A blog by James: Gamer, Father, Geek.

Gearing up

Next year I may have an opportunity at work. One that if I don’t grab by the balls and go for, that I may have to wait a long time to get again. I have until recently thought it would be a shoe-in, but recent events with someone else at work have led me to believe it will not be so easy. (Yeah, I’m being deliberately cryptic).

So I figure I have about a year to ‘gear up’. I need to learn as much as I can about the job. I need to start observing others. I need to learn the OCR course and the National Curriculum like the back of my hand. I need to prepare masses of spectacular resources. I need to make sure the right people know my intentions. I need to make sure that if the opportunity arises I’m ready to say “I want it and here’s what I’ve been doing for a year to prepare.” I may not be a qualified teacher yet, but that is just a matter of time. 2 more years doing degree then 1 year training so I’d only be teaching a year unqualified, something many others have done.

The scary thing is this can’t be one of my grand plans that I don’t follow through on. Sure I would still get qualified but the difference would be there may not be a job for me at the end of it.

iPad

I need one. Obviously I don’t need one, but I want one so much that it may as well be need. It is impossible for me not to buy it. I would sell my every possession (well, bar clothes and my gaming PC) for it. I am actually weighing up whether to sell my Macbook or slap it on a credit card.

When it was first announced, like most people I was underwhelmed. However after reading all the reviews I’m convinced it’s the perfect device for me. I consume a lot of information on the internet. I spend almost all my spare time on it. Not just information, but media. Music, podcasts and audiobooks alone could take up more hours that I actually have to get through. A few months ago I came very close to buying a Kindle, and I’m glad I didn’t because now the iPad ticks that box. Added to that the various comic apps and I’m sold. Although the selection is slim pickings at the moment, I think eventually more recent and regular comics will appear on the device (and others). I know lots of comics shops are worried about such devices, and I understand why. But from my point of view, the nearest comic store takes me over an hour to get to. If I order online, the postage is nearly as much as the comic itself! I do feel sorry for traditional media stores. Music, film, games, news, all of them are shifting more and more online. It’s just the way of things, when new technology comes along old methods have to go. Instead of dragging their heels I really wish that a company like Marvel would leap forwards. With no cost of production other than to pay the writers/artists you could commission so much more work with minimal risk. Give Mockingbird a 4 issue mini series to a talented team and see if it takes off. If you want to preserve physical comics, have retailers give out special unlock codes on a scratch-card that allow you to get the digital version as a bonus to the physical. That way everyone’s happy!

Anyway, as I say it’s inevitable that I’ll get one. Out at the end of April here in the UK, though I’m not sure if the 3G version will be released at the same time. If the price plans are reasonable I would probably opt for the 3G version, that may depend on how much of a delay there was. 3G would only really benefit me in 2 ways. One, I can access whatever the hell I like at work. I’m quite capable of not letting things like Twitter affect my job, thanks. The other would be whenever I travel to Nottingham to see Rob. However this happens every other month at best, and there’s a strong possibility he may not be staying there much longer. His eyes are set on Edinburgh. Which is quite a distance!

In other news, Kick Ass was great and I’m not sure which I’m looking forward to the most, getting an iPad or seeing Iron Man 2.