Linky

As the DigiBlue cameras are very Windows oriented, I decided to try and get one to work in a similar fashion in Ubuntu. Sadly, the process isn't quite as fluid but it is a lot more flexible as there are a plethora of software packages available for stop motion editing and video editing, some being ultra-simple (Luciole), others being more complex (Cinelerra).

So, if you are looking at moving to Linux, and have loads of these devices like my employer, then don't fear - the bin won't be overflowing today.

Available here

Available for download from here.

• Ping
  
• NSLookup
  
• Trace Route
  
• VNC
  
• RDP
  

The application now also checks for updates. To go straight to the updated files, simply double click on the new version available shown in the tool window.

Available here

I intend to grow this app to have a bit more functionality in the future but whilst keeping to a rule of ‘never more than a couple of key presses away’ for any functions I add.

Anyone interested in downloading it can do so here.

http://localzuk.com/2010/04/30/sharepoint-webpart-tips/

Go there

We've all seen them, pieces of software which are so poorly laid out, or confusing to configure that you want to pull your hair out.

I'll give an example - TextEase 2000. The interface for dragging and dropping things on to a page is fine. But what about if you want to print, and do something other than the default. The GUI to do that is near impossible to fathom. Or the fact that the program lacks many of the simple basics that you expect from a word processor. Yet, because of the earlier mentioned ease of dragging and dropping, teachers seem to love it.

Another example of poor interface design - SIMS.net and it's error messages. Now, I don't deny that error messages are a necessity, but the way SIMS.net handles them is a nightmare. Spewing random numbers at users, and crashing the client entirely is not good program design. Sure, we want to be able to trace errors as technicians, but this can be done quite simply - integrate the error reporting into Event Viewer. And display a simple message stating that a problem occurred, and that it has been logged. Most users will never look up the errors, but the technician will.

This lack of thought over interface design doesn't just affect the smaller companies though, it also affects the giant companies, like Apple. Mac OS X has that useful tool the 'Dock'. On the Dock is a waste bin, where a user can drag and drop files to delete. Not a problem on its own, but what if you are actually trying to drag an item into the dock to display instead? A mere few millimetres stands between accidentally dropping the file into the waste bin rather than where it was intended to go. Poor design yet again.

Now, I'm no GUI designer, but sometimes, it appears that these companies never do any testing of their interface design before publishing their software.

So, this is a plea to the software companies of the world - spend a bit more time before releasing your software testing it on the intended audience. Involve the technicians that will be supporting it in organisations too, not just the end users. It'll reduce your support calls, and it will reduce the hassle that your customers have to put up with.

Combine that with the fact that Becta referred the whole issue to the Office of Fair Trading.

So, my trail started by compiling some numbers. I counted up where we would want to use each piece of Microsoft Software, and combined it with the fact that we would most likely be looking to do an update to Windows 7 when it is released (and Server 2008 R2).

Using these numbers I contacted a number of licensing companies, who gave me an array of pricing. This was where I was in for a shock.

I discovered that if I wanted to license under the Select agreement, we would be paying roughly £14k. This would provide us with Software Assurance until September, when the current Becta contract ends. To continue with the Software Assurance, we would then have to renew for a further 3 years, which using current prices would come to a further £10k.

So, there you have it. To buy licenses for our computers and be able to then update to Windows 7 when it comes out, we would end up paying a total of £24k!

Sure, this is cheaper than the potential £37.5k+ for the Schools Agreement, but it is ridiculous. There is no way a school the size of ours could possibly justify that cost. So, we are stuck paying over the odds on a yearly basis simply to be able to update to the next version of Windows when it comes out.

Some might ask, why not go down the Linux route? Well, the answer to that is simple - people are used to Windows. Changing, it transpires, would upset everyone, as they'd have to use new software across the school. ie. We're stuck because people would complain.

Never mind the fact that entire countries around the world have already switched their education systems to Linux, or that there are schools within the UK that already have done.

So there you have it. Microsoft have us over a barrel, to put it bluntly. We're going to look at the issue again this time next year, as the Select 3 year SA will be in force, meaning £10k will be knocked off the price, but we will have spent £7.5k this year, so will only actually save £2.5k.

