I hate bad design: it shows that an idea hasn’t been tested and proven before implementation.  A great example of bad design can be seen here in the discussion by Wayne Pein (thanks Wayne) – you have to ask, who had it in for the cyclists and pedestrians of Raleigh, NC?  (Note the unintended victims in this case).

For me, this terrible design of cycle lanes is reflected in many corporate web spaces.

Two companies who really should know better are BT and HSBC.  On the face of it, both sites have a clear layout, uncluttered and bite sized information delivered to the user beautifully.  Yet, these looks can be deceiving: both have used the “while your mouse is hovering round the top of the address bar, we’ll drop down some huge menus”.

With a mouse this is a nightmare, a stray finger or rotation on a tablet or phone this behaviour is truly irritating.  When you are actually trying to get to the search bar, it’s all rather hit or miss.  The test and images below are completely obscured while you are trying to move up quickly enough to hit the search.

I love clever menus and have implemented a few in my time, but please, not on screens where users are moving about the screen to read and view the content.

My career in the past five years has enabled me to see how work will evolve going into the 2nd decade of the 21st Century.

It’s enabled my company to make effective use of social networking and harness the creativity provided by Web 2 tools and real collaboration.

Now, I’ve been seeing how cloud is coming to the fore.

Why?

OK, so I started working for a company with global presence back in 1997.  When I started work, the computing equipment I had back at home was not only newer and in many respects better than the equipment I was given at work – it enabled me to meet my objectives more effectively.

This was not the case for my husband, who started work in 1987 – then the machines he used at work were far superior to anything he could afford at home.

This change is accelerating.  Machines like the iPad2 and Galaxy Tabs are great tools for enabling maintenance of social networks and consumption and creation of collateral.  Relatively, they are very cost effective and cheap and easy to use.

But switching between work and home was not trivial and often cumbersome.

My life would be much easier if I could run the corporate desktop on my personal equipment and use the tools I need from my personal equipment as I need them without digging another device from my bag.

And trialling such services is lovely – running IE8 on my android device is fantastic, getting to files and applications with one device is freeing.  Sharing the great camera and video capabilities without compromising either my hardware with an inappropriate build or risking the corporate network by allowing access to viruses or inappropriate material empowers me to achieve what I need to for my company while freeing up my time, as these virtualised desktops are quick.  The freedom is amazing.

Virtualisation is coming to the fore: this is one piece I want in my work tool kit.

All I can say now, is when can I have for my home network?

This year celebrates 90 years since insulin was first given to a type 1 diabetic: before then the only treatment for patients was a strict starvation diet which prolonged lives by not more than a year in teenagers and much less in younger children. Often these children died from malnutrion as well as complications from type 1.

I was diagnosed in 1977, I’d been ill for about three months, losing weight and energy and when I found it difficult to cross the lounge, my mum borrowed the family car and drove me and my two year old brother to Ipswich Hospital.
As a pharmacist, my mum suspected diabetes – she could smell the ketones on my breadth, but the diagnosis is never welcome.

As I waited to the results to come back, my mum told me about insulin. Insulin would make my body work and give me the energy from my food. As a four year old, who had constant pain from any physical exhurstion, an injection felt like a very small price to pay. Thankfully, my mum had got me there in time and I didn’t go into a coma and my veins hadn’t collasped.

I had an intravenous drip overnight providing insulin and saline and by morning I felt pretty good.

It took about two months to replace the muscle I’d lost but I got to go home after three days in hospital and did that recovery at home and school.
Insulin works: but it is stupid. Injected insulin lives in your body for about four hours and lowers your blood sugar throughout that time. If you haven’t got that amount right you then need an adjustment, either food or more insulin.  Sometimes this is easier to achieve than others!

It’s not easy running one part of my endocrine system, but I get to spend my life enjoying it (including working, spending time with my family and friends) rather than having some of the complications associated with diabetes.

I feel very lucky.

It’s been a busy year, but I thought I’d take the opportunity to share my experiences of living with a Kindle.

Figure wise, it looks like hope over reality

• Books downloaded = 84
• Books read = 25

But actually, this is deceptive. I use the Kindle as a reader for work documents (obviously not the highly sensitive or confidential ones) but it does PDF rendering beautifully and 5 of the books on my kindle are manuals, including the one for my car and my Galaxy Tab 10.1. Having that information with me everywhere without the risk of losing the original is fantastic.

