An annual
computing competition for people in
High Schools in
Britain.
There's a three hour paper which hsa three questions, each increasing in difficulty. If you can answer the first two questions correctly and attempt the third, you'll most likely get through to the finals. The questions can be found at http://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/bio/papers/2000/bio/round_one.html .
Twelve of us went down to Cambridge University and stayed in Corpus Christi college for a few days, for the final. The reason we were there was for the questions... available at http://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/bio/papers/2000/final/round_two.html, but these were mere intrusions into the event.
Firstly, I learnt of the game of Mao. I will tell anyone who asks that Mao does have rules, which do change and are reasonably easy to pick up.
Secondly, the event made me decide that I didn't want to go into Computer Science. After all... anyone who discusses Object Orientated Puddings over breakfast is obviously a raspberry short of a Fruit Corner yoghurt.
However, I did get some books out of it... Programming Pearls, a great book on how to program, and a huge beefy unused CompSci textbook which made no sense at all...
I also saw Stephen Hawking trundling down the road as we went for a pizza...
I got through to the Finals of the 2000 BIO... I'm the one with red hair in http://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/bio/images/2000-all-finalists-l.jpg... the guilty party of Object Orientated Puddings is the one in the white t-shirt