It was part way through my second year database module at uni that I realised there were probably better ways to spend three grand a year. By this point was designing schemas as part of my sleep, so I didn’t need an Oracle shill explaining how to use a GUI to the same effect. Instead I started hitting the hard stuff; Euler.

(First, it’s pronounced Oil-er, not You-ler.) I’d been meaning to learn a few things. A bit of Python, Matlab and R while I had access to at least one of them for free, and also brush up on my problem solving skills. Because all geeks are ultimately problem solvers always looking for the next knot to untie.

So I ended up on Project Euler. This is like geek crack. Hundreds of problems ranging from the easy (relative) to the slightly more tricky and requiring some programming (that I still have yet to solve) straight through to downright cruel.

But you know what, they’re awesome. The first time you look at them you’re either going to think this is impossible or not understand half the words. So you have to start thinking. I keep on meaning to continue, cracking more of them but unfortunately I don’t have a three-hour window of otherwise uninterrupted time every Wednesday.