September 2006 Archives

Look at those great big projectors in the classrooms - I wonder if we will get to see them replaced by very small projectors like these.

How technology moves ever onwards. 

This looks like quite a neat idea - 'AA' batteries that can be recharged by plugging them in to the USB slot. Rather pricey though - more details here.

A nice article at C-Net has pictures and brief descriptions of a number of different input devices.

The picture above is the last in the C-Net article. Rather than use your hand - use your feet - one for clicking and one for scrolling. 

Being brought up during the 50's and 60's (that's the 1950's NOT the 1850's) I can remember seeing a number of these little "bubblecars" on the roads.

Although the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum is based in Georgia, USA you can still visit it using the 'virtual tour' online.

Many of these little vehicles look a bit dated but the same ideas are being promoted still - just look at the BMW C1 or the Ecomobile for example. 

If the title of the article did not give the game away you would probably think the picture was from a real flight simulator. In fact it has been constructed by Matthew Sheil of Sydney, Australia.

You can read - and see - more about it here at the Make Blog. 

 The LEGO Mindstorms kits provide a brilliant way to get into building and programming - although they are a bit pricey.

This article in the Tech-e-Blog has a nice video of this robot playing noughts-and-crosses (or tic-tac-toe as our transatlantic cousins have re-named it). 

You can jump direct to the YouTube video with this link. 

During the holiday I came across a story in the Guardian (online version obviously) titled "The Mole Man of Hackney" - you can read it here.

This story caught my interest along with others who browse the Internet and there were several other stories about people who tunnel. They include the legendary (but now sadly dead) Seymour Cray who was a pioneer in the field of computer design - text-only story here.

Perhaps the most interesting link was about Dr. H G Dyar who appears to have constructed a huge complex under his house - not bad for a professor who studied moths and butterflies.

Only one post for this, the first week of term.

Additional - April 2008
BBC News has an item about this, see here.

Additional - June 2010
Sadly, William Lyttle has died, see here.

The after-school sessions are intended to help with GCSE practical coursework for Year 11 students. If there are spare workstations then other students are welcome too.

Location : C24 - Time : 3 pm to 4:30 pm

1. Friday, 8^th September 2006
2. Thursday, 14^th September 2006
3. Wednesday, 20^th September 2006
4. Friday, 29^th September 2006
5. Thursday, 5^th October 2006
6. Wednesday, 11^th October 2006
7. Wednesday, 18^th October 2006 (NOTE - Parent's Eve on Thursday, 19th)
   
   Wednesday, 25^th October 2006
   Year 11 only : half-term extra session - 10am to 3pm
    
8. Friday, 3^rd November 2006
9. Thursday, 9^th November 2006
10. Wednesday, 15^th November 2006
11. Friday, 24^th November 2006
12. Thursday, 30^th November 2006
     - Mock exam study leave starts 6^th December 2006
13. w/c Monday, 4^th December 2006 - NO SESSION
14. w/c Monday, 11^th December 2006 - NO SESSION
15. w/c Monday, 18^th December 2006 - NO SESSION

Reminder to Year 11 ICT :
Project coursework should be handed in by the end of Friday, 1st December 2006, it should contain all printed material completed by this date to enable me to see how you are getting on.

In other words - do this before going on 'mock' exam study leave.

Look here for the dates for 2005/2006 after-school sessions part 4.