Record on Creative Innovation and Teamwork

Week Eleven at CIT

2009-11-30T17:52:00.002Z

Well we are at the final week of this semester. A lot to be carried out and i have to say i am making my deadlines which is good. :) I just hope i can carry it on.

Well this week i have been saying is a big one as the last minute stuff need to be handed up. Projects, Assessments and Exams are to be done this week. Today i had my Programming exam and i have to say i gave it my best efforts and i'm happy with what i handed up. Tomorrow i have a Stats assessment and Wednesday a Networking online exam and a pratical after. Architecture lab sheets also must be handed up and i have on Friday a CIT presentation and a Alice Exam.

Normally i would go on and describe my week in more detail however this week i am unable to do so as judging by the previous paragraph i had a lot to do so quiet acceptable to cut the blog short for this week. Wanna do the best i can!! :) So i will leave it at that and let you know how i do next week.

Wish me luck!

Anthony Mannix

Week Ten at CIT

2009-11-23T09:26:00.001Z

It is fair to say that we are in crunch time. This is the time that matters most, the present, things need to be done, pick up those marks and move on to the next semester. That’s the reality. Its is so easy for your mind to wander off however its all about keeping your focus, the reason why I’m hear.

The week was eventful from both a college and partially weather point of view. Things are busy at the moment with everything, putting in my hours to ensure everything is done. Algorithmic is due Wednesday and I nearly have that complete, just one hitch to fix. Programming we will be having our final exam tomorrow week so I hope to do well in that as its worth 50%. I managed to complete my Networking and Programming for the Fridays deadline and I’m happy enough with what I handed up. Just going back to programming sometimes I feel I’m capable then I ain’t, just that instinct so I managed to obtain a book form the college library last Thursday on C++ Programming and I have to say it is lending a hand, it takes me back to the basics, why this does that, I am happy I decided to read up on it cause it could do me well in the future. We have been doing example programs with Jim this week which he says will be similar to the exam, I managed to take note of a few of them and I have to say I’m understanding programming more. I hope this development will continue.

The weather was shocking from last Wednesday to the present day, Thursday I just about managed to make it home and on Friday I couldn’t make it cause the city was in a bad state. It was the first day I missed and the good thing was that I managed not to miss anything important. Cheers for the info Kev!!! :) I’m hoping I can make it for tomorrow because I want to get that Algorithmic finished for Wednesday.

I have to say last Wednesday night was a heart breaking for me, I really take pride in watching the Irish soccer team, to think about it, it was probably the best performance I ever seen from the Boys and they levelled the scores in Paris to 1-1 on aggregate with a lovely goal form Robbie Keane. We had plenty of chance to win the game however France managed to score in extra time with a goal that NEVER should have been allowed as Thierry Henry handled the ball TWICE and then set William Gallas to score the winner. It wasn’t the goal itself that disappointed me but it was some of the Irish players in the end crying partially Damien Duff who had a mighty game, the game of soccer is so cruel and I nearly don’t feel like watching it if that kinda thing is happening. It was so unfair on our players who are so honest but that’s the way it goes. FAI were appealing for a replay but that just aint going to happen. Life must go on. Trap is still a legend and I hope he will lead us to the Euros in 2012 because he is the man for the job. What a performance!!! :)

Anyway I better be going. Everything is busy at the moment and I am liking it I have to say cause they isn’t nothing better than having something to do. Let’s hope I get it done!! :)

See ya

Anthony Mannix

Week Nine at CIT

2009-11-15T21:00:00.002Z

Hello there, time is moving on and the end of semester one will be coming to close soon.

Last week was very productive, we are in full gear with projects/assessments and exams to be carried out for the next few weeks. I mentioned i got some assessments and i am still moving on nicely with them, Networking is nearly done, little to touch up in the Programming and the Algorithmic is going well. At first i was very eager to get these out of the way however i learned you must stick at it that bit while longer to give it full effort. I just hope my effort will be enough to provide me with a good mark.

Well with the work hours cut it has come to my advantage as i have more time on my hands and it provides me with a bit of leeway. Its better and more relaxing to be in a bit of free time which is cool and i think it's working to my advantage. For example, Saturday morning i got stuck in the Networking and got the gist of it complete which was nice as it was a time i usual never got time to do college stuff with work always on the agenda Saturdays.

