Midway, Work, Work & Robots

I find it difficult to believe, but I’m already halfway through my term of lectures. Week six is now behind me, which leaves six more ahead of me. A handful of deadlines are out of the way, but there’ll be a handful more over the next week or so. Time certainly flies.

Mean Streets

So on Friday, we all went into Amsterdam for drinks. We had a good time, such a lively city at night. I still don't understand why every night out turns into a pub crawl though. Several times we were settled into a pub and having a grand time, when suddenly it was time to wander a few streets and find a new one. It's something I'll never understand.

Living in the Future

Sometimes technology scares me. Or rather, the pace of advance. Today I received delivery of a replacement memory card for my phone. It was a 16GB Micro SDHC card. Now I know these have been kicking about for a couple of years now, but this was my first time handling one myself. These things are smaller than my thumbnail but can hold a pretty large amount of music or photos. Or if I felt like it, a few full HD movies.

Good Movie

Scott Pilgrim, good movie. That's what I thought of it. Clever, funny, and entertaining throughout. Well worth seeing. Also a fun trip out with friends. I got hustled in pool and lost in a test of strength. It was a fun night out overall, fun back in Ireland.

Maximum

Today I went back to the cinema to see Inception again, this time in an IMAX screen. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I'd heard that IMAX cinemas were somehow bigger and better than a normal theatre. In the end, It turned out to be just a really big cinema. Like Screen 17 in Cineworld, it was a great big slightly curved screen that nearly filled my entire field of vision. The speakers were louder and more distinct. So it's just a slightly better cinema.

Cinema Trip

Took a trip down to the Arena today to see Inception, as I said I would. I really enjoyed the film. Interesting setting, good plot, great pacing. Fantastic characters and excellent acting from all on show. Visually impressive also. All in all a very enjoyable movie.

Waffles

Today I had a demo/presentation in work about what I've been doing up until now. I was to explain about the virtual machines, show how they worked, the advantages and disadvantages of them. So we all gathered around a very long table in the board room and reclined in big executive chairs. It was a little intimidating, sitting between a long table of scrutinous engineers and a giant TV, but they seemed to like it. In the end, they know more about how to fix the shortcomings with the machines than I did.

Lazy Days

I still haven't recovered from Friday. That late night was a shock to the system after I've become accustomed to going to bed and getting up early. One all nighter and three days later I'm still falling asleep at my keyboard.

Dull

Not the weather, the sky blue day today was fantastic. Just in terms of news. I had intended to see Inception yesterday, the new Christopher Nolan film, though I decided against wasting too much money the wrong side of pay day. So I'll probably take a look at it next week.

Thunderous

Today I saw Toy Story 3. The ending made me cry like a little girl. The most fun I've had in the movies since Up! Though I've only seen a small handful of films since I saw Up! I saw it in a great cinema out by Amsterdam Arena run by Pathé. Though it was a bit expensive, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I did have to sit around for a few hours to wait for the English version. Luckily there was a massive electronics store right outside.

Moving Pictures

I love the cinema. Not as some kind of fan of arthouse exploration or big old buildings, but as an excursion and an event. I've seen a lot of films in cinemas, and one thing I've always found is that the experience is always better. The films are more engrossing and more enjoyable, purely by being bigger. The sensory deprivation provided by settling into an armchair in a large dark room also helps.