Back in Billingshurst...

Well I'm home, back in good old sussex. Another term at university has flown by, it was pretty hectic towards the end of the term. Lots of assignments were due in, you may have seen my promo video on this blog a while back. I fully intend to post all of my practical work on this blog after its been handed in. You may remember a while ago i talked about an interactive flash program i'm building to teach users the basics of digital photography. Well i had initially planned for this to be online by now, but the deadline has been moved forward untill after easter, so this should be online in about a month.

I've just handed in my software programming assignment. The breif: to create an audio & video sequencer in C++ within a command line prompt. The end product was fairly basic, as can only be expected from a command line prompt peice of software. The secondary part of this assignment was a report on where you think the program could be improved, needless to say i mentioned a GUI and alternative methods of building the thing entirely, as C++ really isn't the best code to be using IMHO.

About a week ago, i got marks back from my computer architecture assignment, our task was to describe and illustrate how a sound card works. For those who are interested this involved talking in depth about everything from PCM (Pulse code modulation) to the connectors used to input audio on the card. I was extremely pleased with my mark, i got 98% in the end for that assignment which puts me in very good stead for the exam next term (which promises to be challenging!)

Now for a tip for anyone who is going to uni soon, be aware that you WILL spend money on text books. My course isn't particularly theory based, although we do cover some theories, however i have spent near to £120 on 3 text books! For anyone doing the music & audio technology course at Bournemouth University i can highly reccomend these books:

- Sound and recording : An introduction - Rumsey, McCormick
- Fundimentals of Multimedia - Ze-Nian Li
- Data Commuications & Networking -Forouzan

All of these books are on the reading list for my course, along with many more. But I have found these three books to cover everything i needed for the first year of this course. We will see how they fare next year!

Where has the time gone?

It seems like just yesterday I was being dropped off in Bournemouth, living in a strange place with people i'd never met before. Now it's been almost 7 months, and I'm at the end of my second term at University. People told me to enjoy my first year because it will go so quickly, at the time I thought it couldn't go quick enough. Now I'm shocked at how little time i have left in my first year. Basically i've finished lectures for the year now, it's all about revision for my exams.

I have two exams, one on 'Audio and Video principles', and another on 'Media Devices, Architectures, and Networks' Both two hours long. Then we have a creative project week, not sure what that involves yet, I hope we get a week to do whatever we want!

Other news, i have just started writing for upcoming tech blog Techrant, check it out here. I'll be writing about Apple news and started my first post on the iPhone 3.0 software thats just been announced.

Anyway, right now I'm off to the studios to get some recording done! My next blog will probably be from home!

How things change...

Well i've been wanting to blog about this for a long time now. It seemed like the right time to do it, just after i finished the new design for the blog.

When i was younger, i was into computers in a big way. This was largely influenced by my brother, who now works as a software programmer out in Sidney (Alright for some!). Anyway, he taught me the basics of how to make a website and i set about creating my very own space on the. then relatively new, internet! A few weeks ago, i stumbled across my very first website. It's still live on the internet! Click here to check it out or just look at the screenshot below...

After a while, i remember getting connected to our very own ISDN line. Back then, this was the best mainstream connection around and it was hosted by British Telecom. As part of the package, BT provided you with what seemed at the time to be a large web hosting space. In reality i think it was about 100MB! Anyway, i decided to make the most of this, and set about creating "Samsite II". Again this is still live on the web, and if you want to laugh at my youthful spelling mistakes then click here to take a look, otherwise the screenshot below will suffice.

Since that site has not been updated since christmas a few years ago, lots changed in the world of technology. More significantly static HTML web pages became a thing of the past. Dynamic web content was moving in, and strange terms such as "Blog" were being thrown about. Now i didn't really create one of these for a few years because i didn't have anything particularly interesting to talk about. However, come september 2008 that all changed as I moved down to bournemouth and started university. This is how we arrive at what you see today, appropriately named as "Sam's Blog" it moves away from the static typical webpage, and takes me into the 21st century. Just for continuities sake, i'll include a screenshot...

So there we have it, a summarised history of me on the internet! Whether you think i've improved or not is up to you, but i certainly know which one i prefer.

This blog has been incredibly useful at university, mainly because it allows me to let friends and family from back home know how I'm doing. This was the main reason for starting the blog. It's also become increasingly useful as part of my course, enabling me to showcase some of the work i've been doing, for example my promotional video.

