RichardX - internet, images & ideas

The Highlands (.com)

2008-04-30T17:37:00.007+01:00

I've been sitting on this domain name for a long time waiting for the right vehicle to come along. Tired of waiting and having already rejected an offer of $10,000 for the domain I decided to start it myself, combining some of the things which interest me most. The aim is to build the site into a much larger project - at the moment TheHighlands.com is dedicated to bringing together the finest mountain film and photography as well as news from 'highlands' around the world.

Scottish Mountain Photography

2008-03-26T00:07:00.010Z

With a growing portfolio of images from the Scottish mountains I've put together a collection which display some of the best at a larger size. I will be adding to this with new material and work from the back catalogue. There's space for comments, I appreciate any and all feedback. See the Scottish Mountain Photography Gallery.

Spring Conferences

2008-03-03T10:02:00.002Z

There are two web conferences coming to Edinburgh this spring:

First off is the Highland Fling 2008, an annual one-day conference in Scotland aimed at web developers and businesses with an interest in standards and accessibility. When/where: 3rd April 2008, Symposium Hall, Edinburgh.

This is followed immediately by Scotland on Rails - the first Scottish conference dedicated to Ruby on Rails. When/where: 4th-5th April 2008, Pollock Halls, Edinburgh.

Both offer an excellent chance to hear the latest ideas in web and application development as well as meeting some of the key players in the industry (there's a chance of a couple of beers too). Put together they are a must for any self respecting Internet professional.

Skiing Gallery

2008-02-11T19:36:00.000Z

Recently returned from a week in the French Alps where I was on skis for the first time in far too long. Aside from the skiing, blue skies, excellent company and perfect photography conditions the high point of the week was the Gorzderette. Now in its 5th year it is a competition comprising of several events, including cross country skiing, pulling a straw laden luge, negotiating a mountaineering style obstacle course and climbing on the impressive Tour de Glace. See the Skiing Gallery

DigiDIY - a short film course

2008-02-04T11:55:00.000Z

Have just finished a 5 day Digital Film course run at the Screen Academy Scotland with support from SkillSet Scotland. It covered everything from scheduling to editing with a bit of everything in between. There was a lot to take on board, but with great support and advice from the tutors and guest speakers I think everyone took a lot away with the. My conclusions were:

1. digital film making is as complex a field as web production
2. while the technique can be mastered working with people is the real art
3. producing drama is time consuming, beset with risk and frustration
4. a clear vision of the outcome and methodical preparation is a good start

Thanks to everyone involved in making it a great learning experience.

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

2007-11-26T19:39:00.000Z

I'm delighted to announce the launch of the major project of the last 6 months - a new site for the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. I've been working working closely with Net Resources as Project Manager on this large and complex redevelopment, helping to successfully deliver a fully content managed site with lots of features and enhancements. See: www.rbge.org.uk

Kendal Mountain Film Festival

2007-11-19T09:24:00.000Z

I've just returned from the Kendal Mountain Film Festival, where I spent 3 days indulging a passion for mountain films. The event was very well attended and goes from strength to strength each year. Also showing was the ScottishHills.com film 'The Big Grey man of Ben Macdhui' which as co-director I presented to a full house on Saturday morning.

For a full review see: www.thehighlands.com.

Prospect Host - hosting & support

2007-09-30T19:15:00.000+01:00

We have just taken over the running of our own server under the name 'Prospect Host Ltd'. Our aim is to provide reliable & affordable hosting with friendly & jargon free support.

We offer full set up and support for your site and email. Your hosting package comes with Webmail and Stats as standard plus there are lots of optional extras such as Blogs or Galleries. To enquire about our services please got to the Prospect Host Website.

New site - Easter Duiar

2007-09-24T10:57:00.000+01:00

Originally a gamekeeper's cottage, Easter Duiar has been substantially extended to provide excellent self-catering accommodation for 2 - 12 people. Initially photographed in late May the site has been developed in conjunction with the owners to advertise this large and comfortable holiday cottage in Speyside.

HNC Validation

2007-06-13T19:13:00.000+01:00

Last week I was invited to Glasgow by the SQA to be one of the validators for a new HNC in Interactive Media. My role was to being an industry perspective to the discussion, checking that the course would give students the skills they need to progress to further education or out in the workplace.

