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The Mighty DiDA

In the DiDA, the mighty DiDA,
Bazza moans tonight!
Oh in the DiDA, the mighty DiDA,
Bazza moans toniiight!

Aieeeeee… Aieee-e-portfolio…
Aieeeeee… Aieee-e-portfolio…

Do your planning, do lots of planning,
Or you’ll get zero marks!
Oh do your planning, do lots of planning,
Or you’ll get zero marks.

Aieeeeee… Aieee-e-portfolio…
Aieeeeee… Aieee-e-portfolio..

Get some feedback, some decent feedback,
Don’t type it out yourself!
Get some feedback, some decent feedback,
Don’t type it out yourself!

Aieeeeee… Aieee-e-portfolio…
Aieeeeee… Aieee-e-portfolio..

Flaming banners, no flaming banners,
Or Viderman will have spaz!
Flaming banners, no flaming banners,
You’ll get murked by Baaaaazzzzz…

Banish your MSN Viruses

There appears to be an epidemic of MSN-bourne viruses plaguing LFC students.  Perhaps more tragic than that people are gullible enough to download these viruses is that once infected, no-one who I have talked to has known how to remove them.

The virus itself (technically a ‘worm‘ in virus terminology) works by hijacking your MSN client and sending a message to your contacts to the tune of:

“OMG, is this you?! :p [download link]“

The link points to what appears to be an image file on some funny pictures website; however, the link redirects to a .pif file which self-replicates and attempts to further spread itself to your contacts, who download it and… repeat ad infinitum.

If you have fallen victim to this, you could always try this free online virus scan, Housecall, from Trend Micro. The online application is very straightforward and, being written in Java, works on the more secure Firefox web browser. It works on Mac and Linux OS, too… not that Mac or Linux users would realistically need it.

Housecall, although excellent for a web-based app (I first used it about four years ago) is not ideal - you should really have some form of dedicated antivirus software installed on your system.  Popular commercial software comes from companies such as Norton or McAfee, but personally, having used both commercial software and the free alternatives, I recommend AVG Anti-Virus (free edition) for your virus-busting needs as it is automated, unobtrusive and very effective.  It can also be set up to scan every file imperceptibly before it is opened to check for nasties.

For those of you looking for Firewall protection, I recommend ZoneAlarm Personal - another free program that I have personally used and sworn by for years.

Future prospects

It has come to a stage in my life where I am compelled to look at my future and where my life is heading.

The most pressing issue is what to pursue for future education. I can either achieve 5 A*-B grades and return to landau to study ICT, Mathematics and English Language and Literature at A2 (full A-level) and Business at AS (half A-level); go to Derby College (Joseph Wright + Mackworth) to study the same A2 subjects + Photography AS; or take a completely different route.

Subject wise it is a no-brainer - I have a passion for photography and my business teacher is unbelievably unstimulating and inexperienced, and sod’s law suggests that I will have her again if I return for A-Level. However, Landau’s average pass-rate for A-Levels is something like 95%, around 20% higher than Derby College if my sources are correct.

Then there is the desicion of what to do post-college. Further education (uni), gap year, employment? I want to go to university, but don’t know if I can justify the cost and if a degree would be relevant to any career path I might take.

Read more…

Sneak Preview: Sheep Visit Famous World Landmarks

The orangeacid.net blog is proud to present you with an exclusive sneak preview of the return of the excellent Sheep Series by Jonathan Wormsley: Sheep at Famous World Landmarks!

Read more…

The end of DiDA D202

Yesterday was the deadline for the multimedia module of the renown stress-management course DiDA. I have not known such a feeling of freedom for weeks.

For the D202 module, which was based on ‘energizing your life’, we had to produce:

• An eLearning package (a bit like MyMaths) aimed at 14 to 17 year olds;
• A promotional movie for the eLearning package aimed at teachers;
• A 6-slide looping presentation to be used at secondary school induction days;
• A multimedia-centric ePortfolio (website);
• Backup materials such as commentaries, a journal, assets tables, a review, etc.

The products and backup materials were by far the easy part. The problem with the DiDA course is the bizarre mark-scheme that grades you only get something like 9 out of 42 possible marks for the quality of your products - the brunt of the marking is for planning, reviewing, getting feedback and acting on feedback.

Anyway, I now have a fortnight of relative doss before the next SPB starts. Now I only have business coursework, a trial SPB, maths coursework and revised drafts of English coursework - wow, it will be almost like a holiday!

Predicted grades for GCSE

I just received my predicted grades for GCSE.

For reference, DiDA is worth 4 GCSEs. To get back at Landau Forte College (which I am currently attending), I need at least 5 A* to B grades, to show that I am committed. Failing this, I could apply for a place at the Joseph Wright College, a new 6th-form college which doesn’t really come close to Landau’s 98% pass rate, but has photography on the prospectus (Landau lacks this).

I don’t really know what I plan to do when I leave college. I would like to be a professional geek, but I haven’t quite refined this yet. I’m thinking perhaps webdesign or multimedia - maybe I could merge the two, or be an entrepreneur.

If I stay at Landau, I would like to take the following courses at A level:

• English Language and Literature;
• Mathematics (I hate it, but it’s useful);
• A computer or ICT related course;
• AS-level Business.

At any other college, I would replace AS-level business with photography… but hey, you can’t have everything I guess.