Edd Coates

Pluggity plug plug time!

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 23:10:14 GMT

Originally published at Edds Place. You can comment here or there.

I haven’t posted on here for a while… but here I am again. Posting. This could either mean I have something deeply interesting to share with the rest of the world, or i’m very bored and needed something to write. Possibly a combination of the both. *Ding* latter wins!

Basically, for a long long time i’ve been planning to release an album and promote the crap out of the thing… well! Production has nearly finished, and everything is being finalised for a veritable disc-shaped invasion of the ears (the good kind of invasion).

The album is called Lost in Transit, and the cover looks a little something like this:

We’ve gone all out on the packaging, with a 16 page full colour booklet (featuring lyrics, photographs, an introduction and thank yous), a transparent case, and shrinkwrapped as brand new with a barcode. Oh yeah.

I’m still trying to figure out new and interesting ways of promoting the thing once I have a big box of 500 albums sitting in my bedroom, so if anyone has some ideas please throw them my way! Until then all I can say is… more information coming soon!

Oh yes, and it’s due out in September

Adventures in OpenGL

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 11:33:41 GMT

Originally published at Edds Place. You can comment here or there.

About time for an update methinks. With just under 4 weeks to go, deadlines are approaching fast and I have fully settled back into ‘college edd’ mode (meaning 90:10 work:fun) which makes me constantly stressed and a tiny bit aggitated… its actually become a chore squeezing in my social life because i’ve become so engrossed (I hestitate to use the word obsessed) in my work… but hey, at least i’m doing it

The work itself isn’t too bad at all, it’s just the balancing act getting all three projects finished. For Internet Tech i’m working with three others on a fully interactive website for a ski resort accomodation booking system, Graphics i’m designing/coding a top-down Micro Machines-esque racer called ThrustBuggies, and Data Structures completing a worksheet full of algorithm exercises.

Internet Tech is going fine, except I turn into a nazi in groups. It’s very hard to keep your cool when one plonker tries to tell you not to use IF statements because it would make the project “harder”. …Ok… you probably wouldn’t get the significance of that unless you know a programming language - but trust me, it was a retarded thing to say. It’s like suggesting to build a sandcastle without turrets. Or something.
Graphics is going much slower, but getting there… i’ve decided on a beach-themed track with some very strange looking vehicles (because i’m no artist) and a nice caribe soundtrack in the background. It even speeds up on the third lap, mario kart-stylee! I’m going to post progress on the game in this blog over the next few weeks so you can see it take form… however, at the moment it’s just a blue square on a black background since I havent figured out how to texture yet ;) D’oh.
Oh and data structures… don’t go there.

So that has been my life at university. Thrilling stuff eh? I guess I can always get pissed at christmas…

Britchford Town Lives!

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 21:15:12 GMT

Originally published at Edds Place. You can comment here or there.

Production on Britchford Town begins January at the UEA! Meanwhile heres a bit of info on the first episode:

1×01: Fresh From The Womb
When a pro-life activist group called “Mother Nature Now” comes to town, many of Britchford’s townspeople (including Brenden) are brainwashed into joining their cause, and living on a diet of ‘pro-life’ food. Meanwhile, Stue mentors a local primary school child for a week.

Click for a preview!

Dates for your Date-Recording-Book

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:38:33 GMT

Originally published at Edds Place. You can comment here or there.

9th December 2006 - Edd’s Birthday Party (Norwich)!

House party at our lodgings in Norwich! Obviously i’m not going to post the address on here, so speak to me for details

17th December 2006 - Edd’s (real) Birthday Gettogether (Essex)!

Bowling, Cinema and TGI Fridays in Basildon! More details soon.

31st December 2006 - NEW YEARS PARTY! (Essex)

James has graciously passed the baton onto me this year, as i’ll be holding the annual New Years Partay! Drink-ed-ness, Food, Music, Fireworks, Games, and a live midnight link up to Big Ben at midnight!… through the medium of television.

Double Beds Rock

Sat, 23 Sep 2006 12:14:14 GMT

Originally published at Edds Place. You can comment here or there.

Well i’m finally nice and settled in my brand spanking new house in Norwich. It doesn’t beat living on campus, but its a manageable distance from here to the university, theres a bus route that runs through the area, and… oh yes! I have a double bed!!!! *sprawl*

I’ve been pretty active since getting back… my social life always takes a hit when I return to Essex, so its nice to have things back to normal again. I’ve been shopping FOUR times (in a week!), saw various people from last year, last night saw Embrace live, Alan Carr is doing standup on Monday and The Divine Comedy are doing a gig next month! Not to mention a week full of freshers events to wrap around my first second year lectures It’s so good to be back!

