Great Presentations and Food Theft

After a really good nights sleep, I got up and staggered down to breakfast. Today is the day that “Team 3Pair” from Hull got to strut their stuff on behalf of the UK. So it was on with the “Team Supporters” shirt and off to their first presentation.

The first part of the contest is the called the “Lightning Round”. This is because the rounds are short, and does not involve any high voltages or bolts of thunder. The idea is that the teams are given a seven minute slot to introduce themselves and get across the gist of what they are trying to do. Team 3Pair give good lightning, they were on shockingly good form and their presentation really made the sparks fly (that is all of those jokes out of the way, I put it down to the malaria pills I’m taking).

After that, feeling it was time for some rest and recreation, we headed across to the “Leisure Mall”. As we were one of the first teams to present, this was just about deserted and so we had the pick of all the attractions. As we waited for the bowling alley to warm up (I didn’t know they had to warm these things up, but there you are) we played pool. I can’t play pool. After committing a couple of miscues which cost me and my partner the game we moved onto the bowling lane. I didn’t think I could do bowling either, but my first attempt made all the pins fall down (which is apparently a good thing).

Pop quiz. How many pins did this ball from Andy knock down.

As the game progressed I managed to make the pins all fall down a couple more times. I put this down to the “magic pink ball” that I (and pretty soon everyone else) was using.

..and what is wrong with this picture of James bowling….

After that we went off to prepare for the second presentation, which was much longer, at 20 minutes, and is where the team had to deliver a proper description of the system that they had made, and why they had made it.

Perhaps we should call them “Team Three Prayer”….

Good to go.

After twenty minutes of presentation and a gruelling bunch of questions it was time to eat. So we went to the hotel restaurant for dinner. And I committed one of the gravest social faux pas that I have ever managed to achieve (and that is saying something). As we went around the table I noted that my wimpish colleagues were all going for dishes from the non-Indian part of the menu. After a sequence of requests for Arabian, Japanese and Italian dishes went down I thought I’d show some support for the locals and ordered an Indian chicken dish which sounded nice (although I have of course now forgotten what the name was).

When it came, artfully arranged around the plate, I tucked in, feeling very smug – even though the meat did not actually seem very chickeny. Only when the waiter brought the final dish to the table did the awful truth emerge. I had of course been eating the Arabian lamb one dered by Mark. Mark was very good about it, and swapped my proper dish for his half nibbled one.  However, I then compounded my bad behaviour by eating all the nan bread, even though it was meant to be shared amongst three of us. The good news is that my meal was delicious. The bad news is that I am now known as "food stealer Rob" and people don't like sitting next to me at meals.

For the rest of the afternoon we hung around the bar, checked our email and talked to some journalists. Tomorrow lunchtime the team will find out if it has made the next stage of the competition, the top 12.

Local music

In the evening we found that our meal was accompanied by some local musicians. I wanted the chap on the right to be playing a very small instrument, so I could use my "baby sitar" joke.

The Imagine Cup 2006 Kicks off

I spent most of today trying to avoid going to sleep. The plan is that if I can stay awake until my normal bedtime I can get my body into the new time zone by brute force and ignorance.

It didn’t go too well. Every time I sat down my eyes closed automatically and I drifted somewhere with all of the characteristics of sleep except the ones which make you feel better when you wake up.

Joe Wilson opening the presentation

Fortunately I managed to get myself over to the Imagine Cup Final launch event. Joe Wilson of Microsoft showed us some video of students doing great things and then talked a bit about the passion that you need to have to be a developer. Actually, I’m not going to claim to be particularly passionate (at least not in a blog that other people might read) but I do agree that when you are writing a program you are doing a bit more than just stringing statements together to get something to work. You are making something with the aim of making people happy.

From coding for your own amusement to making multi-tiered applications of frightening complexity (like some of the contest entries) the net result of your work should be a bit more happiness in the world (or – at a pinch I guess you could settle for less unhappiness). Whatever, as far as I am concerned this means that you should really engage with your task, respond positively to problems (or challenges as they are sometimes renamed) and work to get others enthused about what you are doing. And of course strive to do the very best you can. Kind of the Imagine Cup in a nutshell I guess.

