C#/.NET Developer required

We have a vacancy at NationalRural for a C#/.NET Web Services Developer. The project is delivering Web 2.0 services to rural organisations through a web portal at www.nationalrural.org.

The portal requires further development, alongside integration with an online library. The Developer/programmer will lead further coding work, including managing the interface with a subcontracted team.

The post requires good analytical and technical skills, with skilled practitioner competence in:

• data manipulation, utilising MS SQL2005, XML, XSLT, and XSDs


• web-service and API development using C# and .NET


• web interface development utilising CSS , Javascript , XHTML

The post provides a good career development opportunity, working on this leading project in the university sector, with excellent links to partners around the UK

Location: Newport, Shropshire

Salary: £30 - £33K - This is a fixed term post for up to 14 months, commencing June 2008 or ASAP

Download further details

Application pack available from
http://www.harper-adams.ac.uk/staff/vacancies/

Closing date for receipt of applications: Wednesday 7th May 2008

It is anticipated that interviews for this post will be held on Friday 16th May 2008

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Wii caught up with Dr. Who....... hopefully without upsetting our ISP !!

I had a slight dilemma at the weekend when at the same point in space and time as meeting the Doctor again I was expected to go Scottish Reeling.... Enter iPlayer.

Yes I know I could have used the video recorder, but it has become a better chewer than the dog of late. Also I do not have a digital recording device as yet. No problem, lets use iPlayer now that my broadband connection has mysteriously sorted itself. Now iPlayer, Broadband and ISPs are very topical at the moment with ISPs calling foul since iPlayer is taking so much ISP network capacity - 5% is being quoted without financial contribution from the BBC, see Article on ISPs and iPlayer. What is interesting is that they complain chiefly about users opting to stream in the programmes as opposed to those that download first and then replay from their PC. I have always downloaded to get the better replay quality and the download speed is quick due to clever use of peering technology. However Dr. Who is not available to download, only to stream so I cannot be kind to my ISP.... I digress... Looking further on the iPlayer page I notice that iPlayer can be used over the Nintendo Wii gaming device. It is in beta... Now our household has just acquired such a device due to birthday/Christmas presents.. After much debate over the PS3 and XBox the Wii was chosen due to its motion technology which is rather fun... Even our 70 year old neighbours were hooked on it albeit from the sofa due to dodgy knees and unequal length legs... I digress again. So I thought what fun to try the beta... So I connected my tele/ Wii combo to the internet via Wifi and then downloaded the Wii Opera browser ("Internet Channel") and then navigate to the iPlayer page, and there is all it glory "Wii caught up with the Doctor".

In conclusion an interesting technical crossover, but the quality is not quite there yet... Also we had a few stop starts at the end which was a little frustrating... My vote still goes with downloading and being kinder to the ISPs. Yes I know there are those download boxes that one can buy for one tele, but we do not have one... Also I was amused that the BBC had opted to go with the Wii since Sony and Microsoft wanted to control too much of the experience. However I read that the PS3/iPlayer may be on its way due to the BBC's offer of employment to the hacker who made iPlayer work on the PS3 !!!

I think I will stick to beating the neighbours at tennis on the Wii ...

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Almost assimilated by the Borg...

Been at another IT conference today. Third in four weeks. Exhibiting, and participating. This particular one was for the third year on the trot, and being a reflective person.........

Been at another IT conference today. Third in four weeks. Exhibiting, and participating. This particular one was for the third year on the trot, and being a reflective person, I'm now just looking back over the day and asking myself (a) "was it value for money..?" and (b) "am I part of the problem, or part of the solution..?"
If you want to get value, they're not a easy day out. It can be emotionally taxing, swapping in and out of roles all day - sometimes you're being the smiling envoy for your organisation - sometimes you're being the cynical, quizical interrogator of potential service providers and merchants - sometimes you're being the ally or the devil's advocate in open discussions and debates - sometimes you're being the genial host - sometimes you're being the roadie, loading up, knocking down, ferrying back and forth.
On the whole, I'm pleased - today we cemented some good relationships; we measured ourselves against our peers; we checked out our closeness-to-the-edge; we said some of the right things in some of the right places.
I've been home now; sat in the armchair; eaten my supper; walked the dog. And it was whilst walking the dog that the penny finally dropped about why today's third-year-on-the-trot conference had felt good... I twigged that what was really going on (metaphorically) is that today we were walking round our territory p**sing on the lamposts, staking our claim to be there running with the pack. We're here, we've got a good hand, and we're playing the game.