New Video: Bongo Madness

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 19:47:02 GMT

Originally published at Edds Place. You can comment here or there.

New video!!

Everyone goes bongo crazy.

University II - This Time It’s Business.

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 23:13:37 GMT

Originally published at Edds Place. You can comment here or there.

There’s only one way to say this glorious bit of news…

*** I PASSED!!!! ***

Hell yeah. Stars and everything. I still don’t know exactly what marks I got since UEA are dipsticks and haven’t sent our results out yet… but that doesn’t matter! I passed, i’m back and stronger than ever. The resits turned out to be a godsend as it gave me that much needed ‘boot up the hiney’, and scared me enough to ensure this sort of thing will never happen again… i’d be utterly stupid to get this close to disaster again.

But that certainly wont happen again this year…. luckily all that hardcore revision for resits re-ignited my… err… fire for work. Or something. Poorly executed metaphore aside, this means i’m back to my hardworking, industrious college Edd self Computer Science, I am going to kick yo’ ass, and a First shall be mine. ALL MINE.

Roll on Year 2!!

New Video: Goodbye Colman

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:09:33 GMT

Originally published at Edds Place. You can comment here or there.

New video added to the Videos > Grand Tour section!

These are my last two days in Colman House at the University of East Anglia. Watch as I (attempt to) pack for home, provoke the beast, and reminisce the times of old. Ahh. … and perhaps we’ll chase Susie along the way?

Two Awesome Days

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 09:23:38 GMT

Originally published at Edds Place. You can comment here or there.

Well the rest of the week has been rather ho hum, but a surprising amount has happened in the last couple of days…

On Thursday my Supercard finally arrived and I was able to bask in the glow of free DS games But not an hour later, I got a phone call from the Evening Standard, who informed me that I won a competition!! 2 free tickets to AvenueQ, a three course meal for two at a top London restaurant, and VIP access to a nightclub. Hell yes! So I invited Chay, and hopefully we’re going sometime next week In the evening I saw Snakes on a Plane… which absolutely rocked. To be honest, it wasnt particularly deep, but when you go to see a movie called “Snakes on a Plane” you generally expect exactly what it says on the tin… and it so does not disappoint.

On Friday, I got up fairly early in an attempt to reboot my body clock. And play more DS. I found out from Ian that if my resits really were as disastrous as I thought, then there may be a chance that i’ll be allowed back to do the normal course as opposed to the honours. Although I may be jinxing that by writing about it on my blog… but huge sigh of relief imminent. In the evening, I began sorting out the net for Susie, who is currently living alone in our swanky new house in Norwich (I want to move up there ASAP, but i’ve got to finish a web job for a client first). Turns out we need a MAC address from the people who lived there previously, so lots of fun and games to be had on the phone with BT, listening to that dreadful ‘hold’ music over and over. Once that was semi-sorted, it was time for Stef’s 20th Birthday gettogether bash thing. The crowd was relatively small - but interesting - and I managed to get myself completely drunk… which wasn’t hard considering I hadn’t had a drink in 2 months. Though, now speaking Saturday morning with a thumping headache, this was a bad idea.

Alive - And absolutely not in a bad mood!

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 02:10:51 GMT

Helloooo webheads!
It's been a while, so I decided an update was in order :)

Re my previous thoughts of changing course, i've put it down to merely the fresher's version of a mid-life crisis (a mid course crisis, if you will), and i'm not feeling so... confused anymore. I've decided to roll on with the course and see how the rest of the year goes... if there's no joy by July, i'll be changing to a much better course. Something that allows me to express myself creatively for a change. That'll be nice.
Speaking of creation (hurray for the linkage), i've been busy recording the album (we're at 50%), re-designing my personal space and working on Britchford Town. The cartoon is going swimmingly as usual, with eight episodes hopefully to be finished by the summer. Some info on the series can be found on the temporary site, www.britchfordtown.com.

Fiiinally, I have decided to implement a funky new feature into my personal website: a video diary!! Oh yes, we iz going up in tha world :P So, very soon, expect to find lots of visual goodness on www.eddsplace.com. University antics, impromptu messages of peace and love, and of course, Brian getting pissed off with a camcorder in his face.

PS: I passed my Maths test :D :D :D

Now, lets shake things up a little!

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 05:13:04 GMT

The first semester is almost over... and it has been quite the rollercoaster ride!

