Imagine Cup 2007 Launch

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I feel a bit of a fraud. I'm here at the Imagine Cup Finals in Seoul, in the poshest hotel I've ever stayed in (the room itself is worthy of a whole bunch of pictures - and it will get them) and all I have to do is watch some student presentations and write down how good I think they are.

I was lucky enough to go to the world finals last year in India, and they were incredible. The place and the people combined to give a once in a lifetime experience. And here I am again in the same position, but as a judge this time. I wonder if this means I'm getting two lifetimes?

We given a warm welcome when we arrived and that has continued right through the day. The organization has  been faultless and, like last year, everyone you meet is determined to do everything they can to make this a special occasion.

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Imagine Cup 2007 Welcome Reception

Things got formally under way with a welcome reception. Joe and the rest of the team set the scene for the next few days. Wednesday looks like a particular highlight, with all kinds of cultural events planned, ending with dinner with the mayor.

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Joe Wilson gets the party started...

 When a student competition is invited to eat with the mayor of a city of over 10 million you know you are in the middle of something special.

Competition proper starts tomorrow, with teams from the 100 countries taking part getting down to the serious stuff. The Seedlings will begin their progress through the Software Development Challenge with a presentation tomorrow.    

Gadget Trip

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What do you do if you are in a strange city thousands of miles from home, you've had two hours sleep over the last day and you take twenty seconds to answer a hard question like "How are you?"

Well, we went gadget shopping. Having checked in, grabbed some food (in the most amazing place - pictures tomorrow) and sorted out a few bits and bobs we boarded bus "B" to the Techno-Mart. Apparently this is not the biggest one - only 10 floors of hardware -  but it is pretty darned huge. Think Harrods but with technology and you are about there. Although, unlike Harrods, there are actually lots of individual traders in there  - we saw a huge number of somewhat identical displays of hundreds of cameras.

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The place to be

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10 floors.

After a while we found two solid floors of computer stuff; including brand new, original copies of Windows 98. I wonder how many of them they sell a day...

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These girls were outside. No idea what they were selling, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

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Sculpture

 

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Seoul street

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View from Bus B

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Street corner

After an hour the jetlag was really getting to everyone and we staggered out onto the bus again. And I had bought nothing. I'm so proud of myself. Lots of tempting toys and and the credit card stayed firmly in the wallet.

But we are here for the next few days. And I know where it is.....

And So to Seoul

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(For the next few days you are going to get some graphics heavy posts. But I hope you like the pictures people...... There are even more on Flickr.

We took off from Heathrow on time, which was nice.

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Name that town, and win a prize

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Leaving the White Cliffs of Dover behind...

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La Belle France. Look closely to spot cars driving on the wrong side of the road....

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The team make some last minute changes

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Very cute airport terminal at Paris

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Cactus at Seoul airport

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We all wanted a go on this

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Boarding the bus

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The team on the poshest bus I've ever been on

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Nice Bridge

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Amusements

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Riverside

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Shiny building

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Why we are here. I'm off for lunch now, more later

Wonderphone

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Well, I'm sitting at the Crowne Plaza in Heathrow typing on the teeny tiny keyboard on the teeny tiny machine and marveling at my little Smartphone. It is the best phone I've ever had (of course it should be, it is also the newest phone I've ever had - but I have been known to go backwards)

It can make phone calls, send sms, send mms, send email, receive active push email (like a Blackberry, but better). It has two movies and season one of Spaced on it, along with several hundred music tracks. I can browse the web, get maps, send pictures to Flickr, all kinds of stuff. In short it is pretty much everything I want in a mobile device.

As I write this it is providing a very useable Internet connection which just worked. Just worked! When I recall the grief I used to have trying to get on line with my phone I just can't believe how easy it was. Vista and Windows Mobile 6.0 really do get on well in this respect. I've had three hours of high quality music on the train on the way here too.

It is the HTC S710. And it rocks.

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Very posh hotel room desk. But Internet at eight pounds an hour? I don't think so...

