Journal: March 2009

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Addiction
Mon 30/3/09 (Link to this entry)

I think the members of this household have an excessive consumption problem. Most families have a fruit bowl. It would appear that we have a fruit table.

The above is for a family of three. It might be interesting next time we eat at the table - we'll probably have to clear some space for the dinner (assuming we don't just have fruit for dinner since we've spent our entire food budget on it...).

Footnote: I submitted my final-year project report for binding today. It'll be good to get that out of the way so I can catch up on all the stuff I've been putting off until the deadline. My 'to-do' list is steadily shrinking... :-)

All work and no play...
Fri 20/3/09 (Link to this entry)

As most people who've been through the final year of a university degree course will tell you, it sometimes seems that there's more work involved in the last few months than in the entirety of the preceding years of the course. Between my final-year project, my second-semester classes, and my part-time Campus Ambassador work for Sun, I basically have no free time just now.

I've actually done some interesting things lately but I just haven't managed to find the time to write about them on here. Three weeks ago, I visited Murrayfield to watch the Scotland vs. Italy match in this year's Six Nations (the ticket was a Christmas present from my sister). It was a great experience - the atmosphere at an international rugby match is phenomenal and it was brilliant to see Scotland actually doing well for once. Danielli's try in particular was really good - nothing like leaping off your seat and yelling your heart out along with tens of thousands of your countrymen. Here's hoping we put in a good show against the Auld Enemy this weekend...

Another thing I've been meaning to write about is going flying last week to test my final-year project. Since the software development has gone pretty well, my supervisor and I were keen to see what some actual pilots thought of the project, so we went up to the Scottish Aero Club at Perth Airport to do some in-flight testing.

It's a unique experience going up in a light aircraft - travelling on an airliner is pretty similar to being on a bus, but being in a light aircraft is more like being in a rowboat on a choppy sea. It's amazing how much you get buffeted about by the wind, and the first time you experience some serious negative G-forces is pretty unforgettable (full disclosure: the only thing that stopped me from whimpering like a little girl was the fact I had my mouth firmly clamped shut to stave off the queasiness).

Despite my having been somewhat overwhelmed by the experience, however, we got some really good feedback on the software I've put together. One of the guys we interviewed said the program "provides sufficient visual cues to make an emergency landing... If you're in the cack and you're going to die, use this and you might live". Having a quote like that from an experienced pilot is pretty bloody good for the report, I feel :-)

Another project-related bit of news: I've won second place in a competition run by the Ordnance Survey to discover innovative uses of their data, and the prize is going to be £250 in Amazon vouchers. I'm still wondering what to do with it - on the one hand, £250 is a load of books, DVDs or CDs, but on the other, the batteries in my phone and mp3 player are beginning to die... I can't decide where best to spend the cash. Thoughts? Feel free to try out the comments box below (oft-requested by someone who will remain nameless (TIMMAY)):

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