UKGovCamp 2010

Writing this blog whilst on the train to work on a cold Monday morning. Normally I'll still be quite dead to the world and running on auto-pilot. But this morning I have a strange buzz about me. The reason for the buzz was an event I went to on Saturday. UKGovCamp was billed as an un-conference and it certainly lived up to its billing. With most conferences you attend, you are given a fixed agenda before hand. You can see exactly what you are going to get out of it and which part of the day you could have a quiet nap in whilst you wait for the bit you are really interested in. We'll this is not like that at all. To start off all delegates were given the opportunity to 'host a session' and talk about some aspect of Local Gov web that interested them or they were having issues with and wanted to chat about it with others that have been or are going through the same stuff. Talks about the future were also discussed. The session leaders then added their sessions to the agenda (post it notes stuck on the wall to you and me ) and off we went. You picked a session you wanted to attend off you went. Laptop in hand so we could tweet about the session, record notes etc. The sessions I went to were

Local Gov Web group - Hosted by Jan from Lancashire Council, seems she was just starting on the Web 2.0 route and was daunted by the road ahead and trying to persude the council that it was correct was to go. Hopefully the advise we gave her was useful.

Then off to one about gov data, but wasn't quite what I expected so off I went and joined one on social Internal Comms, not really my area but interesting to hear that other councils can make a good go at social internal comms.

Goggle Wave - I made a point of attending this session as I feel I should know more about it, but don't. Didn't get as much out of this as I hoped. The session leader was obviously a fan of Google Wave. Another thought it was 'crap', where as most were in the middle. Yes it can be useful but it's too complicated to use, and if us geeks are having trouble with it then what chance have normal people got of using it.

Then off to a session where Michele from Cambridgeshire talked about one of their project to help communities in the north of the county, where there is high unemployment, those that are in employment are in low paid agricultural work. The project is trying to connect communities on-line and raise the status of the area. Interesting stuff.

Finally, how to made Local Gov Web more exciting. Hosted by Liz from Camden Council, who is the most passionate person about Local Gov web of anyone I've ever met. Her enthusiast was infectious. A lively debate ensured about the rights and wrongs of page design, reaching out to the local community etc. It was great to see that others think like me and are facing and have overcome similar issues. We all agreed that the SOCITM reports are good but only look at one aspect of Local Gov Web, data, but don't look at design at all.

To me there were also two other sessions that were equally as important as those mentions about. Lunch and in the pub after the event. Now I know that those of you who know me well will think that I like the former due to food and the latter due to beer, especially as I now write my Beer Blog. But no its wasn't like that. Lunch time I chatted with two guys who I've tweeted with before but never met and we has a great conversation and the ideas for projects I got from them were great. Ideas that I can also use in my other capacity as webmaster for the Bournemouth Aviation Museum. Many thanks to Dan from Walsall and Al from Newcastle. Great stuff.

The evening session in the pub was good. Finally caught up with Sarah from Derbyshire, who again I tweet with but never met, together with Dan and Al again there was more inspitring stuff and just a generally chin wag about council stuff. The beer was nice, Doom Bar (4% ABV) from the Sharps Brewery in Cornwall. A 'perfectly balanced and complex blend of succulent dried fruit, lightly roasted malty notes and a subtle yet assertive bitterness' , so says their head brewer. I agree this, well nice beer, subtle yet assertive bitterness.

But that's not the end of it. Not by a long way and maybe that's what's giving me a slight buzz. I know that when I get to work there will be messages tweeted about the event, blogs written, photos and videos published etc. And those excellent conversations we had on Saturday will continue. I'm sure you are like me and after a conference think of some question you wish you could put to someone at the event. Well I have such questions and now, thanks to the way the event was set up, with blogs, twitter and its own website I can ask those questions, so the conversations will go on and that I what I think I'll gain most from this event. The networking side, cementing friendships I already had on twitter and meeting new people. There is a great community spirit in the group. Thanks to all who organised and took part in the event.

Videos from yesterday

Sorry for the long time since I bloged last. Did get a telling off from Lady S-I-L and quite rightly. Sue's blog will give more details of the fabby weekend. One pressie she got me was a video camera. Results are below.

My writing career starts now.

Just a quick update. Had a chat with the Bournemouth Echo last weekend. The result, I am now their 'new beer columist' - great job title eh? First article at http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/blogs/blogs/4736442.What_is_Beer_/?ref=rss. Please leave a comment on thier site. I really want to make a go of this. Thanks

Yougov and the internet

Long time since I've blogged folks. Sorry about that. I'll have to do a catch up blog soon.

Reason for this blog is that I'm currently watching the Government 2010 conference being broadcast live from London via the internet. Great use of technology. I can watch the action and post feedback via twitter and see what other twitter users are saying. It's the future.

