Provided cost and rights free. All taken at Hluhluwe game park in South Africa 2011
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Giraffe Profile pictures
Here are some Giraffe profile pictures just in case you need them ;-)
Provided cost and rights free. All taken at Hluhluwe game park in South Africa 2011
Provided cost and rights free. All taken at Hluhluwe game park in South Africa 2011
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
3 Villains called "Rabbit"
Recently came across three separate, and as far as I know unrelated, stories in which the major villain character is called Rabbit.
- Utopia - British Channel 4 TV series
- Rainbows End - Science fiction book by Vernon Vinge
- Banshee - USA HBO TV series.
Coincidence or conspiracy ?
Saturday, 31 August 2013
Fold back the unmapped world
Google mapping and Streetview is not considered new technology but has recently evolved to include more portable mapping devices. These backpack and bike mounted camera+gps devices will fold back the areas of the unmapped world and capture a snapshot of how places are.
Photo above from Google who used the backpack mounted "Trekker" to map the Grand canyon in USA.
Just like buses, wait for one mapping car then three come along at once.
The Streetview story is a geeky cocktail of technology and a real determination to innovate in the mapping and visualisation of earth. Currently available in selected countries from all continents the mapping and remapping continues. With the combination of maps, Streetview and Satellite imagery the real joy is being able to locate and view a location from all different angles. When viewing the images be sure to note the Mapping/Image dates as places can change dramatically through the seasons and in a few years.
Cheers
Gannett
Photo above from Google who used the backpack mounted "Trekker" to map the Grand canyon in USA.
Just like buses, wait for one mapping car then three come along at once.
The Streetview story is a geeky cocktail of technology and a real determination to innovate in the mapping and visualisation of earth. Currently available in selected countries from all continents the mapping and remapping continues. With the combination of maps, Streetview and Satellite imagery the real joy is being able to locate and view a location from all different angles. When viewing the images be sure to note the Mapping/Image dates as places can change dramatically through the seasons and in a few years.
Cheers
Gannett
Monday, 5 August 2013
Exmoor Explorer 2013
Had a great if somewhat wet and tough time on the Exmoor Explorer this weekend. The 20+ mile mountain bike event that was entered by over 300 people starting from Minehead rugby club in North Devon.
Having not done an organised mountain bike event before I was not quite sure what to expect. Things did not get off to a great start as after the first climb the chain snapped but I was soon back on the trail with a bit of help from Toby with a chain tool. The event route was well selected just about every type of terrain Exmoor has to offer. Some of the downhills on lumpy grass track were perilous resulting in a roll in the heather ( and not in a good way).
The hardest part was getting up Dunkery beacon, the ground was vertical and the rain horizontal. Even after all that effort the view was just misty. Other parts of the course were better as later on the rain cleared and stunning vistas across Exmoor opened up.
It's important to know your limitations and for me that was getting to the half way tea stop. Most of the return section seemed like an uphill struggle even if the profile shows otherwise. Cramp was biting and grit & mud had got in everywhere. However the best technical sections were on the return leg with a couple of glorious woodland trail descents, just needed a bit more oomph to make the best of them.
Having not done an organised mountain bike event before I was not quite sure what to expect. Things did not get off to a great start as after the first climb the chain snapped but I was soon back on the trail with a bit of help from Toby with a chain tool. The event route was well selected just about every type of terrain Exmoor has to offer. Some of the downhills on lumpy grass track were perilous resulting in a roll in the heather ( and not in a good way).
The hardest part was getting up Dunkery beacon, the ground was vertical and the rain horizontal. Even after all that effort the view was just misty. Other parts of the course were better as later on the rain cleared and stunning vistas across Exmoor opened up.
It's important to know your limitations and for me that was getting to the half way tea stop. Most of the return section seemed like an uphill struggle even if the profile shows otherwise. Cramp was biting and grit & mud had got in everywhere. However the best technical sections were on the return leg with a couple of glorious woodland trail descents, just needed a bit more oomph to make the best of them.
