Apr
25
2012

Book 3: How to Start Your Own Business.

by Philip McGaw

Rico Nelson’s “How to Start Your Own Business: Step by Step Guide To Starting Your Own Business Volume 2” was a free kindle book that I picked up to have a flick through in relation to task 51 – Start my own Business from my day zero challenge.

Most business startups fail. But many of those failures can be prevented. How to start your own business guide is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built.

Rico Nelson gives you a step by step plan of attack to succeed in business. All you need is ambition, determination and the right mind to succeed this world.

critics call How to start your own business inspiring and realistic from leaning manufacturing, marketing your business, right mind set and taxes. It relies on “validated learning,” rapid scientific experimentation, as well as a number of counter-intuitive practices that shorten product development cycles, measure actual progress without resorting to vanity metrics, and learn what customers really want. It enables a company to shift directions with agility, altering plans inch by inch, minute by minute.

Rather than wasting time creating elaborate business plans or reinventing the wheel, how to start your own business offers entrepreneurs – in companies of all sizes – a way to test their vision continuously, to adapt and adjust before its too late. Rico provides a simple approach to creating and managing successful startups in a age when companies need to innovate more than ever.

It was an interesting quick guide, but not work paying for.

My Start of a company can be found at JustVigilantes.co.uk, and PhilipMcGaw.com; if you fancy looking around teh page and then contacting me with suggestions that would be awsome.

posted in Day Zero, eBooks, Kindle, Task 16 - 100+ Reading Challenge, Task 51 - Start my own business | tagged with , , | Comments Off

Apr
20
2012

Solar Panels

by Skippy

A long while ago I met up with Amy, and James from nbLuckyDuck, and one of the things that was intresting is that for a large part of the year they are off-grid with using a 136W flexable solar panel so very rarely run the generator1. there has been discussion about other cost breakdowns here2, and a lively chat about solar panels here3.

I have been wondering if Solar Panels on nbArianrhod would be a good idea, and worth the cost. since her roof is mostly used as a bike, log, loo store there is no free roof space forward of the centreline mount; and to the stern the area is kept clear for the centreline working area.

The Sun Shines?

These two Diagrams show the solar irradiation and solar electricity potential in the UK, with both Horizontal and ‘optimally – inclined’ photovoltaic modules.

b0atg1rl and I plan to mainly stay in the south; so we shan’t be going much below 950 kWh / m²; with horizontally  (1050 kWh / m² with optimally – inclined) photovoltaic modules; which means that our electrical requirements should be met with a fairly small installation.

Currently we run the motor for a couple of hours every evening to charge the domestic batteries, I am looking for details of flexible solar panels; that could be mounted to the clear section of roof by either adhesive; or bolting them down in the centre line working area.

 

posted in b0atg1rl, Boating, Canals, Off The Grid, Projects | tagged with , , , , , | Comments Off

Apr
19
2012

Dundas Basin Elsan Point

by Skippy

The Elsan disposal point at Dundas Basin on the Kennet & Avon Canal was taken out of service back in November 2011 and has remained broken since; British Waterways plan to have a temporary elsan point operational some time in April, with full repairs coming on-line in August this year.

BW say the cost of this temporary disposal point at Dundas while it is repaired, will be about £30004.

Back When I was working for Network Rail as a Technical Clarke5 I was responsible for dealing with Utility Company’s C2 inquirys under the New Roads and Street Works Act 19916, Wondering what is stooping them from packing all the equipment required for an elsan point into an open sided 20ft ISO and dropping it off; and connecting it up (there is some space out the front of the building they could park a 20ft ISO in). I have sent them a request for details of services in the area:

NRSWA/C2.1: Preliminary inquiry letter

 

Dear Sirs

NEW ROADS AND STREET WORKS ACT 1991 PRELIMINARY INQUIRY Appendix C2 of the Code of Practice (CoP)

‘Measures Necessary Where Apparatus Is Affected By Major Works (Diversionary Works)’

