http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/blog.php en Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:25:41 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/blog.php http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?184-Steve-Jobs-An-extraordinary-man Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:14:52 GMT Upon hearing the news that Steve Jobs has sadly passed away yesterday, it is interesting to reflect on back on a man who has had such an impact on... Upon hearing the news that Steve Jobs has sadly passed away yesterday, it is interesting to reflect on back on a man who has had such an impact on the world. From Co-founding Apple which is now the largest technology company in the world in 1976, Jobs took a back seat in the company from 1984 to 1997 (when he became CEO) and purchased a small graphics firm which he renamed to 'Pixar', the company would go on to release Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc and countless other film titles.

When he returned to Apple they were really struggling to compete with Microsoft in the PC market and they didnt really have any kind of strategic direction, Steve Jobs then transformed the company into a forward thinking, innovative company which revolutionised the market with every product, first came new computer products with aesthetically pleasing design such as the Mac Book (laptop) and Mac (Desktop computer). Then came a revolution of portable music industry with the release of the iPod, he then blew away the mobile phone market with the iPhone, not content with just this success he then created the iPad, breathing life in the lifeless tablet market.

The man was also credited with 338 patents ranging from touch based user interfaces, speakers, keyboards, power adapters, keyboards, staircases, clasps, sleeves and much more, it is understandable why he was known as his generations Thomas Edison. ]]> adam http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?184-Steve-Jobs-An-extraordinary-man http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?179-Paul-Scholes-Scored-goals Tue, 31 May 2011 18:44:39 GMT After a beeming review of the 'Brazilian Ronaldo' who is quite possibly the best footballer I have ever seen, it is only fair that I mention Paul Scholes in the same breath because as a Man Utd fan he has simply been a pleasure to watch for 15 years. His name doesnt have the same ring to is as a Henandez or a Sanchez, you dont instantly think of fantasy football and his name dosnt it doesnt scream flair but this local lad born in Salford had vision and passing ability that was unrivalled and in his time hit some world class goals ** Some note worthy mentions against Barcelona in 2008 (champions league Semi-final), full volly direct from a corner against Bradford City (2000) and Volly from a corner after a defensive clearence at the edge of the box against Aston Villa.** I for one am glad that Paul will ramain at Man Utd in a coaching capacity and will be great to have him around the team as he will continue to be a great influence on the younger players.

1990 - 2000

• Ronaldo
• Del Piero
• Zinadine Zidane

2000 - 2010

• Paul Scholes
• Thierry Henry
• Raul

2010 - 2020
I am unsure at the moment as it is still early to say but I have a feeling these three names will be in or around the list:

• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Lionel Messi
• Wayne Rooney

]]> adam http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?179-Paul-Scholes-Scored-goals http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?177-PlayStation-Network-outage Mon, 02 May 2011 21:27:44 GMT PlayStation Network has been down since 20th April 2011, the outage itself effecting some 77 million users of its online gaming services. Sony has... PlayStation Network has been down since 20th April 2011, the outage itself effecting some 77 million users of its online gaming services. Sony has announced that and external intrusion has allowed a third party access to all its member's data but insists that credit card information was encrypted.

Sony has been spending a lot of time strengthening its infrastructure so that issues such as this do not resurface, currently no official date has been given for services resuming the only indication that Sony has given is that it will be 'this week' but has stated that it will only return services when it is sure it can maintain a secure network but the date 4th May seems most likely.

There has been an indication that Sony will offer some form of compensation for the outage, with the PlayStation Network being fee means cash is very unlikely, however PlayStation Plus customers have a greater justification for goodwill paying for the service they have not been receiving.

My hope is that those who is responsible for this cyber crime will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. ]]> Atech http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?177-PlayStation-Network-outage http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?176-Osama-Bin-Laden-is-now-dead Mon, 02 May 2011 20:34:40 GMT This morning like many I woke up to the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by US special forces in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad. It has... This morning like many I woke up to the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by US special forces in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad. It has been said by many that this is a significant step in tackling Al-Qaeda however many world leaders reaction gives a positive yet cautious message, urging vigilance because of the high probability of an act of retaliation.

The surprising part of the operation was the circumstances which the worlds most wanted man was living, thinking back to the iconic pictures of Saddam Hussain being located when living in a hole in the ground in total squaller, however, in a town fairly affluent town in Pakistan Bin Laden lived in a $1,000,000 home with extreme levels of security only a few miles from a Pakistani military academy.

