Transformation: making a ruckus
Today I was being schooled by Stephen Gray about current practices for digitising 8mm and Super 8 film. I was enthralled by the media format and its history. Now, nearly 50 years since its release, we use modern techniques of film capture to “see” what is on all those shiny reels from the past.
There is so much to discover in this huge field of “digital” and I hope I never lose this sense of curiosity.
For week 11 and 12 we took a break and completed 1500 miles motorcycling down the west coast of France.
Jukesie wrote a fun post with a few questions and answers about his job which he has adapted for others to follow suit. I rattled off some responses which can be read over at his blog Discussions with Zak Mensah. Enjoy.
Another year, another list of the long form books I have read. 2013 is the first year that I have my own personal Kindle (dedicated digital book reader for anybody reading this after about 2015) and it will be interesting to see if I get more read and also “where” I read. I also have a stack of print books that could see me through the next couple of years.
One of my favourite people Matt Jukes is taking a blogging hiatus (like the Black album I hope). It was Matt who first encouraged me to blog about the ‘digital stuff’ I do. So over the past year or so I have been writing bits and pieces and one of the issues I still have is that of ‘voice and direction’. Am I writing for myself as a diary? is it to give back to the community? do i have to write long form? can I just point to things I think are interesting with/without adding a comment? should it always be digital focused or can I just take a moment to post my thoughts on my travels?
Now we are at the top of the year I think I have finally grown comfortable in what my blog is: MY place to do as I please for myself, much like an independent artist. One day it may be posting something epic about digital books and the next it will be a photo of me and my brothers because I can. I will never top anybody’s top e-learning lists nor ever ‘break through’ to the mainstream and I think I am now comfortable with that. Numbers don’t mean much around here. A few posts that I really took my time over have led to bits of work and praise from people who THANKED ME for writing them. My blog has helped me and a few others which is enough for me.
Keeping on the music theme I guess my blog is more of a ‘freestyle’ (…”I record on duct tape so that my words stick…”) and I’d like to thank Mr Jukes for the encouragement and I look forward to the new you in the 2013 and beyond.
Today marks my first ever edit to Wikipedia and I thought i’d mark the occasion with this post as a reminder.
I am in the process of creating an ebook from M.R. James short ghost stories, starting with ‘Ghost Stories of an Antiquary’. I am using a print edition as the blueprint and noticed that the Wikipedia entry was inaccurate in two places: the title of Canon Alberic’s Scrap-book should be lowercase ‘b’ and ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’ was missing an ‘,’ after Whistle… i know!
Proof of my edits are immortalised in the Wikipedia entry revision log.
I now join an even rarer level of N*E*R*D (which itself is a reference…)
The Heritage Lottery Fund has just announced new policy and requirements for projects from July 2012.
IT Services R&D /ILRT including myself had a hand in producing the new requirements and it is great to see positive feedback on this move to allow digital only projects with the HLF. We quietly worked on the guidance and delivered a series of workshops around the UK to HLF staff. Something that I am really proud of is that all projects will be using Creative Commons Licensing which we hope will enable new uses and help prove better value for use of public money.