FAO: LandShark

[Ekydus]

LandShark!
How's Uni going? Tell all.

You haven't missed out on much here.

 

[Sharma]

Give address!

 

[Ekydus]

What you studying BTW LS?

 

[old.LandShark]

Oh god, Sharma's going to find me eventually. :scared:

Uni so far is going fine. Joined a few societies (rock/alternative society, musician's society, badminton club) and made a fair amount of friends. Kind of decided which clubs on which nights are fun, although I've yet to try the Arena on friday nights which is apparently good, if expensive.
Just noticed someone else posting in Alb/Excal. Not sure of the username though, might be Cawr? Meh. I'm certainly not going to go over and say HAY THAR WHATS YOUR DARK AGE OF CAMELOT USORNAME GOOD BUDDY?? in case it's someone I can't stand. Or who can't stand me. Hah.

I have no connection. This makes baby jesus cry. Had I been in the other halls I'd have 600k NTL cable by now, free installation/modem. As it is it looks like I get to buy wireness networking kit and share BT ADSL with 5 other people. Which, well, ain't so bad but sooo expensive by comparison.
Realising how much shit I left at home... thankfully my dad had to visit the house anyway so he's sending a pile of stuff up to me... my badminton raquets, my drum pedals, bunch of CDs, the hard disc in my ex-buffbot PC that has every episode of Futurama and Family Guy on it (...yeah, and porn, alright. I'm in a shared room, it's not like I'll get any use out of it ^^).
My roommate, sadly, is a dick. He's missed a crapload of his lectures already, WILL NOT SHUT UP about a whole range of annoying topics (his eternal undying love for his ugly buttertroll girlfriend, amongst others, which I find amusing 'cos he keeps trying to chat other girls up) and is generally xenophobic, uncultured and ignorant. The room stank until I put my foot down last week because he'd not done any laundry or put ANY of his clothes away; his wardrobe was full of 2-month-out-of-date alcopops that he'd bought from a dodgy corner-shop for a tenner.
He endeared himself immediately by making racist comments about the French and Italians (most of my family is fr/it so yeh, gg, gfg indeed).

I'm thinking I might rediscover some old hobbies. Diabolo for example (vaguely related to juggling or devilsticks, and when I'm home at christmas I'll dig my old radio-controlled car out of the workshop drawer and see if I can't make it work again. There's a fairly leet dirt track around here apparently.

I can't store my drum kit anywhere up here :[
Might have to sell it and content myself with the musician's society kit. I could get to like that one if they let me tune it, it sounds like crap at the moment.

The uni itself is fantastic, or at least the IT facilities are. The games labs are P4 2.8 gHz's with radeon 9800 pro's and 1gig of ram each. Shame about the crappy LCD screens (big but not at all sharp :\) but I'll deal with it. My course hasn't really kicked off yet, in that there's nothing this year I don't already know thanks to my own reading and the open uni course I've done... atm it's boolean algebra, C programming, xhtml coding and math that I did in school two years ago. The actual course is BSc(hons) Games Programming. People here from all over the world cos there's not that many places that offer good courses in this.
Shame, it sounds like a pretty crappy degree that people might mention when making jokes about "Oh, you can get a degree in anything these days", but... well, it's serious stuff
(then again I would say that.)

...k I'm all out of stuff to post.

 

[Addlcove]

thanks for the update.

let us know if you need a hand with getting rid of your roomie <grin>

 

[old.LandShark]

Hell, I'm just touched anyone gives a damn.

edit: also, forgot to mention the arabic (i think) gay couple down the other end of my hall. I *wish* they'd close their motherloving door when they're cuddling on the bed. I DO NOT NEED TO SEE THAT, YOU BASTARDS!
N.B: not homophobic. Merely averse to seeing 30ish men groping each other from a metre away. Their bed is right by the door, the door is often open, I have to walk past it to leave the halls building.

 

[Ekydus]

Middlesex wasn't it LS? :O

Well IMO do something you enjoy, in the end it only proves you are smart and you can go be something else. (Unless something specific - then you're fucked.)

Anyhoo got any advice for people who don't know what to do / where to go?

