Marching orders

March 28, 2011

Starbucks windows smashed with anarchy A grafittiReporting Saturday’s TUC March for the Alternative and UKUncut’s protests against tax dodgers proved the limits of technology. There may be power in a union but if there’re no power points to plug in laptops and mobiles, nobody will know about it.

Broadband access too is key. We posted our first report and video from Starbucks in Villiers Street, near the Embankment. Trying to upload video in Hyde Park via a Vodafone dongle proved fruitless so, with Starbucks on Piccaddilly smashed up, we had to march for the alternative. Café Nero had broadband but no power sockets. I filed with 4% Macbook battery life left. Read More »

Email email
Share
By whealie | Posted in blogging, challenges, Chris, Journalism, Technical problems, Uncategorized, web, Work | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Remote back-up

June 21, 2010

Macbook Prop, screen and serverBacking up is something journalists rarely take seriously. But we produce magazines for clients so having back-ups for if – is that when? – things go wring is vital. Today I set up a remote back-up with our three main office Macs mirrored on a machine at my parents house.

When I say “I” it’s a bit like the Royal “we”. I pay a local firm of Mac experts – Logo Systems in Greenwich – for IT support Their Paul Richardson came up with the plan after I exhausted commercial data back-up schemes and found them too inflexible – they only back up your data, not systems. Read More »

Email email
Share
By whealie | Posted in challenges, Hardware, Software, Technical problems, Work | Tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

Accessible web

January 14, 2010

Writing for the web means complying making your website accessible to blind or partially-sighted web users who may be using screen readers.

It is not just that your site may fall foul of the Disability Discrimination Act – if you are providing services to the public – but because there are ethical and logical reasons to do so. Why would you not want as wide an audience to be able to read your website, after all? Read More »

Email email
Share
By whealie | Posted in blogging, challenges, Journalism, Software, Technical problems, web, Work | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Blog or bog off

December 31, 2009

In the past few days I have worked from my Macbook using mobile internet connections from:

  • The top and bottom decks of double decker buses
  • standing up on a London commuter train
  • Seated on a Virgin train
  • On the overground section on a London tube
  • In a Starbucks and a Pret
  • Standing on Oxenholme and Lewisham stations

I have used a mix of my Vodafone dongle and my BT Openworld account. And that is in addition to several other people’s home wireless broadband networks. Read More »

Email email
Share
By whealie | Posted in blogging, challenges, Chris, Journalism, Other freelances, Payment, problems, Software, Technical problems, web, Work | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Scarisbrick hell

November 19, 2009

Southport’s Scarisbrick Hotel sums up why I hate hotels.

Email email
Share
By whealie | Posted in accomodation, Chris, hotels, NUJ, problems, sleep, Technical problems, web, Work | Tagged , , , , | Comment (1)

Go students go!

November 18, 2009

I am heading for Southport for the National Union of Journalists’ (NUJ’s) Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM). In 2009 why can’t we get a Vodafone and 3G signal on a Virgin East coast train?

Tomorrow I am running the NUJ student members’ conference. We should have 25 students there. A mix of students of journalism and students journalists working on student media. Read More »

Email email
Share
By whealie | Posted in blogging, challenges, Chris, Journalism, NUJ, Software, Technical problems, Twitter, web, Work | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Remember again

November 11, 2009

If you missed today’s Armistice Day two minute silence at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, you can listen again on the BBC iPlayer (link opens new window).

You couldn’t make it up

BBC iPlayer page reads Armistice Day Silence, Listen now

Thanks to Patrick Smith of Paid Content via @psmith on Twitter (link opens new window)

Email email
Share
By whealie | Posted in blogging, Journalism, Technical problems, Twitter, web, Work | Tagged , , | Comment (1)

Tech no no

November 6, 2009

This morning a power cut brought down the servers, preventing me from posting my early morning news to the content management system (CMS) of the websites for which I write.

But that is nothing compared with the technical no-no yesterday.

A woman sent an explicit and personal email meant for her boyfriend to me by mistake. Read More »

Email email
Share
By whealie | Posted in Chris, Hardware, motorbike, motorcycle, personal, problems, Technical problems, web, xrv | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Coping strategy

October 23, 2009

I had a bath this morning. I doubt I am any cleaner than the extensive soap and flannel body wash I had standing on one leg each day since I left hospital after my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee operation on Monday. But I fee completely different.

And how you feel is vital. When you have an injury, illness or something else that knocks you back – especially as a freelance potentially alone for long periods – you need a strategy to cope. Read More »

Email email
Share
By whealie | Posted in arthritis, challenges, charity, Chris, Hardware, illness, Other freelances, personal, problems, Technical problems, web, Work | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comment (1)

Aggregator fear

October 21, 2009

An open letter from news aggregator website News Now boss Struan Bartlett (link opens new window) about threats to close down services that deep link to news stories.

This threatens the whole web way of working.

Read More »

Email email
Share
By whealie | Posted in challenges, Chris, Journalism, problems, Technical problems, web, Work | Tagged , , , , | Comment (1)