Sadly Ireland lost the World Cup Play-Off first leg thanks to a fluky goal from Nicky Anelka. A nil all was on the cards but that most certainly dents our chances making it to South Africa. The second leg is on Wednesday and i wouldn't rule us out sneaking a goal however the French may be too good overall. I was saying the last few weeks that its fate that we will make it so we shall see what transpires on Wednesday.

There you go, that's a chuck of my week i have just told you about. Hope i can now finish up all my assignments and move on to the exams next month.

See ya!!!

Anthony Mannix

Week Eight at CIT

2009-11-08T18:13:00.003Z

Well it's clear now that we are getting down to business. I have been mentioning it the past few week now, the workload is continuing to rise. During week eight i received some projects that have to be due in a few weeks time.

To the details, the class got their Programming project which is due in for the 20th November. We are to produce a Gym Membership application which has a few tricky bits to it, hopefully i will be able to get mine to work within the requirements. We also got our Networking project which is funnily enough due the same day as the Programming. We must make a network and perform some calculations to ensure it is to the specifications. At the moment i am doing alright with both projects and i am just hoping to get done dusted with them as soon as i can so i can move onto the next item of business.

In Algorithmic i'm sure i mentioned last week i had a assessment Friday gone, i did very well in it i feel, we had to make a world that had a rescue helicopter which had to save four people from thunder storms. I managed to get the thing working within the two hours and there was some ups and downs during that 180 minutes. It was worth 30% so it would be nice to get a good mark earned.

Last weekend was my first free weekend since i started in CIT. Hours were cutting down so it suited me in that regards as i can now give complete focus to the next few weeks. Christmas will provide another chance to clock up the hours again but at the moment it is best to give it a break.

Next Saturday is a big day as it is the first leg of the World Cup Play-Off against France at Croke Park. The most essential thing is not concede and to be honest i would take a 0-0 at this moment. I fancy our chances in Paris and i have been saying its Faith that we are to qualify (it just a that feeling)and i predict that we will get a 1-1 in Paris and that will be enough to get us to South Africa with the away goal. Next time i will be writing the first leg will have passed so lets see how it transpires.

That's it for this week, a lot going on at the moment so i hope everything will go to plan. NOTE: Important date - 20th November!!!

Till week nine.

Anthony Mannix

Week Seven at CIT

2009-11-02T21:23:00.002Z

Hello again, well time is moving on nicely, writing about my seventh week already in CIT and getting that bit busier.

Well last week was productive as ever, everything seems to be moving up that extra gear and it will continue to rise in the coming weeks i bet. I mentioned the last few weeks i got some assessments, well i got results for some of them and did well enough to be happy with the effort. For example in Algorithmic i thought i didn't do so well however i was surprised i did better than i thought. I hope this will continue for me. :)

As i was predicting i am cutting down in my working hours. It is for the best at the moment especially with the busy time to come. Was asked to come in round Christmas time so i will be happy enough to work during my free time (even thou it is a time to relax!!!) Last week i worked on the Friday from 2-9 and 8-4 on Saturday so grafted a nice number of hours. Hope now to make those hours worth while for college!

Well Chelsea have still hold top spot in the league with their 0-4 win over Bolton and United are still hot on our heels with 2 points between us. Liverpool are going REALLY badly and Rafa maybe getting the sack soon. Six losses in the last seven, a loss in Lyon on Wednesday could put the nail in the coffin.

I would like to dedicate this paragraph to Christmas, why? well to my amazement yesterday i was walking through Dunnes Stores and noticed out of the blue a tune "Jingle Bells" Haha it's early but what can you expect these days? Good ol recession shopping for this Christmas i say!!! Haha

Well that's my week, all going well in CIT and that Christmas feeling is fast approaching, a letter to Santa for next weeks blog!! Haha :)

Bye Bye

Anthony Mannix

Week Six at CIT

2009-10-26T19:14:00.002Z

Could we say we are at the half way stage at CIT??? Well we are certainly within that period and all is still going good in my adventure of college. Today is a Bank Holiday and i will try to make this short and sweet and try to enjoy the rest of the break. :)

Well last week i had those Assessments i may of mentioned. First it was Programming on Monday morning where we had to develop an application that had to calculate house tax for old age pensioners. I got it working and i can say i couldn't of done any better so i was happy with my work. Next it was Statistic's where we had a 15% exam, we were given two questions i was able to provide an answer to both and hope the results were right. The final Assessment was on Wednesday where we had to hand up Lab sheet that were carried out in previous weeks. So i could say i gave my all for these Assessments which at the end of the day is that all that can be done.

