gilesthurston.com

I'm an IT Manager based in the UK, undertake freelance web projects, mountain sports and am a husband & a father. Here I blog about web apps, all things Apple & life in general. I also highlight my posts & status updates from around the web.

Day one at Microsoft Remix UK 08

September 18, 2008 21:15

Mike Flasko speaking at Microsoft Remix

Firstly I should state that I come from a Microsoft background, developing both Windows and web based solutions using a variety of their products, attending their conferences, doing their qualifications etc etc etc.  However over the years I have come to think that although their products are very impressive, my experience has shown that in many cases the bells and whistles their products are launched with are soon followed by disappointment and frustration as you start to use them.

That said it was with an open mind that I attended Remix UK yesterday in Brighton UK.  This event, aimed predominantly at designers has 4 tracks covering developer, design, business and usability topics.  It was interesting to see Microsoft trying to engage with the design community, which before the launch of their Expression range of products, they generally ignored.

The main Microsoft presentations still had the feel of being preached at in church but the topic range was very good, with two presentations providing an introduction to Silverlight and a technical overview of the new ADO Data services available in .NET.  Bill Buxton gave two talks and sat on a design panel, where he discussed the importance of design and the use of sketching in this process.  For those familiar with user centric design this approach won’t be new but it was interesting to see an influential Microsoft…

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The best till last at dConstruct

Posted on September 05, 2008 21:17 / 0 Comments / Read article in full ...

dConstruct08 and the post lunch lull

Posted on September 05, 2008 21:15 / 0 Comments / Read article in full ...

Morning sessions at dConstruct08

Posted on September 05, 2008 21:13 / 0 Comments / Read article in full ...

Good buzz around the room

Posted on September 05, 2008 21:12 / 0 Comments / Read article in full ...

dConstruct 08 & iphone app

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Tumblelog: Links & Random Thoughts from Across The Web

Apple Event by Andy Ihnatko

For those that missed the Apple Event earlier today, the legendary Andy Ihnatko did an excellent live commentary of what happened.

Its a great way to experience the event, get Andy’s take on the bits you’re interested in (for me Apple TV, iOS4.1 & 4.2) and skim read the rest

Apple Event – My Live (to tape) Blog:

Steve takes the stage and starts by showing off the glam new Paris Apple Store,…

September 01, 2010 22:33 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

Always enjoy a good Merlin Mann video and davebriggs pointed me…



Always enjoy a good Merlin Mann video and davebriggs pointed me towards another goodie:

Merlin Mann - Who moved my brain? (via Rutgers)

August 31, 2010 8:23 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

It looks like Gmail may have just got even better for all you…



It looks like Gmail may have just got even better for all you GTD geeks out there, with their new Gmail Priority Inbox (via Google)

August 31, 2010 8:22 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

StreamToMe by Projects With Love

StreamToMe by Projects With Love:

StreamToMe is an application for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch that plays music and video files (in a wide variety of formats) streamed live from your Mac or PC. If you connect the video-out cable…

August 23, 2010 12:28 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

StreamToMe by Projects With Love

StreamToMe is an application for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch that plays music and video files (in a wide variety of formats) streamed live from your Mac or PC. If you connect the video-out cable for iPhone/iPod/iPad, StreamToMe can play through your TV, turning your iPhone/iPod/iPad into a wireless home media center.

August 22, 2010 23:14 / See original post ...

Delicious links by Giles Thurston

Ely Cathedral in the Afternoon Sun



Ely Cathedral in the Afternoon Sun

August 21, 2010 19:03 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

Why You Can’t Work at Work | Jason Fried | Big Think Some great…

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Why You Can’t Work at Work | Jason Fried | Big Think

Some great insights by Jason Fried from 37 Signals on how to avoid interruptions in the workplace

August 20, 2010 10:00 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

Why You Can’t Work at Work | Jason Fried | Big Think Some great…

[removed][removed]

Why You Can’t Work at Work | Jason Fried | Big Think

Some great ideas by Jason on how to avoid interruptions in the workplace

August 20, 2010 9:56 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

Bluelounge

Bluelounge:

Bluelounge was founded by designers Dominic Symons and Melissa Sunjaya as a multidisciplinary design studio. The partnership creates a true synergy of product, graphic, and interactive design, as…

August 19, 2010 20:10 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

Sigil Ebook Editor

Sigil Ebook Editor:

Sigil is a multi-platform WYSIWYG ebook editor. It is designed to edit books in ePub format.

August 19, 2010 20:10 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

MindNode

MindNode:

MindNode Pro and MindNode are elegant and simple-to-use mindmapping applications for the Macintosh that help to visually:

* collect, classify and structure ideas.
* organize, study and solve…

August 19, 2010 20:10 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

MindNode

MindNode Pro and MindNode are elegant and simple-to-use mindmapping applications for the Macintosh that help to visually:



  * collect, classify and structure ideas.

