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July 6th, 2007
11:18 pm - How to ride a bicycle up an escalator
Last weekend I decided I was going to spend some of my hard-earned money and do some upgrading of my computer. Looked around ebay, won some parts and they arrived over the past week. Apart from the graphics card and power supply, which came when I wasn't in so I had to fetch them from the depot. The first was easy, as it was at the royal mail depot in Cambridge, a short(ish) bike ride away. The second was a bit of a problem, as it was waiting at a CityLink depot located a good 10 miles away. No problem, I thought, I'll just take Friday afternoon off and go on a nice cycle ride to pick them up. Things did not go as planned - perhaps some maps would help explain:
Intended Route
Actual Route
The short time that I spent on the A14 was ... an experience, shall we say (though interestingly it is perfectly legal to ride a bicycle on a dual carriageway - I wouldn't recommend it though). I ended up stopping at the Tesco in Bar Hill in order to buy a map as by that point I had gotten completely lost, but after that all was well (apart from being briefly rained upon) and I got home safe and sound, though somewhat sore and tired. But I finally had all the parts I needed, so I opened up my computer...
... and realised that the new motherboard was too big for the case. Crap.
So this evening I went on ebay again and found a suitable case, which was promptly bought and should get to me sometime next week (and I hopefully haven't forgotten anything else).
In case anyone's interested, here are the various bits and bobs I bought:
256Mb ASUS GeForce 7300 GS (EN7300GS) PCI Express GDDR2
ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe & AMD 64 X2 4200+ & 2GB PC3200
E31 MAXTOR 120GB 7200 RPM SATA HARD DRIVE
Black Front Fan Intake Tool-Less ATX Gaming Case
Xilence ATX2.0 420w PSU
As it turns out this means that the new computer will in fact be a new computer which just happens to use some parts from the old one (hard drive, dvd, floppy) rather than an upgrade. And I'll also have a spare computer to do something with (lacking only a hard drive - the current one will be going in the new computer),
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June 3rd, 2007
11:45 pm - Barre chord
Having said that I was going to get a new bike in my last entry, I only got around to doing so yesterday. So much better than the old one, makes cycling feel almost effortless. The gears use a friction shifter though, which will take some getting used to.
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May 17th, 2007
10:48 pm - Auger electron spectroscopy
Not been up to anything of great import. Thought I'd just ramble on for a while.
I'll be getting a new bike this weekend as the one I currently have is quite literally falling apart. The rear gearing has reacted badly to to the wet weather we've been having recently causing it to get (more) rusty and start disintegrating. There's also the fact that the front brakes are lopsided, with one side constantly rubbing against the wheel and the other being far enough from the wheel that I really have to squeeze the handle to make it brake properly..
In other news I bumped into a girl I went to secondary school with on tuesday, which was something of a surprise. I was just entering New Hall on the way to a Tai Chi Chuan class as she was leaving. Small world it seems.
Speaking of Tai Chi Chuan I managed to do something to the muscles in my right shoulder which made any kind of arm movements somewhat painful these past two day, though it's much better now. Also the muscles in my neck are kinda sore, probably from two much resisting when practicing a throw whose name I can't remember.
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February 9th, 2007
12:37 am - musica ficta
Once again it's been a while since I last posted. Haven't done anything of great import. Work is going well - finished c99 complex functions (though complex square root took a while as it was a mighty pain to figure out how to calculate it accurately), and have now moved on to wide character I/O, as well as general bug-fixing and stuff.
I've decided to take up Tai Chi Chuan, which I started last Sunday. It's with the Cambridge University Tai Chi Chuan Society, which does Wudang style and teaches it as a Martial Art, rather than just as a form of exercise. 'Tis fun at least.
Recently I've taken an interest in baking, so here's a recipe for banana biscotti (which I made some of today, and have been eating too much of).
Banana Biscotti
Ingredients:
- 2 bananas
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 cups flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 250C
- Put butter in a large bowl, then bung it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften
- Mix in sugar
- In another bowl place bananas and mash thoroughly, then mix in to main bowl
- Whisk the egg then put into main bowl and mix
- Add flour, baking powder and cinnamon and mix like crazy (it helps to add the flour in bits instead of all at once)
- Cover a tray in baking paper then place the mixture on it in a rectangular blob
- Cook for about 20 minutes - there should be no gooey bits in the middle and it should have risen fully
- Cut in half lengthways, then perpendicularly into rectangular bits
- Place the bits on their sides and cook for 5 minutes or so
- Turn them over then cook for another 5 minutes
The end result should be slightly crisp on the outside and soft in the middle (and very tasty). Based on a recipie I found on the rpg.net forums (strangely enough). I'd better note that I don't ever bother to measure anything (and I'm not sure how much a cup is anway) so results may vary.
