Catching The Rain » On the web

New Powerhouse Museum WordPress plugin launched

James — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 21:02:55 +0000

Seb Chan and the team at Powerhouse Museum in Sydney certainly likes to make sure they stay one step ahead of everyone else in the museums sector, and they’ve proved it once again with the launch of a custom WordPress plugin that interfaces with their collections information through the API (which, of course, they have had up and running for ages).

Here’s a little test.

Tin plate toy coal tender from train set
85/2587-25 Toy coal tender, from train set, tin plate, made by Meccano, England, c. 1937
Malietoa supporters trained by Lieutenant Gaunt, Apia, Samoa, 1899
85/1284-1481 Photographic negative, Malietoa supporters trained by Lieutenant Gaunt marching through the streets of Apia, gelatin / glass, photographer unknown, published by Kerry and Co., Apia, Upolu, Samoa, March 1899
Tin plate toy carriage from train set
85/2587-27 Toy carriage, from train set, tin plate, made by Meccano, England, c. 1937
Toy train 'Spirit of Progress'
85/2589-77 Toy steam locomotive, 'Gold Chief' Victorian Railways' 'Spirit of Progress', 4-6-2, electrically-operated, 0-gauge, metal, made by Maurlyn Manufacturing Pty Ltd, Redfern, NSW, 1951-1957
Concept drawings for the 4th Generation 'Millennium' train
2006/52/7 Drawings (3), concept sketches and renderings for the 4th generation 'Millennium' train, paper, made by TDI (Transport Design International) and Design Resource Australia, Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia, 1995-1997
Length of toy train track, made by Mettoy
85/2577-326 Length of toy train track, tin plate, made by Mettoy, England, 1934-1954
Rain cloak (charkab)
A10955 Rain cloak (charakab) or blanket, wool, Bumthang area, Central Butan, 1890-1920
Photograph of boys marching on the training ship "Sobraon"
P1845 Photographic print, albumen, black & white, mounted on card, 'Training Ship "Sobraon." On the March', NSW Government Printer, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1894
A botanical model of a wheat grain and sprout.
2798 Botanical model, 'Grain de ble' (Wheat grains), plaster / metal, made by Dr Auzoux, Paris, France, 1883
Toy train with track
85/2577-170 Toy train with track, tin plate, maker unknown, c. 1955
Packet of 'Fink's Compound Syrup of Hypophosphites Nerve & Brain Tonic'
2002/53/6 Packaging for proprietary pharmaceutical, 'Fink's Compound Syrup of Hypophosphites Nerve & Brain Tonic', cardboard, manufacturer and place of manufacture unknown, [1955-1975]
Tin plate toy carriage from train set
85/2587-26 Toy carriage, from train set, tin plate, made by Meccano, England, c. 1937
Photograph of first Avro trainer A6-15
88/289-146 Photographic glass plate negative, first Avro Cadet trainer aircraft A6-15, Clyde Engineering Pty Ltd, Australia, 1940
Model of a brig, made & presented by the boys on the training ship "Sobraon".
H1697 Model of a brig made & presented by the boys on the training ship "Sobraon" (SB).
Toy Tri-ang Express floor train
85/2566-1 Toy Tri-ang Express floor train, metal, Tri-ang, England 1950
Concept drawings for the 4th Generation 'Millennium' train
2006/52/8 Drawings (3), concept sketches and renderings for the 4th generation 'Millennium' train, paper / plastic, made by TDI (Transport Design International) and Design Resource Australia, Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia, 1997-1998
Glass plate negative of the Como Hotel, Como with Illawarra train line
2008/165/1-46 Glass plate negative (1 of 193), view of Como Hotel, Como with Illawarra train line in background, glass, photographer possibly Arthur Phillips, Australia, 1895-1905
Photograph of Avro cadet trainer plane A6-17
88/289-147 Photographic glass plate negative, Avro Cadet trainer aircraft A6-17 on float, Clyde Engineering Pty Ltd, Australia, 1941
Glass plate negative of Como Hotel, Como with Illawarra train line
2008/165/1-126 Glass plate negative (1 of 193), Como Hotel, Como with Illawarra railway line, glass, photographer possibly Arthur Phillips, Australia, c. 1900
Bicycle training rollers used by Ron Cazey
2007/53/2 Bicycle training rollers, metal / rubber, maker unknown, used by Ron Cazey, Ashfield, New South Wales, Australia, 1930s

