The end of the holidays is nigh – rejoice! Isn’t it lovely to get back to normal? Well we think so. With sharpened pencils, a shiny new satchel and an apple for the teacher, we bring you the first Free Press of the new school year.
Back to School with Open Source
Herefordshire Linux & Open Source user Group (aka HLUG) is launching its Open Source for Schools education program on Saturday 17th September at its Software Freedom Day event in All Saints Church, Hereford, from 10-4pm. Come along for software demos, free software, help, support and advice. You can even load up the kids’ laptops with free software for the new term. Find out more here.
Open Source productivity
So how do you use this open source stuff to improve your productivity? If you’re an Android smartphone or tablet user, take a look at this list of the top apps for Getting Stuff Done. It includes little gems such as a range of keyboard speeder-uppers, Smart Office for all the usual office-type programs, EverNote for notes and photos and of course DropBox, which is fully compatible with Smart Office, just to keep everything need and tidy. My favourite is the CamScanner, which effortlessly turns a photo into a PDF.
Who are the new Start-Ups?
We were delighted to read this Start Up Donut article which reveals that:
Students and retirees are turning their back to the traditional job market to set up their own businesses
Hurrah says us. The article demonstrates that older people are using redundancy and retirement “as an opportunity to go it alone”, and students are opting to run their own business in the face of a grim job market. It seems programmes such as Dragon’s Den and The Apprentice are motivating students to believe that they can succeed in their own business. Funny, we would have expected those programs to have completely the opposite effect.
Design inspiration
Does design feature in your business, beyond business cards and the odd flyer? This feature from InspirationFeed sets out to stimulate creativity through a gallery of 30 milk carton designs – yes, milk cartons. Milk is considered “recession-proof” with a short shelf-life, but is that any reason to ignore its styling? The article is thought-provoking, and the designs quite beautiful.
The Green Bit
GreenLight
We’re delighted to announce that Andrew Talbot, Head of Technical Services with Halo Leisure, will be speaking at our September meeting about Halo’s photo-voltaic array (ie solar panels) from a business point of view. Please join us at The Shire Hall, Hereford, from 6pm on Thursday September 15th. It’s completely free with tea, coffee and biscuits thrown in.
- The Open Source Awards – voting begins on September 19th. Win a Kindle!
- Be afraid, be very afraid – alien invasion and the environment
- Is the TARDIS solar-powered?
- Is cloud computing green computing?
Other bits and pieces that have caught our eye recently include:
- The passing of Tony Sale, computer conservationist
- Museums crack QR codes
- A thought-provoking out of office message
- WordPress is powering 15% of the top million websites worldwide (and this one!)