The latest headlines and articles from Web Applications(c) 2009, Web Applications UK Ltd. All rights reserved.5Fri, 18 May 2012 13:55:00 GMT<p>It’s that time again, Genius Day - a day where we celebrate the enormous brains of all our Webbies.</p><p>Over the past weeks and months since the announcement of the next Genius Day, everyone has been thinking of ideas for the big day. Working in teams or going it alone, everyone spends the day working on their genius ideas and preparing to present to the rest of us on Monday.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/DSC_0154.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="" /></p> <p>As one of the ways we encourage innovation at Web Applications, the ideas can be anything at all, related to the company or not. But if there is a great idea to benefit the company, the responsible genius could have the satisfaction of seeing their idea implemented. Or, arguably more exciting, the best ideas/presentations get prizes! Varying amounts of e-vouchers are up for grabs for the 3 most genius ideas.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/IMAG0341.jpg" width="500" height="299" alt="" /></p> <p>No Webbie celebration could be complete without a LOT of cake. Overnight, we’ve been busy baking a range of treats including brownies, walnut cake and my legendary chocolate fudge cake. We sure know how to motivate!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/DSC_0152.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="" /></p> <p>The ideas being worked on today are so varied, from practical fixes to existing software to the creation of innovative apps, websites and programs. With talk of igloos, helipads and a bar, who knows what Viv, Sophia and Craig K are up to! For now I must keep my insider knowledge of all the projects to myself, to be revealed by each team on Monday during the presentations.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/IMAG0343.jpg" width="500" height="299" alt="" /></p> <p>So watch this space, as the true genius of our Webbies is about to be exposed to the unsuspecting world (or at least the rest of the office)!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/355.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/355.aspxNatalie BaileyWed, 16 May 2012 16:20:00 GMT<p>For the next step of my Codecademy journey, I learnt a few more basics of HTML including lists and tables.</p><p>As ever, the course began with a quick recap of the basics learned in previous courses, including my old friend the &lt;p&gt; tag. Then I went on to learn how to create lists. There are two types of list – ordered and unordered. For unordered lists, you use the &lt;ul&gt; tag and, naturally, &lt;ol&gt; for organised lists. Neither tag does much on its own until you add &lt;li&gt; tags to specify each item of the list. Unordered lists make the items into bullet points, whereas ordered lists number the items.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/ul tag.png" width="422" height="147" alt="" /></p> <p>To illustrate these tags in practice, I was shown how to view the source of HTML pages through my browser. From this I was also introduced to HTML comments which don’t appear on the webpage anywhere other than in the source. Using &lt;!--I am a comment --&gt;, you can use comments to explain your code, making it much easier to edit later.</p> <p>Section two was all about the different uses of the style attribute. How to change the colour, size and alignment of text were all examined. To determine the colour of text, you can use style=”color:red;” but more commonly, colours are represented with a 6 digit code. The six digit code is hexadecimal, a positional numeral system with a base of 16. It seems quite complicated to me but it basically means that it is comprised of 16 symbols, 0-9 and A-F. The higher the number, the brighter the pixel on screen, 0 is the lowest (black) and F is the brightest. Of the six digit code, the first two digits represent red; the second two represent green and the last two represent blue. The # symbol always has to be used before the code as so; #RRGGBB.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/hextable.gif" width="285" height="300" alt="" /></p> <p>Changing text size and alignment is quite straightforward compared to the colour. The size of text is determined with style=”font-size:12;” , changing the number to denote the font size. Alignment is controlled by style=”text-align:left;” to align the text to the left, this can also be changed to right or centre.</p> <p>Other ways to change the appearance of text is with italics and bold. The &lt;em&gt; tag adds emphasis to words which most browsers read as italics. The &lt;strong&gt; tag conveys importance of the text which is usually read as bold.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/table with headers.png" width="233" height="216" alt="" />&#160;&#160;&#160;<img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/table code.png" width="300" height="216" alt="" /></p> <p>With all my new found knowledge, it was time to create a table. As I’m finding with a log of tags, &lt;table&gt; doesn’t actually do anything on its own. To populate the table, rows are added with &lt;tr&gt; and cells are created with &lt;td&gt; by adding table data. Tables are separated into a head and body with &lt;thead&gt; and &lt;tbody&gt;, the reason for this is related to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Using the colspan attribute I was able to give the table a title across both columns. Codecademy altered the grid lines of the table for me so after adding some style to the text, my table was complete.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/complete table.png" width="259" height="244" alt="" /></p> <p>CSS has been mentioned often when learning about HTML as an easier or better way of doing things. I’m looking forward to learning about that soon but first I will put my HTML skills to the test with the Recipe Card project. There are four CSS courses to get through before the final web course which combines HTML, CSS and Javascript. Though I should probably learn some more Javascript before I get that far!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/codecademy achievements 4.png" width="217" height="300" alt="" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/354.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/354.aspxNatalie BaileyMon, 14 May 2012 16:15:00 GMT<p>On Friday 11th May 2012, the Oldham Mayor’s Civic and Charity Ball was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Oldham. As Web Applications UK sponsored the event, a table was reserved for a lucky few to go along.</p><p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/IMAG0338.jpg" width="400" height="237" align="middle" alt="" /></p> <p>The annual ball is a fundraising event for the Mayor’s charities. This year’s chosen charities are Dr Kershaw’s Hospice, Promobility and Barnardo’s Oldham. Dr Kershaw’s Hospice provides a range of clinical specialist palliative care services for patients with non-curable, life-threatening illnesses, together with support and counselling for patients’ relatives and carers. Promobility is Oldham’s Shopmobility scheme which enables disabled people to access town centre shops and services independently using powered motor scooters or wheelchairs. Barnardo’s Oldham provides help and support to some of our most vulnerable and disadvantaged children throughout the borough.</p> <p>A champagne reception and the Boarshurst Brass Band greeted us as we arrived. We then sat down to a delicious dinner before the Mayor and Mayoress took the stage. Councillor Richard Knowles and Mrs Valerie Knowles expressed a heartfelt thank you to everyone for attending and contributing. A raffle took place with some impressive prizes including a 37” LCD TV. While nobody from the Web Apps table won anything, we weren’t too disappointed as the money is going towards such great causes.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/mayor___mayoress_2011_12_v3_2.jpg" width="154" height="226" alt="" /></p> <p>Musical entertainment for the evening was Planet Abba and DJ Derek Clayton. Planet Abba performed renditions of all the Abba favourites, enticing everyone onto the dance floor. Full of revelations, Craig Dean soberly admitted that he’s a huge Abba fan and was once a Latin dancing champion! He was given chance to prove this as DJ Derek showed off his eclectic music collection. Starting with music for ballroom dancing and ending with recent floor fillers.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/planet abba.jpg" width="400" height="254" alt="" /></p> <p>In between the entertainment, Martyn Torr, Business Editor of the Oldham Chronicle held a charity auction. Various items were up for sale including a Pandora bracelet, a signed Manchester United football and a signed cricket bat which Sophia almost bid on during an expressive conversation.</p> <p>The drinks and laughter flowing freely, everyone had a great night. The Mayor sure knows how to throw a party!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/P101009.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/353.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/353.aspxNatalie BaileyWed, 09 May 2012 15:25:00 GMT<p>Our logo is now an officially registered trademark!</p><p>Having been entered in the UK Register of Trade Marks, the logo is now a valuable piece of intellectual property. This will remain for at least 10 years, by which time it will need renewing.</p> <p>In keeping with our monochrome theme, both the black logo on a white background and white logo on black background have been included.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/web apps black and white.png" width="557" height="101" alt="" /></p> <p>The marks have been registered in respect of various classes covering all facets of brands similar to our own. The classes are so varied meaning that, bizarrely, we’re also protected against vending machines and typewriters bearing our logo.</p> <p>Under the current regulations, it is not necessary to identify the trademark as registered. So rather than add the ® symbol, we’re leaving the designs we’re proud of as they are.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/trademark office logo.png" width="177" height="172" alt="" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/352.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/352.aspxNatalie BaileyTue, 08 May 2012 16:39:00 GMT<p>Having mastered the first Javascript course and project, I decided to try my hand at a different language – HTML.</p><p>HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. HyperText means the text supports hyperlinks between pages and Markup means that a document has been marked up with code to instruct a browser how to interpret the page. HTML combined with CSS and Javascript create interactive web pages. Uploading blogs such as this one, I use a few HTML tags regularly so I’m enthusiastic to learn more.</p> <p>The first HTML course covers the fundamentals and is comprised of 21 exercises. It is&#160;laid out differently to the Javascript course as the console has two tabs. One titled HTML where the coding takes place and one named Result which displays the resulting page by interpreting the code like a regular browser.</p> <p>It begins with stating the importance of opening and closing the code with &lt;html&gt; tags. This was demonstrated using what I think was a joke. It was lost on me but I thought I would share it in case it’s actually hilarious:</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/HTML codecademy tabs.png" width="674" height="202" alt="" /></p> <p>In the beginning, I wasn’t tested much but given lots of information and encouraged to play around with pieces of the code to see what happens. Advised that HTML tags have to be nested, I learnt that you cannot close any other tag until you close the last tag you started.</p> <p>I was asked to think about what &lt;p&gt; could mean, and for the first time on my Codecademy journey, I actually knew something! As mentioned, this blog requires (very) basic use of HTML, including &lt;p&gt; and &lt;/p&gt; to separate paragraphs.</p> <p>HTML documents contain two important parts – head and body. Code held within the &lt;head&gt; tags is information about the document not shown on screen. &lt;Body&gt; contains everything else to be displayed as part of the web page. Starting with the head, I added a &lt;title&gt; to be displayed in the menu bar of the browser window. Headings for the body were introduced with tags &lt;h1&gt; up to &lt;h6&gt;. Keen as ever, when prompted to use h1 to h3, I took it a little further and tried out all six, even adding some plain text to see how it compares. H1 is the largest heading going down to h6, which is actually smaller than plain&#160;text.</p> <p>Next on the curriculum were hyperlinks. As you may have noticed in previous blogs, I have some experience with these using &lt;a href=”web address”&gt;text displayed as link&lt;/a&gt;. However, Codecademy explained the different elements and their importance. On its own, the &lt;a&gt; tag doesn’t do much at all, to create a working link you need to add attributes. Attributes provide extra information for the tag. For links, the extra information required is a web address, which is marked with the href attribute. Other useful attributes for links are title and target=”_blank”. Title adds a description to links which is displayed when hovering over the link. Target=”_blank” makes the link open in a separate window/tab.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/link description.png" width="311" height="78" alt="" /></p> <p>Adding an image was next on the agenda using the &lt;img /&gt; tag, the / goes in the opening tag because, as no text needs to be contained, it doesn’t require a closing tag. Images also use attributes; src represents the source of the picture, height and width allow size manipulation and align is used to position the image left, right or centre. Combining images and links is something I have wondered about for a while and it seems so obvious now it has been explained. Simply surround the &lt;img /&gt; tag with &lt;a&gt; tags! I’ve given it a try with the pictures on this blog.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/first web page structure.png" width="394" height="231" alt="" /></p> <p>Eager to put my newfound skills into practice, I embarked upon the first HTML project – Build Your First Webpage. To begin, I laid out the structure with html, head, title and body tags. It was to be named My Week 13 Project, relating to where&#160;it appears in the <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/346/codecademy-sneds-strikes-back.aspx">Code Year</a> initiative. After adding headings, paragraphs and links, the webpage is finished off with a right-aligned image. See the completed webpage below.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/first web page complete.png" width="408" height="300" alt="" /></p> <p>During this course and project, I noticed more than ever how simply everything is explained. It is clearly designed to be accessible to children, without being too patronising to adults. Plus, I don’t think I’ll ever be too old to enjoy earning points and badges!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/codecademy achievements 3.png" width="214" height="300" alt="" /></p> <p>Having warmed to HTML and the ways I can use it daily, I’m going to continue with the next HTML course. The tutorials cover further essentials including lists, styles and tables in preparation for the Recipe Card project.</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/351.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/351.aspxNatalie BaileyFri, 04 May 2012 16:16:00 GMT<p>Software Engineer Andrew Young has been with Web Applications for one year, three months and remains focused on his future here.</p><p style="text-align: left; ">Along with developing software, Andrew spends a lot of his time fixing bugs and answering questions. He’s the go-to guy for many Project Managers whenever they have a problem. So I was quite lucky to catch a few moments with him to chat. Andrew aims to one day become a Senior Engineer and he’s working hard towards this goal.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/uclan.jpg" width="200" height="100" alt="" /></p> <p>Before joining Web Applications, Andrew was studying Computer Games Development at the University of Central Lancashire. He decided not to go into a games development career because if you spend a lot of time developing a game, you’re not going to enjoy playing it. Andrew has taken on a different programming challenge with us instead, which actually works out well on both sides!</p> <p>Andrew enthused that the best part of working at Web Applications is the constant learning. As we’re always pushing forward, nothing ever stays the same here which means new technologies and software to work with. Even without the huge amount of continuous training our Webbies go through, there’s a lot to learn by simply doing.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/paintballing.jpg" width="333" height="250" alt="" /></p> <p>The highlight of Andrew’s time here was the visit to Manchester Paintball Arena <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/333/shoot-em-up-webbie-style.aspx">last month</a> where we played Laser Tag and Paintball. Although Andrew used to enjoy paintballing regularly, we both agree that Laser Tag was the most fun, which could be a controversial opinion in our office! Following our trip, Andrew and a few other Webbies have decided to turn it into a regular outing.</p> <p>In his spare time, Andrew loves to build things. I’m not talking about playing with lego, Andrew builds functional machinery. His current project is to build a working 3D printer. It’s not quite ready yet but it is designed to be able to print objects of up to 200 x 200 x 200 mm.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/3dprinter.jpg" width="333" height="355" style="text-align: left; " alt="" /></p> <p>Andrew comes from Preston which means, depending on traffic, his commute to work can take between one and two hours. Naturally, Andrew is looking to change this by saving up to move closer to work. So it’s not surprising that if Andrew won the lottery he would spend the money on a house first, then a car and some machinery. If by this point he has some left, he’ll be looking for ways to invest to make more. Some may say greedy, I say sensible.</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/350.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/350.aspxNatalie BaileyThu, 03 May 2012 15:17:00 GMT<p>With <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/335/manchesters-got-coding-talent.aspx">Hack Manchester</a> arriving in the city in October this year and our <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/344/a-day-of-genius.aspx">Genius Day</a> on the 18th May, I thought I’d do a little research in to what actually happens at a hackathon and the history behind it.