 

[Ekydus]

Originally posted by old.LandShark
Hell, I'm just touched anyone gives a damn.

edit: also, forgot to mention the arabic (i think) gay couple down the other end of my hall. I *wish* they'd close their motherloving door when they're cuddling on the bed. I DO NOT NEED TO SEE THAT, YOU BASTARDS!
N.B: not homophobic. Merely averse to seeing 30ish men groping each other from a metre away. Their bed is right by the door, the door is often open, I have to walk past it to leave the halls building.

Waterbombs!

 

[old.LandShark]

Middlesbrough. Teesside.
Uh, having been at uni a month makes me some kind of uber advice person now?
I dunno, man. About all I can offer you is that you do a course relating to what you can see yourself enjoying as a career, then go to the best Uni offering such a course that your grades can get you into. About the worst thing you can do (I know some people I've known have done this) is go to a Uni that doesn't appeal to you that much just to go to the same place as your friends have gone. Don't worry about that, the social side will work itself out and it's not like you can't still exchange emails/SMS or whatever with friends. Personally I've met up with friends by meeting them at concerts twice already and I'll be meeting 'em again in December. It's all good.
Other advice.... well, apply for accomodation the second you've received/accepted an offer from whatever uni. Also, enquire about the accomodation itself; I wish I'd asked cos I'd've known to apply for the halls where broadband is available. That kind of thing.
Same goes (apply early) for your student loan, it's a real pain if you don't have that before your accomodation bills start rolling it :<>

 

[Ekydus]

Originally posted by old.LandShark
Middlesbrough. Teesside.
Uh, having been at uni a month makes me some kind of uber advice person now?
I dunno, man. About all I can offer you is that you do a course relating to what you can see yourself enjoying as a career, then go to the best Uni offering such a course that your grades can get you into. About the worst thing you can do (I know some people I've known have done this) is go to a Uni that doesn't appeal to you that much just to go to the same place as your friends have gone. Don't worry about that, the social side will work itself out and it's not like you can't still exchange emails/SMS or whatever with friends. Personally I've met up with friends by meeting them at concerts twice already and I'll be meeting 'em again in December. It's all good.
Other advice.... well, apply for accomodation the second you've received/accepted an offer from whatever uni. Also, enquire about the accomodation itself; I wish I'd asked cos I'd've known to apply for the halls where broadband is available. That kind of thing.
Same goes (apply early) for your student loan, it's a real pain if you don't have that before your accomodation bills start rolling it :<>

Hehe... Well you're the most modern Uni undergraduate ATM.

Well I know it's either going to be Computer related or maybe an English course. Depends how I do really... Always liked the idea of Computer Games Programming, hell I have someone I know (sorta) doing it at Manchester... I've been all over the UCAS website and yet it still doesn't help. :< I kinda want one which is rated highly, so I went onto the Guardian Education website... can't really find anything about Computer Games Programming. Oh - I'd also like a course with BSc (if Computers - Duh!) and with honors if possible. I don't really understand the other abbreviations ATM TBH. :/

 

[old.LandShark]

Well, I know Teesside ranked 12 on the Times' university list for the category "computing", with teaching standard and facilities equal to Cambridge(the number one); only reason it was lower was the entry grades were much lower and also the % of undergraduates who actually graduated.
Abbreviations? Euh, such as? I'm sure someone around here knows 'em..

 

[Ekydus]

UCAS Info on Teeside... BBCC eh? Kinda looking out for a course that you don't need Maths at A level to get in. (Thank you my wise personal tutor! )
http://search.ucas.co.uk/cgi-bin/hs...page/cs2002.Hsentryreq2004.run?qtype=ALL&a=27

Guardian research for Computer related courses:
God their site is so hard to navigate.
Top 10:
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/unitable/0,,-4664366,00.html
Next 10:
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/unitable/0,,-4664366,00.html?start=10
Only an entry score of 3 for Teeside, however it is at 11th.
Bare in mind that this includes Computer Sciences and such alike.

EDIT:
Stuff like MEng, BEng, MA

 

[old.LandShark]

Tees does everything from BA Games Design to BSc Infomatics. I suppose some of them might require a-level maths, but I got in with A-level physics and AS-level maths. I believe on the Tees.ac.uk site it merely says a subject demonstrating numeracy; physics, maths or IT.

 

[Ekydus]

Computing
Psychology
English combined
Art

:help:

 

[old.LandShark]

Hmm?

 

[Ekydus]

My list of courses. ;o

See my dilemma?

