Opening Time

The conferences and the student website are now open. But we cannot get going really, yet. It's all a bit frustrating (to say the least) as the course is a VERY slow starter. We have until the beginning of April to finish the first block (TMA01 cut off date, 6th April) - and I'm halfway through the book already! But we can't do anything much until we have our island designated to us - and that ain't going to be for weeks! And then, of course, it all comes thick and fast!!

Geological yearnings

Been hanging around for so long waiting for this course to start, that my mind is drifting towards next year! I'm yearning to do SXG390 - the geohazards project. They say it should be your last course, which makes sense as you should have a fair bit of knowledge behind you (which I don't) to be able to complete it. I'd do S369 first - but they don't have a presentation of that next year, due to cut-backs. So I might chance it. Volcanoes. Yellowstone and that big caldera? Mount St Helens? Well, we would have to make a field trip, surely??

Hectic!

It's been a busy couple of days with this and that - though little to do with U316. But I had the go ahead from Glenn to say that my project topic was 'on course'. So I did a survey. I had over 50 responses in no time - and then the thing packed up on me and I had to PAY to see my results and to allow more results. But it's done. And it will be very helpful. Although I shall never make a 'proper' environmentalist, that's for sure - though why would I want to really? I'm happy to be a rock-hugger.

Safari-ed out

I've been working, for a lot of the day, on the Safari stuff, which wouldn't have been so bad had the links worked and I hadn't had to change the address line manually every time I wanted to move onto the next page ... But it's done. And it was a chore. But I had better get used to web work.

I also had an introductory email from my tutor, Glenn. I have broached the subject of the 'project topic' with him (already!) and, once cleared (if it's cleared) I can bring it out into the open!

One of the activites today, involved the creation of a new ecosystem, which I created by planting seeds on the towel we use to stop the rain making an awful racket on the metal table in the garden.



Only kidding! But the 'towelecosystem' does exist - it is ALIVE!

Been on the Hoe

It is decidedly a dump. And it's such a pity, because the setting is simply divine. The Americans/French - or even Exeter, would have all that concrete bulldozed (or dynamited) and replaced by trees, plants and terraced walks down the clifftop, towards the sea - it would be magic. But it's a dump and likely to remain so. I took a pic of Smeaton's Tower though - quite effective, looking directly at the Sun!



I had to go out to buy stationery bits (bought GOLD paperclips!) - and storage media so that I can transfer my U316 bits between PC and laptop. I am NOT looking forward to all the computer work on this course - and, so far today, I've been avoiding continuing with the Safari stuff. (If, by some miracle, the A174 materials arrive tomorrow, I can continue to avoid it for a lot longer ... )

I managed to figure out how to get 'links' over on the side there, so I feel more at home now. But I still think it's Monday.

Explanation for last posting

I can't seem to be able to get this darned thing to publish in my website - oh well, stuck with that search thing up there. I also had to change the time zone - but I don't even think that that has worked - so this is, in fact, another 'tester' to check to see if it did.

It really didn't bode well for the day, when I woke up, got up, got dressed - and thought it was Monday.

Trying again

TESTING!!

Decided to blog it

Decided to blog it, or the U316 pages will be TOO ridiculously long. So, I will put activities onto there and comments onto here. I can't guarantee that this'll work - cos last time I tried to blog (using my website as the gathering point), I failed miserably (that's computer know how for you!).Anyway, I have embarked upon a 5 hours mission with Safari, to do some activities or other. This'll teach me to try to spend a perfectly good weekend 'getting started'. Actually, I have NO intentions of spending 5 hours on finding out how to evaluate information found on the web. I might do a couple hours - we'll see.