RouteBuddy Bug Fix Out On iPhone
Another day and another app update. This time it’s the RouteBuddy guys.
So here is the screen dump showing what the developers have been busy doing in this minor release.
– Could be remote blogging or just too lazy to fire up laptop/Macbook/netbook. But still this has been posted from my iPhone 4.
A New ViewRanger iPhone Update
Yep a pleasant surprise that ViewRanger have been busy and gotten an update through the Apple approval process.
Here is a screen grab of what’s new.
– Could be remote blogging or just too lazy to fire up laptop/Macbook/netbook. But still this has been posted from my iPhone 4.
Liquidmetal
In the last week or so the tech/geek world has covered a story where Apple has signed an exclusive deal to use liquidmetal in consumer electronics.
So what has all this got to do with the outdoors? For feck sake this is gadget talk on an outdoors blog, get back on subject dude. Hey give me a chance and I will tell you why this is being written about on here.
Currently the in vogue metal to make outdoors gear from is titanium. Sporks, pots, stoves, tent pegs to name a few are the things made from it that we use. Now imagine if a metal came along that was lighter and stronger than titanium. How cool would that be?
Well just such a metal has come along, and that metal is liquidmetal.
To quote an article from Cult of Mac “Liquidmetal is a high-strength metal that can be processed like plastic. NASA has says it is “poised to redefine materials science as we know it in the 21st century.””.
So imagine a world where our titanium pieces of kit are redundant and have been replaced by liquidmetal.
Now as far as I know, no outdoor manufacturer has even thought about using liquidmetal. It’s not even clear at this stage whether liquidmetal is even suitable, for all I know it maybe toxic and can’t be used in food or cooking because of this. Or it may have poor thermo conductive properties and be useless for use in cooking gear.
It’s still early days, but I can see the potential uses of this material in our favourite activity. So all the thoughts and applications for it are just pie in the sky thinking by me at the moment. But I can dream, but remember if it does happen you heard it hear first.
I’ll leave you with this interesting demo of liquidmetal that is on YouTube.
Outdoors Is Good For You
It’s another link day. Steve Horner tweeted this earlier today, but I thought I would post about it on here, well not everyone is on twitter.
So here is the link to the story on The New York Times site “Outdoors and Out of Reach, Studying the Brain”.
It’s been discussed in the British Press in the past and also on one or two blogs as well (especially John Hee’s).
For me getting out whether it is just with the dogs, or we stop at a quiet spot for a brew, to longer more challenging walks, it is such an important part of my mental health. It allows me to switch off, forget the troubles of the world, or even work a problem out. Usually in that situation it is solved by having my mind elsewhere and the solution pops into my head.
But there is the other benefit that the exercise releases all those chemicals that have a positive effect in combating depression. Not much of a medical look at the what goes on there but then I don’t know that side to well, and I’m not going to bullshite you that I do.
But what do you do when that journey in to the outdoors just fails to do it for you? It doesn’t lift you out of that depressed feeling. That you find it hard to get excited about what you once loved.
When you have to physically force yourself to get out, where the effort to get going seems herculean.
It’s not an area that the articles usually cover when they discuss the subject. They discuss the benefits and cover the research that has been done.
They seem to forget that doing things is really difficult for depressed people. Getting up and looking after themselves is an achievement.
Yes we all know the positive benefits getting into the outdoors has, but let’s also take time out to start thinking about how we are going to help get the depressed out to enjoy (if they can enjoy them) these benefits. I suppose if we were to use Nasty Party thinking we would take away their benefit (if on it) or medication away if they didn’t get out for a walk each day. So if we rule out the Nasty Party kick the vulnerable while they are down idea. Then the alternative is to have a mental health system that is able to support and help our mentally ill patients. Which they do try and do, but considering how many people suffer from mental health issues is grossly under funded and not really able to cope.
So there I have got off from the benefits of being in the outdoors to a little political rant (once again). Sorry about that, how poorly our vulnerable are treated by our society does make me weep, it seems that the Daily Mail and it’s hate filled readers seem to be the vocal majority at the moment and it makes me cry. Did you know every time the Daily Mail is bought a kitten is drowned? (Has that stopped you buying it?)
Bugger I’m off for a stroll…
This Might Be Of Interest, And Fun To Try
I came across this interesting article “Google Earth creates boat racing replays”. Which although based around being on the water, I can see this being a fun thing to try with gpx files from hikers doing something say like the TGO Challenge.
When I get a chance I’ll give this a try with some of my gpx files, and let you know the results. Let me know if you try it before I do and how you get on.
It’s great when a great bit of software like of Google Earth has something like this hidden in side it.
Tory Party Plan To Sell Off Nature Reserves
I think it is no secret I like to rant from time to time on here. And sadly for you today is one of those rant days.
This morning I read on the Guardian app on my iPhone the following story “Plan to sell off nature reserves risks ‘austerity countryside’”.
How bloody short sighted is this? It’s criminal. In this day and age of austerity the only activity a family can do is take their kids for a healthy stroll round a nature reserve. What the heck are they meant to do now that the Hate Party want to take that away as well?
However I can see that it can be argued that the activity of dragging kids round a nature reserve on a Sunday afternoon with the family dog, is a middle class activity. And they are used to being screwed by whoever is in political power.
Is this a sign of things to come that the Tories will run down our natural resources under the guise of saving money. It doesn’t bode well for getting the access to our coastline sorted out under this regime.