Well that's all from me for the time being, I'd like to thank my regular readers, there may not be many of you yet but it is good to know there are people reading this, after all that's why it's here!

Promotional Video...

Hey everyone, i've just finalised my two minute promotional video on my course here at Bournemouth University. I've uploaded it to youtube for you all to see, bear in mind this is a low quality version suitable for web streaming. If you have a fast internet connection (2MB+) you can click on the "HD" button to see a high definition version of the video.

For those who are interested, the full quality version was shot in 1920 x 1080 (High Definition). The video was edited in Final Cut Pro, and the backing music is made up of royalty free loops from Apple.

I'll let you know what mark i get for this when it's been assessed

What an audience...

Wow! Well i started this blog with the idea that friends and family would be able to visit to find out what i've been up to at University. It's really turned into me typing about what's really on my mind at the time i click that 'New Post' button. Regardless of this, i checked my blog statistics today and was surprised to see this...

It's a map of all the visits on my blog! Now don't worry, its not tracking your current location (Thats illegal!), it just shows the exchange you're connected too. Now there's defiantly a couple of people i know in America and New Zealand, and I'm sure services like TOR can account for some of these hits. But the fact is, people from all over the world are reading this blog, and I'm not sure how that feels. I mean, can they all be genuinely interested in my first year antics at uni? Maybe next time you visit, you could leave a comment so i know who you are!

Moving on, its a busy few weeks in Bournemouth coming up. We have 5 assignments on the go, one of which is to create a multimedia application in flash which teaches the user the basics of how to use a DSLR Camera, those who know me will know that this is something i'd enjoy doing... and I did! It was quite a steep learning curve from what i'm used to, but i'm very pleased with the end result. I'll post some screenshots and a video up after hand in date, may even try to host the application online somewhere so you can all have a go!

Final rant, Twitter. I've been 'tweeting' for about 3 or 4 weeks now. You can see my latest 'tweet' at the top of this blog. It's an interesting concept, which at first seems exactly like Facebook status updates, and this is the underlying problem with the service. It's not until you join and start tweeting, that you realise really how different it is to Facebook! My experiences have been that when I try to encourage my friends to join, their response is "isn't that just Facebook" and that's as far as it goes. Maybe i'll post a blog on the differences, but for now I'm just wondering if any of my readers have twitter, let me know in the comments!

Assignments and home time...

Well, I got my marks back for my software programming assignment. I got 76% which is a first, so far my uni work is looking good. Only trouble is, our lectures are all rounding up in the next few weeks for the year! As in, when we come back next term, all I will have to do is revision for two exams. I've defiantly learnt a lot of stuff this year and i look forward to having the time to use some of it, and read up further on certain points.

We have a fair amount of assignments on the go at the moment. Another software programming, a 2 minute promotional video, and 2 more which we are yet to receive! I am keeping on top of things though, which is one of the reasons I'm sitting here writing this blog whilst everyone else rushes to finish the software programming assignment.

Moving away from uni, its been quite a stressful time recently with lots of other things on my mind. Still, I have now got my house for next year sorted, contract signed and deposit paid. We are living in a 3 bedroom flat in a large house that's been split into several flats. If you are interested in where it is, then just click the link below...

http://tinyurl.com/cz3x8j

I'm off home soon for a weekend which should be nice. I'm looking forward to some proper home cooked food again, and of course mums pancakes (even if they are a few days late!). A long train journey on the way back though. National Rail tells me it will be about 3 hours! Still I have my iPod so I'll be fine!

Anyway, its almost 2pm now and I haven't eaten any lunch so I'm going to go grab something to eat, then head over to my lecture at 4!

Can't think of a title...

Well I got my studio techniques assignment back yesterday. Our brief was to create two minutes of entertaining content for radio. We were not allowed to use the spoken word and had to use foley effects as well as pre recorded sound effects. This was accompanied with a 1500 word report. I got 87% for my work, which is a first so I'm very pleased with this. I'll upload my work to my music blog in a few days so you can judge for yourself!

Things have been busy enough down here in Bournemouth, I'm working on a few assignments at the moment. I have to create an audio video sequencer in C++, as well as a 2 minute promotional video, and we have a large business assignment to do in a group! Lectures are winding up though, unbelievably we have ben allocated the time to do our assignments. Next term is a bit confusing, all we have is revision sessions timetabled! We only have 2 exams and my last is on the 28th May! So I'm pretty much finished after that, summer job here I come!

