The end of the world as we know it

Well, this nicely follows on from my last post about the destruction of the universe:

Telescope views death of galaxy

Bank Holiday and its weekend

edit: check out GamesRant - it's the new and updated version of my old GamesRant website.

I headed home for this Bank Holliday weekend hoping to continue with my 'doing of nothingness' as I was as Brunel, and so far I think I'm progressing very well, thanks for asking. Early this morning, I was in a half-asleep state and there were these baby birds in a nest just outside my window, tweeting away (rather annoyingly though - was trying to stay asleep). The tweeting wasn't so much the 'tweeting' sound you are probably imagining right now, but more like 'clicking' sounds. And being in a state of semi-sleep, these clicking noises transferred themselves into my sleepy dream of someone (possibly me) clicking a PC mouse button. Incessantly clicking. And it was bloody annoying, I can tell you. I got up instead of trying to sleep - it was about 10am anyway.


Found this on BBCi: Squirrel helps with mobile calls. How cute is that?!? That's so awesome - I want one. Click on the link for the pictures of it in use (about 1/4 way down the page). Looks like you stuff the mobile into its tail (and not its arse like I first thought).

Now, you see, this sort of technology people should like - it's comfortable with human interaction. It does things subtly and doesn't distract you. I thought about it awhile back, I'm living in the generation of what is probably only just the birth of electronic technology. I mean, born 23-years ago and I can remember all the technology I've every used since I was young and growing up through teenage-hood and now to young adult - technology has been exponential in its improvements and growth. I must (or at least hope) have at least another 60-years left in me and I can't wait to see what's going to happen. Gadgets have been the main development in life I reckon - people are buying more and more gadgets and electronic toys like music players, consoles, PCs, boothtooth this and that, different types of recordable media. I kinda like to think that I'm lucky to experience this booming technology - ultimately, it's great fun.

I remember the games machines I used to play on: Spectrum, Commodre 64, Atari, Mega Drive, Amiga 1200, Saturn, PC, Dreamcast, Xbox. And soon Xbox360 (yep, that's the one I've going for).
I remember the playable and recordable media there were: cassette tapes, floppy disks, cartridges, cd-roms, cd-r/rw, dvd-r/rw and dual-layer. And now there's Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs.
Mobile phones are another thing. And that nicely ties things back.


Just finished watching 'The Butteryfly Effect' - an interesting and worthwhile film about the effects of chaos theory. It was in by about 30-45mins and I was wondering when the hell some 'butteryfly effect' was going to happen. And then it did. The protagonist goes through a few different scenarios and the consequences of his actions. It's quite an interesting proposition, but I think maybe a little extreme? I don't know. And the end was a little abrupt and sad. All in all, a good film.


Something for you people to dwell on until next time. I'm currently watching Alien and there are these huge space stations. You think that's ever likely to happen? I'd kinda like to know what happens in so-many-million-years from now; will the earth collapse into the black hole that the sun will finally become (that's what I think), will we build space stations to live on, will we colonise another planet (think Total Recall with Arnie). Until next time.


--steven

and the beat goes on...

and the beat goes on.

Managed to finally get my dissertation printed via laser colour printer free of charge (shock-horror! esp. where Brunel Uni is concerned, anyway). Just had to supply the paper to print it on - and that I did, through Brunel Uni's reams of paper they have lying around in offices (shock-horror! etc.)
And then I put it into binding - metal spiral binding (similar to those you find on monthly calendars).
Had a pleasant chat with the lady working at the binding place - talked about working abroad and holidays and such like travels.

It was wet, yet not miserable, day today. I think that I was pretty grateful for the chill in the air after yesterday's horrific heatwave. Apparently, there was a thunderstorm at 6am (Friday morning) but I was out completely - slept like a log and woke up around 9am to the sound of my alarm. Pain in the arse especially as it was a nice morning to stay curled up in bed. Was supposed to go with Usman (hall's mate) to see someone about some papers, but turned out it wasn't going to happen. So I could've slept in, but I suppose getting up at 9 had its good side. I think...