</p><p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/tag-cloud-hackathon.png" width="500" height="231" alt="" /></p> <p>A hackathon is an event where computer programmers come together to collaborate on a software related project. They typically last between a day and a week, with the people involved usually working through the night to complete their idea (or bringing a sleeping bag into the office to take a well-earned break!) It’s a great way to get together in a fun environment, thinking up new ideas. The aim is to create new usable software or improve existing software.</p> <p>The term seems to have been created by both the developers of OpenBSD and the marketing team of Sun in 1999. From then on the hackathon has gathered momentum and became more widespread; viewed by companies as quick and effective way to develop new software technologies, and to find new areas for innovation and funding.</p> <p>Facebook in particular loves hackathons, staging one every 6-8 weeks where employees can work in teams with people they may not normally encounter on a daily basis. Through these events many well-known Facebook features have been thought up; including an early version of Timeline. They can be for profit or pleasure so I’m sure there have been plenty of entertaining options too!</p> <p>Google recently held its first TV hackathon last week. 370+ staff members from both sides of the Atlantic took part and created apps in the codefest for TV. The 60 teams each faced the challenge of developing applications for a TV platform rather than a phone or tablet.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/hackathon-wp7.jpg" width="450" height="269" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p> <p style="text-align: left; ">Hackathons are evolving and are now being used as a format for social innovation. Like-minded people are meeting up to produce problem solving ideas to help society. Code for America hosts events where people get together to help City Government leaders. From the events, an app has been developed for parents to track their children’s school buses after heavy snowstorms hit Boston last year. The London Green Hackathon was held in February, where developers and sustainability experts met to help out our planet with some inventive coding. <a href="http://london.greenhackathon.com/hacks/one-tonne">'One Tonne’</a>&#160;was a winner, in which users could select and share what they would like to have in their one tonne carbon footprint lifestyle.</p> <p>Hackathons give people the opportunity to work in a team and be innovative. With more and more hackathon events taking place in the UK, each with a different purpose, it’s really easy to get involved. So when our Genius Day comes round in 2 weeks’ time, our Webbies will be jumping at the chance to hash out ideas they’re passionate about and maybe produce some truly amazing software!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/349.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/349.aspxNatalie SneddonWed, 02 May 2012 13:10:00 GMT<p>The IT industry is undeniably fast-paced, what you know today is likely to be outdated tomorrow. That's why we urge everyone to keep up to date with the wider world of technology through blogs, news sites and Twitter.</p><p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/blog twitter news.png" width="312" height="95" alt="" /></p> <p>Reading about what other companies and individuals are doing can be educational in many ways. It can encourage you to keep your skills at the cutting-edge of technology, make you aware of new products and techniques and can inspire innovation.</p> <p>There are a number of resources we&#160;use and would recommend to others. So, in no particular order, here are ten that will keep you in the know about all things IT:</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/logos 1.png" width="500" height="73" alt="" /></p> <p>1 -&#160;<a href="http://techcrunch.com/">Tech Crunch</a> is a web publication founded by Michael Arrington in 2005 offering technology news and analysis, as well as profiles of start-up companies, products, and websites.</p> <p>2 -&#160;<a href="http://www.engadget.com/">Engadget</a> is a hardware-focused blog offering the news and reviews of the latest gadgets on the market.</p> <p>3 -&#160;<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/">The Register</a> is a British technology news and opinion website. It brings together Channel Register, Reg Hardware and various other sections to produce a constant stream of information.</p> <p>4 -&#160;<a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/">Hacker News</a> is a social news website aimed at programming, science and general tech interest. The site’s voting system is great because of the bubbling up nature of good stories, especially if you have little time to read.</p> <p>5 -&#160;<a href="http://arstechnica.com/">Ars Technica</a> has well written articles on tech/science news. The four categories – News, Guides, Features and Reviews cover current events, advice, longer informative editorials and opinionated assessment of hardware and software.</p> <p>6 -&#160;<a href="http://www.hanselman.com/blog/">Scott Hanselman</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/?lang=en&amp;logged_out=1#!/shanselman">@shanselman</a>) is a Program Manager at Microsoft and serial blogger/tweeter about .NET, Javascript and countless other areas.</p> <p>7 -&#160;<a href="http://haacked.com/">You’ve been Haacked</a> delivers .NET articles and news from Phil Haack (<a href="https://twitter.com/?lang=en&amp;logged_out=1#!/haacked">@haacked</a>) of GitHub.</p> <p>8 - <a href="http://wekeroad.com/">WekeRoad</a> is a blog by Rob Conery (<a href="https://twitter.com/?lang=en&amp;logged_out=1#!/robconery">@robconery</a>), who founded Tekpub.com and it contains great Javascript/.NET articles.</p> <p>9 -&#160;<a href="http://dotnetkicks.com/default.aspx">DotNetKicks</a> features .NET articles from various writers.</p> <p>10 -&#160;<a href="http://thargy.com/">Thargy.com</a> is our very own Craig Dean’s blog which covers a wide range of topics reflecting his roles as a developer, Chief Executive of Web Applications UK and Oldham President for the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/logos 2.png" width="600" height="52" alt="" /></p> <p>Of course, this list would not be complete without a hint of self-promotion…</p> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/?lang=en&amp;logged_out=1#!/WebAppUK">@webappuk</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/?lang=en&amp;logged_out=1#!/waukce">@waukce</a> provide you with the updates from inside Web Applications and our Centre of Excellence along with posts from a range of the above sources and more.</p> <p>Subscribe to our blog for news from within Web Applications UK as well as commentary on the latest and greatest tech news by myself and fellow PR Assistant Natalie Sneddon.</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/348.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/348.aspxNatalie BaileyTue, 01 May 2012 15:37:00 GMT<p>Our Chief Executive Craig Dean featured on BBC Radio 4’s <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/you-and-yours">‘You and Yours’</a> programme earlier today.</p><p>Today’s show hosted by Julian Worricker posed the question, ‘Do we overreact about children and technology?’</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/radio 4.jpg" width="224" height="114" style="text-align: center; " alt="" /></p> <p>Featuring a range of callers from&#160;teachers to software developers plus guests such as Dr Marie Griffiths, the programme hosted a debate over whether children are spending too much time online. Are youngsters in front of computer screens excessively these days or are they just becoming computer savvy from a young age? Thinking back to my childhood, I’m sure my Atari didn’t do me any harm!</p> <p>The first caller showcased the benefits of computer gaming. Jann Mardenborough beat 90,000 virtual drivers to gain his place in the GT Academy. This meant him driving for real at Brand’s Hatch, then later at Silverstone, beating 11 other finalists to become a GT Academy driver. Just over two weeks after the race Nissan confirmed Mardenborough as its full-time driver for the season in the Blancpain Endurance Series. Without his devotion to computer gaming he wouldn’t be where he is now.</p> <p>Talk then turned to parents who were both impressed and concerned over their child’s tech aptitude. They were worried about an over-reliance on computers and if this could be detrimental to their communication skills. However, children need to keep up to date with technology; it’s part of this generation’s development and key for a hi-tech future. I think there needs to be a balance between the amount of family time, homework and computer time. It’s important to get that balance right in order to produce these social shapers of our future!</p> <p style="text-align: left; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/baby-and-computer.jpg" width="315" height="210" vspace="10" hspace="10" style="text-align: center; " alt="" /><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/gaming.jpg" width="262" height="210" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p> <p>Lawrence Jones (founder of the internet hosting company UKFast) said that without computer obsessed children we’d have no internet. Although he emphasised the fact that without communication skills, as well as a love for computers, developing great software would be impossible.</p> <p>Then it was time to go live to Craig Dean! Craig believes that using computers from a young age can develop skills you couldn’t learn from formal education as it is too focused on knowledge rather than skills. Children who acquire this aptitude are more likely to end up in the I.T. industry. Here at Web Applications we look for people with more than one answer to a problem, people who propel themselves forward and have a passion for I.T.</p> <p>The debate acknowledged that there are good and bad aspects to technology. If there’s a balance between education and social use of computers then a great career in I.T. can be up for grabs! The technological world is improving all the time and is such a powerful tool; maybe I should have shown more interest in my Atari!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/347.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/347.aspxNatalie SneddonMon, 30 Apr 2012 15:30:00 GMT<p>While Natalie Bailey has been steaming ahead on her <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/338/codecademy-vol-iii-the-fizz-buzz-edition.aspx">Codecademy course</a> I’ve not even started! I thought it was about time I got in on the action and learnt some coding myself.</p><p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/codecademy logo.jpg" width="410" height="123" style="text-align: center; " alt="" /></p> <p>At school I hated maths and science based subjects but from the age of 4 I’ve always had a computer. This probably has something to do with my dad; he bought my sisters and I an Atari to play games on (it was the 80s…!). I remember typing in code to get the system running the program I wanted. Maybe I could reign in that very vague knowledge and adapt it to Codecademy? Maybe not…The first steps are quite simple but I find that going away and coming back later a bit detrimental – basically I forget what I’ve just done so the next exercise proves to be difficult! So I decided to stick at it for a bit longer and found this really helped as I got into the swing of things.</p> <p>At the moment I’m still on the introduction; learning if statements after tackling variables, alerts and prompts. Whilst having a browse through the Codecademy website I’m finding myself getting excited over the prospect of creating my own recipe card or even a game of BlackJack. The cynic inside of me is thinking, “There’s no way you’ll get there!” but it’s really helpful that I can track my progress and aim for the projects that interest me.</p> <p>Another good thing about Codecademy is the Code Year Initiative that&#160;I’ve signed up for. I’m e-mailed a new lesson every Monday so if I forget to do an exercise one week the email is a handy way to remember. I also don’t feel too guilty if I only manage one exercise a week. It’s great for people without much time who want to learn. I’m not the only one who thinks so either, over 100,000 people signed up to Code Year in the first 48 hours of its release.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/CodeYear.jpg" width="300" height="283" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/java.jpg" width="300" height="261" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p> <p>&#160;</p> <p>Coding has become the ‘in thing’ at the moment. There’s lots of opportunities to code, even a one day course giving&#160;people an insight into the world of coding. One company in America has set&#160;their entire workforce (over 60 people) the task of learning to code. Giving them a new skill set, to promote collaboration and share knowledge. With the <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/309/raspberry-pi-a-playground-for-children-to-learn-to-code.aspx">Raspberry Pi</a>&#160;proving popular too, children are becoming interested in programming; a necessary skill as the I.T world continues to evolve.</p> <p>So as I join the trend of the moment I wonder if one day I’ll be able to create an app or game as Codecademy suggests. I'm sure it will take me a while but I’m determined to persevere; if only to rival Natalie Bailey – soon there might be two coding ninjas at Web Applications…!</p> <div> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/5530553658_cf0a5dd64d_m.jpg" width="240" height="240" alt="" /></p> </div><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/346.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/346.aspxNatalie SneddonFri, 27 Apr 2012 17:18:00 GMT<p>Over a year after joining Web Applications UK, Graham looks back fondly on his time here so far. Particularly the trip to Alton Towers in September!</p><p>Working in our busy support department, Graham spends most of his time finding bugs, fixing them and testing our software. His favourite parts of the job are undertaking small projects from start to finish and helping others.</p> <p>In the future, Graham hopes to gain a more active role in decision making and interaction with clients. Possibly a Senior Engineer role, enabling him to help other developers even more than he already does.</p> <p>Before joining Web Applications, Graham was a developer for a fire protection company. Prior to that, he has worked as a network engineer and as part of an IT helpdesk team. Although he has experience in various roles, Graham has always remained in IT. This stems all the way back to the eighties; the Commodore 64 to be exact. Graham enjoyed writing bits of code for the C64 from a young age. Out of pure generosity, I refrained from informing him that the Commodore 64 was released 7 years before I was even born…</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/Commodore-64-Computer-System.jpg" width="450" height="338" align="middle" alt="" /></p> <p>Outside of work, Graham has been committed to football coaching for 11 years now, moving from a teenage team to the under 10s when his son became old enough to play. As well as this, he plays with fellow Webbies every week and participated in our <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/327/sporting-success-for-super-systems-support.aspx">Sport Relief football league</a> in the winning Super Systems &amp; Support team.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/14.jpg" width="450" height="294" alt="" /></p> <p>An avid Manchester United supporter, Graham has not missed a match for at least two seasons. So he’ll be counting down the days, hours and minutes until the upcoming derby on Monday!</p> <p>For Graham, home life is no less hectic than working in the support department. With two children, aged 10 and 3, he is always on the go! As well as football, his son is a keen swimmer and is participating in the <a href="http://my.artezglobal.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=377375">Swimathon</a> this weekend alongside our very own Pete Bettison as Graham confesses he isn’t a great swimmer himself. Proudly grinning, he told me that his son is able to swim 130 lengths in an hour whereas Pete is struggling to reach 100. Looks like Pete is about to get beaten by a 10 year old!</p> <p>When asked the traditional question; ‘what would you do if you won the lottery?’ Graham said he would consider starting his own business venture and go on holiday to the Caribbean for a while. After such a cold and rainy week, I can’t think of anything better.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/caribbean.jpg" width="450" height="281" alt="" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/345.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/345.aspxNatalie BaileyThu, 26 Apr 2012 14:35:00 GMT<p>Our 3rd annual Genius day is steadily approaching – 3 weeks tomorrow to be exact! If you don’t know what Genius Day is, let me give you the lowdown…</p><p><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/einstein_baby.jpg" width="184" height="200" vspace="10" hspace="10" align="left" alt="" style="text-align: left; " /></p> <p>The day is designed for our Webbies to show everyone what they’ve got. Using the skills they have to get creative and do something innovative!</p> <p style="text-align: left; ">Friday 18th May will be a day where Webbies can work on whatever they want with whoever they want, on the premise that they give a presentation lasting around 2 minutes of their idea to the rest of the company on Monday 21st May.</p> <p><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/242/genius-day-the-array-of-ideas-and-solutions.aspx">Last time’s</a> winners were Fahim Mukhtar and John Sampson for their genius idea of an application of newer features of the latest version of Traveller onto previous editions of the software. However, the idea doesn’t have to be specific to the company; it can be about anything our Webbies are passionate about. If it is work related (and practical) the idea could even be implemented!</p> <p>The final decision is down to our Chief Executive Craig Dean. I asked him what he would be looking for in a winning idea. He said he’s on the lookout for something that has the greatest potential to have an impact; something inspirational. There are 1st, 2nd and 3rd places up for grabs with honourable mentions for those that have impressed.</p> <p>Genius Day provides a fun, powerful environment for us Webbies to come together to work on projects we’re interested in. It offers everyone the opportunity to be innovative whilst promoting team work and self-confidence. Ideas are looked at objectively, giving us encouragement to come forward with suggestions in the future that could ultimately benefit the company!