Your average Joe on the street is probably now familiar with other Google products such as Google Mail, Google Chrome, Android & Google Maps.

But, there’s a lot more to Google’s offering than this, and it would seem that they’re continuously churning out a large plethora of APIs and web services.

Now one that has interested me for a long time now is the Google Fusion API.  About a year or so ago I was involved with a project that used the Google Maps Data API. We wanted to plot a large number of points on a Google Map, and the usual approach of plotting them with large javascript loops just didn’t cut it.  The Google Maps Data API seemed to resolve this by allowing you to store data on Google’s servers and then request a pre-populated map.  Now when I wanted to revisit this earlier in the year, I was slightly disappointed that Google had dropped this and replaced it with Google Fusion.  So a bit of research, a few hours of prodding around, and I’d worked out how I could now use Google Fusion to do the same kind of things, albeit in a better way.

The Google Fusion API allows web developers to integrate with Google’s Fusion tables product (note both are in Google’s version of Beta).  Google’s Fusion tables basically provide you with a Google hosted database platform on to which you can create tables and store data.  The Google Fusion API allows you to interact with a table, providing you with the usual Select, Insert, Update and Delete operations.

So this may not sound that amazing – we can do the same kind of stuff much more easily with a local SQL database. But, the uber cool thing about this is that Google Fusion tables work nicely with Google Maps.  Basically, you can create a Google Fusion table, store in it latitude and longitudes, and then plot these on a Google Map with great ease.

When embedding your Google Map, you can simply create a Google Fusion Tables Layer, specify a table ID and bingo, the data will be pre-plotted on the map for you.  Add in to this the fact that you can even add in a query, and you can start to see how this can be really useful.

Anyway, I’m not going to spoil the fun, so I’ll leave you to go and explore yourself!

RAF Lyneham, our local RAF base just a few miles from Swindon has for many, many years (44 to be precise) been home to a large fleet of the RAF’s Hercules.  These planes have become famous over the last few years in their association with the repatriations that have taken place just down the road in (now Royal) Wootton Bassett.  The Hercules have long been the workhorse of the RAF, transporting troops and supplies to the likes of Afghanistan & other Middle Eastern countries.

But for those of us that have grown up in Swindonia, we’ve grown up alongside these big beasts of the air.  I remember fondly seeing Hercules circling above us almost continuously when I was growing up – in fact if a day passed when you didn’t see one, you’d feel there was something wrong!  I remember when I was younger having the opportunity to go to RAF Lyneham for a look around, and being rather surprised when we climbed into a Herc to see it was actually smaller than you thought. Truth was that they just used to fly rather low above our heads!!

When I left Swindon to go to Uni, and subsequently live away from Swindon after, I realised how used I’d gotten to those planes, and so when I moved back to Swindon a few years ago, it was quite sad to see that there just weren’t so many flying around as when I was younger.

But anyways, in recent years, the decision was made that RAF Lyneham would be closed, and the Hercs and crews all relocated to Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.  The move has been a gradual one, and will complete next year. However, today was the day that the final planes left Wiltshire to never return again.

In a rather fitting tribute, 4 planes did a lap of honour over the towns of Wiltshire, flying low in formation so those that wanted to could pay their respects.  I was fortunate that I managed to get a glimpse as they skimmed the North edge of Swindon, and shot a rather shaky phone video (see below).

Now I’m not much of a plane spotter, but I’d grown to know a Herc on site and sound, and when you’ve grown up surrounded by such magnificent planes, it’s hard to not feel a little sad to know that they’ve now moved on.

Users of Google+ found that they were able to share posts with users outside (via email) and this would effectively invite that outside user to come and join in with all the fun!  And so, after having previously done some reading & watched some videos about Google+, I was in!

So what is it all about? Google+ is a social network – many people have been comparing it with Facebook, but with a few twists.  Google+ is based around the concept of Circles. Circles are a way of organising your friends into groups in the way in which you want to organise them. For example, you can create a circle for close friends, one for family, another for work colleagues, and so on. By splitting your friends into Circles, you can then control what you share, and with whom.

For example, if you write a post on your profile (just as you might on Facebook), you are prompted to choose who to share it with. You can select to make it public (accessible to all), available to all your circles (i.e. all your friends), or you can select a specific Circle (or a few Circles).

This is a huge departure from Facebook in that you can choose who you want to share things with, as opposed to push it out to all and sundry. For example, you might find a really neat techy story that you really want to share with your techy mates, but not your family. Circles allow you to do this in a way that Facebook just can’t handle.
Other cool features include multi-user video chat – something that Skype charges a premium for, and something that I found particularly intriguing – the way in which Google+ handles photos from Android phones.

I blogged before about my thoughts on the iCloud, and the way in which it allows users to seamlessly synchronise across different devices. Well here, in Google+, we have the emergence of a similar feature. For those Google+ users that have an Android phone with the Google+ app, you can have your phone automatically upload photos taken with the phone’s built in camera app to Google+ instantly. Once you’ve taken a photo, it’s pushed up to Google+ where it sits inside a private photo album. The user can then choose to share that photo (with Circles, etc).

This is rather similar to the functionality offered in the upcoming iOS 5 & iCloud. Could it be that Google are set to build an iCloud rival hidden under the skin of Google+? Now there’s a thought…

Fortunately, I was not to be diving into the complete unknown – my good friend Mr Tingley & his colleague, Simon, from Conjure were both going along, as was my friend James from 20:20 – and we were to enjoy a presentation from none other than “Little” Jon Leighton, an old friend from times at Dunwoody/Mirashade.