American president Barack Obama announced the news nearly ten years since the September 2001 attacks on the world trade center which claimed the lives of approximately 3,000 people in New York, on hearing the news people in Manhattan flocked to ground zero to celebrating the news and giving the families who lost loved ones that day a sense of justice which they would be forgiven for thinking was never coming. ]]> adam http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?176-Osama-Bin-Laden-is-now-dead http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?175-Rooneygate-and-the-FA Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:15:06 GMT I seem to be posting a lot about Rooney thesedays, and am anticipating a melt down in a similar fashion to Charlie Sheen but I wouldnt blame him with... I seem to be posting a lot about Rooney thesedays, and am anticipating a melt down in a similar fashion to Charlie Sheen but I wouldnt blame him with the stick he gets week in week out, no wage packet can make up for being taunted by 35,000 people, who are cheering him for England one minute then taunting him the next. I dont think there has been so much interest in a footballer in the this country since David Beckham was playing in a red shirt. I have already argued that Wayne Rooney is an idiot (at times) but whilst he wears the red shirt I will be behind him 100% as should every other red. As for the weekend I watched the game live and missed the incedent as I was busy celebrating a fantastic comeback from 2-0 down to 2-4 a fantastic result as Chelsea and Arsenal both dropped points.

The incedent which has been highlighted in the media (or Rooneygate) has me somewhat confused, obviously the media are not bothered about offending children as Sky have a 8 second delay on all matches so that they could have quiet easily cut out any swearing from Rooney after the goal. In addition to this it was also shown on Match of the Day and on heavy rotation on Sky Sports News, if it was so offensive why keep showing it on TV, if it is not that bad then it is a moot point and no action should be taken. To me the punishment is simple the media have created a witchhunt for a man they build up before every world cup as Englands saviour to crusifying him for the next 18 months, a fine of two weeks wages should be given to grass roots football or a childrens charity and it should be Man Utd that issue that fine.

What does interest me is out of all the people who complainted about Rooney swearing I wonder how many of them were either West Ham fans spitting there dummy out after losing a two goal lead, bitter Man City or Liverpool fans or Arsenal / Chelsea fans who have something to gain in the league should United drop points. There are some interesting points about decisions that have gone against Man Utd in recent times in the same week Rooney is caught up in a scandal Steven Gerrard swears at the ref durring the FA's 'respect campaign' with no action being taken, Essien and Carragher have been guilty of some horrific tackles in the last couple of weeks that barely got mentioned at the same time Raphael Da Silva saw red for a comparativly soft challange. Both Chelsea and Man City seem to do what they want with Ashley Cole shooting a man and Balottelli throwing DARTS at some of the youth team and again no action was taken by the FA. The thing that annoys me is that United would play by the rules if the goal posts were not moved constantly to punish anyone who is highlighted by the media, and ignore anything that is not a healine in the Sun.

Also I am unsure how Redknapp got no action over his comments of him being a wheeler dealer to which he swore at the interviewer, he basicly threatened to hold his breath if he got a touchline ban, he recieved nothing. Sir Alex Ferguson makes a comment about a poor refering display and he gets a 5 match touchline ban, which I agree refrees should be protected however they should also be accountable for the decisions that cost clubs points and titles and ultimately millions of pounds, currently there is no process in place where genuine complaints can be made about the preformance of a referee.

The FA have given Rooney a two match ban mainly due to pressure from the media and it feels that there is a massive disparity between who is and isnt accountable for there actions in football at the moment, which I feel is a large issue. At the moment as the actions of clubs, managers and players punishment can be fairly extreme in the form of fines, suspensions and for managers usually the sack, but if a referee has a bad game or a club chairman drives a club into administration there is almost no media coverage about the actions of the individual or any action taken by the FA towards the guilty party. Another point regarding accountability in football is at board room level, my father is a Coventry City fan and we were discussing this issue of accountability as Coventry have had something like 16 managers in 16 years, surely there comes a point when the finger should be pointed at the board room as they obviously can not pick the correct manager to do the job, specificly back them with transfer funds and push the club forward commecially. ]]> adam http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?175-Rooneygate-and-the-FA http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?174-Top-10-TV-shows Wed, 30 Mar 2011 22:13:45 GMT 1. *24* Image: http://bloggingexperiment.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/24.jpg What a show! If you like action, guns, explosions and technology... 1. 24

What a show! If you like action, guns, explosions and technology you can't got wrong with this show. Kiefer Sutherland plays the title role of CTU agent Jack Bauer, as the show progressed it got quite far fetched but it was still exciting and watchable. I think that the best part of all the show was when the stakes are lower, but it means more to Jack, every season there was a massive super virus or a nuclear bomb, but when he was trying to stop the assassination of David Palmer in season one or the first part of season 5 are some of my best moments, I just hope that there will be a movie.

