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Compsoc Old Guard Reunion
More than a decade ago, I innocently sent an email to the (then) Dept of Computer Science mailing list at Edinburgh University asking whether there was a Computing Society. The reply was “no, maybe you should start one”.
So I did.
Since then, we managed to assimilate the A.I. Soc, kidnapped their Cascade Scheme (and redeployed it, thanks to the drive from Paul Hamiliton) (and we also changed the stuffed toy from a Moose to a Monkey, to reflect the move to Appleton Tower), and started a series of Special Interest Groups which boasts Hoppers as part of it.
Nowadays, Compsoc is a much, much bigger organisation than I ever imagined. I can’t even come near to claiming any credit for this. Each year, each new committee breathes new life into the society and for the past 2-3 years, the folks involved have been amazing. Compsoc even runs its’ own version of Techmeetup – a monthly gathering of people from industry to engage with undergrad students here. I’m immensely proud of what they’ve achieved and hope that this continues long into the future.
Back at the start, Back with the Old Guard
It wasn’t easy though. For the first year, we even struggled to get the 20 signatures required to be recognised as an official society. Our main project was EARWIG – a MMORPG based around navigating your way from the JCMB entrance to finding Stephen Gilmore’s (our 1st year Director) office. The whole thing was supposed to be implemented in Java. Needless-to-say, EARWIG’s vision was never fully realised in code, but we did spend many hours and days debating its architecture and implementation.
As with any society, there was the ‘core’ lot of people that ran the show, most notably: Mark Miles, Paul Hamiliton, Michael Eng, Alex P. We were affectionally nicknamed as the “Old Guard”. As rarely as we get to see each other nowadays, when we do get together, it’s as if we’re back in 2000.
Luckily, a few weeks ago, Mark (now in Germany) and Michael (now in Japan) happen to be in town the same week as each other and we had an impromptu reunion. The CompSoc Time Capsule is now resurrected and placed under Paul’s command. So for a bit of nostalgia, here’s a few photos of us through the years …
Here we are back in 2000:
Then again in the 5 year anniversary (2005):
And the most recent one … (again at the Pear Tree):
Find me at … [Speaking Engagements]
Over the next few months, I’m going to be speaking at quite a few engagements about multitouch and iPads. Would love to hear from anyone else going along as well …
13th April – Mobile Apps Group, 6-7pm, InSpace
This is an event as part of the Science Festival. Alongside Anthony Ashbrook (Mobile Acuity, Augmented Reality), Gavin Dutch (Kotikan, Event Guides) and myself, we’ll be talking about the past, present and future of mobile.
This open Mobile Innovation Camp (MIC) is on Gamification and will be held in Dundee. My talk will be based around the game mechanics in Cityville and how they are used to fuel our addiction.
7-9th Sept, 1st iOSDev UK Conference, Aberystwyth
The first ever iOS Development conference in the UK. I’ll be talking about designing and developing multi-user applications on the iPad.
So there you go, if you’re going along to any of these events, please drop by and say hi!
Predictions for 2011 – 5. Massive Growth of iOS Content Management Systems
This is the last instalment of my predictions for the big tech trends this year. To recap, they have been:
1. Home Entertainment Embracing the Second Screen
2. Gamification of Everything
3. The Rise of Multi-user, Multi-device apps
4. A Re-Focus on Non-Smartphones
5. Massive Growth of iOS Content Management Systems
Everyone wants an iPhone app. EVERYONE. Why? Look at the stats – according to one report, it is estimated that revenues will hit 2 billion dollars in the iPhone apps store this year … Just like everyone wanted a website back in the early 2000s, we’re seeing a similar trend with iPhone/Android apps.
Building websites back in 2001 was a pain, in the same way that building iPhone apps nowadays is not exactly a walk in the park (Objective-C is about as much fun as brussel sprouts – its an acquired taste). Thankfully, Content Management Systems (CMS) began springing up to help build and maintain websites in a much less painful way. Once configured and installed, a website could be handed over to your regular user and they could update as much as they want. And this year, I predict that we will see a similar trend with iPhone/iPad apps.
Two startups with iPhone building systems that impress me at the moment – Red Foundry and AppMakr. I’ve been lucky enough to beta test Red Foundry’s system in the last two months and I have to say, I’m really impressed with the look and feel of the final output of the app. There’s a CMS type option where you can produce a “magazine” type app using RSS feeds. There is also a more advanced version using a markup language. Either way, it is now possible for a non-programmer to build and update an iPhone app. To me, systems like these will help to bridge the demand for iPhone apps and the lack of iPhone developers.