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Work in progress.......

Why did I join UKITA and what do we do in Shropshire? I thought I'd best contribute to try and help with my "blunt northern opinion" to what I find good about our "club".

Tuesday evening was another football night and I had to decide if I wanted to hear about blogs in the Corbett Arms, or sit in front of the telly and watch Liverpool embarrass Arsene Wenger's boys. As it turned out I got a bit of both. We got good ale, nice sandwiches (and chips!), an ear full of "why blogs are great" and saw the last 3 goals on the box - all in all a most satisfactory result! I was asked on Tuesday why I attend and why I'm a member of UKITA, and why I find time to go to these more social events rather than the more technical or commercial ones. The answer is simple - they are fun and I feel like I belong. I never feel out of place at the Shropshire events, it's never difficult to speak to people and I'm not intimidated by Geeks or Nerds, or sales people. I'm allowed to express my opinion and people take me as I am - they even tell me straight when I'm out of order! I go to the main UKITA events for commercial stuff and to push my networking skills upwards. I like to do business with people in Shropshire as much as anywhere, but I feel it my duty to help them that bit more because we share that "clan" status - it's only human to feel that way.
I started in IT in 1984 in Feltham, West London, as a field engineer for a hardware maintenance company. I've moved on a bit since then and now am a partner in an Oracle Technology company called JoraPh Consulting Limited (http://www.joraph.com) based in Telford, Shropshire. I find the duties of an MD very difficult at times and, like many people, I rely on advice and guidance from a variety of sources to help supplement my decision making. Sometimes though, it takes a different type of support to help get issues out of my head, and the camaraderie and interest shown by friends in the Shropshire branch of UKITA has done this for me more than most others, and I'm associated with several organisations including the Institute of Directors and the Oracle User Group.

I'm going to close this for today, and write a bit more as I go, maybe to try and base this blog on what I was told on Tuesday, it's like a diary of events and a measure of the passage of time.

I'll type to you later.

Phiz
david.phizacklea@joraph.com
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Blogging Event proved to be a hot bed of debate...

Our Unplugged Blogging was a great success with lots of stimulating discussion which proves what potential this technigue offers for business .....


Our unplugged event last night proved to be highly energetic starting with a number of sceptics, but ending with a general appreciation of the usefulness of blogging as long as it is used in the correct way.

Basically one needs to understand the objective of the exercise and the target audience and write appropriately to meet these aims...


We introduced this blogsite and agreed to open it up to all of the attendees of the Unplugged Blogging Event in order to get people involved. So please post away... and remember to put on the appropriate labels/categories.

Now for the chips... They were brill... But I am sure Jeremy will devote a post to this subject !!!

Much of the content for the handout was sourced from Mark White's excellent blogging blogsite

Now for some pictures...


The collective Unplugged brain at work....


You talk, I'll drink ....


Here Roger is trying to show us what a 3D blog might look like.....

A good time was had by all...


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Unplugged meeting - 8th April

The next 'Unplugged' meeting will be on the subject of Blogging for Business - what's the point?


Tuesday - 8th April at the Corbet Arms - Upton Magna - All welcome

Venue: Corbet Arms, Upton Magna, Shropshire SY4 4TZ.

Time: 6.30pm - 9.00pm

New Charges : £3.50 Members, payable on night, Non Members get 2 fee invitations and then £3.50 if then join UKITA or £5 if they do not.

We think this is a bargain for the great food, knowledge and potential business and it helps us
create more events for you.

The Theme
This will all about the pros and cons of blogging and how it can help business... We will also have a lively debate on this subject since not everybody believes in its virtue.

The new "Unplugged" format
We have upgraded our "Unplugged" events to make them more useful and interactive. So the new format will be as follows:
a) Arrival drink and chat
b) Talk - Informal presentation on event subject with debate with food.
c) Soapbox - An interactive and facilitated session to discuss topical concerns and share answers. Issues may be limited in time to give everybody an opportunity to forward a topic and broaden the range of topics..
d) Wrapup, chat and departure....

