Last week I took the exam for the level 2 Open University module M208 (Pure Mathematics). Just like last year with MS221, I’d not studied as much as I wanted, and had given myself two clear days before the exam to “cram” as much as possible and hope for the best. I want to make it very clear that this is a really poor strategy for any student wanting to revise and please with you not to copy this method! Continue reading M208 – revising in 2 days
Last year, I blogged about the rework Deep Learning conference in Boston and, being here for the second year in a row, I thought I’d do the same. Here’s the summary of day 1.
The day started with a great intro from Jana Eggers with a positive message about nurturing this AI baby that is being created rather than the doomsday scenario that is regularly spouted. We are a collaborative discipline of academia and industry and we can focus on how we use this for good. Continue reading ReWork DL Boston 2016 – Day 1
It’s probably not a huge surprise that with a lowering of tweets and posts on this blog that I’ve been pretty busy. Today I got the results back from my second rushed TMA and I’m disappointed, but I’ve nobody to blame but myself.
The OU is pretty clear that you should study about 16 hours a week for a 60 point module and about 8 for a 30 point module. As I’m doing M208 (60 points) and DB123 (30 points) this means 24 hours of study alongside a (very) full time job. Given my love for maths and the ease with which I do pick it up, I got away with less than half the recommended time and still got distinctions for the level 1 modules I’ve done so far. Continue reading Rushed TMA – not my finest hour
At the end of my last post in this series, we had added the lower cover and the hood limit switch, which didn’t feel like much progress. This post focuses on the control unit covers and power switch covering issues 48 – 51 of 3D Create and Print by Eaglemoss Technology. If you’ve skipped a part of this series you can start from the beginning, including details of the Vector 3 printer I’m building on my 3D printer page.
Despite the delay in opening this set of four issues, I was very excited to see these next parts. The sight of the iconic white base covers and power switch immediately gave me the feel that the printer would look a lot more complete after adding them. You may want to read through before starting, as I found some parts were easier in a slightly different order. Continue reading 3D Printer part 13: Control Unit Cover and Power
I first used the Surface Pro 3 on my trip to Boston to take notes at ReWorkDL rather than scribbling on bits of paper or taking a full laptop and found it to be a great replacement for an A4 notebook, but didn’t really use it to its full potential. At the start of November, I joined a new company and I’ve been using the Surface exclusively for all my note taking, as well as for studying for my OU Maths modules.
With the recent release of the Surface 4, there may be people wondering if they’re worth it, and what use they’d get out of it. There are plenty of technical reviews around so I’d suggest using those as a starting point, and if you’re headed out to the sales, you might find my experiences helpful. Continue reading Surface Pro: how I use it – a review
At the end of my last post in this series, we had added the z-shaft support and top and side covers, giving all three axes attached to the main cover and covered. This post focuses on the lower covers and the hood limit switch covering issues 44 – 47 of 3D Create and Print by Eaglemoss Technology. If you’ve skipped a part of this series you can start from the beginning, including details of the Vector 3 printer I’m building on my 3D printer page.
On first appearances, this looks like another straightforward build – but I’ve learned that sometimes simple steps can be more fiddly than you’d think with this printer! If you’re a subscriber then this delivery also comes with the third binder, which we’ve been waiting for for a while. Continue reading 3D Printer part 12: main covers, hood limit switch
At the end of my last post in this series, we had completed the heater plate and sensors and reconnected the y-axis covers. This post focuses on the z-shaft support and top and side covers, covering issues 40 – 43 of 3D Create and Print by Eaglemoss Technology. If you’ve skipped a part of this series you can start from the beginning, including details of the Vector 3 printer I’m building on my 3D printer page.
Unpacking this set of parts was a little disappointing to start with, however by the end, this covers the working parts and gives a device that looks like it’s not far from being ready to print…1 Continue reading 3D Printer part 11: Top and side covers
The new OU term started on the 3rd October, but I’ve been working on M208 for four weeks now (although am yet to really do much other than skim through the introduction for DB123). I had a grand plan of confining my studies to the time I spent commuting by train and tutorials as I knew that I would have very little time outside of these short windows to dedicate. So how have the past 4 weeks gone? Continue reading Studying by train
At the end of my last post in this series, we had attached the z-axis screw rod and made a start on the heater plate. This post focuses on the build plate, covering issues 36 – 39 of 3D Create and Print by Eaglemoss Technology. If you’ve skipped a part of this series you can start from the beginning, including details of the Vector 3 printer I’m building on my 3D printer page.
This set of issues also needs the heater sensor part from issue 35. Unpacking this set of four gives two study plates that will form the build base and lots of interesting looking wires.
EDIT: if you do not have the protection coil or strengthening strip and have a metal clip instead of a plastic one, do not worry. Eaglemoss upgraded these parts and delivered these for me with issue 70. If you are a few months behind then you may already have the better parts. Continue reading 3D Printer part 10: Build plate
After somewhat mixed reviews of last week’s episode I was interested to see whether episode 2 of Girls Can Code had any more emphasis on the coding side.
It started with a comment that the girls were building a tech business rather than actually learning to code themselves. This justified one of the major criticisms of the show – that it was nothing about coding. While I’m sure that this was all fixed months ago, I did wonder if the voice over for the start of the show had been rerecorded after the response to the first episode. Continue reading Girls Can Code – episode 2 thoughts