Anyway, thats all for now.

No water...

We have no water at Purbeck house! It's been out since Friday evening and we have been provided with water storage tanks and a million portaloos! We're still not sure what the problem is but they're taking their time about fixing it, so it must be big!

I moaned like hell at first, and have heard so many other people moaning.

It's not all bad though, just think how much water we use in a day. It made me think about the people in Africa and other such places who permanently have no clean water. How can we honestly live in a world today where some people lead such luxurious lives, whilst others struggle for water every single day of their life?

We may moan about having no running water but it suddenly seems so insignificant when you look at the bigger picture!

At the end of the day, our water will be fixed at some point in the next week. Some people will never taste clean drinking water. Ever.

You will never see snow in Bournemouth...

Seven words i heard when being shown around Bournemouth University on an open day, not sure how or why the topic came up but whoever spoke those words has been proved very wrong this week! Like the rest of the country, Bournemouth has been plunged into whiteness with what can only be described as snow.

Am I happy, excited, or pleased about this snow. No. Whilst it may be fun plotting (and for some reason always failing) to break out onto the roofs of University buildings and have massive snowball fights, the fact of the matter is that snow is only good if it's a few feet deep, freshly fallen, with a nice hard base, and on a nice steep mountain. And even then, it's only good if I am at the top of said mountain with a nice pair of ski's strapped to my feet. Who said I was bitter about my family going skiing again this year?

Pushing that aside, news here. Unfortunately one of my best mates on the course has decided that it's not for him. The decision is totally understandable, but he will be missed! Other news, all assignments are done for now, and as you may gather my exam has been and gone (smoothly, as far as I can tell). Emma is visiting this week from good old Winchester, hopefully the snow won't ruin the travel plans! Which brings me onto a very good point...

[rant] Other countries have snow for 6 months a year, and manage to cope absolutely fine. Yet our useless country has but a sprinkling of the white stuff, and headlines such as "Snow brings chaos to London" and "Snow in England spawns transit mess" are commonplace! I mean come on, sort it out Britain! [/rant]

Anyway, enough from me!

Sam

P.S. Sorry for the lack of updates on the Music Blog front, i have to admit that I stupidly came back to Uni, leaving all my previous creations at home! But have no fear, more are on the way!

P.P.S Just been reminded that i promised to update you on my cooking. I tried making lasagne, ended up on the toilet for 3 days and taking Immodium! (Don't try this at home kids) 

Exam

Exam went well, got stuck on about 3 questions, other than that all is well...

An update...

Hello All,

Well i've just got back from an extended weekend up in Winchester with Emma. I had a great time, and it was really good to have a break (even if I have only been back in Bournemouth a couple of weeks!) I'm blogging as a break from revision right now. I have an exam in Sound, Music, and Multimedia fundamentals tomorrow which is going to be fun! 40 Questions on various aspects of sound!

I have also realised that I have run out of food, so at some point today I will be venturing to ASDA to pick up the essentials. I've been working a fair bit recently, so surviving on whatever is at hand! I have made a promise to myself that i will attempt some more adventurous cooking this week. So I'm going to attempt Lasagne, and Toad in the hole in preparation for when Emma comes down in 10 days! I'll let you all know how i get on!

Anyway, that's about it from me for today

Back to revision I go...

3 Months, 16 Days, and a few Hours...

The length of time i've had my Mac...

Now those of you who knew me about 3 or 4 years ago will know that for me to actually go out and by something made by 'Apple' of all people, is nothing short of a miracle. However, since i made the leap about 4 years ago and brought my first Apple product (a little iPod nano), my opinions have changed somewhat.

I have since brought a Macbook Pro and more recently an iPod Touch. I can honestly say that these are the two single greatest purchases in the arsenal that comprise my gadgets! Below is a screenshot of the mac interface, and how i have it set up...

It is perfect! There is no simpler way of describing it. The interface flows, the buttons do exactly what you expect them too, and everything is where you would expect it to be! I should explain, I have been a windows user since windows 3.1 at the age of 'very young' so 3 months, 16 days and a few hours ago I was completely new to the Mac interface. Now i feel like i've never used anything else!

As part of my course I am required to do C++ programming in Microsoft Visual Studio. This, being a Microsoft program, requires windows to run. Even on a Mac this isn't a problem anymore. I just run windows right inside leopard, and it runs just fine! Feels horrible and clunky to use though!

