So that’s what I’ve been doing wrong in all this job malarkey.
Hmmmm, lab work not going well.
Archive for February, 2004
Sat in labs, not really working but attempting to.
Tim and Matt Asher appear to be getting annoyed with each other. Well, Tim appears to be annoying Mr Asher anyway, this could get interesting. I wonder if it’ll develop into a fist fight - that’d be an interesting way to choose presidential candidates. You could sell ticket with the money going to RAG.
Man I’m bored!
Well it’s been at least 4 days since my interview. That seemed like ages ago, but I guess it would with all the excitement of International Night to keep me entertained. I’m helping Sam do the lighting. We currently have the trusses rigged and all we have to do is patch the desk. I’m hoping the plan that was in my back pocket is still there as it’s the only copy that will tell me which DMX address each light is on.
I’m in the EE Computer room which is quite sad since it’s Sunday. The even more sad thing is that there are quite a few people here. There must be a deadline coming up. Doesn’t affect me as I’m using the UNIX machines of which precisely none are being used. Ahhh the joys of non-Redmond derived software. I’ve got to do more final year project stuff as I’m quite concerned at the moment about it. I’ve got other coursework to do now too. I really need to make a start on my Fuzzy logic coursework and I’ve got Digital IC Design to do now.
You might have noticed that the site no-longer does the ‘teaser’ thing where you have to press the ‘Read More’ link to read a long post. Gary complained.
Anyway better be off to work.
sml_tk uses wish (a tcl_tk interpreter) to (allegedly) allow users of sml to create graphical interfaces in a structured was avoiding the nasty non-functional-ness of the tcl scripting language.
To get the examples working (which by the way do all work under Linux very much unlike eXene)
- cd to < sml_tk directory > /src/tests+examples
- run sml-cm
- Type “CM.make();”
- Type < structure name >.go();
More information can be found at the project homepage.
I’ve also just found a way to use GTK+ with SML - see here. However since the current version is beta-0.03 I might give it a miss for my project.
I got an A- for my Interim report and Oral. Not bad I think, hopefully I’ll get a better mark for the finished project
Today was…erm….different. Turning up in college in a suit, then off to Euston, hop aboard a Virgin train. The board said it was going to be one of the new pendolino things which would’ve been cool; no need to mention that it wasn’t. I don’t even believe they exist, you see them but I don’t think they actually carry people ever. Mr Branson must be trying to keep them clean and nice by not letting anyone on them.
Then getting off half an hour later at Milton Keynes Central (but not not central of much). The station was really small, even Carlisle station is more impressive and that’s saying something. Now I know in theory that it’s a new town but it really hits you when you step out of the station. The road up the centre of what appears to be the main bit of the city lines up exactly with the doors to the station and it’s really wide. All the buildings are low too. It’s quite a surreal experience since I’m used to either London or home in Cumbria which is mainly composed of cows and trees and stuff (and hills, big hills; something else missing from Milton Keynes, you can’t even climb a hight set of stairs). The map outside the station (of the “where to go next variety”) even obviously the town/city/whatever out as post 1950s town planning craziness.
Enough of the weirdness that is Milton Keynes (except to say I very much suspect that it is very unfairly maligned much of the time). A Taxi (arranged by HM Government Communications Centre or HMGCC for short) picked me up and took me out into the country to Hanslope Park where HMGCC is based. Several receptions, and security gates later (including a pass and handing my mobile phone in) I was sat waiting for my interview. For those who haven’t worked in anywhere with more security than CCTV it might be quite strange, large fences with barbed wire, security gates and swipe card entry to everywhere. It was much like working at Sellafield but nicer building and they’re slightly more security paranoid. The coolest bit is the big satellite dish they’ve got outside the main building. I don’t know if it does anything useful but it looks good; I half suspect it’s there to make the place look important more than anything but that could just be me being cynical.
As for the interview; it was an interview. 3 people in a room asking me questions for 1 hour and a half. This was a preliminary interview. If they are interested they will invite me back (I’ll know in 7-10 days) for a more formal interview, then beyond that would be security clearance. Anyway, the interview went ok, not amazingly, but not badly either. I was a bit vague in some areas of the technical questions and it took me a bit too long to work a few stupidly basic things out. I guess it depends what they want really. I’ll be surprised if they want to interview me again though.
One weird thing was, because of the high level of security clearance they require, at some point (if they want to employ me) I will have to take a drugs test. I had to sign a form today saying that from this point on I will not take any illegal substances, including cannabis. Big deal, I could’ve back dated it for them if they wanted.
So, end of interview, back to reception, through all the security again and then taxi back to the Station. I planned to wander round a bit but got bored and jumped on a train home. One last (vaguely) interesting thing today though. As I was stood at the station a train came by (one of the new Virgin ones funnily enough) at close to full speed. It’s actually quite impressive the speed they pass by at when they are right next to you. Quite cool really.
I had quite an enjoyable and relaxing weekend. That is to say I did very little work. It’s not that I didn’t try…it just didn’t happen. Lack of a connection to the internet meant I didn’t help out with the Chi-Soc strike as I didn’t know about it. I went out for a curry with my ex-flat mates and a few others and that turned out to be a very enjoyable night, and by enjoyable I mean of the sober variety. I appear to manage perfectly well with quiet nights in pubs or an evening in with a glass of wine or two. I’m getting old (;-) sorry, gary), that’s if I was ever young
All this does of course mean I need to get lots and lots of work done this week. Particularly today and tomorrow as Wednesday will be a write-off
Speaking of Wednesday I’m curiously nervous already. I can’t wait to see how it goes though. It should be interesting. I also plan to wander round Milton Keynes afterwards to see what it’s like.
Anyhow - ’till later
