blogging take #2

Hello there blogosphere, it's been a while. Mostly because I think I forgot how to blog.

So, to quickly catch up since last time I posted..... I have (in no particular order):

• Sprained both ankles playing soccer (currently 3 weeks into sprain numero dos).
• Broke up with my long term partner. 
• Travelled to Argentina.
• Started learning the clarinet.
• Moved house.
• Played a lot of beach volleyball.
• Sewed a mug cozy.
• Got autographs from actor/actresses who played/voiced Khal Drogo, Simon, River,Wash and Zim.
• Purchased a 3D Game of Thrones puzzle.
• Attended a Can't Stop The Serenity event.
• Learnt some FME workbench & server stuff.
• Learnt some more python.
• Learnt some more about Geocortex.
• Learnt quite a bit more about ArcGIS Server.
• Made ArcMap crash some more.
• Wrote some metadata.
• Organised a big GIS Day and baked a globe cake.
• Met some awesome people. 

And probably a whole lot more stuff in between.

So what's in store for this iteration of blogging? I'm hoping to use this space to both share and motivate myself to pursue my quest in learning more about the geospatial world and its technological offerings. Currently my targets are:

1. Complete one geospatial-related tutorial a fortnight and share my experiences/thoughts on it.
2. Write about other geospatial news, experiences, musings and the like.
3. Occasionally briefly post about feelings and stuff (because I'm not good at that and should probably work on it).

So, with that in mind, my first outside-of-work tutorial will be some form of basic crash course in QGIS. I've gotten so far as downloading and installing it. This weekend, I'll hit the launch icon and see what happens. Hopefully I can find a good tutorial beforehand (any recommendations welcome!).

In other news, I've just discovered XSLT and XSL. I'm attempting to render XML metadata documents (in a slightly adapted version of the ISO 19139 standard (mostly just reduced/removed fields)) with some nice human-friendly HTML stylings within a browser. Steep learning curve that one. First thing I learned is to make sure namespaces are present and accounted for. I got some stylings to work with the assistance of an in-browser IDE type thing, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to work when I open the XML document directly in the browser (with XSL file specified). So something's wrong somewhere. Probably related to namespaces. Time to do some more homework I think. But first, lunch :)

Til next time, may all your blog encounters be good ones.

footprints in googleland

Wow... It has certainly been a while. Just joined Google+ and rediscovered all the stuff I left in various Google places...including here. So... Google+ - (lol, "+ -") will it appeal the whatever -illion odd Google users and take the world by (further) storm? Sometimes I feel Google has such a huge buffet of interweb things on offer that its hard to disentangle functionalities and applications one from the other... Or ...maybe thats the whole point! A Google web, a (gooweb?ha, goo!) to ensnare all of us so we become Google minions (wow ok, spooky conspiracy angle much?). I should just mention here that I've had a lot of coffee today... Anyhows... might try and revive this blog-thing. Maybe in a little while though... because after trying to clean up my Google interweb trail of footprints, I am now out of time and have to skedaddle to go and play some volleyball with some other enthusiastic sand gropers :)

Hi folks!

It has been a while since I last posted - I apologise - it has been a busy period in my life. I hope now that my schedule is more permantly sorted that I will to be able to post weekly or fortnightly - woot! Regular new content... Bring it on.

So... to start with, I have approximately 1 minute to finish this post. So this ones a quick link/video share. The latest episode of 'Geospatial Revolution' is out - take a look if you have time, its another set of interesting examples of applied GIS.

Geospatial Revolution / Episode Three from Penn State Public Broadcasting on Vimeo.

The third episode explores geospatial technology in the world of security: how new technologies help to broker peace, wage war, and fight crime but can also compromise personal privacy.

More to come next week.... :)

And on a slightly more serious note....

New guidelines set for location privacy on mobile phones - Spatial Source

"The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) has released new industry guidelines to help promote the privacy of people using location-based services (LBS) on mobile devices.

The association also released a number of tips for consumers that would help them maintain privacy when using the technology, which targets services to users based on their mobile phone location.

AMTA chief executive officer Chris Althaus said a number of commercial location-based services using mobile technology are already on the market with more services expected soon."


To read on visit.... Spatial Source :)

Gaming.... the GIS way...

Picture it... you're not just playing the game - you are IN it. You ARE it. How awesome is that?! Could it be the ultimate gaming experience? Well... not sure about that... but I'm sure you can still be pwnd :P

Here are just a few interesting examples.... :)

• Oldie but a goodie... Test your geography with Geosense!

• Virtual Punk.... for the more fantasy oriented:

A peaceful area where you can gather resources for your futher exploration.	Your first encounter with the creatures down in the mines.	Talk to the inhabitants of the world. Some are good and some are evil.

Get started with Virtualpunk!

Grab your GPS phone and get out of the house! Create an account and start moving around - you'll discover a whole new dimension to reality. A reality filled with new an exciting possibilities. Meet all the in game characters and try to figure out what they want. Or fight your way to the more difficult parts of the game world. Parts that you have to unlock to be able to access. But as with all adventurers you might want to get some decent armor, shield and weapon before you go too far... Prepare yourself for a totally new outdoor experience on your way to work, school or while you just are out walking.
See you in game!

•   Pac Manhattan for pacman fans :)

And so many more besides... Have a look at WikiGIS - Location-based gaming to get you started :)

Maya out!

Geospatial Revolution Ep 2 released

I haven't had a chance to view all of it yet
*shakes fist at wireless internet slower than dial-up*
But from what I've seen so far, it's definitely as engaging as the first!

Turning a new page

So, as some of you may or may not know... I have a new job!

Yep, starting tomorrow at the Department of Planning as a GIS ... something or other - I'm not sure what my exact title is yet...! And as with most of my endeavours I'm trying to quell that performance anxiety that I can feel quietly, but surely, rising in the back of my consciousness (to the effect that I've just said yes to a 5:30am boot camp session tomorrow morning!). The logical part of my mind counters, saying "It'll all be OK - you will do fine, and in all likelihood better than fine". So, stepping into the spirit of adventure: hello to the unknown!

Inevitably, I will be leaving the library officer realm to enter that of the library patron... Whilst I'm sad to leave all the wonderful people I've met and come to know as colleagues and friends, I am looking forward to seeing things from the 'other side' of the counter... Watch this space for feedback & ideas! But as a send-off I would like to say a big huge thank you to all the staff at Cockburn Libraries for their support and all the kindnesses shown to me over the past couple of years. Here's to all of you! All the best :)