Monday, September 16, 2013

SOFT6008 Class 01

We had no lecture this morning because there was no room scheduled for it.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

PPSN System Extended

Students who found that the PPSN check letter calculation assignments I set in JavaScript weren't challenging enough will be delighted to learn that the system is being extended. The number of people have have ever lived in Ireland would soon be greater than the 10 million possible under the current number scheme. So the letter after the check letter is going to be used from 2013. This will increase the maximum number 26 times. That should be plenty for the foreseeable future.

It does make the check letter calculation a bit more complicated than it was before. Interestingly ye old sexist W for Wife numbers will actually work fine alongside new W born after 2012 numbers, because by a huge coincidence W is the 23rd letter of the alphabet and so was taking up the zero slot anyway.

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Extension-of-the-Personal-Public-Service-Number-Range.aspx

So I must update my notes

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Very busy correcting

I am very busy correcting. I think the deadlines the institute set this year for correcting and entering results were a bit unrealistic. I didn't even have lunch today.

I am surprised at just how much I am getting done though. It just goes to show that if I have targets and a plan for meeting them, I am much more productive.

I set my e-mail client to check for e-mails only when I tell it too. It's the single most useful thing any person could do.

Monday, August 26, 2013

COMP6023 Blog finished

Last week was Week 8 of the blog. Today is the last day students can post the week 8 entry.

Week 8 was the last week.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

SOFT6008 PPSN test cases

I provided some PPSN test cases the last time this module ran. You can find them here.

http://colinmcit.blogspot.com.es/2012/10/soft6008-checksum-shopping-list.html

Note the W cases. Many students forget this.

Friday, August 9, 2013

SOFT6008 Feedback & Dropboxes

Today I went to the shared dropboxes to see how students were progressing. I sent feedback today to every student that had some code in the dropbox.

If you saved work to the dropbox but did not get an email from me then there may be a problem with the way the dropbox is shared. If so then you need to correct this in advance of the deadline to avoid problems.

There is less than a week to go before the deadline.

I recommend that you concentrate on getting the minimum requirements sorted before tackling any of the extras.

It is a bad idea to reuse code from your previous submission since you failed it last time. Tweaking your old broken code is less likely to be effective than starting with a clean slate.

I strongly advise against working closely with any other students for this assignment.

If you have any questions, doubts, or concerns, please e-mail me.

Friday, July 26, 2013

COMP6023 Repeat Registration

I sent an e-mail today to every student registered for the repeat of COMP6023 . If you didn't receive it, you should check if you are actually registered.

SOFT6008 repeat registration

I sent an e-mail today to every student registered for the repeat of SOFT6008. If you didn't receive it, you should check if you are actually registered.

SOFT6007 repeat registration

I sent an e-mail today to every student registered for the repeat of SOFT6007. If you didn't receive it, you should check if you are actually registered.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Book a Meeting

If you'd like to meet me on June 19 or 20, please book a meeting slot and e-mail me.

http://doodle.com/7fimny4tus7xts26

SOFT6008 Tutorial

I'd be prepared to have a 1 or 2 hour tutorial for students repeating SOFT6008. If you are interested please e-mail me and give me some indication of availability. 20 June is the last day I can make it, and mornings are best for me.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

SOFT6007 Web Development Fun. Autumn Repeat

The autumn repeat for this module is a written closed-book exam in August. If you have registered for the repeat you will receive an e-mail from the exams office in due course.

Last year's exam paper is available here:
http://exampapers.cit.ie/pastexams/Computing/KSDEV_8_Y1/2012%20Autumn/KSDEV_8_Y1%20SOFT6007%20Web%20Development%20Fundamentals.pdf

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Prediction Market Closed

The prediction market is closed now. No more trades are possible.

When the results come in I will cash out the positions and figure out who are the winners.

Thanks for playing. I learned a lot about what works, and even more about what doesn't.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

COMP6023 New Web Server

The web server I used for class notes for this module was migrated to a new (virtual) machine. The files didn't make it across (irony not lost on me) and so I have to manually restore files from a local backup. I didn't copy over the slides I used for this class, because I figured nobody would be looking for them. If there's something you want please e-mail me and I can send on the PDFs.

By the time anyone is (gods forbid) repeating, I should have them all restored. If I forget please don't be shy about reminding me.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

COMP6023 Class 23 ITS1

Nobody showed up, apart from the note taker. That's fine. People are busy.

I think it's safe to assume there will be no class on Friday morning.

Prediction Market Leader Board




There were some major changes of fortune lately.

May Day 2013

Many young people believe that the intellectual property system is evil and should be overthrown.  For them undermining the IP system is not just about getting free stuff, it is an act of rebellion, in anticipation of an all out revolution.  Sticking it to the evil record companies and to Hollywood is a political act.  I am fascinated by this, because I think they have got it wrong.  For the first time in human history the means of production in now in the hands of the proletariat.  The web has democratized the production and exploitation of (intellectual) capital.  Anyone can write and publish a book.  Anyone can record and publish a song.  Even Hollywood’s monopoly is waning. The bourgeoisie no longer controls the means of production.  Bizarrely, however the response of the proletariat to this opportunity to finally eat at the same table as the bourgeoisie, is to destroy the table.

You’ve got it all wrong comrades.  Free stuff is not the same thing as Freedom.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

COMP6023 Class 24 DWEB/ITM



[very poor audio quality]

I'm not actually sure what this class was about. It was meant to be something, but became something else. Perhaps it's best described as a call to arms. It was possibly the most interesting class of year, but any credit is due to my cold medicine.

Good luck with your exams. It's been a pleasure doing business with you. Hopefully I will see most of you again in September.