Matthew Nicholls, a computer science student in Cardiff

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BBC Learning English
Talk about English
Private lives - Part 8
Matthew Nicholls, a computer science
student in Cardiff
This programme was first broadcast in 1997

Clip Matthew Nicholls
I would consider myself British first and then Welsh but not English, I’m sorry but definitely
not English.


Sue: In Private lives today we meet Matthew Nicholls. Matthew has lived all his life
in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Matthew describes himself as British first
and then Welsh, but “definitely not English”! Except that is, when it comes to
football. If England are playing a match, then Matthew supports them. And as
we’ll discover, football is a very important part of Matthew’s life. Wales,
however, is famous for the game of rugby. So, when it comes to watching
Wales play rugby, Matthew considers himself to be Welsh! Matthew is 20 years
old and he’s studying computer science at Cardiff University. During the
programme, we’ll hear him talk about where he lives, and what he enjoys doing
on a typical night in. He also talks about the kind of films and music he likes,
and why he’s chosen to study computer science. And, he talks about his new
girlfriend. First though, football. Matthew started playing at primary school, and
he’s never stopped.


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Clip Matthew Nicholls
It’s hard to describe the feeling you get from playing football, from watching football, from
living football. You’ve got to eat football, sleep football, drink football, play football, live
football. Football, it’s just so absorbing, it just takes up so much, it’s great. I started playing
when I was about 9 or 10 maybe. I actually find it difficult to go a week without playing
football. I get withdrawal symptoms. I’m sure I do get withdrawal symptoms. I just start to get
a bit ratty, a bit uptight and tense and it’s just a great way of relieving stress. So many people
just go out on the street and kick a ball around for hours and hours and it’s just a simple thing
that provides so much pleasure. It’s such a great sport. It’s just fantastic. Words just can’t
describe it. People can’t understand how people get so absorbed in the game but it’s such a big
thing - it’s just wonderful - I don’t know how to describe it.


Sue: In between football, Matthew fits in his studies. And he’s almost as enthusiastic
about computer science as he is about football. He’s excited by the speed at
which computer programs can now work, and by what computers can be made
to do. Looking ahead, there are good job opportunities for computer science
graduates, and Matthew admits there’s another good reason for studying
computer science.

Clip Matthew Nicholls
I suppose at the end of the day, I’ve got to say, it’s for the money because the money’s great -
you can get a guaranteed job, really good job prospects - it’s the most developing field of all
jobs in the market. If you want to be a lawyer, it’s tough to get a job . If you want to be an
accountant, you’ve got to pass loads of exams but if you want to be a computer scientist, it’s
just great, you get a job, you earn lots of money and I suppose it’s fairly interesting as well.
Some parts are good -- things like the Internet for example that’s interesting. So I think it’s the


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right course to do. It’s good.


Sue: The Internet is a vast network of connected computers. Information can be
exchanged world-wide at the touch of a button. As part of his university degree
course, Matthew is going to work with several other students on a project about
an Internet security system. The system is called a firewall, and it’s designed to
restrict access to the computers on a network - such as the network of a small
business or company - from the outside world.

Clip Matthew Nicholls
My project for my final year is related to the internet and the thing that I have chosen is an
Internet project about firewalls. Now a firewall is basically a barrier between a network and the
internet. Now if you have a small network in your company - such as a bank, you have to put a
firewall up between that and the internet otherwise people from outside could break in and
steal all your money.


Sue: Matthew has his own computer and spends many hours “tinkering” - or playing
- with different programs, and surfing the Internet. He’s very interested in
computer generated graphics - drawings and pictures made with computers -
and, if he doesn’t make it to be a professional footballer, he’d like a job using
computers to create special effects for films.

Clip Matthew Nicholls
If I could have any job in the world it would have to be a professional footballer because to do
something that you love so much for a living, and a very good living, would just be a dream


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come true. It would be amazing. But I suppose realistically I have to look at what I could be
doing. So, I like computers and I like graphics. I am really interested in special effects. I’d like
to work for a special effects company for movies because I find it so interesting the way they
can create something that looks as if it’s completely real as if it’s really, really happening on
screen, yet it’s all been produced in a tiny, little box in the corner of someone’s lab. And it
hasn’t been outside, it hasn’t interacted with the real world in any way, yet it looks absolutely
fantastic. And I love it when people go to the cinema and they look at a film and they say
“wow that’s amazing”. That’s what I’d like to do because it’s interesting, it’s fun and it makes
you feel good too.


