Nimrod
Ultimate Lifeform

Life after University

3 years ago, I was scared. For one simple reason, I was leaving home for the very first time and entering University 200 miles away from home. Back then, nothing was on my mind about finishing University, just the start of an adventure.

I remember being nervous, I remember the car journey up to University with the parents knowing it was going to be the start of my adult life, moving out of the parents home and into my own place. I still remember the excitement of setting up my new room, the nervousness of meeting my new house mates for the first time, and the pain of seeing my parents leave (I know it makes me sound like a wimp, but when I lived with them for 20 years and having to say good bye, was always going to be a weird and upsetting thing). The shock to the system when I had to cook my own food, do my own washing and generally learn to be independent.

That all seems very old now, 3 years later and I have finished University, An end of journey. When I started University I never thought of the end, 3 years is a long time and I didn't know if I would even manage a year, yet I managed 3. Now the sad truth is I have to prepare to re-enter my old life. It's not necessary a bad thing, but it will be weird. Going from total independence to going back to the old life I had before University. I'm so use to living with friends, hanging out and doing what I want to do. If I want loud music, I'll play it, if I want to laze around and do nothing, I'll do just that. If I want to be social, all I have to do is walk out of my room to a house buzzing with friends. Looking back at when I was a fresher starting University, and where I am now, I've had 3 great years of my life and met some amazing people. One person I'll never forget is who you all know on Digiex as Insanenutter. I've known him for years online, but actually getting to know him in person and becoming real friends, has been an experienced and a half (Who could believe we could have so

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Britain and the great freeze

I know to some people across the world, this would seem like nothing. But for as long as I can remember we have never had this much snow in the UK for decades.

Credit for the image goes to Nasa. I think it looks amazing.

Apple's Windows programmers deserve to be shot in the face.

I would like to sync my iPhone to my PC, fair enough I accept I have to use iTunes for it.

So why does:

• The program look like a Mac program? I'm running Windows here so perhaps you know, I would like the application to fit in like every other one. Use the Windows framework on Windows you jerks, I mean you don't see Microsoft Office or Outlook for Mac looking like a Windows applications. I'm using Windows, therefore I would like the program to fit in with Windows and not look like a silver piece of rubbish.
• Why does Quicktime Player need to be installed? The Quicktime library's perhaps so that iTunes can work, but why do I need the player to? Its beyond rubbish, its slow, unresponsive and doesn't fit into the Windows style.
• Why on earth does Quicktime fucking load every time I click an MP3 or Video file in my web browser? I want to fucking download it, not view it in a new tab and wait 3 minutes for you to load it because you cant program network code for shit. Then when you tell it not to in its settings, it fucking ignores you!
• Why the fuck do I want Quicktime to load on Windows boot? If i was stupid enough to want a slow useless media player, I'd open you from the start menu, I don't need you hogging 10mb of ram and a spot in the tray icon.
• I plug my iPhone in to charge, you know seems it comes with a USB Charger. I do not want fucking iTunes to spend a minute loading up, taking over 100mb of ram just so you can fucking sync, there's nothing new to sync! If I wanted you to load up and sync my phone, I would open iTunes. Just because I plugged in my iPhone doesn't mean I need you to load up (heck, try playing a game and plugging it in, it takes focus from your game so if its full screen it minimizes)
• Why the fuck do I need tons of system services like Bonjour and Apple Mobile Support? Zune Player and Winamp and other players dont need tons of services taking up system resources to be running 24/7 to sync.
• How the fuck is Safari

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The iPhone may have changed the smartphone for the better, but it does have negative

There are so many good things that have come to the mobile phone market thanks to the iPhone. A few examples being that applications have reached the massive due to the ease of use the iphone has shown, and its started showing people that 3G is not about phone and video calls, but is about data.

But theres another side to the iPhone which has damaged the cell phone market, espically in Europe.

A few years back before the iPhone hit the market, the mobile phone market was simple. Operators made and deployed the network, and offered plans etc, phone makers made phones and provided them to networks and direct to consumers for them to buy, and place there sim cards in. Network exclusivity never existed, phones were reasonably priced and so where phone plans. Mobile phones and mobile networks were years ahead in europe and japan compared to america.

Then came along Apple, an american company. They had this "much wanted" phone they made, and wanted to market it in europe. Instead of doing what other big players like Nokia, Samsung and Sony Erricisson done where they sell the phone they decided they wanted the american strategy in europe. They wanted the phone to be exclusive to a network, and in return they wanted 40% of all revenue the network operator generated, while the customer used the phone.

Instead of standing up for themselves, certain networks in Europe like O2 and Orange didnt want to stand up for themselves and instead agreed to Apples stupid terms.

By the prices of iPhone Tariffs from networks, which are around £10 more expensive than normal tariffs, it was money the network operators couldnt afford to lose, hence the price increase.

Now thanks to Apple and the iPhone, the american mobile phone business model has taken over europe, with many devices coming out which are exclusive to specific networks and have an above average cost.

A few examples include the Palm

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First proper day in the new house, and what a joke

I've just moved into a house which I'm staying here for this summer, and what a joke it has been. Most people enjoy there first few days in a house, and I wish I had.

I did pop in for a few weeks during August to set up bills and start stuff but it wasnt a full move in and only three of us were here, so this is now my "official" move in day, and is also the time I cant pull out anymore.

I arrived last in the evening (2am) after a horrible drive in some of the worst weather we have ever had in England during the summer, massive rainful and strong winds, made the 4 hour drive terrible, and when I go here I had to unpack, move boxes up 5 flights of stairs and then make my bed (urgh what a nightmare) by 4am I was shattered and went to bed. This was also my first night in a loft conversaion with rain and wind, and it was fucking loud and kept me up all night, so at midday I finally got up after only a couple of hours of sleep feeling shit.

Spent all afternoon finishing the unpacking, then went down and into the kitchen. A power bill had arrived for the last month which we needed to pay, as the house as in our name. To stop arguements, we agreed to split the bill evenually between everyone. As some of us (like me) used more electric, but little gas (I microwave 95% of my dinners) and vice versa, so we agreed just to split it to stop arguements. So one of my house mates and opened the bill, It was £35 for a month which isnt bad, but when I said thats so much each to pay, he demanded hes not paying a third of that as he went home for a couple of weeks, but so did the other two who were here (though some for shorter and longer days). But still, after all the arguements we got before we agreed an even split, to then refuse to pay his share (which was only under £12) is a crap start to having to share bills. Not looking forward to the next. Though I do understand where hes coming from, and am willing to pay my extra as he only

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