A Reel Fling on the ... ..

A Reel Fling on the Road to Crathes Castle, the new CD from Banchory Strathspey and Reel Society. Recorded last year while I was in the USA. A stirring sound and the CD also includes solo's from Paul Anderson. Available to buy from the Society.

Image001, originally uploaded by ecotorch.

melting week

After a week of winter last week, this week is best described as the week of the melt. I thought this picture, summed things up.

This painting was part of Howard Butterworth's successful River Dee exhibition.

Still Waters Run Deep

River Dee on a still winters day, crystal clear waters with a touch of emerald glow.

Haggis, Neeps & Tatties

Image016, originally uploaded by ecotorch.

25th of January, Burn's Night. Mum delivers a hearty meal of haggis, neeps and tatties.

aboynejames.co.uk me aggregation

The home page of aboynejames.co.uk was updated a few weeks ago. I have not been able complete the objective of the page quite yet as coding is not what I do. What was the objective? To aggregate me.

I think is would be fair to say, I create aboynejames, for me first. I use it every day to make my online experience the best and most efficient. The links to the website I visit every day, with the hardware I use, acting like single sign on, why, the identity industry can not do that for me right now is beyond me. I know the reason why, they are working on empowering websites, not individuals with that empowerment.

ithink, the words I introduced the last paragraph is a new section I have introduced. The big idea for aboynejames.co.uk is to aggregate my blog feeds and other media assets, photos so that all the recent changes found in my whole online life are reflected on this page. Peopleaggregator.com was my hope for outsourcing this too but I now understand what they are up too. It's not what I thought originally but it still needs to be created, the ability to create your own decentralised social community. However, I want to aggregate that community with all the others I belong too, online and off. Only, me can do that. What the Internet community can do is help me find the parts I need to make it all happen.

As present, each social community has its own help and tools for collecting feedback etc. So, I as an individual, I need to learn all those methods, plus I may not be even using their website when I think of the feedback. me aggregation will expand to provide give me with the empowerment to create that world. I won't write the code, but I will find it.

Mike, Web2.0'er Edinburgh

Mike, Web2.0 er Edinburgh, originally uploaded by ecotorch.

I was lucky to be told about the first ever Design/Web2.0 breakfast in Edinburgh on Thursday morning. Mike was the founder of the idea and his enthuiasm for all things web2.0 was heartening to see. It is going to be a weekly event so keep tabs on the wiki.

Explaining a pyramid to your doctor

We all visit the doctor from time to time and sometimes explaining what caused our pain is amusing...... read more here.

Athens of the North

I am in Edinburgh, capital of Scotland this week. I lived here for 4 years during a startup venture a while back. I don't make that many trips to Edinburgh, mainly to see family these days but this week I enjoyed looking at the architecture of the City with new thoughts. The book I read last year 'how the Scots invented the modern world', shed new light on how the city evolved. So, it has been fun visualising the city from the words in the book with my real time view.

One of the central themes in the book with the historical Union of Scotland with England. And by pure coincidence the 300th year anniversary was this week. Just a coincidence?

barcampScotland, calling Scotland web2.0

I noticed a couple of Scottish web2.0 champions and bloggers had set up the wiki pages for BarCampScotland in 2006. We are now in 2007 so lets get BarCampScotland on the map. Simply add your name to the wiki and the rest will happen from there.

Dazzer's Dinner

Dazzer Dinner, originally uploaded by ecotorch.

A top notch dinner from a top notch friend. The dining table was banquet- esk with crystal glasses and red claret dressing the surface. The creamiest lasagna I have tasted in ages and not a drop of cheese in sight. Cheers mate.

Good temperatures, not

Same information, different opinion. For example, the weather presenter said with much enthusiasm yesterday that the temperatures would be 'much better' today, meaning higher. I was the only one in the room that took issue with the statement. How would mild temperatures be much better when it's off to melt all the limited snow cover in the Highland of Scotland? Of course the weather forecast I watched was on the TV, broadcasting the message to all. I find it increasingly difficult to watch any sort of TV. The message is average, not timely, I have no control over the content, no feedback mechanism, the one benefit it still remains is the time to switch it on.