Well, what can I say? 2006 has been a hell of a year, full of events and occasions which I’ll hopefully remember for a long time… So, this time last year I was writing a blog looking back at 2005, and after summarising what to me were the most life changing events month by month, I came to the conclusion that at the end of 2005, like the end of 2004, I had no idea where I would be the year after, from where I would be living, to doing, to pretty much anything, so, has this year been any different?

Well, the year started off where the previous one had ended… travelling back up to Kingston in January to take exams from my first semester, and generally getting back into life back at university after being home over Christmas. And that was it, getting back into things at Kingston and that was life, generally continuing work for the next few months with the highlights of having my uni halls flat attempted to be broken into, and my car hub caps stolen…

Then, in spring came the announcement for students to be able to study abroad for the second year of their university course. Well, after some consideration I decided to take the plunge I was so long looking forward to. Charlotte in North Carolina was the choice I chose out of a list of possible American universities. Why Charlotte? Well, it’s something a few people have asked, and keep asking me even now, after all, it was the university out of the list which caught my attention more than the others, other than it just being good for Computer Science, I seemed to be drawn to it, something which I hoped I would take action with once I got there… I hoped…

So, after a few induction lectures at Kingston, a couple speeches from students who had already been to Charlotte who had loved it, it was time to sort out Visas, flights, accommodation, everything… it was going to be hectic, we all knew that, it wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t really. So, that was the summer, dealing with the upcoming study abroad exchange, and settling down and having a long needed rest from the work and stress, as well as leaving my university halls at Clayhill for one last time.

But, in a flash summer was over for us at least, American universities begin their 1st semesters at the end of August (as opposed to the end of September in the UK), and so the summer was cut a bit short! So, after packing up my life into two suitcases it was off onto a jet plane around to the other side of the world to experience a new way of life.

America - Sun, heat and humidity! So, for the final four months of 2006 I spent my life in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a great time, a truly fantastic experience which I would recommend to anybody thinking of doing the same thing. For four months I made new friends, went to a whole host of attractions, saw Washington DC and New York, America! Everything about it was amazing, (well - apart from a couple of lessons!), but nevertheless, something I wish I could do all over again, but I did it, I’ve got the memories, the photos, the souvenirs; that’s what it was all for - right? An amazing part of my life wrapped up and tucked away for a rainy day for me to look back and remember at?

If you’re still wondering the other reasons why I lobbied for Charlotte to be the first choice of university, and if I ‘took action’ as I had hoped… well… I didn’t. The short version of the back story is, I was good friends with someone who lived not too far from Charlotte, in Winston-Salem NC, who sadly passed away with a heart condition in 2003. Anyways, I kept in contact with his parents for a short while after, but, you know how it is, people drift apart. But, this was my chance, probably, my only chance, to go meet them, all it would have taken was a phone call - or an email… but, it didn’t happen, and I’ve only got myself to blame… the weird this is though, after 2 years of not hearing from them, on my arrival back to England, I was handed a Christmas card and letter from them from my mum which they had posted to me to Torquay back in November. Weird hey?

So, here I am, back in Torquay, its 3.30am on New Year’s Eve morning, and I’ve been back for nearly two weeks… good to be back? In some ways… In nearly 20 hours it will be a whole new day, a whole new year, or, just another day, depending on how you look at it… and where am I this time now, compared to last year, and the year before that? Well, I still have no idea where I will be this time next year. In six months or so I’ll be 20, and about to start my placement year at a job somewhere, only time will tell where though, determining where I will be this time in 2007, and what the next bunch of 12 months will have in store for me…

I’m talking photo and screen ratios today… and well, it’s not technically classed as ‘widescreen’ - but, in my mind it is! Since forever it would appear, when I started taking digital photos, I kept to the standard size of photos which came with the camera… this being the ratio of 4:3. You may have heard 4:3 be refered to a few places else where, and the reason for that is, 4:3 is the standard size of ‘old’ televisions and computer monitors (the square ones, as oppossed to 16:9 widescreen).

 
A ’standard’ 4:3 digital photo.

 Anyway, since Myles purchased his new Canon EOS a few months back, we noticed it took photos at a different size than normal, making the photos more wide. Not much came of this until the other day when I was exploring my camera options and found I too could take photos at this size. At a ratio of 3:2, the photos are wider than a standard photo from a digital camera, which are apparently at 4:3 so they look better on computer screens.

