Welcome to the new site. I initially started off with updating the site to include the details that I am now a Chartered Chemical Engineer, however this lead on to further updates.
I eventually opted for a complete rebuild using pelican and I will discuss the reasoning for …
I am currently trapped. Someone is asleep on my lap and I want to let them get as much as possible so I dare not move.
Unfortunately all the jobs and things I want to do require something about 3 to 5m out of my arm's reach.
It is rather …
I have in IChemE committee meeting in Edinburgh tonight and I had assumed I was not going to attend (or only remotely via Skype).
As I was picking the little one up from granny’s, I get a text from Denise saying if we time it right, I could meet …
A few weeks ago, the Scottish government announced the scrapping of Stamp Duty and the introduction of the "Land and Buildings Transaction Tax" and there were several graphs showing the old and new schemes.
After the Autumn statement announcement last week, which introduced a new stamp duty, I had wondered …
Apologies, I have been thinking about these all day:
“In politics, nothing is ever as good as you hope it’s going to be, but at the same time nothing’s ever as bad as you fear it’s going to be”.
I took the NEBOSH National General Certificate a few years back. The course was a comprehensive overview of health and safety in a work environment.
One of the mnemonics provided by my lecturer for the course was “Eric, P.D.”, as a way to remember the Hierarchy of Control. The …
I regularly use the excellent rednotebook for my daily notes at work. I recently decided I wanted to add a feature to the export dialogue which would allow the user to export only a selection of text. A code reviewer suggested that, if the …
I was recently asked by a current student at Edinburgh University about my insight with finding a graduate job and the employment prospects someone in their final year would have. Below is my response:
To be honest, I got very lucky with my graduate job, I didn't apply for nearly …
After a comment I made the other day, I remembered the sudo make me a sandwich xkcd comic
It occured to me that commanding someone by saying 'sudo make me ...' is not very nice and it would be better to say 'please make me ...'. I wondered if my computers would …
After having to use conference calling to an international number for work, then dial the meeting room code, I decided to have a go at a project idea I had over a year ago. I wanted to create a webapp that would, given a number, ‘dial’ that number using the …
I have recently had some spare time and chose to use it updating impress adding some new features.
For anyone who has not heard me talk about impress: it is a simple mass balance tool designed for chemical engineers to use during the early stages of design. This application is …
A few weeks ago I was having fun trying to set-up MythTV in my flat. I had a laptop 1 sitting plugged into my TV for a while. I have a Freecom Digital TV USB DVB-T Freeview Receiver 2 plugged in and working fine under Kaffeine 3 however Kaffeine is …
Introducing IMPRESS: the Interactive Multi-user PRocess Engineering Simulation Suite.
As my final year ChemEng research project I have built a program that helps build a mass balance for processes.
The program is accessed through a web page (so you don't need to install anything) and can handle having more than …
For my final year research project I am writing a program to simulate chemical plants using a website. The problem is - I need a name for this thing.
The current working title is SimpEng - Simple Engineering Simulations. Another idea was to pick a random name like 'Lucy' or 'Adria' but …
For a project I am doing for my dad, I created a form that requires the user to input lots of times. This was to be done in the format "HH:MM:SS". After I created the form and handed the project over for testing, it was mentioned that typing …
After another afternoon of playing with impAmp, I have updated the version of soundmanager2. This versions main addition is the ability to use flash 9 (instead of the current flash 8). Unfortunately when using flash 9, the ID3 Tag information doesn't show so is not enabled by default at the …
So I am sitting at an athletics event using my eeePC in the sun. The Mat finished screen makes life much easier to see than with the glossy screen Kaylee had.
I decided to try ImpAmp out using the default xandros operating system and it works great (as expected) the …
So after much fun trying to get hold of this thing, time for a run through. I think I am going to name this laptop Nemi.
The keyboard is going to take some getting used to, certain letters
don't like getting pressed.
The right shift is on the wrong side …
If you ever want to get a parcel to its destination, don't use amtrak!
On Monday I waited in all day only to find out that a closed door confused the delivery man. OK the buzzer on the stairwell doesn't work and I didn't put a sticker on the door …
Whilst working on ImpAmp, I was attempting to catch when the user typed ' or / into the window without activating the firefox quick search. After hunting around on the web, I found lots of places telling me how to deactivate it permanently which is not what I want. Normally I find …
So what is this LaTeX thing of which I speak of? Generally it is well documented in different places around the net including Engineering @ Cambridge University and the wiki book. I recommend using these sites for general reference.
The main advantages are that LaTeX takes care of the formatting of …
OK so the Hardy heron has been released for a few weeks now and the exams are pretty much over. I would like to take this opportunity to issue 'The 30 day Ubuntu Challenge'.
The challenge is to install Ubuntu on your computer and during the 30 day period attempt …
So it was a year ago that ImpAmp first appeared in the bedlam techbox, enjoying it's first taste of action before being let loose on the fringe. If you have no idea what i am on about, I suggest you have a look at the website at the bottom of …
On the day Ubuntu releases hardy heron, I have decided to set up this blog.