As you know, i've been doing a piss poor job of keeping this journal updated, so i'll just go over the biggest revelation from uni... i'm not entirely happy with my Computing Science course. I was happy with I.C.T at college, but now i'm starting to regret selecting such a linear course for university... the lack of creativity and free-will is driving me utterly insane. Sure, i've been able to work on my cartoon series script in the meantime, and do the usual web-design, songwriting and such, but as for the coursework i'm *supposed* to be working on, everything is just boring as hell. I just dont feel the motivation to learn java, to do *another* sodding Access database, and why the holy fuck am I learning Maths??
So... as the very thought of leaving university petrifies me (this is NOT an option, I love this place too damn much), my only options are to grin and bear three years of this torture, or switch to a different course... specifically, "Scriptwriting and Performance Studies" in Drama.
Now... this is a *huge* gamble as English is an area I havent ventured into since GCSE. Heck, this journal is full of bad punctuation... but now, i'm just getting this urge to try something brand new, something I think i'd be good at and - most importantly - enjoy a lot. Alot of people have enjoyed the script work on the cartoon so far, i've had alot of interest when it comes to collaborators on the project (another thing university is marvelous for), and according to a couple of drama students, I could be a pretty good director.

So there you go... things might just start to get a bit scary in my life. I wish I knew what the hell I was doing with it!

Bring on the Learnage!

Wed, 05 Oct 2005 11:07:37 GMT

Sunday - The Gym and I

The morning after the raunchyness of saturday was... kinda awkward? Upon leaving my room, Dave darted outside to check if I was 'walking funny'. Oh my god! But no, it was funny :P I decided to spend sunday resting so I could finally get rid of the freshers flu.
In the evening, we had chinese together and I went to the gym induction with Mark... unfortunately, Mark has been aching ever since, and is kinda reluctant to go right now ;)

Monday - Lectures Begin

My first lecture was 9-11, a fairly simple affair involving Java, which reminded me alot of Visual Basic. I actually understood what we were being told and even enjoyed it! Scary.
After the lecture, Rupert (from my course) came back to mine and we played Burnout, had a meal at the campus restaurant (salmon steak mmmm), and uh... played Burnout some more! Our lectures in the afternoon werent as fantastic however...
I dont like Maths. The purpose of these lectures were to simply break us in gently by explaining that Maths is all around us in nature... for example, the pattern on a shell can be explained with a simple (HA) equation. I sat there and felt like a dunce though.
In the evening, my flu had actually gotten worse, so I decided to stay in. Also... and this surprised me... I started to feel a bit homesick. But it wasnt the usual 'I miss home' sorta thing, it was more a realisation that i've done so damn much in the past few days, that things are really going very fast and I cant keep up.
I was feeling a bit lonely, so I wandered the hallways and had a really nice chat to Susie (who is great to talk to!) about how uni is going, homesickness, friends and why Mark's new address happens to be Catie's room. Which we still dont know. Damnit.
To conclude a nice night in, we (Jess, Lauren, Susie, Mark (til he got bored) and I) watched Shark Tale in Jessies room :) I love my housemates!

Tuesday - Java Schmava

I only had one appointment for today, a 2 hour lab session where we put our newfound java knowledge to practice. Unfortunately, I forgot my username and password and lost 40 mins while retrieving it... but when I got back, SOMEHOW I managed to be the first to complete the worksheet, even though I started late! Advanced? Pah. Bring it on!
And my afternoon wasnt so bad either... I met up with James at 1ish, and we had a nice mooch about town, followed by Wetherspoons :) This was the first time i'd properly spent time with James, so it was nice to have a bit of home around me, considering the homesickness i'd been feeling lately. It felt like things were slowing down again.
I also managed to finally find a PSP (four of them infact) in Argos, and bought one with three games for £255. Retail therapy... mmm.
Unfortunately, by the time I got back, my throat was constantly sore and I seriously needed another night in to rest up. This gave me a good excuse to play the PSP, however ;)

Wired, tired and oh so fresh... Uni has begun!

Sun, 02 Oct 2005 15:21:24 GMT

After a good few months of obsessive excitement, panic and shopping, I am finally a university student... and oh man, it feels SO good. So! For your amusement, here is an account of a fresher during his... week. Of freshers. Enjoy!

Thursday

In preparation for being in a germ filled paradise, I had to have three injections on Thursday. The valium actually did sod all, but it didnt matter much... when it was over, I honestly felt so silly about worrying so much. Hazel came over in the evening, and we watched movies and chatted a little bit.

Friday

Friday was mostly spent packing my life away into plastic boxes, and saying goodbye to alot of friends. I ended up having about 3 hours sleep once I finally drifted off... ouch.