Agenda:
6.30pm - 7.15pm Arrive and chat
7.15pm - 8.15pm Theme Talk, discussion and food.
8.15pm - 8.30pm Soapbox/WrapUp
8.30pm - 9.00pm - Networking/Chat etc..
Please Book, as we need to know numbers....

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NOD32 Antivirus S/W can affect Visual Studio/Express... But the Solution is easy

I have found that a recent update of NOD32 or NOD32 itself can prevent the ASP.NET dev server from working correctly, but there is a solution.


I have found that a recent update of NOD32 or NOD32 itself can prevent the ASP.NET dev server from working correctly. In essence the random port numbers get out of sync between the server and what appears in the browser... usually about 3 out. However there is a great blog describing the solution.... See Solution

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Lunch 2.0 - No such thing as a free lunch...?

It's good to see that the social networking activities of geeks isn't restricted to interactions online....

It's good to see that the social networking activities of geeks isn't restricted to interactions online.

Lunch 2.0, apparently, is

a social phenomenon referring to a migration of web 2.0 company employees to other offices around the Silicon Valley area; characterized by open communication and freedom to share food and ideas

Interesting... and the phenomenon seems to have been spreading...

• San Franscisco
• Los Angeles
• San Diego
• New York
• Canada
• Berlin
• Amsterdam
• Bangalore

And informality is the key. Photos...

The concept has spawned some spinoffs... Oracle's The No Slide Zone, for example

"It's like the best bits of a conference, without having to go to the lectures" (CJ, Oracle)

Of course, no one can pretend that these subtle mixes of informality, networking and creativity are in any way exclusive to the Web2.0 or the IT world. There are plenty of other professions that play this game... marketing... training... Scottish lawyers... Irish technologists...

Could it be that Web2.0 is actually encouraging folks to actively speak to each other...? We live in hope!

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Does anyone else want this?

Benchmarking - I've been gently pushing UKita Central to consider doing something with this - lots of industries trade/professional assocations do it .....

Benchmarking - I've been gently pushing UKita Central to consider doing something with this - lots of industries trade/professional assocations do it - to help the members know whether they are charging high or low, paying staff the right amount and what new trends are proving successful.

It's a major commercial benefit to their members to know this stuff.

What do you guys think? I imagine it would cover upper, lower and average charge-out and pay/buy-in rates for different types of programming, design, technician work etc. Also what streams of work are getting harder to get or make profit margins on and new things that people are finding clients are asking them for.

Obviously the data gathering would have to be done by a genuinely independent confidential outside party and the results would only be made available to the members who had contributed their current numbers.

Thoughts?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benchmarking
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Rural Broadband ...

Are we slowing down...??

Are we slowing down...??

What is the problem resolution process like? My experience is a bruised one with a lack of contention testing tools and being at the mercy of the current main telecoms operator and their workflow systems... Game of tennis anyone..!!!
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Ed's Crystal Ball...

I managed to keep my Crystal Ball contained at the January Unplugged event. However I feel honour bound to uncover it, so here goes...

I managed to keep my Crystal Ball contained at the January Unplugged event. However I feel honour bound to uncover it. These are my views on what will happen in the IT industry after some deep thought, personal experience and through talking to people. Please do feel free to challenge...., but not too hard as I am a sensitive soul...!!

1) There will be a slow down due to "recession" style worries, although I am unsure whether we will actually go into a mainstream recession. However I do think customers will hold back on decisions. I have already heard of projects being cancelled in this and other industries.

2) I believe that customers will concentrate on their fundemental IT ie infrastructure. This starts with their servers, email etc. Linked to this I think there are "infrastructure" type technologies that they have bought into which they will want to leverage as much as possible. A clear example of this is "Sharepoint" with WSS coming free on Windows Server 2003.. and yes you have to pay when you scale to MOSS 2007 (.. Steve EJ is the expert here though..) . Another example of the databases etc ie MSSQL, Oracle etc.

3) I think customers will become more choosy about their suppliers, and will look at more cost effective suppliers.... smaller and more agile suppliers such as ourselves. There is clear opportunity for our membership here.

4) The more dynamic customers may look to technology to cut their running costs.

5) Customers will be forced into implementing certain IT solutions such as workflow to meet compliance standards.

6) Mobile technologies will be used more.

7) Social Communities will be more important ie Facebook, Bebo etc... Need to understand more clearly the impact of this.

