Higher Education

Well i should really get back into the swing of things after a month of nothingness! I have no good reason except I didn't feel like it so read on!

So today I will discuss the topic that has dominated my thoughts over the last month and that is Higher Education (University). I am leaving for Brighton in September as are thousands of others to embark on there courses. I am studying Maths and Computing which when ever I say it it feels as though I'm bragging but still i think i will be bought back to earth when I see how hard it will be. Saying that at the open day (as with all the universities i have seen) it did seem asthough plently of support was there. After last year in a small group I realised the effect that support can have as about a week before my C4 exam i was stuck on vectors but it only took a couple of hours and i understood it which probabily translated into an extra 5-6 marks in my exam.

So before you even finish your exams you should have applied and probabily have accepted an offer from your university which does put a extra pressure on as you need to keep everything on track. After that I made the mistake of not giving the time to think about deadlines for uni and that is why i didn't get the option for halls, not that that was a bad thing (Further explanation below).

After an eventful (to say the least) time getting a room we finally managed to get it sorted last week after some twists and turns. One thing I must point out is that the private accommodation is actually cheaper than the university halls i found out which i found surprising as the rooms in the halls aren't exactly luxury. The room which i have found is unusually brilliant, walking distance from the university and a short cycle into town, the unusual thing is it is a top floor flat which i wasn't expecting but it turns out that isn't a bad thing as the space is massive. I was initially thinking that it would be harder to find accommodation than it was, I suppose we got in early enough for them still to be available. Also it was interesting to find out that they charge oversees students more for the halls and they are the ones with a higher priority which wasn't impressive. Probably why I couldn't get into them either =)

So my advice for anyone reading this is to keep on top of all deadlines, have a look at a website like studentpad at the prices of what they have on offer, it may be that like it was for me, going private is the better option for accommodation. The course and accomodation is only half of the preparation that is needed though, as it is going to be a massive lifestyle change there are lots of other little things to prepare for, like if your going self-catered then you've got 3 meals a day to think about, then theres transport (which i am going full on cycling as it will be much cheaper). Also the management of money and just everyday living tasks. All very exciting but much preparation needed at the same time.

If your undecided on weather to go to university I would always say to set that as your target as it will give you the best chance of success. Out of my whole year group i don't think that many have/ will continue there education to this level and its a shame as we where one of if not the best year group in the schools history.

I chose Brighton as it felt right for me, London wasn't really an option as its too big and industrial, i liked the thought of being by the sea and the fact that Brighton is still a city so has everything i could need. Despite its reputation as the gay capital which some people can't see past, it should be ideal for me to learn many life-lessons as well as maths lessons!

Rocking all over the world!

Heres a post for all you rockers out there, also anyone who is lost for musical direction!

Firstly a little bit about my musical tastes, I use to be very open to anything but when I really started to listen to music it very quickly narrowed down. My first interests were sparked by video games, especially GTA vice city which I have always had a soft spot for 80's music as it generally the music seems to appeal to me more.

After that I got more into the modern age divolgeing into rock music a defining moment came when listening to the juxebox mode in grand turismo 4 when I came accross this band called snow patrol and wow (That is the track name) and that made me buy my first 'real' CD - Final Straw. Which is probabily still the best one I have along with there next one eyes open, I cannot recommend them enough they are albums that you can put on and listen to the whole way through without skipping tracks. Anyway apart from that I now listen to rock radio and all my songs in media player are in the following genres; rock, alternative, indie, metal, other, slow rock, hard rock, punk or pop ... which is mostly 80's or rock anyway! So any mention of rap crap, rnb, dance trance and i completly switch off. However I obviously know not everyone follows my taste and I feel it doesn't do much good to continally complain about the music they play. There are some exceptions though where I would rather leave the room than listen to some 'music' if thats what you can call it.

Secondly I would like to mention a band that has really caught my attention recently; Collective Soul, don't let the name put you off, they are not a soul band. They are an American rock band who are severly underated in my opinion, especially in there prime.

My favorite song from Collective Soul: Shine



Lastly heres a list of my top 10 at the moment for all those looking for new musical interest of bands you might wanna check out, i've listed the best of the ones that most people probabily havn't heard of;

• Most things by Snow Patrol*
• Queens Of The Stone Age - Go with the flow, Medication and In my head
  
• U2* - Window in the skies
• Stone Sour - Bother
• Serum - Feeling is beliving
• Seether - Rise above this
• Hoobastank - Same Direction and The Reason
  
• The Hives - No Pun Intended
• The Cult* - She Sells Sanctury
  
• The Killers* - All these things i have done
  

*I know these are more popular!

Photo editing for free

Today you get lots and lots of free editing software through with your digital camera or online which I don't know about the more expensive models but the cheaper ones the software is rubbish. So here in a first of freebies is my recommendations for photo editing software.