I’ve loaded 75 PDFs on to the Kindle and use collections to find the documents I need quickly. Average size of these documents is 50 pages.

I’ve recently started a job as a designer of Virtual Desktop Installations and having that material to take home and study has been great – in fact, I’ve recently borrowed some cloud philosophy books from the library at work and it’s a real pain having to remember whether I’ve brought them home with me!

I’ve had to modify the Library to store these electronic books as well. In many ways, it would be great if I could go from the completed ereading page to buy a hardcopy (only 7 of these books, but still…) This would allow me to lend the books I’ve loved with my friends and family.

And that’s really the big problem: Amazon still don’t have an easy way to lend documents without giving up my device. While “the device” is actually my phone, tablet, e-reader and computers (lap top and desktop), the best to use is still the kindle.

Well designed in terms of function and form, I do prefer it to paper.  If only my local library could provide me with Kindle books 🙂

As some may or may not know, I had tried a Hayabusa back in 2008 as the restriction came off my license. I had no intention of going from my 650 Bandit to a 1300 “supersport” bike in 2008 but I also had been largely stuck with the Bandit until my restriction came off and was keen to see what was out there.  A friend had suggested it when I admired his – I quite liked the looks of the busa, but the power seemed too much – who could need that in an everyday bike?

my bikes

Most of my riding, especially for business trips, involves motorway riding and then doing the last 5-25 miles through a variety of roads. This makes fairing more than a luxury, keeping the wind off you keeps you awake and much more alert in the seat.  The Hayabusa cuts through the air like a knife through butter and its weight feels confidence inspiring in the highest of wind.

The ability to carry luggage is really useful, whether it’s smart suits for a presentation or an evening dress for a formal dinner or running shoes to complete the final pieces of set up. Then there’s the event material, whether handouts or memory sticks, the merchandise needs to look the business and you still need to be able to find a cheap parking space. Working in my old job, a motorbike capable of doing all that was essential.  Plus, there’s the daily commute over the Orwell Bridge.

Which meant that when my Bandit was written off (a tragic tale and not at all gory) I booked test rides of Blackbirds and K1300Ss expecting to have a very grown up bike in my garage before too long. Or maybe even one of the new touring 1250 Bandits.  All of these bikes are beautiful packages: easy to use, comfortable and good tank ranges.

When it came down to it, I couldn’t get a test ride on a Blackbird from Lings, the Fireblade was not a good ride in town, the K1300S lacked a good gearbox and the Bandit would take 6-8 weeks to deliver.

That, and Suzuki have a cracking bike in the GSX1300RR. I don’t use the power switch very often, and it really does shift, but the gear box is to die for and the balance is sublime.  The bike is a gent in town and a hooligan on the straight: it’s a long bike which still daunts me on some corners which is completely psychological, the bike is more than capable.

The riding position for me is very close to perfect – the distance from neck to base of spine makes the bike feel like it was made for me and given it’s 15kg heavier than the 650 Bandit (dry), that means a lot.  I can flat foot it too.

On the order, I had heated grips and a Scottoiler and crash bungs. I’ve fitted the wiring for the sat nav. I have a rack with a top box on as standard and detachable panniers and I bought the double bubble screen last summer, to cut down on noise and buffeting. Since September 09 I have put 11,000 miles on the clock (I know, shockingly little).

It does prefer high octane fuel, but on a summer’s day, keeping away from major towns (stop start is not good for fuel econ) I can get more than 200 from the 21 litre tank without being overly careful.  The mirrors are not great, the blind spot if the mirrors are set up correctly is huge and I do change them for a longer stint in town. I have to say, it means I need to check my blind spot much more frequently than I did on the bandit.

I do pay attention to my speed, and sometimes I do forget I’m not on the bandit any more.  So far, the brakes have brought me back to a more appropriate speed very well, keeping the balance in check.  While on the racing track in Folembray, I did miss a corner in the pouring rain, but I didn’t high or low side it, and if I’d kept my confidence up, and just coasted, I may have kept the bike upright.  As it was, we had a very soft landing in some mud when I pulled the brakes in hard: only my pride was dented.  I lack confidence when pushing it around and take care when parking.  I need more practice 🙂

The bike is heavy: if you foul up a slow manoeuvre, there is very little you can do.  But we came in 2nd on the slow riding race we took part in, one of the few to complete the course.

