My Google+ Plan

As much as I try to avoid getting all het-up over brands, I have to admit that I'm a bit of a Google fanboy. O.k, so they appear to be trying to take over the world, which in some people's eyes makes them about as bad as Microsoft, Apple, McDonalds and SuperDry. The biggest difference, in my eyes, is that they're doing it without making me pay anything.

Their latest offering is Google+, a social/networking effort that's trying to add itself to that list currently populated by the likes of MySpace and Bebo, and arguably headed by Facebook, with Twitter setting up a bit of an orthogonal branch to the genre. I'm giving it a try for two reasons:

1. It's a new, free toy and as such must be played with.
2. I am, as previously stated, a Google fanboy.

But as a social networking platform it won't work unless there's someone to be social or to network with. At the same time, many people don't want to join unless they can be assured it works and is better than what they use at the moment. Bit of a catch-22, and it's where geeks like me and thee come in.

So here's my Google+ plan:

• I want to find people who are mutually interested in linking up on Google+ for whatever reason to expand my contact base. I'm happy for this to be almost indiscriminate, though it would probably help for networking purposes if we had something in common. Take a look at my Google+ profile and see if there are any mutual interests going on.
• After a few weeks (or however long it takes to get a decent number of people in my circles and me in theirs) I'll make a series of posts designed to fish out people with different interests or backgrounds and sort people into dedicated groups for each of these.
• Hope that Google+ doesn't go the way of Wave and Buzz*, and that they continue to develop it and introduce the features that I'm desperate for.

What am I expecting?

My thoughts at the moment are that Google+ might become that mid-point between Twitter and Facebook; a happy medium between the useful but restricted quickfire interactions of Twitter, and the inane FarmVille-in-your-face-ing of Facebook. It appears to be a bit better set up with regards to networking and collaboration on a professional level, with Circles doing what Twitter's Lists should do but don't whilst being more fluid than Facebook's Groups and Pages.

Add me!

The only way Google+ can be useful is if there are people to interact with, so get the ball rolling and sign up. At the moment you'll need an invite, so feel free to send me a private message somewhere with your email address and I'll send you one, or just ask your Twitter and/or Facebook contacts- someone will have one, I'm sure.

And then take a look at my profile: https://plus.google.com/u/0/103867628699779359922

Please consider adding me to your personal circles if you've got any of the following in common with me:

• Location: You're in or around Kettering in Northamptonshire, England
• Professional: You're a teacher at any level with a particular interest in maths and/or science (I'm a secondary maths teacher)
• Personal: You like/ are interested in reading, science fiction, mathematics, science, astronomy, playing guitar, classic rock music, Doctor Who, the Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy, real ale, religion (I'm an atheist), blogging, technology, Queen (as in the band, not the monarch), pseudoscience (like homeopathy etc. And I mean laughing about/ debunking rather than practicing), general geekery, errrr, lots of other stuff (check out the tags in the bar on the right-hand side of this blog)

* Buzz is now entirely unnecessary in the shadow of +. I hope they phase it out or integrate it properly with +. Come to think of it, Wave could possibly be more useful as a collaborative tool within +, but that's just thinking out loud.

#project365 day 155: It was remiss of me...

... to not take a photo while out walking today, so here's a photo (of sorts) of the entire walk.

It started at the King's Head (bottom right) and ended up at Lyveden New Bield (top left), a very interesting never-completed country house. We then walked back again and had a very nice lunch (and I a lovely locally brewed cider) at the King's Head.

#project365 day 115: O.k, I forgot (again) to post on Monday...

... but I'll post this one of me displaying my Mad Skillz in the hope that it will fill the hole.

Think before you tick: A comment on the UK Census

Yesterday, a census form fell onto my doormat. Yours, if you reside in the UK, will probably have arrived by now too.

The UK census is undertaken every ten years (since 1801*) and is intended to provide a snapshot of the UK and the characteristics and variety of its people. But you know all that.

What interests me is the section about religion. One simple question that asks which religion you perceive yourself to be a member of. I have an issue with this before we even start: The question itself is biased, implying that any particular reader follows a religion to start with. But that's an issue being debated by many, and not what I want to talk about. What I want to talk about is this:

I know a lot of people. There are a small number who, through considered and thoughtful choice, will tick "Christian", or any of the other religions available. This is fine.

There are a small number who, through considered and thoughtful choice, will tick either "No religion" or "other", and then enter "Atheist". This is also fine.

There are an even smaller number who will, though they have thought about and considered the great questions of life, the universe and everything, reached a very firm state of not having decided, and tick "other," entering "Agnostic". This, too, is fine.

The vast majority, however, will simply tick whichever box sits next to the name of the religion (or group of religions) that they have grown up being told they are. In the UK, many people will make their 'choice' based on one of the following viewpoints:

• I live in the UK, am British, and this country's religion is "Christian".
• My parents always told me I was [insert religion], so that's what I am.
• I go to church twice a year, so I must be [insert religion].
• I'm rebelling deliberately against my perceived expectations and am therefore ticking "No religion," or "Atheist."
• I'm rebelling a little bit, but I'm not an anarchist or anything, so I'll tick "other" and write "Agnostic".
• I'll write "Jedi" because I actually believe all that rubbish bouncing around the internet that they'll introduce it as an option if enough people do so.

This is not fine. This is very not fine.

Religion is still one of those things that's passed down from generation to generation. Yes, there are people who decide for themselves and make a considered decision either way, but it is my firm belief, based on social and professional interactions with a wide range of people, that most individuals don't think all that much about which religion they subscribe to, if any at all.

I'm not making these observations or statements in an attempt to offend anyone, although someone will undoubtedly take offence one way or another. I'm not making any kind of ploy to skew the results and encourage people to tick one thing or another. I'm deliberately not mentioning which box I'll be ticking, although both people who read this will probably already know. I'm simply asking everyone to do one thing:

Please think about it first.

Please don't let yourself be pressurised into ticking one box or another because you think it's expected. Please don't tick a box just because that's what you always tick, or because that's what your parents always used to tick for you, or because that's just what you always say when someone asks.

You are an individual person with individual beliefs, opinions, ideas and thought processes. Use them to tick the box that truly represents you as a member of our society in 2011. This is the only way that the UK Census can be any use whatsoever.

I've based these comments around the 'Your Religion' section of the census, but I think they're equally applicable to the 'National Identity,' 'Ethnic Group,' and even 'Your Sex' for many people.

* With a gap in 1941, and an extra one in 1966

How to play minesweeper on your Kindle

I was gutted that Jo found this out before me, but it turns out that the developers of Amazon's Kindle ebook reader have included a couple of Easter eggs for customers to discover. Not least of these are two games: the classic Minesweeper and a possibly more classic noughts and crosses style game.

- To access the minesweeper game, make sure you're on the home screen of your Kindle, then simply hold down the 'alt' and shift (up arrow) keys and press 'm'.

- To access the Os & Xs game, open up the minesweeper game and then press 'g'.

Your comments, please: do you know of any other secrets, tips or tricks for the Kindle?