Now I'm not saying that Mac's are perfect. I'm saying that the software is very close to being perfect, but the hardware can be an issue. Now i have one of the older style MacBook Pro's (not the Unibody) and I can tell you that it runs exceedingly hot, upwards of 80 degrees centigrade when playing games! Other issues include the wireless card sometimes deciding that it doesn't exist and the slot loading disk drive occasionally rubbing against the case, making a small clicking noise. These are, of course, minor things that have done little to counteract the joy of owning such an easy to use, well designed laptop!

As for the iPod Touch, more on that next week...

Sam

Back in Bla... Bournemouth

Hello Everyone,

Yep i'm back from skiing, and so is Emma. She got on really well for her first week managing confident parallel turns on blues, and even a red at the end of the week! The photo below pretty much sums up the holiday. Fantastic snow, blue skies, and lots of sunshine!

Well I arrived back at University yesterday, and have just finished the first day of my second term at Bournemouth! I have so much work to do, it is unreal. I have 3 assignments due in for the next 3 weeks, and an exam on the fourth week! I don't mind the work (hey, its why I'm paying near £10,000 a year) it's just the time it takes up!

My timetable has changed slightly for the second term, no more Monday lye in's for me. First lecture on Monday is now 10 - 11, i then have a 2 hour break, then a lecture 1 - 2, then another 2 hour break, then a lecture 4-5! But i am making a pledge that i will do work in those 4 hours, rather than visit the local student 'watering hole' otherwise known as Dylans bar!

It's a mixed feeling being back at Uni, I like choosing what, and when to eat. And i like deciding whether or not I can be bothered to make my bed! But there are some people from home I miss very much!

Anyway, i am really only procrastinating by writing this blog post. I'm off now to generate some random numbers in C++, Create 3 minutes of interesting radio content (without using the spoken work), Start a report on 'how a sound card works', and revise for a multimedia fundamentals exam...

Good times

Happy Christmas...

Hello Everyone, I hope you're all enjoying the build up to Christmas!

So, Apple finally replaced my iPod Touch. After 4 replacements, i finally have one without dead pixels all over the screen. Also following my letter of complaint, i received a phone call from Apple today, apologizing for the situation, and as a gesture of goodwill offered me a free screen protector and iPod Dock! Just goes to show that sometimes a little complaining works!

Well i've been home just over a week now, and seen loads of people. I'm really enjoying being at home but still need to catch up on some sleep. Not long till skiing now, the snow's still looking really good. I'm just hoping for some nice sunny weather the week we're out there.

I really need to get on with some university work, but i fear that it's all going to happen in the last week as usual! I will take some revision on holiday with me though! But now, it's time for christmas, family and friends, and rubbish movies on the TV. My next post probably won't be until after skiing, so i'll be sure to take some good shots of Emma and I skiing!

But for now, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Sam

A few months later...

Well I suppose i should start by saying that I'm at home, and everything is great here! 

Now... I have had the Macbook Pro for a few months now and there are a couple of things I feel that I should say. Firstly, this is the single best computer i have ever owned. The hardware is fantastic, the software seamlessly communicates with the hardware and just works! All of this in a beautiful case, with a beautiful screen! 

I know, "you sound like an apple fanboy" at least one of my readers is shouting. And yes, I admit that I have made some claims in the past about Apple that I now officially take back. However, it has not always been plain sailing...

Firstly, there are still significant problems with Digidesign sound cards. These are needed to run Pro Tools (A program which my uni course requires), the problem is that they do not interface with Leopards core audio drivers at-all well, leading to kernel panics (BSOD Equivalent).

Secondly, I always have this strange feeling in the back of my mind, that i have joined the mind numbingly irritating group of mac users that, when confronted with a group of PC users having troubles with windows, finds it necessary to say "ahhhhh, now if you had a mac..." This is not something I wish to be a part of, so if any of you hear me say it, let me know!

Anyway, I'm going to end this post before i start babbling on about anything and everything.

Sam

Last Day Of Term...

Wow, i did it! This is officially my last day in Bournemouth for about 4 weeks. I really have had a great time,  i've met some fantastic people and learnt lots of stuff at University. The course is great, not at all how i expected it to be but great nonetheless. As to other people, well I'm sure we won't have as many people on our course after christmas. 