I might have bought the VFR 1200 if it had been available in September 2009.  Then again, I can ride my Hayabusa for 7 hours in a day, empty the bike of luggage, have a cup of tea and think, I could do that again 🙂

But as budgets tighten have social networking sites gained in more ways than one in recognising our fundamental relationships?

Facebook knows to whom I’m married: Jon and I can easily shared things on line with each other without too much hassle.  It’s not that we count as one; Facebook recognises us as individuals who are closely related.  Many of the games don’t work this way, but media sharing does.

Let’s talk about how my family lives.  We’re lucky, we share network resources, including photos and music we’ve made ourselves and this can be accessed anywhere in the world by our phones and laptops and tablets.  We’ve been in the cloud for a while.

Only one person owns the telephone wire – this is how telecommunication services work.  Thankfully it’s me who owns it, but if my husband wanted to buy a service over that medium, he would need to go through me and my account.  I owns the wireless service.  Do we think the telecommunication providers are missing something here?

Now, let’s talk about iTunes (neither me nor my husband have an iTunes account – which is why we don’t have any apple kit).  If we did, we would be counted as individuals: we could share non-DRM material, but anything else, we would need to use a device which logged into the perspective account.  Essentially, we would need to swap login details to achieve the same thing as borrow a CD or DVD and play it on my device.  BTW this is what seriously annoys me about the PS 3, if I login as anyone but the owner I get a cut down experience.  Compare this to the Wii, where I can put anything I like into the Wii without “logging on”, yet when I play a game, I’m me.  Needless to say we have many games for the Wii and not many for the PS3…

Then there’s the Kindle.  I love my Kindle.  We’re still buying paper books though.  My husband or son can buy a new title and if it’s good, I can borrow it off the shelf.  The same deal cannot be achieved without me providing them with my account details.  At first this didn’t seem too much of a problem, but I am considering ceasing my newspaper subscription.  A paper copy can be read by all of us simultaneously, not easily achieved with the electronic copy and why buy both?

The argument for companies like Virgin and Sky, is that someone needs to be responsible for the bill and it should be controlled.  But you’re missing out on sales.  That’s only if we’re counting the parents.  As the young fail to move out, even if they manage to find a job, they are reaching for mobiles rather than land lines to enable them to spend their money and use media.  Do you think they are going to invest in new media when it doesn’t offer the same social experience they enjoy with their own photos, videos and hard copy books.

Much media on cinema and television still see a secondary partner (whether heterosexual or homosexual) as a part time worker happy to not share the media they enjoy on their devices.  We all buy into this model: there is a primary wage earner and this is the family head.  Typically, we see this person as being male.

The individuals listen to their play lists in isolation, only coming together away from online to share experiences.

But the recession has meant some interesting changes.  Even if children get jobs, they are staying at home for far longer.  The mobile sellers can really benefit from this, this selling model is based on the individual.  But it isn’t so good for the traditional telecos: remember if you don’t have a telephone line or cable line, that buyer doesn’t exist.

Will these models hold out if the recession lingers or will there be a return to hard media that can be shared?

I live in the south east of England, part of the UK. I live in a village close to but far enough away from one of the main towns in Suffolk. So I need to have a car but I also ride a motorbike and use a push bike depending on the journey. I hate to say this, but cycling to work is not an option. By car the journey is an average of 30 minutes, by motorbike, I can almost guarantee a 25 minute journey. By push bike, at a fair lick, I would be really lucky to do the journey in an hour and twenty minutes.

My house is reasonably energy efficient, built in 2000 it came with cavity wall insulation as well as an insulated roof and good quality double glazing – in the winter we need to keep some of the curtains closed to keep the heat down in the lounge and dinning room.  But we are consumers of generated power and as such limited to the whims of the markets.

Given the house exists on a modern estate, facing east/west, solar power isn’t easily or predictably harvested: our south face has few windows and is the gable end and between October and March the amount of direct light dramatically drops.
It seems impractical, given our plot, that a Geothermal heat pump would be at all feasible either.

So what options are there?

