment this summer.

Dossing

Since then, I've been enjoying the comforts of home, catching up with some friends, working on my bike (which I managed to buckle a wheel of last summer :S) and generally dossing about in the sunshine!  Now, onwards to think of something to get my dad for Father's day...

As I mentioned in my last blog entry, last night I went to see The Chemical Brothers.  Wow!  Amazing, awesome, brilliant, top notch, etc, etc!  After two hours of jumping and dancing I think I managed to sweat out every last drop of water from my body (nice eh!).  Beats going to the gym any day!  I tried taking a few photos, but with all the strobes and jumping it just wasn't happening!  It was arguably as good a gig as when I saw Groove Armada last year.  The only gig I've enjoyed as much as that was Faithless at T in the Park 2004 (or maybe The Ordinary Boys at Edinburgh's Liquid Room).  Gah, I'm getting carried away.  Anyway, it was gooooood!

In other music news, one of my favourite radio stations JazzFM has now closed down and become SmoothFM.  However, all is not lost.  JazzFM lives on at http://www.jazzfm.com/, going back to it's roots and playing loads of traditional jazz.  It is only an internet radio station now though.  :(  Also this week, The Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant Show returned to XFM (another station I listen to regularly).  If ya have a few minutes to kill, listen to some of the clips (especially the ones featuring Karl Pilkington) and you'll fall off your chair laughing!

All in all, a great week for music stuff (well, apart from that bloody Crazy Frog getting to number one)!

Two weeks ago I went to the Microsoft mHome with Paul in London's Ladbrook Grove.  The day started at the godawful hour of 4am, so we could catch our 6.20am flights to London.  I have to say that suddenly I was not looking forward to our day out.  A nice fry up on the plane soon fixed that!

After much waiting about (as we weren't expected in the mHome 'till 12), we were shuffled off to the Electric Cinema on Portobello Road for lunch and a few presentations.  Thanks to Chris (who organised the whole day) and his Media Center, we also got to watch the XBox 360 launch program on MTV.  As cool as the 360 looks, I think I'd rather spend my cash on the Sony PS3 - complete with Blu-Ray and over double the power of the 360.

We then proceeded onto the mHome where we saw lots of cool odds and sods, including a laser keyboard, digital picture frames, voice activated pda's and many different Media Center PCs.  Also showcased was a mirror which turned into a screen by Philips.  Although it is a cool idea, I didn't like it because the screen still had a lot of reflection when it was in use.  Anyhow, I took a bunch of photos, but with my mobile phone camera being a bit poo, they didn't come out.

In other life, I've been enjoying having almost nothing to do and spending far too much time in the pub! :)  Tomorrow I'm off to see The Chemical Brothers at Edinburgh's Corn Exchange.  Can't wait!

Well, after 9 exams in 15 days I'm done!!  Yey, third year is over!  Now, all I need to do is choose a topic for my dissertation next year.  I'm not really sure where to start, but I've applied to do a few of the universities preformed projects just in case I can't come up with anything suitable myself.  Ideas on a post card...

Well, I'm halfway though exams, so life is fairly dull right now!  Plenty of revision and, errr, more revision.  :(

Firstly I must share with you an amazing mix! :D  http://www.gybo-v3.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=3122  GET IT! :)

I went to see Herbie Hancock last week at Edinburgh's Usher Hall (Paul bailed on us, but it was still an amazing night!).  That guy is amazing.  I don't think I've ever seen anything more amazing.  He had three people supporting him (whose name escapes me).  The drummer can't have been more then 12 years old, but was without a doubt the most talented percussionist I've ever seen.  If you have a chance, go see the guy!

I'm looking forward to saying hello to everyone in North Kensington next Saturday for a perspective MSP meeting at the "Microsoft m-Home".  Hopefully I'll see some of you there!!!

--edit--

OK, I've found out who the drummer is.  He's actually 22.  :S  Oooops!  Check him out here: http://www.richiebarshay.com/.  Words can not do him justice.