People just don't seem to turn up for lectures, i don't understand it! We've all paid £3000 in tuition fee's alone for this year, not including rent and other living costs. Why pay all that and not turn up? Beats me...

Anyway, I'm on my way home today. Can't wait to see everyone from home again, much pubbage shall be had, especially after A level certificate presentation on wednesday! Other things I'm looking forward to include being fed and looked after again!! Skiing, obviously, is just around the corner and I'm looking forward to that. All in all, i should have a good break. I've still got assignments to do, but my business assignment / pitch went well so i don't have to worry about that. I'll let you all know how i got on when i get my results.

Right, off home now. So my next post will be from Billingshurst!!

Sam

Music Blog...

Hey Everyone,

As you may know, i am combining my Blog with my website. I have decided that to do this effectively, i should create a kind of 'sub-blog' for all my music and media creations. You can now find this in the 'Sub blog' section to the right of this page. 

The Music blog will be uploaded with content as soon as i get around to it, I get back from uni in 4 days, so i'll have access to all my old stuff and time to upload hopefully!

Cheers

Sam

Update on Uni Life...

I love this photo, it was taken when Emma came down to Bournemouth for a weekend two weeks ago. We really had a fantastic time, walking around the park and having fish and chips down on the beach! (Yes, it really was quite cold). I'm going up to Winchester this weekend for the Christmas Ball with Emma, and i'm really looking forward to it!

University in general has been great this term. I have made loads of friends, both on my course and through my halls of residence. The work started off pretty easy, but has gotten quite serious in the last few weeks. I've just about finished off my Business assignment, in which we have to create a business concept and present the idea, both in writing and via a presentation (I'm doing mine next wednesday).

I have also got a part time job, working in the student call center for the Annual Fund. It's not the most exciting job in the world, but it's only until christmas, and it's provided an enjoyable stream of income this term! (Although I'm still due my tax rebate!)

So, how would i say i am coping with living... Well, I'm evidently still here so i must be doing something right! My cooking skills have improved vastly since coming to Uni, i have progressed from frozen pizzas to lasagna and have learned the ways of pasta! (A students best friend). Washing... Well my clothes have certainly been abused since i got here. Numerous food stains have occurred, and to be honest, the washing machines here are useless! Clothes are all looking forward to a proper 'Mum' wash when i get home.

Home, only a week and a bit away now! I'm looking forward to getting home, seeing everyone again. The traditional trip to the bells after school concerts has been missed! I also have my A-level certificate presentation on the 17th, so much pubbage will be had after that! Of course, then christmas is almost upon us, and that means only one thing... Skiing! I'm really excited this year about taking Emma and introducing her the wonders of the slopes!

But for now, i am going to raid the cupboards for some sort of food before getting on with some more work!

Blog & Website Merger...

Hey All,

I have decided to try and merge my blog and my website into one. This means a few changes may be occurring over the next few days. You can all ready see the list of webcams in the French area of Les Portes du Soleil. This is where i go skiing every year, and i like to keep up to date with the snow conditions (Look to be a very good season this year).

You will also start to see me posting about my various music creations. I'm currently progressing well on my Music and Audio Technology degree course here at Bournemouth Uni, so expect to see some awesome stuff up here soon. 

Anyway, That's all for now!

Sam

Update...

Well, i'll start by saying that it's 6:45 in the morning, and I have no idea why I am awake. I went to bed like normal, but failed to sleep. So here I am, updating everyone on my Uni life so far...

Having moved flats, i am now living with my friends and having a great time. My course is great, except for the business elements (not sure how thats relevant really). I've been really busy since i got here, making friends and socializing in the usual ways. Some say I don't go out enough, and i am known as a hermit, but this is a reputation I am quite happy with! 

I am currently working on 3 assignments, two of which are doing my head in! Software programming in C++ essentially involves keeping a log book of all my Lab sessions at uni, easy enough but time consuming. My business assignment involves creating a business plan for a 'media-related' business. In writing this blog entry a sudden realization has dawned upon me, I have not once spelt business without the spellchecker correcting me! This does not bode well for my assignment!

The third assignment is a little more fun, create 3 minutes worth of audio that tells a story. This involves, samples, MIDI, foley effects, and spot recordings. Unfortunately this comes with a 1500 word write up, but hey!

Anyway, i should be getting an iPod touch soon, so expect more updates in the future as i jump on the WiFi at uni!