On the Thursday night i had a Graduation for the course i carried out the last year and it was nice setting. Of course the suit had to make a rare appearance and we were given vales for the event. Minister of Education Batt O' Keefe was the guest of honour and when he was introduced a slight "boo" was sounded, as they say "there's always one". It was great as a whole cause i got my Cert and also met up with my friends and lectures that i carried out the course with. I hope i will experience something like it again!!! :) Please God.

With Friday off i worked from 12-9 and was a bit wrecked to say the least after the previous night. Again Saturday was a 8-4 which was cool and will make a difference to the balance. Finally i had a chance to enjoy the LONG weekend in the end and enjoyed every bit of it!!! ;)

I was planning to make this short but without thinking in the beginning i had a lot to express about the week. Definitely was one of the most busiest since i started but that's the way it has been of late so i am getting used to it!!! :) Which is good!!

Next week again.

Anthony Mannix

Week Five at CIT

2009-10-19T20:33:00.008+01:00

So here we are, the autumn is kicking in which means that things are getting a bit more hectic. As the leafs fall i am undertaking my assignments and studying for the assessments coming up, pity but has to be done.

So the fifth week in CIT had it's usual good and bad moments. This week for one was one of the busiest from a assignment and assessment point of view. We had to have our job assignment done on Friday for Creative, Innovation & Teamwork which i gave my best shot which is all that can be done. Also that same day the class had an assessment in Algorithmic Problem Solving were we had to create a program that involved a shark eating three scuba divers. Overall i was a bit disappointed with what i handed up as it wasn't perfect but still it was worth 10% and the rest the assessments are worth 30% each so please God i will know what to expect the next time. All other modules are going fine at the moment. I had an assessment today in Programming, have one tomorrow in Statical Calculations and must hand up Lab Sheets for Computer Architecture on Wednesday so technically i will tell the tale next week. ;)

Last week i thought i was FINALLY going to have a week without work however i got a last minute call on Friday morning from my boss asking if i would come in at 2 o clock and Saturday. Didn't want to turn my back from the cash so i attended both on Friday and Saturday and of course hit it hard as usual!!! ;) It may become an obstacle in the coming weeks so i will be cutting down on the working hours to ensure that priority 1 - College gets it's required study.

Well the draw for the playoff were made in the 2010 World Cup Qualifying and we were paired against France. No doubt it was the toughest task to encounter however i give us a chance against the French. I think it's faith that Giovanni Trapattonni will guide us to South Africa, some people are already writing us off but i just have this feeling we will do it.

And finally my friend John left the course last week, to be fair he said he didn't have any interest in the course as a whole so there was only going to be one outcome. John, good luck and take care of yourself and i'm sure our paths will cross in the foreseeable future. Remember me when you win the Lotto!!! ;) LASERS :)

There we have it for this week. Must go off and do some last bit of study for Stats tomorrow so i will depart.

Until the the next time.

Anthony Mannix

Week Four at CIT

2009-10-12T20:58:00.007+01:00

Are we here already?? Writing about my fourth week in CIT and i have to say it is going fairly lively. Week four at CIT was productive as usual with plenty of stuff to be commenced and thoughts gathered subsequent to those events. There was a mixture of highs and lows throughout the week, which can be expected and will still continue to kick on no matter what.

Let's start on the modules, i have to say everything is going sound at this moment in time. For example Computer Architecture and Programming aren't hitting the slippery slopes of the last few weeks and i feel i am beginning to recognize the notions of the subjects. At least i have some understanding because there is nothing worse than listening to a lecture, having no idea what they are explaining. For Creative, Innovation & Teamwork i'm still proceeding at the first assignment which is due for this Friday however i'm fully confident it will be completed by then. We were also set up into teams for the group project. It's is turning into a fun class i have to say as my teammates Robin, Matt, Ronan, Patrick did a group exercise last Friday discussing what items we would take if we were lost at sea. The team as a whole did their best and got an alright mark, lets just say, on our ranking points. I was also made leader which is cool and it should be fun in the proceeding weeks.

