Christmas Homework

By allowing (if not encouraging) people to channel-hop their way through online/remote social networks, are we encouraging the decline of the nation state by allowing people to ignore their physical society?

Discuss.

Font Exercise

Videos about fonts from the HNC E/H/Jennifer class.

Welcome to the 'Sphere

A new class of bloggers starts today. The N4OG-N, November starts. Welcome aboard.

Cups in the Wild

I just noticed that one of the cups movies has made it into the wild, i.e. YouTube, already.

Feedback: ROTFLMAO

I'm indifferent about giving a grudging comment.

TV Advert (N3CC-E)

The N3CC-E teams had to create a short TV advert for their clients.

Blog Your Own Adventure Book 1

The "Blog Your Own Adventure" series kicked of today with Book 1: Shambala.

The exercise was based on the experimental works of Cortázar, Queneau, and Packard, but mainly down to my childhood, when I remember playing one of the spin-off books (pre-"Fighting Fantasy" or "Ace of Aces").

This version was undertaken as a class exercise in 2 hours, so isn't as polished as the books or dedicated websites. It was a full-participation class, and I hope you get have fun playing this adventure book.

Turn to Page 1

Blogger: Add Profile Image

I was recently asked how I got a photograph to appear in my comments. You just have to make sure that your Blogger Profile has an image of you in it (on a stylish representation of yourself).

In Blogger, click on Dashboard. On the right-hand side, click the Edit Profile link.

In amongst the profile settings, find the Photograph section.

Now, you'll need to paste in the link to an image. If you have an image in your photo-hosting (eg Flickr, Zooomr, etc) that you want to use, paste in the static URL in to the Photo URL text box. The image will be shrunk down to a small size. Sadly, Blogger does not allow you to copy/paste images which are held in Blogger. Seems an oversight by Blogger.

Finally, Save Profile and enjoy.

To make sure that comments have images show in your own blog, go to Customise/Settings/Comments and make sure that Show profile images on comments? is set to Yes.

Finally, Save Settings and others can enjoy too.

Creative writing exercise

Well, we got through 9 students today in the creative writing exercise "The Braemar Witch Project", before running out of time. Was fun had? Was it a novel use of the blogs? Will we do it again?

I'll certainly be emailing the N4OG's Comms staff to see if they can give pointers before we try another one.

I am impressed that everyone has a working "next" button in their part of the story. Benefits of working with HTML in the same block as blogging, perhaps?

The Braemar Witch Project: A Hallowe'en Tale.

Introduction (Duncan)

Part 1 (Michael)

Part 2 (Amber)

Part 3 (Marianne)

Part 4 (Farrakh)

Part 5 (Dean)

Part 6 (Darren)

Part 7 (Craig)

Part 8 (John)

The Braemar Witch Project: Introduction

It was a sunny evening as the minibus left the group at the car park at the end of the road. My bag was under my seat, so I didn't have to wait for the packs to be unloaded like the rest.

Shouting back to the others: "I'm off for a wander", I headed up the clear path before realising that no-one else was ready, and that no-one else was in sight. The trees seemed to crowd in over my head.

Next

Skill: Finding a Wild Camping Pitch

The exercise was to teach someone a skill that they might not have. The scenario is that you are hiking somewhere, and are looking to pitch your tent.

Map skills: you should have planned the pitch as part of your route-planning. Somewhere sheltered, within reach of water (unless you are willing to carry it in), not on marshy ground, you might even have to consider midges and other insects (e.g. low lying, stagnant water, no breeze).

A wild camp must comply with the law of the land. If you light fires where you shouldn't, cause damage, etc, then you are no longer wild camping, and open yourself up to legal action. Scotland has an excellent Access Code, and hikers worldwide are envious of us here.

This pitch at Lochan Odhar to the north of the Braeriach, was quite rocky. I dropped my rucksack and wandered around with my walking poles to find a suitable site.

I also want a good view from the door, which is normally over my left shoulder as I'm lying down, with my feet into the wind.

Walking over the ground, I can use the poles to prod the ground, also to measure out approximate areas (2 poles long, 1 pole wide) if there's any doubt. Finally, I can lock the poles together with loops and leave them in the ground to mark where I've decided to camp while I go back and get my rucksack. In this area, I found only 2 suitable pitches, and chose the one nearest my rucksack.

All plans have failings, and finding a hidden projection beneath the tent can mean you have to move. I've done that, and it's better than chancing a torn groundsheet. Other items to watch for are sharp heather branches and cones from conifers.

Key points: using available shelter.

Consider your supply of water.

Leave no trace.

Relax and enjoy the view. Makes it all worth it.

Essentials: knowledge of outdoors navigation, knowledge of weather forecast, knowledge of own ability; suitable kit, gear and mental ability to survive off the beaten track. Recommended reading: "The Backpacker's Handbook" by Chris Townsend.

Radio Advert Exercise