2. Prison Break

Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell play two brothers one of whom is framed for the murder of the Vice Presidents brother and faces the death penalty, his brother who is a structural engineer sets out to break him out, as the story progresses justice is sought against 'The Company' who is a collection of corporate interests headed by General Jonathan Krantz. Great series which always kept you on the edge of your seat, could have nailed down the top spot had it not been for there only being 4 series.

3. House

Fantastic show with a great protagonist Gregory House as a drug addicted genius doctor, some really interesting stories arcs as well as a new medical mystery every week. Dr. Houses character is a highly intelligent and witty man who hates seeing patients and is a bit of a loner, his one friend is Dr. James Wilson sticks by him through thick and thin. The show has a lot of similarities to Sherlock Holmes with House being a parody of Holmes and the similarity of and Dr. Jim Wilson and Dr. John Watson, with the mystery being a medical condition as apposed to a murder.

4. Family Guy

Some fantastic characters Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Mayor Adam West, Brian and Herbert are personal favourites of mine. Always entertaining and always makes me laugh even if I have seen the episode 10 times.

5. Friends

A classic show which never gets boring enough episodes have been made to watch the from start to finish and on finishing being ready to start again from the beginning. Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe all great characters everyone has there favourite mine being Chandler his sharp wit.

6. Two and a Half Men

If I could be anyone on earth it would probably be Charlie Harper, a rich jingle writer who has an endless supply of cash and a different women every week. The plot is based on Charlie taking in his mooch of a brother and his idiot son.

7. Top Gear

There has now been 20 seasons of Top Gear and the current cast of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond have a unique approach to testing new cars (usually supercars) and also participate in some bizarre challenges which make for some entertaining television.

8. Scrubs

The much love medical comedy, for some reason it reminds me a bit of the airplane films, but this is an easy to watch show. Scrubs is a really well written and smart comedy, unlike other situation comedies it has kept a nice balance between humor, sillyness, and a bit of drama/seriousness.

9. Simpsons

Another long standing show and the second animated show on the list, The Simpsons is the definition of classic TV with Homer being the prominent character in the show after an early infatuation with Bart, the ever expanding cast
with likeable characters all with different characteristics make for a lot of scope and variety for story lines.

10. Lost

One of the most annoying programs in history and I am glad it is over, I enjoyed some episodes hated others, the most bizarre of all shows and frustratingly answered any question with another question or answer one question whilst raising two more. I cant deny I enjoyed the show and it entertained me for a long time but for the most part it was a waste of time. ]]> Reems http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?174-Top-10-TV-shows http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?172-Japan-s-Earthquake-Tsunami Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:28:15 GMT I have been lucky enough to visit Japan a couple of years ago and had a wonderful time in and around the Tokyo area. The news of the earth quake is... I have been lucky enough to visit Japan a couple of years ago and had a wonderful time in and around the Tokyo area. The news of the earth quake is extremely sad and will have a massive impact on many people, not just by the amount of casualties but the massive economic, ecological and environmental considerations.

The main fear now in Japan is of the safety of its nuclear reactors, there is a chance (be it a very slim one) of a melt down on the scale of Chernobyl which would make a large area uninhabitibal for decades and will remind many of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Also there is a fear is a secondary earth quake which would undoubtably cause chaos to an already weakened infrastructure and hamper rescue attempts.

