1926 London
Fabulous COLOUR film of 1926 London from the BFI..... what's startling (for me) about this is how little has changed in a lot of London, yet notice that there is no highrise and the streets are so clean.
London in 1927 from Tim Sparke on Vimeo.
posted on: Mon, 20 May 2013 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Word for the Day: Pareidolia
I came across the word Pareidolia at 500px yesterday which I didn't know, so looked it up on Wikipedia. This is what it had to say:
a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant.... Common examples include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon or the Moon rabbit, and hearing hidden messages on records when played in reverse.
Perhaps one of the most famous remote sensing examples (below) is the face on Mars..... we've all seen them and the WIkipedia page has some great examples.
posted on: Tue, 07 May 2013 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
CONFIRMED: CBC council officially provide no educational leadership
Well this week saw Central Bedfordshire Council organise an open meeting to "discuss changes to schools and academies in Dunstable and Houghton Regis" (something I've blogged about before)...
posted on: Fri, 03 May 2013 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Clear explanation of changes to education in Central Bedfordshire......
Watch...listen....learn....
Did you understand that?? No, neither did I. As a follow-up to my blog on educational leadership in Central Bedfordshire, I wondered where we had got to in informing stakeholders of the (not) clear direction and structured approach to change that we have in Central Bedfordshire....
posted on: Wed, 20 Mar 2013 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Burren in TimeLapse
A simply stunning set of time lapse photos taken with a Canon M5D Mk2/3 using a DIY rig to move the camera with a rising/falling rail. Make it full screen watch and be inspired.
posted on: Wed, 13 Mar 2013 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Light Painting Photos
A great series of photos for the Christmas season
posted on: Tue, 18 Dec 2012 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Lack of educational leadership from Central Bedfordshire UA?
As a governor at a school in Central Bedfordshire the last few years have been exciting times..... central government have pushed through a breathtaking raft of changes with the Academies programme a central plank....
posted on: Fri, 02 Nov 2012 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
New term, new students and.... new digs
Yes, that time has come, the first offspring departed for University and a new educational frontier (at Keele) awaits him....
posted on: Sat, 22 Sep 2012 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Infographic: Olympic Budget
A great infographic from the BBC on the Olympic Budget through time....well worth a view
posted on: Wed, 27 Jun 2012 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Wellcome 2012 Image Awards
Title says it all.... see science at its most stunning
posted on: Tue, 26 Jun 2012 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Never Second - a soap opera all of it's own
Well the Never Seconds blog continues to make international headlines. It's hard to imagine how taking a photo of your school lunch can generate such interest, and indeed have such an impact, but it does....
posted on: Mon, 18 Jun 2012 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
A year in the life of a securely locked bike.....
posted on: Thu, 14 Jun 2012 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Uber-cool bath toys
Yes really! Co.Design have reviewed two design classics that will shortly be available at the V&A Museum. More generally, they have a great set of articles that are worth setting up an RSS subscription for.... some great design "stuff".
posted on: Tue, 05 Jun 2012 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Are you out there?? Andy Wilson GIS MSc (09-11)
Andy (or someone still in touch with him!), wondered if you could get in touch.
cheers
mike
posted on: Sun, 13 May 2012 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Photos that make you say "OMG!"
A great selection of historic photos that just shout "O MY GOD". Fantastic!
posted on: Mon, 26 Mar 2012 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
X-Mini Speakers
Whilst at Heathrow I picked up some X-Mini Capsule Speakers. These are very small mono speakers that plug in to your mp3 player (aka phone) and run of a a small rechargeable internal battery. The volume and bass they generate is remarkable. Getting very close to the point of not needing a laptop - with my 500 albums on a 32Gb card in the phone and X-Mini speaker it makes a good portable sound system for the hotel. The phone obviously does all the comms and a bluetooth keyboard isn't too bad. Laptop still needed for hitting comms hard.....
posted on: Sat, 25 Feb 2012 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Things you probably shouldn't do in a microwave.....
Need I say more....
posted on: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Humax PVR Update
After the best part of a year since I reported on my new Humax PVR, I thought I'd give an update as the firmware has been upgraded a few times and I've finally gotten around to playing a little more with it....
posted on: Tue, 03 Jan 2012 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
80s throwback
Maybe I'm a bit sentimental for the 80s (or at least the music. Very sad of me!), but this YouTube video is a great mashup to the Phoenix track Lisztomania.
posted on: Thu, 07 Jul 2011 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Durness to Dover Done and Dusted
Well back to work and Durness to Dover is now finished. We did it the 800 miles in 8 days and have so far raised over £2000 for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. If anyone wants to donate then please follow the link off the event page.
posted on: Tue, 28 Jun 2011 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Durness to Dover
I'm turning 40 this summer (body feels far older!) so to "celebrate" I thought I would do a BIG bike ride. In the UK, Lands End to John O'Groats is the most common one as it connects to two farthest points on the UK mainland, however that seemed at bit "common". So instead the idea of "top-left to bottom-right" emerged (rather than "top-right to bottom-left"). I needed a co-conspirator (Adam) and from there a route and some dates emerged. I've set up a website over at Durness-to-Dover where we give some background blurb and a map of the route. And if you feel inclined, please do sponsor us for the worth East Anglian Air Ambulance where you literally will save a life.
posted on: Tue, 19 Apr 2011 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Just another Fedex delivery....
