AktoSimpson

Hours of endless fun with the Simpsons Avatar Creator across at their movie site.


Hmm, just noticed there's a burning car on the splash screen, but no sign of John Smeaton running towards it.

r u u?

From the BBC : "I met somebody the other day who told me that online networking was so important, and he didn't have the time, he was paying somebody to be him online. To blog, network, post etc . £1,000 a month too." (full story)

78Man

Just found this on YouTube. Thought I'd share it. I like this use of new technology. It shows the human spirit in the raw. 78Man

Oooh, "Lazybones" (how appropriate). Classic. Ahh, there only one song to play after that.

Secret Chamber

Someone passed their spot hidden roll, and found a secret chamber in the Chinese imperial tomb. The one guarded by the terracotta army. I wonder if it is the remote control (c Terry Pratchett) or if it houses a pair of terracotta dice and a set of wargames rules.

Historical records describing the tomb of Qin Shihuang, China's first emperor, do not mention the room which is 30 metres (98 feet) deep. The unopened chamber was found at the site near the old imperial capital of Xian using remote sensing technology.

One expert says it may have been built for the soul of the emperor.

More than 2,000 years old, the chamber is buried inside a pyramidal earth mound 51m (170 feet) high on top of Qin's tomb. [BBC story]

There's only one piece of music that fits this sort of news.

K-9 BSD-1

This just looks like so much fun.

The K-9 BSD-1 is a behavioral shaping device that can be remotely activated to eject a variety of rewards a short distance. This allows the use of positive reinforcement in a variety of different training scenarios with split second timing. Your purchase includes the device, battery charger, push tube and two remote hand held transmitters.

I wonder if we can get one for the office?

Glasgow Airport

Just hearing reports of an incident at Glasgow Airport this afternoon. Blazing car near terminal. two eye-witnesses being interviewed. Sounds like either a terrorist attack, or someone having a very bad case of road rage. Details sketchy at time of posting. I wonder what was in the boot of the vehicle?

Hope everyone is okay.

BBC News link

The PM is gone

Are there any laws that are suspended in this brief time between Prime Ministers? I think not, but it would be nice if there was some special dispensation in these special times of national importance.

AktiveMan

Further to my inactivity on the TGO forum. Searching through the forum, I found reference to John being the person to contact. Looking through the profiles, Mr Manning was listed as site admin. His email address is in the "contact us" list on the website.

John's email reply was sent within 30 minutes of my request, and my login worked perfectly.

Well done, that man.

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And in other news, both Tony Blair and Alan Sloman are completing a walk today. One to hand in his resignation as Prime Minister and the other to complete their Land's End to John o' Groats walk.

Well done, those men.

The Sound of Drums

Tappity tap
Tappity tap
Tappity tap

John has a long mustache

Yup, it is the longest day today, and it just feels like Easter was yesterday. The day drags on, but the weeks fly by.

Still, thanks to the joys of the Internet, I can look enviously at Batish and Tomoe's new home village. May all be well and happy.

David Caruso

Spotted someone familiar when watching the first part of "Rambo" last night. TV was, as ever, dire, and that was the best thing on. Says a lot. Like I said, noticed someone familiar. No Net access and a text to a mate failed to resolve it. But, yes, it turns out that David "CSI Miami" Caruso was also a cop in the first Rambo movie. He was also in "An Officer and a Gentleman", but even better - He played the leader of the Shamrocks in "Hill Street Blues". From many years ago, I still remembered the bowler hat, but not the actor. So, here's a link. Excellent program, I'm glad the studio didn't cancel it. (opening credits)

No remember, be careful out there.

Cumbernauld

Walked off dinner with a saunter round the golfcourse track. A few rabbits scurry away, and an oystercatcher runs up and down the man-made rises. The trouser press in the hotel room is the Corby 3300 model C.

Blackfriars

One of the many decent pubs in Aberdeen. Huzzah

Trail July 07

Trail magazine came through the letterbox this morning.