8) It will be ever more important to have unique selling points...

9) Long term contracts will continue as before with more stable behaviour within the public sector.

So "Where there are problems there are opportunities" for the lean, mean and innovative companies that make up the UKITA membership....
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Hiding one's SilverLight under a bushel...

Ok, yes, it's clever. I've just got back from attending a Microsoft Silverlight 2.0 promo at Bletchley Park, and I confess that I'm impressed with the concept.

Ok, yes, it's clever. I've just got back from attending a Microsoft Silverlight 2.0 promo at Bletchley Park, and I confess that I'm impressed with the concept, and to some extent with what I've seen of the results. As a staunch advocate of building multi-tiered applications, (i.e. those in which presentation layer, business-logic layer and data layer, say, are separated out), it builds on such an obvious and logical progression of that concept... using XAML to define controls which separate out the presentational information (what they look like) from the code-behind (what they do and how they do it) .
The session also provided a walkthrough of how Expression Studio supports that methodology. And that's where I got a bit stuck... Here's the scenario that Studio/Silverlight is supposed to be a panacea for...

The designer creates an idea for a web page, then passes it to the developer,
who can only recreate the design as much as the technical limitations allow.
Before they know it, the work is compromised. The designer blames the developer.
The developer blames the designer.

There's a neat promo video alluding that harmony is now magically achieved through use of this XAML approach, as both parties can now tinker with their specialist design/development of controls without treading on each others' toes.

I take the point on board totally. Been there; fought that battle. Many times. The prima-donna designer makes a visualisation; then the geeky developer cuts code-behind to make it work, and tweaks the design to fit the code. Repeat ad nauseam until they reach a compromise. But in my mind the bigger snake-in-the-grass is in the layers below. Preparing for the prettiest richest user experience is doomed to failure (or at least a lot of development
iterations) if the business process model isn't clear before anyone even paints a pixel or binds a byte of code. I know the styling of the headlights and dashboard of a concept car make just as much impact as how many valves it's got, but one that misfires on one cylinder is still going to be dead in the water.
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Labels/Categories...

I would like to suggest that we categorise the postings. I think we need to agree upfront what these are and what they should be used for.

I would like to suggest that we categorise the postings. I think we need to agree upfront what these are and what they should be used for. So here are my suggestions:

1) Admin - Blog Site Admin like site feedback...

2) UKITA - Anything to do with the national organisation/other branch business.

3) Event - Adverts and Reports

4) Soapbox - Items that talk about issues. Should be informative and could contain a link back to the contributor's site. So this is like a virtual Unplugged Talk. This could be used to precis an Unplugged talk or followup an Unplugged talk....

5) Skill Request - A request for certain skills.

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What do you think of this blog?

What do you think of our experiment? What would you like to see here?

What do you think of our experiment? What would you like to see here?

The aim of this blog is to reflect our Shropshire IT community spirit....

So what are your thoughts....???

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Blog name....???

This is an experimental blog for UKITA Shropshire. So what shall we call it?

This is an experimental blog for UKITA Shropshire. So what shall we call it?

I have defaulted to "Ed's Blog" for the moment to give it a personal edge, but since we will end up with multiple contributors it may be more appropriate to have something like "The Soapbox" or whatever....

So what ideas do you have???

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March Unplugged event reaches the right beat.....

The March Unplugged event was a huge success with Paul McGillivray from Remote New Media providing a talk and demonstration on his passion of IT and Music

The March Unplugged event was a huge success with Paul McGillivray from Remote New Media providing a talk and demonstration on his passion of IT and Music, in particular on how to create "Drum and Bass" dance music.... So our favourite haunt, the Corbert Arms , seemed to become a dance venue for the night... !! Paul demonstrated the use of sequencing particularly within Cubase Studio...

It was a fantastic night, and one we will repeat in a slightly different guise....

Thanks Paul....

Finally some samples of Paul's music:

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Why not have a look at the Main UKITA website???

We are the Shropshire branch of the UK IT Association which is a fantastic body that supports small and medium sized IT companies.

Why not visit their website to find out more...... See Main UKITA Site.

Why not attend one of the many events and find out more.....
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Welcome

Welcome all.

We are experimenting with blogging, and will be putting up all sorts of posts covering what we are doing.

So watch this space.
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