The Journal of Maps had a shipment of atlases delivered to Canada recently (our 2010 Best Map winner)....
posted on: Mon, 04 Apr 2011 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Humax HDR T2
I bought a Hummy PVR late last year principally to get HD reception. Of course HD isn't quite available in my area (strength of crystal palace transmitter just too weak) so just got to wait until april....
posted on: Tue, 08 Feb 2011 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Population swap?
Really nice map and explanation over at Strange Maps..... "what would happen if the world were rearranged so that the inhabitants of the country with the largest population would move to the country with the largest area? And the second-largest population would migrate to the second-largest country, and so on?"
posted on: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Mapping European Stereotypes
Something in this for everyone:
http://alphadesigner.com/project-mapping-stereotypes.html
Funny.
posted on: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Yes another story about OS monopoly
This time though its the Monopoly boardgame and OS have created a modern map showing the locations of monopoly squares in London....
posted on: Wed, 08 Sep 2010 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Department for Education puts in searing cuts
Had a meeting at the Department for Education last week. From all the press I know that cuts have been hard in government, but I hadn't expected education to be fully bearing the brunt of them.
Michael Gove's office is top left.
posted on: Sat, 04 Sep 2010 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
New School Academies
Well it's a busy week in politics, what with a new government and the newly named Department for Education is kicking things off relatively rapidly....
posted on: Sat, 29 May 2010 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
More Metro Maps
A nice blog post comparing a variety of metro maps.
posted on: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Australia is BIG
For antipodean colleagues, yes Australia is BIG. A map always puts it in to perspective!
posted on: Sun, 17 Jan 2010 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Very small world map
A world map with a difference - this one is only 40 microns (that's about the same as the wavelength of thermal infra-red light) in in size! This one is done using CMOS fabrication tools and put on a chip. Nice :)
posted on: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Importance of Geography
Nice article over at The Economist espousing the importance of Geography (with a big "g") and it's centrality to everything important that is going on in the world. Of course, I would at to that that GIS underpins a very large part of the data collection, analysis and presentation of much of what goes on in geography.
posted on: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Christmas Every Year?
I'm sure this is a result of "middle age grouch" syndrome hitting me, but the whole "Christmas thing" seems to get bigger, earlier and glitzier each year. How refreshing to see this petition to number 10. Shame its lapsed as I would have voted!!!!
posted on: Mon, 14 Dec 2009 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Degrees can cost less....
An interesting article over at the BBC about how to get a debt-free degree. Really it's about being sensible and tapping up potential sources of income during your 3 year stint. None of it is rocket science, but there are a lot of people that just don't twig. Well worth a read.
posted on: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Financial Markets
Nothing to do with GIS, but the collapse of the financial markets has been making such headlines, even more so in the UK with the ex-CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland being given a nice tidy £16M pension (you read that right) which he can take from age 50 entitling him to a rather pleasant £650K per year for life....
posted on: Fri, 27 Feb 2009 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Credit crunch calls for a logo change
With the "credit crunch" (what an awful phrase, but it's not new!) biting hard, many companies are finding the process of readjustment painful. So what better time for rebranding than now. Take a look at these great logos to see how some companies could respond.
posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2009 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
World Toilet Day
Yup, that's right its World Toilet Day! Whilst us Brits have always had a tongue-in-cheek snigger about toilet humour, typified by Adam Hart's wonderful Thunder, Flush and Thomas Crapper and, appropriately on WTD, a piece (or piss?!) by BBC News item (from TearFund) titled Britons' toilet pastimes revealed, there is a slightly more serious side that WaterAid/TearFund are trying to get across. Namely that 2.5B people worldwide don't have proper sanitation. And of course:
"One gram of faeces can contain 10 million viruses, one million bacteria, 1,000 parasite cysts and 100 parasite eggs."
At the very least have a go at playing TurdlyWinks. Go on, you know it makes sense!!
posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2008 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
Best Training Course?
I've recently been on training courses at both Leica and ESRI UK and therefore thought it an opportune moment to compare them. And the verdict? Well, ESRI UK provide, by a significant margin, the best biscuits. No question!
posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
O happy day....
Yes, it's finally happened, the student loan is fully and completely paid off. And they were so polite, thanking me for my custom. Only 18 years after I took it out. Now that was a worthwhile investment....
For my American audience. Read it and weep!
posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2008 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
University initiations
Following on from the previous post, the UK news has recently been covering university initiations, the so-called "coming of age" induction in to university clubs....
posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2008 | path: /fun | permanent link to this entry
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