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Down Below

| 25 August 2008

I'd like to be surfing the net right now as I wait for this lecture, but this has got to be the one uni room that doesn't have wireless coverage. Being deep underground, and being able to feel the City Loop train rush underneath the floor, I can't say I'm surprised I don't have any mobile reception either.

Every time I want to reply to a message that only just gets through, a have to wait till I have reception, then press send. Or I have to get up, go up the stairs, send, and then come back to class.

The alternative is sending an email to the IT guys here, asking for them to install wireless for this underground location. It'd be nice, but I don't really see it happening straight away. Though that would mean I could start downloads while I code next week's test and take notes.

I'm really enjoying my classes this semester. I really can't remember what any of them are called, but I know which ones are which. The one I'm in now, Engineering Methods, is probably my least favourite, probably because the lectures feel like a waste of time. But in the labs for this class, I'm a week ahead due to my ability to work faster and better alone. Code, code, code...

Just had the other programming test today (as in the other class, we code C++ in it, and MATLAB in the one I'm in now). Walked in late, so was worried I was a touch behind, but when I'd finished the bulk of the code in fifteen minutes, and the guy next to me was sweating it out, I was feeling more confident. Oh and congratulations to that guy too by the way. After he finished cheating from a piece of paper he brought in, he left early, only to come back in ten, saying he'd forgotten to remove the 'system("Pause")' lines. In other words, he got a score of zero because the program won't run correctly. Serves him right.

Circuit theory and Engineering design are basically the same class, and lectures in one are very similar to the lectures in the other. Very handy, cause learning in one means you're learning in the other. The labs are distinctly different though. In one, we're measuring resistor values using a digital multimeter; and in the other we're designing traffic light control systems using flip-flops and logic gates. But between these two classes, I can say I've learnt something about circuit analysis, even though I pretend I haven't. Mesh circuit analysis, circuit node analysis, grid analysis, and some sort of creepy replacement thingo... Basically, it's all just common sense and being sure you conform to KCL and KVL (yeah, I think I've probably lost you all now) rules. Oh, and Ohms law... (Well duh...).

Lecture's started now, and it's about the Trapezoidal rule. Yay for already knowing how to do it! Yay for CAS! Tune-out time continues...

I'm thinking about getting a stereo for my room; something snazzy. I don't care if it doesn't have all the top-of-the-range features like a built in DVD player (like some of the players I've seen). I want one that looks good; with blue lights... Probably should work more to be able to afford it.

Ah, speaking of work! Hopefully I'll be working for the footy finals season. If I'm working all the days I've told work I can work; then I'll be going to the footy more times this September than I've been my entire life. Except I'm not working the Grand Final; I'll be in Hawaii. Yes, that's right, it's the second year in a row I won't actually be available to watch the Grand Final on TV. Good! It's not like I'm missing anything but shitty actors prance about in short shorts. If I want to see that, I'll go and live in Sydney...

Night children, she's actually talking about something I don't know now, so I'm going to tune back in to the lecture... Take care, don't do anything stupid... Like play football...

A Little Quacker For You

| 13 August 2008
Whole bunch of you have heard this one already from me; here I am repeating it...

I was walking down the street the other day, and I nearly tripped over this duck.

“G’day duck” I said, “What’s your name?”

“Oh my name’s Tom” said the duck.

“Good to meet you Tom. Say, I've never really talked to a duck before; what does a duck like you get up to all day?”

“Oh, the usual... In and out of puddles...”

“Righto, catch you later Tom” and we parted our ways.

About a block later, I bumped into another duck.
“Oh, sorry about that mate; didn’t mean to trip you over there.” I said as I helped him up, “What’s your name?”

“I'm Dick,” replied the duck.

“I ran into a duck a couple of minutes ago, and he told me about his day and all that... I'm curious, what do you do all day?”

“I just hop in and out of puddles really.”

“Fair enough, see you round Dick” I commented as he headed off.

Just when I thought I'd seen enough ducks for the day, sure enough, there was another, standing on the corner, waiting to cross the road. Ambling up to him, I asked “So, I guess your name is Harry.”

“Nah, mate... I'm Puddles...”