Oh and yesterday, Usman and I managed to get myself signed up onto Xbox Live - have only just bought it as we've recently got broadband at home. Although being at uni might seem contradictory, I've signed up here because MS are giving away free games to those who register. Bargain, I thought.
Yeah sorry, probably gonna be talking about games for most of this post - so you can come back another day if you want.
Played a bit of Tom Clancy Rainbow Six demo, although the demo seems to contain everything you need to play online (has other playable parts included) - so it seemed pretty nice of them to give that away. Shot people and chatted aimlessly (and vice versa) - was all very good fun.
Tried to play Outrun2 but there weren't any servers or people playing it - must not be that good then.

I'm a bit of a games fanatic - well, I was years ago - but it kinda died down when I was at uni (more interesting things to do, like go to pub), and now it's picking up again. Probably because there's not much to do around here in Brunel. Did I tell you that I bought GTA: San Andreas for the Xbox? Well, I did (a while back) - and I've managed to finish it - that game was/is ridiculously addictive for no apparent reason.

This has reminded me of the time Nav and I attempted to make a website on reviewing computer games - our own reviews on a load of games we had access to. We wanted to go through a load of Dreamcast games but I think we just ended up playing Rez (go check it out - also on PS2 - it's unbelievably awesome). Check it:

www.gamesrant.co.uk

Forza Motorsport (Xbox) looks promising on Xbox Live - would like to try that out some time - was playing it today and was it was fun. The thing I like about this game (and that of MSR and PGR1&2) is that you get to race normal street cars - well, souped up ones, but street cars nontheless. Like the VW Golf (looks like a Mark 3 or 4, I forget) or the Audi TT. Cars that you can actually obtain in real life without having to rob the bank.

Might have a whirl on The Bard's Tale (PC) - it's got some great dry humour and the game itself isn't too bad either. Oh right, that'll do - I've loaded it up now so I'm off to play.

--steven

give that back! gentleman on the right

Lots of things to edit on my report, but all's good and the supervisor makes sense of it all. Which is handy, as I was getting pissed off writing it. Now, after a fresh pair of eyes, it's going to look a little bit better. Halfway there, but I think that the last half with take twice as long to do.

Especially if I faff around on the internet like I'm doing now.

A picture of my chin-fluff, except now I've shaved it off. Tried to wash it down the sink but the monster swirled around the basin for a while. Think I scalded it down the plug hole... Looked in the mirror and looked young again - much like the picture of Nav after he shaved off his (proper) beard. A slight stubble has grown back already.

I can't believe how hot it is in my room at Brunel - I know it doesn't help being on the top floor and being next to the water heater/boiler room - but it's ridiculously hot and stuffy and humid and nasty. The fan is back on and I'm struggling to do any work because of it. Maybe that's why I worked so well at home.

You know, it really pays to be stupid. I know better than to stick my little finger in between the guards of my fan, but I was just poking the moving fan and it was okay. Nothing much happened. I only put a little bit more pressure on and slow the fan down a little bit, but I've now got this blister on the end of my finger. And it bloody well hurts. ouch... stupid fan...

I'm thinking I might post up some recordings of songs that I've written lyrically, but not musically. Well, not for the piano anyway (but for the guitar). I've been told that they are quite depressing (think Coldplay) but lyrically okay. Want to hear what other people think. Honestly, that is. I can take the critisism.
I won't cry.
Like a little girl.
Hiding upstairs.
In the corner of her room.
Hugging her security blanket.
Crying.
But I've got no proper recording equipment so it's going to sound pretty shocking. Will have to have a couple of days practice, no doubt. No diggity. Anyone else got anything that I can aspire to?

-- steven

Sold! to the gentleman on the right...

Finally, after gawd knows how long, I've managed to finish my major dissertation up to the first draft - now just waiting for the supervisor to red-ink it all and hand it back - only a week left before deadline.
X-Factor is now a methodology which I won't even bother to explain as it's far too complicated. It's not what I expected I would end up having, but it'll do for now as I can't be bothered to sort it out.

Today, there was aircraft crash in Greece - most unfortunate situation, but that's really a serious understatement. Greek officials to call 3-days of official mourning to start tomorrow. Just read the news that there was an apparent drop in cabin pressure, the pilots unconscience and the passengers were freezing. Surely something up with the plane - if I remember to, I'll log the outcomes.

I've been growing a stubble on my chinny-chin-chin and upper-lippy-lip-lip for the past week and it's only about 5mm long. The only reason for this is because I don't have a razor handy as I'm still at home (been here for the past week as it turns out that I'm far more productive here than at Brunel - I've got the same distractions so I'm not too sure what's going on - it might be San Andreas, that's quite time consuming...)