</p> <p>It’s a really exciting time as we gear up for the event. People are getting in their teams and coming up with concepts already. Natalie Bailey and I have been thinking of our winning project, we just need someone a bit technical to help us out - If only we were in a company full of Software Engineers...</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/Genius_at_Work_by_JuanMonge.jpg" width="501" height="313" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/344.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/344.aspxNatalie SneddonWed, 25 Apr 2012 14:43:00 GMT<p>For any budding Software Engineer, and even those with years of experience, contributing to open source projects can be a great way to learn new skills.</p><p>According to Wikipedia, open source is “a philosophy that promotes free redistribution and access to an end product’s design and implementation details”. Based on this definition, does that mean my <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/338/codecademy-vol-iii-the-fizz-buzz-edition.aspx">FizzBuzz program</a> counts as open source software?</p> <p>Computer software is the largest application of open source. Creators of open source software publish the source code; enabling anyone to copy, modify and redistribute the code without paying royalties or fees. This way, open source code can evolve through community contribution. These communities are composed of varied contributors from large corporations to individual programmers.</p> <p>At Craig Dean’s <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/341/delivering-code-as-a-team-the-video.aspx">guest lecture</a> at the University of Manchester last week, he encouraged the students to get involved with open source projects as they’re a great way of learning. The truth is, no matter how long you have been coding, open source projects can be educational for anyone.</p> <p>This is the most important concept behind open source - to learn. Companies and individuals provide their software in an open way to allow others to learn from it and to learn themselves from the contributions of others. This could mean learning another programming language, a new skill or just viewing your code from another perspective.</p> <p>It is essential to do your research before getting stuck in and to keep up to date with the community. Blogs such as those from <a href="http://haacked.com/">Phil Haack</a> and <a href="http://www.hanselman.com/blog/">Scott Hanselman</a> provide great information and advice. Most open&#160;source communities have their own wiki pages delivering a wealth of information about the specific project you’re looking into.</p> <p>So if you’re ready and willing to get going, where do you begin?! CodePlex, GitHub, SourceForge and Google Code are all great places to start.</p> <div> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/codeplex logo.jpg" width="64" height="30" alt="" />&#160; &#160;<img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/github logo.jpg" width="68" height="30" alt="" />&#160; &#160;<img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/sourceforge logo.jpg" width="147" height="30" alt="" />&#160; &#160;<img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/Google Code logo.jpg" width="111" height="30" style="text-align: center; " alt="" /></p> </div> <div> <p><a href="http://www.codeplex.com/">CodePlex</a> is an open source project community website hosted by Microsoft for developers to share projects and ideas. Its features include source control based on Mercurial, issue tracking and RSS support.</p> <p><a href="https://github.com/">GitHub</a> is a web-based hosting service for software development projects that use the Git revision control system. This site provides social networking functionality such as feeds, followers and the network graph to display how developers work on their versions of a repository.</p> <p><a href="http://sourceforge.net/">SourceForge</a> is a web-based source code repository. It acts as a centralised location for software developers to control and manage free and open source software development. It is best known for providing revision control systems.</p> <p><a href="http://code.google.com/">Google Code</a> hosts Google’s developer tools, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and technical resources. The&#160;site includes discussion groups and blogs for users of Google’s developer products. APIs are offered for almost all popular Google products like Google Maps, YouTube and Google Apps.</p> <p>Wherever you start, be sure to learn something from every line you read and you’ll be a better software developer because of it.</p> <p>Who knows, as my coding skills improve with Codecademy, I might join the open source community myself! Though that might be a few years off yet…</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/Bart open source.gif" width="450" height="314" alt="" /></p> </div><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/343.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/343.aspxNatalie BaileyTue, 24 Apr 2012 15:48:00 GMT<p>Key note speaker Tim Berners-Lee aired concerns over Deep Packet Inspection last week at the 21st World Wide Web Conference held in Lyon, France.</p><p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/lyon-w3c.jpg" width="300" height="199" alt="" /></p> <p>The conference is a yearly international event on the topic of the future direction of the World Wide Web. First created in 1989, the conference brings together people who are passionate about the Web and what it has to offer.</p> <p>Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the web, was one of the key note speakers. His speech focused on the privacy of the web, a timely topic with the Home Office’s renewed plans on this announced in February. These were the plans to order ISPs and phone networks to store user data and make it available to security services as it happens. The reason? To allow security services to spot potential risks sooner.</p> <p>Berners-Lee considers this to be a privacy breach due to the use of Deep Packet Inspection (DPI). DPI analyses packets of data that travel across the internet, tracks internet users and reconstructs pages they visit meaning that everyone’s activity online could be monitored. It would be the same kind of surveillance seen in China and Iran. Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) would be able to monitor all communication on social media, e-mails and the sites we log in to. I had never heard of DPI until researching for this blog and it’s scared me to think that we could be open to this level of surveillance; the scale is really worrying.</p> <p><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/tbl_1.jpg" width="300" height="200" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/WorldWideWeb.jpg" width="267" height="200" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p> <p>Not only could our information be obtained by GCHQ on demand but it also means that as a Country we leave ourselves open to that information being abused. It is dangerous and should be dropped as a substantial amount of highly intimate information is vulnerable to theft or release. The panel at W3C also agreed that countries should sell Deep Packet Inspection technologies with caution; as carefully as they sell nuclear weapons.</p> <p>The father of the World Wide Web advocated the implementation of an independent body to monitor the use of DPI. Each case would be checked to see why the situation was being looked into and if it was appropriately investigated. Final plans by the Home Office will be released at the end of April, so we can only wait to see if the legislature will pass and how it would be carried out. I and surely many others hope that the Home Office takes note of these legitimate concerns and rethink their strategy.</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/342.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/342.aspxNatalie SneddonMon, 23 Apr 2012 11:40:00 GMT<p>Craig Dean’s guest lecture last week was recorded and has now been uploaded onto YouTube.</p><p>The lecture was delivered to Advanced Computer Science Msc students at the University of Manchester on Wednesday 18th May. Designed as an introduction to working as a Software Engineer, the lecture covers a wide range of topics from issue tracking and source control to the types of jobs available to graduates. Live demonstrations were included of our Fogbugz and Kiln systems but these have been omitted from the recording as they contained real data.</p> <p>If you are thinking of becoming a Software Engineer or are fairly junior to the role, we highly recommend you watch this video as it contains a lot of useful information.</p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XH5dPqPujKo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>Recorded on a new iPad, the video has been mixed down on Sony Vegas Pro to improve the quality with image stabilisation and colour correction effects. While there were no microphones, the sound has been compressed and the noise has been reduced. The presentation was done in PowerPoint, edited to 16:9 from 4:3 for video, saved out to WMV at 1270x720 and upscaled to HD.</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/341.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/341.aspxNatalie BaileyFri, 20 Apr 2012 11:22:00 GMT<p>Ian Munro is the brains behind our new website, starting development by sorting out the layout and doing lots of research. I sat down with him to find out a bit more.</p><p><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/ian.png" width="126" height="172" vspace="10" hspace="10" align="left" alt="" />Ian’s not done a responsive layout before so he’s looking up all about it; exploring the cogs that make it work. It’s a slightly daunting prospect but a great learning experience.</p> <p>He came to Web Applications around 7 months ago, employed as a Software Engineer. His favourite part of the job is simple – just doing development! Especially if it’s a nice case.</p> <p>Ian’s been lucky and always known&#160;he’s wanted to be a developer. He takes me back to a time when he was just 9 years old, and his older brother was in high school taking a computing class. Ian stole his textbook on Java development and worked through the exercises. He ended up creating a library system, which was admittedly poorly coded but it worked! From then on&#160;anything to do with technology had him interested.</p> <p>Ian is originally from South Africa, moving here in 2005 with family. He went to a few different colleges, unsure of whether to complete his A Levels or enrol in a B.Tech course; he was always focused on computing though! Instead of going to University after choosing to finish his A Levels, Ian decided to learn on the job and then came to Web Applications last year where he gets loads of training.</p> <p>Outside of work Ian works! But when he manages to get a bit of spare time he enjoys watching Game of Thrones and reading the books it's based on. I myself haven’t got round to the second series yet but might do now that Ian’s jogged my memory.</p> <p>He also has a personal project of Home Server manager where you’re able to download TV shows and movies. His favourite film is The Shawshank Redemption but he likes all sorts really; depending on his mood. I was about to go on to my next question when Ian said ‘The Lion King!’ Being from South Africa he feels it should be included on his top film list and all the songs are really good, although he assures me he doesn’t sing along. Maybe this could be the next movie for our Webbie film night, and then we could all see if he’s telling the truth… We’ll just have to make sure it’s not the special edition because Ian tends to get annoyed with the extra song it has, saying the original is the clearly the best!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><br /> <img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/201015_1236674953392_full (1).jpg" width="350" height="243" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p> <p>Ian also gets annoyed at women&#160;drivers, citing this as one of his pet hates. I was tempted to end the interview there and then, but seeing my reaction he corrected himself to say all other drivers. He did have to park a woman’s car for her at the Trafford Centre the other week because she couldn’t do it herself, so I can see he’s not had the best experience.</p> <p>I asked if Ian had any hidden talents. It was a no at first, and then I remembered that Ian was <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/324/a-side-splitting-sport-relief.aspx">chubby bunny champion</a> a few weeks ago for Sport Relief. When pressed a bit more he showed me his double jointed thumb, which was lovely. I’ve been freaked out for the rest of the day!</p> <p>What Ian failed to mention was his secret modelling talent! We had a photo shoot in the office recently for our new recruitment banners that will accompany us to graduate fairs and other events. Ian was chosen as one of the faces of Web Applications, meaning his picture will be&#160;seen by hundreds of people!</p> <p><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/_MG_5696.jpg" width="190" height="285" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/_MG_5698.jpg" width="190" height="285" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/_MG_5708.jpg" width="190" height="285" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p> <p>So when I asked&#160;my last question of ‘Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?’ the answer was blatantly obvious;&#160;working as a top model surely? Ian disagreed, saying he’d love to still be working here hopefully in a Senior Engineer position and being successful.</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/340.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/340.aspxNatalie SneddonThu, 19 Apr 2012 14:46:00 GMT<p>Yesterday, Craig Dean held a guest lecture at University of Manchester for students of Advanced Computer Science.</p><p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/uni of manc logo.jpg" width="250" height="106" alt="" /></p> <p>The room quickly filled with eager students wanting to know more about the commercial world of software development. Some familiar faces were in the crowd as students who have worked with us on their industrial placement year turned up as well as some who are due to start working with us in the summer.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/kilburn.jpg" width="300" height="169" alt="" /></p> <p>Craig’s lecture covered a wide range of topics, starting with discussing the different types of I.T. roles. Rather than work in an I.T. department of a non-I.T. company, Craig encouraged the students to work in a software house such as ours where they will continue to learn constantly.</p> <p>The development process was talked about as well, using our own as an example. Craig showed the FogBugz and Kiln systems we use to track developments. Using a prime number algorithm as an example, Craig illustrated the way we code; writing the interfaces and the tests before any implementation.</p> <p>Drawing on a hypothetical situation of a student embarking on a start-up after graduating, Craig discussed the pros and cons of source control systems as a progression from lock based to conflict resolution and distributed version control systems.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/Craig Lecture.png" width="500" height="265" alt="" /></p> <p>Craig took the time to give the students some practical advice to prepare them for working in the fast-paced I.T. industry. First, work in teams at every opportunity. You will learn more from working with other people. Contribute to open source projects, showcase your skills and pick up knowledge from the current code. CodePlex, GitHub, SourceForge and Google Code are all great places to start. Keep up-to-date with the latest tech by reading blogs daily – Engadget, Tech Crunch, Scott Hanselman and Phil Haack were all recommended but there are endless amounts of others worth reading! Finally, consider attending events such as the upcoming <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/335/manchesters-got-coding-talent.aspx">Hack Manchester</a>, putting your abilities up against others will motivate you to improve and you’ll learn invaluable skills at the hackathon.</p> <p>During the question time, Craig was asked why we employ graduates. As we recruit based on potential, we look for a passion for software development and a dedication to continuous improvement and learning. We don’t restrict our recruitment to graduates; we are also open to applications from experienced professionals and anyone else with a certain level of knowledge and skill.</p> <p>As you’ll be able to see for yourself&#160;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH5dPqPujKo&amp;feature=colike">here</a>, the lecture was a great success and the students were genuinely engaged by what Craig had to say. Hopefully there will be more opportunities for guest lectures on the horizon as I know Craig enjoyed it too!</p> <p>Follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/webappuk">@webappuk</a> for information about future events.</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/339.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/339.aspxNatalie BaileyWed, 18 Apr 2012 16:27:00 GMT<p>In another instalment of Codecademy, I took on the challenge of finishing the first course and project.</p><p style="text-align: left; ">Rather than trying to squeeze in a few minutes here and there I have taken the block approach, assigning an hour to Codecademy and I flew through the exercises!</p> <p>Section 6 involved if statements and if/else statements, something that came in more than useful when I took on my first project. Section 7 dealt with incrementors, decrementors and for loops; other useful tools when creating my program. After section 8 which included while loops and do/while loops, I had completed the first course!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/codecademy progress.jpg" width="400" height="197" style="text-align: center; " alt="" /></p> <p>Moving on I noticed that the course menu has changed dramatically since my last visit. A whole&#160;new branch of online tutorials has been added titled Web including courses such as CSS: Coding with Style and HTML.</p> <p>The first project is Fizz Buzz. Primarily a group word game often played in primary schools or as a drinking game. Players take turns to count incrementally, replacing any number divisible by three with the word "fizz", and any number divisible by five with the word "buzz". This test has also been used as an interview screening device for computer programmers.</p> <p>Codecademy took me through the process in stages so using my knowledge from the first course it was clear what I needed to do. First I was asked to list all the numbers from 1 to 20 without writing them myself; I was urged to find a ‘more awesome way’. Unsure whether I should use a for loop or a while loop and equally unsure whether it mattered, I settled on a for loop.