The next speaker was Sheila Gulati of Microsoft India. She welcomed us all to her country, noted that the ride from Delhi to Agra would make a great XBOX game (it would) and told us of the pride she takes in the progress that her country has made in the software field. Then she said something which I found interesting. She said that people visiting should “let India happen to them” rather trying to view it from the perspective that they brought with them. I’m beginning to see what she means.

These are all around the hotel.

We are presently in the rarefied, air-conditioned environment of one of the poshest hotels I’ve ever been in. Yet there are things around that constantly remind you that you are not in Kansas any more. The beautiful little shrines around the hotel to the various gods, the pleasure that people take in helping you out, the fact that everyone you pass will say “Good Day”, the amount of smiling and eye contact that is involved in even the simplest transaction. For a reserved Englishman like me this is all quite alien, and really rather nice. I’m looking forward to seeing more of the real India later in the week, when the pace slackens a bit and we can go out and take a look around.

But back to the competition and the opening presentation. At the end of the speeches they introduced a drumming double act whose name, to my great shame, I’ve presently forgotten. I’ve not forgotten what they did though. Both of them were amazing, one was surrounded by drums of all kind, and a large smattering of 21^st century technology. The other simply sat down and played what appeared to be a very simple hand drum. Put them together and the range of sounds and the rhythms that they produced were incredible. Their hands were moving so fast that the cameras which were relaying their performance onto the big screen quite literally could not keep up.

They finished off by handing out some instruments so that we could all join in. I got to play a big silver tambourine, which the family will be pleased to hear I will not be taking home. Then they called down all the people from around the world who set up the competition and made it the roaring success it is.

The makers of the Imagine Cup

After that we had our evening meal out in the gardens, inside a giant gazebo, with fans blowing a mist of cool water over us and ever attentive waiters handing us beers. Then, with my body clock finally asserting itself, I staggered back to the room and settled down to a deep sleep.

Journey to Agra

The first thing we had to do was fly to Delhi (actually a plane did all the hard work – I just sat and watched telly and luxuriated in the emergency exit seat legroom that I ended up with – thanks BA). Once at Delhi we caught a bus to a complex just outside town for a quick wash and brush up before the ride to Agra, competition HQ for the next few days.

Everyone has been fantastically welcoming. The team who greeted us at the first pit stop were really excited about having us here. We were a bit jaded, in that we had just had a long flight. But to us it was just early evening. To the home team it was after midnight, and they had obviously been working like mad all day to set things up for our arrival. To get from Delhi to Agra we had a four hour night drive. At first it was dark, but as we got to our destination the sun came up and we got to see more of the countryside.

Agra sunrise

Driving in India is interesting. It involves a lot more use of the horn than back home. And there is always the possibility that might be a cow stood in the middle of the carriageway just around the next corner. When the road side cafes feel the urge to drum up trade they simply put up a road block outside their establishment to give you more time to read about their special offers.

However we all got here safe and sound after around a days solid travelling. (I felt quite proud of this until we met up with one of the Microsoft chaps from Seattle, who had spent 47 hours getting here).

The courtyard outside the room

The hotel is very impressive. Nice and cool and with big rooms and the most attentive staff I have ever experienced. Everyone seems determined to do their utmost to make your stay a really happy one. I think they are going to succeed.

Reverse Jetlag

This is the first time that I have ever flown east on a trip away. The fact that I have up until now only flown west, never had a problem coming home, and anyway there is only a four and a half hour time difference to India has lulled me into a false sense of security.

I feel my head has been injected with rice pudding under pressure. The thinking bits in my brain are fighting with other bits which only want to sleep. If the following posts don’t make much sense then that is pretty much par for the course from me. If they seem dafter and more ramblesome then ever then I apologise, I hope that normal service (and mental function) will be resumed soon.

Go Belgian!

