Adam Corkett

  Let’s keep this first post quick, a foot in the door and an introduction. The past year has been somewhat tumultuous and that was before even the dramatic events of the past year; I took a gamble with my career and it didn’t pay off, yet. Most people support the notion that the path to success is paved with failures; they lead us to learning key lessons and provided that we take something from each, we will make it there, some-when somehow. It’s not easy that’s for sure and the more you have in life, the greater the risks you face when you try to put yourself out there and try something new. This particularly project though is a personal one, an experiment if you please and a way to find a way to become part of the conversations that take place around certain subjects: Open Education, Technologically Enhanced Education and Open Source. I have always had an interest, but just never found the time to actually roll my sleeves up and get stuck in, until this year, for a couple of rea...

From a business perspective it is very easy to explain why Google Plus is a great platform, an important element in on-line marketing strategies and search engine optimisation, particularly whilst Google's market share for search traffic stands around the 90% mark  (StatCounter, Jan 2014)  in the UK. Many are confused by the platform currently, and this is due to the precedents set by Facebook and Twitter for example, it isn't simply a page with lots of features and it doesn't really matter from a business perspective that only 300 Million Active Users visit a month  (Barr, Oct 2013) In addition, from a professional perspective it is an easy argument too; the articles and conversations are essentially focussed around more professional issues, therefore the content is largely relevant to a professional audience irrespective of discipline or industry. From a personal perspective, it is less-apparent to most, why the platform is valid or of interest. To counter though, ...

Over the past couple of weeks I have noticed something very strange happening with photographs being synced from my phone to my G+ account; I would login on a computer and then see strange animated versions of burst shots right through to panoramas, the feature apparently, is known as auto-awesome. I was instantly impressed, the standard of the photos produced automatically without any kind of deliberate action was good, but when I realised that Google had added an edit button to the gallery, then I saw the potential and another dimension to G+ that surely cannot be ignored. I would suspect that this is an attempt to pitch G+ right up against Instagram now, and with the additional bells and whistles it is definitely a contender in that court, as before against Facebook and Twitter alike. Google don't do things by halves, G+ is maturing into some kind of super hero social network; they have the resources, you can't fault them for using them to stay ahead. The thing is, ha...

Sometimes you find yourself questioning the direction technology takes, including such conundrums as; why has it taken so long for fibre-optic to take off when we have known of its benefits for decades? why has it taken so long to converge tv, radio and internet into one product? Why did it take so long for SVG to be popularised? And for me most recently, why didn't APNG take off; it seems almost illogical. APNG is a format for animated PNG sequences, a format itself which is widely used and arguably the best for internet usage, certainly the most versatile. APNG has all of the characteristics of PNG including complicated alpha transparencies and a 24bit colour palette; it just seems to defy all logic that the format didn't become supported and part of the W3C strategy for HTML 5. Animation with APNG is just better when compared to GIF, and if browsers supported the format there would have been little need for plug-ins for simple short animated sequences. It isn't interac...

The new logo on Google UK 'looks flatter' according to BBC News's Leo Kelion (2013); I have to admit I was unsure if this was an actual change or not, to start with and took a double take, but it appears to be on a slow roll-out, the changes to the interface are subtle but very focussed on removing distractions and streamlining both the page layout (if it could be any more streamlined) and the user experience. Clearly, there are larger changes afoot, but if they are as subtle as these most users perhaps will not notice so much. The logo itself does feel cleaner now that the bevel has been removed, but could this be argued too simplistic? Eddie Kessler of Google (2013) stated in their official blog that they have also updated the colour palette and the letter forms, but these are very subtle differences indeed; the relationship between the first 'G' and 'o' does seem still to be quite awkward, but as ever this logo is as much about the negative space as it ...

I have been mulling over this one for a couple of weeks now, not really being one who is ready to just jump in with criticism. The new series of idents / logotype designs were definitely not my cup of tea to start with, but their predecessors were very bland and corporate. Personality has certainly been instilled; it says to me This Morning, Jeremy Kyle and I'm a Celebrity... therefore, in this regard it must be hailed a success. On that basis, is the new identity a guilty pleasure? The brand that never ceases to fail to provide cringe-worthy programming,  has produced a logotype equal to it's  "I can't look, but can't turn over moments". There appears to be much negative subjective criticism out there (on the web), so it remains to be seen whether the new identity will be well-received given a warming period. I personally don't appreciate the logo in its static form, but feel much differently about the dynamic animated incarnations - where it comes in...

It has been running in my head for a while now, the issue has certainly been covered by thousands of blogs and news articles, but it still grates a bit for me from two perspectives - firstly as someone who develops using the Flash environment and secondly as a media lecturer. Flash player is essentially dead on the mobile web, less so on the desktop based version - and I appreciate using the AIR environment to create 'native' applications, which is proving to be great - although there are always going to be things that can't be achieved with it in comparison to developing say for instance in Java or X-Code. The problem is in killing it off (Flash Player not Flash itself) there are likely to be millions of resources which are inaccessible, it was never great for building websites unless there was a need for it - and for me there can be a need to create highly interactive and animated web content, Nikon's Universcale is one example for instance of many wonderful resour...