  * organize, study and solve problems.



Mind maps can be used for many different tasks – including to-do lists, brainstorming, holiday planning, research, writing, project management – and in many different environments – school, meetings, workspace.

August 19, 2010 17:36 / See original post ...

Delicious links by Giles Thurston

Google Updates Gmail for iPad With Stacked Cards

Why you would want to use Gmail in the browser on the iPad over the Mail app I don’t know but if you do, there are some nice updates available now as Mashable outlines

Google Updates Gmail for iPad With Stacked Cards:

Shortly after Yahoo launched its HTML5-based version of Yahoo Mail for iPad, Google has refreshed its version of Gmail for Apple’s popular tablet.

(Via Mashable!.)

August 19, 2010 14:15 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

Intel Acquires McAfee For $7.68 Billion

There is obviously a lot of money in Internet security and antivirus!

Intel Acquires McAfee For $7.68 Billion:

Intel has agreed to acquire McAfee Inc. for approximately $7.68 billion ($48 per share in cash), the company announced today. The boards of directors of both companies have approved the deal, which is expected to close following shareholder approval and regulatory clearances.

(Via Mashable!.)

August 19, 2010 14:12 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

Sigil Ebook Editor

Sigil is a multi-platform WYSIWYG ebook editor. It is designed to edit books in ePub format.

August 19, 2010 11:37 / See original post ...

Delicious links by Giles Thurston

Bluelounge

Bluelounge was founded by designers Dominic Symons and Melissa Sunjaya as a multidisciplinary design studio. The partnership creates a true synergy of product, graphic, and interactive design, as well as original illustration.



The studio now designs, manufactures and distributes simple solutions to daily problems with a constant drive to transform even the most everyday items into objects of desire.

August 19, 2010 11:04 / See original post ...

Delicious links by Giles Thurston

Are you a Diptic?

I’ve been playing around with a new iphone app called Diptic.  The concept is pretty straight forward in that it allows you to combine multiple images to create a new image, sounds simple but is actually a lot of fun.  There is an iPad version as well which I suspect is probably really nice with the larger screen.

Below is an example of one I created using photos from my recent visit to the…

August 19, 2010 9:53 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

Why you must keep track of your online profile

Great article by TechRadar on how your online presence makes you a brand and reviews of some online tools and services you can use to monitor this.  I personally use a number of these myself and can highly recommend them.

In Depth: Why you must keep track of your online profile:

You might not realise it yet, but you’re a brand. All this time you’ve been walking…

August 18, 2010 13:35 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

Dictamus - Dictate & Send

Dictamus - Dictate & Send:

If you’re looking for a dictation app for your iphone then you should take a look at Dictamus.  The killer feature as far as I am concerned is the integration with Dropbox which has just been added

August 18, 2010 8:13 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

Hibari: A Mac Twitter client with keyword filtering, muting, inline saved search results, inline con

Hibari: A Mac Twitter client with keyword filtering, muting, inline saved search results, inline conversations, tweet lookup, and more:

Another Mac OSX Twitter client enters the fray.  Hibrari badges itself as “… a powerful Mac Twitter app that blocks annoyances and reveals gems”.  Its a paid App, with a free 14 day trial.  Its early days and while it may not be as feature rich as some of its competitors its definitely worth a…

August 18, 2010 8:08 / See original post ...

Tumblelog by Giles Thurston

Photo Journal

View more of my photos at the Giles Thurston Gallery on Flickr.

About Giles Thurston

Giles Thurston

Hi, my name is Giles Thurston and this is my personal site.

I'm based in Ely, the second smallest city in the UK just north of Cambridge. I have over 15 years commercial software development experience, spending the first few years as an application developer before moving into web development and consultancy. I've led teams, managed multi million pound contracts and have a number of years of business development experience. My day job these days tends to focus on IT management and in particular Business Development but I keep my hand in by undertaking personal web development and design projects.

In 2008, after 16 years using Windows based PC's, I made the switch to a Mac and boy was it worth it! Although I continue to use PC's on a day to day basis, my personal preference is always to go with Apple products and I hope to blog about my experiences as a switcher here on this site, with various hints and tips which may be of use to anybody following me over the fence from Windows

Away from software development and technology, I am a husband to Leanne and father to Arlo James, who joined our family in April 2009. I'm a keen sportsman and enjoy a variety of mountain sports, including mountaineering, climbing (rock & ice) and mountain biking. I've recently got back into running and am hoping to do my first triathlon in 2010.

On this site I hope to blog about web apps, all things Apple & life in general. I also highlight my various posts, links & latest twitter updates from around the web.

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Feel free to get in touch and give me your feedback on the site. You can contact me directly through twitter or the other networks I use regularly, links to which you will find below. Alternatively feel free to join the discussion and comment on my blog posts, all contributions are welcome!

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