tmcd35

Which, going sround in circles, begs the question - is that GCSE level maths or is that something that should already have been covered during KS3? Does a 'C' grade GCSE prove you can do basic algebra and a 'D' grade prove you can't? The dabate is if constantly retesting until the pupil gets the magical 'C' grade is worth the time/hassle/heartache not whether or not maths (or indeed english) are worthwhile subjects to study. And of course, everyone should expect a quality education regardless of subject or level being taught. Receiving the best teaching does not mean every child being forced to study every subject to the highest level. In fact, I'd argue that's counterproductive and may go someway to explain some pupils attitudes and behaviour in school. $diety knows I was never the best of pupils during the French lessons my school insisted I take.

Usual pitfulls on budget specs - does the prices include monitor, keyboard, mouse, operating system? Or are these being carried over from another system. In the case of OS that will mean already having a full retail copy (if using Windows). PSU - Personally I'd look for 85+ Bronze rated, but they tend to cost a bit more. That said worth it as it can seriously improve the lifespan of the final build. Personally I'd go for a lower spec CPU and a higher spec GPU. Perhaps entry level i3 with a HD7000 series GPU, for gaming. I'd also consider a smaller HDD if it releases more money for a better spec PSU/Motherboard/GPU.

The problem with that model is when do you diffy (sp.) up the kids? I'm not sure that the 11+ was the wisest time to tell someone "your an idiot go to the idiots school". But the general approach in having a mixture of academic and non-academic courses available for 14-18 years olds without the tunnel vision of the "core subjects" makes sense. I wonder, rather than segragating schools, if there is any milage in getting schools/6th forms/colleges to work in a tighter local federation of schools allowing KS4 pupils to choose from a broader range of subjects and travel between local sites offering different parts of their course? Thus a less academically inclinde pupils might spend 2 days at a local college studying plumbing, do basic (non GCSE) numeracy and english it their local school, and maybe travel out to a school doing GCSE Archeology because that's a subject they are interested in (and thus likely to do well at). I think with the school leaving age raising to 18 there's much more scope to tailor education around individual needs and interests.

In the park no one can hear you scream

I'm going at a slowish pace here too. Not yet 10% after 3 days (7-8hours gameplay). The way I see it, the main story needs to keep me entertained until November 29th so no point rushing threw it in a weekend

On the flip side, I recently took on a young technician without ant formal education or qualifications. He's proving to be one of the best tech's I've had the pleasure to work with. I'll always prefer a good CV that shows either experience or enthusiam (maybe even both) over perfect grammer or high school qualifications. Personally I think the answer is to improve the focus at KS2 rather than engage in endless resits at KS4.

Interesting anecdote. I'll happily admit I've used Pythagoras more than once when measuring up for projectors. And algibra is pretty core to any programming I've done. Can't say I've found a use for quadratic equations yet though - certainly don't help solve the Countdown numbers games, that's for sure. @X-13 was right - GCSE is not basic English/Maths. After year 9 how much of either subject does everybody really need to know?

The key word be majority not everybody. The arguement being why force everybody to get above a certain grade regardless of their academic ability or if the subject holds any relevance on them personally (thus the example)? And does it devalue the grade by doing so? Try a more personal example, High school GCSE - B Office Technology, C Maths, 2xC Science, E English College GCSE - B Computing, D Engish, D Law College BTEC - National Diploma Computers Studies So 5 GCSE's grade C and above including Maths. Grade D in English. Do I really need to get a grade C in English? If so, why? Bear in mind I then went on to university without getting that particular GCSE, or any A-Levels.

What about "3yr plumbers apprentiship with NVQ college day release and basic English & Maths" vs. "GCSE Grade E English & Maths (after 3 attempts before being kicked out of education at 18)"? Not saying that the subjects don't offer valuable skills, just unsure of the obsession with everyone have to pass at a high GCSE standard. For a lot of people a basic Economics or Accountancy course would be more beneficial than GCSE Maths.

