Wow. Simply Awesome!

Very cool stuff

So true....

Nice. Proof of the fate of the universe. What clever people.

Whether it’s on the front lines or behind the scenes, Project Management is critical to every discipline in web development projects. Keeping your internal project team and your clients happy while making sure that the project runs smoothly are not easy tasks, but you don’t have to be a robot to run a project! Simple humans can make sure a project is delivered on time and on budget. This session will cover the basics on how to manage your project like a pro and keep your clients happy. A group of seasoned project managers will share their experiences (and horror stories) on projects they’ve worked on, and point to specific, useful methodologies that have helped them to gracefully manage large and small projects alike.

1. What is the most effective way to gather project requirements?
2. What's better for my project, Agile or Waterfall process?
3. How can I manage the process as it transitions from UX to Design, to Development?
4. How can I effectively communicate with and educate my clients on web development
5. process?
6. How do I deal with all of these personalities and keep my focus on the project itself?

I want to go and speak at SXSW in 2011. Vote here!

Completely agree with this. in my time as an ICT teacher the course was terrible and there was a real resistance to changing it.

Students love using a computer. The systems ability to make it dull is real achievement.

really?

Dartford charge suspension considered at busy times

The barriers at the Dartford Crossing toll booths could be lifted during times of severe congestion.

The Department for Transport said it was willing to consider the measure to ease traffic delays.

It has also asked the Highways Agency to look at whether new licence plate recognition technology could allow free-flow charging.

Protesters say the crossing should have been free to use after 2003, when building costs were met.

'Congestion particularly severe'

Roads minister Mike Penning said: "The Secretary of State for Transport and I had a constructive meeting today with local and interested MPs to discuss the Dartford/Thurrock River Crossing.

"We both confirmed that reducing congestion at the Dartford crossing is an absolute priority.

"Our preferred option is the use of newer technology to allow free-flow charging and we have asked the Highways Agency to work up proposals as a matter of urgency."

He added: "However, we are also willing to consider the possibility of lifting the barriers when congestion is particularly severe.

"Any solution will need to take account of the potential benefits and impacts, and the need to maintain the safe operation of the Crossing for the millions of its users."

The Dartford Tunnel and Queen Elizabeth II bridge cross the River Thames between Dartford and Thurrock, forming a link in the M25 motorway, carrying about 150,000 vehicles a day.

The crossing is renowned as a major traffic bottleneck, with many people blaming the toll stations.

In August 2009 the AA said there were noticeably more delays on the M25 since November 2008 when the crossing charge was raised from £1 to £1.50 for cars.

There is no charge to use the Dartford Tunnel and QEII bridge between 2200 and 0600.

Bored of the World Cup now. Bring on the Premier League! Oh, yes, of course. And the Champions League!!

Glory days

Where do I sign up?

I can't wait for Civ 5. I'm such a geek.

Paul Boag, one of the founders and directors of Headscape, once said; “We specialise in sh*t projects.”

If, like me, you run projects for a normal, every day web agency. If you do not always get the opportunity to be working with the latest cool technology or utilize the next whizz bang idea. If you don’t build sites for rock bands or the latest cool technology start-ups. How do you keep you team excited and enthusiastic about their day jobs? After all, if your team is not interested in the work that they are doing then they will not produce the high standards that you need and that they are capable of. This in turn is demotivating and you end up in a downward spiral.

How do you get your team excited about a project for brown paper bag manufacturers?

It doesn’t belong to you

The first thing to do is to promote ownership of the project within your team. Let them in on the solution. It can be tempting at times to solve (or try at least) all the problems yourself. It is much better to get your production team (designers and developers) in on the act as early as possible in the project. Do not present your designers with a list of things to do. Instead, give them a collection of problems that their design needs to solve. Do not dictate the technology that your developers must use. Instead give them the information that they need to choose the most suitable tools for the task.