• Ghyll scrambling - looks fun. I'd never heard of it before. In the photo, Graham Thompson just looks like he's in his element.
• Review of the Furtech Claw jacket - first time I've seen a transparent hood visor. S.I.G.
• Hill zen has that empathic strand that Trail do so well.
• The Knowledge has the usual fill of, well, knowledge. But no information on how to use the rifle photographed on p51.
• Article of 'bikepacking' in Scotland. Good idea, and well-written. Just remember to give us pedestrians plenty of clearance. Photographer Tom Bailey must do a lot of miles in his job.
• Main gear - 4 person family tents, and child carriers.
• Range guide to High Street. I like those guides. I wonder if there's an archive list.
• Fitness academy continues giving out advice and showing the benefits. A dynamic program.
• Trail routes includes Beinn nan Aighenan. The northern-most part of Leg 5-6 is near where Simon and I camped a few weekends back.
• The 'funny' at the end has no changed to "RG Colsterworth's Hill Almanack" - I assume it is lighthearted, as the illustration depicts a walker heading uphill into a lightning storm.

P100 "The wilderness is waiting to liven up your walking this summer". Well said, Claire.

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Challengers starting to re-appear online. Andy Howell's blog is awakening, and I look forward to reading (and hearing) about the trip. Across on the Challenge message board, 2008 is already being talked about.

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Caught "True Grit" on television - classic. Forgot that Robert Duval was in it. No cavalry hat, nor talked about the smell of napalm, but his distinctive voice nonetheless.

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Pause to mourn the passing of BG from the OM forum. His blog continues. I know not, nor care not why he is not welcome there any more, as I had avoided that thread.

Duking it Out

Yup, centenary of the birth of Marion Morrison. Whatever screen hero you prefer, at the back of them all strides the Duke, head and shoulders above Clooney and Depp. Forget about his politics and his WW2 war record. His screen presence was excellent.

Preference for me is his "cavalry trilogy", and the films seemed to portray the First People in a humanistic light - as opposed to many westerns I had seen. Something that would shape me later on in life. It was a shame that when colour was introduced, that the uniforms became more standard, as opposed to photographs of the late 1800's. If you look at the earlier "Fort Apache", you can see the lack of standardisation in the uniforms. And then there was the eternal Irish NCO, played by Victor McLaglen (who was actually born in Tunbridge Wells).

For power, there was "The Searchers", and for the great westerns, his later work of "Chisum", "True Grit" and "Rooster Cogburn".

That is all.

And the World Changed

On this day in 1977, "Star Wars" was released. (link).

I remember having the audio tape and listening to it on a bus to Belgium with the Scouts. I have no idea when I first saw the film, probably when it came to TV, as the cinema in Stornoway was closed for years.

Life was never the same after "Star Wars".

And, yes, it was "Star Wars", not "Episode 3", or "A New Hope". Just "Star Wars". Life was simpler, the story was a good one, and no-one bothered arguing about stupid little things like badges on uniforms. But then, were we happier? Yes, of course we were!

Quote n Site of the Day

Quote of the Day:
"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." Herm Albright

Site of the Day:
rateyourstudents.blogspot.com - very addictive if you work on the chalkface.

Aberdeen 230507

From the 6th floor of the Gallowgate tower block, looking south-west.

New Developments

I've been tasked with developing a couple of new units for work:

Weblogs (Intermediate 2)
This unit is designed to enable candidates to find, review and create weblogs (“blogs”). The unit will provide candidates with an opportunity to explore the applications of blogs, create a blog and track blogs using aggregation tools.
OUTCOMES
1. Locate and review blogs of various types.
2. Create a blog to perform a specific information task.
3. Track selected blogs.
SQA descriptor (PDF link)

Social Software (Intermediate 2)
This Unit is designed to enable candidates to locate and use social software a term used to describe a range of software tools that promote interaction and collaboration. These tools include, but are not restricted to, email, chat, newsgroups or forums, instant messaging, blogs, wikis and online communities. The unit is suitable for candidates who wish to improve their knowledge and skills in the area of social software.
OUTCOMES
1 Describe the development of social software and the various types available.
2 Locate and review social software of various types.
3 Use social software to perform specific social tasks.
SQA descriptor (PDF link)

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DigitalKatie's mentioned some of those items in her edublog.

Angus McBride

Sad to hear of the loss of the artist/illustrator, Angus McBride, yesterday.

If you had any of ICE's "Lord of the Rings" role-playing books (or "The Hobbit" version), then you'll be aware with his work. Of course, if you own any of the Osprey military history books, chances are some will have been illustrated by Angus McBride.

For me, he placed believable characters in a historical setting, rather than painting figures on blank canvas. I'll miss his work.

Links:

• Wikipedia
• Osprey Publishing
• The Book Palace
• Fantasy Art
• Tolkien Graphics