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Top Tips, Blogs & Pod Casts

I was listening to Jerry’s Scoutmaster Minute Pod Cast show 17 on Saturday (where do you get the time Jerry???), and one of the things he and his guest Shawn were talking about was promoting their Packs and Troops. When talking about Pack / Troop etc. web sites, one of the suggestions Shawn had for these sites was to have a calendar. He suggested Google Calendars as a good, free solution. I was aware of Google’s calendars, but had forgotten about them.

A few weeks ago, I totally redesigned our Group’s site (I went from a Joomla based one to a WordPress one) and I found a calendar plug in, but it didn’t work properly! You could see the current month, but not go forward or backwards – most unhelpful! Anyway, after Shawn’s suggestion, I’ve put the Google Calendar into our site (which was easy) and I’m now in the process of populating it. The main thing is that it works ‘out of the box’ and is free. These are both important for organisations where there isn’t a lot of ‘computing knowledge’ (not meant as in insult, just an observation) and they don’t want to be spending oodles of money on non activity and meeting related items. Job done!

I got me thinking of all the computing ‘freebies’ out there that can be used by Scout Leaders to promote their Groups / Troops etc. without spending lots of money on commercial products. So below is a non definitive list of programmes that can be used on your computer to help the promotion and organisation of the Group / Troop etc.

However, a quick thought. There seems to be a considerable number of Scout Leaders (I’m using the all encompassing UK term here) in the US, who take the time and effort to produce web sites, blogs and pod casts with the purpose of passing on their knowledge and experience to others in the movement, especially the BSA (makes sense to talk of what you know!). I enjoy reading these and listening to them all and keep coming across new ones all the time (just listening to An Hour A Week? by Cubmaster Chris for the first time). And while these are interesting and provide good ideas, they all, of course, relate to the BSA, which runs their Scouting slightly differently to the SA. So where are the blogs etc. in the UK? The answer is, I don’t know! My blog has started to become more Scout based in the last year or so, but I still talk about other stuff. But I haven’t found anything similar. Escouts provides forums for Leaders to discuss issues.
In the mean time I’ll still enjoy reading and listening to what my colleagues across the Pond have to say!

So here’s the list of useful, free programmes –

  • Ubuntu Linux – Got a PC and don’t want to have a less than legal version of Windows on it and can’t afford to buy one, then try this. A relatively straightforward operating system, which comes with most things you will need to surf the net and type stuff. Does need a bit of technical know how though.
  • OpenOffice.org – Want to type letters etc. but can’t afford Office (this isn’t going to be an anti Microsoft rant – see later), try this. It has a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation functions which are all compatible with MS Office.
  • PDFCreator – Make all your documents available to all by being able to create PDF files.
  • Firefox – A great browser which has lots of add on’s available – IE Tab, Morning Coffee and Foxmarks being my favourites.
  • Windows Live Programmes – Windows Live Writer (which I’m using to write this) to publish to blogs, Windows Live Photo Gallery to view and fix your photos and Windows Live Messenger, MSN Messenger as was. There are a few others, but these are the ones I use. See, told you the list wasn’t and MS bash!
  • Paint.NET – A image manipulation programme, which is almost as powerful as Photoshop and around £600 cheaper!
  • WordPress and Blogger – Provide free blogging software and hosting.
  • AVG Free – Popular anti virus software. Something to never be without, especially if you use a PC!
  • Zone Alarm – Popular free firewall software. See above.

There is loads more out there, just check out File Hippo, but that will do for my list! A lot of the above are cross platform, but some are Windows only.

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ARRSE

No, I’m not going all Fr. Jack, ARRSE refers to the British ARmy Rumour SErvice.

I received an email last night from a frequent contributor to those message boards saying how he’d stumbled across my Scout Group’s web site, that he was impressed with our Remembrance Web Site and that he’d posted something to that effect. Since then we’ve had loads of hits on the site!

It’s nice that it is appreciated by someone who is not from a Scouting background, but a military one. These are the people who really know what war, fighting and remembering are about.

It also made me realise that these men who were Scouts in our Troop, have not been forgotten and we now know something about them and even what a couple of them looked like thanks to some recently discovered photos. They are no longer just names on a memorial, but they were real people who did the same things that we as Scouts, 60 – 90 years later, still do.

Here’s to their memory.

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A Scouter

I hope Gary, the Lone Star Scouter doesn’t mind me lifting this directly from his blog, but I think it’s so true –

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a Professional.
If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer.
If you pay to do Scouting, you are called… … A Scouter.

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History of a Group

I was reading this thread on the Escouts site the other day, which was talking about the history of Scout Troops / Groups. The chap who’d started the thread stated –

I know there is a cracking history section at a Group in Staffordshire but I’ve lost the link.

So I replied that I thought it might have been ours and it was! Embarrassed

Reading through the rest of the posts, there are some fascinating histories out there and it’s very important to remember where our Troop / Groups came from. When I started to look into our Group, I didn’t have much info going back before the 1960’s and couldn’t prove when we started. I can now!

It’s quite humbling to think that the info on my Group has inspired someone else to look into theirs. It’s also really interesting researching the history and I spent a good part of Saturday afternoon reading some old District minute books and I’m going to the library tomorrow to look something up in the local newspaper!

A few interesting histories –

1st Brede Scouts

43rd Huddersfield

Troop 68 – The Early Years – A video history of Troop 68, Melrose, Minnesota, USA. Steve B their Scoutmaster, is very good at Scouting videos.

Whitley Beaumont Camp Site – Written by Ewan Scott who posted the original thread.

Anyway, lets remember our past, but always look to the future!