Our Client is considering a scheme involving major works as detailed below:

Location of Works:

Dundas Basin / Warf

Street /Road No. & Name:

Land off A36,Warminster Road,
Entrance to BrassknockerBasin, From K&A Canal
Bath,
Near BA2 7JD,

Description of Works:

Ground Penetrations

 

A plan showing the client’s proposals is enclosed. In order that all reasonable precautions may be taken to avoid risk to health and safety through contact with any of your existing apparatus during execution of the proposed works, please indicate the general position and nature of your apparatus in the locality of the proposed works and return the plan to this office. In addition, please highlight any likely special problems that could arise in connection with your apparatus as a result of the proposed works and any limitations on the quality of the information provided. If you have no apparatus in the area of the proposed works, please send a nil return.

Notice under The Street Works (Registers, Notices, Directions and Designations) Regulations will be sent in due course.

Under the CoP, the requested information should be provided free of charge and normally within 10 working days. Please contact us at your earliest convenience if you are unable to provide the information within this time.

If you require any further information, please contact me via email

Yours faithfully

Skippy

Just have to wait to see what they will say is in the area.

Further Reading

posted in b0atg1rl, Boating, Canals, Dundas, Kennet and Avon Canal, Off The Grid, Task 22 - Live on a narrow boat for at least 6 months, Work | tagged with , , , | Comments (1)

Apr
18
2012

Why I fear Pro-Life

by Skippy

TRIGGER WARNING: This article or section, or pages it links to, contain information about abortion, sexual assault and/or violence which may be triggering to survivors, also some of the language is a lot stronger than normally presented, Ergo NSFW7.

This Post has taken me a while to write, and I hope I do not present any false or inaccurate information here; please contact me if you think I have failed in this regard, or comment at the bottom of the post.

If you know of any further resources I should Cite or Link to please also post these at the bottom; also if you disagree with my position; the comments section is available for your feedback.

Read More »

posted in Anti Right Wing Rant | tagged with , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Apr
12
2012

02 and the nanny state

by Philip McGaw

I finally got an answer back from O2 regarding the blocking of my website; it would appear that they have unilaterally decided that skippy.org.uk and 365.skippy.org.uk are Parental Controlled…

The Website status checker 8 when you type in skippy.org.uk gives you this screen:

Which to be honest is about as much use as a chocolate teapot; and gives you no information as to why my site was blocked.

The only option is to request reconsideration by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking the ‘Continue’ button; This means my request to be de-blocked will be logged and in the queue. This seems to be a manual process, submit site and wait for O2 to be useful… they’ll get around to it eventually.

O2 will do not notify people; you  just need to keep checking.

I have written about how I feel about O2 and parental controls they also unilaterally impose on people previously.

posted in Geeky, Off The Grid, Tech | tagged with , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Apr
12
2012

Book 2: Fox Talbot

by Philip McGaw

John Hannavy’s ”Fox Talbot: An Illustrated Life of Willian Henry Fox Talbot, ‘Father of Modern Photography’, 1800 -18779”

Fox Talbot is universally recognised as the father of modern photography. His ‘calotype’ or ‘Talbotype’ process was the first working photographic process to use the now familiar format of negatives and positives. He was an ambitious man but his interests spread far beyond the confines of photography and it was as a mathematician that he was awarded first Membership and then Fellowship of the Royal Society before the age of thirty-three. He was an accomplished astronomer, a keen archaeologists and a fluent master of Greek and Hebrew. He patented pioneering ideas for internal combustion engines and as early as 1840 and through his life was at the forefront of progressive scientific thinking in England.

b0atg1rl recently went to Lacock Abbey, and had a look round the Fox Talbot Museum and Village, when I got back to our home she gave me this interesting book as a present :) Its a nice easy read and a good introduction to Fox’s life and his inventions. It would appear that b0atg1rl is a Photo Geek too :D

posted in b0atg1rl, Camera, Photography, Task 16 - 100+ Reading Challenge | tagged with , , , , , | Comments Off

Apr
12
2012

O2 have blocked my 365

by Philip McGaw

 

My Project 365 site seems to have been blocked from being accessed over 3G by O2, I have written about my feelings on O2′s content blocking before, most people I assume have already got pissed off with it and bitten the bullet since and ‘verified’ themselves since content blocking was imposed in March 2011.