However a couple of things have got me annoyed. First speaker was the president of YouGov, you know the online polling people. Been a member for ages, spent ages working doing their surveys etc. Now they pay out at £50, so far I got to £46 and guess what? Yes, haven't been ased to do a paid survey for months. And during the talk, he said that YouGov must 'doing things right' otherwise there will be adverse comments on blogs... you mean like this one? (Must point out the there are other online polling companies

He also talked about colleges. Asking why students attend lectures by second rate lectures when they can be taught on-line from a Nobel prize winning lecturer. Couple of points

1) Huge slur there on college lecturers.
2) Is Obama be able to teach all students?
3) What about the one-to-one service college lectures offer, feedback, gearing the lesions to fit the students. Running at their pace, Adding the personal touch.
4) I'd like to see them do some of the courses at Sue’s college on-line. Dog grooming on-line… nah mate, can't be done.

Aviation Museum and SBS

Was chatting to my friend Mark the other day and the subject of my blog came up. I said to him that I didn’t know he read my blog. He said that he would if I updated it a bit more often, or words to that effect. So here we are. Grabbing some time on the train heading to work as I type this. At Southampton passed another friends Paul Gottle’s train heading the other way. Paul you must tell me where you sit on the train. I’m in the front carriage of mine. Maybe we could wave to each other every morning. Wouldn’t that be fun. Might get a few strange looks though.

So what have I been up to? Well quite a lot. Working on the new website for the Bournemouth Aviation Museum, which I hope to put live in the next week. Been fun, the museum is an exciting project and it’s great to be able to contribute to it.

As you may have read on Sue’s blog, we had a day out to the Spinnaker Tower, which I highly recommend to everyone. Pick a nice clear day and the view is fantastic. Then off to see Chicago with Jimmy Osmond and Emma Burton (her from Eastenders) WOW both were outstandingly good, as was the rest of the cast. Great show.

Bought myself two new toys recently. On Sunday a new (to me) drum kit. My current one has served me well. It wasn’t that expensive and with it I’ve learnt the basics, admittedly I should be more advanced than I am at the moment, so hopefully the new kit will help. For a start it’s full sized and I’ve now got what I consider the minimum needed to drum, gaining a ride cymbal and now having two rack toms, The kit is also good enough to gig with, not that we ever do,

My second new toy is an SBS box. Basically this picks up signals from aircraft fitted with certain equipment that broadcast their flight number, location and a unique hexadecimal code (yes I knew all the binary and base 16 rubbish we did at school would come in useful one day). This box picks these signals up and displays them on a PC screen, With those broadcasting their location appearing on a radar type display. So I can sit in the back garden looking at the aircraft flying over and know what they are and via the Hex code, which is unique to the aircraft, know which aircraft I’m looking at. Has made spotting easier. But is it too easy? Currently on an average evening I’m making at least 10 new aircraft. Lots of Easyjet and Ryanair, and I’m sure that one day I will get close to fleeting them (ie seeing them all). Which is what I bought the box for - to see planes as it always frustrated me see an airliner trail across the sky and not know what it is. But am I on a level playing field with other spotters. Those with SBS boxes yes. But those without? Ok it is not a competition. We are not trying to out do each other all the time. We all have slightly different rules as to what we count and what we don’t. I would count a lot more that my aforementioned friend Mark. But it is up to us what we count, it’s our hobby and we do it only for ourselves, I guess that it’s no different to those that live close to a main airport and those that don’t. The former will see a lot more than the latter. Anyway, I love my SBS box. Just wish it wasn’t so cloudy so much of the time and more frustration is when I sit at work looking out over blue skies all day and then for it to cloud over in the evening..

Still approaching Bournemouth now, where I get off. Blog entry done, Hope this makes Mark happy, he should be he got three mentions in it!

YouTube

YouTube. Well in this case it is MeTube... my first video on the web...

Easter and a few days away

Gosh it has been a long time since I blogged hasn’t it dear readers. But I’m back. Good Friday I went off to Barnet to see the mighty AFC Bournemouth play. Though they weren’t so mighty and lost 1-0. Still got some spotting in and it’s a new ground for me. So far I’ve watched matches at 18 football grounds.

Had most of last week off as it was Sue’s birthday. Went and stayed in a Travelodge near Eastbourne. On route we stopped off at a Nature Reserve to see if we could see a rare bird that had been spotted there. Only info I had was that it was sighted near the car park. However and 10-15 bird watchers had set up their scopes/cameras near by and were all looking in one direction. This did make it easy for me. However it was 45 mins until the White Throated Sparrow made an appearance. Nice one. One to add to my life list and in some ways more importantly, it added to my Hampshire list. Whilst waiting for the sparrow also made a blackcap and a marsh tit. Nice one.