The 3:2 option on the other hand is supposedly for print (with photo paper being 6:4), and being the same ratio as ‘old’ 35mm film cameras, as well as being a tad more professional, as it is what the pros use! It also makes the photos look better (for me personally atleast) as I have a widescreen laptop, and it makes the photo appear less ‘boxy’ if you will.

Well, anyways, from now on expect wider photos from me, like the one below;

A 3:2 digital photo of the same view as above

Diagram showing size differences

Digital TV - Freeview - whatever you want to call it, we’re all getting it if we like it or not. From 2008 the UK is switching off the old analogue services (BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5) and making television digital, so everyone will have the standard digital channels currently available on Freeview as standard television. Wherever you live, even if you can’t receive such services now, you will be able to by the time your region ‘turns digital’ - anytime between 2008 to 2012.

But, nothing is ever simple. A quick run down on how digital television works, is that there are several ‘multiplexes’, technically it is where digital TV can mix, and broadcast half a dozen television channels in the space of one ‘old’ analogue channel, as well as radio and interactive content; this is the reason why digital tv can hold so many more channels. However, there is a limit of how many there are, and currently, all space on these multiplexes are completely full, so no new television channels can join (without one leaving before hand of course).

In 2012 when the country goes completely digital though, there will be five ‘empty’ multiplexes (each one which was used for the current ‘old’ analogue channels). The potential here is that a whole host of new television channels could then join again. However, this is entirely upto the government and Ofcom (the broadcasting regulator) as it could seem to them that these spare channels could be sold off to the likes of mobile phone companies and such for a healthy price - leaving digital television without extra space.

It’s not just more television channels though which is at stake however, but also high definition television (HDTV) would also be held back. HDTV takes up lots more space than current standard definition channels (SDTV), and so needs more space to broadcast - hence why none currently exist on Freeview, only on cable and satellite (where space is less of an issue). With HDTV being the ‘future’ of TV, its worthwhile to think that it should be available on Freeview in some state rather than only on premium rate subscription services like Sky.

There is an official government petition online at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/openhdtv/ which I urge you all to sign, which is letting Tony know that the extra space which will be made avaliable come 2012 is better off being used to provide more television channels, and HDTV on Freeview, rather than being sold off to companies - with the aim of trying to keep Britain as the world leader in broadcasting, and not fall behind the likes of America and Australia where HDTV is taking off much faster than in the UK, and where these type of services are already being rolled out.

Ask anyone who knew me two years ago; back in sixth form living to what some people would have been their dream, studying further education with some great friends and have some great times. But I had my sights set on something more. We were all at the stage of sorting out our universities and where we would all be a year from then, I wasn’t even sure what university I really wanted to go to - but there was something I was sure about. I wanted to go abroad, go to the states as an exchange student during university. I’m not really sure why, I guess a multitude of things, from experiencing a new place; something different than the same old same old, to proving to people in my life that I could achieve something - with or without them, something to show for my life I suppose.

Either way that was two years ago, since then as well as sorting out a barrage of problems with everything imaginable to get me where I am now, I chose Kingston University, got through my A-levels, dragged myself to uni, and survived it for a year and passed, got visa’s and plane tickets and jetted off to the other side of the world. The dream I had of going abroad to the states to study was becoming reality - finally I was here, in another university, in another country, scary yet exciting all at the same time.

Surviving through the heat and humidity of the first couple months now seems quite some time ago. Getting settled into classes, meeting new people and becoming use to a different way of life were all part of the experience I guess. Nothing is ever quite text book though, and the experience was cut short with what seemed to be nothing more than a blink of an eye, when the year long trip would only be until Christmas due to complications and possible problems with the course and the following placement year back in Kingston.

However, I’m here now, in my room bracing myself for an onslaught of exams to come, while being able to look back at all the places I’ve been and seen and what I’ve done over the past four months of being here, it has truly been an amazing time.

Yet, it seems as though I’m waking up from the dream I spent so long wishing for, it’s hard to think that in little over two weeks it will all be over, another part of my life consolidated into my history books. It’s weird when you know the end of something great is coming and you just can’t stop it, you want to hold on, just for one more second but the breaks just won’t work.