Saturday - It Begins

Now the interesting stuff ;) We managed to squeeze my stuff into the car boot (it was a tight squeeze) and finally set off for Norwich at 12 Noon... would've been earlier but yanno, mothers and their faffing about. I got to Norwich at 3pm, and - whilst giggling along the way - picked up my accomodation keys from the LCR.
After unloading my stuff and sending mum off to Morrisons for supplies, I got to meet my housemates! It was ever so slightly awkward at first as you can probably imagine, but we were soon chatting away and planning our weekend. Mum decided to opt for the tearful goodbye, leaving me feeling extremely guilty, but I soon settled down and started to relax some.
My accomodation is very much like a hotel... sheer luxury! Mmmm! I managed to fit absolutely everything in my room without hassle (including my keyboard) and it all looks very neat and tidy :D
That night we headed off to the LCR for the freshers icebreaker, a sort of induction to the clubbing delights of the student union. Yay. I got rather tipsy, danced like a fool, and had a great time :P Mark and I decided to take an alternate route on the way back to Colman House, and meet random strangers. And chase bunnies.

Sunday - Shopping!

Yet again I managed to get a measly 3 hours sleep so I was quite tired at this stage ;) We decided to spend Sunday in town looking at the shopping centre. I couldnt get over how clean Norwich is compared to most parts of Essex... the weather was beautiful, the people were smiling and generally there was a great chilled out atmosphere. I just kept thinking to myself how lucky I am to be here.
That night, we did.... something, and I cant remember what. Did I drink? :-\

Monday - Registration, Comedy and the joys of Burnout

Monday was the day to register at UEA, and become a full fledged university student... wow, that sounds good doesnt it? After registering with Brian and Tom in the computing department, I booked an interview with my student advisor (nice chap) and bought a Comedy Passport with Jon and Mark (these names will mean something by the end of the post, honest) for the 5 shows at the LCR. Sweet! Oh, and I got a Bo Selecta poster for my room :D
I decided to tidy my room up before going out, setting up the XBox in the process... Burnout 3 is proving to be quite a hit with the lads. Its just a shame I keep letting them win. Yes... letting...
That night, we all went down to the LCR to watch the first comedy show, starring an asian guy who used his race to create humourous banter (most original), some woman who couldnt help but discuss her sordid sex life (she sucked, and not just literally), Richard Herring who was actually really funny, and the hilarious Lee Mack!

Tuesday - The Wild, Wild West

At the start of the day I decided to venture out a little bit into the noisy and attempt a bit of keyboard/singing practice... VERY fortunately, the rooms hold in the noise pretty well, and I can practice without problem! Woohoo!
We went shopping during the day (which i'm REALLY starting to love - its great buying your own food!) and finally, the Wild Wild West night in the evening. The clubbing event wasnt so brilliant as the music was rather shite, and the place was way too crowded to enjoy anything... but hey, you cant win em all :)

Wednesday - Getting Social

Wednesday is the day of SocMart! The super cool event which lets you signup to societies and clubs. I signed up to Livewire (uni radio station, which I hope to DJ for), Contemporary Music Soc (for musicians), the Anime Society (with a premiere of the FFVII movie) and finally, the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender society). My housemates had yet to learn I was a raving poofta, so I decided this would be the day to tell them... just not in those words. Firstly, I told Brian I was going to the LGBT, then explained what it stood for... one down. Later, I told Jon, and finally Mark (who was really sweet about it and wished me a good time).
At the LGBT, I met lots of new people... many of which I cant actually remember the names of, but at least i'll remember the faces. I hope. One guy in particular called Seb caught my eye and I spent a while chatting to him before I went off to the union pub to meet up with my housemates... who were now all in the know, thanks to Mark :P
Everyone handled it fine, and I could finally feel at ease... whew.

Thursday - Freshers Flu (Dum Dum Dum!)

Within five days of living at uni, I caught Freshers Flu... rather now than later, though. So, today was basically spent resting, eating and socialising with housemates. I *tried* to get to the premiere of FFVII but somehow managed to cock up both the room location AND the time... so now i'm gonna have to search for my fix elsewhere :(
And in other news, I bumped into James at the Sin City screening and he was looking rather dashing indeed ;)

Friday - Thud Thud Thud

During the day, much needed rest to ditch the freshers flu, along with a couple of scheduled 'fun' lectures. A treasure hunt... woo. In the evening we all went to an event at the LCR called Brighton Rocks, an indie night where the music was pretty piss poor for dancing. Give me cheese anyday!
And who was in the queue behind us?... Seb! So I spent the night with Seb drinking and dancing to the bad music... and generally not getting any sort of buzz from the whole thing, but hey, good company :) At the end of the night, Jess, Brian, Seb and I went back to my accom and chatted for a bit in the kitchen. It was just a general post-pub chilled out conversation really... then Seb had to get back, so he gave Jess a big hug. I went to give him a hug... but instead he gave me a full on kiss* in front of Brian and Jess (who were rather shocked... as was I!). Unbelieveably, he liked me and I was gonna see him the next day! Woo!

