a short weblog on life, the universe and everything

www.jonharris.info is changing

I've now been blogging for almost two years. Regular watchers will have noticed that the distance between posts has recently been increasing as I enter a new phase of life and work.

Others coming to this site will be aware I'm now doing web design as a profession. Perhaps you are thinking about creating one for your organisation. If so, do email me and I will send you information about the web product I offer.

With these changes, I've decided to take a break from blogging and I will be redesigning this website, www.jonharris.info, during October to profile my new web work.

I hope to come back to the blogging eventually, perhaps next year, but will wait and see if and when inspiration strikes! Sorry to disappoint any of you who come here for my news.

For those interested, sites I have worked on currently include:

www.church.co.uk
www.oasisglobal.org*
www.dianebrookens.com
www.churchestogethernorthwood.info
www.naturama.info*

Much love to one and all,

Jon

* work in progress

One blog created 'every second'

Says the Beeb. Do we really have nothing better to do with our time?!

Navigate to Google maps

Google maps have recently been launched in the UK and North America [BETA version]. There's lots I like about them. First you can drag the map across the screen if the bit you want isn't quite visible. Next, you can zoom in and out fairly intuitively. Or, double click any point to centre the whole map around that point. Want to plan a journey? Simply input two locations by postcode or place name. Oh, and you can toggle between satellite pics and maps too. Definitely a big step forward in online maps. I know where I'll be linking to.

Will you help me test a website?

I've been redesigning the church.co.uk website - we go live on Thu 12th May. I'm looking for testers over these next two weeks to visit it online and comment on content, functionality, style etc. You'll need to be able to respond to an email from me within 48 hours, either by phone or email.

No technical knowledge required - I'll walk and talk you through the process personally if that helps. The more remote you are (eg abroad) and the older your computer, the better! To be a part of it, email me at this address.

Free, unlimited, worldwide phone calls

I sigh at the faddishness of the Internet age, but am deeply attracted to the technology. My latest experiment (along with other family members) is Skype, the much-talked about free internet telephony provider.

Yes - free, unlimited phone calls worldwide. Can you smell the attraction? Here's how it works:

1. You download and install Skype's software on your computer. You need a broadband connection.
2. Using a headset, you can talk to any other Skype user for free. Allegedly it's crystal clear.
3. You can also call landlines and people who are NOT with Skype, globally, using SkypeOut - which basically involves buying credit from Skype at competitive rates.

VOIP (Voice-over IP), as it's called, seems to be more reliable, easier to use and of higher quality than IM (instant messaging). And although Skype are playing it down, it seems likely that video (and video conferencing) is a sensible next development.

www.skype.com

Oh, by the way...

House and hamster have gone. The church.co.uk website now looks like this.

(TAKE TWO is also now under way, see website for full info.)

Hello, little Apples

Hello, iPod Shuffle

Hello, Mac mini

iJon, iDan, iDebs, iTim, iAuntieEnid...

It's a strange new, brave new world at Family Geek.

I mentioned my brother Dan's exhibition website a few days back. He's also developing his own online portfolio. Not content with that, my brother Tim has just started a blog about his Tanzanian adventures, and my globetrotting sister has done likewise with her own blog too. As if that weren't enough, my family has also launched an online 'photo exchange' so we can all upload pics from holidays and travels to one place. Auntie Enid now has her own email address, and is happily leaving a small trail of comments across blogdom. My Christmas was made complete with the gift of an iSight video webcam (free online video-conferencing, anyone? Just drop me an email or an instant message).