Reply to: Examples of using your tech skills in real life?

[Diver]

I wrote hello world in C++ that prints to the screen 1000 times in a loop. Was a bit buggy tho.

and if you step them out a few spaces on each line and scroll then they do a diagonal run up the screen.


I did it in BASIC at Dixons many many years ago when they first put home PC's on display. looked brilliant!

[KentPhilip]

I built a neural network to predict the stock market but it was f****g useless.

It was actually fun at the time.

But did it predict the timing of your farts though?

[CodeCobbler]

I wrote hello world in C++ that prints to the screen 1000 times in a loop. Was a bit buggy tho.

[BlasterBates]

I built a neural network to predict the stock market but it was f****g useless.

It was actually fun at the time.

[Platypus]

"In real life" I suppose it depends on how "real", e.g. I've never "saved the day" by using my skills.

But, I had fun with this brain teasing puzzle a couple of years ago:
http://forums.contractoruk.com/gener...as-puzzle.html

I've fixed various things with a soldering iron, electrical and jewellery (the latter impresses the ladies!)

A couple of weeks ago I updated my list of DVDs by extracting DVD titles from all my Amazon "order confirmation" emails. Whether maintaining a list of one's DVDs counts as "real life" is debatable!

Yonks ago I had fun pinning a spoof Wikipedia article to the pub notice board, to confirm some local hearsay/folklore. There were several gasps of "wow it really must be true then" !

I create pub quizzes in seconds using Excel.

Photoshopped some amusing images recently to create personalised coffee mug gifts.


If only I didn't have this day job, it really gets in the way of the fun stuff

[minestrone]

Because you'd fail a CRB or because you'rea lazy git?

Hey, my paw prints are all over the disclosure system, they let me work on that so...

Becasue I am lazy and I have about 100 things I should be doing. Hardly get time to do anything I want to these days.

[d000hg]

It will never happen obviously

Because you'd fail a CRB or because you'rea lazy git?

[minestrone]

I would really like to get involved in some school after hours 'computer club', teaching the basics with the Rasberry Pis when they come out. It will never happen obviously but it would be something I would enjoy. Quite like training people up who are keen to learn, I think it is good for your skills to explain basic principles that you learned years ago to remind yourself of their importance.

[nomadd]

Examples of using your tech skills in real life?

I logged-on to CUK and posted on a thread.

[Diver]

I remember building my first DX 486. got the processor and the board from the states. by the time I'd got round to building it they were on the shelf at Dixons for less than the board and chip had cost me

[Sysman]

I remember making my own laplink cable when I got a pirated copy of Laplink early 90's I think.
I still have the cable too (I had to run an extra wire outside the sheath because there wasn't enough cores)

Ah yes. How do I back up my first PC?

Grabbed a couple of RS232 connectors plus a long length of phone cable and made my own link. Nuts to the "experts" who wanted me to pay an arm and a leg for their solution.

Kermit over to a proper computer and thence to tape.

And when I got my first virus, I simply restored the lot.

[doodab]

I made a serial cable and connectors from an old PC to a GPS. It was a bit Heath Robinson though.

You should see the breakout I made for my Atmel AVR programmer. You can get away with a lot with low speed serial signals. Works though. Which is more than can be said for any of the code I've tried to run on it.

[Cliphead]

I made a serial cable and connectors from an old PC to a GPS. It was a bit Heath Robinson though.

Hey, if it works...

[TimberWolf]

I made a serial cable and connectors from an old PC to a GPS. It was a bit Heath Robinson though.

[Cliphead]

I remember making my own laplink cable when I got a pirated copy of Laplink early 90's I think.
I still have the cable too (I had to run an extra wire outside the sheath because there wasn't enough cores)

I did that too