Updates and Musings

This is a quick post that isn’t really designed to be read, but is to collect my thoughts about what jobs need to be done around my various web presences such as updating, tidying up, general procrastination as well as maybe other projects that have fallen by the wayside that need to be picked up again. Guess I’m going through a phase where I’m re-evaluating a lot of things, and the list I’m gathering below is at least a set of objectives that need to be sorted out, and with a bit of effort can be done so quite easily, so it’s a good, safe, place to start. Other things may not be so straightforward! Was going to call it a checklist, but that will make me feel guilty if several months down the road very little of it has been tackled, so let’s call it a wishlist instead!

• Backlog of Evernote notes: Since installing Evernote on PC/tablet/phone I’ve been building up a nice little collection of things I’d like to blog/think about, but as with all things have not found the time to actually do so. Next step is to go through them and do a good prune (they are already filed in topics) and then try to get organised to take some of them further.
• CV: My CV is horribly out of date (both online and paper versions), since last updated my teaching has had added to it my new Virtual Maths module, IATL projects and other bits and pieces, I also need to add my Warwick in Africa and IGGY involvements and my Uni Committee memberships and responsibilities has expanded somewhat. Not that I’m planning to look for a new job, but always handy to keep it up to date.
• IGGY Monopoly: Over a year ago I started to put together a short online Monopoly session for gifted kids to be used by IGGY (as a starting point using Ian Stewart’s excellent article on Monopoloy strategies which has since appeared in one of his books) but it quite rapidly started to snowball into a much more substantial offering going into facets of the problem in more depth and so it got mothballed. It’s something I do really want to get rolling again though, either ending up with IGGY still or plonked up on Dave-Wood.Org somewhere.
• Changes to Fourmile Castle: My Second Life project was becoming a little unwieldy and needed to be downsized a little to make it a little more cost effective in relation to the income I generate in world. Was sad to see a big chunk go, but before it went I did a little archive which will end up on here. This will probably be job number one given I’ve already started a draft.
• Album reviews: Was planning to do a review of the last Adam Ant album, but that’s now way out of date so will pull that one, but the new(ish) Paul Raymond Project CD is a little more obscure and deserves more publicity. Other odd albums I’ve been picking up could warrant some blogging, but we’ll see.
• More maps: I’m pretty sure I haven’t yet put all my antique maps up on this Blog, so should do an inventory and add a few more. I started with the more visually appealing ones, but some of the others have historical/local interest.
• UFO website: My UFO and Michael Schenker website is woefully out of date, when it first started in the mid 90s it was the place on the Web for news and information, but with official sites, and not having time to update, it’s already become an archive whilst not really saying so. I have made a start on moving everything over to an archived version sitting on a WordPress setup so it doesn’t look so dated, but it wasn’t til I started that I realised what a huge job it was going to be! Need some dedicated time to get it all shifted (working copy is at http://ufonew.dave-wood.org, currently password protected but will remove that once there’s something more substantial there).
• Project software installed: Amongst the many installations on the domain that I’ve been using to make my life easier and to test stuff out is an instance of Feng Office which I’ve never really started using in anger. I still think it would help to keep on top of all the various projects I’m working on, both professionally and personally, but haven’t really made the most of it yet. Maybe soon.
• Research strands: On top of all this, there are various research projects I’m working on, really need to find a way to organise these better, and something online where I can access it from anywhere is very appealing.

Well, that should all keep me busy for a bit!