* PS: The word "Snog" has been replaced by the word "Kiss" in an attempt to ditch my shameful Essex roots.

Saturday - Like Friday, but with more Fucked-Uppyness

After the discovery of mysteriously free money in my bank account, I decided it would be a sensible idea to purchase a PSP. As you do. So, I set off to town with Mark and Brian... only to find they're sold out EVERYWHERE. Crap. Instead I bought Advance Wars for the DS to tide me over and did some food shopping... which i'm still loving :P
In the evening was the almighty freshers ball, the climax to Freshers Week... and what a climax! I met Seb at the ball and spent most of the evening with him. First we did the fairground rides (Dodgems, Virtual Simulator thingie and Quasar), then we got a few drinks and danced... dirty danced ;) At some point we met up with Seb's lesbian friends from the LGBT and we... yes, you guessed it! Dirty Danced :D They were reaaaally good actually :O There was also an Elvis impersonator, and Dave and Chappers from BBC One doing a bit of DJing... all in all a fabulous night with fantastic music!
After the ball, we made our way back to Colman House... Dave was pissed out of his skull, Seb and I were still dancing and the girls were... all over the place. But that was part of the fun :D When we finally got home, we chatted in the kitchen for a bit before bundling into Laurens room. After more chatting, Lauren disappeared into the bathroom... this is when Seb started kissing me, and Jess kissed her boyfriend. Lauren came back, obviously still drunk and totally not minding the fact her room has become a mini-brothel. After a while, Tom came in... bearing in mind he had no idea i'm gay, he was rather surprised to see me with my tongue down another guys throat. The look was priceless, however :P
Jess went back to her room with her boyfriend, while Seb went back to mine... and this is where you can use your vivid imagination!

In Conclusion...

And i'll try to keep the language as clean as I *need* to... University is the most fucking awesome place in the whole wide fucking world!!!!
My housemates are amazing, the accomodation rocks, the people are sooo friendly, the city is clean... but the best aspect has got to be the freedom. Its been a week and i'm STILL not homesick... infact right now I just feel like saying goodbye to Essex forever... I never wanna leave!!!

I'm gonna try and keep these posts as regular as possible, so until the next one... adios!

Last Week in Essex

Sun, 18 Sep 2005 12:54:58 GMT

This time in 6 days I will be in my new room at uni... scary thought. So, this week will be spent with friends, packing, preparing, shopping, and getting my hair cut and re-highlighted... because its important! Oh yeah... and those injections...

We saw the doc on Thursday about getting some medication to calm me down just before the injection, and we had to endure the cheek of some arrogant australian prick. First he made fun of the fact I brought my mum along (hello? its a phobia?), he was completely condescending the entire time ("this will stop you being so... silly."), he tried to embarrass me in front of mum by talking about testicles and impotency, and to top it off, he decided to have one last jab and call me a "nerd" for doing Computer Science. Arsehole. Anyways, he gave me two hits of valium which should last me for the full set of injections... which will be this thursday, bar the BCG. Infact, I just found out that the BCG may not even be required... so yay!

I just had my leaving party last night, although when I say party its really my mum's translation of the word. Still, it was a nice night... got to see lots of familiar faces and *shock* I actually got presents! Now... what to do with a messy house.

I'll try to update my journal on a more regular basis at uni, as it would be nice to have some sort of record of what went on :P Until next time!

Need... out... now...

Sun, 04 Sep 2005 11:38:40 GMT

Just before she leaves for church, mum comes upto me with a big smile and goes "guess what??". I sigh, then go "what?". She excitedly replies "i'm going to fit the new toilet seat tonight!". This pretty much sums up my mother these days... its bloody scary, and I hope I dont end up with a life as lonely as hers when i'm 60!

So, anyway... my meningitis jab - the first of few to come in preparation for uni - has been booked for Tuesday, and hopefully I can be a brave boy for then! Rather disturbingly, my 'plan' for overcoming the phobia is to simply imagine myself being stabbed with a knife, which would pale in comparison to having the needle in my arm. Yes, that might work :)

And finally... production on the album has begun! In crystal clear, shiny, awesome quality :D Yay!

You want to poke me with what?