So here is where the blog changes track, after years in limbo and not really serving the purpose it was originally intended to, now my blog is going to become a little more professionally focused. In the first week of 2013 I have decided to get in gear and sort out the portfolio website, which for most of the last year has only really had a placeholder marking my intention to update the look and the content; and before this it had of course been home to my college and university portfolio work. This is all still here but hidden behind the scenes, hopefully I will be able to root through it and find some work still worthy of display. This now is all to change, I do produce quite a large amount of flash files as part of my teaching, on occasion websites too and as part of that a large number of graphics. I have started to realise that I have amassed a substantial amount of work, and really I should be using it to showcase myself and skills to eventually hopefully work for me...

After the mishap that was Belgrade, we finally set off for Zagreb at 1pm and I was relieved when we finally returned to civilization. Although we didn't have long in the city, it was very beautiful and Iam sure I will visit again. The highlight was probably mistakingly ordering a pizza with fruits de mer on it, as we missed that one on the menu. So we tried such things as octupus and other smelly chewy substances, to be fair it could have been worse but am not in a hurry to repeat the experience. Ljubljana has to be the jewel in the crown of the ex yugo states, an affluent and beautiful village city. It has so many faces being quaint but cosmopolitan, old yet young, romantic and yet ecclectic. I think that sometime next year a week in Zagreb and Ljubljana is a must. we have sampled many local beers along the way, and even some kind of spirit made-up from honey which was very strong in Zagreb. Leaving Ljubljana Belgrade came back to haunt us once more as the train was 70 minutes ...

Ok so I haven't really had the opportunity to add to my blog this past few days, and have consequently taken some flack for that. Budapest I must say since we left was amazing, a real gem... maybe not quite as special as Prague but a really interesting and beautiful city all the same. Brasov turned out to be a great idea, staying somewhere a little quieter and off the track so much. Our host was excellent and there were some great photo opportunities. Essentially we did a bit of mountaineering and lots of walking, one of the nicest highlights being the hunters tower. A small boy beckoned us into an off the path tower built into the castle wall, and showed us around it was very well presented and had some lovely views of the town from above. Then on to the mountain and the panorama was spectacular, even if the Brasov sign was a little cheesy. Moving on to Bucharest we only spent one day, which was enough. We saw a few museums which were intersting but really the city was a little to...

After a few hiccups Budapest has turned into everything it has promised. Easily the hotest day so far, climbing to the citadel whilst very enduring, was the most rewarding experience. Visiting the old German army bunker turned out to be a jewel, the bunker was very interesting but having the courtyard above to ourselves was by far the best part, delivering unrivalled views of the city for 360° whilst other unknowing tourists bustled below us. Tomorrow we will be in Romania visiting brasov.

After a long winded evening trip we find ourselves rolling through endless picturesque scenes as our night train meandered from Frankfurt to Prague. The city has proved overwhelming although I wished to have understood more of the local tongue, that will have to wait until the next time. The highlight being scared half to death climbing multiple towers for the most breathtaking panoramic views of praha. One night in a very complicated hostel and then onto czesk budovice and Vienna, although I am looking forward to dawn in praha after a quiet evening perusing countless enchanting bars.

Technically the second port of call, following a brief stop at the most English of institutions Wimpy we are surrounded by the madness that is London. More than usual though as the streets are filled with police and ambulances; whilst I carelessly eat colcanon and irish sausages washed down with a pint of ale. I do finally get the feeling of adventure...

Only a matter of days now as opposed to weeks until our European pub crawl commences, so I guess its time to get officially excited. After spending a small fortune on new clothes and other necessities, the planning is starting to take shape. Whilst we are not really going to stick to a stringent plan, the first objective is to get as far into Europe as possible on the first day to maximise the amount of distance we cover in the 15 days our pass allows. So first stop Brussels, then Frankfurt and then onto Prague; from there the adventure will begin... Hopefully, there will be some exciting events occurring when we arrive. Obviously its always nice to wash the beer down with some culture :) .

Ok, so I should be finishing off my essays; but I have written off Tuesday nights as it is Quiz Night at Foro's.  So before I set off I have been searching the internet for resources to help with our travels this summer; and what a gem I found. I stumbled on a Guardian article about festivals across Europe this summer which led me to a site called whatsonwhen.com . You can search by section of a continent, or even by a specific country or place; I am sure this will prove invaluable in planning the proceedings :) So I quite like the sound of going to the Croatian ATP Tennis and the Hugarian Grand Prix sounds excellent also; but unfortunately we will be back in England by the time the Belgrade Beer Festival kicks off :( Anyway, I am sure over the coming days we will find lots of fun things to do along the way; which hopefully will ultimately give our jaunt a little direction.

Ok so I am new to all this, but I have agreed to start a blog since in 65 days I will be setting off an adventure. Admittedly, this is definitely an adventure which should have commenced years ago when I didn't know better; but better late than never, eh? I must admit I have always fancied writing a blog, you have to be just a little bit egotistical to do so I think; but my main motivations are to keep a record of the journey and because I actually like to write. (Something I wish I had figured out when I was younger also). So in 63 days I turn 30, as is customary with every added year of life I find myself reviewing the state it is in. I often think of the things I would liked to have done, and getting older seems to be great for motivating you into achieving what you might have been putting off for sometime. In this case, seeing everything the world has to offer before I die being one of my greatest priorities. Also, making the most of bachelordom just incase I ever cease to be a...