The day gave a fresh perspective on the work of an organisation which has received criticism over the last few years. The process was rigorous and exhaustive and the design team were not let off lightly. In the end we send the programme back with 11 conditions which need to be met before validation is considered again.

No doubt I'll be back to Glasgow before long to finish what we started.

Ben Nevis Gallery

2007-05-30T21:09:00.000+01:00

Two days camping at the base of the North Face of Ben Nevis was an excellent way to get to know this unique mountain environment.

To celebrate the place I've put together a small Ben Nevis Gallery...

Helvetica is 50

2007-05-09T18:17:00.000+01:00

The font face Helvetica is 50 years old today, make sure you sing it happy birthday when next you see it.

There's a film too - Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. I'm hoping the Scottish Documentary Institute can arrange a screening.

Today's post was bought to you using the font 'Helvetica'.

Amber Online - Live!

2007-04-13T15:55:00.000+01:00

Having been working on the site 9 months I'm delighted to announce that the new Amber site is now live, see: www.amber-online.com

Amber is a film & photography collective based in Newcastle upon Tyne, incorporating Amber Films, Side Gallery, Side Cinema and Side Cafe. For the first time the site allows an integrated presentation of their work, including many of their films and exhibitions from the last 40 years.

Built using Ruby on Rails by Jonathan Barratt the site has some great features including a full content and image management system, events calendar, e-shop, forum, RSS feed, and our favourite 'Random Amber'. Working closely with Amber we adopted Agile project management techniques (more like Scrum Jonathan tells me) to help us through. While not appropriate for all projects it enabled us to response to new ideas as they emerged, thus avoiding some of the usual pitfalls of web development - but finding some new ones in the process!

We are delighted - not just to see it go live, but to have helped develop a site that Amber are excited about growing over the coming months and years.

While working on the site I have often lost myself in the content - their archives hold some truly inspirational documentary work and include gems such as the Weegee Collection and Houden Victory Club (that will be the allotment connection). You'll even find a couple of my early images if you look hard enough, hopefully more will be added soon.

Scottish Election Websites

2007-03-18T12:12:00.000Z

Elections to the third Scottish Parliament will be held on Thursday 3rd May 2007. Electors will have two votes, the first for your constituency MSP by the first past the post method, the second to elect seven regional MSPs from party or individual lists by proportional representation.

What have they done for us? Three excellent sites from mysociety.org, designed to help us keep track of what our politicians are doing 'in out name'.

- They work for you: www.theyworkforyou.com
- Hear from your MP: www.hearfromyourmp.com
- Write to them: www.writetothem.com

The official sites: worth a look when trying to work out who is saying what. If you look hard enough you might be able to find some policies!

- Scottish Conservatives: www.scottishconservatives.com
- Scottish Green Party: www.scottishgreens.org.uk
- Scottish Labour Party: www.scottishlabour.org.uk
- Scottish Liberal Democrats: www.scotlibdems.org.uk
- Scottish National Party - www.snp.org

Best Highland Amateur Film 2007

2007-02-27T21:38:00.000Z

The ScottishHills.com short film 'The Big Grey Man of Ben Macdhui' has been named as 'Best Highland Amateur Film 2007' at the Fort William Mountain Festival. It was screened along side other the other winning films, most notably Asiemut.

The prize was an especially commissioned plate by Fired Earth and a cheque (which will just about cover the dvd duplication costs!). John and I went up to collect the award and enjoy the screening, assisted by the multiple samples Highland Park being being given away Jason from Bramble Bar! Small world indeed.

Free WiFi in Edinburgh

2007-01-29T17:41:00.022Z

The list is small but growing - establishments in Edinburgh offering free WiFi as a way to extract coffee and beer money from punters like me:

City Centre
- All Good Coffee Shop - Morrison St
- Baroque Pub - Broughton St
- Bert's Bar - William Street
- Black Medicine - Nicolson Street
- Cargo - Lochrin Basin
- Cameo Cinema Cafe/Bar - Home Street
- Centotre - George Street
- Ecco Vino - Cockburn Street
- Embark - Lochrin Basin
- Filmhouse Cafe/Bar - Lothian Road
- Halo Bar - Melville Place
- The Jazz Bar - Chambers Street
- The Jolly Judge - James Court
- Juice Monkey - Clerk Street
- Mezz - London Street (corner of Broughton St)
- The Outhouse - Broughton Street Lane
- The Malt Shovel - Cockburn Street
- The Regent - Montrose Terrace
- Shakespeare - 65 Lothian Road
- Traverse Theatre Bar - Lothian Road