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 01:22:29 GMT

There is something quite grim and evil about this world... I got the grades required, I got the best accomodation, I got room insurance, and I am well prepared for every kitchen eventuality thanks to a 2 hour stint in IKEA. Then just as I think it's going to be plain sailing from now til Sept 25th: I learn that I need to have three injections before I start uni.
Did I mention injections were my worst fear, bar none?
So... today has been a rather strange mix of depressive sleeping, crying and shouting at my incompetent mother for ruining one of my forms. Yes, this is a bad day.
To make things worse, very few people actually know how to comfort someone when it comes to needles... When I told Laurence about the BCG, his reply was "Ouch!!!", while James... er... James decided to lock away all human emotion and recite to me the meaning of Tuberculosis. Isn't that what google is for? Oh yeah, and the words "dont be a wimp" didn't help much either. James is an idiot.

Anyway, now would be a good time to go into update mode... it has been two months after all ;)

Overall A-Level Results

1022/1200: AA

Unit 01 (Presenting Information) 73/100
Unit 02 (E-Business) 66/100
Unit 03 (Spreadsheet) 84/100
Unit 04 (System Configuration and Installation) 96/100
Unit 05 (Systems Analysis) 72/100
Unit 06 (Database) 96/100
Unit 07 (Programming 1) 92/100
Unit 08 (Networking) 77/100
Unit 09 (Multimedia) 88/100
Unit 12 (Internet or something...) 78/100
Unit 13 (Web-Design) 100/100
Unit 22 (Programming 2) 100/100

No, not showing off at all :P

Music

The music 'career' is now in full-throttle mode! Aside from writing like mad over the summer, I just bought a new sound card to finally record the album with, so production on the album will start in September/October! I revamped the website (www.eddcoates.com) to include info on the new album too :) I'm also planning a few gigs around the county aaaand... (MEGA hugs to golden__vanity!!) I may be getting signed!
I'm pretty excited about getting a new keyboard too... but first I have to sell the old old one (not the one I use atm), and my guitar :( Oh, and fix them.

MMmMMMMmm sex.

Other Stuff?

I updated the journal!
Uh, yes. What else have I been upto... well! I won a ticket to Big Gay Out on Faceparty, so naturally I felt obliged to go along and see what the fuss was all about ;) For free! I took Hazel along with me... totally the wrong choice of person for the kind of event it was, but I was having issues with Suz's antics, so I took the high moral ground :) At first this was totally pissing me off, because Hazel and I are both quite introvert people... not a good thing at an event where 99% of the population have a "look at me! give me attention!!!" attitude ;) But I bumped into Darren from Chelmsford, FINALLY met Alex after 9 years online (!), got on TV while booing a slightly shite girl band, and experienced the tackyness that is Patrick the sailor. Yes, our dear friend Patrick has fully succumbed to homosexuality. Not that I can blame him.
Unfortunately, the crowds made Hazel a little anxious, so we left just before the fireworks... but eh, it was a good day!

I've been trying my best to keep in contact with college friends, and doing a pretty good job so far :) We've been to the cinema lots of times, went out for meals... unfortunately, Laurence is busy alot of the time with work or his girlfriend, so we STILL havent done anything together in nearly 2 months! But I saw him on results day, so that was nice :)

James is being a complete and utter weirdo at the moment, and just around me. Hes been great helping me with computery things for uni, but in addition to the above thing about his inability to give advice... he's just been kind of detatched from reality. Well, moreso.
On the weekend of the V Festival, I went to his to meet his friends from uni... I saw Vicky (lovely girl) sign in on his MSN, so I asked if I could say hi... he said no. Then he asked me why I was being friendly with *his* friends. I wasn't aware he owned them. From what I gather, a sociable attitude is what gets you through university, and thats how I am... I love to meet new people and make new friends, but James feels threatened when I chat to his friends. Why? He even accused me of only visiting so I could talk to his friends.
Then there have been other little outbursts... he didn't like me enquring into my accomodation, because I "dont deserve a better accomodation than anyone else". Nice.
But hey... i've been analyzing the crap out of this guy for years, and none of it ever pays off. I've just learned to accept him for the way he is... a cranky git whose best friend is his dog.

Aaand finally... The cartoon is on hold until December, because I took too long with the scripts :(

So uh... until the next update, whenever that may be :) [Runs into the distance]

Feel my wrath.

Mon, 27 Jun 2005 22:17:34 GMT

Well this is a rant worthy of the journal... today, I finally gather the money to buy Conker: Live and Reloaded for the Xbox. Yay for me. I goto GAME to discover theyre sold out... so I goto some 'questionable' shop in the Brentwood Arcade, which I wasnt *too* enthusiastic about buying from, but hey. I pick up the LAST copy, then some guy comes along and asks if he can see the box... I stupidly give it to him. After a marvellous conversation about how Conkers Bad Fur Day was his favourite game on the N64, he goes to the counter with the box and he BUYS IT. Yeah, it was my probably my fault for trusting another human being.
GAME was also sold out of Donkey Konga 2... bummer. So, I resorted to ordering off Gameplay.com which reckon they have both in stock... so why are they sending to me next week? ARGHHH FECK.

