Two weeks left

Well there is only two weeks left of college and all has gone fine, passing all the assessments as expected. The web site for the presentation is just about complete, now includes the video with audio narrative, animation and general information and links. Just need to get the crossword completed and placed in the relevant page. Part from that there will be minor thing to attend too.
In other areas of the course I have submitted my audio, video, and still images assessments. So I can see the next two weeks being easy as all I have to do is corrections and build the second part of the presentation using PowerPoint.

One step further

Haven’t been doing all that much today, other than write up questions and answers for the multiple choice quiz. Once I had thought of enough questions I downloaded a free quiz maker, smart quiz I have created to be honest. Never thought it would be that easy.
Have finally finished the page headings and buttons for my assessment, lot of hard work and grafting, but I got there. All I have to do now is think about content for the pages, that won’t be hard as the quiz will take up one as will the flash animation I will be creating.

Will have to create a storyboard for the flash animation, gives me something to do over the weekend, or at least gather some final ideas, have this idea of running the text in from different angles, for example, one sentence comes in from the left, while the others come in from the right and top. While I will have a logo animation in the middle.
Will look great when I get it linked to the PowerPoint presentation I am creating in digital media for applications.

Am also up to date in the audio class, have finished the planning, risk assessment and storyboard. So yesterday I created myself a script and recorded the first run of narration for the video I will be making next week.

Will keep you informed of my progress.

Finished all work

Well it’s towards the end of the week now and college has gone fine. Nearing the end of the year when all the assessments start. Don’t currently have anything to do as I have completed all the work required, so I thought id post to my blog and keep you informed of anything new. The big assessment starts next week, not too bad as I have plenty of ideas on what I’m going to be doing, the plans are written for the audio side, while the overall plan is completed, with the video storyboard nearly finished.

Dreamweaver is great fun, so if you ever get the chance to use it like I have. Go for it.

Secret Missons

With being off college on Monday it has been a long weekend, so now I’m back. Starting with the social Software class, currently undertaking a secret mission we had to generate last week. My chosen mission was to collect 600 gold in 30 minutes using the word bump, managed the task ok, as for the big assessment I have managed to create a animated heading, so that’s looking pretty cool.

Ideas move forward

Well the week has gone fine so far to be honest. The snow, gales and blizzards have gone, and yes I can finally go do something, rather than sit at home. When I have seen at home I have been concentrating on my ideas for the assessment, this includes what my flash movie will be for the web page and practice ideas for the crossword. Have also been doing some research about health, safety and computing. Something to put on my web page. The web page has to be linked with the presentation. So to make these ideas work I have created a draft page using Dreamweaver, this includes a flash image when you open the page. All the flash image needs now is the play, pause and stop buttons put in place.

The weather worsens

Well it’s the first day of the Easter holidays and I have nothing to do other than sit at home, due to this dreadful weather we in the north east are being hit with. So I thought I venture out and take a few pictures.

This picture was taken during blizzards, and you can see the top of the road.

When the weather changed again you could.

Demonstrates the power of snow and what it can do when drifting. Where’s the farmer when you need him

Soon be trading

Well I’m In the Social Software class investigating new things on Gaia online. It’s basically an online social site where you can earn gold points for selling and trading various objects, yet to buy or trade as I have just purchased the trade card that cost 500 pieces, so I am now making the money by playing games. One of the games is fishing, others games are puzzles and word making, these all earn you gold.

My favourite game at the moment has to be the puzzles as you can earn lots of gold depending on the difficulty of the puzzle, the highest gold score is 300 pieces.

If you visit various areas of towns you can pick up insects, these I believe can be used as bait for fishing, not forgetting they can be sold on.

Farmers life

Well the weekend has gone fine, worked the nightshift, now at home doing some work on the computer. Not a lot of college work yet, the work load for block two is easier.

Farm work in demanding, I notice this when the farmer drives by each day.

Tracks mark their journey time

The farmer’s hard work pays off.

One step further

The week has been superb, feel I am learning so many new things that will help me progress to the HNC. Monday was the easy day, took the theory assessment for spreadsheets and databases. I passed, so that made my day.

Later on in the day I had the usual, made a small video about health and safety in software for applications. The video was about how not to sit in a chair when using a computer. Maths was cancelled to make way for a lecture about risk assessment in the lecture theatre, Important, as I will have to carry out risk assessments as part of the assessment.

Social software on Wednesday consisted researching online chats room and how to use them safety. Edited some more photos in the still images class, one was placing a driver in a car using the path tool.

Find myself getting the hang of Photoshop now, and I finally finished the small video about the bee. Used Flash mostly to make the background movie, then added some sound effect and transcript.

Photoshop CS3 Practice

The software I was waiting for arrived yesterday, good shipping time to be honest. So now it was time to get a little practice using the skills I have learnt so far at college. And maybe a little browse, my first visit was Photoshop CS3. So while I was browsing I decided to edit a picture I had posted before.

