A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single SaaS Solution
Rookie Academy
Rookie Academy is where I trained to be a snowboard instructor, really great fun and great place! www.rookieacademy.com for more info!
iPod or not to Pod that is the question…
Mar 24th
I managed to claw my ipod back from my little bro a couple of weeks ago! He managed to find it somewhere. He claims that I said I wasn’t using it anymore (shorly not!), anyway I got it back and i’ve REALLY got into pod casts in a big way. Kinda accidently really anyway found a couple of great podcasts to listen to on the train into work. Sync ma ipod in the morning and off you go!!
Techy:
Java Posse
A great podcast discussing java news and interviews, created by a guy from Kent University
The Twits
Technology chat
Security Now
Hosted by Steve Gibson and Leo Laporta they talk about personal internet/computer security. Its really for the home user wanting to know more about cryptography etc but they have some useful stuff. I did listen to one episode and they kept going on and on about one time pad encyption. They said it was 100% impossible to crack. Which … yes is “technically” 100% full proof, but you still have to transfer the plain text pad to the receiver of your encrypted message and if that gets intercepted without you knowing you code is broken. So I wouldn’t call it 100% myself… they did get around to mentioning this near the end but not after I had shouted at my ipod a couple of times saying “no it isn’t what about transferring the pad!… etc…”. After receving a couple of strange looks from people on Clapham Junction station I swapped tracks to the Simpsons 
Info:
New Scientist Podcast
New Scientist has a number of articles and news from the mag in the podcast and has some really good interviews with knowledge matter experts.
FOXCAST: The Simpsons
Well think this one is quite self explanatory.
WOW what a year to go and do the Rookie Snowboard course! For those who don’t know I did a snowboard instructor could in new zealand last year and it was… AMAZING! really good fun and learned so much, not just snowboarding, which have really helped in my professional career as well. You can see all my rookie posts by clicking Rookie Academy in the catagories.
ANYWAY the reason I say its a great time to go is because the UK -> NZ exchange rate at the moment is amazing! Its currently cheaper than when I paid for it so you can get quite a good deal.
I’m hoping to get back out there this coming season. I did the course with my mate Mikal and he stayed out well popped back to the UK got a visa then went out
Todays cool site of the day: http://www.deviantart.com/
Some of the images on it are amazing my favouite sections are:
3d Wallpaper
Abstract Wallpaper
Icon Sets for programs etc
A mate from work showed me the site, he said most of the icon sets are on GPL but to get permission to use them usually only takes a quick email to say could I use them and the fame and recognition for the designers is enough
I feel a blog design update coming on which reminds WordPress (the blogging software I use) has been upgraded to 2.0.2 so i’m now going to attempt to upgrade it. Wish me luck!
Some Vids AT LAST!
Dec 23rd
Ok someone has asked me for the vids from snowboarding… i’ll show you the short promos:
Large:
Media Player (10.2mb)
Real Player (11.7mb)
Smaller:
Real Player (6.9mb)
QuickTime (6.3mb)
I’ll put the “wipe outs” vid up once i’ve converted it.
I’m BACK!
Dec 23rd
Been a while since i’ve posted an entry. Well I got back all in one piece. After the Rookies myself and Mikal travelled around South island and up to north island for a couple of weeks to see the sights, originally were we not going to do it but things change . Mike wanted to stop off in Wellington and Auckland to see what it was like and maybe find work. He did have a bit of a hunt for work but in the end came back so he could get a perm NZ visa. He came back to Ireland and got a interview for a job out in Auckland. The interview was in Guildford so he popped over and stayed with my parents while he had the interview. Anyway cut a long story short he got the job and he starts working in Auckland in January, he’s just waiting on his NZ visa.
Since i’ve been back i’ve been working on the rookieacademy.com website and producing some promo vids for them using the footage that I got while I was in NZ. I also setup a discussion board for them, which so far hasn’t been used that much, I think mainly because all the ex-rookies from this year have been communicating via mass emails… hey ho, give it time Also been getting back into Maya and creating a space station, should have some piccies soon.
I’ve also been working on a Travel website bit like Expedia.co.uk but a bit simpler hopefully that will be complete mid-january. I’m also getting a mate to help me out on it.
Just after I came back to the UK, and signed up to a Digital Compositing course at Escape Studios in Shepherds Bush. Now for all those who don’t know what Digital Compositing is… here’s the dictionary definition:
“The digital blending together of a background plate and one or more foreground elements to create one seamless, well-integrated film image”
It starts on January 9th and goes on for 8 weeks, part of which you work on your show reel which ends up being your CV really on how good you are at digital compositing and giving pointers on what to and not to put in your show reel too. I’ve been wanting to get into a more media role for some time to get out of doing constant programming. When I look back on the stuff i’ve done so far i’ve found working for media companies like the BBC or print/design companies more fun! Hense doing film & video work over the past couple of years.
Well after 3.5 weeks of filming ‘Harry Potter Goblet of Fire’ they managed to compress my bit into 2minutes… maybe which even for a multi $$$ movie is quite amazing, yes they were very tech shots but hey! well I supposed i’d better get used to it.
Well Christmas is a coming! so HAPPY CRIMBO EVERYONE!, have a great new year if I don’t see you!
DOH! take 2…
Sep 18th
Well we had our movement analysis exam yesterday and for some stupid reason I picked the movement I was worst at, DOH! … “broken at the waist” so the rider was hunched over anyway muddled my way through that but then he gave me the same thing for my teaching exam the day after and I fluffed it. My riding passed, my MA passed but my teaching failed… just. Anyway i’m off to remarkables (another mountain) to retake the teaching so fingers crossed we’ll see what happens! oh and we’ve just had some fresh snow so things are getting a bit better snow wise…
Quick update…
Sep 16th
Just a quick update… its really hard… and I’m totally and utterly mentally and physically tired, because the exam is a week long you are concentrating non-stop throughout the week ANYWAY … just done some revision with mike for tommorow, we have our movement anaylsis test tommorow evening after a day of teaching freestyle to our examiner, the teaching is only a practise the actual lesson exam is on sunday! … more info later on… once i’ve stopped taking the “go faster caffine tablets”.