Just saw that Lincoln Cathedral is being used for the 'Da Vinci Code'(sp?) movie (out in May 2006) - and I can't remember what it looks like - will have to look at my photos and stuff.

Right, now going to watch Alien Resurrection on DVD, Special Edition.

-steven

Fangled wirelessness and some

--@some stupid time andstill working

Been so incredibly busy with dissertation/report writing that I've managed to be more unexciting than usual. Have been home since Friday morning and not planning on heading back to Brunel until I get a draft done for my supervisor - it's coming along nicely but there is still so much to do, and I don't know how much of it will seem new to the markers - here's hoping they have forgotten all the old stuff I wrote.

I've got crap wireless access here - the router is on the other side of the house on the ground floor - that's about three walls and a ceiling the transmission has to go through, and it's not doing it well (enough for my liking). Messenger goes nuts too... oh well, I suppose it stops me from getting distracted by the internet as it's doing now.

Turns out that there wasn't a perfect order for the links between Usability-Ergonomics, Usefulness-Technology, and Desirability-Aesthetics - i.e. they didn't appear consecutively. I managed to cock up part of my UUD-ETA construct classification business and calculated it wrong, resulting in... hold on, just closing down messenger - pain in the arse program...

...resulting in Usability-Ergonomics appearing further down the list. The top three are: oh hold on, shit, just spotted something...

...sorted... are: Usa-Aes 59.4%; Des-Aes 58.7%; Use-Tec 57.3%.

Usa-Erg scores at 48.5% which is quite low in relation to the rest of the other (inc. UUD-UUD and ETA-ETA relationships).
Mind, I'm still pretty happy with the top three relationships even though the first isn't what I wanted. Major publications and many journals and papers state that there is some connection between an aesthetically pleasing object and its rated usability - some stuff to do with pyschology and how you find a beautiful product easy to use - i.e. you essentially look past its shortfall because it's so good in some other area.

It's actually quite interesting, even to me who has been reading up on all this for the past 9 months or so. Exciting stuff.

Oh also, today, I got an email from our Masters course director about an available position at IDEO, London branch. Interestingly, he specifically put my email address down along with my supervisor's and then CC'ed it to the rest of the group. Fair enough, I thought, seeing as I think I'm the only one really involved with Human Factors and emotions and such like. Deadline for the application is 17th August, so not long. Want to hand in a summary of this Tangible Emotions report as part of the application (they ask for it).

Nearly finished that Jason Bourne book - only another 100 pages or so... hey, it's a big book, plus I only read it when I go to sleep.

And finally, because I really should be getting on with work and the fact that I said I would treat myself to a break after I got the Results chapter finished (which is nearly, nearly done, honest), is that I read somewhere in blogger.com that to increase my own blog traffic I should read other people's blogs and comment regularly, who then may return the favour. So I'll start doing that soon, once I get this draft out the way.
Also, they said to turn on certain settings to increase the awareness of my blog, which I have done.

Right, laters - and don't go stealing my results. You won't have the proof to back it up anyway... ha de ha ha...

god, I'm knackered.

--steven

getting the hang of this html stuff (geek!)

-- @14:56

Well, you may have noticed some extra stuff on the sidebar thing on the right. Am getting the hang of this HTML malarky and editing the blog template. Blantantly, I should be doing some work but cannot be bothered at the moment - I've got a 20K report to draft up by Wednesday coming up, but I know that I'll be able to do it easily (taking into account the long nights that I'll be working two days prior to the deadline).

I won't bore you with the details, but it's about Tangible Emotions for product designing. Basically, I'm trying to make up a way where designers can control consumers into purchasing their items. I know it sounds '1984'-esque but saying it like that makes it easier to understand (I'm really doing some sort of guideline that designers can consult at 'trade-off' situations during the product development stages).

Need to do lots of work now, but am getting distracted by:

• Blogging and editing my blog design;
  
• My piano, which is sitting right next to me saying 'play me, dammit!';
  
• Suddenly realising I'm putting in HTML code into my blogs without thinking (a bad sign, surely);
  
• The sun shining into my eyes;
  
• Everything that has nothing to do with work.
  

Well, I wondered if that bullet-point listing HTML code stuff worked? I can't be bother to edit it if it doesn't. Ooh, there's a preview button...

Yep, it works. Back to work, I suppose...