Tech Talk: Windows 8.1 - Lock Screen

The first screen to come when firing up the Windows 8.1 is the lock screen. The lock screen shows the background image with icons, time and date. The icons show the amount of battery charge left for the device and the internet network connection status and strength. Little thumbnails of apps can be added as notifications which pops up when something comes through for that particular app. It can be further customised to show features from apps such as the Calendar app which can show particular dates/events created in the Calendar to show up on the screen.

To access the customisation of the lock screen, you can open up the charms found on the right side of the screen, click on "Settings" and then "Change PC settings". From here, you can personalise Lock Screen, Account Picture and Password. From this page, click on "PC and devices" and then "Lock Screen" or alternatively click on the image for "Lock Screen" on the default page and this will take you to the page immediately. Also, there is an option to turn on camera from the lock screen with a simple swipe for quick access to it.

There are a number of options to head on to the next screen:

• Desktop computer/laptop - press any key to unlock the screen and proceed either to the password screen or start screen/desktop
• Touch-screen devices - Flick the screen upwards from the bottom or middle of the screen and proceed either to the password screen or start screen/desktop

Moreover, there are additional ways of logging in when prompted for the password:

• Password - good ol' password login
• Picture Password - using a picture you've chosen and signs in with a series of swipes
• PIN - Sign in with a 4-digit number
• Password policy - turn on or off password required to login from sleep

This can changed through the same way as before, open up "PC settings", head over to "Accounts" and choose "Sign-in options". Personally I use picture password as it never ceases to be a fun way to sign-in.

On the password screen, you can switch between password and the picture password/PIN, in case you have problems signing in with the latter options. On the password screen, you can access the Ease of Access functions for those who require special requirements. This also the page where you can shutdown, restart or put your system to sleepy, which I have no real for at the moment but it helps to have it as a precaution!

Ommatidium - Samuel Wilkinson and Beau Lotto

The Ommatidium is a permanent art installation created by designer Samuel Wilkinson and Beau Lotto, which is homed on Old Street at the Hoxton and Shoreditch end. It is partnered with the “immersive messaging” app Traces and celebrates the tech city that is London playing between the physical and the digital.

The installation is made up of 1,500 glass crystal prisms which refracts sunlight creating a prismatic effect of the colours of the rainbow as light passes through. At night, it is lit by low energy LED lights. It makes use of the “geosocial platform” Traces app which, instead of sending to a person, sends messages and information to a location, and in this case, the Ommatidium. 

#Ommatidium

Tech Talk: Windows 8 and Windows 8.1

Welcome to Tech Talk which will be a space for me to talk tech. So I will be starting it off by looking back at Windows 8 and its improvement in Windows 8.1. The operating system was launched three years after the success of Windows 7 and in many ways 8 succeeded the predecessor, but it did not quite translate it over to the users, while others found solace when using devices with a touch screen. 

Windows 8 opened a whole new world to tablets/hybrids and computers with touch screen as the operating system added in new functions and capabilities for such devices making it more universally adaptable to a variety of devices. The touch reaches the very edges of the screen. It also works well with the traditional manoeuvres of a keyboard and mouse.

It is also the first operating system that allows it to be used on processors other than ones by Intel or AMD (x86 architecture) as it employs the use of ARM processors. ARM is used in many smartphones and mobile devices, which offer simplistic design using power at a low-level.

The minimum system specifications required to run the operating system are as follows:

• 1 GHz or faster processor
• 1 GB RAM (32-bit) or 2GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 10 or higher driver

Windows 8 is much faster in performance as it was designed to be much more slimmer and sleeker than its processor allowing it to work on a wide range of devices. The core processor is much higher in Windows 8 than Windows 7, which gave it a faster start up and shutdown.

With a new design and faster response comes a plethora of new features and enhanced capabilities of the old. These new changes include:

• New lock screen
• New ways to login i.e. PIN or picture password
• Start screen
• Windows Stores and Apps
• Microsoft account integration

Some embraced the new changes that Windows 8 brought but a lot did not take to it with some actually preferring Windows 7 over 8. Microsoft aimed to address this much further down the line by sticking to it firmly and adding new changes which will soon become known as Windows 8.1. This changes aimed to even out the playing field on all levels. The changes include adding in a start button to bring a sense of nostalgia for people missing it and using the same background for both the start screen and desktop. Improvements were added to existing features such as a new facelift for thru Windows Store, able to change the size of tiles, boot directly to the desktop and new additional touch gestures.

I'm going to do a full run of Windows 8.1 of the new features and capabilities. Of course, I will also do a full run through Windows 10 and the hark back it does in bringing together the best of both worlds.