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Strike

Apparently, I’m supposed to be on strike on Wednesday and Thursday over pay (or lack of pay increase)! Apart from a letter from UNISON’s HQ and one from the local branch, I’ve heard nothing. There has been no mention of it at work!

Having said that, I won’t strike anyway as I don’t think it’s right to strike in a school – it’s not fair to the kids.

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens! We’ll see…….

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A Scout belongs to the world-wide family of Scouts.

Number 4 in the Scout Law.

It’s a very true statement. I have regular contact with Scout Leaders in the US, I’ve chatted on line with Leaders in New Zealand and in the real world, I’ve camped with Greek and Swedish Scouts. Some of my Scouts will be going to a camp next month where they will be hosting some Norwegian Scouts.

Isn’t it a good idea to belong to an organisation where you have friends all over the world who share the same beliefs?

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1st Gilwell Park Scout Group

I was presented with my Wood Badge last night at our AGM, so I’m now officially a member of the largest Scout Group in the world! 1st Gilwell is the Group every Scouter belongs to when they get their Wood Badge.

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Me getting my beads from the District Commissioner

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Ralph for President

I was reading this post by Jerry of the Scoutmasterminute.com on the qualities needed for a US President. He was saying that if the President and politicians followed the (US) Scout Law, then he or she couldn't go too far wrong!

A very good idea I thought, until my mischievous side remembered seeing this –

ralph_poster_01

Ralph Wiggum for President in 2008!

I decided not to post this as a comment on Jerry's blog as it would detract from his sensible comment. So I hope Jerry can forgive me for the slight mickey take!

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Bye Bye Beeb.net

Back in 1999, I signed up to beeb.net to provide my dial up internet connection. Since then I continued to use the email address that was associated with the account as it was easy to remember and was my name. However, the BBC decided to close the service and it was shut down yesterday. 🙁

The thing with this email address was that I never had a single bit of spam through it. Not bad for 9 years use!

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Photography is now Banned (Apparently)!

There seems to be an increasing trend that people who take photographs of landscapes, buildings, transport and general everyday scenes are now considered potential terrorists or paedophiles.

There was a story in the media this week of a chap who was getting abuse for taking photos of buses! This is despite the fact he’s done it in all innocence for many, many years.

It’s quite common to read in the train mags of officious jobsworths stopping people taking pictures of trains on stations as it’s against ‘regulations’ or a ‘health and safety issue’. This is despite Network Rail issuing clear guidelines that say it’s not a problem as long as the rules are followed. Mind, I read the other day that a Train Operating Company had employed someone to do work for them which involved taking photographs on their stations, but when he went to do his job the station staff banned him from doing so! Again ‘health and safety’. Great own goal that I think!

I used to enjoy standing on a station for hours on end taking snaps of the passing trains, but now I’m quite reluctant to do so. Having said that, I’m less likely to do so as things are more boring these days!

501 Image04

A class 501 EMU at Gospel Oak taken around 1982 and a class 86 entering Stoke station around 1980

So there we go, two photos I took many years ago, when photos could still be taken without suspicion!

In fact, things have now got so silly that the MP Austin Mitchell has now tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament about this issue.

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Learning About Other People’s Needs

Despite the fact I work in a special needs school, I'm not very conversant with the conditions some of the kids in the school have. Working in the IT department I don't really need to, to be honest.

However, last week I was informed by the Scout's County Office of a meeting concerning  children with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder). So I went along and coincidently it was at work! I have had a Beaver and a Scout with Asperger Syndrome in the Group before, but it helps to learn more.

It was an interesting couple of hours and I learned quite a bit. So when the next child comes along with ASD, we'll be better prepared!

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Keeping it Simple

It occurred to me last night that sometimes the simple things are the best.

The Beavers and Cubs couldn’t meet at the Hall last night as the Church were setting up for their summer fair. So we took them down to The Marsh to play some games (I say we, but what I actually mean is the other Leaders took them. I stood around, watched and chatted to the parents!). The weather behaved and it was a lovely sunny evening (the forecast was rain – unsurprisingly).

They played a couple of relay games, a quick game of cricket, did games with a new play parachute and finally had a quick game of football.

Nothing difficult, complicated or taking ages to organise there. The Beavers and Cubs (and Leaders and parents) had a great time and enjoyed running round and playing the games. What could be better?

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Old Scouting Books

I’ve stumbled across an interesting Canadian web site that hosts PDF copies of old Scouting books. This obviously has a Canadian slant, but it has loads of the Gilcraft books and books by BP himself. Well worth a look for Scouts of any country!

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My Blog Header Image

The photo at the top of my blog was taken on my then mobile phone, a Nokia N80, on a Saturday morning in November 2006. I was with our Cubs at Barnswood and took the photo after I’d taken some rubbish down to the bins. The sun was rising and I thought it was too good an opportunity to miss. I rather wished I had a real camera with me at the time, but you can’t really carry a camera around when emptying bins!

I took about 7 or 8 photos and thought I’d be able to put them together back at home to form a panorama. When I did, I used Photoshop  and this came out.

Barnswood (Large)

Not bad I thought! I wasn’t too happy with the join lines, but still it gave the right idea.

Then today, I was looking up some other info for something I wanted to do in Photoshop and I came across a little programme called Autostitch. This takes the individual photos and combines them to form a panorama but without the join lines! Reading a bit more into the site, I found out that this application is incorporated into Windows Live Photogallery! So using that, I came up with this.

04112006094 Stitch

No join lines! So after cropping and resizing to the correct dimensions, I’ve now got the improved image as my header.