Leith
- Beets Deli & Cafe - Bernard Street
- Bijou - East Hermitage Place
- Bar Diesel - Shore Place
- Iso Bar - Bernard Street
- Old Chain Pier - Trinity Crescent
- The Port Inn - Constitution Street
- Rose Leaf - Sandport Place
- Rumba - Portland Place
- Sofi's Bar - Henderson Street
- The Timberbush - Bernard Street
- Tiso Shop & Cafe - Commercial Street

New Town & Stockbridge
- Bert's Bar - Raeburn Place
- Hamiltons - Hamilton Place (problems with Macs!)
- iglu bar - Jamaica Street

Please let me know if you find of others - I'll update this list accordingly

Quote of the Day

2007-01-29T17:25:00.001Z

"Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. Design is how it works."

- Steve Jobs interviewed by Times

Think chair, see chair

2007-01-28T16:25:00.000Z

A couple of years ago we needed some more chairs, soon after deciding this I started to see chairs in the street. Quality was variable but after a couple of months we had all we needed - upgrading along the way as better ones emerged. Once we had enough there was suddenly no more chairs, it seemed as if we had got in there in time.

Last month friends in Newcastle mentioned they were on the hunt for chairs. Suddenly they seem to be in full bloom again. Funny that.

Ethics for Interface Designers

2007-01-20T15:15:00.000Z

Stumbling across the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice made me think about a similar code for Interface Designers. Here's my interpretation:

ACCESSIBILITY - Interface designers shall ensure that their work is accessible to as many users, on as many platforms and devices as possible.

USABILITY - Interface designers shall ensure their work is usable and fit for purpose.

LEGIBILITY - Information shall be well communicated - be it typographic or conceptual.

CLIENTS v. USERS - Interface designers shall represent the needs of the user to the client.

STANDARDS - Interface designers shall adhere to standards where they exist and innovate where they don't.

VALUES - Interface designers shall aspire to delivering the work specified on time, to budget and to an high standard. See the Iron Triangle

New Site - Larchwood Cottage

2007-01-18T15:09:00.000Z

I'm delighted to announce the first new site of 2007 - Larchwood Cottage, a lovely self catering cottage near Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland.

It's been a great site to work on - the shoot went well despite a power cut towards the end of the day, plus it's been a chance to integrate with Google Maps and try out a new Availability Calendar.

I'm keen to do more sites like this in 2007 - so if you have a property and would like to promote with a quality web site then please get in touch...

Agile on Rails

2007-01-12T17:12:00.000Z

The major project at the moment is for a film making and photographic collective in the NE of England. Working with Fresh Monkey we've been using Ruby on Rails to develop the underlying application - the results have so far been impressive in terms of the technology and the user interface it supports.

We've adopted some Agile (probably with a small 'a') methodologies and the project seems to be running smoothly - though I don't want to tempt fate! Along with this we've been using BaseCamp to help keep everyone in the loop, for anyone working with dispersed I can recommend it as a valuable project management tool.

A live date has been set for the 23rd February - watch this space!

Photo Blogging via SMS

2007-01-12T17:01:00.000Z

Having just upgraded my phone I've discovered I can now Photo Blog straight from phone to website. Sign up to the RSS feed to keep an eye on future postings.

This is an amazing revelation - the day after Mr Jobs announce how the interface should really be!

Brocken Spectre Gallery

2006-12-29T17:22:00.001Z

After a bumper haul of Brocken Spectres over the last few days I've put together a specific Brocken Spectre gallery.

In case you've not seen them before a Brocken Spectre is a meteorological phenomenon caused by the sun shining your shadow onto a cloud. The rainbow ring is called a Glorie.

Trends for 2007

2006-12-28T15:18:00.000Z

Inspired but Harry Beck's classic design of the London Underground map Nowandnext.com and Future Exploration Network have produced a excellent trend map for 2007.

View 2007 Trend Map (pdf)

It's published under the creative commons license so if you have something to add - then feel free...

Scottish Landscape Calendar

2006-12-18T13:25:00.000Z

The RichardX 2007 desktop calendar using 12 images from around Scotland is now available. You can get yours directly from the nice people at HeeHaw Publishing