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So you already know I use Linux at home. As anyone who uses Linux knows you often need to find alternative software for certain tasks, in this case I'm talking about MS Word.

I use Open Office Word Processor, a fully functioning and free(as in beer) piece of kit that in my opinion kicks the ascii of MS Word. In fact I use the entire OOo Office kit.

Now, in MU120 there is a bit where you need to write down calculator key sequences, for example...

^{*This is not a TMA answer, just an example sequence!}

The format is important, non-numerical key presses should be enclosed in those squares, but using the draw functions in OOWP sucks for getting them to line up.

So this is what I do, and I am aware there are other ways to achieve this but this works for me.

Taking the sequence above as our example I first type in the number 1. So far so good right?

Then it's our first "ENTER" button. To do this I go to "Insert" menu, followed by "Object" and I select "Formula".

A new frame opens up at the bottom of the document. In there I type "ENTER" and then click back on the main page. The button will have appeared but the border you can see is only a guide, it won't print. To add the border, while the green dots are still around the button, you either  click on the border icon (here high-lit in yellow) followed by the last selection (shown selected) for all borders

- or -

click on the "Format" menu and select "Frame" then choose the Borders tab and select a border from within that.

Next up is the × in a border. This is executed in exactly the same way as the ENTER.

Select Insert/Object/Formula, in the box type "×" (To get × sign on a Linux box I use "Alt Gr" + "Shift" + "<" (or copy it from here and paste it in!)

Select it's border and we're onto 3 ENTER ENTER ENTER . . .

The 3 we just type as normal, the ENTERs, individually as above then three space separated full stops to indicate it's a continuing pattern.

Simples?!

It seems like not that long ago I was blowing off studying for my standard grades. I got a lucky year and passed everything with no revision at all. Of course I'm not that boy any more. I've been out of studying for almost half my life and it seems that maths is not what it once was!

I caught a 2 for my standard grade maths iirc, that's a credit level pass. So I think, ah, MU120 - Open Mathematics, easy.

That was until I worked through the preparatory texts. OMFG!!! The OU has definitely introduced my head to the baseball bat of maths. How could I have forgotten so much in so few years??? (OK perhaps I'm over-playing how young I am a touch, but I still feel like I'm 19 and you're as young as you feel right?)

So I can pretty much handle the arithmetic, to a point. Today I stumbled across ratios, my arch nemesis. You know the things... If it takes 4 men 9 hours to dig a hole 4 metres deep how many cricket balls can 1 cyclist hit into an open phone box in 3 working weeks? ...that kinda thing.

I can see me skewing my study timetable slightly in favour of the maths course I think! I used to be a credit level mathematician y'know....