Packing for Seoul

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Today I've had to start packing for my next trip. I feel a bit like Alan Whicker with all this globe trotting. Anyhoo, tomorrow I start out for the Imagine Cup World Finals in South Korea. I always pack at the last possible minute, and this time is no exception. So it was out with Ye Olde suitcase (unfortunately it is the one that likes going off on its own) and in with the contents of various draws. Of course all the big problems were with which power supplies and mains adapters to take...

I am of course taking the big camera, and the little camera, and a piece of paper and a crayon (maybe not the last one) and so there will be pictures......

Back from the smoke

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Spent today recovering from the London day trip. We got up bright and early and were in London by 9:30.

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Kings X

We drifted over to Tate Modern, had a look round and a coffee and took in the view over the river.

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St. Paul's, wobbly bridge and boat

Then we wandered down to Covent Garden

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St. Paul's rear entrance (so to speak)

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Badges and bangles

Then it was on to Harrods for coffee and donuts.

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Oh goody, they have a sale on....

And then back to Hull and a lovely sunset

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The train wot brought us home.

Bowser Man

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Bowser is not just a baddie in a Mario game, it is also a thing for delivering water. My brother in law has just lost his water supply thanks to the floods, and so we filled our car up with water (not literally - that would be stupid) and headed off to Cheltenham on the way home. We drove past bowsers on street corners, and people walking purposely to and from them. We dropped off our load of water (just a few bottles and some containers) and chatted for a while about this and that, before heading guiltily off to our house, where the taps work.

Just as we left we heard news that some parts of the area had got their water supplies back. I hope it is all sorted out soon.

Rain

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It only rained twice today. Once for four hours and once for eight. We are now in the deep south of england, where people talk funny and the beer tastes strange. The flooding here is awful, on a scale with what Hull experienced recently, but with the added twist that a water treatment station has been put out of action by the rising floods. Which means that people are surrounded by water but have nothing to drink or wash in. Truly horrid. I can't imagine life without running water, it is just one of those things that you never expect to break.

In between showers I did manage to take a few photographs though.

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Dunno what they are, but they look nice.

Breakdowns

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Headed off down south today for a family visit. I don't know about you, but I'm noticing a lot more broken down cars these days. Time was when during a long-ish journey you would see two or three people stranded forlornly at the side of the road. But until recently you hardly saw any. Nowadays they seem much more frequent. Are cars getting less reliable, or are people not having them serviced as often as they should?

Taking your memories with you

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I've been spending some time scanning old photographs and loading them up onto the computer. It helps to pass the time whilst watching dross TV and I've found some gems in amongst the albums. The thing that has impressed me most is the quality of the results though. Using a fairly modest Canon scanner and 6x4 inch prints I've been able to get some very nice looking results, even when viewed on the big screen telly.

Today I used the Vista Media Centre option to burn a whole bunch of pictures onto a DVD. This is wonderful. It gives you a lovely, ever changing slide show of pictures which works in any DVD player. I've been dishing these out to family members, who have been very impressed. Even though the images include one of me wearing shorts.

An Old Man Writes

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I'm looking at the world through eyes half a century old. I'm also hearing the world through ears half a century old. And so on. In fact all of me is fifty today. Deeply scary. I never really wanted to grow up, let alone grow old. But there you are.

Defying the weather forecast (which mentioned everything but locusts later in the afternoon) we went out to Dalby Forest for the day. After a drive through the lovely countryside we happen to have around here, we found a quiet spot and set off around the Bridestones. And I took the biggish camera, and loads of pictures.

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A walk in the woods

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The edge of a stone

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View from the top

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A "Bridestone"

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Flowers and stream

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Woods

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Geese arrivals

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Flowers of some kind

Fair Weather Friends

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Had a BBQ today to celebrate my upcoming annual event. Most surprisingly the weather was very good to me, with a break in the rain just long enough for Tim to cook some burgers and sausages, and us to sit in the garden and drink beer whilst solving the problems of the world.

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Colourful cutlery

Folks turned up with presents and cards and I was supplied with a special T shirt to wear, celebrating the fact that tomorrow I'm very old. Unfortunately no photographs were taken of this.. Good stuff and thanks to all.

A great time was had, even though I was beaten at Mario Strikers on the Wii by someone less than a seventh of my age...