Japan plans to put Ģ113 Billion into the economy to help the country recover from this disaster. The country Debt already is 145% of its GDP meaning that its debt far surpasses its income already, luckly the countries high level of saving helps somewhat, however the UK and USA having around 50-60% of GDP which is worrying for us and the cause of the drastic cuts under this coalition government. Japan will face a

I have always wondered why some of the worlds largest cities have been built on or near the techtonic plates cities in cluding Tokyo, Los Angeles, San Fransisco, Singapore, Bangkok, Auckland to name only a few. ]]> adam http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?172-Japan-s-Earthquake-Tsunami http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?171-Android-Vs-iPhone-Apps Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:11:59 GMT It has been popular opinion by many that the iPhone will be overtaken by the Android platform in the near future but I am not so sure, people have... It has been popular opinion by many that the iPhone will be overtaken by the Android platform in the near future but I am not so sure, people have argued that open source will beat closed source because there is more people developing it. This however is not backed up by any evidence as the Windows platform has out performed Linux for well over a decade and market share in this market does not look like it is going to change soon. There are some powerful players behind the Android platform however this doesnt ensure success and past experience and trends show that it is quiet difficult to break dominace. ]]> Atech http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?171-Android-Vs-iPhone-Apps http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?169-Benicāssim-2011 Sat, 26 Feb 2011 13:00:30 GMT After havign a brilliant time in 2010, I have taken it upon myself to secured my Benicāssim 2011 ticket, this week more acts have been announced and... After havign a brilliant time in 2010, I have taken it upon myself to secured my Benicāssim 2011 ticket, this week more acts have been announced and the week is shaping up to be rather amazing.

Currently acts announced include:
Arcade Fire, Artic Monkeys, Mumford & Sons, Portishead, The Strokes, Elbow, Friendly Fires, Paulo Nutini, Pendulum, The Streets, Tinie Tempeh, The Stranglers, Primal Scream.

I think that there may well be a couple more bands announced before the final line-up is confirmed with one more major band being announced in the not to distant future, that would really turn it into a week to remember. Out of the names already announced I would argue that only Arcade Fire, Artick Monkeys and the Strokes would qualify as headliners. ]]> adam http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?169-Benicāssim-2011 http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?168-Sony-vs-the-people. Sat, 26 Feb 2011 12:24:31 GMT An interesting article on the BBC website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9406690.stm) into something that I have disagreed with... An interesting article on the BBC website into something that I have disagreed with for years, some products that you purchase you do not have the right to do what you want with them. The above article explains that if you purchase a car, it belongs to you, you can do what you want with it be it drive it into a wall or give it to Xzibit to be pimped the choice is yours. Interestingly this is something that you are now not legally allowed to do with the Sony PS3, the legal precident that Sony won means that effectivly even though the product belongs to you cannot modify it or treat that product as you please.

It is understanable position to not be able to pirate software and if you are participating in illegal activity such as piracy then you should be procecuted liek you would should you get on the train without paying, but to modify the software to allow you to use it differently is crazy. Games such as Call of Duty:Modern Warefare 2 are already modified so that people can jump 100ft up in the air and cant be killed (which drives me crazy) but the bottom line is that they should be allowed to do what they want with there own belongings such as create there own game with homebrew software.

I feel this has far reaching ramifications particularly for items such as the iPhone where hackers have cracked or 'jailbraked' the software as Apple have monopolised its software (iTunes) with there own branded hardware (iPod). I fail to see how this is different from the way that Microsoft has conducted itself in the past for including web browsers as part of an operating system to which the company was fined Ģ331m. ]]> adam http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?168-Sony-vs-the-people. http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?160-Honourable-Mention Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:14:12 GMT This week Ronaldo retired from football this week and would like to take this opportunity to salute one of footballs greatest ever players, from... This week Ronaldo retired from football this week and would like to take this opportunity to salute one of footballs greatest ever players, from being a young child I considered Ronaldo to be the best footballer in the world and considered to him to be without parallel, the only player who come close was Zidane. I remember being absoultely devostated the night when my team Man Utd played Real Madrid (Ronaldo's club at the time) in the champions league, United fans were quitely optimistic prior to the game playing the galacticos it was felt that our team would beat there collection of stars. That day Ronaldo decided to play at a level that was not reachable by mere mortals and scored three stunning goals and humiliated one of the best defences of the time from the first whistle. Ronaldo was subsituted in the second half after putting the tie to bed on his own, and, unusually everyone of the 68,000 fans in the stadium stood to there feet and applauded the man off the park! admittidly that is something I have never seen before, or likely to again.

