Passionate about Derby and Derbyshire. This blog will mainly feature things relating to my home city such as updates to my websites, My latest videos around Derby and Derbyshire. Reviews of software technology and random stuff. Something of interest to everyone (hopefully)
Welcome to my blog, Whats this about then?
This is a place where I will be posting all sorts of things not just things relating to Derby and Derbyshire. On here you will find details of any videos I’ve made of things in Derby and also Time-lapse, stop motion animation, Tutorials etc. If I find some useful software for PC or iPhone then I will feature it here.I’m sure that there will be something of interest to someone on my many posts.Please leave comments on any posts if you like them. Don’t forget if you are new to my blog and would like to read through the previous posts then see the Blog Archive section on the left side of this page. Also there is a Search box at the top left of the page if you are looking for something but cant remember where it was. I am a trustee member of "Friends of Friar Gate bridge", aiming to get this bridge restored.
Yesterday (Sunday 28th August 2016) I went to the Flowerpot Potfest Beer festival. Something I would normally do with my Girlfriend but she lost her brave battle with Cancer and passed away on the 4th August so for the first time I went to this festival on my own.
I looked at the Festival poster to see what live music was on and found it was Steel Threads who I had not heard of so had a look on Youtube and the song that I found first was Beautiful Friend and listening to this song made me cry so much, The words meant so much to me and the pain of loosing my girlfriend after 19 years together was summed up in this song perfectly.
When I got to the Beer Festival I spotted Neil Wardleworth setting up and he came towards me and I told him how I lost her after 19 years and the funeral was only 5 days ago and his song had really moved me, he said "Wow, here's me worrying about doing this gig and here you are on your own, such a brave thing to do. I wasn't going to play that song but now you have told me that I am going to play it."
Well I really can't thank Neil enough for playing it and dedicating the song to my girlfriend, It was such a lovely gesture, it was strange hearing this song played live in front of me only an hour after finding it on YouTube.
Here is that song that he played for my girlfriend :
What I also found upsetting is that my girlfriend was not around to enjoy this festival as she loved Northern Soul music. Life is very fragile and cruel. Live it !
Well here it is my 576th video on YouTube and Its also exactly the tenth anniversary of me being on Youtube ! Yes its true at this exact time on 24th July 2006 I uploaded a video similar to this one so this is a tribute to my original video from 10 years ago.
My whole collections of videos have had 3,517,245 views and I currently have 1,464 subscribers, are you one of them?
I would like to thank everyone that has left comments on my videos over the last ten years, I really appreciate the comments.
This video is made from 829 long exposure photographs of me driving around Derby at night. I have then layered the sequence on different layers to create a dazzling colorful effect. Best viewed at 1080p fullscreen with the speaker volume turned up !
Regular followers of my work will know that I have always liked to create 360 degree photographs, I have been doing this for over 12 years now and as technology has moved on I have embraced it. I now contribute my work to Google Streetview for future generations to look at.
As of today I have 438 streetview 360's live on Google Maps, and they have now had over one Million views, helping people around the world see my world as though they were there !
Here is my most popular of contribution to Google Streetview with over 96,973 views so far !
The 2016 Derby Summer Beer Festival is here! Wednesday the 6th July to Sunday the 10th July 2016. the grand opening is at 6:30pm today.
For the first time you can now have a look around the festival marquee using my Google Streetview 360's !
Derby Summer Beer Festival poster 2016.
The entrance to this festival is opposite the Quad. The right queue is for Camra members, Left for paying public. You will be given a wristband to put on so you can leave and come back in (current session only).
Glass rental is £2.50, you can either get a 2016 festival glass or rent a previous years festival glass.
The stage is at one end and the bars along the sides. The cider bar is at the opposite end to the stage. The food and other stuff is outside the marquee in front of the Darwin Suite.
This year as with the previous 3 years there is a free Derby Beer Festival App, allowing you to rate and keep notes on your selected drinks. Beer Festival app.
