Windows Home Server Power Pack 3

Power Pack 3 for Windows Home Server is available to download today.  Login to your Windows Home Server and click on Windows Update. More information on Power Pack 3 here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/pp.mspx

 If you have installed any of the beta versions, you will need to follow the instructions here: http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowshomeserver/archive/2009/11/24/power-pack-3-instructions-for-users-running-pre-release-versions.aspx

Belkin N+ wireless router and Xbox Live

If, like me, you have been having problems getting Xbox Live to work over your Belkin N+ Wireless route, here's a great article that takes you through the solution (or workaround!).  Judging my the number of comments on this article, I was not the only one suffering with problems.  This fixed mine.  :^)

http://www.zath.co.uk/how-to-get-xbox-live-working-with-belkin-n-wireless-router/

I just loved this video (and the concept!)

Breeze reflection by Djeff @ "Mal au pixel" France from djeff on Vimeo.

Geocaching in the FT

Here's a nice article from the FT on Geocaching.  It seems like a well balanced introduction to the topic.  It is from September this year, but I have only just come across it. :0(

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f16b1dce-a18f-11de-a88d-00144feabdc0.html

Here's another article from a little further afield...http://www.rapidgrowthmedia.com/features/110509geocaching.aspx

Ordance Survey maps to be free to download from 2010

I have been a great fan of online maps and GPS based devices, but the current price charged for digital online maps far outweighs their advantages for my usage.  This isn't anything to do with the maps themselves, but relates more to the current generation of GPS devices that have relatively small screens that ultimately limits the usefulness of the map.  It doesn't mean that an online map is totally useless, but it is difficult to justify the price of the OS maps which can run into hundreds of pounds.  Enter the OpenStreet Map projects that provides digital maps of the UK for free.  You can download them here.  The maps are pretty good and I find them usable for geocaching and have them loaded onto my Garmin 550 (see the review here).

But ideally, I would like to use the OS maps.  I am used to using them, having used the paper based ones for years, and it would be neat to have the same map on paper and in digital format. This article in the Guardian outlines changes to the access of digital OS maps potentially to come into force next year.  It looks promising for end users and businesses alike, but I wonder what effect it will have on their Ordance Survey's business model.  While it is good news for councils and businesses everywhere that use OS data, this sort of revenue cannot disappear without it having an impact somewhere.

I also hope this potential change in the access to OS maps will also help publishers.  One of my pet hates is the use of hand drawn maps in walking and cycling guide books.  While Wainwright added much value in his hand-drawn guides, I think the use of such "unique" maps in books just makes them more difficult to use in practice.

How Windows Mobile lost the lead to the Apple iPhone

Here's an interesting article about how Microsoft stumbled in the smartphone race.  While Microsoft decided the route to success was via the enterprise (by chasing RIM's success with the Blackberry), Apple decided that success lay in the arms in the consumer.  And success here is determined by mobile applications.  Apple's AppStore has become hugely popularly with tens of thousands of applications for consumers to choose from.  This, somewhat surprisingly, is also helping driving penetration in the Enterprise market as many corporate useres admit downloading games and travel applications onto their iPhone.

If mobile applications are the route to your success, then developers being the critical audience.  Pander to them by providing them with the right tools, support and eco-system and they will do the rest.  Since the iPhone is a single hardware platform (as opposed to Windows Mobile that is available from LG, Samsung and HTC), this also helps developers since they only have to build and test one version of the application.

Winston Churchill (auto tuned!)

There has been a lot of discussion about the use of "auto tune" technology on many pop records. It started off as a method for correcting the odd vocal slip up, but then started to appear as a vocal effect in it's own right (on Cher's 1998 recording of "Believe"). There has been much discussion lately about it's overuse by less talented artists, however, I really like the effect that schmoyoho has produced by re-mixing famous speeches and even news items. Check out the videos on YouTube.

Mental Floss

This is an American website full of all sorts of facts and trivia, including:

• Bizarre Brand Extensions
• A history of toilet paper
• The nautical roots of common phrases
• 15 companies that originally sold something else
• And lots of other stuff!

The ultimate iPod protection...make it look like a Microsoft Zune!

Yes, it is a joke, but it made me laugh.....You can get to the spoof site here.

It's great to be British! Now where did I park my Austin Princess?

Clash of the Titans trailer

Over the summer, Clash of the Titans was being filmed in the Dinorwig Slate Quarries in Llanberis.  Access to the quarries during the filming was restricted and a numberof the permissive footpaths closed to the public.  It seemed to go on for a number of weeks during which time mysterious "COTT" direction signs appeared on surrounding roads.

I have taken a number of photos in the Dinorwig Quarries over the years including this one.

Here's the trailer.  It is clearly not only filmed in Llanberis, but if you are familiar with the area you will recognise bits.

Table tennis manual

It is often said the photographs reveal more about the photographer than the subject.  I wonder if the same is true of books? 