Well, 55% of the homes in Denmark use combined heat and power (CHP) boilers, one of these products available in the UK is the Ecogen

CHP boilers are a little larger than a normal boiler but while they generates heat for your house and hot water, they also generate electricity, typically 1kW per hour (an old unit).  Micro-generation is the key here, it can reliably supply 46% of your household needs and feed in back to the grid, but it’s not a big supplier of your electrical needs, though it may be able to supply electricity during power cuts (aside from the green credentials, this really appeals to me).

Obviously, more electricity is produced during the winter but that’s when we need more electricity to power lights 🙂

At very short notice, I was given 6 weeks off work and I was determined to do something fun with it. I remembered fond talk of the BMW off-road skills course in Wales (Beverly and David Rudland especially), so looked up the details ( http://www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/world-of-bmw/off-road-skills/level-one/ ) and with 8 days to go until the next course, booked my place and the loan equipment. After four phone calls, I also had a hotel room for the 8th to 10th July.

I was really looking forward to learning how to ride a motorcycle well off the beaten track and meeting some equally enthusiastic motorcyclists. This was something I’d been a bit nervous of doing, long journey there, what would it be like, would I be any good and how would I cope with the varying demands on my insulin requirements. If I wasn’t careful, I could spend forever thinking why it was a bad idea and never do it.

Thursday 7th July had been spent getting the bike ready – the panniers, a tank of fuel, tyre and oil check, checked the brakes, lights, got the bike clean and got the mirrors into the best position. Friday 8th July, I was due to ride to Wales, 271 miles (if taking no wrong turns) and that was not the time to find something obvious was wrong with the bike.

Ironically, my Zumo 400 was determined to send me along the A14 before heading south and given this was meant to be an adventure, I thought why not. The map shows the two versions: pink heading out, blue heading back.

Figure 1: There and back again

So, on Friday 8th July at 13:05, I headed west.

The forecast for the weekend was wet – mostly showers, so I did take some vital equipment:
• One spare helmet for the off-road bit (everything else could be hired)
• Camel pack – general riding and the off-road bit
• Two motorcycling jeans
• Non-bike clothes
• Base layer
• Tooth paste and brush
• 1 pair sandals
• AA card (just in case)
• Mobile (a camera and means to get in touch with the AA)
• Waterproofs
• Kindle
• 1 testing kit, spare insulin, testing sticks and needles and injecting mechanism
• Shampoo and shower gels to get the mud off again!
• 150ml cans of coke for the journey (fit into both jacket and trousers and raise the blood sugar quickly and easily)
• First aid kit (some glucose too)

This was split between panniers and top box. The insulin and spare testing materials were wrapped in insulating material and kept well away from exhausts.

I didn’t plan stops: one of the beauties of the sat nav and major routes is the ability just to stop when needed. It would also mean that I had a chance to test when I wanted to; after all, the aim of this game was to get to the hotel in one piece and do the course to the best of my ability. The cans and testing kit in the jacket meant this could be done at very short notice in a small space. I wore a camel pack too to help deal with high blood sugars and general dehydration.

I wasn’t expecting an easy journey, traffic wise, Friday afternoon during the summer. Indeed, I hit traffic just before Bury St. Edmunds but it wasn’t too bad until just before Huntingdon. The 26 miles to the Kettering services took an hour – I was filtering but the cars were switching lanes and I was keen to get there in one piece. I would dip in every so often to allow my brain a break. Rain was causing visibility problems for everyone, and it wasn’t the first time I wondered if you could get a powered visor wiper for the Shoei.

I didn’t need fuel but had a very welcome cup of coffee, test and comfort break at the Little Chef two and half hours after setting off, 98 miles covered. I filled up the tank of the bike.

I waited an hour, and while the rain hadn’t stopped, the traffic seemed a little better so I put on the dry helmet and jacket, was wished luck by the staff and customers and set off again. The next 5 miles were spent filtering but finally hit reasonable traffic and picked up some speed. The rain had gone from a steady downpour to odd showers.

I got into Wales around 17:00. After just short of 4 hours of riding, I took a 20 minute break just outside of Whitchurch (I know, but there really wasn’t the opportunity, I did take a quick break on the hard shoulder of the M6). This time, I didn’t get fuel but checked blood sugar, got a snack and spent 10 minutes off the bike. The scenery has already become distinctly Welsh: hilly, mountains in the background and twisty roads. The sun is shining and only 48 miles to get to the hotel, the Ynyscedwyn Arms Hotel, Ystradgynlais. Nominally, I should be there in 1 hour 45 minutes but I’d already let the hotel owner know I’d be late.