Paris 26 Gigapixels – gigapixel image of Paris

James — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:20:31 +0000

I’m always wary of technology for technology’s sake, but not only is this a fantastic technical feat and a high quality image, it’s also delivered via a rather slick interface …

Gigapixel image of Paris from http://www.paris-26-gigapixels.com

Paris 26 Gigapixels – Interactive virtual tour of the most beautiful monuments of Paris.

Layar augmented reality at Kew

James — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:27:49 +0000

My experiment with Augmented Reality (AR) at Kew has just been featured on the Layar blog …

It uses the Porpoise PHP to deliver the xml-based API, and reusues images and content from the www.kew.org/trees website that I managed.

It has also had a mention on cnet.co.uk and csmonitor.com

Google Doodle – Kew Gardens

James — Tue, 05 May 2009 07:25:36 +0000

Google today have a Doodle for Kew Gardens’ 250th birthday, and the Queen is paying a visit.

Kew's Google Doodle celebrating its 250th anniversary

“Science is like a good friend: sometimes it tells you things you don’t want to hear”

James — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:20:21 +0000

Whilst I still work in an organisation with science at its core, I don’t often regret having left my first role as an actual, real, bona fide scientist. But when I read someone like Charlie Brooker standing up for scientists (Science is like a good friend: sometimes it tells you things you don’t want to hear) in an impassioned and forthright way I am tempted, just that little bit, to return to the folds of those people who he describes as “fellow human beings who’ve actually bothered getting off their arses to work this shit out”.

Great piece, worth a read.

What’s That Picture?

James — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 16:24:09 +0000

Introducing www.WhatsThatPicture.com….

My personal interest in vintage photographs has inspired me to conceive a new website, called “What’s That Picture?”

In my own rather random collections I have been struck by how many photographs simply have no provenance, yet look as though someone, somewhere, should certainly know where or perhaps when they were taken, or what or who they are of.

This new site is intended as a community site where people can post their vintage photos and have other members and casual visitors pass comment and help to identify them. Of course this then gives the photo increased historical value.

Membership is free, and when you sign up you get your own image gallery to put things in (just 1MB of space for free membership – about ten typical images – but with the potential to upgrade to premium membership and get 50 times as much space).

You will find the site at www.whatsthatpicture.com

At this point I am just at the point of extending circulating details from a limited number of friends and contacts to a slightly wider but still focused group of people I think may be interested. But even so I’ve already got a dozen or more members, from as far afield as New Zealand, Canada and across the UK.

I’d be grateful to anyone who could take a quick look and make constructive comments.

Let’s give ourselves a collective pat on the back

James — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 14:33:41 +0000

So, Time Magazine has named ‘You’, or is that ‘Us’, as person of the year. Is there a cash prize?

Google launches Blog Search

James — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 11:24:44 +0000

I’ve just discovered that Google has launched its own blog search. Not quite sure how they determine what a blog is to get their data, but I gave up worrying when I rather vainly checked and found that catchingtherain was indexed. For a sample search i also had a look to see who has been blogging about Chinglish and you’ll see there are plenty out there.

Positively seconds of fun to be had.

Lookout knockhead, this is Chinglish

James — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:04:24 +0000

As a collector of silly signs the BBC piece Beijing stamps out poor English struck a chord and gave me much amusement. The Chinglish photo pool on Flickr is a real ‘must see’. And if you wondered where the tile of this post came from, see this one.

Science Connections puzzles

James — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 15:01:46 +0000

Blimey, these are hard!