Normally I couldn't care less about horse racing, but for some reason I decided to place a bet on the Grand National today.  I placed £5 on Hedgerunner to win at 7/1.  I won!  Yey!  That means a £35 profit for me!

My Nan placed £5 Each Way on Nil Desperandum at 16/1 whist boasting she's never lost on the National.  She lost (coming in 6th)!  Dad placed £5 Each Way on Strong Resolve at 10/1.  He also lost, but I've no idea how bad!

Having never placed a bet on anything before, I don't really understand any of the terms.  This "Each Way" betting thing confuses me, but I think it means you get something back if your horse finishes in the top 4.  Bah, who cares!  I won, that's all that matters!  :)

Before I go any further, I feel I need to tell you all about something Paul and I (along with many others) have been playing for a long time.  It's called "The Game".  It is a mind game, with the aim of forgetting you are playing!  By rule #1 of The Game you are now playing!  Sorry!  :P  Moving on...

I've returned home to London for the Easter "holiday", which is nothing more then an extended break from University.  For the next 3 weeks I shall be revising for my 9 (yes NINE) exams.  :(  The upside is, my summer holiday starts on 11th May this year!  Madness!

With an insanely long summer to look forward to, I got up at 8.30am on Sunday morning to try and secure myself a ticket to Glastonbury this year.  After two and a half hours of pressing "refresh" on aloud.com and even long on the telephone lines I was told they had sold out.  :(  Hopefully I'll be able to pick one up when (if) they release a second batch.  Unfortunately all tickets are personalised this year, so buying one off a tout or eBay isn't going to be possible.

What with all this work, I've found myself spending more time reading rather then going down the pub (or geeking in front of the PC) in the evenings.  I'm working my way through the pile of "trash" books I got for Christmas, finishing Ken Follett - On Wings Of Eagles last week (t'was quite good, worth reading) and starting Tom Clancy - Rainbow Six yesterday.  Hardly the pinnacle of literary excellence, but a nice way to loose myself after a hard days revision.

So don't forget....GAME!  =D

*phew*  Finally I've got some spare time!  The last three months have been rather busy for me to say the least, with my degree taking over my entire life.  I have now finished my 3rd year at university!  Only the small matter of 9 exams crammed into a two and a half week period (including two on my 21st birthday...bastards!).

The group project
What a nightmare!  The System Design Project is entirely coursework based and is worth two ordinary courses.  We were split us into groups of 10 and told to build and design a fully autonomous land mine clearing robot using a Lego Mindstorms kit.  After 12 weeks of hard graft, we produced "Prince Kong" (a prototype for a full scale robot called "King Kong"!):

After many weeks with next to no sleep, it didn't work!  The problem was, quite simply, the Lego Mindstorms system isn't designed for any kind of precision work, so didn't do what it was programmed to do.  We did however build an emulated version of the robot, and everything worked fine (which is why we know the problem was with the Lego, not our design).  Thankfully most of our grade is based on the written reports that go with the project, not on the actual robot (which was worth 5%).

Other coursework
Aside from that major project, we've had all the usual coursework dumped on us.  Amongst other things, I've had to:

• Create a parser and lexer for the PL/0 programming language using JFlex and JavaCUP.
• Implement a SSCOP client in C
• Produce a fully dynamic J2EE website

Elections
Anyway, I haven't only been working, although it feels like it!  I recently stood in the Student Union elections for a seat on the Union Executive, which runs the unions.  Unfortunately, as soon as I submitted my nomination, my coursework levels doubled and I didn't have time to do any campaigning.  Didn't even get a chance to put up the posters my sister made for me.  Because of this, I didn't get elected and was a good 100 votes off.  Oh well, next year...

Now, I'm taking a holiday.  Easter Monday is when the hardcore revision starts!  I shall leave you with something one of our lecturers posted on our newsgroup this week (I think it was meant to make us feel better!):
Comment from an employer: "we love Edinburgh graduates. There's nothing we can think of doing to them that you haven't done already. They've been through hell and anything we set them is a breeze in comparison"