The restrictions are at the DNS level, meaning that there is no easy way round it. and you can not use your 02 Modem, Android phone as a portable hotspot, or teather your iPhone. If you switch from O2′s 3G network to a Wi-Fi hotspot, however, then the restrictions disappear. There are suggestions that O2 is a using a reference directory from the ICMB (Independent Mobile Classification Body), so the problem may be on other networks as well.

O2 claimed back in March last year:

This is solely to ensure that children are protected from inappropriate content when using the internet on their phones. That’s why we require customers to prove they are over 18 before they can use these sites.

and pointed to the “UK code of practice for the self-regulation of new forms of content on mobiles10” (see also their FAQ). however it looks like there is no procedure for either getting a copy of the block list; or an easy way to getting your placement on  it independently checked. I phoned o2′s customer service number; however they were adimunt that there was no way of unblocking the site; or telling me why the site was blocked; however O2′s Twitter team seem to be the people to contact, but again they only pass the details of the block on, and have yet to provide me with any information. The IMCB (Independent Mobile Classification Body) has a copy of the Classification Framework11 available to read that says I have to complain to O2 and then wait 28 days before I can speak to them (the IMCB).

However the one thing that I would like, that no one seems to list on any site is a copy of the blacklist, or a tool for checking if your page is blocked.

posted in Geeky, Hosting, Off The Grid, Tech | tagged with , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Apr
11
2012

Home Made Keyboards – Part 1: Project Overview

by Skippy

A while ago I cam across the Stenograph system, and thought about making myself a Steno Keyboard or something smiler, looking into I found this:

There are two types of keyboard used in the UK for STTRs (Speech to Text Reporter), the Palantype system and the Stenograph system. Unlike a QWERTY keyboard, not every letter in a word is pressed, but several keys will be pressed at once whaich represent whole words, phrases or shortforms. Specially designed computer software will then convert these phonetic chords back into English which can then be displayed for someone to read. This system can also be used for subtitling and closed captions in television broadcasts or Webcasts12

Stenograph System

A stenotype, stenotype machine or shorthand machine is a specialized chorded keyboard or typewriter used by stenographers for shorthand use. Some users of this machine can reach 300 words per minute.13

The Stenograph system is whole words in a cord; not just one letter; which while faster to type with than individual letters, it would mean learning word lists, and learning to spell full words as chords would take far too long.

Palantype System

The Palantype system like the Stenogpah System is also corded:

recording words phonetically syllable by syllable instead of letter by letter. To effect this, several keys can be depressed at the same time, as with a chord on the piano, instead of having to be depressed one at a time in sequence. The overall saving in the number of keystrokes is shown in the Tables and the corresponding saving in time is not difficult to imagine.14

Something of interest on the Spelling Society’s site was this article about AgiliWriting15, an abbreviated, alphabetic shorthand that, if taken down correctly and legibly, can be transcribed by anyone else on a computer which has an automatic word processing conversion program to transcribe the text into standard English (auto replace/correct).

My Idea

Since learning cords for full words may be harder than just learning cords for single letters, I am looking at somthing like ”Yet Another One-hand Keyboard” 16, it has not been updated since 16/09/2010.

since I have now got some experance with using a Teensy as a human interface device, as such I will use that again.

Ipslogo

When I am next around the London area it may be an idea to have a wonder along to see the Incorporated Phonographic Society17 (IPS).

 

posted in Geeky, Keyboard, Mac, Maker, Tech, Teensy | tagged with , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

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