</p> <p>In keeping with the Fizz Buzz game the next step was to make every number that is divisible by 3 appear as “Fizz”. With a quick look back at my notes, I used a modulus operator from section 4 and an if statement from section 6. Then by adding an if/else statement I was easily able to make every number that is divisible by 5 appear as “Buzz”. The next step was to make numbers such as 15 that are divisible by 3 and 5 appear as “FizzBuzz” using another if statement.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/Fizz Buzz program.jpg" width="600" height="256" alt="" /></p> <p>The final challenge was rather than running the program up to 20, replace the number with a variable to be declared at the beginning of the program. This way, Fizz Buzz solutions for any number can be found. Feeling confident I asked fellow PR Natalie Sneddon to pick a number to try out my program, she chose 15564. I entered the number, nothing happened and then the website stopped responding. I waited it out and eventually … “Fizz”.</p> <p>Completing my first mini-program has spurred me on to continue using Codecademy to produce bigger and better things. Next on the Javascript menu is Functions but with the introduction of new tutorials, I am going to attempt a HTML course.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/codecademy logo.jpg" width="410" height="123" alt="" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/338.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/338.aspxNatalie BaileyTue, 17 Apr 2012 13:25:00 GMT<p>Our Chief Executive Craig Dean has set up his own individual blog, but don’t worry it won’t be rivalling this one!</p><p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/UGS2008.jpg" width="188" height="250" vspace="10" hspace="10" align="left" alt="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center; ">&#160;</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/Website_logo.png" width="300" height="42" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" style="text-align: center; " /></p> <p>Craig’s musings will focus on programming and management rather than the general tech news and Webbie updates you find here.</p> <p>The blog will have articles centred on business processes and developing code; showcasing Craig’s personal views as a developer and business man, so there’ll be lots of different areas to read up on.</p> <p>It looks set to be a great way for people wanting to find out more about coding, especially AOP, .NET, the BCL and core technologies.</p> <p>His <a href="http://thargy.com/2012/04/statics-and-generics">first blog post</a> concentrates on statics and generics, laying the ground work before intending to delve deeper into the .NET framework, and Reflection.</p> <p>To subscribe go to <a href="http://thargy.com">thargy.com</a></p> <p style="text-align: center; ">&#160;</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/337.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/337.aspxNatalie SneddonMon, 16 Apr 2012 15:08:00 GMT<p>Web Applications UK is proud to announce that we will be a Full Monty sponsor of Full Frontal later this year.</p><p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/images.jpg" width="475" height="100" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p> <p style="text-align: left; ">Taking place on the 9th November, <a href="http://2012.full-frontal.org">Full Frontal</a> is the UK's leading JavaScript conference and is now in its fourth year. The event is specifically for front end engineers who work in web development wanting to learn more about the&#160;programming language. Last year it sold out in just 4 days so we’re really excited to see the popularity of the conference at the same level this year, with web professionals from the UK and Europe expected to attend.</p> <p>The conference is run by Remy Sharp who owns his own development agency Left Logic, and his wife Julie Sharp, an events manager will run the logistics of the event. Remy is a developer, speaker and author focusing on the topic of JavaScript. Seeing a gap in the market for this kind of conference (and out of frustration that there wasn’t one anymore) they decided to bring the event to the UK. A decision that paid off! Since starting out it has gone from strength to strength, bringing quality speakers and engaging content to the lucky ticket holders.</p> <p>I’m&#160;sure this year will be no different. The venue remains the same too; taking place at the Duke of York’s Cinema in Brighton, with 283 seats up for grabs. Some of our Webbies will be heading down South for the conference. Places are limited but we’ll be making sure those who have a keen interest in JavaScript will be first in line to attend.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/full-frontal.org_small.jpg" width="300" height="216" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" style="text-align: center; " /></p> <p>Sponsoring the conference is a great way for Web Applications to show our continued support in the technology community. It’s a significant opportunity for developers to get a better understanding of the browser platform and meet with likeminded people who have a range of experience.</p> <p>With no news on speakers or topics just yet we’ll be keeping our eyes on Twitter for future updates - <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/fullfrontalconf">@fullfrontalconf</a>. If previous years are anything to go by, it will certainly be just as inspiring and a great addition to the JavaScript community calendar!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/336.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/336.aspxNatalie SneddonSat, 14 Apr 2012 14:57:00 GMT<p>Web Applications UK is pleased to announce that we will be sponsoring Hack Manchester.</p><p>Hack Manchester is a 24 hour coding competition to be held at the Museum of Science and Industry during the Manchester Science Festival on 27th and 28th October 2012. Teams of up to 4 turn up with an idea and just one day later present a working product. Not too dissimilar to our Genius Days at Web Applications!</p> <p>The event aims to showcase the thriving tech community in Manchester and the North West. This year will be a first for the Manchester event but the format is tried and tested. The organisers met at Leeds Hack and decided that Manchester needed to get in on the action.&#160;</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/leeds hack.jpg" width="355" height="198" align="middle" alt="" /></p> <p>The attendees will turn up on the Saturday to mingle and watch the introduction before the hacking begins. The hacks can be absolutely anything but they only have 24 hours to submit something to the judges.</p> <p>At the end of the weekend, there will be an awards ceremony where the teams present their hacks to the judges and prizes are given out. The number of participants will be limited to 250 developers but extra tickets will be available for the awards ceremony. So if you want to take part or see what the teams are able to produce in just 24 hours register your interest <a href="http://hackmanchester.com/">here</a>.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/hack manchester logo.png" width="473" height="101" alt="" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/335.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/335.aspxNatalie BaileyFri, 13 Apr 2012 14:47:00 GMT<p>Ashleigh Jackson has been a Graphic Designer at Web Applications for almost 6 months and continues to enjoy the daily challenge.</p><p><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/Ashleigh.jpg" width="122" height="150" align="left" alt="" />From a young age Ashleigh has always been creative and she shows real passion for design. Before joining Web Apps in November, Ashleigh worked at a web design agency in Leeds. She is now enjoying being able to work on a variety of projects, including web design.</p> <p>The process of generating new ideas is what Ashleigh enjoys most about her job. She spends a lot of her time looking for inspiration and brainstorming possible designs for different projects. It is a constant learning curve getting to grips with designing for various media.</p> <p>At Web Applications we are all encouraged to actively seek ways to improve. In her time here so far Ashleigh has attended a number of events. At Manchester Design Symposium, Camp Digital and Made North she has listened to inspiring speakers from the design industry which has kept her motivated to develop her skills.</p> <p>Aside from the training budget, Ashleigh’s favourite part of working at Web Applications is her great team. Although I am part of that team I can assure everyone that I didn’t force her to say this. As we’re currently recruiting another designer, I asked Ashleigh what kind of person she would like to join the team. Plenty of fresh ideas, willingness to learn, a good eye for detail and a great sense of humour are all on her wish list.</p> <p>Ashleigh has many hobbies but there’s nothing she enjoys more than going dancing with friends in Oldham hotspots Envy and Tokyo’s. Football, hockey and working out at the gym also keep Ashleigh busy during her spare time. In our recent Sport Relief football league, Ashleigh showed off her skills in the Downstairs Dominators team.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/20.jpg" width="434" height="200" style="text-align: center; " alt="" />&#160;<img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/DSC_0170_jpg.jpg" width="182" height="200" style="text-align: center; " alt="" /></p> <p>When asked her claim to fame, Ashleigh listed some impressive celebrity contacts. Her best friend’s brother was on Coronation Street for about a year and her sister was a contestant on a game show called Minute To Win It, along with a team of friends who shall remain nameless. But Ashleigh’s biggest claim to fame is that she featured on an episode of Jeremy Kyle. I’m told she was merely in the audience but I’m yet to see proof of this.</p> <p>For lent Ashleigh gave up cake, sweets, chocolate and takeaway, during this time we had 2 cake days, a couple of work nights out and many traditional ‘Fat Fridays’. Despite the temptation, Ashleigh pulled through and successfully completed the full 40 days and 40 nights. If that isn’t dedication, I don’t know what is.</p> <p>In the future, Ashleigh’s goals are to continue to improve as a designer, learn new techniques and produce innovative ideas. She also aims to run a marathon one day. Having been left in agony for days after attending the gym with Ashleigh I am pretty confident she can achieve this.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/Ashleigh dancing.jpg" width="181" height="300" alt="" />&#160;<img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/ashleigh wings.jpg" width="254" height="300" alt="" />&#160;<img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/Designers_yellow_jpg.jpg" width="180" height="300" alt="" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/334.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/334.aspxNatalie BaileyThu, 12 Apr 2012 08:57:00 GMT<p>Web Applications regularly get together to have some fun outside the office. Yesterday we ventured to the Manchester Paintball Arena in Chadderton for a spot of paintballing and laser tag!</p><p>When we arrived we were split in to two groups, one for paintballing and one for laser tag. I was doing laser tag first and even though I knew I wasn’t going to get hurt I must admit I was a little scared when we walked into a darkened room with a graveyard set up…</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/546692_10150739462951100_91915956099_9396981_568140331_n.jpg" width="450" height="338" vspace="10" hspace="10" style="text-align: center; " alt="" /></p> <p>We were split again in to two teams of 6 – Desert and Jungle. Then the games began! We quickly began running, ducking and diving as the competition started to hot up. At one point Clare was even hiding in a coffin, ready to take aim at her unsuspecting victims! Mark W found himself up against 4 women at the end of one game but it seemed he had met his match as he was swiftly defeated. Joe won the individual competition, valiantly beating Kerry in a tense finale. We played 4 different games and by the end were all pretty worn out so when the word ‘pizza’ was heard, I wasn’t the only one rushing out to grab myself a slice (or three..) The other group had finished paintballing at the same time so we all had a catch up with our pizza and showed each other our war wounds. Then it was our turn to enter the paintballing arena.</p> <p><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/562123_10150739464671100_91915956099_9396996_1889630668_n.jpg" width="300" height="225" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/546302_10150739451211100_91915956099_9396873_1305364695_n.jpg" width="300" height="225" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p> <p>The red team from the first session decided to stay on to make up numbers, so we became the blue team and got our gear on. After an intense briefing, “Never take off your mask” and a pep talk from our marshal, “take control of the alleyway”, we entered the dusky room. With a few test shots we were ready to go. I for one couldn’t see where anyone was so for the first game I held back, shooting where I thought the opposition was. Probably not the best tactic but I was quite scared of being hit!</p> <p><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/528934_10150739454126100_91915956099_9396902_1620544188_n.jpg" width="190" height="143" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/529278_10150739454441100_91915956099_9396908_47361338_n.jpg" width="190" height="143" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/538649_10150739450616100_91915956099_9396868_314794080_n.jpg" width="190" height="143" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p> <p>The next couple of games entitled ‘Saving Private Ryan’ involved a team member hidden away in one of the rooms with our given mission to rescue them. The red team proved to be a tough opponent as us blues failed in our task. I was hit in this game, once in the face, so I’m glad my mask was firmly on, and once in the arm which has turned into a very small bruise, but nothing I could realistically get sympathy for!</p> <p>The red team were victorious throughout the day, winning all but one of their eight games. Our Chief Executive Craig Dean was part of this team and in the final match against each blue team he was a good sport and started in the middle so we could all attempt a shot at him! I’m not sure if I actually hit him but I’d like to think my aim’s not too bad!</p> <p style="text-align: left; ">We had such a fun evening; it was a great way to get together outside of work and I’m sure everyone’s looking forward to the next outing. A big thank you to the guys at Manchester Paintball Arena, we would definitely recommend you to anyone looking to paintball and/or laser tag and will hopefully be back soon ourselves!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/306211_10150739466296100_91915956099_9397010_297723037_n.jpg" width="450" height="338" vspace="10" hspace="10" style="text-align: center; " alt="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center; ">&#160;</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/333.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/333.aspxNatalie SneddonTue, 10 Apr 2012 15:48:00 GMT<p>This week saw Facebook buy photo sharing app Instagram for $1 billion.</p><p><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/instagram_logo.png" width="200" height="200" vspace="10" hspace="10" align="left" alt="" />The success of Instagram relies on its simplicity. It set out to change and improve the way the world communicates and shares. All you have to do is take a photo, apply one of the 17 filters and upload it to any social media site. 30 million people use the app and it’s so popular that last week when an Android version of the app was launched it was downloaded 1 million times in just 12 hours! As an Android user myself I was one of these eager downloaders; I think it’s a great way to make mobile photography more interesting.</p> <p>Instagram was born only 2 years ago, taking 8 weeks to build and launch. Co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger started the company to make sharing photos instant, with the feel of an old Polaroid camera style.</p> <p>This is the first time Facebook have acquired a company or product with so many users, Mark Zuckerberg said it will probably be the last. So why Instagram? Is Facebook just wanting to keep Google + at bay; making sure they keep the lead in the social media industry?</p> <p>The deal shows similarities to when Google acquired You Tube. At the time You Tube users were worried by the takeover, thinking Google would change everything. However, that was not the case and the two were kept separate, allowing You Tube to keep its key features but also improve as time went along. You Tube, like Instagram was a not – for -profit organisation but it added something Google wanted to its repertoire –video. Instagram is adding something that Facebook wants – mobile technology.</p> <p>Smartphones are the future of computing and Facebook knows this. It was created for desktop and it’s no secret that it’s been a bumpy ride over to mobile computing. Instagram offers Facebook another way to be the top app; photo sharing. Photos are Facebook’s key component, its crucial selling point; Instagram will be able to enhance this user experience. User photos are so important to Facebook’s web site, it was estimated in February that users upload 250 million photos a day to the network.</p> <p><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/Instagram-photo-shared-on-007.jpg" width="300" height="180" vspace="10" hspace="10" style="text-align: center; " alt="" /><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/instagram_2189992b.jpg" width="300" height="188" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p> <p>In statements released by both companies this week, they alluded to the fact that they will stay separate and make the app even better. This again relates back to the Google – You Tube acquisition. The two companies still feel separate and this appears to have worked well for both, although it’s unclear if Google made their money back. So maybe it’s not just about the money but the talent too. Facebook acquires 13 people in this deal as well as the ready-made technology.</p> <p style="text-align: left; ">So with this purely mobile application it will be interesting to see what Facebook’s next move is. They now have lots of advertising space and with 30 million users, I think Facebook have made a worthwhile investment. Only time will tell to see how it can be improved and further integrated into Facebook itself without&#160;damaging Instagram’s stellar reputation and fan&#160;base.