The sat nav had the hotel in as one of its Points of interest so I had high hopes of being able to find it and lo, off the A4067 there was the inn. I’d made it. 10 minutes to check in, clean up and let Jon and Ken know I was safe and sound and I got down to the restaurant for 2035. Twenty minutes later I was tucking in to a lovely piece of steak and contemplating the day ahead.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but instinct told me this was going to be a day of the base layer. Over that, I put my normal biking gear with the spare helmet in the top box. I had cokes in a bag and one in my jacket along with the testing kit. I get there, and sign the paper work and work out which is my bike. It takes a while to get the clothing sorted, off road boots are as bad as ski boots in terms of fit and when I do this again, I am buying a set. The clothing seems very light, I am wearing layers to allow getting warmth/comfort/protection levels right. The trousers have no pockets! I speak to Linley and she sources a different pair for me. It’s then down to the briefing. We’re riding the bikes up to the park (please be careful, some riders don’t get that far) and then dividing up into groups. Linley is driving the support van with spare clothing and stuff, a break at 1230 for food.

So I mount the F650 GS which as different to my bike as you can imagine. It’s had the front indicators removed (I should imagine to prevent breaks) but retains a speedo and rev counter. It’s painfully light, 179kg dry compared to the busa’s 260kg wet mass but sturdy, and not too high, I can flat foot it: the F650GS seems like the ideal bike for the job.

Having got to the park (sited on the Brecon Hills), we split into two groups and do the first stage in the off-road training: picking the bike up once it’s gone down. At that point, the understanding that there’s a good chance you’re not going to be able to keep the bike on its wheels hits home.

The bikes are laid down and everyone has a go at picking everything up. There’s real technique here not strength, a quick show is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsdzdm35lbI but http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPjYweKeiLk is really comprehensive. When you’re off-roading there isn’t necessarily anyone to help!

We were taught a slightly different technique and I have to say the worst bit is dropping the bike. I did the F650 then got the opportunity to do one of the R1200GS. It’s not easy but the technique means there’s no strain or risk of injury.

After a quick break and water is really is king here we progressed to slow riding. Much like SAM’s dexterity course but on gravel and dirt: cones, cornering: doing everything on your feet rather than your bum. We began moving up through the gears too. Braking practice was weird: getting the back to slip out then releasing the pedal to get the bike back in line, front only braking, all working up to an emergency brake.

The great thing about this approach is a complete understanding of the bike and how it behaves. We had lunch (really welcome by this time) and some tighter turns and then off round the track to learn about balance. Through the advanced training we understand how the bike turns: off-roading takes this to a new level. Very little riding is done sitting down but on the middle part of your foot allowing turns to be initiated quickly and with whole body control. The bikes are well balanced to aid this and allow gear changes and braking to happen with little effort. On the dirt, I didn’t manage to get above third, but there really wasn’t any need.

Having got the hang of the track, we hit the slopes. Getting down dirt tracks on the bike is not limited to the flat and understanding the options open to you really helps you make progress.

We were shown how engine breaking can help control speed down a slope then built that into breaking control while going down the same slope. Not being a fan of steep slopes this wasn’t my favourite exercise, but is really useful to know on the road, as anyone who went to the Yorkshire Dales last year will appreciate.

We then did some more trails riding and a stream crossing. My bottle went for the stream crossing and I went a slightly different route, but most people did manage it on both wheels. We then left the park and headed back to the business park. Next rendezvous was at the Abercraf Inn and the inclusive team meal. The group was 18 in number, plus the instructors and varied from riders who had done the course many times to newbies like me. Almost all had had their road licenses more than 3 years and the age range was from 30 to 65, a couple of born again bikers, and some very serious off-roaders from the midlands. One rider with a GS thought he had the longest journey back with a ride to Hackney, East London.

At the end of the first day, I ask for an extra night at the hotel – the thought of loading the bike up and heading back Sunday evening was not particularly appealing: I had discovered muscles in my arms and legs that had been under used for a long time, but the feeling of accomplishment the end of that first day was incredible. Much of what I do instinctively makes sense off road and it really didn’t seem strange to be on a bike in the Brecon National Park.

