This year, I was given the opportunity to do a course in Computing which is run by the Otago Polytechnic. The school is paying $1000 for each of the students in the course (5 of us) and we pay $100. The lessons happen once a week on a Wednesday and are a one hour video conference. The course consists of 3 parts, and the first part was programming. The language we were learning was MSW Logo.

Now for anyone who has used Logo before, a lot of you may think it is stupid and not even a real language. I would semi-agree with the above statement, but its the easiest language to teach and learn in a very short space of time. Logo can do quite a few things and is more powerful that you would think, there is more to it than drawing lines on the screen. I think the most important lesson it the process of learning a computer language, and from it we obtain the skills that will help us learn new languages in the future. A lot of the concepts are very similar, if not the same.

There were 3 assessments for this topic. The first one was a long one where we had to write the code (on paper) to draw shapes. Very basic. The second assessment was about using arrays and lists to store, retrieve and analyze data. Again, we had to write the code on paper, without any help with syntax or anything. Slightly more difficult but still easy enough. The last part of the assessment was a project where we had to use Logo to display the time, either in analog or digital clock form. This was the most difficult part of the test and required a lot more thinking, as well as trying various methods to make the clock work.

This first topic in the course I found to be really simple, and the main reason behind it is due to the fact that I had already learnt 80% of the stuff four years ago. In saying that, it was still all very enjoyable, and even somewhat challenging during the end with the more complicated stuff. Now we are moving on to Operating Systems where we will learn about DOS and Linux and such in a bit of depth. One last thing, kudos to anyone who gets the relevance of the image.

Tomorrow I will be leaving for an overnight school trip. We are going somewhere not too far away and will be doing something that I do not know. So as of around 11pm tonight, that will be the last time I use my computer until I get back on the Tuesday afternoon.

Now that’s around 40 hours with no computer, no cellphone or iPod or anything of the sort. I am not going to have any technology for a long time. I can’t remember the last time I have been away from my computer for that long, but its probably been years. The longest I am usually away from the internet world is about 10 hours which isn’t that long but I am going to be away from it all for 40 hours and in 10 hours the internet moves pretty fast so I’m going to have a lot to catch up on being away from it for 4 times that.

Being away from the internet for so long is going to make it hard to come back with a huge pile of articles in my RSS reader, stories on Digg, Tweets to read, and other things to catch up on. This opportunity my help me by evaluating my internet usage and possibly help me make some cuts on unnecessary parts so I have more time to do other stuff and be more productive. As well as helping me through the experience of going away, it may also help me in my current life, online and offline. Maybe 40 hours away from it all will do me some good after all.

Yesterday, I decided that it was probably about time I backed up some files in case something goes wrong with my computer. The day before that, I got given a DVD writer for my laptop to borrow. I was going to give it straight back but they said I can borrow t for a bit longer. Since I had it, I thought that I might as well put it to use. I had some music to burn to CDs, music to rip from CDs, and some backing up to do.

I used Windows to format the disc to enable me to drag and drop the folders and files I wanted to back up. I was hoping that I could backup all my important files to one DVD disc so I didn’t have to mess around with multiple backup discs. I managed to just fit everything that I needed. I didn’t backup my desktop because the videos there will be transferred to an external drive later. I also didn’t bother backing up my music folder because I didn’t need the podcasts and iTunes libraries that were there because I wouldn’t use or listen to anything there ever again. If something did happen to my data, it would be easy enough for me to start fresh. After backing up, I closed the disc and labeled it with a marker and filed it in my Disc Case for archive purposes.

I then burnt music to disc and them ripped music into my iTunes Library. That was a simple task. I then decided that I would backup my iTunes Music Library because at times, I have heard clicking coming from my external music drive and also Windows Vista doesn’t spin down the disc when I eject it from the computer so I have to unplug it in a special way. If I just yank the USB cord from the computer, the drive makes an awful sound, and it could one day possibly destroy the drive somehow. For me to safely remove it from the computer, I have to pull the cord half out to spin down the drive, then I can take it all the way out without it making the horrible sound. It took a bit over 30 minutes and 3 DVDs to backup my iTunes Library, which was a little over 10GB.

