Lalala

Yesterday I ordered £88 worth of books, then cancelled £30 worth of books after discovering one of them wouldn't be worth its weight in paperweights (Objects First With Java: A Practical Introduction to BlueJ).

I ended up ordering:

• Python Pocket Reference (because I enjoyed the Perl Pocket Reference so much) - not a course text.


• The Internet Book - course text for Introduction to Web Technologies (second semester).


• Computers, from Logic to Architecture - course text for Computer Architecture and Systems Software.

I considered buying UML something for next semester. But I'll see if we actually need it. The BlueJ book was `essential', but it doesn't look like it will be.

Oh yes, yesterday's lectures were semi-fun. Foundations of HCI was interesting. We learnt a little about Earcons and Auditory Icons and other fun things. KSCP was boring as ever. Then after a three hour break we had tutorial. The discussion question was something about whether or not students of all disciplines ought to have at least one mandatory IT-related course. I was the odd one out being stubborn in my insistance that they should not, they should, instead have an optional module teaching computing skills related to their course (i.e. typesetting or word-processing for writing student, CGI for art students). The guy next to me said people should be taught `Word' (moron). My logic was that if they already know how to use a computer, a mandatory course on it would bore them and thus detract from their studies. All of the other people (the other four in the tutorial group and the tutor) agreed that they should have a mandatory course and that everybody needs to know how to use computers (morons). I think it's up to the person as to whether or not to learn to use a computer. If I feel a gap in my knowledge (I think Vygotski had a useful term to describe this, its name escapes me) I will seek to fill the gap. I believe the majority of undergraduates will be capable of doing this. People should not be forced into learning to use computers in the way that programmers should not be forced into using object orientation when it is not appropriate (hint: I'm talking about Java).

Our last lecture was Software Development (Programming). Dr. Rod Fretwell demonstrated drawing a picture using BlueJ. To the best of my intuition, it would appear he was using BlueJ to simply create instances of classes and the project he was using had some classes relating to shapes that could be drawn to a canvas. He'd create an instance of, say, Circle and then call circle_1.makeVisible() (which is a badly named method as it draws the object). So he drew a picture of a yellow sun on a blue sky (very inefficiently). I really don't think it was a good way to teach a programming language. Maybe it teaches a bit about object orientation but that's irrelevant.

Then I went off to Davina's. I read a bit of The Essence of Human-Computer Interaction, which was interesting. It said some interesting things about novices (i.e. they have to be told constantly what's going on or they'll panic and they have to be given many options to cancel what they're doing otherwise they'll think they'll do something wrong that they can't undo).

I went to Rios last night, it was very fun. Summer noticed another Gorgeous Guy. It was discovered that he was a bit of an idiot, but he was funny and Summer got to touch his hair (which resembled Gorgeous Guy's hair).

The people in my blog are annoying. I keep going downstairs to make some food and I find a part of the cooker is on. Morons.

a BMI less than 18.5 is underweight and may indicate malnutrition, an eating disorder, or other health problem [...] These range boundaries apply to adults over 20 years of age.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index

So I have two years to gain at least 0.5 BMI to not be underweight, or gain 2 BMI to have an ideal BMI.

I changed my theme in Fluxbox today. From Operation to Twice. It's all red and dark grey. I made a `Gothic' stylesheet inspired by Twice for South Square Centre today. South Square Centre is going to have so many stylesheets. By the time the PHB switches to a better browser, there'll be, like, a hundred.

I got the BlueJ book today... out of the library. I installed BlueJ in my userspace at school (it's proprietary so it shaln't touch my computer) and it sucks. What's the point of it? How is it teaching me anything, or anybody else who already understands the OO paridigm in programming? The book says it isn't about BlueJ, it's about programming. I don't need it, it's not `essential reading'.

It's like something out of Donnie Darko.

I decided that the software modification must be done to my Xbox (it's sitting at Davina's, unused and unloved). I've been pulling my broken Xbox controller apart all night. I shall get my soldering iron from Davina's on tuesday, probably and my wire-cutters too. I'll wait to get my Xbox. I could take the memory card home when it's got the data on and take the MechAssault game and do the mod at home and take my Xbox and a controller home with me one it's modded as I think I can do most of it from my computer without seeing the TV output of the Xbox.