After having arrived and got unpacked we headed back into the city for a “Good Luck” meal. Andy Sithers had heard good things about a Belgian restaurant and so we went there. In my mind Belgium is famous for two things; chocolate and not being famous for much. I really had no idea what to expect.

Andy Sithers said we should take the stairs at Covent Garden. So we did. On the way up and on the way down..

It turns out that Belgium cuisine is actually great stuff. The Belgians (or at least the ones that operate the place we went to) are very good at sea food and a whole bunch of great tasting dishes. We all had something different and it was all wonderful. They make their own beer too, which is also good stuff. And, for reasons which were never properly explained, they also serve all this dressed as Trappist monks. If you are after excellent food you should go there.

The team with their beer menus. Like the sound of that.

Tube travel

Tube Travel

The flight leaves tomorrow morning, and so we are having a night at the airport so we can get an early start. The train journey was smooth and on time. Then I had to face around an hour on the tube to get out to the airport, which I suppose could have been worse. It wasn’t that hot, but the carriages were packed and I had the dubious pleasure of staring at someone’s armpit for much of the journey. I don’t think they enjoyed the experience much either.

Fate and Immodium Plus

I’m heading out to India tomorrow. Today is the first leg of the journey, when I, Andy from Microsoft and the team all meet up at Heathrow Airport in London.

So this morning I sallied forth to the chemists with my copy of “Which”, the consumer magazine, which recently published a foreign travel special. In amongst a whole slew of scary statistics about how likely you are to fall ill if you ever leave this sceptred isle were some recommendations for various potions and lotions which would keep the nastiest things at bay and reduce their effect as much as possible.

With a bit of luck it all stays in the boxes....

This is of course insurance, in that I’m buying it because, having spent 35 quid on the various cans and tablets; with a bit of luck I’ll not have to use any of the stuff. Of course if I decide to take a chance and buy nothing then I’m pretty much doomed. Then again, I’ve not had a lot of success in the past second guessing fate...

Hiatus Status

I'm just about to dash out of the door and catch a taxi on the first leg of the trip to India. So blog posts might bet a bit interrupted. On the other hand, the ones which make it through might have nice pictures.

Sent Packing

Been packing for the trip to India for the Imagine Cup finals.

Time to pack gadgets and vital equipment : 2 hours

Time to pack clothes : 90 seconds.

I may not be very satorially elegant. But I will have all my power supplies with me....

Cars the movie

 

Not as annoying as I was expecting

The critics have been very unkind to Cars. Previous Pixar movies (Monsters, Toy Story, The Incredibles) have been lauded as great almost before they hit the screen. Not so Cars, the build up was muted, and the reception somewhat ambivalent. I can kind of see where the critics were coming from. The idea of a world run for and by cars is  a little hard to swallow. Somehow hairy monsters living in a parallel universe powered by scared children seems a lot more credible. However, if you work a bit harder on suspending your disbelief belief you will find a lot to like about the movie.

For a start there is the look of the film. Pixar can do pictures. They can really do pictures. The images of the cars are wonderful, and Pixar pull off traditionally hard things like water, trees, gravel, smoke etc etc with almost contemptuous ease. Only mud seems to give them a problem, and it is still around the best looking mud you will see in a computer drawn movie.  It is worth seeing just for the scenery. Whether you believe in the cars or not the way they look is just incredible.

The story is a completely hack effort, no twists, no turns, you can just about set your watch by the progression of the hero as he/it becomes a more human car. There is some great imagination at work though, and some lovely visual gags. I'm sure if I watch it ten more times I'll find ten more great things that I missed each time.

I think at this point I should come clean and say that I've never liked Owen Wilson. He always seems to me like a big heavy weight that pulls down any picture he is in . However, in Cars he does a workmanlike job as the voice of the red racer with a lot to learn about life, and his surrounding voices are all well realised.

If you don't go to see this film because of the mediocre reviews then you will lose out. There are some bits which are so funny you will be laughing out loud (I was, and I certainly didn't expect to be doing that) There are also some tear jerky moments and a solid gold happy ending which I think we could all do with around now. Recommended.