After a break of almost 20 years, I am back playing table tennis again (and still just as badly!).  A few coaching lessons and my playing has improved dramatically.  Next step? Read a book on the subject. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and it has improved my table tennis no end. I am an intermediate player and have been coached on a number of occasions. I recognise much of the same information in the book from some of my coaching sessions. So, in this regard, this book has provided useful additional information.

The book covers a wide range of topics and is pretty concise - in some sections, I can't help feeling tht it is a little too concise. However, this book is one in a series of sports guides and I suspect that the format of the series has dictated the layout and format of this book. One improvement to the format of the book would be the use of annotated diagrams to explain the different strokes rather than using a series of photographs. These strokes can often be difficult to describe in words and I think the use of diagrams would make them easier to understand. I am not sure that using photographs of different players has helped in conveying the different strokes (although it does illustrate the different playing styles).

A picture might be worth a thousand words, but an illustrated diagram is worth a thousand photographs. At least when trying to describe table tennis strokes!  However, I suspect photographs are cheap to produce and are thus prefered by publishers.

All in all, a great book that has helped me improve by playing and understanding of the game. I am sure that I will come back to the book in the future and use it as a reference book. Recommended.

Images of Russia

I came across this set of images of Russia from Aleksey Petrosian - a Russian photographer. They are just a fantastic set of images - some moving, some tragic, and some that make you smile.  But all of them stunning.  Many of them are very reminiscent  of Henri Cartier Bresson (including this one to the right).

I love this style of photography where the photographer has capture images of what would appear to be just everyday life.  The results though are anything but just ordinary!

Logos with hidden messages

Came across this article today on logo design with hidden messages.  Great article that goes a long way to explaining what makes a great logo.

http://www.graphicdesignblog.org/hidden-logos-in-graphic-designing/

Garmin Oregon 550 GPS

First things first, this GPS receiver is really targetted at the outdoor enthusiast and is not really intended for in car use. If you are looking for an in car navigation device, then I suggest you look elsewhere. If you are a Garmin fan, the NUVI series are pretty good. These in car devices are both cheaper and more appropriate than this device. If you are looking for a device for walking, geocaching, cycling etc, then read on.

I have the 550 model - the one without the maps. I find the software based maps of limited use (prefering to use the real paper based ones in the mountains) and find the free maps from the OpenStreetMap initiative more than adequate for my needs. They have contours and paths as well as routable roads and Points of Interest (POIs). The whole of the UK comes in at around 250MB, so it will easily fit on the SD card in the device. A quick internet search will take you to the appropriate download page. You will find the page here: http://sites.google.com/site/talkytoasteruk/ukmaps

The device boots up quickly and seems pretty accurate. I bought this device specifically for geocaching (more on this later) and currently use a GPSMAP60csx. The Oregon seems as accurate as the 60csx and works well under tree cover. The device is easy to set up and configure - everyone seems to set theirs up in a slightly different way.

For geocaching, it is a really great device. You can run a pocket query on geocaching.com (you need to be a premium member to do this) and can then load the subsequent GPX file onto the device (this involves copying it into a directory on the device). The GPX file contains all the information you need for each cache - description, location, previous logs and even the hint. Using this approach, I have loaded up all of the caches within a 20 mile radius of home. It means no more printed out pages and enbles me to look for caches on an adhoc basis. It is even possible to log your attempts on the device and then upload the file to geocaching.com. These attempts can even contain field notes. This comes into it's own when you are logging a number of caches per day or logging caches over a number of days before you can log them on the internet.

So, now the not so good features. More niggles than anything, but here there are! The user interface is a bit cumbersome. The use of a touchscreen has led to a very convulted UI. For example, when geocaching I often flip between the map page, the compass page and the cache description page. Each time you move between pages, you need to go back upto the main menu. On the 60csx, you can just flip between the screens. Another thing to bear in mind for geocachers is that if you put the answers to clues into your field notes on the device, these cannot be read on the device. You have to load them up to the internet to be able to access them. So if you are looking for a bonus cache and want to do the calculation in the field, then take a paper and pen with you.

Battery life on AA alkalines is pretty poor, but much more respectable on the rechargable NiMHs supplied with the unit. You can use battery saving mode to extend the life of the batteries, but this just turns the screen off after every few seconds and gets annoying. I can spare alkaline AAs as backups for the rechargables.

The unit will run off power supplied to it via the mini USB cable, but it will not charge the batteries via this cable. Shame.

The touchscreen can be difficult to see in bright sunlight and can be scratched. I already have a scratch on my unit, but then I tend to leave it loose in a rucsac pocket.

The 550 does have a 3.2MB pixel camera, but it is pretty limited in terms of camera controls.  My advice is don't leave your camera at home.  However, if you do, you could use the 550 at a push.  The good news is that it does store location data with each of the picture that you take.  Thus, when you browse through the images in the album, you can navigate back to that location.  I haven't had any reason to use this feature, but I can imagine that there are other users out there who might have a need for this.

All in all a great device. I am hoping that Garmin will improve the UI and this will be available through software updates.