I didn’t think it’d happen with this project but I managed to get behind schedule. I’m not used to multi-tasking University work. I’m glad that I went on placement though, multi-tasking was one of the things that I had to do. I’ve been working hard since Christmas to get back to my schedule and so far I’ve managed to do further research, sign up three research participants and publish a questionnaire (needed for eliciting requirements). At the moment, I’m just waiting for the last results to come through so I’m going to finish writing formally about my initial research for now.
I’ve also done a few things to help me get organised. The first was fuelled by Outlook 2007 beta completly messing up on Vista RC1, leaving me now unable to even open Outlook 2003 or 2007. After a bit of hassle I’ve got myself a Google Calendar which can be accessed remotely via Thunderbird and Netvibes (using the iCal standard). This is better for me as my schedule is going to be staring me in the face a lot.
Secondly, I’ve set up Vista’s shadow copies and Nero’s DVD-RW backup facility. This means I’ll be able to look back at previous versions of my work and also rest assured that even if my computer explodes - my work will be safe in a draw. I’d like to implement Box.net’s remote (FTP) backup software when it becomes available too. Lastly, I’ve configured my Netvibes homepage into three tabs - the default one being email, notes, to-do and calendar modules and the others containing news and bookmarks. I did this because I kept getting distracted by technical articles from Engadget and the BBC. It also provides me with an overview on my schedule every time I open Firefox.
Next step: I aim to be back to the schedule by the end of the week (thank God my lectures haven’t started yet!).
P.S. - I added K2 (see footer) and Google Calendar (see Links) to the site.