#Windows8

King's Cross Bee Trail

The King’s Cross Bee Trail created in conjunction with the Honey Club was hosted around the surrounding areas in King’s Cross from 5 August to 21 September 2015. The trail aims to educate on how we can help bees raise in numbers, get us closer to them and do some bee spotting.

 

1. Granary Square

The trail starts off in Granary Square where we learn about the problem behind the number of bees falling. The main issue with urban environments such as London do not allow bees to thrive as they may not find enough places to collect pollen from plants as well as little places for them to live. 97% of wildlife meadows have disappeared resulting from modern farming and urbanisation in the UK since 1945. Without any places to forage, there is no food supply for bees, which spells trouble for us as they help pollinate two thirds of our food as well as bringing the whole ecosystem to slowly disintegrate.

 

Hyssops, a culinary herb, can be found running along the restaurants’ sides in Granary Square from July to September.

 

2. Camley Street Natural Park

This segment allows participants to look for bees within an area of forage at Camley Street wild patch picking a spot about 2 metres squared with 30 seconds to complete the activity. The different bees to spot are the honey bee, the buff-tailed bumblebee, the common carder bee and the leafcutter bee. The bees counted would be collected into a database. This activity unlocks vouchers to restaurants Dishoom and the Grain Store.

 

3. Handyside Gardens (south)

This part of the trail follows on from the previous with another 30 seconds challenge of counting the bees spotted in plots of plants lined up along this side of the Garden. This activity unlocks voucher to the Greek Larder and Rotunda.

4. Handyside Gardens (north)

Bees only eat nectar and pollen from plants, which they feed on from early spring to late autumn. The Honeybees like simple daisy-like flowers. Some bees may have long tongues which are used to drink nectar from tubular flowers.

 

Bees won’t like certain things such as double-headed flowers which they find difficulty in getting the pollen and nectar. Pelargoniums which are often mis-sold as geraniums are sterile and should be replaced by true geranium for pollen and nectar. Weed killers and pesticide should not be used as they are linked to bee deaths worldwide.

 

Ways to help bees out are first-off to plant bee-friendly plants in gardens, window boxes, pots and hanging baskets. Allow the growth of flowers, vegetable bolt and dandelions in the lawn as well as wild patches and a tree for bees to forage. Not only can we do our bit but we can also put the word forward to councils and landscape managers to plant bee-friendly plants and trees.

 

5. King’s Cross Pond

This part of the trail explores beekeeping and the importance of it. A beekeeper can manage up to a colony of 50,000 honeybees. They create honey for food during the winter season which are harvested for us to eat. You can enrol on a course with a local beekeeping association or mentor which can be found on the British Beekeeping Association and Urban Bees.

 

Bees pollinate a high number of foods that we eat which include fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, as well as coffee and chocolate. Birds rely on them as they feast on berries and nuts, showing the importance of bees to the ecosystem.

 

The changing landscape is leading to a decline of places for bees to feed and live, but King’s Cross which is going through many developments at the moment, are keeping sustainability key in their development. They have created green roofs and tree planting schemes, which will benefit both bees and people. Even the trains are doing their bit by carrying a varied amount of different pollens into the city which contribute to the diverse state of habitats for bees.

 

6. Viewing Platform

Another 30 seconds bee count challenge at the wild patches found skirting along the bottom of the viewing platform near King’s Cross Pond. This unlocks a voucher for Skip Garden.

 

7. Skip Garden

The last part of the trail ends at Skip Garden. Bees are under threat as there are less places that are undisturbed and solitary wastelands for wild bumblebees to nest. There are many places where bees can live such as man-made hives, holes in the ground, old animal nests, pile of leaves and bird boxes. Ways to create homes for bees can be found at beeconservation.org and urbanbees.co.uk.

 

The app is available for download on Apple and Android devices and uses Bluetooth technology to connect to the hotspots to unlock the content at each stop. Alternatively, codes can be found at each stop which can be inputted into the app. I hope they bring this back as a permanent fixture as the trail is of course very enlightening about how our interactions can help bees grow and thrive.

#KXBeeTrail

Barbican Centre - Aaron Koblin and Ben Tricklebank: Light Echoes

Light Echoes is shown in the Curve gallery in the Barbican Centre between 27 June to 6 September 2015. The installation is created by Aaron Koblin and Ben Tricklebank. The installation creates an environment that “plays with time, space and sensory perception”.

Employing laser projections, the installation sends out intervals and a wall of light as it slowly shifts through the Curve. The piece itself feels like a pilgrimage as you slowly follow the light as you pace the sands under you with ominous music playing in the foreground. The installation finishes with a still video of what was captured during the journey.

