Phil Benwell - Internet Student

Since the hosting issue forced me to re-install wordpress the “top commentators” plug in didn’t get re-installed. I’ve only just realised this and have decided to start giving some love back to the commentors.

I have installed a nice plug in that keeps a track of who is commenting on what in the back end of wordpress and on a monthly basis will provide links back to the top guys.

So over to you, what links would you like? A month in the blogroll, a reference in a link love post? Or a banner/125 ad for a month?

Last night was another Photoshop class, we looked at Selecting for the 2nd week as it is an essential part of using photoshop for a variety of things. Last night we looked at the “Lasso” tool and variations as well as recapping the magic wand, marquee tools and basic layers. We were also introduced to layer masks and also a few more helpful tips.

I’ll be adding some more tutorials and tips based on selecting to the Photoshop Blog later today and over the weekend.

Its been a couple of weeks coming but we have been set our first assignment of the year for the module “Elements of Computing.” What makes this different from previous assignments is that we have a choice of which subject we pick and then we have to write a 1600 word essay to hand in before Christmas. The topics we can choose from are:

• What are the current big issues in motherboard design? How are AMD and Intel responding to them, and to the design initiatives of one another?

• What is the significance of Intel’s Core 2 Duo architecture? Why did Intel promote it heavily to lay audiences (eg through prime time TV, full page spreads in broad¬sheet magazines, London Underground and other large format poster displays)?

• What issues have driven the evolution of operating systems, from the nineteen sixties to the present?

I think I am really heading towards either of the first 2 options as I would rather look at something more current rather than looking back as far as the sixties. I’m going to have a look around on the web first for helpful content before making my final decision but I want to make a start asap and not leave this one til the last minute.

Wish me luck.

Last week I managed to cash my first cheque from Google for my earnings through adsense. It was only for £53 ($120ish), but that is good enough a start for me. I have had this site up since February 2008 so it is 8 months old. With a bit of luck the adsense will pick up and I should have another cheque for a similar amount once the site hits 1 year old.

The goal of £100 per year of automatic earnings is a good one for me as it pays for my reseller hosting which allows me to host this and 9 other sites. It means anything else I do on those sites runs cost free, which I really like the sound of.

I remembered to take a photo of the cheque before depositing at the bank so will try and post that up here as my first ever one (of hopefully many).

Thats it for today.

This week and next are going to be a little strange at Uni, this week we had a class on Monday as normal but no Photoshop class on Thursday, then next week vice versa.

This is due to next week being a reading week, so we should have really had a free week. Our photoshop tutor however cannot make the class this Thursday so we are having a week off this week instead.

Elements of Computing on Monday was interesting - we looked at the different types of RAM and also had a closer look at the make up of a Processor. I never know that the chip was only a small part of the square and the rest was for connection and cooling.

We are also going to be set our first assignment of the semester in the next couple of days. It will be a written piece of around 2000 words so I hope I can get this out out of the way pretty soon after receiving it, the problem being that we have not covered all the required content as yet in class. I hate it when they do that.

Anyway, a day off Thursday should give me more time to get the Photoshop Blog up and running.