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/102458v1-max-450x450.png" width="300" height="450" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/332.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/332.aspxNatalie SneddonThu, 05 Apr 2012 15:21:00 GMT<p>Joe has worked at Web Applications as a Software Engineer for 6 months and 3 weeks – we were debating whether to put 6 or 7 months but decided it was best to be accurate!</p><p><br /> <img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/Joe.png" width="113" height="158" vspace="10" hspace="10" align="left" alt="" />Joe works in the Core team where his typical day consists of testing, testing and more testing, with the occasional bug fix. The favourite part of the job is seeing our Chief Executive Craig complete mind blowing work sometimes. This is not sucking up to the boss, it’s just a fact that what he does with configuration is cool.</p> <p>Here at Web Applications we’re all aware of Joe and his pineapple E-mails. For those of you who don’t know, Joe has been bringing in a pineapple every couple of weeks and serving it up to his fellow Webbies. What started out as a team mascot (that no one agreed to) has turned into ‘Joe’s thing’ with even Craig dubbing him Pineapple Boy. It’s not just restricted to pineapple’s either, Joe’s been known to offer up the odd mango or coconut with a star fruit the next on his list – cue a mission to the supermarket!</p> <p>Before joining Web Applications, Joe studied Theoretical Physics for 4 years at Durham. After this, Joe worked for the Government, this is where it all got a little confidential and Joe didn’t want to go in to any further detail. Let’s just say it was a top secret project and he still has security clearance….</p> <p>Joe enjoys caving, frequently visiting Yorkshire and most recently Derbyshire to take part in his hobby. He also enjoys walking, mainly in the Lake District or the Pennines but Joe also walks to work most days. He moved to Royton, Oldham in order to be closer to work so now it’s only 40 minutes to get here. On this walk Joe has been learning German, he’s not fluent yet but it’s clear he is passionate about mastering it.</p> <p style="text-align: left; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/Joe_yellow.jpg" width="300" height="238" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/P1020890_JPG (1).jpg" width="300" height="225" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p> <p>In his spare time Joe also likes to play Star Wars: The Old Republic – I don’t have a clue what he’s talking about but Joe assures me it’s good, even though he doesn’t actually like Star Wars that much. At this point I think Joe doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about either– Star Wars is amazing!</p> <p>One of Joe’s favourite films is Airplane, saying that it most suits his personality – basically because it’s completely silly. He likes serious films as well such as Hitchcock classics and was recently quite surprised that he enjoyed Breakfast at Tiffany’s as a witty comedy, not just about a pretty girl who likes diamonds.</p> <p>I asked Joe if he had any hidden talents, at first he was slightly reluctant to tell me&#160;but with a nudge from his desk buddy Emma I got a demonstration…Joe can lick his own elbow. There may be no photographic evidence but I can confirm it happened and it’s not the first time I’ve seen a Webbie complete this trick, I’ll let you guess who the other person is!</p> <p style="text-align: left; ">Lastly I asked Joe what his future goals were, he couldn’t think of anything at first but then it hit him – the elusive high five from Craig. When I told him that I had in fact received this coveted gesture, Joe was slightly jealous and changed his goal to a double high five. We’ll have to wait and see in the coming months whether Joe is successful, check back for updates!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/5692982-pineapple-boy.jpg" width="284" height="400" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/330.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/330.aspxNatalie SneddonWed, 04 Apr 2012 12:44:00 GMT<p>Working at Web Applications UK has enabled me to do something I truly care about; writing.</p><p><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/me.png" width="135" height="180" vspace="10" hspace="10" align="left" alt="" />Every day I get to write creatively, be that a blog like this one, content for our website or recruitment material. After graduating three years ago, this is the first job I’ve had where I’m doing something I actually enjoy. I’m also encouraged to gain experience and master my skills. All Webbies are given £1000 worth of training, so I’m encouraged to improve and to find ways of doing this myself. When an opportunity like this comes along, you have to grab it with both hands!</p> <p>I’ve always loved writing, even when I was little I made up stories and noted them down in books I’d hand crafted from paper. This continued throughout my education where I began to write answers to questions and essays, not only stories. The principles are still there – you have to think about the structure, how each sentence sounds and if your audience will appreciate your efforts.</p> <p>Knowing that people are now reading my work is very gratifying. With blogs I can essentially pick what I write about, providing that it’s Web Applications specific or something techy that our readers will value.</p> <p style="text-align: left; ">The days aren’t always easy, especially when there’s a news story that needs to be written about that day or the bus has taken me 2 hours to get here! But then I think about the amazing opportunity I have been given. As someone with no experience since graduating I was given a chance and I’ve realised that this is something I really want to excel in. Working at Web Applications is perfecting my writing and making me see how words and sentences flow and work together; I’m really analysing everything now and it’s all been worth it. The inevitable creative block happens sometimes though and that’s when I’m grateful for my fellow PR Assistant, Natalie Bailey. She helps me out when I get stuck and vice versa. We send our work to each other to give another perspective; other people can read things differently so it’s vital to do this. Plus I don’t mind if she criticises my writing because I’ll do exactly the same to her! This is the culture here; we all lend a&#160;hand&#160;where we can.</p> <p style="text-align: left; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/13247typing.jpg" width="300" height="206" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" /><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie_(2)/Writing.jpg" width="300" height="200" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" style="text-align: center; " /></p> <p style="text-align: left; ">Working at Web Applications allows you to do something you are passionate about, be that writing code or writing a blog. You’re challenged on a daily basis and get the support you need from your peers. Even though I’m not a developer (like most of our Webbies) it’s the same for all of us, no matter what we do. We’ve all been given a chance and are performing a vital role for the business where we want to succeed. This is the fundamental point to any job, doing something worthwhile and enjoying it!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/329.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/329.aspxNatalie SneddonTue, 03 Apr 2012 17:41:00 GMT<p>Something I have in common with Web Applications is my passion for education. Seeking out new things to learn was the mission of my childhood. And now, being fresh out of education for almost a year, my thirst for knowledge is as strong as ever.</p><p>I’ve even been learning to code through Codecademy. As a PR assistant, I’m not the most technically minded person in the office but I’m keen to know more about what’s going on around me.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="300" height="137" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/camp digital.gif" /></p> <p>Last Thursday a small Web Applications team went along to <a href="http://www.wearesigma.com/campdigital/">Camp Digital</a>, a day of inspirational and educational talks held by Sigma, an I.T. consultancy company established in Sweden. The event focused on user experience, accessibility and agile development to produce smarter business solutions. The talks ranged from BBC iPlayer design to website accessibility for blind people. Taking it all in, I realised how lucky I am to be in a job where I’m intellectually stimulated.</p> <p><img width="250" height="188" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/genius.jpg" /></p> <div> <p>Web Applications has a keen focus on sharing knowledge; between peers, from senior Webbies to juniors and, importantly,&#160;from junior Webbies to seniors. This way, all our developers are constantly building up their skills, no matter how experienced they are.</p> <p>Genius day celebrates this philosophy by giving everyone a day to work on whatever they wish, on the condition that we allpresent what we’ve been working on to the rest of the company. In teams or alone, Webbies use this day to develop something that shows off their skills. Some truly innovative ideas for the company have come from this one day in the past. The presentation of everyone’s genius projects provides a wealth of education throughout the company. Our next Genius day is 18th May and thoughts are being whispered about already!</p> <p>The most blatant example of Web Applications’ passion for education is our Centre of Excellence, an I.T. training facility based next door. Along with external I.T. professionals, all our Webbies achieve industry recognised qualifications here. We’re all given a generous budget for further training each year, meaning that although I won’t be taking a SQL Server or .NET exam any time soon, my education isn’t over.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="600" height="355" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/educate.jpg" /></p> </div><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/328.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/328.aspxNatalie BaileyMon, 02 Apr 2012 09:50:00 GMT<p>Last Wednesday, Web Applications UK held a 5-a-side football mini-league between four teams of Webbies. The player contributions of £3 each are all going to Sport Relief, adding to the money we raised <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/324/a-side-splitting-sport-relief.aspx">last week</a>.</p><p>The fearless volunteers playing for charity were:</p> <p>Fahim, Chris S, Andrew S, Stephen L and Mark W for the <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); "><strong>Mighty Managers</strong></span></p> <p>Dale, Graham, Shui, Safder and Enoch for <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); "><strong>Super Systems &amp; Support</strong></span></p> <p>Paul, Aamir, Patrick and Robert B for the <span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 102); "><strong>Daring Developers</strong></span></p> <p>Craig Dean, Shaun, Ashleigh, Nick and Craig K for the <strong>Downstairs Dominators</strong></p> <p>The four impressive teams played each other once, after which the top two teams in the league battled it out in a tense final for the title of Office Champions!</p> <p>One of the first matches lined up was Developers v Downstairs. It was a shaky start with a couple of developers running late. So to even the teams up Craig K switched to play for the Developers – any excuse to kick a ball at Chief Executive Craig Dean in goal! This swap could have been what clinched it for the Daring Developers as the game ended 2-1 in their favour.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/22.jpg" width="600" height="375" alt="" /></p> <p>At the same time, on the other pitch the Managers v Systems &amp; Support match was hotting up, providing a flurry of goals ending in 5-3 to the Managers.</p> <p>Quickly moving on to the second matches, the Mighty Managers faced the Daring Developers; the two winners from the previous matches. Seemingly going for the world record of most goals scored in 12 minutes of 5-a-side football, the game ended 6-4 to the Managers who were proving to be a surprisingly talented team.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/14.jpg" width="600" height="393" alt="" /></p> <p>Meanwhile in the Systems &amp; Support v Downstairs match, Network Engineer Dale was showing off his enviable skills and scored an incredible winning goal for Systems and Support, probably the best in the tournament which lead them to a 2-1 victory.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/19.jpg" width="600" height="382" alt="" style="text-align: center; " /></p> <p>By the third set of matches, the players looked exhausted but definitely still determined. The Managers v Downstairs game was a ferocious battle despite the fact that the Managers already had enough points to go through to the final and Downstairs had none. By this point it was all about pride and the Managers were triumphant 4-2. The other team making it to the final was decided in the match between Developers v Systems &amp; Support. The worn out Developers fought hard but lost 5-1, leaving the league table as follows:</p> <table width="600" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align: center; ">&#160;</td> <td>Goals For</td> <td>Goals Against</td> <td>Goal Difference</td> <td>Points</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Mighty Managers</td> <td>15</td> <td>9</td> <td>6</td> <td>9</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Super Systems &amp; Support</td> <td>10</td> <td>6</td> <td>4</td> <td>6</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Daring Developers</td> <td>7</td> <td>7</td> <td>0</td> <td>3</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Downstairs Dominators</td> <td>4</td> <td>8</td> <td>-4</td> <td>0</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p style="text-align: left; ">So it was down to the final, the Mighty Managers v Super Systems &amp; Support. The Managers had won the first time these two teams met so Systems &amp; Support had a lot to prove. What the final was lacking in energy was made up for by competitive spirit. The score quickly moved from 1-0 to 1-1 to 2-1, it was anybody’s game; then the Systems &amp; Support goalie fumbled with the ball and from the angle of the spectators it was unclear whether the Managers had evened the score again. After an anxious wait our expert referee Gordon ruled that it was not a goal, meaning a controversial 2-1 win for Super Systems &amp; Support.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/4.jpg" width="334" height="224" alt="" />&#160;<img src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/natalie (2)/16.jpg" width="300" height="224" alt="" /></p> <p>Huge congratulations to the winners led by team captain Dale! They may have won nothing but pride and bragging rights but it was more than worth it to them. Thank you to everyone who took part and supported Sport Relief, your effort will make such a difference to so many people’s lives.</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/327.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/327.aspxNatalie BaileyFri, 30 Mar 2012 15:07:00 GMT<p>Emma might have been born in Chelmsford, Essex but she's managed to keep her fake tan and white stilettos at bay, in the office at least!</p><p><img width="100" height="100" vspace="10" hspace="10" align="left" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/16a8fed.jpg" />Emma started at Web Applications last June as an intern. Beginning in support she fixed issues and talked to clients to make sure everything was working. Being a Support Software Engineer is quite a varied role because you don’t have one specific project to work on and therefore deal with all the clients we support the systems for. Emma told me that this means it’s a great place to learn. It’s a steep learning curve though; factoring in every little thing to make sure we deliver a quality service. Emma also said the people in the support department are nice and friendly too, making support a fantastic place to start her career with Web Applications.</p> <p>Emma is now in the Core team as a developer, working on core libraries and setting up the continuous integration server. Here she gets to tackle different issues which are sometimes really tricky. She’s enjoying her new role too but liked both for different reasons. Her favourite part of her job now is the Core team and how they interact, especially with Craig Dean (our Chief Executive). She said how good it is to learn directly from him as he is extremely knowledgeable.</p> <p>Emma graduated from Preston University in 2009 with a degree in Computer Games Development. So why didn’t you continue on into a career in the gaming industry I asked? Her reply was that there aren’t a whole lot of jobs in the gaming industry in this climate and ultimately a stable company with lots of benefits like Web Applications was what she was looking for.</p> <p>After graduating Emma created a bespoke web application for a financial company, then had a well-earned rest for a few months after – Emma was really casual about this but I think it’s pretty impressive!</p> <p>She then went on to work for Sony for six months but didn’t enjoy it too much because she said they don’t care about you; it’s a big corporation and felt quite cliquey. Emma thinks Web Applications is different as she mentioned the training scheme we offer and various events we like everyone to attend – Like the work night out tonight where we’ll be hoping some of the team bust out their legendary moves (not naming names!).</p> <p>In her spare time Emma dabbles in photography. It’s usually such an expensive hobby but Emma managed to wangle herself a bargain on EBay for her camera; a Nikon D3000. She enjoys taking pictures of architecture and picturesque scenery, just not all the walking you need to do to get the ‘money shot’. Emma also likes to read, mainly fantasy books like The Wind on Fire trilogy because like Harry Potter it’s for both adults and children.</p> <p>I asked Emma about her goals and aspirations and they were simple really; just to do well in her career, taking all her exams to get better and better. This is the overall impression I get from Emma, she’s very modest. Even when I then asked what she would do if she won the lottery, she said she would like to live in a nice house, stay at Web Applications and save. Oh and don’t forget the crazy sports car…!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/326.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/326.aspxNatalie SneddonWed, 28 Mar 2012 11:26:00 GMT<p>If you’ve been keeping up to date with our developments, you’ll be well aware that we’ve been expanding our offices into the remaining commercial space in Windsor Works. We’re always on the lookout for new developers so Phase 2 was a vital addition for us to add this new talent to our team.