Exploring The Snake Path

Hayfield to Hathersage (almost)

Having explored Mam Tor (Castleton), various towns and villages and going for a long walk from Edale, it was time to take the next step toward becoming Bear Grylls / exploring the Peak District. This was a 13km walk into the unknown starting from Hayfield.

I found "The Inn Way to the Peak District" on amazon by Mark Reid, it is proving to be an excellent purchase. It acts as a well written guide to exploring 84 miles (135km) over 6 days. It also features maps, points of interest, tips on places to stay and a guide to the 51 pubs along the way. For this walk we followed the books route for Hayfield to Hathersage - but we only ventured half way before returning to Hayfield.

This is an activity you really need to be prepared for - Mark's book highlights safety measures and tips. Waterproof boots were essential - the route included crossing streams and muddy bogs, having warm clothes and waterproof clothing, have a planned route - if you get lost - head back the way you came. Pay attention to the weather - before and forecast during the walk. If the area has been subject to heavy rainfall for the past few days - river levels will be high and the ground boggy, if not dangerous in places. Keep your eye on the time and know how much daylight you have left. You shouldn't rely on smartphones or GPS. You should also let someone know where you are going and what time you should return.

Looking back towards Hayfield

The Snake Path

Future Learn - Free Online Courses

Some of you may be interested in some FREE Online Courses!

Future Learn is a private company owned by the Open University, working with over 20 partners - including Universities, they are offering a number of free online courses, some even result in certificates!

So if you are looking to learn something new, want to add to your C.V or want to just see what courses there are, take a look at:

https://www.futurelearn.com/

- theitguydoes

Sushi Express - Sheffield

Sushi Express Sheffield

Location: Sheffield UK

Website: http://www.sushiexpress.uk.com

Good for: Japanese / sushi

Rating: 4.5/5 

Visit: August 2014

Address: 8 Milton street, sheffield, S1 4JU

Phone: 0114 279 7669

I'm glad a friend introduced me to this restaurant. I've not heard of it before and it's location is hidden from the main streets.

The staff are very friendly and it is a spacious and well lit restaurant. It takes some time to work through the menu, as there is a lot of choice! Luckily the menu has useful photos of each dish.

Future Tech v1.0

Here is a short list of some emerging and future technology:

1) 3D printing opens up a whole host of possibilities. From printing food to life forms. (Covered in detail in a previous blog post)

2) Drones will replace fighter pilots.... Sorry Maverick & Goose! Drones will be limited by technology, tolerate higher g-forces & if solar powered - won't need to land.... Amazon are already trialing parcel delivery by drone (previous post)

3) Virtual Reality - I think this tech will change the world. Facebook purchased Oculus and Sony is developing Morpheus, it is only a matter of time.....neo ;p (gadget show post)

4) Robots - hopefully more Johnny 5 than Terminator.... Amazon already sell Robot hoovers and lawn mowers! But what happens when robots can do your job...

5) Holograms and tablets that can be folded into your pocket like a piece of paper

6) Wireless charging - replacing the need to constantly charge your phone/tablet

7) Driverless cars - hopefully affordable & improving road safety - expected in the U.K as early as 2015 

8) Human upgrades - implants and robotics are already being developed to restore the senses such as hearing & sight. Robotics and 3D printing are also helping rebuild humans. Quite amazing & the best type of technology in my opinion, technology that helps people. But what if you could upgrade your memory, vision, intelligence etc ... 

9) The Internet of Things - on its way & fast. This is essentially every day items, but networked. A fridge that re-orders an item the moment it is finished, or an app that let's you control and monitor your central heating and home security systems. 

10) AI - Artificial Intelligence. You may have seen the film Her? A man falls in love with his operating system, lol! Or the Big Bang Theory, when Raj falls in love with Siri....

Joking aside, it's going to happen the world over. Computers, smart phones and possibly Androids with a personality, sense of humour and memory. 

I have a lot more to say on these topics, but will gauge interest first. What do you think? What are you looking forward to, or perhaps not looking forward to? 

-theitguy

#shefftech Sheffield Technology

#shefftech

Technology is advancing very quickly and I believe Sheffield could and should be making more of the digital age and the untapped potential that the city has to offer.

With two Universities, developing transport links and lower house prices - it is a shame that the tech giants perhaps overlook the city, or that the startups have not been encouraged or supported enough to grow.

I picked up my information technology degree in Sheffield & have lived in the city ever since. In the years that have followed, course mates have eventually left the city for jobs elsewhere or to return home during the search for work.

Having worked in the computing and technology industry for a few years, I can summarise the following:
- companies in the Sheffield area struggle to recruit employees with technical computing skills (especially networking, servers, information security, service desks)
- a high number of employees commute outside of Sheffield for computing work, but would much rather work in the city!
- the computing / technology job market in Sheffield seems limited and sadly...
- computing and technology jobs gravitate around London (higher living costs and the tube...)

I have more to add on the topic, but in the meantime #shefftech

I'd like to introduce #shefftech to help network computing and technology students, employees and employers - via Twitter and even in the comments section below. Once there is interest there can be events and even new opportunities. Don't be shy, if you want to get involved use #shefftech

-theitguy

Security Software and Apps

Free Security Tools

AVG:
http://free.avg.com/gb-en/homepage 

F-Secure Free Tools:
http://www.f-secure.com/en/web/home_global/free-tools

Malware Bytes:
https://www.malwarebytes.org/

Sophos Free Tools:
http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools.aspx

(Others: McAfee, Symantec, Kaspersky, Microsoft Safety Scanner, Komodo, Trend Micro, Lookout)

 

Free Online Security Advice:

https://www.getsafeonline.org/

 

Lost your iPhone?