 

#LightEchoes

Hans Haacke - Gift Horse

A bronze sculpture can be found on the Fourth Plinth of Trafalgar Square. It comes in a form of a skeletal horse that is Hans Haacke’s Gift Horse. It was unveiled on 5 March 2015, becoming the 10^th commissioned art installation for the Fourth Plinth. It’ll be taken down on 6 March 2016.

Strangely enough, the Fourth Plinth was originally intended to have a statue of William IV on horseback but due to lack of funds, it did not materialise.

The sculpture was inspired by a painting of Inspired by a painting of George Stubbs (The Anatomy of the Horse, 1766), which can be found in the National Gallery. The sculpture is done as a tribute to George Stubbs and economist Adam Smith. Haacke describes it as “an invitation to think about whether the invisible hand of the market does promote general welfare or whether there's a misunderstanding, or whether it is totally wrong."

With the apparent skeletal features of the horse, a LED live FSTE 100 ticker of London’s Stock Exchange in a form of a bow/ribbon is attached a leg of the Gift Horse. This of course beings about the intended notion for “experimentation and debate” looking at money and power through an art form. The sculpture weighs at 1,700kg and is 4.57m tall.

#FourthPlinth

Barbican - Roman Signer: Slow Movement

Barbican Centre’s Curve Gallery hosted Roman Signer: Slow Motion from 4 March 2015 to 31 May 2015. The simplisticity of the work explores the social interaction between his work and the audience in a way we react to the beat of the motion.

Roman Signer: Slow Motion follows a canal as it is pulled across along the ceiling through the 90 metre long gallery as if it was moving through a canal. Known for his work that have notions of cause and effect, where he views his experiments as “events” and his audiences as “actions”. This very idea plays in the installation as we and follow the path of the kayak as we become active participants in his event.

Signer’s interest in kayaks began in the early 1980s and spent a great deal for many years being an ardent kayaker. Two films show his adventures through his affirmed interest in the innovation of the different sides of kayaks. For personal reasons, he stopped kayaking but used it in his works in creating two short films: Eskimoroll (Eskimo Roll, 1995) and Kajak (Kayak, 2000). Both films were shown at either end of the gallery.

Eskimoroll showed a kayak bound to a bicycle with rope as it was being pulled along with the bicycle as it rode away, causing the kayak to spin around several times as if capsizing.

Kajak showed a kayak with Signer in it as it was pulled by a car through the Rhine Valley at high speed.

Roman Signer: Slow Motion moves out on to the Foyer and out into the Lakeside Terrace as well.

London Korean Festival 2015

This year's London Korean Festival was held in Trafalgar Square on Sunday 9 August between 12:00 - 20:00. The cultural event had Korean food, music, performances, art and activities.

The stage had music from K-Pop and Rock music bands f(x) and Guckkasten as well as breakdance performances from Jingo Crew and Soul Mavericks. Other performances given came in the from of traditional Korean dances by Yung Myung Hwan Dance Company as well as modernised performances from the Yeon Hee Company. Instrumental music performances were provided by PAN and 4 in Nori. The stage was designed as a catwalk to also showcase the Korean fashion.

There are four "themed zones": Tourism Zone, Food Zone, Contents Zone and Brand Zone. The Tourism was completely packed and there was hardly any way of getting there without a long wait. There were chances to enter a competition with GoKorea for a trip for two to South Korea. I got there around peak lunchtime so queues for the Korean food stalls were lining up along the walls of the Square. The Contents Zone had activities ranging from reading Korean comics through physical books to mediums of technology to fashion. The Brand Zone showcased the latest Korean-based car brands and technology.

 

The K-Music 2015 festival is to be held later this year with music and performances across London through September. You can find out more about it at serious.org.uk/K-Music.

#LondonKoreanFestival

Turbine Festival 2015

The Turbine Festival held at the Turbine Hall in Tate Modern was held this year on Saturday 25 July 2015. The Festival is subtitled “One City One Day” bringing audio-visual experience to anyone that attends.

The event encourages everyone to get involved with the art installations, workshops and activities on display. The day included photography, music, art and technology as they explore different ways to explore different facets of experiencing from using the Oculus to transport to another virtual plane to DJing on a makeshift art turntable to getting your hair styled completely different to what you came in with.

What I particularly liked was FREE2Dance created by Evan Ifekoya where you are given headphones and encouraged to dance like no one is watching. Which I do most of the times anyway!

Live performances come from the main stage set up right at the end of Turbine Hall and I managed to catch Juneau Projects performing as they used their electronic instruments built from perspex, arcade machines and drum triggers.

They’ve created the My Culture Museum as an exhibition where anyone can submit an image of each individual’s culture representation, which could be anything that they wanted it to be. The image would then be displayed in the My Culture Museum exhibition.

#TurbineFestival