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November 17th, 2006
01:10 am - schizophrenic scissors
It's almost two weeks now since I've started work at ARM. I'm working on C99 complex number functions - trigonometric and hyperbolic functions, roots, logarithms, and all that crap. It's something non-essential but which needs doing at some point, so it should give me something to do while I get used to how things work here.
Luckily I've managed to find a place only 10 minute's walk from the ARM offices, though I'm thinking of getting a bike to make getting in and out of Cambridge proper a bit easier.
And now for some reviews of stuff, as I haven't anything interisting to say.
Manga
Mobile Suit Gundam: Ecole du Ciel
Nifty. Starts off looking like a high-school drama (but with mobile suits), but it's also started doing the job of filling in the gaps between Gundam and Zeta Gundam and is really quite interesting. Also has some very pretty art.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Lost War Chronicles
Not so good, but not bad either. Got the first volume but don't think I'll be getting any more.
Yubisaki Milk Tea
Started with reading scanlations of this then decided to buy it when it got licensed. Though I like it it's probably not for everybody, what with the whole transvestitism stuff.
Anime
Simoun
Started off kinda ambivalent - the whole lesbian-powered flying machines thing seemed a bit daft and I wasn't sure where they were going with the plot. However it really picked up after the first few episodes and now I'm really enjoying it (up to episode 16 at the moment).
Code Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion
I'm liking it so far. Interesting characters and plot and good quality animation. Also, Lelouch is a CHAR.
Honey and Clover II
Simply awesome. Ending was unexpected, but very fitting.
Books
A Song of Ice and Fire
Very very good. I've read the first three books (kinda four, as the third was split in two for paerback release), and I'll probably get the fourth soon, and they're all excellent. Interesting and compelling world, characters and plot.
Knife of Dreams (Wheel of Time Book 11)
I actually like Robert Jordan's writing style, which probably makes me crazy. Even disregarding that, this book was surprisingly good, in that stuff actually happened. Let's hope he finishes the thing before he dies.
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September 29th, 2006
02:21 pm - Spivak pronouns
At long last I finally have a job. Starting on the 9th of November I'll be working for ARM in their Compilation Tools team working on C/C++ libraries. Had the interview yesterday, and got a call during the drive home telling me I'd got the job. So as soon as I've found somewhere to live I'll be packing up and moving to Cambridge.
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June 15th, 2006
01:12 pm - Butterfly soup
Results are out (for Computer Science at least) and it seems I've managed to get a 2:1.
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May 26th, 2006
01:03 am - Dai-un is dead
Advanced Theory of Computation wasn't too bad. I did quite a bit of proof by handwaving, but hey. Now I've just got to wait for the results and see how badly I did.
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May 23rd, 2006
12:18 am - Nonsense on stilts
Had my first exam today (or rather yesterday) - Advanced Software Applications And Methodologies. Hopefully I haven't failed it totally. Everyone else didn't have much luck either, so that's some comfort, kinda.
The next (and last) exam's on thursday. After that I'd better start looking for a job (bleh).
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May 2nd, 2006
06:11 am - Gar
My dissertation is done, at long last.
15,313 words worth of utter crap that probably makes no kind of coherent sense but fuck it. The deadline's four in the afternoon and I really need some sleep, so it'll have to do. Let's just hope I manage to wake up in time.
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December 4th, 2005
08:40 pm - Sometimes you have to dance with a watermelon
Random thoughts on various things:
Anime
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha - Pedolicious! Also, nifty fights
- Mai Otome - Maria-sama Ga Miteru + Magical Girls = Much fanservice
- Mobile Suit Gundam - Shows it's age, but is still top notch
- Mai HiME - Haruka = Awesome
Uni Stuff
For those who don't know already, my project (which I will write my dissertation on) is "Speech synthesis for poetry reading". I've almost finished the basic deliverables, which basically amount to "make something that kinda works".
It seems that this year I'm working towards making myself unemployable, as the modules I've chosen are mostly thoretical computer science (lots of lovely maths), and the only programming language I'm using is Haskell, which no-one in their right mind uses.
I have three assignments that need doing. That I should really be doing right now. Isn't procrastination wonderful?
Gundam Models
- My perfectionism when it comes to painting is a curse. I've spent the last week painting a pair of feet.
- W Gundam Zero Custom. Very pretty. Also falls over very easily.
- The Turn X has hooves, and after seeing how stable they make it, it seems obvious that hooves should be a mandatory feature of all mobule suits.