Find My iPhone
https://www.apple.com/uk/icloud/find-my-iphone.html

• Lock your screen
• Display a message
• Get notified
• Track location

Smoke Barbecue Sheffield

Good for: American barbecue food

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Location: Sheffield, U.K

Website: http://smokebbq.co.uk/

A welcomed addition to the steel city is the Smoke Barbecue restaurant. I stumbled across Smoke on Facebook and was impressed by the photos and comments to date. I understand the owners of the restaurant were inspired by Man vs Food, flew out to America to learn how to BBQ, before opening a restaurant in a prime Sheffield location (city centre and across the road from Sheffield Hallam University)

theitguyshop.com

I have recently launched theitguyshop.com Check out the new website today! All comments and suggestions are welcome.

www.theitguyshop.com

More details coming soon...

-theitguy

Special Ops Technology Headphones

"Powered by patent pending military special ops bone conduction technology"

You sir, have my attention.

I first heard about "bone conduction" headphones online and had never heard or seen them before. I was quite intrigued and very grateful to receive some at Christmas (thanks Dad!)

So what are they?

To keep it simple, they are headphones that do not plug in to your ears. They sit between your temple and earlobe. The use of bone conduction technology enables you to hear music with nothing in, on or covering your ears!

Features:

- Unblock hearing for safer outdoor sports

- Sweat proof and splash resistant

- For iphone, ipod, ipad, smarts phone and mp3 players

Aftershokz Bone Conduction Headphones

Cost: £35 - £75 depending on model

Brand: Aftershokz

ITG Rating: 4/5

Are they any good?

From a runners perspective, I think they are great and will cover running related points below. For general use, the sound quality is not revolutionary, but is perfectly acceptable. I must admit I have a big head, and they fit fine. They cannot be adjusted, so they may not suit everybody. They are a comfortable fit and you may be glad to know that they don't look like a prop from a sci-fi film or Call of Duty mission. It's a strange experience at first to be able to listen to music, but also hear your surroundings and even hold conversations mid One Direction - I joke! Or do I??

I've passed them around and other people have been fairly impressed. It is difficult to tell what volume level you should use on the mp3 device, so that you can listen to music clearly - whilst not disturbing anyone around you. There are different models of the Aftershokz. The model I use includes mobile phone compatibility, with an in line mic.   

The main benefit is safety, especially if you are travelling or exercising whilst listening to music, podcasts or chatting via the hands free. They enable you to listen out for dangers or hazards around you, which can only be a good thing.

The headphones are recharged via USB. I've not tested the battery life to the limit yet, but it has lasted a few hours so far.

The only downside is protecting them whilst not in use. They come with a cloth bag, which helps keep them clean. However, I'd prefer a hard case so that I can throw them in a bag and not have to worry about them being damaged.

For runners:

As a runner - having the wrong headphones that fall out your ears every 5 minutes can be extremely irritating. Due to the Aftershokz headband design, which hooks over your ears - you can now focus on your run. I've recently covered 13km with them on and found them comfortable and no hassle at all. I'm still getting used to the volume setting that I should use on my mp3 player, but I'm glad I can now hear my favourite songs and also the traffic around me. If you do like to listen to music whilst exercising, this is a safer option, but probably more hygienic as well. No more re-use of waxy or sweaty ear phones! 

I am genuinly impressed. Hopefully I will be able to find, craft or 3D print a hardcase. I will also keep an eye out for the latest models to see how this technology develops. If you are interested, see the link below for further details and the latest price. If enough people click through the link and buy a pair, I may just be able to buy myself a coffee!

Moor Market Sheffield, the Steel City's £18 million market

Sheffield's main market has recently moved from its old run down home at Castle Market, to a brand new £18 million home on the Moor, featuring around 90 stalls and 12 cafés.

Open Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 5.30pm

The Moor Market, Sheffield

3D Printing

In 2012 I supported a science challenge at Sheffield City College, where I spotted a stand on 3D printing.

Since then I have been intrigued by 3D printing and have been keeping an eye on the topic. Friends and colleagues have looked at me in disbelief when I have talked about this topic. I think it's fair to say that the technology is gaining momentum, but few people are aware of it. So here are a few points that may surprise you:

What is 3D printing?
Using an electronic file, but instead of printing to paper a 3D printer can produce an item in 3D from a variety of materials.

Camp Nou Barcelona

Stadium: Camp Nou

Club: FC Barcelona

City: Barcelona, Spain

Capacity: 98,772

Tour price: TBC

ITG rating: 5/5!

Insanity Week 7

Day 50 - Monday 16th September 2013

"Fitness Test & Max Interval Circuit"

After 50 days of Insanity, it was time for the 4th fitness test and one of the most extreme exercises. Today was both physically and mentally challenging. Have I improved? How does it compare to my first fitness test? Did I give up?

Insanity Week 6

Day 43 - Monday 9th September 2013

Day 43 of 63! 2/3 complete! Wahoo and today was "Max Cardio Conditioning"

I lacked a bit of energy this evening when I started the workout - but carried on. It's a 45 minute workout and really works your muscles and heart rate. I am getting stronger and have noticed an improvement when switching between a press up and jumping to a standing position! There is more spring in my movement! Perhaps a 2nd rest day was just what I needed!

Cadbury World

Blogging from my phone for the 1st time - I will keep it short and simple. Here are a few photos from a recent trip to Cadbury World (Birmingham, UK)

A few years ago cocoa beans were traded for other items. 100 beans for a slave!

Pizza Pie

Would you like one of these?
It's easy to make, very cheap and most importantly of all - tasty!

To make four pizza pies....