Stuff that I'm writing and commenting on (and occasionally photographing)
Turnkey Linux
27 Jan 2012
Turnkey Linux is interesting... they make a range of about 45 pre-configured VMs available (for free), offering a very quick way to set up simple websites running, say, Wordpress, Moodle or a File Server Appliance. A list of their pre-built 'apps' is available. To use one of these on our infrastructure, follow ... [read more]
Security reminder
27 Jan 2012
As more people are coming on to the infrastructure I think it is worth reminding ourselves about basic security. This is important not just to protect your VMs from outside attack, but to help prevent denial of service and other malicious activity being mounted on or against our infrastructure. Stating the ... [read more]
Photographing: Psychedelic - 26 January 2012
25 Jan 2012
Free online SaaS software development course
25 Jan 2012
You may have noticed that several US universities (including Stanford and UC Berkeley) are making a range of IT-related online courses available under the banner of Coursera. Course topics include machine learning, security, cryptography, natural language processing, and a range of less technical subjects such as entrepreneurship. Most courses seem to ... [read more]
A tale of two cities - Lincoln and Leicester
24 Jan 2012
On Wednesday and Thursday last week I travelled up to Lincoln and Leicester, meeting with Joss Winn and colleagues on Wednesday to talk about their potential use of our cloud for the JISC-funded Orbital project and for more general uses within the institution, and attending a meeting organised by the BRISSkit ... [read more]
Uptake...
20 Jan 2012
It's been quite slow (which on balance is probably a good thing - perhaps I should say 'steady'?) but we're beginning to see a growing level of interest in our cloud infrastructure, based in part on the soft launch of what we're now calling our Education Cloud last week, plus one or ... [read more]
Photographing: 18 January 2012
17 Jan 2012
Photographing: Tall - 12 January 2012
11 Jan 2012
Google search changes are bad for the internet, says Twitter
11 Jan 2012
The change has come in for criticism from a number of search experts. "Search engines are supposed to send you away to the best information, even if they don't have their own in stock," noted Danny Sullivan, who added that Google has previously been excellent at providing links to the ... [read more]
Michael Gove to scrap 'boring' IT lessons
10 Jan 2012
The teaching of computer science in school is to be dramatically overhauled, with the existing programme of study scrapped to make way for new lessons designed by industry and universities, Michael Gove will announce on Wednesday. In a speech, the education secretary will say the existing curriculum in Information and Communication ... [read more]
What's on my blackboard?
10 Jan 2012
Sobolev spaces This photo was taken in the former office of Sandy Davie, a recently retired professor at the University of Edinburgh. The writing on the board is the result of conversations with another professor, Istvan Gyongy, about partial differential equations in Sobolev spaces. It’s a great example of a typical mathematician’s ... [read more]
Holbourne Museum Field of Light
9 Jan 2012
Creepy abandoned doll factory will haunt your nightmares
9 Jan 2012
Photographing: Cicloturistica Perugia - 07 January 2012
6 Jan 2012
Identity nutcrackers required...
6 Jan 2012
I don't think we've yet begun to crack the nut at the potential that will be unlocked with a durable, interoperable, and user-friendly solution for internet identity — especially one that acknowledges and works well across multi-modal device contexts. via lists.openid.net Chris Messina, on his decision not to run for re-election to ... [read more]
Microsoft, the USA PATRIOT Act, and European cloud computing
5 Jan 2012
It is unlikely that the PATRIOT Act is routinely invoked, or that US officials spend much time reading Europeans’ email. The cloud — even the parts run by US companies — remains broadly safe, secure, and reliable. Safe Harbor provisions, model clauses, and the ability to ... [read more]
Read more at eFoundations, Blipfoto and Aggregate.
andy@andypowe11.net
+44 (0) 7989 476 710
OpenID: http://andypowe11.net/
I live in Bath (UK) where I am Research Programme Director at Eduserv (a not-for-profit IT service provider for education, health and the public sector), partner to Sara, father to Daisy, Wilf and Stan, a regular cyclist, wannabe photographer, and crap guitar player. That's all you need to know.
I am not the Wishbone Ash guitarist or a Welsh rugby player.