Allow your team to shape the solution and they will take pride in the result. Let the project be their project. Not your project.

Express yourselves

The second thing to do is to allow your team the time and space to express themselves. Allow them to be creative; to try a new technique in a real project situation. Even if it is something very small in the grand scheme of the project it can act as the signature of your production team. This mark of ownership will inspire them to make sure that even the most mundane of projects can be the best that it can be.

Allow your techies to experiment with the new features of the latest programming language release. Allow your designers to put in that extra fun element that will only work in in the latest cool browsers. Give them the space play with a real project in a real life situation.

Using a new technique or a new technology can be enough to provoke the interest of your team. This means that the website for the brown paper bag manufacturers can be the most exciting project that you team has ever been a part of.

Slaves to the time line

Alarm bells are ringing. What about the time line! We have a deadline to meet.

And quite right too. These extra bells and whistles cannot get in the way of real targets and delivery milestones. However, if you build some time into your schedules to allow for this kind of experimentation you will have a happier, more enthusiastic and, ultimately, more productive team.

This will also encourage your team to keep developing their skill set knowing that they will get a chance to use their new found talents in real projects leading to a higher quality of work over all.

Is this something that you have tried? Or as a designer or developer have you tried to sneak little Easter Eggs into your work just to make sure that you still have a pulse at the end of the day? Let me know.

Current leglislation bans child pornography but not adult material

A South African government official is proposing a complete ban on digitally distributed pornography.

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba has approached the country's Law Reform Commission to ask whether a change in the law is possible.

He has also had talks with the Justice Alliance for South Africa (JASA), a respected group which has written its own draft bill on the issue.

Internet security experts have dismissed the idea as "madness".

"Cars are already provided with brakes and seatbelts... There is no reason why the internet should be provided without the necessary restrictive mechanisms built into it," said Mr Gigaba.

'Wild west'

JASA proposes that the ban, covering TV but also mobile phones and the web, could be implemented in the form of filters set by internet service providers.

Countries such as Australia and China have already developed filters to block access to certain websites.

Graham Cluley of security firm Sophos said previous attempts by other nations to ban pornography had not been successful.

"One wonders how on earth a democracy like South Africa would be able to introduce such a system, as it's not as though the state has 100% control over telecommunications," he told BBC News.

"Although their intentions may be honourable, it's barking mad to think you will be able to completely outlaw pornography from the web which, is after all, the modern equivalent of the wild west."

Pornography is a subject of ongoing debate in South Africa. A terrestrial television channel called ETV caused a storm of controversy when it began broadcasting adult material after midnight in 2002.

In 2010 a propoosal by satellite broadcaster Multichoice to offer a 24 hour pornography channel was abandoned after a deluge of complaints.

"the web which, is after all, the modern equivalent of the wild west." - That is actually a pretty good description.

Facebook fun...

Competiton Time Win a £10 iTakeout voucher!

 

Today we launched a  competition over on our Facebook page. You have the chance to win a £10 iTakeout voucher. That’s essentially a free meal!

All you have to do it get yourself over to our Facebook page, become a fan (or “like” as they like to call it now) and then tell all of your friends about it.  Simple.

So click “suggest to friends” at the top of our page and invite your friends to “like” itakeout.co.uk For every friend you invite you will get an entry into our prize draw for the £10 voucher. So, if you invite 50 friends you get 50 entries, but if you invite 500 friends you get 500 entries!

Full details can be found on the page itself.

The draw will be made 1 week from today at 1700 on Thursday 27th May. Just in time for the bank holiday.

So why not enter today and look forward to enjoying your next Curry, Chinese, or Pizza take away on us.

Good luck!

mmm free food. Maybe.....

Mad me chuckle

Video game trailers are awesome. Love it!

Missed this sermon? Listen to it here (30 Mb).

Read the Bible text here.

In case anybody is interested. If you missed my ramble around John 21 on Sunday morning you can find it here.