But before I get carried away, let me explain the concept of a “Geek Night.” At first, the very name of it probably scares away half the population – and maybe that’s kind of the intention. For a Geek Night is more akin to an underground meeting of people plotting. I’d throw a Pirate analogy in here, but I’ll refrain from making this too piratey. That’s what memory games are for. Arrrrr.

So the concept is thus. Like-minded and driven individuals that work with or have an interest in technology converge in one place, for one evening, to network, drink, listen and chat. The formats generally revolve around several main presentations in which the speakers will talk about a topic in which they are particularly passionate about. This may be a project they’re involved with, a new & exciting technology or maybe even something tangental. The main crux is getting people talking, sharing ideas and networking. I’d like to imagine that it’s not 100 miles from the kind of meetings that have taken place throughout history and resulted in new ideas and scientific breakthroughs.

The meetings really aren’t as geeky as one might expect. The Oxford Geek Night takes place at the Jericho Tavern (which kickstarted both Radiohead and Supergrass) in an informal setting – and there was even money behind the bar. There were several presentations on a variety of topics, and each was broken up by lengthy breaks in which you could discuss or just plain catch up. I won’t go into the actual content of the evening, as there is plenty of information available on the website for those that are interested. Needless to say, it was quite inspiring & these kind of things can only accelerate one’s brain to that point of random genius.

As a freelancer, I found the evening invaluable. It helped to pump some more random ideas into my head to join with all the other random ideas and concepts. It was great for networking too and to get an idea as to what others are up to. I wish I’d started going before when I still worked at 20:20. Maybe it would have slowed the feeling of tedium that had settled in before I’d left, and so I’d urge anyone working in an agency to try and find a local geek night and get down there. For me it’s ideal, and I look forward to going to the next one, as well as the more frequent nights in Reading. These kind of events are really important, and to those that care, they’re invaluable.

Don’t be afraid to embrace that inner geek. Geeks are cool, don’t you know…

The move from working in an agency to freelance is not something that can be taken lightly.  It’s a big culture change (in many ways a positive change), but the biggest worry is that number one thing that as you are now your own boss, you are responsible for finding work.

I was very fortunate in that I’ve gained a good, strong network of connections over the past few years and through that network I managed to get a placement working client-side.

Having only ever worked in an agency environment, I’d much assumed that working client-side would be much the same.  To my pleasant surprise, I’ve found myself in a much less pressured environment.  It really opened my eyes to the high-octane speed at which agencies work and the high pressures upon the staff producing the work.

From a client perspective, going client-side has been a benefit too.  Having someone in-house with agency experience appears to be a big benefit. As it happens, the client has been trying to rid itself of the over-priced shackles of its incumbent agency. Having developers in-house is cheaper and provides the same quality of work – but with less stress and less money!

The ‘Cloud’ has become somewhat of a buzz word over the past few years, in much the way that ‘Web 2.0′ and ‘HTML 5′ have been banded around as the next generation of the internet in.  Unfortunately a lot of marketing hype have muddied what these terms actually mean and represent – I’m thinking in particular about Microsoft’s “To the Cloud…” adverts featuring a flip over table with a Laptop on each side.

Essentially the concept of the ‘Cloud’ is the move of data, software, etc from your desk to the internet.  Instead of storing your files on your PC on your desk, your files are stored online, allowing you to access them from any device that has an internet connection.  It’s not new, and many companies have been offering services like this for ages.  Webmail, for example, could be classed as a Cloud technology that most people are familiar with.  Google Docs, allowing you to produce documents in your web browser, is another.

So why is iCloud any different? Well, in truth it’s not.  A lot of the services offered by iCloud are already in existence – some from the same provider.  Both Google and Microsoft already offer Cloud services, so surely Apple are just playing catch-up?  Well yes, they are, but there is a difference here, and this is the way in which Apple will be offering iCloud.  iCloud will be built into all iOS devices – iPhone, iPod & iPad – and the key thing is that Apple have made it simple to use.  The user just turns on iCloud and that’s it – in effect the user doesn’t need to know that they’re using Cloud technology, worry about how it works, or even how to use it – it’s just there. And this is one thing Apple are really good at – making things simple.

So whilst others have released and promoted Cloud technologies before, it will be Apple that will get it into the hands of the everyday user, and raise the awareness of the technology.

But all this reliance on the Cloud, is it a healthy thing?  Well this is a question that is often raised.  A heavier reliance on the Cloud sees our personal data being stored in big anonymous data farms in unknown locations.  We don’t know who has access to the data, what it’s used for & to be honest whether it’s actually safe.

Just take a look at all of the recent controversy surrounding Sony and the multiple data breaches they’ve had.  Millions of customers have had their data exposed by hackers.  Basic information – names & addresses – is one thing to have stolen (and still very bad), but imagine if the iCloud was hacked open – all of your personal information – photos, documents, videos & even text messages – could be vulnerable.  And this is the key thing – as we move more and more towards the Cloud, those companies offering these services need to take responsibility.  iCloud for one will surely become a big target for hackers, and so we have to hope that Apple don’t make the same kind of slip-ups that Sony have made.