Work is going as swell as always. Had a 2-9 on Friday and for once had Saturday off which was brilliant as it was my first Saturday off since i started in CIT. I had a clear run of the day and made it worth while of course!!! ;) When 8 o clock hit it was time to watch that World Cup Qualifier i mentioned last week, Ireland vs Italy. As mentioned earlier "A week of highs and lows" Well here is the low, a smashing game with Ireland taking the lead through a Glean Whelan ROCKET but Italy made it 1-1 not too long after. The game was going through the motions following that, however in the 87th minute Ireland scored via a free kick through a Sean St Ledger header to make it 2-1 to the Irish with three minutes + stoppage time remaining - not much left, well Italy scored three minutes later to draw the game 2-2 which sends them straight to the World Cup and leaving Ireland to negotiate a play-off with the likes of Russia, France, Portugal or Greece. It would of been a famous win for Trap's army however i'm looking forward to the play-offs now. The draw is made next week, Greece would be the best team to face next month however it would be great if we had the chance to knock out the French. We shall see!!

So there we have it for this week. I'm sure things in CIT will be hotting up in the coming week as we have a few assessments to undertake soon so it will be the chance the obtain a few precious marks for our final result. Won't that be fun!!! :)

Till another time.

Anthony Mannix

Week Three at CIT

2009-10-05T19:06:00.004+01:00

Well time is moving on nicely, writing about my third week already in CIT and nonetheless it's still going nicely.

Well last week was Freshers Week and the place had an extra buzz about it with all the interesting shows happening. From the modules point of view, last week we are moving on into new phases of study each day and of course getting that bit more challenging. Those two subjects of Programming and Computer Architecture brought there usual difficulty trends while the others aren't presenting too much problems YET.

My work hours were forced to be cut on Tuesday as our timetable was changed. We had Colin Manning for Creative Innovation & Teamwork from 11-1 on Monday however our lecture has now changed so we now have Mary Davin which results the class to stay on the Tuesday 2-4 which is a nuisance as it denies us the pleasant half day. But still that tired Wednesday feeling i've been experiencing the last few weeks won't be felt (as much) which is the bright side the whole scenario. Anyway last week i worked again on the Friday from 2-9 and 8-4 on Saturday so still grafted a nice number of hours. After work on Friday i made it before the 10 o clock deadline to vote on the Lisbon Treaty. I decided to vote "Yes" as i heard strong indications from computers industries like Microsoft and Intel to support the "Yes Campaign" so it was a no brainer to support their call especially with the course i am just undertaking. One of my classmates were urging me to go against it so he will be very heart rendered when he reads this!!! ;)

Well Chelsea have reclaimed top spot in the league with their 2-0 win over Liverpool and with United slip up against Sunderland it gives us a 2 point cushion but still a long way to go. Also it Ireland will be facing Italy at Croke Park this Saturday in a World Cup Qualifier with top spot still to play, although it is very unlikely we will claim it. I am predicting a 0-0 draw however i don't rule out that we may snatch the win off the World Champions. Hopefully we can look forward to seeing the Boys in Green in South Africa in 2010!

Well that's my week wrapped in a nutshell, still grinding away at the Institute of Technology and nevertheless enjoying the whole experience. For now!! :)

Slán go fóill

Anthony Mannix

First Assignment

2009-10-01T19:05:00.002+01:00

Yesterday i was given my first assignment in Creative, Innovation & Teamwork. We were given jobs and it's our task to write up a C.V, investigate the computer company you wish to work for, outline job specifications , modules required to do the job and write a formal letter to the business you wish to work with. My job is an Information Security Administrator and the deadline for the assignment is 16th October.

Second Week at CIT

2009-09-28T21:25:00.009+01:00

Well here we are, at present I’m in my third week in CIT. So I am here to bring up to date my second week. As time moves by I have learned that you settle more into yours surroundings of the place, make more friends and of course come to reality of the modules are getting into their tread and are anticipatable getting that speck strenuous. Hence you discover which modules you rather more than others.

So as my week commenced on 9:00am Monday in C128 we had a nice tranquil two hour session with Jim Doyle which is a polite style to start out any week. After those two hours we were positioned in the same area for Creative Innovation & Teamwork where Colin Manning asked use to set up an account on Blogger. Subsequent to setting up we were asked to create our first blog entry regarding our first week in CIT hence which affects me to describe my second week at this time. To be fair I think it is a cool idea to create a little record about our time here. Once a week is a nice stretch of time to gather our thoughts and feelings and some love it so much they write more than one!!!

