Innovation in the Sun
Wednesday I began a course in microcontroller embedded design run by The Product Development Centre (PDC) who support businesses, designers and engineers with their understanding in rapid product development at a seemingly misplaced venue called The Innovation Centre, a paradox in the cultural vacuum that is St. Leonards-on-Sea. The building itself is specifically designed to help firms with an innovative approach to business grow and thrive. In the building are offices, studios and workshops, all fully equipped including meeting rooms and a reception, although the receptionist on duty when I attended was a sour faced old cow who was obviously not getting any. The course continues for a further 4 weeks presenting microcontroller circuit design and simulation using a software package called Proteus VSM, this uses an innovative method of allowing you to design a circuit and write the processor code together and then run it in real time, simulating its function. 
The PDC also have a Rapid Prototying area, a subject I have touched on before, click here to read, I got to see a Rapid Prototype machine or 3D printer in action, at which point I proved what a Geek I am and videoed it on my phone, due to poor resolution and reflections from the door screen though, it’s very bad quality so I haven’t uploaded it. The course is funded by Brighton University and the lecturer is a Martin Bates who is an author of several books on programming and interfacing microcontrollers, he has also introduced the foundation degree to us which I will be seriously considering…maybe.
Add comment October 26th, 2008
Ok, I am a fat git it is official, weighing in at 105.7 Kilos that’s 16 and a half stone! Even though everyone seems to be saying I don’t look like a Lard Arse my Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30.21, anything between 30 and 39.9 is considered obese. My Ideal weight for my height is between 65 and 85kg… Hmmm, that aint gonna happen. After receiving test results from my last visit to hospital saying I have high cholesterol; high blood pressure along with raised liver enzymes ALT and Gamma G.T. on top of being a bit of a bloater, I thought it might be about time to hit the gym, cut out crap food and find something else to do in my spare time other than getting pissed! So 3 and a half weeks into my mission I’ve put on weight! WTF? I find this a little difficult to understand and if anybody else says to me ‘Well muscle weighs more than fat don’t you know!’ I will push them in front of a bus. Anyway I am tracking my results on a spreadsheet and the current trendline puts me at 20 stone for the new year, if the results become at all interesting I may post them here for no other reason other than to make it seem worthwhile bothering to start it in the first place. So all I can do now is continue as I am and hope for more positive results very soon, time will reveal all. 
Cruising down the M4 towards South Wales on Friday night all was well, the fore-warning of hold ups displayed on motorway signs apparently a left over from an earlier rush hour well behind us, Jade was snoozing and the radio was low, all was cozy; in an instant the engine noise changed form a well tuned purr to a Grunty Roar! I pulled over on the hard-shoulder to investigate, a weld had broken on the new exhaust and the pipe was just dangling below a nice big hole in the engine block. So with another 110 miles to go I proceeded gingerly at a reduced speed of 70mph and increased volume of 120dB. I was worried the lack of back pressure from the detached exhaust system may upset the mechanics of the engine at such a prolonged and sustained speed but we made it, although 25 minutes later than planned and attracting more odd looks from motorists and drunk pedestrians than were necessary.