The main intention of this exercise is to document ideas, hints and tips with technology. I hope that this will not turn into a whining exersize about everyday life, for that, you'll just have to …
So cycling home up Clarke street and car decides to turn left (with no indicators cos as we all know indicators don't work in the rain). In turning left the car proceeded to take me out and I don't mean for a drink. Whilst I can admit it wasn't the …
The lights for the first half of the street have just gone out, I am typing this on my laptop now but don't know how long this will last (checks it says 45 minutes) I am glad that I can now touch type or this …
I am currently trying to fill a suitcase and failing. Normally this would be a good thing however the reason I am taking a massive suitcase for four days is that I also want to take my kilt. To stop the kilt getting mangled, I am trying to pack it …
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Well that's what I did (and am still doing) I am sure it makes perfect sense to you all
My darling sister has just started a 3 week acting course in Glasgow and send me a wonderful little text:
How many actors does it take to change a lightbulb?
None, that's a techies job!
I sent 2 replies:
How many techies does it take to change a lightbulb?
Doesn't …
This is my second attempt at writing this note thanks to Kaylee deciding that she would take part in wildcat strike action.
I have attempted to to explain why Caroline (girl that sounds like Alex) sounds like Alex and have failed each time. I might try and record her talking …
Well I have met most of the people I will be working with over the summer and so far they all seem a nice bunch. One of the biologists talks a lot like Miss Engel which I found a bit weird but am sure I will get used to it …
It looks like I might have to start paying for gas again, I just received a phone call from someone asking for a list of metre details. Supposedly they sent someone out to get these details but they sent them to 137 fountain park road or somewhere else apart from …
Yesterday on my way to a meeting at Haymarket I was handed a flier from Cisco systems including a free hours internet access with BT openzone. That's good I thought and so today I took a slight detour to go past them again but they were being lazy and not …
OK I have not been back 24 hours and already noticed the good aspects of living away. For one the internet doesn't stop at 11 o'clock. Last time I came home mum left internet on all night but I didn't notice till the next morning because I didn't expect it …
There was a bit of a mix up today between mum and myself, a few weeks ago I had offered to coach in Linlithgow on the 11th because no other coaches were willing to do that week and I felt the club should continue through the holidays. Somehow this got …
I have wasted ALL day watching the second half of season 2 of prison break. unfortunately the final episode isn't aired till MONDAY!!! I can't be left like this, three months of nothing in which I managed to no longer depend on it then one huge dose in one day …
I have avoided writing notes on Wednesday nights because they would all involve cycling through Hollyrood Park and nearly getting killed or complaining about the cycle lanes/paths that are death traps.
This evening this problem was solved by getting the timing wrong, hitting the kerb harder than I had …
At the request of Hogg
BBC Top 100 Books:
Woot, I got my TV card working again. I was working last night whilst watching the Tomas Crown Affair (original). Unfortunately this film makes use of lots of small windows all over the screen with different things happening in each window. The problem with this is that you need the …
When you watch adverts for super duper wonder soaps it always looks so easy to remove 'touch stains' I presume would be exceedingly difficult otherwise. Certainly last week as several people pointed out I had spilt some red wine on my shirt. From their reactions you would have thought that …
I just noticed that the ruler I am currently using to revise (yes I am surprised I managed to get round to it as well) is over a year old. I don't think any 30cm rulers have lasted more than six months before shattering (and shatter includes snapping in two …
Thought up earlier during exam, written on the train, posted 24 hours later when I remembered about it:
It …
You close your eyes at 6 O'clock in the evening for just a second and wake up 10 hours later thinking WTF? bugger! what happened?
Whilst walking along princess street I noticed a billboard/banner on the side of a church. The billboard consisted of a cigarette packet with missiles poking out of the top and the warning label on the side informing us:
"NUCLEAR BOMBS KILL".
My instant reaction was "so do conventional bombs …
FilmSoc programming next semester, here's the shortlist. Any thoughts?
When I go get my hair cropped it amuses me the number of times I get asked "Are you sure? have you had it cut that length before?" This time I restrained myself to saying yes twice and not pointing out that the last 3 times it has been cut …
Car horns, if you look at your highway code, are to make other road users aware of your presence. If a cyclist is making their way to the cycle bay at the front of traffic lights (like they are supposed to), the light turns green and you happen to nudge …
I can't use treadmills because: 1. I overheat without a constant wind in my face and 2. I feel I have to get somewhere so I continually hit the front as I run faster and faster regardless of the treadmill speed.
Currently I feel like I have just ran of …
Once off, never to be repeated, Alistair will be stage managing a show today.
I can assure you that I will not be doing stage managing again, but hopefully afterwards free time and the …
After a week where technology has hated me and thwarted my every move (well maybe not all of them, try 80% instead) tonight we were showing Serenity after Good night and good luck to make up for the DVD player messing up last time.
To ensure this didn't happen again …