I think 2011 will see a massive growth in the use of these systems – especially since the smartphone market is growing and growing.
This is the last instalment of my predictions for the big tech trends this year. Have you got a list of your own? or do you have any comments on this? Feel free to drop them below.
Predictions for 2011 – 4. A Re-Focus on Non-Smartphones
This is the fourth instalment of my predictions for big tech trends for 2011. You can read predictions 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
4. A Re-Focus on Non-Smartphones
Remember the days when you didn’t have a smartphone? I only switched over to an iPhone in Nov (let me add that this was after some cruel bullying by all the other geeks in Appleton Tower about how the screen on my Nokia N95 didn’t ‘work’ – peer pressure is harsh 
and I don’t think I could ever live without it. But sometimes it’s hard to remember that people with smartphones are the exception rather than the norm. According to a recent report published by Nielson (Jan 2011), just under 70% of the phones are non-smartphones – a statistic that is sometimes forgot when the discussions about iOS vs android (vs Web OS) are dragged up.
This really means there is a huge market out there for any startup that can make feature phone services. Hailed as the next big startup – GroupMe – is a service which allows people to set up little groups that they can text with a single number. These groups can be set up for an hour, a day or a week. It just makes communicating with a bunch of people fairly easy. One scenario would be being on a long weekend with a bunch of friends; you can set up a short number to allow people to communicate with each other when everyone is off doing their own thing.
I know that local mobile design company – Yiibu – is re-focusing on mobile web design. Bryan has an excellent presentation on this:
The web isn’t just about smartphones and I think this year, with the upcoming success of GroupMe, we’ll see a bunch of new startups which will shun away from smartphones only and tap into the huge market of non-smartphones.
Predictions for 2011 – 3. The Rise of Multi-user, Multi-device Tablet Applications
This is the third instalment of my predictions for big tech trends in 2011. Read prediction 1 and prediction 2 as well …
3. The Rise of Multi-user, Multi-device Tablet Applications
Multi-user games and apps are not new (just look at World of Warcraft), but alongside the rise of the new multi-touch tablets, a new type of user experience is possible: co-located, multi-user applications. In other words, apps which allow two or more people to simulatenously interact together over the same device. Continue reading
Predictions for 2011 – 2. Gamification of Everything
Yesterday I posted my first prediction for big technology trends for 2o11 – home entertainment embracing the 2nd screen. Today’s trend is …
2. Gamification of everything
I was first introduced to the concept of Gamification back in Nov by Alicia Dudek at one of the Girl Geek Dinners. In brief, gamification is the use of gaming priniciples for everyday life. 4square is often mentioned as an example, as well as Farmville/FrontierVille/CityVille. While the ‘theory’ behind gamification is drawn from the recent invention of video games, it can be applied to a number of seemingly unrelated fields such as marketing and web app design. Not convinced? Just look at loyalty schemes where Continue reading
Predictions for 2011 – 1. Home entertainment embracing the second screen
So, the naugties are over and we’re heading straight into 2011. Over the next five days, I’m going to writing about what I think will be the next big tech trends this coming year.
1. Home entertainment embracing the Second screen
CES 2011 has already seen titles like “tablet wars“. The iPad has made the tablet form factor /the/ latest gadget to have back in 2010, and this year, a whole pile of Windows and Android based tablets are coming out making them even cheaper and more accessible. What does this mean? Well, most people have commented on how iPads are the perfect sofa companion. Its Continue reading
Pun-tastic! Ronnie Corbett and Harry Enfield’s Blackberry sketch
Funniest comedy sketch ever.
30 before 30 list
Last week, I turned 29. The birthday parties in Edinburgh and London were both awesome and surrounded by awesome friends. But at the back of my mind, I was slowly coming to terms with the fact that I’m going to be turning 30 next year.
Even though 30 is just a number I’m told – and it is – it’s still a bit of a milestone for anyone. So, I decided that I would celebrate the milestone by doing 30 things before I turned 30. The aim is to attempt to do as many of them as I can before next Sept.
This list is really a combination of things that I really want to do, things that are unusual for me, and things that will push and challenge me. I’ve posted this list here because if you have any suggestions or can help me achieve these things, then I would love to hear from you through the comments.
Its taken a week or two, but after speaking to several friends about this, I’ve finalised the list …
1. [completed - 2/9/2010]
2.
3. Ride a motorbike
4. Go rock climbing
5. Visit New York
6. Dye my hair Continue reading