By the end of the day the back brake had faded, the rear gears were jamming but the tyres and wheels held up well. For next time I would prep the bike better, remove saddlebag and not bother taking cheese and pickle sandwiches. Flapjack, cake and tea were provided at the tea stop and end of the event.
Overall was pleased to have finished in around 290 out of 380 position. Thanks to the organisers for a great event.
Monday, 29 July 2013
Silverstone Classic 2013
Had a really great time at the Silverstone Classic last weekend. A heady combination of show cars, historic races and time to go round the pits to see the racers in preparation. The bands in the evening cranked out familiar tunes to pass the darker hours.
Like this lad, petrol heads never lose that fascination with super sized motors.
Go see 30 + Lamborginis jostling to get out the car park on YouTube or best of the rest gallery of cars here.
Compilation of Video clips from weekend.
Cheers
Gannett
Saturday, 13 July 2013
Publishing - revolution
My sister published a book today. It took 20 years to write but just a couple of hours to publish to the world. No fancy software was required just MS Word and a web browser to upload to the Kindle self publishing store. Preparation of the manuscript takes the usual effort for writing, proofing and simple formatting but then upload and publish is really straightforward.
To work best as an eBook simple consistent formatting is required. A page break before each chapter and use paragraph styles to format the headings helps build a live link "Table of contents" page. That along with some cover artwork makes the complete package.
No more waiting for publisher approval, no more slaughter of trees, the kindle publishing platform is direct and all electronic process.
Originally the development of DTP was all about being able to emulate the technical requirements needed for paper and ink publishing but for ebooks, where the page is formatted on the fly, almost no formatting is needed.
I haven't examined all the commercial arrangements, and I don't know if there are fortunes to be made, that probably comes down to promotion and marketing but the ability to access such an efficient publishing platform is a true revolution.
To work best as an eBook simple consistent formatting is required. A page break before each chapter and use paragraph styles to format the headings helps build a live link "Table of contents" page. That along with some cover artwork makes the complete package.
No more waiting for publisher approval, no more slaughter of trees, the kindle publishing platform is direct and all electronic process.
Originally the development of DTP was all about being able to emulate the technical requirements needed for paper and ink publishing but for ebooks, where the page is formatted on the fly, almost no formatting is needed.
I haven't examined all the commercial arrangements, and I don't know if there are fortunes to be made, that probably comes down to promotion and marketing but the ability to access such an efficient publishing platform is a true revolution.
And the book .... It's a tale for youngsters told from the view point of Nipper a brave sheepdog that saved 300 cows and sheep from a barn fire. Over in the kindle store ...
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Not surprised by this.
It's probably because more folks read the Daily Mail than The Independent and Daily Telegraph put together :-). The Daily Mail, like much of the press these days, is a shameful paper that will print what it thinks the public wants to read regardless of the facts of a situation. Specialising in taking opposite ends of a story in the same week it has the morals of a crack den.
Newspapers have a guiding influence on public opinion, so the research above proves how badly they are doing their core function.
Gannett
Friday, 28 June 2013
What to look for in a good knowledge base article.
Continuing the theme of knowledge base articles here are some hints to build a great knowledge base article.
What are the conditions that lead to the event described ?
What are the conditions exclude the event described ?
Build a compelling article by showing the
- The evidence needed to identify the issue
- What you see in that evidence,
- What you understand from that evidence
- What you recommend in this situation
- What does a successful outcome look like ?
- What reference material should you refer to.
- Does the document read as fact or opinion ?
- Does the document standalone or does it need to be linked to other information.
- To what versions does the issue and fix apply.
- What impact will this have on the customer, product or company.
- What is the best route of distribution, Customer alert, Urgent posting on Social media, update into company support forums, alert to customer facing teams etc.
Cue the shared knowledge picture :
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