AJAX
AJAX is a hack (though a rather clever one) around the limitations of HTTP and HTML. How to modify HTTP and HTML so that AJAX is made redundant:
- Add a PART tag to HTML
- Include in HTTP requests an optional PART id
- Profit!
Games
- Warring Factions - Stop being so damn addictive.
- Front Mission - Happy Stompy Mecha Fun.
- Nethack - YASD
- Ancient Domains Of Mystery - Also YASD
- Master Of Orion - Why is it that AI opponents tend to be either impossible or walkovers?
Well, that's enough rampling for now. Let's see how long it is until the next update.
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August 4th, 2005
10:03 pm
It's been quite a while since the last update, so I've got quite a bit to say for once.
Moved to a new house at the beginning of July. It's only a couple of minutes from the old house, so we could move everything by foot, but the ridiculous heat meant it was still a somewhat arduous task. It turns out that wheelbarrows are useful tools foor moving large amounts of electronic equipment.
The new house is really quite spiffy. I've got a nice big room; there's a nice garden, though somewhat messy (I'll have to clean it up a bit once the weather improves); the kitchen is nice and spacious, though the cooker is in a rather awkward position; and there are horses in the fields behind the house.
Just finished watching Turn A Gundam. An all-round excellent series, mainly due to the interesting (and somewhat eccentric) cast. I will now procede to ramble about some of the things I liked about it.
- Harry Ord just oozes "I am Awesome"-ness, and he is indeed awsome. He's a good example of a guy who doesn't need a flashy mobile suit in order to win, instead he's just incredibly good at piloting the suit that he has. Also has an outrageously bizzare sense of fashion, and funky red sunglasses.
- It's interesting how pretty much everybody gets some character development, even characters like Bruno and Jacob, who seem at first to be just random comedy relief. In particular Corin Nander turns out in the end to be much more interesting than the crazed loon he first appears to be.
- One amusing thing is how the characters actually comment on some of the bizzare stuff that happens - such as the Turn A having a moustache, Lily Borjarno's habit of taking her parasol everywhere, and the odd names of some of the mobile suits.
- Yoko Kanno did the music for the series, so it is of course sheer brilliance. The only music she didn't do, the two opening themes, are also great due to them being so wonderfully cheesy.
- The ending is incredible. It's one of those bittersweet endings where, despite the sadness, it just feels right. Kind of reminds me of the ending of The Violinist of Hameln in that regard (though there is at least some happiness in how Turn A ends).
- For quite a few series there's been one character in particular who I like mostly for the changes they undergo during the series. For Utena it was Nanami, Raiel in The Violinist of Hameln, and in Turn A Gundam it's Sochie.
I've finally gotten around to reading the Harry Potter books and have read the first two, with the next two on their way. Rather good, they are.
I really need to do more work on sexySPC.
And that's enough babbling for now.
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May 26th, 2005
10:12 pm - Tlacaxipeualiztli
Had a Computer Systems exam on monday, Programming and Reasoning yesterday and have Software Engineering tomorrow. Then it's Theory of Computation next week and then I'm done.
Computer Systems - Not too bad, though again I was working right up to the last moment. Realised afterwards that I've probably messed up one of the Concurrency questions, oh well. On the whole felt I should have gotten a good mark.
Programming and Reasoning - Actually finished with five minutes to spare in this one. Haskell was dead easy seeing as I know way more about the language than we need to for the exam. Specification and Verification was okay, though for the question on Floyd-Hoare logic I could have done with more explanation of my workings.
Seeing as Software Engineering is two-thirds coursework, and I did fairly well in it, I don't have to worry too much about the exam. And there should be at least some questions where I can just put down waffle and get some marks.
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May 19th, 2005
12:20 am - Theos apo mechanis
Had my first exam today, Software Applications. There was a crapload to do in the time we had, but the questions themselves weren't too bad. Four sections to do, one out of two questions from each to do. And the sections were:
C++
Hooray for incompetent lecturers, who are also incompetent at setting exam questions! Quite easy, though there is the possibility that he's also incompetent at marking them, which would be bad.
Digital Imaging
Good thing I revised the Bresenham Line-Drawing Algorithm, as there was a question entirely on it, which I could then do without too much difficulty. Probably lost a few marks for failing to explain a few things due to rushing.
Advanced Java
Did the JSP/servlets question instead of the XML one as it seemed easier, but halfway through I realised that maybe it wasn't. Oh well. Wasn't too bad though, but again with the brevity due to time constraints.