I think I'm wait for the weekend before getting the Blimp out. Got some serious exploring (and a few missions to do) first I think. I'm gonna find a tennis court tonight.

Must admit that I agree somewhat with the OP. These are too subjects I think we place too great an importance on compared with other subjects. In a similar way we seem obsessed with lumping the three sciences together as if someone good/interested in Physics is automatically good/interested in Chemistry or Biology. It's like the previous Labour governments obsession with >50% in going to university. There was a news story this morning about bringing back national service for 18-26yr olds (I think). While I didn't agree with the proposed implementation, I certainly agree with the sentiment. There must be better ways of educating our kids than force feeding them quadratic equations or shakespeare? P.S. I got a D in English after doing a 1 year resit in college, up from an E the first time round - still got a uni degree with out it!

Why not build PC's with more USB ports? Thankfully we've banished PS/2 here so I never have to deal with another bent pin!

By that logic the current PM is destroying the reputation of our beloved librarian

Isn't there a number of limitations with traditional BIOS that UEFI is supposed to overcome? - limits on code size for the actual BIOS - limits on where boot partitions can begin on a physical disk (which I think bootloaders like Grub get around) - support for hardware drivers allowing WIMP/GUI interfaces - something about memory management and how the first 640k is used - something about the system calls available to the OS I'm sure there where others. But basically BIOS is 30-something years old and should have been retired along time ago. A bit like PS/2 keyboards/Mice, Parallel Printers and RS232C serial ports (don't why it annoys me when I still see these things on Motherboards despite USB being th defacto standard this pass decade).

Can't remember how I got there - but, playing as Michael, I had a very interesting drug taking experience in a park (one of the '?' side events). EDIT: (too much to remember/do) - One of the missions ends on the beach, while there take a trip down the peir and have a go on the rollercoaster

There's an early level I did last night (which I won't spoil for those who haven't got that far) involving Michaels Wife and her Tennis Coach. It involved a drive up into the hills. Just as you reach your final destination the view of the city from the hillside is breath taking.

Although the question/answer reads more like GTA VI, there's more hint's in this two part interview that the game was designed for current gen... Grand Theft Auto 5: Rockstar's Dan Houser on Los Santos and the future | Technology | theguardian.com Sweet deal, you'll enjoy The Last of Us. Possibly worth playing before GTA:V - because it's both shorter and EPIC! After last night I really wish we had the Share feature on PS3. I'd so be spamming Facebook with gameplay videos right now. I had Franklin steal a bus and park it Michaels garage

I did notice a strip bar on the mini map...

Get in car, left D-pad, right stick up = classic rock

Obviously I don't know when this took place, but... BBC News - UK enforces Pegi video game ratings system It looks like it is now criminally enforcable in the same way that movies, tobbacco and alchol are. Meaning even if the parents are standing there next to them saying "yeah, yeah, it's okay" it would be illegal to sell them the game. In fact it would be illegal if you had reason to believe the game was meant for someone under age even without them being there - as in parent comes to the counter and says "I'm buying this for my 9yr olds birthday present". There's been some interesting news stories over the years where trading standards have staged such sales to entrap naughty shopkeepers.

Pah! Peer pressure. If my nephews facebook comments are anything to go by I doubt there's a kid left in school who hasn't already played it. That said, I'm sure the parents don't realise what sort of content is in this particular game...

(I can think of better but this one everyone will 'get')

For anyone who hasn't played it - Sleeping Dogs is worth the asking price on it's own!

Both my technicians - grrrr.

I think one thing to take from this thread is that £400 is still not a lot for a gaming laptop - or PC. Sure you'll get more bang for your buck out of a PC, but building your own you still have the thorny issue of a copy of Windows (£80 OEM) so still doesn't leave much for all the other components. On this budget, for gaming, I'd look at a prebuilt system from someone like Zoostorm then getting a seperate £50-£100 graphics card. I don't think it's worth building a gaming PC on a less than £500 budget, being realistic. I still think on that budget the best deals to be had for gaming are secondhand.