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The Cambridge Chat Thread

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Reply 1820
Avatar for Craghyrax
Craghyrax
OP
17
I'm a very fast touch-typist :proud: Mainly because my Mother forced me to learn it when I was about 13. My friends complain about it whenever I use any chat programme, because I can always say much more faster.
Apagg
Cape Town :woo:

My friend and I are booking to abseil down Table Mountain next week using this site. I thought you might like to see it for ideas, although bear in mind that alot of the activities on that site you could do independently without paying through your nose for them to take you. For instance visiting a wine estate just involves renting a vehicle and having access to a map :p: And similarly we'll be hiking up Table Mountain without bothering with a guide or anything. Rand is twelve to the pound or so right now.
Reply 1821
Avatar for Tom
Tom
15
I learned to touch-type properly a long time ago too. But didn't keep practising with it and so ended up with my own mostly 4-fingered style.

Still pretty quick though :biggrin: 70-100wpm (from reading-unknown-source to writing-from-my-own-head).


Using MSN a lot and then the chat interfaces from various games certainly forces you to type fast by some method.
I can touch type but not in the standard way with your fingers lined up on the middle row; I have too much unnecessary hand movement. I think it's because I've only learnt it through spending too much time on the computer rather than taking the time to learn to touch type properly.

I now have two kids :proud: (I have a feeling one of them is a TSR user as well...)
thefish_uk
I can type without looking at the keys (not exactly properly disciplined "touch-typing" though) but I find I'm hopeless at lesson things like that as I don't remember where specific keys are - instead I seem to associate words with the sequences of finger movements required to make them. If there's a complicated word or place name I'm not familiar with I sometimes have to look at the keys and press them (although quickly) one by one. In fact I think I associate word sounds with key presses so if it's a word I can pronounce I'm fine even if I've never seen it before, but if it's a random collection of letters I have to do it one at a time.

What I'm saying is for most of us who have grown up using computers, it's come kind of naturally through practice and trying to follow one of these rigid "tutorials" would probably just confuse us.

I used to be like that as well - common letter combinations would be remembered in relation to each other rather than as an absolute position on the keyboard (well, relative to the home keys). But I still found that particular lesson set (that I linked to) useful as after the first few it asks you to do words rather than letters so you end up learning it both ways. :smile: So now I can also do individual letters without looking, as such: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz. :p:
Craghyrax, I thought that this race seemed apropos. :smile:
I learned to touch type through experience, rather than any explicit training. In the end, I think the results are the same... I certainly don't remember training myself to keep my fingers on the home row, but that's more or less what I end up doing nowadays anyway. The main difference, perhaps, is that I cannot recall explicitly where the keys are on the keyboard - it's all just muscle memory.
Reply 1826
Avatar for visesh
visesh
17
scipio
drghGHADRLGKHG

One of my friends made this http://sourceforge.net/projects/n-type/ which is quite cool. It downloads news articles from the BBC and makes you type them up, meaning you always get new material, There is also a LAN versus mode...:wink:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObpMP6zYv8c

Not gonna be good for Access...
visesh
One of my friends made this http://sourceforge.net/projects/n-type/ which is quite cool. It downloads news articles from the BBC and makes you type them up, meaning you always get new material, There is also a LAN versus mode...:wink:

Just tried it out - apart from the fact that it doesn't seem to show up if there's any windows (Firefox, Acrobat, etc.) behind it, it seems quite good. :smile:

fumblewomble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObpMP6zYv8c

Not gonna be good for Access...

:rofl:

And if they can't work out that a TV show exaggerates reality, then are they really Cambridge material anyway?
fumblewomble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObpMP6zYv8c

Not gonna be good for Access...

looks awful- no-one watches ITV2 anyway

I've done my bit to promote access today mind, gave an interview to a Times journalist about being state educated and applying to cambridge :smile:
munro90

I've done my bit to promote access today mind, gave an interview to a Times journalist about being state educated and applying to cambridge :smile:


Go you! Did you have to go and meet them or was it a phone interview?
Reply 1831
Avatar for Craghyrax
Craghyrax
OP
17
Can somebody give me a summary of that youtube clip? :puppyeyes: I dare not click it lest I use up my entire data bundle in one instance :sad:
TheUnbeliever
Craghyrax, I thought that this race seemed apropos. :smile:

:rofl: Ouch! I just linked that to a friend who's Dad works for Telkom. I have a feeling she might not be impressed :p:
Reply 1832
Avatar for Scipio90
Scipio90
Craghyrax
Can somebody give me a summary of that youtube clip?


It seems to be the trailer for a TV program portraying cambridge as being full of sexy decadent rich people.

Still, a portrayal of Cambridge as full of normal, well-adjusted people might not be entirely accurate, either :tongue:
Reply 1833
Avatar for Tom
Tom
15
I watched it with no sound, but I'm sure they were pushing some kind of racism angle too.

Also, dunno where it was filmed, but none of it looked like Cambridge architecture I recognised!
According to Wikipedia it's not set in Cambridge but a fictional university that has been "a playground for the rich for 900 years" (or something). It was filmed somewhere in London. But looks suspiciously like a rather exaggerated version of your usual Oxbridge stereotype. Attractive rich looking ladies, toffs in blazers etc.
Reply 1835
Avatar for mfb3000
mfb3000
thefish_uk
your usual Oxbridge stereotype. Attractive rich looking ladies, toffs in blazers etc.

And this is a stereotype I quite enjoy.
Reply 1836
Avatar for Craghyrax
Craghyrax
OP
17
Ah, thanks guys.
Reply 1837
Avatar for minimo
minimo
15
I figure some smart person might be able to help me with this rather than starting a thread in careers :smile: ...
I'm submitting a CV for a competitive scholarship - should I include stuff like the title of my dissertation and conferences attended (all of which are closely related to my PG course)? We're apparently assessed on 'academic history and postgraduate potential' if that helps. Please quote if replying, I probably won't notice otherwise. Thank you!
thefish_uk
According to Wikipedia it's not set in Cambridge but a fictional university that has been "a playground for the rich for 900 years" (or something). It was filmed somewhere in London. But looks suspiciously like a rather exaggerated version of your usual Oxbridge stereotype. Attractive rich looking ladies, toffs in blazers etc.


Must be Oxford then. We haven't been around for 900 years.
Craghyrax
Welcome back :biggrin: What have you got planned for September?


Going on tour on Friday with CUCB, also going on a short cruise later on. Probably spend some time learning my new instruments, sure I'll keep myself occupied. Oh, and there's a few things that I was supposed to do for Engineering that I had better dig out.

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