The GIST Hub

Theory tests

Hannah — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:50:54 +0000

As part of my research, I’ve spent a number of hours sitting around people-watching at the case study sites, including observing traffic that passes outside and around the centres where activities take place. At one site, there was an incredible level of learner drivers passing by and it seemed a shame the centre which sits right next to the road side was not marketing directly to this group, using tools that would make tehnology relevant to their immediate interests.

I was pleased, therefore, to read this post on the Wath-Upon-Dearne blog about Barnsley libraries making Theory Test pro available to library users online and also to take home, I’ll be interested to find out what impact it has on how the service is being used.

Sheffield Mobile Developers Group

The GIST Hub — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:35:47 +0000

An initial meetup for folks from across the region who are practising or learning the art of programming for mobile devices, across platforms including iPhone, Android, Symbian and Windows Mobile.

This month’s agenda is loose and informal. It’s the first meetup, so we’ll do a bit of feet-finding and see where we want to take things.

Welcome and introductions.
Project: Community Radio App.
Informal Q&A.

After the meetup we’ll probably head to one of the local pubs for food and drinks.

You can also keep up-to-date and follow the developments by joining in the online group.

The GIST Lab is a community collaboration space operated by The GIST Foundation in partnership with the Showroom Workstation. Find directions here.

GGDSoYo – interactive artwork too

Kanarek Mel — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:46:47 +0000

In my haste to post about last night’s event (I’m a bad blogger), I forgot to mention the interactive art work presented by Barnsley artist Jo Pearson.

Jo based her work on the iChing – instructions at the table told us how to cast an iChing hexagram relating to a question we had in mind. We then matched the number of the hexagram to a set of QR codes displayed around the walls and – get this – used the bar code readers on our phones to translate the QR code into a web link. Connecting to the link took you to a reading and gave you the opportunity to post your reaction to the reading – reactions were displayed on the large screen in the DMC foyer.

As always with interesting art, it’s hard to do it justice in words. But I don’t think any of us ever expected to use the bar code reader on our smartphone to read our fortunes!

You can follow Jo @jopersona. If you don’t know what QR codes are all about, have a look here: http://2d-code.co.uk . And you can make your own codes here: http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code/generator .

Geek Girls Dinner Soyo

Kanarek Mel — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:29:35 +0000

Had a most marvelous evening yesterday at the Barnsley Digital Media Centre and the first ever South Yorkshire Geek Girls Dinner. To those GGals who didn’t make it, you missed an excellent evening, two impressive speakers and some epic chocolate cake. Kudos to Tracey Johnson (@cre8tvebarnsley) for organising.

I didn’t get the opportunity to meet everyone there but, judging by the questions being asked, there was a high geekery quotient. I’m hoping that Tracey will circulate a list of attendees so that we can get to know each other a bit more.

So, speakers: Silvia Novak from publishers Faber & Faber and Rain Ashford from the BBC.

Silvia told us all about the social media initiatives that she is working on – everything from tweeting to helping authors to blog. There was loads more than that but two things really stuck with me: the way that social media is allowing F&F to really engage with its audiences and the amazingly creative things that authors are doing with the web. You can follow Silvia @silviakn and @Faberbooks.

Rain works on BBC Connect (which it would be really interesting to know more about another day) but she came to tell us about her geek passion – Lilypad Arduino. Rain uses Lilypad to make interactive textile creations – she showed us a T-shirt that played a tune and a noughts and crosses game that made noises to show if you were winning or losing. My truly non-technical description doesn’t even begin to do this justice – it was an impressive mash-up of electronics, coding and fabric art. You can see more here: http://rainycatz.wordpress and follow Rain @rainycat.

All in all, an auspicions kick-off to girl geekery in the SoYo region – here’s to the next installment.

Sheffield Adobe User Group

The GIST Hub — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:48:25 +0000

Sheffield Adobe Users Group (ShAUG) is an informal and sociable meetup for developers and designers practising or learning the art of creating technological magic using Adobe products.

This month:

Hello. Welcome. Introductions
What Mobile App?
It was suggested at the last meeting that the group wants to do something practical. Understanding how mobile apps are built and work was one of the suggestions. We’ll be discussing options for such an app, so bring along your ideas, suggestions and prototypes.
Show and Tell. Q&A.;
People can bring projects they are working on to ask advise about promote or just show what they are doing.
Incorporated into this will be a Q & A for people

After 8.30pm we’ll go down to the local for food and more chat.

