Category Archives: Community networking

I have an idea: eco-game

Audawe ElesedyAudawe Elesedy, environmentalist

“My idea is for an eco game. It’s going to be open source from the very beginning, which means there is no fixed plan for exactly how it will look, or what it will do. It’s still very much in the concept stages and we need people to get involved and help us guide it.

The game needs to be centred around environmental issues. Perhaps we could use real-world data like Government statistics on climate change, or people’s individual carbon footprints.

We could look at aggregating tweets or allowing people to record their browsing history, we could even hook in with arduinos to help people bring the game into their real worlds and create sensors for their homes.

The game would be a challenge for players, with problems to solve and rewards to win – it would have to be a satisfying experience to make it fun to play.

We’re still at the very start of how we work on this, and we want it to be a shared open source development from the very start. So get in touch with me if you’d like to get involved!”

Interview: Corinne Welsh

Corinne WelshI provide organisational support services, primarily in the support sector.

What’s your interest in Dev8D?

I do lots of work across different organisations such as education and government agencies, so I have quite a broad range of interests.

I’m very interested in open source software, and also linked data – looking at how things join up together, and how to produce data which is visually interesting to people. Tony Hirst’s talk on Yahoo Pipes was also very good, as was the talk on vector graphics.

A lot of the stuff you get at an event like this are like the discussions you have in the kitchen at a party. it’s all the interesting stuff on the edges.

There’s lots of crossover in the kid of work I do – discussions on how you manage your workload, how to explain what you’re doing, issues around transparency. It’s interesting to make those connections.

Are you involved in any other communities? If so, what and why?

I’m part of a Google group working around open source software. I’m also involved in other  non-technical communities through my work.

Of all the projects or ideas you’ve seen, which will have a longer-term impact?

The project with the wow factor has definitely been the 3D printer. It’s another great example of a cross-over service.

Corinne Welsh is on Twitter at @corinnewelsh

Interview: Ben Charlton talks about web security

Ben CharlotonBen Charlton is the systems administrator at the University of Kent. He gave a lightning talk on web security, going through the OWASP 10 worst web security mistakes – and how to fix them.

Why did you give a web security talk?

It’s a hobby interest for me and my day job as well, and it seemed an area that was missing on the programme.

Web security is something we’ve had a problem with at Kent, and I imagine lot of other universities will be having similar issues. Universities tend to have a lot of people doing a lot of things online, and there’s not always a great deal of attention paid to security.

I’ve already had someone come up and ask for more details – it’s impossible to cover everything on web security in 15 minutes. Hopefully the people who were in the room can now go and find out more about the issues, and it will lead to more secure websites.

What do you think your institution gains by sending you here?

Kent gain from a greater breadth of knowledge. I’ve found out about LTI – a really useful way of embedding learning objects in a VLE. That’s something we had no idea about until today. So it’s great for picking up on new technology.

Are you involved in any other communities?

List8d is another project I’ve been involved. I’m also interested in library systems.

What kind of skills are you gaining or improving by being here?

From attending Dev8D last year I knew there would be loads of different areas to get involved in. It’s amazing the things you pick up that you never expected to, just from chatting to people.

Of all the projects or ideas you’ve seen, are there any you think can be put into action straight away?

Wookie is interesting, and of course LTI has immediate applications for the University of Kent. There’s also lots of stuff that isn’t directly relevant but makes you a better programmer, like the stuff on genetic algorithms or learning about Clojure.

XKCD400

Image reproduced with permission from XKCD.com