I had however managed to not only leave my lights on but the key in the ignition so in two hours had completely drained my battery. By this time, it was dark and while the car park was reasonably clear and at the top of a steep hill, I wasn’t a 100% sure how to get it to a reasonable stretch to bump it – I had never had to bump a bike let alone a fuel injected one. I asked for some help getting the bike round (probably I didn’t need it, but it allowed me to strip the bike down, just in case a stall led to a drop) and Mark and George helped and gave some advice. Keep it in 2nd, once it’s moving let out the clutch and open the accelerator and wear your helmet (again, I had removed my jacket to give me some freedom of movement if I needed to pick up the bike).

It caught first time, with a bit of a roar, and I took the bike round the block and parked up to get properly dressed and the top box reattached. Mark had kindly stayed out with my gear and said that I’d done really well, though I’d probably woken half the neighbourhood. I was feeling relatively ecstatic, though a little concerned about fuel and whether the bike would start in the morning. I rode for a little but made the decision to head back to the hotel and took the top box off with a firm plan to get up at 07:00 and get some petrol. Due to the day’s exertions I feel asleep really quickly.

I was up early and went down to check the bike: bike key and room key to hand and nothing else. I was really dismayed to find the bike on its side having fallen uphill! Using my training and enlisting local Bryn, (84) with strict instructions not to help but to call for help if I got trapped under the bike, I picked up my hayabusa – thanks to the crash bungs, only the hero bob on the riders side was affected. I got back into the hotel and had breakfast and headed out to get petrol and pick up the F650.

My bike did not catch first time, my heart sank a little as I assessed where I could build up enough speed to bump it and retried the ignition switch. It caught (phew) and I left the engine running as I loaded up the top box and sat nav. Being a Sunday, the first two service stations I tried were closed: it could wait until later.

I got booted and suited and we went back into the park on the trails. Mark (helpful one who’d help me turn the hayabusa round) managed to lose his R1200 while going up an embankment. Bike went one way, he went the other. Thankfully the bike was stopped by some bushes and it took four people to lift it back on to the track. The lesson here, boys and girls is not to give the bike a fistful of accelerator half way up a steep track.

Some warm up exercises then the first lesson of the day – how to turn your bike round on a slope. This is an important lesson as a stall on steep, loose ground on the slope means you can’t just clutch control back up the mountain.

Again, another water break and then a momentum exercise. Unfortunately, my blood sugar had decided to rise and was refusing to come back down so I had to sit out for a period missing valuable practice time. When it got to a reasonable level, I got up the slope on momentum three times. Again, this allows you to cope with sand and gravel traps up mountainous areas.

Lunch was followed by goes on some of the other bikes round the race track. I tried the F800GS (I really liked this bike), F650 GS (great weight and balance, forgiving gear box but the seat was really wide which meant I didn’t feel that confident) and the R1200GS (powerful and sure footed, it felt like you could achieve anything on that bike). Next time, I’d like to spend the 2 days on the F800.
Some more trail riding, this time with some track crossing and what I misjudged to be a clutch control rather than momentum exercise. I managed to stall, in second, while running up the side of an embankment. Rather than manage to lean into the slope, the bike went with gravity, and I can say I was really glad to bring a spare helmet with me as the back of my head met a rock. It took me a moment or two but my head was the only piece of me really hurting, just bruises elsewhere and the embarrassment of being trapped under the F650 GS. I couldn’t lift it off me! We had a water break before going to meet with the other groups for the ride back to the garage. I’d got through on two wheels for all but the last 10 minutes.

So the end of the course and time to head home, at the garage we got certificates for our efforts and returned the bikes and gear. I got some petrol and went back to the hotel via a battery charging route. My headache was pretty painful, but I packed up, got some food and some entertainment: Raj, the owner of the Indian restaurant, not only knew where Ipswich was but his cousin owns the Cinnamon on Spring Road.

I planned on coming back M4, M25 and A12, so it wasn’t the most exciting route. It took nearly an hour to get to the M4 but the ride was pretty easy and I rested every one and half hours. It had taken nearly 7 hours of riding (with 2 hours of breaks) to get to Ystradgynlais, by contrast the return journey was just six including an hours rest. The Severn Bridge was amazing and the biggest difference in my riding was how I felt. Thanks to my experience and the skills I’ve learnt in SAM, the difficult bit of the training was not the skills but my confidence. I can ride a bike and do it reasonably well on difficult terrain.