AI
One question on contraint-satisfaction problems and one on resolution. Couldn't remember a thing on constraint-satisfaction, so I did resolution instead, and it turned out to not be too bad. Would have liked to have double-checked the algorithm I made up for the last part to see if it would actually work but alas, no time.
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March 19th, 2005
11:42 pm - Whangdoodle
I'm decidedly glad that the term is finally over. This last term has been the most work-filled stretch of time that I've ever experienced. All in all I've had 5 different assignments to do and half a group project (the other half was done last term).
This means, of course, that I am now going to enjoy being incredibly lazy for the next week or so. It also means money being spent - just today ordered the Utena movie off of amazon, which will mean that my Utena collection will be complete. Except for the Sega Saturn game and the musical, but they don't count. I'm considering starting buying the Fullmetal Alchemist DVDs, which would be a big dent in my account, but would also be spread out as I'd have to wait for them to be released before buying them.
Now that I'll be having more free time, I'll actually be able to start going to Aikido sessions with some kind of regularity. The warming weather will help as well, as when it's freezing cold and blowing a gale the prospect of the half-hour walk to get there is definitely a factor in keeping me here. Hopefully I'll be able to get myself back into writing music again, something I haven't done for a long while.
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February 2nd, 2005
06:02 pm - Zorn's lemma
As usual it's been an age since I last updated, but I've just finished watching The Violinist of Hamelin and I was compelled to tell everyone how wonderful it is. You can find a torrent of it without much hassle, and without much guilt about watching it fansubbed as it isn't likely to be ever licensed. The reason for this is because it doesn't really have mass appeal for one simple reason - it tends to be more a slideshow than an anime. It seems like the animation budget for each episode was approximately 50 pence. However, it has an incredible story and characters (though it takes a while to really get going) and a wonderful ending. Watch it!
In other news, this term looks like it'll be a long one as I have lots of things that need doing - a database assignment, AI and 3D graphics projects, and a group project (which I really sould be doing design diagrams for right now). I shouldn't complain though, as being friends with several physicists I know that my workload isn't all that bad.
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January 11th, 2005
11:16 pm - Skunk Cabbage
Returned to Durham on saturday, but damp coursing was done over the holidays the plaster on the walls hadn't quite dried yet, so everything downstairs (including my bedroom) was covered up, the carpet was ripped up and there was dust everywhere. This meant that everyone has been living ustairs for the last two days, which was been a lot of hassle.
The skirting boards were put back on this morning, so all this afternoon I've been sorting my room out, getting dust everywhere. The kitchen's been sorted, so it's just the living room to do tomorrow, and the landlord will be here to put the radiators back up (my room's currently being heated by a handy portable fan heater). Then everything will be back to normal, hopefully.
Didn't do much over Christmas, of course, but it was very nice not having to get up at 7:30 every morning.
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December 19th, 2004
09:55 pm - Rosewater lemonade
Came back home yesterday. I'll be spending much of the holiday painting models for use at the Uni Games Society next term. And, of course, the usual Chrismassy stuff.
A couple of days ago I finished version 0.1 of Nevada (see if you can guess why it's called that). It works, but it's pretty ugly and doesn't do much, but it's a start. When I get back to Uni I'll see if I can get a working version of POS done.
A week or two ago I bought the Azumanga Daioh manga (all 4 volumes of it), and it was very good. From what I've seen of the anime (first 2 DVD's) I prefer the manga, as the jokes and the general style of the story is better suited to the 4-panel style of the manga. Though of course, there are some things in the anime which the manga just can't match, such as the 'are you hardening' scene (somewhere on the first DVD).
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November 25th, 2004
12:15 am - Brainfuck
I've just finished writing a Brainfuck interpreter in Fortran. Now I'm off to bed.
( Program source code )
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November 20th, 2004
08:20 pm - My microwave can stop time
Once again, it's been quite a while since my last entry. Once again, nothing of major importance has happened, so I just never get around to writing anything here. Ho hum.
Recently I've been doing quite a bit of work on two projects of mine - a php messageboard and POS. The messageboard finally has a name, nevada (there is a reason for this, though it is rather obscure), and it's currently usable, though barely. POS, PHP Operating System (though the other meaning of 'POS' is perfectly valid), is my attempt at writing a unix-like pseudo-OS in php, though how useful it is is rather dubious. Currently you can't really do much with it, but it's progressing slowly.
After watching the last bit of Utena, it can safely go on my list of anime series I really like. The ending is suitably impressive and bizzare, though I slightly prefer the manga's ending. I've been listening to the soundtrack a lot recently, as it really is rather good, especially the duelling songs. Now I'll be finishing off The Violinist of Hamelin, and I should be getting some manga from amazon soon.
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