</p><p style="text-align: left; ">At the beginning of the week we all took part in what we call the 'office shuffle' as we welcomed the completion. We wanted things perfect for the big move; making sure our Webbies could easily change desks. I know how important this is after moving upstairs yesterday. Our systems team were always on hand if I needed any help, although surrounded by developers I felt I needed to show them I could at least set up my own computer!</p> <p style="text-align: left; "><img width="300" height="180" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/Image4_jpg.jpg" /><img width="299" height="158" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Image1_jpg.jpg" /></p> <p>Phase 2 comes well equipped with a plush kitchen for all those brews and with lots of space to spread out in I’m sure the new inhabitants will be happy in their surroundings! Under floor heating and air conditioning have also been installed and carried through to our original downstairs offices. We’ll definitely be keeping the air conditioning on rather than the heating if this weather continues –I still can’t believe it’s March!</p> <p style="text-align: left; "><img width="300" height="201" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Image2_jpg.jpg" /><img width="300" height="195" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Image3_jpg.jpg" /></p> <p>After a flurry of recruitment over the past few months Web Applications is continuously moving forward and Phase 2 a prime example of this, I’m sure any empty seats won’t be empty for long.</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/325.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/325.aspxNatalie SneddonTue, 27 Mar 2012 17:11:00 GMT<p>On Friday 23rd March, Web Applications UK held a charity day to raise money for Sport Relief. The whole day was loads of fun; everyone got involved, shared a lot of laughs and had a great time.</p><p style="text-align: center; ">&#160;</p> <p style="text-align: left; ">The dress down day was a huge success – we had a ski suit, football kits, official Sport Relief clothing, sweatbands, a karate outfit and even a wet suit. Unfortunately Pete wouldn’t allow the photographic evidence of the wet suit to be published, but he made up for it with a very generous donation!</p> <p style="text-align: left; "><img width="200" height="311" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Image1 (2).jpg" />&#160;<img width="190" height="317" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Image7.jpg" />&#160;<img width="261" height="334" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Image9.jpg" /></p> <p>As ever, the cakes went down extremely well with all Webbies. Although it lacked any sport-themed decoration I was rather proud of how tasty my double chocolate fudge cake looked but by the time I went to take a picture, all that remained was crumbs where it had sat in all its glory.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="350" height="210" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/IMAG0326.jpg" /></p> <p>There were plenty of other, more impressive cakes to take pictures of though, including Naomi’s rocky road cupcakes and carrot cake, Patrick’s tennis ball cupcakes, Jeff’s chunky chilli chocolate cookies and Vivienne’s amazingly detailed golf cupcakes. The talent in our office is clearly not confined to technology!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="275" height="165" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/IMAG0325.jpg" />&#160;<img width="275" height="165" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/IMAG0323.jpg" /><img width="275" height="165" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/IMAG0328.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align: left; ">At lunch we held a couple of eating contests, there were no real prizes to win but man points and pride of being the quickest eater or having the biggest mouth were high enough stakes to attract competitors. We started with Chubby Bunny which had the spectators in tears from laughter and the contestants in tears from the pain of perseverance. They took it in turn to put marshmallows into their mouths one-by-one and repeat the phrase “chubby bunny”. I would be lying if I said my counting was accurate while laughing uncontrollably at their chubby bunny faces but at around 12, the eventual winner was Ian Munro!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="275" height="263" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Image4.jpg" />&#160; &#160;<img width="275" height="261" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Image5.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="308" height="400" alt="" style="text-align: center; " src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Image2.jpg" /></p> <p>The Cracker Challenge was next and Webbies attempted to eat the most crackers in 60 seconds. Having eaten 2.5 each the joint winners were Chris Haslam and Pete Bettison. This result doesn’t sound as impressive but I tried it myself away from the competition and it really does take a long time to eat a dry cracker!</p> <p>Huge congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone for getting involved. With the generous company contribution, we will have raised just under a whopping £400! All that’s left now is the football league tomorrow night. The competition is heating up and there has been fighting talk between the teams already. The outcome remains to be seen and with the Mighty Managers trying to assert their authority, the Daring Devs out to prove they’re more than stereotypical techies, the Downstairs Dominators seeking revenge for being excluded from previous games and the Super Systems &amp; Support keeping their tactics quiet, it’s just too close to call!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/324.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/324.aspxNatalie BaileyFri, 23 Mar 2012 16:13:00 GMT<p>As a Project Manager Mark has been with us for 7 months now so I thought it was time to see how he's finding his role and life as a Webbie.</p><p>Mark describes his role as ‘keeping everyone happy’ and on a day-to-day basis he deals with the development of new features and systems as well as overall support for issues with current systems. Mark’s favourite part of his job, apart from the exceptional company it provides, is writing specifications using client requirements as he likes to find ways to improve their processes.&#160;</p> <p>Before starting his career in IT, Mark worked as a police officer for seven and a half years! He traded in the fast-paced life of responding to 999 calls a few years ago to follow his ambition of a career in technology as he was unable to do so within the police. Last year he graduated from the University of Manchester with a degree in Information Technology Management and Business and hasn’t looked back since!</p> <p>Mark is a keen supporter of Liverpool FC but doesn’t really know why. He’s originally from Wakefield, moved to Warrington when he was young and has no real connection to Liverpool. It’s likely he started as a glory supporter but he has redeemed himself now by sticking with them through thick and thin. As well as following football, he plays it too. Mark takes part in the weekly game played by some of our Webbies every Thursday and he will be part of the Mighty Managers team in next week’s Sport Relief football league.</p> <p>We had an in-depth discussion about who would play Mark in a film – quickly passing over his wishful suggestion of Daniel Craig (clearly a James Bond wannabe). Eventually, we decided on either Matt Damon or Sacha Baron Cohen due to the fact that Mark has naturally curly hair, something he hides well by straightening his hair every day.</p> <p>One day, Mark hopes to live and work in America so if he won the lottery he would use it for the big move. First though, he would follow Formula One around the world for a season and enter a racing series event himself. Watch out Jenson Button!</p> <p>Some random facts about Mark: Coats, shoes and watches are his favourite things, one of his future goals is breaking 100 in golf and his hidden talent is a very loud whistle, I have no proof of this though as I daren’t ask him to demonstrate in the middle of the office.</p> <p>Before the profile interview, the one thing I did know about Mark was that he loves having his photo taken. Web Applications had a photo shoot earlier in the week for some marketing material and Mark was chosen as one of the models! To keep things natural, we told him some great jokes such as “What wobbles and flies? A jelly-copter”, they clearly went down a treat&#160;with Mark:</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="640" height="253" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Mark_strip_jpg.jpg" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/323.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/323.aspxNatalie BaileyThu, 22 Mar 2012 15:07:00 GMT<p>It has only been a couple of weeks since we raised money for Marie Curie but us Webbies are a charitable lot! Tomorrow we are holding another charity day, this time to raise money for Sport Relief. The money raised will help people living incredibly tough lives, both here in the UK and across the world’s poorest countries.</p><p><img width="200" height="200" align="left" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/sport relief logo.jpg" />We will be holding a dress down day where everyone is free to rid themselves of their Web Applications shirts in favour of sportswear. Everyone taking part will donate a minimum of £2 to Sport Relief. We’re hoping to see sweatbands, short shorts and a whole lot of lycra, but we’ll settle for a football shirt and trainers I suppose.</p> <p>A Sport Relief sweepstake poster is up in the kitchen for everyone to write their name under the celebrity they think is shouting the loudest. At £1 a go, the winner will receive half the money taken, the rest being donated to Sport Relief. The celebrity who is shouting the loudest is due to be announced by Sport Relief on Friday at 3pm so the lucky Webbie will be revealed shortly afterwards.</p> <p>The most popular fundraising activity in the office is always a cake sale and this charity day will be no exception. Sporty cake designs are encouraged but as long as they’re delicious, we don’t really mind!</p> <p>Eating contests will be held throughout the day including Chubby Bunny where the contestant puts as many marshmallows into their mouth as they can before they are unable to say “chubby bunny”. There will also be a cracker challenge – a race against the clock to see who can eat the most crackers in 60 seconds. So things look set to get a bit competitive!</p> <p>And that’s not all… As well as the day of fun and cake tomorrow, a football mini-league will take place next Wednesday. Four teams will be competing for the esteemed title of office champions – Daring Developers, Super Systems &amp; Support, Mighty Managers and the Downstairs Dominators, including Chief Executive Craig Dean in goal!</p> <p>We’re all really looking forward to tomorrow and with everyone getting involved, it looks like we’ll be raising lots of money for Sport Relief and the great work they do.</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/322.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/322.aspxNatalie BaileyWed, 21 Mar 2012 16:34:00 GMT<p>‘This is the way to light up Oldham’ announced the Oldham Chronicle earlier this week, as the route for the Olympic torch was revealed.</p><p>The torch will be taken through Manchester and Stockport then onto to Oldham before heading on to Yorkshire as part of the 10-week relay that will see the torch cover about 8,000 miles. It is set to arrive at 10.45am on the 24th June, coming to the borough via Ashton Road (A627) from outside Hathershaw College before heading into the town centre.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="600" height="280" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/2012319_121452.jpg" /></p> <p>There have been 10 people chosen for the honour of carrying the torch through Oldham. These range from two 12 year olds from Manchester to 94 year old Thora Beddard from Ashton who will take part in the relay. The lucky few were chosen out of 60,000 candidates, so should be thrilled to become torchbearers for the day.</p> <p>The London 2012 Olympic Torch is made from an aluminium alloy, and features 8,000 circles representing the 8,000 people who will carry it around the UK. It will take 70 days and an average of 117 people a day for it to reach its final destination at the Olympic stadium on the 27th July.</p> <p>London 2012 organisers have released the estimated arrival times for the torch, which can be found <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/19_03_12_day37_salford_leeds.pdf">here</a>. Make sure you check the times so you’re there to welcome our day in the spotlight! I know everyone here at Web Applications is excited to catch a glimpse of the torchbearers as they pass by on what will be a momentous day for Oldham!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/321.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/321.aspxNatalie SneddonMon, 19 Mar 2012 16:59:00 GMT<p>On Friday 16th March, our Chief Executive Craig Dean and I went along to the VIP launch of Mahdlo, the £5m youth project opening in the centre of Oldham.</p><p style="text-align: center; "><img width="500" height="326" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Mahdlo5_jpg.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align: left; ">From the outside, the <a href="http://www.mahdloyz.org/">Mahdlo</a> building is strikingly contemporary next to the early 19th century Blue Coat School. The Young People’s Development Group has had a lot of influence in the design, inspired by their trip to London. The interior is equally impressive with a white and block coloured theme.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="500" height="367" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Mahdlo1_jpg.jpg" /></p> <p>The launch began with a tour of the building revealing conference rooms for training purposes, media rooms, a dance studio, a boxing room, a fully-equipped gym, a common room and a sports hall. The common room featured a huge TV mounted on the wall, every games console you could wish for, pool tables, foosball tables and more! But possibly most impressive was the sports hall, with a huge climbing wall stretching across the back, basketball hoops on the wall and various courts marked out. Our young tour guides informed us that trampolines and a whole range of other sporting equipment would be available for use.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="500" height="287" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Mahdlo4_jpg.jpg" /></p> <p>We heard speeches from dignitaries such as businessman and local legend Norman Stoller, Leader of Oldham Council Jim McMahon and Oldham’s Youth Mayor before watching performances by young people.</p> <p>The future for Mahdlo looks bright! Funding has already been raised for the first few years running costs and at just 50p entry it’s difficult to imagine why any young person would not want to go. Having grown up in Oldham myself, I feel proud that this pioneering youth project is here, and maybe a little jealous that I’m too old to go!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="300" height="407" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Mahdlo3_jpg.jpg" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/319.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/319.aspxNatalie BaileyFri, 16 Mar 2012 16:38:00 GMT<p>Shebnem Harris joined Web Applications a month ago. I decided to sit down with her, find out some facts and ask about her life as a Webbie so far.</p><p><img width="138" height="189" vspace="10" hspace="10" align="left" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Shebnem_Harris_jpg.jpg" />Shebnem’s typical day starts at 6.30am, where she needs to make sure her two children are ready for school before she makes her way in to work. Once she’s made it in, as a Software Engineer, Shebnem’s day consists of dealing with any problems received from clients. She deals with urgent issues with client systems and fixes them as well as she can. She says the best part of her job is this problem solving. Making sure everything is ok and her fixes pass all the relevant testing is very satisfying! Then it’s on to the next case…</p> <p>Web Applications is going through a few changes to do with our systems at the moment so Shebnem is always learning and adapting. Fundamentally she says she likes her job, ‘that’s why I chose it.' She always knew she was destined to have a career as a Software Engineer; ever since she took a careers test and the results were off the scales for this career path. So she thought it was probably a good idea to ultimately pick computing! Plus being good at maths and science and enjoying being logical helped!</p> <p>Shebnem went on to obtain a computer engineering degree and masters. After going into industry work for a few years Shebnem found herself lecturing, and what started off as a temporary role turned into a full time position. She ended up teaching for 10 years at Manchester, eventually becoming a senior lecturer. She decided to leave over a year ago now, seeing as her children were older and she wanted to get back into industry roles. She told me she enjoyed her job as a lecturer but you repeat yourself in teaching. When it comes to Software Engineering there’s always something new; every day is a challenge.</p> <p>Of her time at Web Applications Shebnem said, ‘it is the best company, the culture is so nice and everyone is very helpful.’ She’s amazed by the training benefits. Everyone gets time allocated to learn and is encouraged to do so. There are continuous training events for all Webbies to expand their knowledge. So Shebnem is understandably hoping to learn a lot more and then apply that know-how to every day working life.</p> <p>Having two children means that they take up a lot of Shebnem’s time but when she gets the chance she enjoys going to the Cornerhouse in Manchester; especially to see futuristic and international films. This is mainly because they show life in a different angle where you can learn a great deal. She particularly enjoys Star Trek due to the fact some of the ideas included have gone on to inspire the latest technologies.</p> <p>She is an avid skier, regularly going back home to Bursa in Turkey to hit the slopes. I didn’t know you could ski in Turkey…I hope I’m not the only one! Shebnem’s eventual goal is to retire back to Bursa, by the seaside where she grew up. She likes fishing so to retire to this comfortable lifestyle by the sea is something she is keen to achieve.</p> <p>The last question I asked Shebnem was ‘What is your claim to fame?’ As it turns out Shebnem’s been on TV. She had a small part in a BBC drama as the wife of a Turkish mafia boss for a couple of months. She can’t actually remember the name of the programme so unfortunately I haven’t been able to have a search on You Tube. In the end she decided fame wasn’t for her which is very lucky for us here at Web Applications!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/318.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/318.aspxNatalie SneddonFri, 16 Mar 2012 15:23:00 GMT<p>Last week I wrote a blog that highlighted the Kony 2012 campaign. Since then, many people have gone on to criticise the cause and the NGO Invisible Children behind it. However, over 100 million people have watched the video they created and now know the name Joseph Kony.</p><p>As a company, Web Applications fully supports the belief that Joseph Kony should be stopped. We understand the criticisms levelled at Invisible Children but without the Kony 2012 viral sensation such an important issue would not have been brought to light. The critiques have been aimed at Invisible Children as an organisation and their methods, not whether Kony is a war criminal; these are two separate issues. Regardless of the controversy surrounding Invisible Children the principle remains that Joseph Kony must be brought to justice. We know this will not be an easy feat; how to accomplish this is extremely complicated. However, the amount of awareness created means that Joseph Kony has been brought to the forefront of our minds. He has affected and continues to affect the lives of thousands of people; now the crimes he has committed over so many years are known across the world.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="350" height="238" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Joseph-Kony-2012.jpg" /></p> <p>People have criticised the campaign as being too little, too late - but how can it ever be too late to stop the violence Joseph Kony has been responsible for over these past 20 years? It’s shameful the way the issue has been ignored for so long by the western world. We need to stop Kony and the LRA&#160;violence so that war affected communities can be given the help they so desperately need.</p> <p>Kony may not be in Uganda anymore but this does not change the fact that he is still at large in other central African countries. By publicising the fight against Kony, pressure will be put on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to increase efforts to find and convict him of the terrible crimes he has committed for almost three decades.</p> <p>This week saw the conviction of Congo warlord Thomas Lubunga, which was the first verdict from the ICC since opening in 2002. The case will have set legal precedents that could be used if Joseph Kony is captured. The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said on Thursday he would seek “close to the maximum sentence” for Thomas Lubunga. We hope Joseph Kony will be next to step before the ICC.</p> <p>As I mentioned <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/311/kony-2012.aspx">previously</a>, our Chief Executive Craig Dean lived in Uganda from 2001-2004. This is the main reason we at Web Applications ardently support the campaign to stop Joseph Kony. Craig has passionately retold the stories of his time spent in Gulu. Seeing the children scared for their lives, without their family and looking for anywhere to hide has obviously had a profound effect on Craig; he more than anyone wants to see Kony convicted. Since hearing the first hand stories, we share this view. So it is essential that something happens, not to make him famous but make him infamous and ultimately see him stopped.&#160;</p> <p style="text-align: center; ">&#160;<img width="350" height="197" hspace="10" border="10" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/kony-2012-masses.jpg" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/317.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/317.aspxNatalie SneddonThu, 15 Mar 2012 17:03:00 GMT<p>Mahdlo’s launch is just around the corner and we’re getting pretty excited about it. Web Applications has supported the project from an early stage and has been rewarded with tickets to the VIP launch tomorrow, Friday 16th March.</p><p>If you have a keener eye than I do, you will have already noticed that Mahdlo is Oldham spelled backwards. This is symbolic of the goal to turn Oldham on his head, to stop the on-going marginalisation of young people in the Oldham area.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="400" height="267" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Bolton Lads and Girls Club.jpg" /></p> <p>The <a href="http://www.mahdloyz.org/">Mahdlo Youth Zone</a> is based on a successful model – Bolton Lads’ and Girls’ Club. Our Chief Executive, Craig Dean had the pleasure of visiting the Club in Bolton so he’s very keen to see how the Oldham version matches up!</p> <p>The VIP launch is set to take place tomorrow afternoon with a tour of the building, presentations and performances by young people.</p> <p>The Young People’s Launch Party takes place a day later on Saturday 17th March which will feature a performance by Manchester’s urban superstar Burga Boy! Local freestyle footballer Craig Corey, Manchester’s DJ Silver and a guest presenter from Revolution Radio will also make an appearance. Unfortunately for us, this launch is restricted to those aged 8-21 only!</p> <p>We’ve been tracking the progress of Mahdlo in some of our previous blogs so if you’ve been keeping up to date you’ll be as eager as we are to see how the launch goes. We’ll be sure to report back after the launch and what is set to be a significant weekend for the youth of Oldham.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="459" height="122" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/mahdlo logo.jpg" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/316.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/316.aspxNatalie BaileyWed, 14 Mar 2012 17:29:00 GMT<p>The Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Dinner on Thursday 8th March. Web Applications’ Chief Executive Craig Dean went along as Oldham President of the GMCC.</p><p>Hailed as the leading business event on the North West calendar, this year the event was held at Manchester Central convention complex and was sponsored by United Airlines. The dinner provides an excellent networking opportunity to the GMCC’s members and their guests which Craig fully took advantage of.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="470" height="310" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Manchester Central.jpg" /></p> <p>The deserving winners of the inaugural Greater Manchester Green Business Award were announced at the dinner. EOC UK, Trafford Park manufacturer, received the award for a small/medium business while the award for a large business went to Stagecoach.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="500" height="228" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Green Business Award winners.jpg" /></p> <p>Lord Green, Minister of State for Trade and Investment was the guest speaker. He provided a thought-provoking speech to diners including the UK Trade &amp; Investment directors for France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland, the Nordics and the Baltics, who took part in a special networking event for businesses interested in exporting.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="234" height="350" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Lord Green.jpg" /></p> <p>Chamber president Martin Douglas hosted and used his speech to lobby the minister for regional support of our health and life sciences sector. Martin pointed out that the North West has been identified as a centre of international significance by both the government’s Office for Life Sciences and global companies in the industry. GlaxoSmithKline dubbed the region a member of the European Super League of bio-technology clusters.</p> <p>The after-dinner speaker was Chris Addison, stand-up comedian from Manchester. Other than stand–up, Chris is perhaps best known for his role as Ollie in BBC 2’s The Thick of It and the film adaptation In the Loop. As he had a little laugh to himself thinking back, Craig described Chris’ performance as ‘brilliant’, particularly his chicken impression!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="500" height="400" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Chris Addison.jpg" /></p> <p>Another personal highlight for Craig was the delicious food served. A typical Webbie! The Chamber reported that the night was a roaring success and we're looking forward to reading the full story in the GMCC's <a href="http://www.53degreesonline.co.uk/">53 degrees</a> publication next month.</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/315.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/315.aspxNatalie BaileyTue, 13 Mar 2012 17:05:00 GMT<p>Oldham Council last night hosted a launch event for ‘Invest in Oldham’.</p><p>This is the new initiative to encourage investment in to the borough, which included the announcement of a multi-million pound luxury hotel and spa project.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="350" height="205" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="An artist's impression of the Hotel Future in the new civic square." src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/C_71_article_1488157_image_list_image_list_item_0_image.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: smaller; ">An artist's impression of the Hotel Future in the new civic square</span></p> <p>It’s an exciting time for Oldham where land opportunities, support services and financial incentives are&#160;all up for grabs. The initiative plans to get investors to see Oldham differently; showing them Oldham is open for business. With this comes four key points to attract potential investors.</p> <p>Firstly, Oldham is in a great location. It boasts excellent transport links, is only 5 miles to Manchester and has a direct connection with the national motorway network to provide easy access to the rest of the region.<br /> It has great people. Oldham has a young growing population and a skilled workforce many businesses could access in order to be successful.<br /> There is a great infrastructure which includes a range of premises, sites and land to suit all needs. Plus with Oldham’s new Metrolink line opening this year, travelling to Oldham will even quicker.<br /> Oldham has great businesses, with a base of over 5,000 companies, both national and international.</p> <p>As part of the great businesses of Oldham, our Chief Executive Craig Dean was asked to be interviewed for a video shown at the event held at Gallery Oldham. The film crew popped in our offices last Friday to give Craig his close up. He told them why Oldham is such a great place to invest in and that inward investment is vital to Oldham’s economy. If Web Applications is anything to go by, Oldham is a great place to work; a place with real ambition to do well.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="350" height="234" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Filming1.jpg" /></p> <p>It is important for Oldham to make decisions, get results and improve the borough throughout. The £40 million Hotel Future project hopes to implement this strategy. The building is expected to replace the car park next to the Civic Centre and Queen Elizabeth hall. It is set to open in 2015, a year that will also see the creation of a new civic square. So this will be one of many projects across the borough, regenerating Oldham to see its economy improve. Jim McMahon, Council Leader said, “The key message here is that ‘Oldham Means Business’.”</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/314.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/314.aspxNatalie SneddonMon, 12 Mar 2012 17:21:00 GMT<p>No, the title is not an error. I’m just showing off with my exceptional coding skills…</p><p>It has been a couple of weeks since I started using <a href="http://www.codecademy.com/#!/exercises/0">Codecademy</a> – grabbing a few minutes here and there. I have progressed through 5 sections of the online tutorials and after typing my name and adding 2 + 2 in the first section, things have advanced a great deal. This definitely doesn’t mean I am matching up to any of our developers; it is still the elementary stuff of coding. But for someone who <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/298/codecademy.aspx">knew nothing</a>, I have learnt a lot.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="252" height="300" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/codecademy part 2.jpg" /></p> <p>So far I have created my own confirmation windows and alert messages but have mainly concentrated on variables. Strings, substrings, literals, methods and arrays are all words that now have a whole new meaning. Next is creating ‘if statements’ which looks like a big leap from variables so I haven’t been brave enough to try it yet.</p> <p style="text-align: left; ">Every section is made up of a number of exercises, each explained in context. The sections can take as little as 10 minutes to complete but only if you quickly grasp what it wants you to do! With things getting a little more complicated, I’ve had to go back and swiftly refresh my memory on previous sections before I figure out what to do next.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="376" height="165" style="text-align: center; " alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/codecademy achievements.jpg" /></p> <p>Feeling proud of myself for getting through a few sections and earning a few points and achievements, I stumbled upon the course menu and realised I am actually just at the tip of the Javascript coding iceberg. As it turns out I’m still on the introduction! After these lessons there are introductory projects. Then there are at least six other groups of lessons and projects including functions, objects and conditionals. It’s clear I need to step up my game.</p> <p>Over the next couple of weeks I aim to get started on the first project – creating a simple number game program. It sounds unachievable for me now, but with Codecademy guidance, I’m sure I’ll get there in the end.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="410" height="123" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/codecademy logo.jpg" /></p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/313.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/313.aspxNatalie BaileyFri, 09 Mar 2012 18:00:00 GMT<p>Bringing the Webbie profiles back to the blog, I couldn’t think of anyone more perfect for the first one than Daniel Pavlovs – my cheery new neighbour after embedding myself upstairs in the land of developers.</p><p><img width="132" height="175" align="left" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Daniel_Pavlovs.jpg" />Half Latvian and half Russian, trilingual Daniel is originally from Latvia and came to the UK around 7 or 8 years ago. He now lives in Halifax with his girlfriend, no children – yet!</p> <p>Whilst living in Latvia, Daniel did some developing work and even ran his own business for a while. After coming to the UK, he struggled to get a job in developing straight away so has gradually progressed through testing roles until he got his role as a Software Engineer here at Web Applications. He feels like he’s properly starting his career in developing now and is looking forward to whatever his future at Web Applications UK may bring.</p> <p>Starting here in October 2011, Daniel has been with us for 5 months now and still loves his job. His favourite part has to be that he is always learning. All developers achieve at least one Microsoft certification within their first six months; Daniel is currently studying for a Microsoft certification in Word development. He appreciates the beauty of having our own IT training facility, <a href="http://waukce.com/">The Centre of Excellence</a>, so that when he is ready he can put in a request for an exam and be booked in as early as the next day.</p> <p>In his spare time Daniel enjoys lots of things, but chilling out in front of the TV is not one of them. Daniel used to work for the main Latvian TV station doing translations and subtitles for English and Russian speaking TV programmes. From working there for a year and a half, Daniel has seriously been put off television. Bizarrely, he doesn’t even own a TV, and hasn’t for about 10 years! He doesn’t miss out though, he just catches up online with what he wants to watch, when he wants to watch it. Next on his ‘to-watch’ list is Doctor Who as he feels he almost has a duty, working in a world of geeks.</p> <p>After living in England for quite a few years now, he feels he can appreciate the cultural references enough to take on the task of reading some English classics. Currently reading through some of the works of Dickens, I think it’s fair to say he’s more cultured than most!</p> <p>When asked what he would spend his millions on if he won the lottery, his peculiar answer was that he would simply put it in the bank and carry on living his life as he does now. The truth is Daniel is quite content with his life the way it is so why change it? He’s a true believer in the philosophy of “more money, more problems”. For the record, if Daniel does ever win millions, he’s agreed to send some my way!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/312.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/312.aspxNatalie BaileyFri, 09 Mar 2012 17:29:00 GMT<p>This week the words on everyone’s lips are ‘Kony 2012.’ If you haven’t heard about it, you need to.</p><p>Kony 2012 is a campaign set up by non-profit group Invisible Children. Their aim is to raise awareness of Joseph Kony; a man who has terrorised villagers in at least four central African countries, particularly Uganda, for nearly two decades.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="261" height="400" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Kony_poster.jpg" /></p> <p>This week Invisible Children released a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc">video</a> surrounding their campaign to ‘make Kony famous.’ Not to celebrate him but to bring about his arrest and uphold international justice. They plan to use the power of social media to bring together our global community and realise that we as individuals can make an impact to stop Joseph Kony. The charity, like us here at Web Applications wants to make Kony a household name and bring his crimes to light.</p> <p>The video has attracted over 50 million hits on YouTube already and shows no signs of slowing down. It depicts how Kony, as head of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, kidnaps children. Boys are forced to become child soldiers, while girls are turned into sex slaves. His forces are thought to be responsible for killing and mutilating&#160;tens of thousands of people. They brainwash children and force them to kill their parents and other villagers so they have no homes to go back to. Invisible Children said, “The LRA has been active in Uganda for nearly 20 years, displacing 1.7 million people and abducting at least 30,000 children.” The video has become an instant viral hit and the hash tag #stopkony has previously appeared on Twitter’s top 10 worldwide trends.