The Walls Have Ears

We were in the tearoom having one of our high level discussions (as I remember the question was "Why were the 'Yellow Bus Company' busses never actually yellow, but usually grey" - the prevailing opinion was that the yellow paint had been scraped off them and used for no-parking marks on the road).

Anyhoo, at the height of the discourse one of the large posters in the room suddenly peeled itself off the wall and seemed to be making for the door.  I hope it wasn't a statement on the quality of the conversation.

No More Shorts

I'm getting some made....

That does it. I'm starting a new campaign. I've seen things at work over the last couple of weeks which would have driven a lesser man to madness and worse. This has got to stop. Fortunately the weather has been kind to us for the last day or so, with a fall in temperature ridding the coffee room with some of the more horrid apparitions. But I'm not taking any more chances. It stops now, and it stops here.

I'm talking about the practice of wearing shorts to work. If your job is a footballer, or some other sporting profession then shorts are fine. But once you come off the playing field the shorts should replaced by proper slacks.  There is probably a Geneva Convention or something about things like this. And if there isn't, there should be. Sign up now. Banish those knees.

The Letter K

Maureen Lipman (great actress, wonderful writer and born in Hull) wrote in her column in the paper today that Neil Simon (famous playwright) reckons only words with a K in them are funny. Apparently chicken is funny, whilst tomato is not. I told number one wife about this.

"But cheese is funny" she said.

I could not have put it better myself. Case closed.

Samsung Q1 First Impressions

I'm going through a gadget frenzy at the moment. Only a few days after my first tiny PC (the Motion LS 800) arrived, now I have a second one to play with. This time it is a Samsung Q1. I must say I'm impressed. The Motion machine is very neat, made of aluminium alloy and has a screen that is visible in bright sunlight (and looks pretty amazing in the office). The Samsung is shiny black plastic, and is a proper realisation of the "Ultra Mobile PC" (UMPC), an evolution of the Tablet PC idea.

The Motion machine costs around twice the Samsung, and so you would think it was better. Well, it is and it isn't. It has the advantage of a proper touch screen, using a wireless stylus which lets you rest your hand on the screen as you write. The Samsung has the cheaper touch sensitive screen, which renders it is all but useless as a note taking device. The Motion also has a slightly higher resolution and physically larger display. But I don't like it as much as the Samsung, because of two things it hasn't got.

Firstly it has no fan. All the cooling is done by convection. Therefore it gets warm, very warm. So warm that if you give it something hard to do (charge the battery whilst installing Microsoft Office for example) it first complains it is too busy, and then it shuts down completely.  Using the wonderful Speedfan program I can watch the processor get hotter and hotter until things go pear shaped. I'd be very nervous about performing development work or playing with images on this device.  The Samsumg has a tiny fan which pumps warm air out of a vent in the back. Consequently I can be much more relaxed about giving it demanding things to do.

Secondly the Motion machine has no kickstand. This is a terrible omission. The Samsung has two, one which angles the machine slightly, and another which stands the machine at 80 degrees, the perfect angle for using it or watching DVDs. You can stand it up and use it, which is as it should be. For the Motion I had to buy a Bookchair (these are great by the way) so that I can use it on the desk.

The Samsung will be going with me to the Imagine Cup Finals in India as my main machine. I'm going to use it for photo processing, blogging, listening to music, watching movies and a bit of software development. I'm pretty sure that it will more than do the business.  The screen is  a bit tiny, but it has this amazing "Auto Scaler" button which squeezes down a 1024x600 screen onto the display with surprisingly useable results. It also works very well with an external monitor/dual desktop configuration. I'm writing this on a 1280x1024 monitor full screen, while the Samsumg shows me Outlook alongside on its smaller screen. Very nice.

I'll have a full report about life on the road with a Q1, and the usefulness of the UMPC in general, when I get back.

Bin Boggled

The kitchen bin has broken. (actually it broke a long time ago, it is just that the first time it broke it was brand new, and we didn't have the heart to replace it). However, now it is properly, as in more than one piece, broken. This poses two problems.

