Today we headed for a couple of days rest and recuperation from the hectic work schedule that we have to follow whilst out here in India. We've rented a couple of small cottages in a fairly tourist-oriented town, but far enough off the beaten track to provide a perfect opportunity for quiet reflection, and to catch up with our reading.

One of the things that I'm really enjoying about my trip out to India is the time I get for personal reflection. In the past, I was very much engrossed in getting myself through University, which I considered a simple rite of passage, and into a 9 to 5 so I could pay my bills and get on with living. Having done that for nearly two years, I'm glad I was able to get out of it when I could and take the time to reflect on what I actually wanted out of life.

Although a few weeks ago I had my first appraisal, and really enjoyed it. I don't think I actually sat down and thought deeply about it. Sure, I did 'think' - it would be rude not to; as it was a one-on-one review I was completely engaged. However, tonight we had a frank discussion about the direction of my life - where it had been and where I wanted it to go. On reflection I've not really had much of a target for my life, no big aims or dreams, and this has potentially hindered me. When I realised that my results and grades were slipping, rather than get them in check I seem to have simply tried to speed through them, hoping that when I came out on the other side that I'd leave them behind me. What I didn't realise was that when I reached the other side I would become what I have gone through, not what I had the potential to become.

It's quite a liberating feeling finally admitting openly, not just to myself, that my life has gone in completely the wrong direction. That decisions were made unwisely, and though I may have to live with the repercussions of those decisions for many years to come, I am now able to address the problems and move to check them, rather than continually run away from them and have them hold me back. I've let people down, made many mistakes, ignored my moral compass and accepted my lot as a penance for my actions. It was stupid, in hindsight.

With the benefit of this wonderful gift, as well as a newfound confidence in being able to offer myself to a worthy cause with the work I'm currently doing - I'm starting to look at potential career paths in a more long-term light. Whilst never having before really had an aim, a vision, a dream to fulfil - now I feel as though I can help discover one - rather than having one simply appear on my lap. What am I passionate about? What are my best attributes? What are my worst attributes? What don't I like?

Dear Sir/Madam,

Having recently purchase 'Engineering Mathematics' - 5th Edition, I was disappointed to find that the companion CD contained software that would only work with Windows, and not on my Ubuntu Laptop, or Mac Desktop.

Despite Microsoft having held a seemingly unassailable market share over the past 20 years on the Desktop, current trends show that more and more people are using Mac OSX and Linux on the desktop - with Linux being particularly strong in certain academic fields.

I'd like to suggest that palgrave do not release a 'Mac OSX version', nor an 'Ubuntu version' of the personal tutor; but anticipate the current market trends and put the personal tutor 'in the cloud.'  This would enable you to centrally-manage updates and revisions to the tutor, rather than having to 'push' updates to your customers.  It would also enable you to leverage the intelligence of the 'community' of 'Engineering Mathematics' readers since its first publication in 1970.

I won't preach toward you about the benefits of choosing "open source software" as your platform (although do take a look at moodle for your Virtual Learning Environment).  However, I'd like to place emphasis on the potential of the 'community' that such a website would create.   Instead of having students as independent satellites, you'd bring them together online to encourage collaboration and solutions.

These are the skills that the academic community are trying to encourage.  It was Tim Berners-Lee, of the academic community, who started the World Wide Web at CERN.  Please consider contributing yourselves.

Regards,

andylockran

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