</p> <p>On 20th April 2012 Invisible Children are encouraging people at sundown to put up posters, flyers and stickers featuring Joseph Kony all over city centres through the night. This will be happening in cities all over the world with the aim to make Kony famous, so people know who he is and what he is doing; so he can be stopped.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="350" height="233" vspace="10" hspace="10" style="text-align: center; " alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/kony-2012-0.jpg" /></p> <p>As a company, we’re getting fully behind the campaign; it’s a cause we are passionate about. From 2001 to 2004 our Chief Executive Craig Dean lived in Uganda and saw first-hand the devastation Joseph Kony caused to the lives of the people who lived there. When he visited Gulu he saw the school projects being set up by various charities. Of this he commented:&#160;'I saw children cramming themselves into these halls in the evening, hiding in fear. Some would walk over ten miles to get to the villages, sleeping in any open doorway to avoid the raids Kony carried out at night.'</p> <p>As a business we want to see Kony stopped, arrested and brought to justice.</p> <p>Please go to the <a href="http://kony2012.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com">website</a> and show your support.</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/311.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/311.aspxNatalie SneddonThu, 08 Mar 2012 16:41:00 GMT<p>All day yesterday I was waiting in anticipation for the launch of the new Apple iPad and now it’s finally here! So does it match up to the hype?</p><p style="text-align: left; ">For fans of Apple, the answer is probably yes. It features a Retina display, with 1080p resolution; more pixels than a HD TV. So as you can imagine, the quality on screen is pretty good! For everyone else, it could be a bit disappointing. Yes the display is the best out there on a tablet, but where is the haptic feedback? When I heard the rumours surrounding the new iPad this was the particular point I was most interested in. Especially when Apple’s own advert for the device hinted at the new technology – ‘We have something you really have to see. And touch.’ By using electrostatics, haptic feedback simulates friction and textures, allowing you to actually feel what’s on screen. However, this technology may take another year to make it in to the mainstream. So here’s hoping Apple have this up their sleeve for the future.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="350" height="291" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/ipad3-120228.jpg" /></p> <p>So what else does the new iPad have to offer? It has a quad-core A5X processor and 1GB of RAM, which is certainly good news for the gamers amongst you. This does mean that the tablet is slightly thicker and heavier than its predecessor. It will be able to connect to 4G networks; Apple’s first foray into LTE. This will only be available in the US for the time being; using either Verizon or AT&amp;T, not both, so new owners will have a tricky choice to make. With plans for LTE coming to the UK in 2013, it looks like a bit of a wait until we can use the high speeds of 4G. The camera has also been improved from 720p to 5 megapixels, with the ability to record video in full HD. It still maintains the impressive 10 hour battery life and 9.7 inch screen.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="350" height="226" vspace="10" hspace="10" style="text-align: center; " alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/6265898.jpg" /></p> <p>Throughout the build-up to yesterday’s launch there was so much speculation surrounding the name. iPad 3, iPad HD and&#160;iPad 2S were the main contenders being bandied around, so should we be surprised that Apple went for simply ‘iPad’? I think it is testament to the fact the iPad is here to stay, with plenty more models in the pipeline for years to come.</p> <p>The tablet market is expanding by around 40% so it was quite poignant in Apple’s announcement yesterday when the iPad was referred to as the poster-child of the post-PC world. If the market continues to go the way it is then Apple has everything to gain. In a cunning move, the iPad 2 will still be available to buy at a lower price, undercutting Amazon and their Kindle Fire which resides at the bottom end of the tablet market. So what does this mean for the humble PC? Will we one day all be holding our tablets with pride with the PC a distant memory? Only time will tell but next time Apple, I want to be wowed!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/310.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/310.aspxNatalie SneddonWed, 07 Mar 2012 11:38:00 GMT<p>Last week saw two websites crash due the high demand for a slice of Pi.</p><p>This is the new credit card sized computer; Raspberry Pi that its creators hope will teach every child to program. 10,000 units sold out almost immediately when they were put on sale last Wednesday. Around 700 per second to be precise! The volume of interest means that lots more units of the single board computer are being made as I type; expected to arrive from Taiwan and China in the next few weeks.</p> <p>The board has 2 USB ports for a keyboard and a mouse, an Ethernet port to connect to the internet, HDMI port for high definition video on your TV or old PC monitor and a power port which you connect to your mobile phone charger. There’s an SD card memory slot which will run the free operating system Linux, commonly used in smartphones. This means it is slower running than regular PC’s but won’t hinder its main purpose – getting children programming. So how can this small circuit board create such a buzz?</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="350" height="197" vspace="10" hspace="10" style="text-align: center; " alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/RaspberryPi.jpg" /></p> <p>It could be nostalgia which has prompted such popularity. Does anyone remember the BBC Micro from the 80’s? Although, the Raspberry Pi is quite different. Firstly, it’s a tenth of what you would have paid for the BBC Micro back in 1981 and boasts 350 times the processing speed. The price and scale means the Raspberry Pi is easily accessible to children; to inspire a new generation of programmers.</p> <p>Getting children excited about computer programming is fundamentally important to the UK digital industry. Other countries are far more advanced in terms of creating software. If we look at the gaming industry, the UK is trailing behind countries such as the US and Canada. With the Raspberry Pi being developed right here in the UK, it looks as though we are moving forward and not relying on imports to train our future generations.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="350" height="233" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/pi.png" /></p> <p>The Government is also advocating more education surrounding computer science, so we will hopefully get more home grown talent taking on the rest of the world in this highly lucrative industry. We need to teach children not just how to use the software but how to build it. The plan is to get the computer into schools by September; with one for every child in British education. Hopefully this will encourage more students to choose computer science as a university degree and by the time they get there, have a better understanding of coding and programming.</p> <p>It really is an exciting time within the IT industry, I’m sure some of the developers here at Web Applications would have loved something like this when they were growing up! &#160;Today, there's more emphasis on being creative and innovative rather than being just another consumer, so maybe we should all try to be a bit more proactive; with an extra helping of Raspberry Pi!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/309.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/309.aspxNatalie SneddonTue, 06 Mar 2012 13:41:00 GMT<p>On Friday we held a fundraising day for The Great Daffodil Appeal to raise money for Marie Curie. We organised a dress down day for everyone to Wear Something Yellow along with a yellow-themed cake sale.</p><p>The Wear Something Yellow day was a success with some going all out in the name of charity! Even a yellow helmet featured as promised in our previous <a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/306/wear-something-yellow-for-marie-curie.aspx">blog</a>.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="300" height="421" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Paul_yellow_jpg.jpg" />&#160; &#160; &#160;<img width="300" height="238" align="top" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Joe_yellow_jpg.jpg" /></p> <p>The yellow print-out ties from Marie Curie were a popular choice for those short of yellow clothing, looking particularly dashing with the Web Apps black shirt.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="300" height="240" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Mark_yellow_jpg.jpg" />&#160; &#160; &#160;<img width="255" height="240" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Natalies_Yellow_jpg.jpg" /></p> <p>The cake sale was also a great success, all cake left upstairs with the software engineers disappeared almost immediately. One thing is for sure – Webbies love cake.</p> <p>Including a generous company contribution, we have raised around £215, not bad for a day’s fundraising. We’ve been happy to support Marie Curie and are looking forward to our next charity event!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/308.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/308.aspxNatalie BaileyMon, 05 Mar 2012 10:54:00 GMT<p>The One Oldham Business Awards took place on Friday 2nd March, and as we were sponsoring the award for Business of the Year (£1-5m) we went to join the celebrations.</p><p style="text-align: center; "><img width="300" height="225" align="top" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/People1_jpg.jpg" />&#160; &#160; &#160;<img width="260" height="225" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/People3_jpg.jpg" /></p> <p>Upon arriving at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Oldham we were greeted with a pink champagne reception and joined 450 other guests in the bar area before sitting down to a delicious dinner. During this time we were entertained by classical singer Martin Toal and Emily Beth playing violin.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="300" height="259" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/People2_jpg.jpg" />&#160; &#160; &#160;<img width="241" height="259" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Stage1_jpg.jpg" /></p> <p>After dinner, the <a href="http://www.oldhambusinessawards.co.uk/">Oldham Business Awards</a> ceremony began, presented by Martyn Torr, the Business Editor of the Oldham Chronicle, with his glamorous assistant Polly Patrick. All the finalists for each award were invited to the stage as we watched a short video showing why they have been chosen. The winner was presented with the prize by a representative from the sponsor of their award.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="162" height="205" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/SAM_0443.JPG" />&#160; &#160; &#160;<img width="250" height="205" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Craig_stage_winners_jpg.jpg" /></p> <p>Craig Dean, our Chief Executive, presented the award for Business of the Year (£1-5m) and was introduced as an inspiration to Oldham. The finalists were Adamsons Vehicle Care Centre, Optima Cars and The Regional Science Centre. Huge congratulations to the winner – Optima Cars!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="400" height="251" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/cropped Stage2_jpg.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align: left; "><a href="http://www.optimacars.co.uk/">Optima Cars</a> was founded in 2004 by managing director Martin Thomas as a franchise of the leasing agent Vehicle Consulting. Martin has since grown his operation with co-owner Mark Rouse by entering the used car sales market. The worthy winners were selected due to their resilience and innovation which saw them grow at a rapid rate at a time where most businesses were exercising caution due to the economic downturn.</p> <p>As seen in the picture below (left) from Wednesday’s Oldham Chronicle, last year Craig won the Businessman of the Year Award. Craig’s successor was Gavin Wheeldon (right) – the Chief Executive of Applied Language Solutions Ltd - who won Businessman of the Year 2012.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="400" height="240" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/CraigChron.jpg" />&#160; &#160; &#160;<img width="183" height="240" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/BusinessMan.jpg" />&#160; &#160;</p> <p>At the end of the ceremony came a surprise award to the host Martyn Torr for Contribution to the Community, a new award introduced this year. Thank you to Martyn, the organisers and other sponsors for a great night. We wish all the winners, finalists and nominees continued success!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/307.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/307.aspxNatalie BaileyFri, 02 Mar 2012 11:49:00 GMT<p>Today, Web Applications is joining workplaces across the UK and wearing yellow to raise much-needed funds for the <a href="http://www.mariecurie.org.uk/en-gb/fundraising-volunteering/great-daffodil-appeal/">Great Daffodil Appeal</a>; to help Marie Curie Nurses provide more free care to people with terminal cancer and other illnesses.</p><p>All Webbies will be donating £2 each for the dress down day. So far, we've seen people wearing yellow t-shirts, ties and even a helmet.&#160;</p> <p><img width="300" height="272" align="left" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/Designers_yellow_jpg.jpg" />&#160; &#160;<img width="300" height="373" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/Cakes Image_jpg.jpg" /></p> <p>Homemade lemon drizzle cake, cookies, cupcakes, brownies and muffins are on sale, and they all look delicious! Everyone is looking forward to digging in. With all proceeds going to Marie Curie, it would be rude not to, wouldn’t it?!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/306.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/306.aspxNatalie BaileyFri, 02 Mar 2012 10:32:00 GMT<p>&#160;Tonight's the night!</p><p>This Wednesday 29th February the Oldham Evening Chronicle printed an article on the One Oldham Business Awards taking place tonight. Web Applications UK was featured, did you see us? We’re sponsoring the Business of the Year Award (£1-5million). Our Chief Executive Craig Dean has been keeping the secret of the chosen winner completely under wraps despite our best efforts to prise it out of him, so we’re all very intrigued to see who receives the award tonight!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="400" height="294" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/chron.png" /></p> <p>We’ll be blogging about the awards next week, so check back for all the updates!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/305.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/305.aspxNatalie SneddonThu, 01 Mar 2012 15:32:00 GMT<p>The future of Augmented Reality...</p><p>This week the London Eye announced that they would be introducing Augmented Reality (AR) to each of its 32 pods. Visitors will be able to hold up a tablet or smartphone while looking at the various attractions to display a description of what they see. If you turn up without your tablet or phone then don’t worry, each pod comes equipped with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 so that you can still join in!</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="350" height="219" vspace="10" hspace="10" style="text-align: center; " alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/tech_ipad_2147345b.jpg" /></p> <p>Augmented reality is nothing new, but is continuously developing and will one day be all around us. So, what is it? Augmented reality layers graphics and interactive digital content over an image of the real world. It blurs the line between what is real and what is computer generated; enhancing what we see, hear, feel and smell. It creates a more engaging experience for the user by easily using real life content. With so many electronics having the capability to implement augmented reality with their digital cameras (the PlayStation Vita, Xbox Kinect and every Smartphone) this is something we need to take note of.</p> <p>The technology is largely associated with the gaming industry. With news this week that gaming company Total Immersion will announce a new racing game demo at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco; taking place from the 5th-9th March. The demo uses face tracking to implant your face into the game and by holding up anything shaped like a wheel you can control the simulated car.</p> <p style="text-align: center; "><img width="350" height="205" vspace="10" hspace="10" alt="" src="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/Portals/0/nataliebailey/__erF6NEpKAoEEAHYAICrDl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVaiQDB_Rd1H6kmuBWtceBJ.jpg" /></p> <p>However, it is changing. With increased usage in marketing campaigns, augmented reality is being brought into the forefront of public consciousness. By using augmented reality within marketing, brands can improve awareness, likeability and ultimately consumer purchases. Sky will launch such an advertising campaign next week (9th March) for their new Sky Sports Formula 1 channel. If you point your smartphone or iPad at the print ads produced, you will be able to access an interactive clip from Sky Sports F1 presenter Martin Brundle.</p> <p>Augmented reality is gaining such momentum at the moment that it’s hard to imagine a future without it. In terms of marketing, brands need to be careful in using it to add value and not just because everyone else is doing it. For us, the consumer, it’s an exciting time as we get to test out the new technology as it continues to improve and become readily available to us. This could even be in the form of Head-up Display (HUD) glasses by the end of the year if the whispers surrounding Google are anything to go by. Apparently they’re on the look-out for experts in the field, which could mean we’d be walking around in ‘Google Goggles’ with overlays about landmarks and even passers-by right in front of our eyes sooner than we think!</p><br/><a href="http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/304.aspx">Go to article</a>http://www.webapplicationsuk.com/community/blog/entryid/304.aspxNatalie Sneddon