Overall, there were more then 3,700 people dancing around the world, in the USA, Canada, Germany, Ireland and many more.

If anyone is interested in seeing our school do the dance, take a look at the youtube video:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fczVxyzxGwc]YouTube - Thrill the world 2008- Minehead Middle School[/ame]

Oh, and no, I wasn't one of them. I tried learning it but I must have 2 left feet or something, as I was more than useless. I filmed it instead (the single boring stationary shot is due to the requirements by the organisers).

Pics now available at Thrill the World 2008 - Minehead - a set on Flickr

For example, at the moment, if we wish to call our LEA or a local school, we have to dial out via a PSTN line and pay a call charge. Whilst at the same time we have a perfectly usable high quality fibre-optic internet connection. Surely introducing a VOIP phone system across schools would be fairly simple - I could outfit all our local schools with suitable Asterisk based systems for less than £10k each - and all issues/changes can be dealt with remotely.

What do other people think?

Or should I be my normal self and wait until it undoubtedly appears on PC? What do people think?

How easy! All you do is choose what you want, enter your card details and voila, you can download the games! I like technology!!!

*Goes to play C&C TW: Kanes Wrath, Medal of Honour Airborne and SimCity Societies*

It is plainly obvious that full collaboration creates amazing advances so why don't we do it more often? And why don't we do it with other industries?

But then, that just makes me a sound like a 'communist'...

The only issue was that I had to renew my BT Broadband subscription for another 18 months (and considering I'd only been with them for a couple of months, it only means I've extended by a couple of months).

The service offered by BT, it has to be said, is excellent. The on demand service works like a charm, with the quality of the video being dvd quality (I don't have an HD TV so can't check if anything works well with HD stuff). I've watched about a dozen shows and a movie via the on demand service and there was never a single artifact or pause due to buffering. (I live very close to an exchange by the way... So my connection speed is superb).

So, if there is anyone who is considering the BT Vision service, but isn't sure, or if you want to know anything else about it, just gimme a shout.

I own a cheap, no brand webcam from ebay. Absolutely nothing amazing about it in any way, other than it costing me £4. Every Linux distro I've tried in the last few years has failed to accept it, and no amount of fiddling, faffing or poking could get it to work.

However, it now works just fine in Kubuntu 8.04!! Just plug it in, and voila! Ok, the image is a bit fuzzy and there is a bar at the bottom, but I am getting an image. That is all I ask for!

Woo!!!

Now, if you're like me and prefer KDE over Gnome and also want to have a play with the new KDE4 version, you may need to know one thing:

Scim interferes badly.

Now I hope they have it fixed by release date, but if they don't, then here is what happens.

Every single KDE related application takes 40 seconds or more to open. Removing all the scim related stuff removes this slow down and everything is lovely and speedy again. So, you have been warned.

These people are trying to save lives! What is wrong with these people?!?!

I don't know about the police being given tasers, or cs gas, but the fire crews seem to need them in certain areas!

Truly sickening. I'm a lefty liberal and I'd give any little prat engaged in this behaviour a good kicking.

ISPs are claiming that the cost of needed infrastructure improvements, estimated at £830m should be paid for by the BBC due to its iPlayer service being the main culprit.

I don't understand this. Why should a company, which pays to host its servers like everyone else does, have to pay to upgrade infrastructure for other companies who have done everything under the sun to not have to upgrade?

Why should the BBC have to fund upgrades to companies which call packages 'Unlimited' and then hide limits in obscure clauses of terms and conditions policies.

I think it is quite simple - the ISPs in the UK make huge profits by ripping off consumers. It is time they woke up and realise that this trend can't continue, and that for their businesses to survive, they are going to have to invest - every other company in the country does.

Source - BBC News

Yet people have the nerve to comment when I promptly leave at 4:30 during term time.

What I wouldn't give to be able to see 'Easter Holiday' or 'Summer Holiday' on the school calendar and not have to think 'well, I'll need to take down X to update Y' and 'I hope no muppets are in messing with things when I'm trying to recable the core cabinet'.

Ah, that'd be the life. 13 weeks holiday, £20k starting, £23k within a couple of years.

Why do people who buy this type of car insist on speeding? Yes, the car is pretty damn good but you can still end up upside down and looking like a muppet.