 

[old.LandShark]

What, you're trying to choose between 'em?

Well... I dunno mate
Although I've never quite understood the point of studying english at degree level. Unless it's of great personal interest to you and maybe helpful if you're trying to get into a career in journalism?

 

[Ekydus]

Pffft these are my A level courses ATM.

Damn hard to get most things with them though, considering where I have checked you usually need Maths or Physics on the side. :\

 

[old.LandShark]

Uh, well, for a BSc course yes, most likely. The maths I'm doing this year is P1/P2 (pure maths A-level modules) stuff with a few bits and pieces extra thrown in. Then again I think I could have come to this after GCSE, but it'd require a hell of a lot of work, that's for sure. The computing A-level might be enough if you wanted to do a computing degree, it'd be worth asking unless it says in huge red letters DO NOT APPLY WITHOUT MATHS, YOU BASTARD on the course information.

If you're doing mostly humanities (I think psychology counts as humanity despite being a science, right?) I don't see why you necessarily ignore BA courses. Computing, Art, English = what a fair amount of people here doing BA(hons) Games Design (as opposed to programming) have.
The programming is maths, coding in C/C++, openGL and the directX APi (also the API used by PS2's but I can't remember the name ^^).
The games design (or the BA Computing animation, creative visualisation, etc) is more modelling, animation, texturing and stuff. I think they go on to do a lot of work on the Uni's Maya workstations and in 3DSmax, as well as a little technical stuff - they have to learn how all these graphics they create actually plug into the 3D engines etc.

I think i may be rambling.

 

[Ekydus]

You're helping though.

Hmm... ATM I think I could get into CGP, but I could also go for Compter Games Design instead. Which, as you said would be a BA (Hons)...

Hmm... choices. :/

 

[old.Dillinja]

Ekydus check PMs ffs!

(Sorry for breaking into your little reunion thread )

 

[Sharma]

He still wont tell me where he is.

 

[Belsameth]

get a connection
get on IRC
FFS!

glad it goes well tho

 

[old.LandShark]

Funny you should mention it, but there's a group of 5 people willing to split the fucking exorbitant cost of 1mbit BT ADSL installation and a wireless network. I'm one of them, obviously, so we're now waiting to find out when the BT dudes are going to come and do the installation.
So I may soon be back online at home, and without even raping my wallet enough to prevent me getting mah new PC. This, I feel, deserves a WOOT.

Also; I bear comedy stories!

I'm in the pub that's right on the edge of the campus, with about 5 friends, just chatting etc. My roommate is trying to chat up some girl, who, since she's in one of my tutorial groups I happen to know she's an open lesbian; active girlfriend living with her here. My roommate is unaware of this and, well, pretty damn drunk. He's buying a drink, spots me and staggers over. Well, he eventually asks the table if we can think of any good way to start a conversation... not really realising how drunk he is, I advise him: "Show her your dick then improvise."
... yeah, long story short; he actually tried. He got punched in the face before he had his fly more than half undone.
I believe that's pre-emptive retribution for all the times he's going to fucking annoy me over the coming year

 

[SilverHood]

Originally posted by old.LandShark
Funny you should mention it, but there's a group of 5 people willing to split the fucking exorbitant cost of 1mbit BT ADSL installation and a wireless network. I'm one of them, obviously, so we're now waiting to find out when the BT dudes are going to come and do the installation.
So I may soon be back online at home, and without even raping my wallet enough to prevent me getting mah new PC. This, I feel, deserves a WOOT.

Also; I bear comedy stories!

I'm in the pub that's right on the edge of the campus, with about 5 friends, just chatting etc. My roommate is trying to chat up some girl, who, since she's in one of my tutorial groups I happen to know she's an open lesbian; active girlfriend living with her here. My roommate is unaware of this and, well, pretty damn drunk. He's buying a drink, spots me and staggers over. Well, he eventually asks the table if we can think of any good way to start a conversation... not really realising how drunk he is, I advise him: "Show her your dick then improvise."
... yeah, long story short; he actually tried. He got punched in the face before he had his fly more than half undone.
I believe that's pre-emptive retribution for all the times he's going to fucking annoy me over the coming year

lol landshark

be careful what you ask people to do

 

[Danya]

LOL you're pure evil LS.

BTW, games = teh sux, just so you know.