Its OVER.

Mon, 20 Jun 2005 14:57:22 GMT

Just had my exit interview today at college, and discovered I got an overall 84%... which translates into a double A! [dances appropriately]. SO yes, college is now finished, and I am a free man!

The cartoon series is going swimmingly, with the first script finished just recently from a two-parter episode called "Dawn of the Chav"... infact, how about some information? The series is called "Britchford Town", and is based on its events and inhabitants, including the three main characters, Stue, Brenden and Darren.
Thats pretty much all the background info you need, but the minisite will open soon with lots more on the characters and episodes. To whet your appetites, heres the lyrics to a song from Dawn of the Chav Pt 1:

Nobody Likes a Chav

You know that crap you trod in on the pavement?
You know that funny smell you get indoors?
The truth is, it probably wasn't canine...
but a stupid twat who gets easily bored!

You know that burning car you find whilst driving
on the dreaded M-Twenty-Five?
It didn't get there of its own accord
It was left there by some prick whos got no life!

Nobody likes a chav! Nobody likes a chav!
They're ruining the country and our lives!
Nobody likes a chav, or the problems that they have...
Nobody likes a fu*king chav!

You know when you find all your stuff was stolen
It probably ended up in market square
To pay for some young essex girl's abortion
The sixth of which, but hey, she doesnt care!

And why do they all talk like fu*king retards?
Well obviously 'cause they keep bunking school!
Lucky for us, they're as thick as shit...
...which means they'll kill themselves because its "cool"!

Nobody likes a chav! Nobody likes a chav!
They're a piss-stain on the sofa of our lives!
Nobody likes a chav, or the problems that they have...
Nobody likes a fu*king chav!

Nobody likes a tosser,
Nobody likes a loser,
Nobody likes a fu*king chav!

Its a new look, Bob!

Thu, 26 May 2005 16:04:01 GMT

FINALLY got a haircut today... opinions please? :P

Before (ARGH!)

Now! (YAY!)

I was hoping for it to be a bit longer on top... but meh.

Hilary Elm Must Die.

Tue, 24 May 2005 22:58:40 GMT

Just two more days of coursework to go, and my wonderful college experience will have come to an end. [sniff].

The last couple of weeks have been a living hell...
We've been working in groups to complete a powerpoint presentation, and while the actual work isnt too bad, the performance was about as bad as you can get, i've had to put up with the stupidity of a select few classmates (namely Barry in our group) who have problems keeping their egos under control, and living with mum is starting to become unbearable. She is constantly exhausted because of her job, so she either takes it out on me, or manages to annoy me no end with various stuff. Lets just say the move to university couldnt be coming at a better time. Its nice in a way because its a reminder of how i'm truly ready for a change... I dont think i'm gonna have any homesick problems :P

Production on my cartoon series begins next week, and i'm very excited about the scripts :P This wont be your average internet cartoon, as it follows the 22-minute episode format just like any other television series... the only difference is, you'll be watching it online :) All details (along with preview trailers etc) will be announced soon along with the launch of a minisite on http://www.edwardshow.com.

Until next time :)

PS: If you havent seen Star Wars Episode III yet... fulfil your destiny and SEE THE GODDAMN MOVIE. It rocks!

Eddsplace.com Update: New Article

Sat, 07 May 2005 18:22:13 GMT

Emulation: Reviving History

There's much more to emulation than getting free games...

Mario 64 in a cel-shaded style

Click HERE to read!

Four Weeks 'til Freedom

Thu, 05 May 2005 20:51:05 GMT

The title says it all ;) We're now upto our final month of work at college! All thats left to be completed is our team-based powerpoint project, and the hardware/software module (for which I havent even started the paperwork yet!)... unfortunately i'm finding it harder and harder to concentrate :( These last two units of coursework are typical A-Level emulations of the real world, meaning we have to hold 'pretend meetings' in order to get the criteria for powerpoint, or take into account the fact that our client suspiciously requires *all* microsoft brand software for her brand new business PC. Hmm. Anyway, four more weeks... [daydreams].

And in four more MONTHS... wonderful wonderous university! Accomodation has been sorted, which means the last task is to sort out my student loan. I wish that part would go a bit quicker, cause everytime I need mum to help with something, theres a problem and it'll take another two weeks to rectify it. First they wouldnt let me open an account at Natwest because I didnt have any proof of address (where am I going to get a utility bill!?) so we plan to bring in my Birth Certificate and one of mums utility bills. Two weeks later, she finally gets herself together and we're ready to go open the account... then she informs me that the certificate is in the attic. [screams]. So now i've applied for a new birth certificate... try again two weeks later.

