Monkeez.org

We took control of the Faulkes Telescope this lunchtime and really enjoyed focussing on the galaxies that we'd preselected. It took a while selecting galaxies nearby (we didn't want to waste time moving the telescope from one side of the sky to the other), and we used a piece of software called Stellarium to help us. 

We visited HMS Warrior (first Ironclad ship in Navy), Action Stations and enjoyed a nice boat ride around the harbour. 

What mark do you think he will get? I don't think the teacher will have seen a homework like this. Since shooting this video, he's added a lot more on to his castle, so he may have to video it again. 

The boys have been out playing in it already, and the best thing is there's more to come. 

and Joe went outside and took a couple. 

Taken a bit later, with a fully recharged battery and from where I am sitting! 

Publishing is a tough industry to be in, no doubt about it. Things are rapidly changing and market forces are being swayed beyond the traditional publisher’s influence. Things are now so easy to share and distribute, that these old gate-keepers can no longer steer what people are looking at.

However, e-books are being subjected to this, so that instead of paper being pushed around and controlled,  instead digital files are being controlled and again, authors are being expected to go through the publisher, instead of dealing directly with their audience. 

This article (monki.biz/1r)  deals with these issues and in an attempt to educate people, perhaps try and free them from the constraints of big business so that they can start to author themselves more. 

Worse still, is the new apple iauthor software from apple, which will allow the writer to only release their writing through itunes – creepy or what?

 

Took a couple of shots this frosty morning and then the battery ran out. I'll have to take some more once it's recharged. The birdfeeders are a lot more active now, so I should get some more active shots. 

This article describes some of the things that politicians are discussing to enforce ACTA throughout countries. Basically it will prove the end of free internet, with websites being taken down for copyright infringement – this will mean that anyone who is accused of something that infringes a protected format (e.g. a DVD that has been encrypted and the user wants to watch it on a free and open source operating system) can be prosecuted.