I just can’t seem to get the energy to blog. I don’t know why. Yet I have the energy to post things to Twitter. Meh. I thought since I had a spare half-hour in my Data Communications and Security class I’d write some kind of half-arsed post, as it’s better than letting my blog stagnate, like a packet of crisps on the roof.

Things have been fairly average over the past … three months or so since I blogged last. The coursework has piled up. Data Structures and Patterns has been quite demanding, with a new assignment every week for the past five weeks. It’s interesting stuff though. However, it’d be good if we could do the interesting stuff that our lecturer does with the other C++ class, like looking at how Lempel-Ziv-Welch compression works. In Software Development Practices we had to design a software system, which could have been great but instead turned out to be tedious. Data Comms and Security has been pretty interesting, right now we’re building a stolen laptop tracker in Java, without having known Java previously. It kinda sucks that we have to pick up Java as we go, but it’s not too bad given the amount of sample code we have been given. Database Management Systems sucks, I regret choosing it now. I know it will probably be useful later, especially if I suddenly find myself developing enterprise applications, but the subject is just so droll and uninteresting … and this is combined with the frustration of working with Oracle Forms Builder. Blehh.

On a positive note, I’m turning 19 very soon, and to celebrate I decided to buy a keyboard. Why? Because, this is a perfectly valid thing for a true geek to buy. Considering I spend a good 8-hours or more each day on a keyboard, it makes sense for me to buy a decent keyboard. This means a keyboard with buckling springs. Most keyboards these days use either a rubber dome or a scissor switching mechanism, mainly because they’re cheap, quiet, durable-enough, and cheap. In the old days (20 years ago), IBM built their own keyboards, a class of keyboards called the Model M. These keyboards used a buckling spring for the switching mechanism, which made them very clacky but excellent to type on. In the mid-90’s, IBM decided to stop making their own keyboards and instead outsource the production to China. A few of the workers at the IBM plant bought all of the patents and manufacturing equipment and formed their own company, Unicomp, which is still making these really nice keyboards. Each keyboard is built by hand in Lexington, Kentucky. Their keyboards have received uniformly-positive reviews. They come at a fairly hefty price, since they’re not focused on making them cheaply, but from what I’ve heard they are definitely worth it. I’m looking forward to getting an email with the shipping details so I can start constantly refreshing the FedEx shipping page.

Apart from that, not a whole lot else is happening in my life. I’ve got a cold man flu. That’s about it.

–Ben

The IT Crowd hath returned … the first episode of Series 3 is going to air at 9am today Australian time. This means that by about 10.30am it should be available from The Usual Places. Can’t wait.

–Ben

This picture sums it up well:

–Ben

Amazingly awesome, though I can’t shake off this suspicious feeling that the artists have way too much time on their hands. Nonetheless, it’s excellent.

–Ben