Blog

Uni Tomorrow

Posted 15/09/2006 15:44 pm (2 years, 3 months ago) by Miles

Looks like I'll have to start packing up my stuff very shortly because I'm heading off to uni tomorrow to start my second year. It's exciting and a little bit unnverving at the same time - just like last year. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again and having another Freshers' week!

Using Windows Vista RC1

Posted 10/09/2006 15:06 pm (2 years, 3 months ago) by Miles

I couldn't resist trying out the latest release of Windows Vista so I decided to download Vista RC1 on Friday and installed it on my second partition yesterday. I'm really liking it so far, especially since it finally allows me to use Media Center on my Xbox 360. The obvious advancements over XP are the brand new interface, the enhanced security and the decision to change the names of half the standard applications.

Vista measures your PC's performance level with what's called a 'base score' so you know what programmes you're able to run at a quick glance on a scale of 1 to 5. My PC scored a 4.2 which is more than I expected. I'll probably post up some more thoughts in a couple of days when I've had more time to explore the wonders of Vista.

FlickFindr Fixed

Posted 04/09/2006 15:58 pm (2 years, 4 months ago) by Miles

Flickr decided to change the XML format used for a feed FlickFindr connects to meaning it hasn't worked for a few months. My spill tramp friend Jon demanded I get it working again so I have. Click here to visit the FlickFindr page.

Decisions, Decisions - Phones

Posted 02/09/2006 17:06 pm (2 years, 4 months ago) by Miles

At the end of this month I'm able to get my mobile phone upgraded. I've had a look at what will probably be on offer by then but I'm having difficulty choosing. At the moment I have a Sony Ericsson K750i - a decent phone but one that has a ludicrously annoying joystick. The day I'm able to get the upgrade I want to be straight down the shop first thing in the morning. Anyway, the choices seem to be between: the upgrade to my current phone - the Sony Ericsson K800i; the Samsung D900; or the Nokia N80.

The N80 would have been the clear choice because it has Wi-Fi which would have been cool for lectures and stuff but apparently it's got a really bad battery life and software faults that may or may not have been fixed by now. All three phones have 3 Megapixel cameras, but the K800i probably has the edge in that department because it has a proper flash and some other features. The D900 looks slim and slender and seems like a worthy contender but doesn't appear to excel in one area like the other two. Yeah, so I'm going to spend a while longer choosing but I think the K800i just about clinches it at the moment.

Login Fixed

Posted 02/09/2006 10:59 am (2 years, 4 months ago) by Miles

Oops! Since the new design was put up I hadn't realised the login facility wasn't working. All should be well now though, you can login again.

Turkey Snaps

Posted 31/08/2006 18:43 pm (2 years, 4 months ago) by Miles

I've just uploaded a selection of photos from holiday in Marmaris, Turkey to my Flickr account. You can see all of them here.

Site Redesigned

Posted 30/08/2006 18:29 pm (2 years, 4 months ago) by Miles

The site has undergone a little redesign to make way for bigger changes that will be occuring later. I've gone for a simple, accessibility-focused design that can be built upon at a later date. Hopefully it's easy to navigate and elegant while remaining simple.

Back from Turkey

Posted 25/08/2006 18:56 pm (2 years, 4 months ago) by Miles

I got back from Turkey the Monday just gone, spending two weeks. Probably the best way to describe the experience is "eventful" and as a result I've been recovering from it for the last few days since I got back.

All six friends of us that went to Marmaris were hit hard by the ridiculous amount of alcohol consumed meaning a lot of the time we were unsurprisingly inebriated. I managed to split my finger open on a broken beer glass the second night, receiving five stitches and my friend Adam later fractured his wrist because we thought we'd play drunken midnight football versus a restaurant's staff. At least four of us got food poisioning, two of us (including myself) managed to pass out on sunbeds and three of us got tattoos. Temperatures ran up to 53 °C, so there was sunburn galore too, but aside from those minor things and the antics I can't even speak of, we had a great time.

Results are in!

Posted 04/07/2006 11:17 am (2 years, 6 months ago) by Miles

The long-awaited day of reckoning has arrived, for my stage 1 uni exam results slipped through the post box this morning. I was very pleased to discover that I've managed to pass all the modules so I'm on the way to stage 2. Rock on!

My Dentist on Live TV

Posted 28/06/2006 19:24 pm (2 years, 6 months ago) by Miles

I was just watching the local evening news and they had a live story about a "ladies evening" horse racing event and the reporter was talking to my dentist who was dressed up in some posh clothes. I think that's just about the first time I've ever seen someone I know on live TV. I'm surprised I recognised her actually since she was wearing a hat. Well, at least it reminds me I haven't been to the dentist in a long while.

Work on Elektriq

Posted 27/06/2006 13:59 pm (2 years, 6 months ago) by Miles

The past few weeks I've been working on a new technology and gadgets site called Elektriq and it's getting close to completition. At the moment everything that's been done so far is online already, but it's still a work-in-progress as all the requested features are added.

Elektriq.com

Exams: Done and Dusted

Posted 16/05/2006 12:15 pm (2 years, 7 months ago) by Miles

I finished my last exam yesterday for the first year. There were only two based around pretty much the same thing but it means I've finished the first year of uni (pending results of course!).

Thunderbird Hatred, Frustration

Posted 09/05/2006 15:56 pm (2 years, 8 months ago) by Miles

I've been using both Firefox and Thunderbird for about 18 months now and I've had a few problems with both during that time. While Firefox is a better browser than Internet Explorer 6 (mainly because of tabbed browsing), Thunderbird has been getting on my nerves a lot and I'm considering migrating back to Outlook Express.

Coursework Done, Freelance Commences

Posted 01/05/2006 22:11 pm (2 years, 8 months ago) by Miles

Today was the deadline for the remainder of this year's coursework, so it's great to have that out of the way. There's just the small matter of doing some exams now.

Anyway, now that the coursework is done, I'm going to have time to get back into the swing of freelance. I think there's at least five projects I've got to start or continue doing from this week onwards, so I'll be posting about how those things are going very shortly and what they involve.

Portal Site (Project)

Posted 06/04/2006 19:33 pm (2 years, 9 months ago) by Miles

Last week I was contracted to develop a portal with integrated content management system for a college in the Netherlands, so I've been hard at work on that for the last week.