Ronaldo never won the champions league but his list of honours is still second to none, two world cup wins nationally, trophies for each of his clubs including the la Liga title, UEFA Cup and countless individual prizes including world player of the year on three occasions. A truely magical player liked by everyone Barcelona and Real Madrid, Inter and AC Milan, it is argued that without as many injuries could have easily been remembered in the same bracket as Pele and Maradonna, those who had the privalage to seen him play live nodoubt still will. ]]> adam http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?160-Honourable-Mention http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?159-Unemployment-and-the-political-mess. Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:47:32 GMT What is exceptionally worrying is that the figure quoted that over 20% of 16- 24 year olds are now out of work, the concequences of this I feel... What is exceptionally worrying is that the figure quoted that over 20% of 16- 24 year olds are now out of work, the concequences of this I feel significantly understateded; David Cameron is quoted as staying that this is a 'matter of great regret'.

It seems young people are trapped between increasing costs of education with student fees set to rise to Ģ9,000 per year and no other option as opertunities in employment are at an all time low. This coupled with a pensions time bomb with a aging population spells significant economic issues in the future as lower skilled workers due to lack of oppertunities will exacibate the pensions problem.

It seems clear that the jobs market has gone in revese something that the previous labour goverment warned would happen with such significant cuts, the most frustrating thing about these cuts are that the UK goverment's cuts amount to Ģ6 billion and was initially designed to reduce the cost of the deficit after years of overspending, however it seems that instead of this we are helping Ireland in a bailout. The consequence of bailing out Ireland may well be a lost generation of young people with no real job prospects due to a lack of experience and/or education and they will be given the unenviable task of providing for the then pensioners who are responcible for mortgaging their futures. ]]> adam http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?159-Unemployment-and-the-political-mess. http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?156-The-Ashes-2010 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:17:49 GMT After seeing the performance of the England cricketers over the course of the last few weeks it looks very promising that they will regain the ashes... After seeing the performance of the England cricketers over the course of the last few weeks it looks very promising that they will regain the ashes perhaps even before Christmas! England now only need to win one more test to make it imposible for Australia to regain the Ashes. Today in the Third test Australia were bowled out for 268 at one point 69-5. Retaining the ashes would be a fantastic achievement for the England team, especially with it being in Australia. ]]> adam http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?156-The-Ashes-2010 http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?155-Top-10-Cartoon-Characters Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:41:00 GMT After the child abuse awareness thing on facebook last week I thought I would make a list of the top 10 cartoon characters out there. 1. Homer... After the child abuse awareness thing on facebook last week I thought I would make a list of the top 10 cartoon characters out there.

1. Homer Simpson

2. Stewie Griffin

3. Eric Cartman

4. Micky Mouse

5. Spongebob Squarepants

6. Mario

7. Scooby Doo

8. Peter Griffin

9. Sonic the Hedgehog

10. Bugs Bunny

Agree or disagree, have there been any oversights? ]]> Reems http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?155-Top-10-Cartoon-Characters http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?154-Students-fees-Vote Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:50:52 GMT After the scenes yesterday it is a little embarrasing being a student as there is no excuse for looting or destruction of peoples property under any... After the scenes yesterday it is a little embarrasing being a student as there is no excuse for looting or destruction of peoples property under any circumstances, however I understand the frustration in the student community as it is almost as if elite education at the top universites will become out of reach for the poorest students, something I am sure the Tory government will support as it fits their ideology perfectly. It is clear that universites are under funded and more needs to be done to ensure that they remain at the top of new research and continue to generate some of the world brightest minds.

The contentious issue for me is value for money, my undergraduate degree gives me 8 hours per week of contact time, half of which is in a lecture theatre for a full time course. That translates to above Ģ10 per hour for my time in university under the proposed new fees this will increase to treble that and at Ģ30 per hour for me to sit in a lecture thratre to be talked at, which seems incrediblty expensive!

The vast cost couple with the lowest level of graduate opertunities in memory means that the poorest will be put off from investing in education, I think that it should be intellegence elitism as apposed to financial resources that decide on who goes to university. Meaning it is time to improve the standard of A-Levels to weed out those who don't cut the mustard and are only attending as they don't want to entre the work place.

For myself now I know that the increase in fees will not hinder me in the slightest, fees wont be introduced before I have finished study and based on the simple principles of economics it will translate to me gaining improved job prospects with employers needing to offer a larger incentive to graduates so they are willing to take on the massive debts, with reduced competion due to people being put off by the massive burden equating to a second morgage. This is a long way away from the policys set out by new labour ten years ago where they were aiming on getting 50% of young people through university, and I fear will be a massive mistake in respect to gaining long term economic growth for this country. ]]> adam http://www.studentsforum.co.uk/entry.php?154-Students-fees-Vote