But I’m not laying the full blame for this on the Nasty Party, I’m laying it at Browns feet as well. If it wasn’t for his mismanagement of the economy we wouldn’t be in this mess. And where are the Lib Dems? Weren’t they meant to be keeping the Nasty Party on a short leash and preventing this sort of spiteful nastiness?
The interesting thing will be which of our outdoors magazines gets behind the campaign being organised to fight this. My gut feeling would place money on TGO being the one. Trail has always been a bit spineless on getting behind campaigns like this, but I could be wrong and doing them an injustice. However I will never know unless some-one who buys the rag lets me know if they do or don’t. I could see Country File magazine and program may be covering it as well, and surprisingly I can also see the sister mag to the walking jazz mag Trail, Country Walking covering and getting behind the campaign to fight this.
Oh this is making my blood boil, I need to step back, take deep breathes and relax.
No More TGO Challenges For Me For A While
Reading Andy Howells blog and his recent TGO Challenge posts reminds me that the yearly TGO Challenge issue is due to hit the news shelves of the local newsagents immanently. They also remind me that this year I won’t be wandering from news shelf to news shelf trying to find a copy of TGO to get that all important application form. Yep finding a copy of TGO can be like trying to find one of Willy Wonkas Golden Tickets to the Chocolate Factory. But when you find a copy the effort is well worth it.
But there is a reason why I won’t be applying to go on the Challenge next year, or for a few years after that. That reason being that the Challenge is during term time, and my new job means that I am not able to get time off during term time now.
Often this fact about the Challenge has been used by some as a reason to knock the event among others. As far as I can see no matter when they chose to hold the Challenge in the year it is going to be inconvenient for some-one. Which means they will be unhappy etc etc. Well I’m not going to knock the Challenge just because my new job means I can’t go on it.
So I can’t do the Challenge, at this point in my life. There will be a point in my life when I can do it again, and I will look forward to when that time comes again. In the meantime I will do other adventures instead. No hardship in that. Life goes on.
I just think some people need to get a little perspective in their lives sometimes. Oh how hypocritical I know considering how important doing the Challenge was for me. But I’ve matured since then, and a lot of water has gone under the bridge. The last couple of years have changed me a lot, and what my priorities in life are.
In the meantime I look forward to reading about others efforts as they make their way across Scotland in May when they appear.
An Interesting Link About Photographic Style
Wow Scott Bourne (one of my favourite photographers, which I think I have repeated several times now, and you must be sick of hearing) is on a roll this week with his blog posts. Once more he has written a cracking post on his blog, and although not technically about photography outdoors, I still think it has some relevance. So pop on over and have a read of “Five More Tips On Developing Your Own Photographic Style” by the man himself.
I’m always conscious when putting photos up that I am not repeating or that my photo, for me, says something new about the subject if I have photographed it before. Now this will sound like I am blowing my own trumpet etc, but there are some photos I have taken that I really do like. For instance the flawed panorama shot of Strider in the dawn light on Holkham beach for me captures an emotion and moment, which I often go back and just look at. And there are others that I find just stunning. It’s these photos that when they go up I get the most satisfaction from when others like them to.
I’m still growing on the photography front, and I hope that I am developing my own style. But I agree about having expert knowledge of the subject matter you
are photographing. For us that means knowing the area we are going to be walking in really well. From a better knowledge of where we are walking we learn which spots have the best views, or have something of interest to photograph. Along with which spots particular wildlife favour, and what time of day they appear etc. I know that if we are visiting an area for the first time it is hard to have this knowledge before hand. But online research, and studying maps and books will at least give us some hints and ideas before setting off. It was having local knowledge or “expertise” that allowed me to take this photo of the More Hen with the iPhone (still one of my favourites). It has helped with the photos of fungi, and I now know where I can find newts in the Lake District. I keep notes of this sort of information so I can refer back to it if I want to go photographing particular wildlife.
Well there are some of my ill informed thoughts on the subject, ideas sprung from the thoughts of a professional photographer. I wouldn’t even describe myself as an amateur, more a snapper with an interest. An interest in improving the quality of the stuff I look back on to remember my past adventures in the outdoors.
What Apps Do You Use?
We all know I’m a geeky gadget type guy, despite the last two posts that can be looked on as almost rage against the machine posts.
With the modern smart phone being such a convergent device, their usefulness in the outdoors just increases. With apps they truly have become a modern swiss army knife device.
I’ve covered on here using the phone as a camera and processing the photos on the phone. I’ve also mentioned some of the GPS apps as they have been released on the iPhone.
Below is a screen grab of some of the GPS related apps I have currently stored on my iPhone and I am playing with.
So what GPS apps are you using on your smart phone?
Go Tech Free Once In A While
I wanted to share with you this short exchange I had on Twitter this morning with Mistress Mia who lives in a land down under.
It’s Mia’s final comment that I really want to talk about. Where Mia says “it was a tech free walk – just me & my thoughts.”
Now this may come as a surprise but I agree with Mia, sometimes it is nice to just get away from all the tech.
I think it comes back to having that “me time” where there are no interruptions, where you can get things right in your head.
I’ve said in the past that this is how my brew stops are when I am out with the dogs.
It’s that slowing everything down, having a “me time” moment to stop and work things out in my head while having a good coffee. I think that the dogs also benefit from it too. They seem to enjoy the chill out time as well.
Now I know with yesterdays post and todays it may appear to readers that I am rebelling against the very technology that I love. But let me reassure you I am not, I still have that inner geek inside me that loves tech and gadgets. It’s just that sometimes I think we need to remember what is important in life and get our priorities right.
Heck I may still have that phone with me when I am out, but it will be turned off to give me that piece and quiet from the rat race we live in.
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