As such, I am hoping to put together a group of 10 riders with type 1 diabetes. Many diabetics are given good opportunities to do unusual things but a course like this is demanding and completely off the wall – which is not easy if you’re diabetic but definitely achievable. If you know anyone who has a bike license, diagnosed before June 2011 and would like to do a trip to Wales to learn to ride on rough ground, please pass on my details (sam.j.watkins@btinternet.com) or number 07773 02 73 41 🙂

Space elevators have been considered as a method for reaching space for hundreds of years, one of the earliest references being that of the Tower of Babel in Genesis: a tower with its top in the heavens.

Not my image - click to go to the original.

In the 20th Century, this was considered an appealing way of reaching the stars without the need for rockets, a method of allowing anyone access to the space where geostationary satellites live.  A space where the force of the Earth’s gravity has no effect.  That’s 33,000km!

So how do elevator’s work?  Basically, an elevator (or lift in the UK) allows a cabin to be pulled up a rope, typically by use of a counterweight – weight goes down, lift goes up and vice versa (beautifully explained here).  In the early part of the 21st Century, we use these for transporting people and objects between floors by use of electromechanical motors.  Archimedes managed similar feats by use of man or horse power.

Of course, to manage this, the elevator cable needs to be able to withstand huge forces including its own weight.  Currently carbon seems an obvious material to use, in the form of nanotubes.  Carbon is in plentiful supply on earth (indeed could this be a good way to lock away the spare carbon in our atmosphere?) and when formed into nano tubes are light but exceptionally strong.  Indeed the carriage could be made from woven nano-tubes to form a strong yet light means of transporting people.

The motors required for the structure would just need to lift the people rather than the carriage (the carriage could be produced to lift 2 people at around 65 kg).  But once the lift is in operation, the loads could be balanced to require very little energy though the solar concentrators would be a good place to generate the initial power.

There are other considerations too: how could you ensure planes and birds do not hit the cable, protect the cable and carriage from damage from the elements, ensure this would safely work and that once up there, travel and experiments are enabled – otherwise it’s just a fair ground ride.

I have to say, this isn’t a business proposal just some thoughts given what exists today.  It seems this is much closer to being achieved than ever before.  I am not sure technically how difficult the carriage would be to produce to enable human beings to survive the journey (air tight, air supply, water, boredom, radiation etc) but is this something that could be achieved in the next 30 years?

I have a BT internet account (aka a btinternet) which, I have been long told, provides me with some default web space.

Mostly, my web site exists on my home machine: I have a dedicated server running a later version of linux which not only provides me with a voice on the web, but also with the copyright of output. While it is relatively cheap to run off my home broadband connection, it is, of course, subject to power outages (I do have a battery smoothing out short power cuts for both the computer and the router, but that’s really to ensure I don’t have to keep checking everything).

The server does some other work for me too, mostly file serving and backups. The library is pretty cool, but otherwise samjwatkins.com is very self contained.

So, I am wasting the opportunity of the web space provided by my internet service provider. If you have a btinternet account, I suspect you are too.

Thankfully, you can access this space.  It’s not overly straightforward, so here is a simple breakdown.

1. Access the space for your web site files

The content on the btinternet site is managed by a system called FTP and you need a programme to allow you to transfer your files up to the website.

Windows 7 does this fairly neatly as per these instructions.  In this case, you need your email address (without the “@btinternet.com” at the end and your mail password.

Having made this connection, I would recommend naming the connection “my website” but that’s up to you 🙂

2. Make your page

btinternet allows you to publish simple html pages.  These are essentially text files (as produced by notepad) although if you’re a beginner, Microsoft word, will allow you to save any page as a html page.

Your first page (aka your home page) is called index.html.

If we go to word, we can type “Hi there, this is my first web page” and save it to a “HTML” file called index.html – keep an eye on which folder this file exists.

3. Publish your file

At this point, I simply drag the file named “index.html” to the website directory/folder.  For a small file, with a good internet connection, this takes seconds.

4. Updating the site

Because the site uses FTP to manage the files, you can’t edit a file off the server.  All your editing will need to be done “off-line” and then copied up.

But you have a website

this site is web addressable, mine is available from here.  Only you have the password and the whole world can then see your output.  There is a lot of advice out there on how to run your website including using publishing tools such as Front page and CSS.  The world is your oyster, enjoy.