Many of you are probably thinking, my blog has turned into a VMware site, so here are some pictures of the strawberry plants, down on the allotment, I’m still working on. These were planted out last year, and the weather has been so cold, I’ve now covered and cloched two rows, so I’ll hopefully have some strawberries a little earlier.
Just finished weeding my asparagus patch, more photos to come.
It finally happened on the 1st May 2013. In the Gaming-World, I’ve leveled-up!
My Experts Exchange Savant Certificate
Before 1st May 2013: - VMware Prodigy
After 1st May 2013: Note change! VMware Savant
I’ve now joined a very exclusive club, it was going to happen sooner or later, I’m now a VMware Savant at Experts-Exchange.com. As of this post, there are only 11 out of
hanccocka – VMware (yes the 1st VMware Savant!)
It’s Friday, the end of the week, Bank Holiday Weekend, and I’m going to have a RANT!
In the post the other day I received this item from Barclaycard, it’s called a PayTag.
It’s a contact-less payment system,
the instructions state “Just snap off your PayTag sticker and remove the protection backing. Then, just stick it onto the back of your mobile”.
Hang on, lets just rewind there…..Then, just stick it onto the back of your mobile..
WHAT, Why would I stick this crap, on the back of my nice new shiny Nexus 4!
I do wonder if Barclaycard had surveyed it’s customer asking them if they wanted to stick this crap, on their new shiny “eye-candy” expensive mobile phone!
A comment from one colleague “why would I stick that on my phone worth a couple of hundred quid!”
Not very scientific, but I surveyed 6 colleagues in my department, ALL of which have just purchased new shiny mobile phones
Not one of the above people, after showing them the PayTag, wanted to stick this crap on their shiny new mobile phone!
My phone shares the same pocket as my wallet, so why would I not just get my wallet out with my Barclaycard!
Barclaycard, here’s a thought, why not just Develop an iPhone or Android App!
This picture does not feature in the album, it was later emailed to me, by another group member! As you can see the flask is half drunk, and Lindsey has a smile on her face, so must be smashed!
Rock Churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia
It was not widely published, but during the month of March 2013, Lindsey and I went to Ethiopia and Kenya for our holidays, the Ethiopia holiday photographs have now been uploaded to our Holiday Photograph Album
or directly here :- https://andysworld.org.uk/album/Ethiopia/index.html
Lindsey has sorted, and out of the original 1000+ photographs taken, these are the best 40%! These photographs are straight from the camera, and resampled and reduced for viewing on the website, so they are not the original 12MegaPixel images, they have not been retouched either!
VMware have launched a CloudCredibility website, what’s your Cloud Cred?, you get points for completing various Cloud Tasks (some with a VMware twist!).
I’m currently in team vExperts2 – (there are only 6 of us at present, hopefully more will join!)
My Team Members are:-
Andreas Peetz – http://www.v-front.de
nielsengelen – http://foonet.be
Update: I got 50 Cloud Cred Points for blogging this!
Whilst I was sleeping, Lindsey took this picture, of a Robin Chat, it’s either a Rüppell’s Robin-Chat (Cossypha semirufa) or White-browed Robin-Chat (Cossypha heuglini).
Rüppell's Robin-Chat (Cossypha semirufa) or White-browed Robin-Chat (Cossypha heuglini)
Location of Ilkeliani Camp, on the Talek River - Masai Mara National Reserve
The Talek River was the location, that the BBC filmed Bella the Leopard in Big Cat Live!
and these pictures of me sleeping outside the tent, were taken at Ilkeliani Camp, Masai Mara National Reserve. It had been a long day, with a 4.30am start, and Balloon Ride across the Masai Mara National Reserve, traditional Balloon flight Champagne breakfast, followed by a long game drive until 4.00pm, and then Andy was knackered!
Note the banana skins left in the ash tray, later the Gibbons came, and s**t all over the porch and chairs, and sun lounger, and through the ash tray round the back of the tent! I forgot we were in Africa, and Wild Animals were around, you don’t get that issue in England!
I had ordered baked cheesecake at the Java Cafe, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenya – this was the slice of cake that Lindsey received!
The reason for the new camera, and lack of blogs in the last month, Lindsey & I have been on holiday to Ethiopia and Kenya (more pictures later!), but in the meantime….
here’s a photograph of yours truly! (spot the hippo!?)
In Ethiopia, we visited Addis Ababa, Bahar Dar, Lake Tana, Gondar, Simien Mountains, Axum, Lalibela and Wendogenet
Ethiopia Trip
took photographs of the following
• Tississat Falls – the source of the Blue Nile
• Castles of Gondar
• Spectacular scenery in the Simien Mountains
• Stelae of Axum
• Rock-hewn churches of Lalibela
In Kenya we visited Lake Elmenteita, Lake Nakuru, and spent several days in the Maasai Mara, on game drives, and hot air balloon ride across the planes of the Maasai Mara.
Kenya Trip
lots of photographs of monkeys, birds, lions, elephants, antelope ….
Yes, I’ve purchased a new camera, A CANON PowerShot SX50 HS, and yes, it’s a “Bridge Camera”. A halfway house between a compact and D-SLR. I already have a compact camera, and D-SLR, so needed something in the middle, and this boasts a 50x optical zoom lens, equivalent to a 1200mm conventional telephoto lens.
I’m very impressed with the first photographs….(click for full image, straight from camera, no image processing, 12Megapixel – JPEG).
In this first photograph, if you look carefully, you will see our, two Doves on the chimney pots…
0x (no zoom)
in this photograph, at 50x (1200mm) zoom, handheld, no tripod, you can see the Dove, and also notice the lichens on the chimney pot!
50x Optical Zoom
I don’t know how this camera does it, holding a camera in my hand at 50x optical zoom, with Image Stablisation, and it’s able to give me good photograph, with my shaking hands! (I would recommend a tripod! but without, gives good results)
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