Backing up my files on my computer will help me sleep easy and in the event on my computer fully dying, I won’t have to worry as much about the data I have lost. Also if my music drive dies, I have a backup which will contain most, if not all of my music and recovering my library in the event of a failure won’t be that painful. Using iTunes to backup my music was simple, I love how it just does it. I wish backing up what I want with Windows was as simple as that, without requiring third-party software.

The moment I found out that Microsoft let Windows Vista Service Pack 1 out the door, I constantly searched for updates via Windows Update waiting for it to arrive. After waiting and trying for about an hour, I came to the conclusion that I probably have one of the problematic drivers.

I searched the Google to find a list of the problematic drivers and it wasn’t as easy to find as I was hoping but i did manage to get a list. My Conexant HD Audio drivers were preventing me from updating via Windows Update. I decided to wait a bit to see if I get a driver update that will allow me to get the SP1 update. I decided to download the 400mb standalone installer just for the sake of it. Its only 400mb and that will take less than 15 minutes to download. I just left it on my desktop and waited for something to happen so I could proceed with updating my operating system.

After listening to this weeks Windows Weekly yesterday, as they discussed the updating process and the problematic drivers, Paul Thurrot did mention that just because you don’t have updated drivers doesn’t necessarily mean that you are going to have problems. He has had emails from people that have installed it with the standalone installer and have had no issues or small issues that a driver reinstall didn’t fix. After hearing that, I decided to update last night. Either its going to go without problems, or I could try to fix it, or I could uninstall the service pack till my drivers updated. Updating shouldn’t me a nightmare.

I shut down all my apps and launched the installer. Then I went and played Locoroco on the PlayStation Portable while waiting for the update to install. It restarted and all itself and it didn’t need any user input during the update. One and a half hours later, I was finally treated with a login page. The update went smoothly with no problems. My system has been stable (so far.) I haven’t really noticed any major differences, only some copying stuff, the fact that it says Service Pack 1, and some aspects of the System Rating have gone up by a point. All in all, I’m pretty fine with the update. I could have waited and let it do it in the background and saved a few minutes but what the hey!

This day, 365 days ago to be precises, the date was Monday, the 19th of February 2007. This day marks the day I purchased my very own personal computer, which happened to be a Compaq Presario notebook. 3 weeks before my purchase, Microsoft’s new operating system, Vista hit the retail stores. My laptop had Windows Vista pre-installed, just like eighty to ninety percent of the computers on sale at that point in time. Today, I have used Vista for a whole year.

I instantly fell in love with its shinyness and smoothness. I was extremely happy to be using Vista instead of Windows XP. This was until I was welcomed with a nice bright blue screen, known to all as the Blue Screen of Death. I knew that i would be seeing that screen quite frequently, and when I did, I either welcomed it, or ripped my hair out in frustration. To be honest, a BSoD is so common in Vista, that it is more of a feature of the operating system. Vista wouldn’t be Vista without the occasional death screen.

Luckily, at least once a month, patches and updates arrived via Windows Update. To this date, updating that operating system still scares me. Whenever there is an update, half of the time it fixes problems and makes your computer crash less, while other times it completely breaks everything and you start seeing more of that blue screen. Even if it does make your system more stable, it probably broke a driver or something else wouldn’t work right. On the subject of Windows Update, I do have to point out how much I like that it is a part of the operating system, and not some website you visit when you think about it.

My Vista experience has been a pleasant nightmare. Do I regret being an early adopter of this operation system? No, of course not. I love Windows Vista. It does have its downsides like the regular blue screens and the driver issues and the software issues and all the other issues that I haven’t mentioned because I have forgotten. But there is one upside of this poor little operating system and should be the reason that everyone using a PC should upgrade to Vista, its damn shiny!

