I see dead pixels

Articles from: September 2009

Preparations for the UK Meet

Date: September 27, 2009  Author: Ross Stone 1 Comment

For over a month, I have been busy with preparations for a large meeting in the UK to celebrate the third year anniversary of an online community I am part of.

As a result, I have been a little distracted as I spend my time double checking plans, and coordinating with everyone to make sure everyone’s travel arrangements are all set, and sorting out events that suit everyone’s different arrival and departure times… Somewhat of a nightmare really, but doable.

On Thursday, 1st October 2009 the plans will go into action as we mark the third year of The Volition Cult alliance that myself and Peter Hancock are hosting in Bath, UK. Members from all over Europe start arriving, some earlier than others to save money on travel. With some staying for a week, others the weekend and a few just a day they can spare.

From the current Itinerary, we have 23 Members who have confirmed travel details with me. I have over a week off work, so all is set for a great celebration.

Roll on Thursday!

Snowdon AAR

Date: September 7, 2009  Author: Ross Stone 1 Comment

Having travelled to Manchester with Nick, I stayed in Manchester for most of the week in his very nice apartment. However on Friday 4th September 2009, we drove over to Snowdonia for our walk to the summit of Snowdon.

We arrived at Rhyd Ddu, and decided to use the Rhyd Ddu route as it would be quieter, as on the opposite side of Snowdon.

The walk itself is relatively easy going, as we managed to cover 11.15km in 3 Hours, 39 Minutes, as we travelled from Rhyd Ddu to Bwlch Main. However, cloud cover was quite low, and we quickly found ourselves in not so good conditions.

Although, I think this made it more enjoyable as it was much more of a challenge. I think if it had been a clear day, while we could have easily made it to the summit, it would not have been as enjoyable as it would have been less of a challenge.

As we started our final path across the narrow col at Bwlch Main to get to the summit of Snowdon, conditions further worsened. Visibility was very bad, there were very strong winds, and while it was not raining, water was sort of forming on us from walking in the cloud stuff.

We also had to remove our glasses, as condensation made them unusable. Luckily, we both can still see pretty well without glasses, but it is somewhat of an additional hindrance.

As we got to 973 Metres, (Snowdon Summit is 1085 Metres) we decided it was a little too unsafe for us amateurs to continue. As Nick had already lost his footing once due to the wind, and looking at a path getting more narrow, weather getting worse and path so close to a steep edge, we decided to head back and try again another day.

Click here for a photo of how far we got, and what we faced when we decided to head back.

Click here for a video of how far we got, showing the strong winds… I was trying to say something about how we have decided to turn back, but you can’t hear due to the wind.

Click here for full photo gallery.

Click here for GPS Recorded Map using My Tracks on Android.

My Tracks statistics below:-
Total Time: 3:39:04
Distance: 11.15km
Maximum Elevation: 973m

AAR = After Action Report, its a term used in Eve Online for reports of battles or events after they have happened, so it seemed suitable.

Slogan Competition Results

Date: September 4, 2009  Author: Ross Stone 1 Comment

Having worked through all of the submissions, I have decided on a winner. But before I announce the winner, I will list off a few of the other entrys, some of which made me laugh.

“Taking time out from masterminding domination of the spacelanes”
“Now without added MAAT”
“More useful than a Swiss Army Knife”

“Wholeheartedly Klingon”
“Sharing Culture”
“Now with Subtracted Chocolates”
“If your computer needs a tweak, I’m the geek you seek”
“Kicking doctors in the face since 1984″
“Because normal is boring”

But the was…

“I see dead pixels”

Which was submitted by Russ my old housemate. This should be on the website now. However, as I accidentally ate the choclates in the office, there may be a delay on shipping the chocolates to you. Uhh…

Sixth VOLT Newsletter Published

Date: September 1, 2009  Author: Ross Stone Leave a comment

I have just finished the sixth Volition Cult newsletter for the period September 2009. While there are probably many spelling and grammar errors that I may have to fix as people spot them, I have just uploaded the PDF file.

The original announcement was made on this website, but as I have put a fair amount of work into this months 45 Page newsletter, thought I should cross post here as well because I am proud of it.

It discusses the fact that the alliance, or our online community as I see it will be celebrating its 3 Year Anniversary this month, as well as sharing some history about it all.

Before I head to sleep, I am not sure I will have time to review all of the Slogan Competition answers today.

I have to sleep, work and then pack for the Snowdon trip, but in a few days I will have a look at all the submissions. There were about 30 ideas submitted in total via my form, email and comment.

Wish me luck in walking to the peak of Snowdon! Nick has decided we should take the Rhyd Ddu Path which will take about 6 miles to get to the peak and back and is about 8 miles to the peak and back.