Sorry.. a case of man-flu caused me to temporarily lose interest in my blog for a few days but I’m mostly back I think. Anyway, over the next few weeks things may go a little quieter on the blog front due to two new Open University courses starting at the beginning of February, and the ongoing Java one still requiring my attention. Still, one of the new ones is titled “Technologies for Digital Media” which I read as “all about mp3, mp4 and jpegs and the like”. It should be very interesting I hope, block 1 starts off discussing the enabling technologies, both hardware devices and about the software innovations in the background (compression etc), then it moves on to IP (Intellectual Property, not Internet Protocol) and finally mobile broadband. I’m hoping it turns out to be a lot more compelling than last year’s “Keeping ahead in ICT” course which started off well with lots of calculations and technology then deteriorated in to essay hell by the final module (note: any amount of essay writing is classed as essay hell in my opinion). Anyway… someone in the OU admin department needs to go on a geography course because although I do live in (South) Wales and am quite happy with the tutorials in Cardiff I have been assigned to, exactly why Wrexham based tutorials are also in my list is amusing. Checking quickly on Google maps to make sure I hadn’t missed something and Wrexham had been moved South without my knowledge, I notice that even my previous tutorial location of Birmingham would be closer. Oh well…