As the week moved on I came to discover that the course was getting that bit testing. For example Computer Architecture definitely moved up a gear with Denis Long. On Wednesday morning our class had a good two hour lab which wasn’t any way demanding nonetheless our hour lecture later that evening really hit us as we were introduced to the binary system and it definitely got a few people puzzled when we got stuck into the calculations. After that class I was uncertain about the calculations which then resulted me to hit the study that night to solve the explanation. With a bit of help the next day from a few friends I understood the concept of it and it was a nice feeling solving the remedy. On Thursday we had an interesting Networking class with Josh Reynolds who registered us to the Cisco Networking Academy and we had a go at one of the programs “Packet Tracer” which was sound as we could set up network situations and I found it to be really appealing. Back to that module again of Computer Architecture which we had on a 4-5 session which was a hard-hitting time to have a challenging subject. We performed a bit of binary addition and on the encouraging side I managed to understand the notion of the subject. Later I was taking into consideration about heading out but with work the next day it was better to miss it. Fresher week this week!!! :) For the final day we had an odd Creative, Innovation & Teamwork lecture where we were split up into groups by Colin and asked to discuss topics with our group. However Colin thought we were not joining in with the fun when the class was in mute stage at times so he let us depart with 20 minutes left which was unexpected.

From a working point of view I had 2-9 stints on Tuesday and Friday, with an 8-5 on Saturday. I have to say the combining both work and study is hard. Facing a day in college and a day in work can take it out of you. For example Saturday night I was shattered and was planning to look at Bernard Dunne in the boxing but the power went out just before the contest began which was crap. It was back to the olden days again with the candles out listening to the fight on the radio with good old Jimmy McGee describing the action. Pity about the fight as Dunne was floored in the third round consequently leaving behind his WBA World Super-Bantamweight Title. To brighter matters the Cork woman won their fifth All-Ireland title in a row defeating Dublin by a point which is some achievement to say the least. Now if anyone doesn’t think they won by a point then here is the link: http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2009/0927/ladiesfootball_senior.html

Ok Cork won by a point!!! ;)

So there you go, not the most exciting week but still did a bit of study, earned a bit of cash and enjoying the journey of CIT. And long may it continue.

So long for now

Anthony Mannix

First Week at CIT

2009-09-21T11:23:00.018+01:00

I am currently undertaking "Bachelor of Science in Computing" in Cork Institute of Technology.

The first week at CIT was very enjoyable and i have settled in extremely well. The Computing course i am undertaking is really interesting and it includes interesting modules such as Networking, Computer Architecture, Programming and i'm writing this Blog for Creative, Innovation & Teamwork. We got an induction into these modules in the opening days. Some are trickier than others which is to be expected. For example we started our study in Computer Architecture straight away with Denis Long which turned out to be complicated at periods. However in Computer Programming with Jim Doyle we had a straightforward introduction to the subject which was very laid-back. I hope that i will be able to apply the theory methods into these modules and apply them into real world settings in the future. The workload was light in the first week however i expect that to increase considerably in the coming weeks. I will enjoy the task of commencing these studies and hope to give my best efforts to obtain the best possible marks. Met plenty of new faces in my class and made some new friends during the weeks. Haven't seen many people i know throughout the college, nevertheless i'm sure i will encounter them in the foreseeable future.

Away from study i worked on Tuesday after college from 2-10, was weary after and really felt it Wednesday morning. Same task on Friday however i had to stay on till 11:30pm but was happy to get the overtime. Saturday was a much easier day with a 8-5 shift and finally had the remainder of the week to myself.

From a sporting point of view it turned out be poor, firstly Darren Sutherland who had great potential to be a World Champion in Boxing died at the start of the week and i was really shocked and disappointed to hear the news. RIP Darren. Also Cork were outdone AGAIN by Kerry in the All-Ireland Football Final by 4 points which was disappointing as Cork had a great start but couldn't build on it. I'm sure a few of my Kerry buddies will have a few things to say as i backed my County to fall the Kingdom but still the banter can't be beat. For example a Kerryman says to me on Friday, "I hope you have toilet paper for Sunday" I says "Why?" He responds "Cause Cork will be shitting themselves Sunday" Haha, very good!!!

It was an up and down week to say the least. I'm sure it will fly from now to the exams in December. It always does!

Until next week.

Anthony Mannix