Sue: Matthew is a fan of two recent blockbuster films which have been on release in
many different countries all over the world: Jurassic Park - about a Costa Rican
island inhabited by genetically-engineered dinosaurs - and Toy Story - about the
adventures of a roomful of toys which come to life. Toy Story is the first full-
length animated film to be created entirely by artists using computer technology,
and both films have captured Matthew’s imagination.

Clip Matthew Nicholls
Very, very few of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park were actually models, there was only about
two or three, all the rest were done on a computer and people couldn’t tell the difference - they
were just so amazed by it - it was just, it was just breathtaking. But I think for pure skill and
expertise and technical achievement, there’s a film called Toy Story which was done
completely 100% on a computer. It looks a bit like a cartoon but it kind of looks real as well -
and the way they’ve done a whole film just on one computer - can you imagine something the
size of a television - producing a film, a whole film, can you believe that that could be possible?



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Sue: Matthew lives in a flat not far from Cardiff city centre and the university. He
lives there with two friends: James, who owns the flat and is studying to be a
dentist, and John, who plays a lot of rugby and is studying art. They’ve painted
the living room ceiling blue and the walls orange. In one corner, there’s a
bookcase and several shelves are packed with videos. Matthew says this is a flat
of “movie buffs” - of film lovers - and for a lazy night in they would hire a video
from the local “movie shop”, and “veg out” - they’d take it very easy!

Clip Matthew Nicholls
A perfect night in. Well, I suppose sometimes we run out of money and sometimes we just
can’t be bothered to go out, so what we’d usually do is go to the movie shop and rent a few
films, then maybe get a pizza as well and maybe go to the off licence and get a few cans of
beer. And then stay in all night - veg, veg out on the settee and watch a bit of TV and drink a
few beers and have a bit of pizza and then slowly, we all sort of mope off to bed.


Sue: In his bedroom, Matthew has a ghetto-blaster - a portable tape player with built-
in speakers. He likes a wide range of music and says he can listen and work at
the same time! One of his favourite songs is You Might Need Somebody by
Shola Ama, because it reminds him of his girlfriend, whom he met at a local
football match!


Clip Matthew Nicholls
Lots of people listen to certain types of music because it’s really cool and it’s the in thing to
do. A lot of people at the moment are into Brit Pop as they call it or Grunge which is bands
like Oasis and Blur. And they think it’s really cool to be like them so they listen to it and they


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copy them. Personally I don’t particularly like their music so I don’t listen to it. I prefer other
music such as, maybe I should call it ambient music. It can be quite relaxing and it’s nice to
listen to after a hard day. You can just sit down and relax just be absorbed in the music you
know. And I suppose the other main kind of music I like is eighties music. I’m a bit of an
eighties boy shall we say. Music from the 1980s. And I do like the 70s as well, they’re quite
good. But different kinds of music for different times I think. And I suppose you’ve got to
have the romantic music when your loved one’s around too - nothing like a bit of mush you
know. The first time I met her was at a local pitch. It was just kind of a local league match and
she was standing on the side lines watching the game talking to her friends. I can even
remember the clothes she was wearing - a pair of jeans a white top, pair of sunglasses. And the
next time I saw her was at a training session - just by chance - and then I suppose I kind of
asked her if she’d like to see me again and one thing led to another and the rest is history! And
I think she’s great, she’s wonderful. She likes football - she must be great!


Sue: Matthew’s flatmate James joins us at this point, and gives his version of the
lead-up to Matthew’s romance. It seems that both James and John gave
Matthew friendly advice about what to say on the phone, and how to beat off a
rival!

Clip
Matthew our flat mate has been trying to go out with a girl for quite a few weeks now and
initially there was bit of a competition between him and this other bloke, but he’s managed to
pull through - with a little bit of help from his friends. And now he’s happily going out with her
- after hours on the phone - but eventually he’s going out with her so we’re all happy!




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Sue: Matthew, James and John enjoy student life. They say they talk of nothing but
sport, beer and girls, but they all have ambitious career plans. And they consider
themselves lucky - unlike many students, they don’t experience financial
hardship because their parents can afford to subsidise them. To end the
programme, Matthew talks about a quotation from the Bible that inspires him,
and it sums up his attitude to his studies and his future.


Clip Matthew Nicholls
There’s a great verse in the Bible from Luke Chapter 11 Verse 9 that says “Seek and ye shall
find. Ask and ye shall receive. Knock and the door shall be opened”. And it’s all about having
faith in your own ability, about going out there and getting it, about the world meets nobody
half way - if you want something you’ve got to go out there and get it and if you sit there in
the corner and don’t say anything you won’t achieve anything.