FotoFlexer

In recent times the amount of editors available online have increased, the effects they give are also excellent for people who want to have some fun with their pictures. A lot are available to everyone with NO sign up, NO downloads and my computer can cope with the application with out freezing (And my computer isn't exactly the fastest!). I mention FotoFlexer in particular because the features that attracted me to this one were; The amount of effects that can be applied, The range of tools that allow the user to edit individual parts of the image rather than the whole thing like the smudging tool and the range of distortion tools. Also the ability to layer images which is similar to Photoshop which obviously is very costly where as this nifty website does it for free. Lots of big name websites have teamed up with these editors including Photobucket, Flickr and Myspace.

Other editors include; Lunapic and Picnik

My rating: *****

Picasa2

This one is well known my many but still i haven't found much better from Google, it allows you to organise your photos easily and quickly. It then allows you to edit images and/ or combine them in a collage. The features for editing are good but out done by Photoflexer, the soft focus and choice of tones and the cropping tool is good too. All very simple to use and because it is a downloaded programme rather than running from your browser it runs quickly. Professional image, usable by anyone.

My rating: ****

Photoshop free trial

This is one of the best editors out there that money can buy, however I have only given it 3 stars, why? Well one is the cost, i still put it on this list as there is a free trial for 30 days. However it took ageeeeeessssss on my PC to download and get going and first you do have to register to get the trial. After getting setup it is more complex to use than the others i recommend and a lesser computer knowledged person may not be able to cope with it, only because I had some previous experience working with Photoshop was i able to use it. It is very commonly used by professional photographers to touch up there photos. The last reason this was given 3 stars is because it is only a trial and it always goes quicker than you expect. If you are using this editing software for fun stick to the first two.

My rating: ***

If you really want to create something unique a combination of these editors will definitely get you there sticking to the first two is probably the better option for most. Also while on the subject of photo editing don't ignore MS Paint if your running Windows! As simple a programme as it is I use it quite a lot for simple tasks like adding text and putting bits together, although you can only undo a couple of steps it still can solve problems that most other editors would make very difficult or impossible.

More information at
Photo editing software review - Reviews the top editing software on the market, Picasa is 9th being the only free one in the top 10.

Explanation of photo editing techniques at wikipedia - Helpful for beginners for an intro in what can be done

The best sport beginning with F is....

Taking a break from the heavy politcal stuff i have been yabbering on about recently to talk about something a little more relaxed!

Formula 1 of course! It's the british grand prix this weekend and a sell out crowd. It dosn't take a genius to work out who most of the crowd will be cheering for (Lewis). But my loyalities lay with Kimi as do many others here in England.

The greatest thing about motor racing unlike most other sports is that you can see the top teams fighting against each other every other weekend where as in a sport like football the top 4 teams only play each other a couple of times a year.

My earliest memory of F1 is the 2001 spanish GP where Mika Hakkinen lost it on the final lap due to mechanical failure, Leaving Mr Schumacher to win (agian). After that I saw Kimi brave it out through a cloud of smoke still on full throttle and his speed and nature have lead me to wave the finnish flag instead. Probabily my biggest 'projects' is my fansite where I have made a big collection of resources and information of Kimi's career. The main reason is being part of the worldwide fanbase Kimi has. I speak to people from all over the world from Sweeden to Latvia.

I havn't ever been to a race and that is what I would like to do for my 21st, as for this weekend though its watching it on the box and seeing it all by pictures. I have got my feet on the ground still here and realise that Im not actually going to become a racing driver but watching the professionals battle it out is just as satisfying.

More views on F1 will be posted throughout the year.

My perfect world

Communism - Is it all that bad?
Can't we all just live as one? My thoughts on this are being formed from the basic Human life idea in which we are all one type of animal which has been gifted the intelligence that we have. A large group of people to oversee all countries. They can then have the ability to have an overview and share out the worlds resources to give everyone no matter where they live a house and a way to survive.

Communism - A theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state. (Dictionary.com)

Unfortunately with that intelligence comes power and it is human nature to want to assert and gain as much power as one can. Why was the world divided into countries that has put a divide between people. Most of the worlds borders have been decided through battle which if we all lived as one species then it would illuminate the need for territorial possession. It would also stop corrupt governments in certain countries.

The problems with equality and communism is why should some one running a business (and taking the risks associated with that) earn just as much as his or her employees? There would be little motivators for business and the economy to develop. So what if you introduce incentives? Well that would then unbalance society again and the people who thrive in the start will then benefit while others will fail to do so and therefore create a class system which communism tries to eliminate. So clearly that's what will dismiss communism as being the best way to live. I believe it would work in smaller areas but on a large scale It just isn't going to work.

Removing all barriers...
Taking out all the problematic barriers that would obviously be faced with communism I will just brainstorm some fantasised ideas which may get you thinking. Firstly linking to my previous post on immigration would it be beneficial, if everyone had more or less equal living conditions to separate nations again so that one race lives only with its own? Is it good to have competition between nations? Do the ultra rich deserve the money and should there be a cap on how much celebrities in particular can earn? Do the people who are on benefits and don't work because they can't be bothered have the right to get as much as someone who works full time? Should governments be forced to be open to there people and what would you do about corruption at the top of governments? Are you happy with the world as it is?

Defentiately some interesting thoughts there and probabily was a little too ambious to try and think of a fool proof plan. After all if there was a way for everyone to be equal wouldn't it have been done by now? Happy thoughts and have a good day people!