I've set myself a few projects to finish before I goto university (while I have the free time), consisting of mostly webdesign stuff. EddsPlace.com will be completed (check it out here so far), EddCoates.com (the music site) will be redesigned, Proximity (my programming coursework game) will be optimized so I can release it to the public, and finally... my (as yet unnamed) cartoon series will be launched! The cartoon goes into production very soon... and if you have a strong dislike of chavs/rudeboys, there is one episode i'm sure you'll greatly appreciate ;)

Thats all for now, until next time :)

Upcoming Gig

Sat, 02 Apr 2005 14:32:20 GMT

Just found out i'm doing a charity gig sometime in July :) All I know so far is that its for Cancer Research and Cystic Thrombosis, my slot is for an hour, its a weekend long event, it'll be outside, and a few other bands are playing too.
An hour is pretty much the most i've ever played for at a proper gig, so i'm a little bit nervous ;) Those new songs will come in handy tho hehe.

Yeah, take that you boring piece of crap.

Sat, 02 Apr 2005 00:20:59 GMT

Microsoft Access is gone! The coursework is finished, handed in, and i'm a free man!!! [does the termly celebratory nude dance in the streets]. I wont bother posting any piccies, cause... well... its not very interesting. Of the database that is. Erm.
Just another week left now til our delayed Easter break... 2 weeks of nothing! mmm lazyness.

I have definitely decided on UEA as my final uni choice, so the next task is to phone UCAS and confirm everything, and then on to the fun of student loans and bank accounts... woo.

I HAVE NOTHING TO WRITE ABOUT! [cries]

And the winner is...

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 15:25:59 GMT

Ladies and gentlemen, I have finally decided I will be spending the next three years of my life at the University of East Anglia, Norwich :) Yes, where James goes.

I visited the UEA last week just to be nosey (I *thought* I was going to Brighton or Portsmouth), and although I tried as hard as I could to DISLIKE the place, I actually ended up loving it instead. My main reason for not wanting to go to UEA was because I guess I didnt want to be seen as the sort of person who goes to a university just because his friends are there... I honestly wanted a fresh start, but UEA was by far the best university of the six I applied for (Brighton, Portsmouth, Cardiff, Staffordshire and Essex), so really, I have no choice :)

The campus is awesome... everything is held on-campus, the accomodation, bars, clubs, lectures etc. In the heart of the student village, theres a main square, where everyone was chatting away on our open day. It has such a great atmosphere... everyone seemed genuinely friendly and happy, not miserable or false like the other unis I visited.
The accomodation was pretty nice for a university (the most expensive looked like a HOTEL :O) and each room comes with a 10mbs internet connection. oh baby.
In addition to the wonderment of the accomodation and bars, theres a £17m sports complex on site, which hosts every sport imaginable! Although, as inviting as dragon boat racing on the lake sounds, i'll just use the gym methinks ;)
Theres also a music department, which is availiable for use by anyone, despite which course you're on. So just incase my keyboard annoys the people I live with, i'll have a piano to run to instead :)

As I was coming round to the idea of going there, I couldnt help but think my dreams would be dashed as soon as I saw the course... straight computer science didnt seem all that interesting to me :( But... the tour ended up at the department, where we learned everything we needed to know about the course., and the course is just perfect! Its very flexible, allowing for lots of options to be taken in the 2nd and 3rd years, and we even get a free choice module, allowing us to select ANY course the uni provides, as a part time course alongside computer science. This is meant to mix things up a little, so we're not stuck in front of a computer screen for the whole year. Very good idea :P
The main course itself involves elements of programming, graphic design, GAME design (wooo and yayyy), Artificial Intelligence and... other stuff.

So there it is... my home for the next three years :) Roll on september!

Edd Coates

Pluggity plug plug time!

Adventures in OpenGL

Britchford Town Lives!

Dates for your Date-Recording-Book

Double Beds *Rock*

New Video: Bongo Madness

University II - This Time It’s Business.

New Video: Goodbye Colman

Two Awesome Days

Alive - And absolutely not in a bad mood!

Now, lets shake things up a little!

Bring on the Learnage!

Wired, tired and oh so fresh... Uni has begun!

Last Week in Essex

Need... out... now...

You want to poke me with *what*?

Feel my wrath.

Its OVER.

Its a new look, Bob!

Hilary Elm Must Die.

Eddsplace.com Update: New Article

Four Weeks 'til Freedom

Upcoming Gig

Yeah, take that you boring piece of crap.

And the winner is...

Double Beds Rock

You want to poke me with what?