Stopped off at Midhurst on route to Eastbourne area and a look at someone’s garden that they had opened as part of the National Garden Scheme. Always nice to look at good looking gardens. Poke around their potting sheds and compost heaps. See how other people do it and I always leave with ideas.

Next day (Thursday) did a little driving tour of Sussex villages. Stopped off to look at five historic churches, one of which was locked (boo), saw the Long Man of Wilmington and the Litlington White Horse.. Both hillside chalk figures. Then the evening spend near a reservoir, just sat taking in the evening sun, watching the birds and the fisherman out on the water. Lovely.

Next day it was a bit rainy, so at Sue’s insistence (well she suggested it) we went to the Bluebell railway. Managed to get on the footplate of two steam locos, whilst they were in steam. A first for me. Really nice of them to allow people up on the footplate. Lovely railway. Would recommend a visit if you are ever down that way.

Back home on the Saturday via Shoreham airport. Which seems to have improved its viewing facilities. Which some airports would take note. Then home. Spend the rest of the weekend in the garden. Really bust at this time of year. I feel that we’ve had the last of the frosts, I hope, so was planting out in Ernest. Spuds, lettuce, onions, spring onions, cabbage, parsnips, runner beans, peas etc. More stuff in the green house. By Sunday evening I was pooped. But really glad that the growing season is finally here. We’ve even started to harvest some of the items as Sue made a lovely omelette with chives from the garden. Nice.

Monday morning now, and back on the train to work. Most of the regulars on board but I notice that one or two are missing. Wonder if any of them notice when I’m not around..

Not my normal blog!

Break from my normal blog - Just knocked up a quick table showing how many councils have twitter feeds of their news stories and the number of people that are following those feeds. This is th enew version which updates

Bournemouth Aviation Museum

Oh what a good weekend. Sue and I spent most of Saturday afternoon in the Garden. Got some good work done. Clearing out the borders. Weeding. Trying to get my holly bush to have baby holly bushes. I’ve got some cuttings in pots from a branch that I accidentally snipped off and I’ve got another branch, part of which I’ve buried , which I’m hoping will root like one of my other bushes have. The other bush has produced four others, the smallest one I have potted up and hope to grow on.

Sown my first seeds of the season. Might be a bit early but Carol Klein told me to do it (via an article in the Guardian) Fifteen broad bean seeds are now in compost filled toilet rolls in the greenhouse. If they grow they grow, if they don’t well I’ve always got some spare seeds.

Now some of you will know that I used to be on the committee of the Bournemouth Passenger Transport Association, aka the Bournemouth bus museum and was involved in organising their annual rally. Well Sunday I relived those days by helping out my mate Steve and the Bournemouth Aviation Museum. They held their First annual Vintage Transport Day and what a good day it was. I was in two minds as to whether I should help out with the event, doing odd jobs and trying to help the event run smoothly and sort out any problems or to take my stall down there and help out the museum by donating some cash to them from any money I might make. It was really a tough call and I was debating about it right up to when I left home. But I chose to help out with odd jobs and there was quite a few to do in the morning. All skillfully organised by Steve. Yeah it was fun. The museum project is one I would really like to get more involved in. They have a wonderful museum there, which really looks like its heading in the right direction, all they need is a half-decent website. Anyway, the museum itself is all down to the hard work of a handful of volunteers. Well done lads, Roll on the next project?

DC-9 with winglets

Gosh I did leave you all on tender hooks last time, didn’t I? I know that you are all dying to know about my six month review thingy with my boss Charlie. Well it went OK. See I told you he was a nice boss. And I’m sure he’s going to be an excellent dad. His wife giving birth to their first child, a son James, last week. Congrats to them both.

So what have I been up to? Last Thursday I went off with a couple of good mates to have a tour of RAF Shawbury and RAF Cosford. A good time was had by all. I would tell you about the hilarious incident coming back at Birmingham when I tried to convince the other lads that the SAS that had just landed looked like a DC-9 with winglets. But I doubt that most of you would get the joke. It turned out to be a Regional Jet on its first visit to Brum. The lads were grateful in the end that I pointed put the aircraft to them.

Friday, I went to Doncaster again for the train. I lived up to its hype. So much so that I stayed all day at the station, leaving briefly to get a KFC for my tea.

Saturday, I went down to the new Bournemouth Aviation Museum site at Bournemouth Airport. They have a bus on site now for use by the spotters. You see, the airport authorities are building a bank of earth all along the perimeter of the airport. There has been some quite bad traffic accidents along that stretch caused by people being distracted by the aircraft. Hence the bank to block their view. So the museum has bought a double decker bus and so we are able to sit upstairs and look over the bank. They have done a lot of work at the museum and it starting to look really good. But, hey why not see for yourself, they are holding a Vintage Transport day next Sunday (1st March). Normal admission rates apply. Lots of old buses, vintage military vehicles, old cars. Going to be a good day out for all the family. Hope to see you there.