A month ago I finally decided to put a few dollars towards upgrading the RAM on my computer from 1GB to 2GB. It was really easy to install. All you do is remove a screw or two and pop out the old RAM and slide in the new RAM. It is as simple as that.

I noticed that performance increase from my laptop after doubling the amount of RAM I have. Programs seem to be much more snappier, to open and to do tasks. Another thing I noticed, which was really odd, was that the time it takes for my computer to go into hibernation is a bit less than before. You would think that it would take longer to hibernate with more RAM.

I am very happy with my RAM and recommend that everyone that doesn’t have 2GB or more of RAM upgrade ASAP, especially if you are using Windows Vista. RAM is cheap anyway and shouldn’t cost you a fortune. You will be much happier with more RAM, just like I am.

You may have seen across multiple technology sites over the past month, some stuff on a Apple docking patent. What this does, it is takes a portable computer, like a MacBook, and it goes inside the dock that looks similar to an iMac. This will allow it to be used as a desktop like device with many extra ports and such.

Laptops are becoming more popular and are starting to take over a lot of the desktop market. People are turning to laptops for what they need, except in a portable package with similar and/or sufficient power for their needs. People are turning to laptops to use as desktop replacements and therefore a type of dock is a well welcomed device for the home. This allows for all peripherals such as hard drives, monitors, keyboard and mouse to be on your desk, and you can dock your laptop and use it without having to plug half a dozen plugs into your laptop.

With the Apple dock, the laptop inserts into the device, and there is where the limitations start. First off, you lose the ability to use one screen. It is being wasted inside the computer. For some people, this wouldn’t be an issue but you could use the laptop screen as a secondary monitor to display stuff, such as your iTunes library, or even other applications that you may not use. It would be useful for displaying information that you don’t need to see but it would be nice to have displayed without getting in the way of the apps you are using and without you having to select it. It would be good if it was just there at your side on the laptop screen.

You are also limited to the screen size of the dock, which is dictated by Apple. They could have multiple docks with different screen sizes, but that means you have to pay extra for it, and it probably won’t be cheap. You could even be better off getting an iMac and leaving the dock out of it. It will most likely be cheaper to buy a Dell monitor, or any other brand, for cheaper than the dock is. If the laptop isn’t very powerful, it might struggle with displaying two large resolutions if the dock happened to have a monitor port for a dual setup.

What I would rather have is a dock that can be used with all the Mac notebooks, not just the one that the dock is made for. Also I would like to be able to use a monitor of my choice and have many ports on the dock. It could work similar to how their iPod docks do, you just slide the laptop into it, and it just goes. All peripherals and such connect to the dock and get detected by the computer on insertion. I would also be able to use the screen on my monitor for other applications and not have it wasted.

On the assumption that the new notebook is ultra slim, it might not be as powerful as bigger laptops, in many ways. If so, is it really a good option to use it as a desktop replacement? If people wanted a Mac desktop replacement, they would probably go for a higher end line with higher processor, dedicated graphics and larger screen. A lower powered notebook might not suffice as a desktop machine. In that case, the dock is a waste of space, and probably a waste of money. A port replicator dock would be much better and could also be usable with multiple notebooks, models from now, and in the future.

This is really all based on speculation, and not a real product. Maybe in less than 12 hours, we find out what this really is and if it is plausible. I may end up eating my words, but some of my points may still be valid. It is a neat idea just sliding in your portable computer into a monitor/iMac like device and use it as my desktop. It can be two units in one, a slim portable computer for when i need the portability, and then a desktop like computer with a bigger monitor and more ports and such for when I need that functionality. I would have to get some real information about the notebook and the dock, before I can have real opinions about the actual product, and I would have to use it for a personal opinion of the actual product. We shall wait and see.