1. We now have to obtain a new bin. Particularly difficult as properly working bins seem very hard to get hold of these days. The ones in ASDA were pre-broken, and I've yet to find a design which I think is solid enough for my lot.
2. How do you throw away the old dusbin?

Profound Questions in York

I wanted a go in a red boat. But nobody else did. Wah.

We went to York today. There were rumours (nay, legends) that a branch of "The Only Place In The Country Where Rob Can Buy Things That Fit 'Cos He Is Tall (tm)" had reopened in the city. And was having a sale. Wowee.

We turned up at ten past ten to a shop full of "Sale signs" which was locked with an iron gate. The notice on the side said "Open 10:00 on Saturdays". Such is life. After drink at Starbucks and a Rocky Road (which with hindsight was probably a bit risky, given my state of excitement I probably should not have sugar rich cakes) we went back and found that the shop was now open.  Nothing much for sale unfortunately, but I did get a couple of shirts. (it has just occurred to me that there is no reason for me to assume that you have any interest in the fact that I bought two shirts today - but remember that you are hear for the kwality of the riting. Oh yes).

Anyhoo, then we went walkabout around York. Profound questions abounded. The York Psychic museum had a number on the door you could call to arrange a meeting.  Why? Surely they would be expecting you whatever time you turned up. And next to the roadsweeper was one of those things that helps you pick stuff up from the floor. A sort of remote hand thing. But it was lying on the floor. I do hope he has another one he can use to pick it up.

Maybe it's the heat.

Read all about it

Sometimes you come accross something which is so interesting that you just have to tell everyone else about it as soon as you can.  For example PressDisplay. This site has a wonderful interface that lets you read just about any newspaper from around the world. If you sign up for a demo you can get the papers free onto your PC for a week, after that it is around ten dollars a month for up to 31 issues, which is pretty good value if you are after reading the news from around the world. An interesting take on the way that electronic media is going.

Thunder and Lightning

We had something of a storm last night. A few days after I get my shiny new TV aerial on top of the house we have one of the biggest thunderstorms for ages. Most impressive. All the lights and all the sound effects. I couldn't do the old "count the time between the flash and the boom to find out how far away it is" because there were so many flashes and booms that I couldn't pair them up.

I didn't know whether to hide under the bed or go out and take photographs.  In the end I did nothing, which strikes me as a wise choice.

Guitar Hero Quite Literally Rocks

One other birthday present that I was lucky enough to receive was a copy of the PS2 game "Guitar Hero". The first thing you notice about this game is the the controller. It is a plastic guitar, around three quarters the size of a real one, but still plenty big enough for posing.  On the fret board are six colour coded buttons, there is a plastic tag that you "strum" and a "whammy" lever for vibrato.

The basis of the game is the old "press the right button at the right place in the song" routine beloved of dance mats and bongo drums. But this time you are playing in a band and it is up to you to get the important riffs down.  Best of all, if you get the timing wrong there are a variety of "bum note" sounds which come out. Do this too often and the watching crowd gets restless. Do it too much and you get booed off the stage.  As things get more complex you have to play chords. And you get a special "Rock Star" mode where you can hold the guitar upright and really show off.

The game disk has all the rock standards you'd be expecting. Smoke on the water, More than a feeling, Killer Queen, etc etc. Not the originals, but well good enough.

We set it up at the party and it was in pretty much continuous use. Great stuff. You can even get a second guitar controller so that you can duke it out musically with a rival axemeister.

Strongly recommended. Oh yeah.

Broadcasting to a waiting world

I did my last webcast tonight. I've been cranking these out at a rate of one per week for the last few weeks, and today was the last one. It was all about mobile game development using Direct3D on mobile devices.

I'm going to miss doing them, they were fun.  If you came along and took part, good on you and I hope you found them useful. If you missed out, you can download them and enjoy them at your convenience (or some other small room in the house).

You can get hold of the resources, and find links to the recordings, here.