You can join the Sheffield Adobe User Group online here.
Catch updates on Twitter by following @shauguk.
Directions to the GIST Lab are here.

The GIST Magazine Vol 1 Issue 5

The GIST Hub — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:46:53 +0000

The GIST Magazine is a gathering of folks involved or interested in all forms of creative, digital and geek culture. This month includes:

Off the Shelf:For The Win
Researcher-turned-developer Daley Chetwynd gives the verdict on Cory Doctorow’s set text.
Hardwired: Sweets for Tweets
David Emmett demos and walks through the Shacknet arduino project for the GIST Lab
The Baton
He picked it up in August. Who will get it in October? Richard Allsebrook delights us with a mystery cameo before passing on the Magazine Baton.
More to be confirmed

Do any of these ring true for you?

Passionate about technology or what it can do for us?
Design it, make it, build it, share it?
Invent, innovate or create social change with it?
Play with it, have fun with it, or simply consume it?

Join us for an informal and infectious mix of grassroots innovation, social action and technology. Get The GIST on the first Wednesday of every month from 7pm.

The GIST Magazine incorporates GeekUp Sheffield and features a range of content drawn from the projects, groups and activities of the GIST Community and the wider grassroots technology scene. If you’d like to share something at the Magazine, pick up a Contributor ticket or get in touch.

Sheffield Ruby User Group

The GIST Hub — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:46:22 +0000

Ruby is a dynamic, open source programming language with a focus on making programming fun. Sheffield Ruby User Group (ShRUG) meets up every month to explore the capabilities of this elegant technology and to share know-how and skills.

New members (ShRUGgers) are always welcome.

This month’s agenda is being finalised.

Welcome and introductions
Main session TBC. Get in touch with ashley.moran@patchspace.co.uk if you’d like to share a project, host a session or do a talk. (Otherwise we have a backup plan.)
Informal Q&A;
Analogue Blog – discussion of what’s new in the Ruby world.

After the meetup, we’ll retire to one of the fine local taverns for food and more chat.

You can join the Sheffield Ruby User Group online here. Catch updates on Twitter by following @shruggers.
Directions to the GIST Lab, a creative community collaboration space operated by The GIST Foundation in partnership with the Showroom Workstation, are here.

Sheffield PHP UserGroup

The GIST Hub — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:47:01 +0000

A regular meetup for folks from across the region who are practising or learning the art of programming with PHP.

This month’s agenda is being finalised.

Welcome and introductions
Main session TBC. Get in touch if you’d like to share a project, host a session or do a talk.
Informal Q&A.

After the meetup we’ll head to one of the local pubs for food and drinks.

You can also keep up-to-date and follow the developments by joining in the online group.

The GIST Lab is a community collaboration space operated by The GIST Foundation in partnership with the Showroom Workstation. Find directions here.

Meet-Up 2010-08-17

Richard Rixham — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 07:08:24 +0000

Hey All,

We had a great meet up at Gist Lab on Tuesday 17th August.

David has made great progress on the sweets4tweets project and we can see that we are now ready to look at the hopper issues to get the sweets actually being served. John came up with some great ideas for this.

We had new people coming along and getting hands on with Arduino for the first time which just goes to show that the popularity of Arduino is still growing.

Our next meet-up is on Monday, 20th September at 6.30pm till 8pm.

We are aiming to keep the meet-ups as being the 3rd Monday of each month from now on where possible.

There will be continued work on the sweetsd4tweets project and one of the ideas for a couple of quick projects for the nights is to create a Pomodoro timer with a dual 7 segment display and buttons and may be also a temperature reader displaying the temperature on an LCD or 7 segment display.

Another pet project of mine is to look at the RAD development environment, programming Arduino with Ruby. So how about some Ruby developers coming down and helping us get this going?

Let us know what ideas you have for small projects that could be completed on the night, or at least started to take away with you.

Looking forward to the next exciting meet-up.

Richard

KTP Associates – latest jobs

Hannah — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:06:13 +0000

The latest jobs at KTP Associates including an opportunity to be a Creative Technologist. I can highly recommend the Associates scheme as I am one, they’re usually at least two years contract studying an area that you should know well and be interested in, you study for a Chartered Managment Institute qualification paid for by the organisations plus there’s a substantial personal development budget that can be spent on all manner of things including Masters study or PhD. They’re hard work and challenging but they are the opportunity of a lifetime and you’re unlikely to ever find a job like it again!