As I am new to Photoshop CS3 I was going to keep it easy, so I decided to extend the trees in the background using the clone tool.

Unedited photo

Edited photo with the extended trees using the clone tool

New ideas and stuff

Well the weekend has come to an end. Leaving me to refuel my concentration for college this week. It’s going to be a half and half, numeracy has been cancelled due to a health and safety lecture. So it only leaves two classes tomorrow, the first and third. Then it’s the lecture for one hour, could be interesting. Have said before, health and safety is important. Very much happy, as my new software has been dispatched. So it will be with me soon, I find this as the chance to test my ideas for the assessments, and then see if they work. Rather than find out later they don’t work and feel disappointed, at the end of the day this is the software I will be using later on in life as a web developer.

Bring good software to use

Well it’s the usual Friday and I’m off college, haven’t got much to do at the moment as most of the work towards the assessments hasn’t started yet. Now the bursary has come through, I spent some of the money wisely and bought some computer software. Web premium, includes Photoshop and flash CS3. Vey handy as it means I can have a play around, as well as complete college work away from college. Well it takes about 3 to 5 working days to arrive, so expect some edited picture to appear on my blog.

I must say I am very anxious for its arrival as it will substantially boost my college performance, and help prep me for next year’s HNC in multimedia web development.

When will it be summer?

The weather hasn’t been great all day to be honest, dull skies, wet and windy. Then coming to think of it today isn’t as windy as Tuesday.

This picture goes to show how the weather reflects this time of year.


Other than the usual weather, I came across this unusual looking thing while in an Aberdeen bar before Amy’s concert on Monday.

Overcast

The weather today has been wet and miserable, didn’t stop me taking these pictures though.

Slightly overcast too.

Could get hail like we did earlier.


Sheep in the distance.

Pond full of water

Liked the light effect over the trees.

Wiki progression

Well it’s Wednesday already and I am at college doing Social Software at the moment, currently editing the Wiki we created last week. My topic is college journeys, the group has put in an image and a few links to make it look more professional and interesting, who knows, there might be someone out there who doesn’t know were Aberdeen is. The Wiki page seems to be developing the way it should be, give it some more time and it should be something with a good source of information.

A new season nears

Has been a cracking day considering it is February.

So this picture reminded me how the season and activities of the farmers are changing .





Not bad for a mobile picture.

Forecast Snow

Have been off college today as normal because I am up to date with my college work, so I thought i'd go into town. Deciding to go home, to my horror. I finally came to terms with the fact we might get the dreaded snow forecast this weekend, so when I got home I took a walk with the camera and took a couple of photos. To my disappointment it was too dark, but I managed to have a play about with one in Photoshop and add an effect.

This first photo has just been cropped with no editing, the light spots are snow flakes.

The next photo was cropped with some light added to make the trees more visible, the light dots are snow flakes.

Then I got a bit adventurous and gave the photo a twirl effect, think it made the photo look great with the light and twirl effect combined.

One of those days editing photos in Photoshop.

Night of Xbox 360

Weekend is near the end and I have done nothing but studying for the last couple of assessments to be taken this week, went into work on Friday night and was told I had a bank holiday due, so I was off last night. As I wasn’t going to study the whole day yesterday I took some time out of the studying and played Call of Duty 4 on my Xbox 360.

As I have completed Call of Duty 4, I thought Id go back and play it again on the veteran difficulty, generates more of a challenge. Playing the game again also means I can achieve some achievements I haven’t got and find Intel I haven’t yet found in the game (In Call of Duty 4 you collect Intel to achieve an achievement).

Talented Amy MacDonald

Well it’s nearly the end of January and I thought I’d write a small review about a musician’s music, one in particular is Amy MacDonald. You know the singer from Glasgow who sang at the Hogmanay party earlier this month. She has released her debut album This is The Life, released last year, and went to number one last week, but then was knocked off this week by Scouting for Girls.
I bought the album last year and have to say, there isn’t a song I dislike. It’s one of those albums I can listen to over and over again, it’s so relaxing. My most favourite has to be let’s start a Band. It starts soft then the vocals pick up towards the end of the track.
She’s first class and I like Amy’s music.

To get a taste of her music have a listen

This Is The Life




Mr Rock & Roll




Everything else about Amy

The follow on from Legend

Was shopping in Aberdeen last Thursday night when I noticed for the first time they are making another Tomb Raider game, Tomb Raider Underworld. Now I can’t wait as I have always been a fan of the Tomb Raiders. Good to see the areas have changed again with Lara taking a visit to countries like Australia and Rome in the game, game seems to be the same as legend, with a few other exceptions. Puzzles are not just a way of moving from one level to another, but a good way of upgrading weapons within the levels. Different parts of levels are interlocked with others, with this and the uses of mechanisms Lara can help unlock the global puzzle. Sure hope the makers of the game keep up the good work and make it one step better. As my most favourite to date has to be legend, could this game better it, I will have to wait and see.