Here are my Google Streetview 360's around the Marquee before the festival opened to the public, click on the arrows to wander around. Best viewed full screen. simply drag the viewpoint around. There are thirteen 360 views in and around the festival so why not have a wander around
Cider and Perry bar :
Some of the beers :
Some more of the beers :
The entrance to the Beer festival :
The stage:
The Mead bar, glass hire, exit and Food areas :
Overall view from the middle of the marquee :
The location of the Derby Summer Beer Festival. Here you can see its location relative to the Council house :
Getting to the festival
Derby Beer and Cider festival is located on the Market Place, Follow signs for Derby Assembly rooms or The Quad or just look for the large marquee. There are normally yellow or green "beer festival this way" signs around the city, keep an eye out for those. Or use my smartphone map link to get walking route directions from your current location.
By Train
Derby Railway Station is about a 15 minute walk away from this beer festival. Use my smartphone link to get your walking route. Upon leaving the railway station you will need to turn right onto Railway Terrace, you will see the Waterfall pub in front of you (old Railway Institute building).
From outside The Waterfall you can catch one of many different bus services into Derby Bus Station such as 45, 40, 44, 73, 109, 702, Skylink, X52 These all stop at the bus station so plenty of choice.
There is also a new Derby Railway Station Shuttle Bus RL1 which operates between the front of Derby Rail Station on Railway Terrace (stop S1), and Derby Bus Station, from 6am to 9pm, Monday to Saturday. It runs every 15 minutes and it’s just £1 for a trip.
When you are coming back from the beer festival these same buses can be caught from the bus station and will drop you off at the new frontage at Derby Railway Station. So perfect if you are planning on using the train to get here.
By Bus
Derby Bus Station is conveniently located right in the centre of Derby and is just a couple of minutes walk to the beer festival. You can pretty much get a bus from here to anywhere as it's a major bus hub. The 40,44,45 and Skylink buses pick up and drop off between the Railway Station and the Bus Station.
Just turn right out of the bus station front entrance and walk into the city centre towards the roundabout with three small fountains in it then over that one towards the next roundabout with the large fountain in the centre, you will now be next to the Quad building and should see the large beer festival Marquee on the market place,
Accommodation
If you plan to make the most of the five day beer festival then you may want to stay in a hotel in Derby. Derby has lots of choice for hotels.
The nearest hotel to the festival is the Premier Inn Hotel, Derby City Centre (Cathedral Quarter) which is less than a minute walk away ! See my 360 degree Google Streetview of this hotel as seen from Full Street - 360 view Premier Inn Hotel, Derby City Centre (Cathedral Quarter).
If you are arriving in Derby by Train then Midland Road has several hotels to choose from, all literally less than 2 minutes walk from Derby Railway Station such as Hallmark Hotel (formerly known as the Midland Hotel)
Also just around the corner (On London Road) is The Stuart Hotel.
Just down Railway terrace past The Brunswick Ale house is The Alexandra Hotel which is a B&B and real ale house too.
From Derby railway station, walk across the footbridge to the Pride Park side of the station and you will find the Ramada Encore Derby on Locomotive Way and Express by Holiday Inn on Pride Parkway both just a few minutes stroll away.
If you prefer a hotel that is conveniently located in the City Centre so you can easily walk to the beer festival then you have a choice of hotels such as The Holiday Inn or Hilton Derby which are both located within the Riverlights Bus Station complex. The beer festival is just a 3 minute walk from here, You can't get any closer than that!
There is the Cathedral Quarter Hotel on St Mary's Gate if you want something a bit posh. A Jurys Inn hotel at the very top of Iron Gate which is about 5 minute walk to the beer festival.
If you are arriving by car and are not familiar with the layout of Derby then you may prefer a hotel that is located off a main road that is easy to find.
For example hotels located on Pride Park such as Travelodge Derby on Derwent Parade, Express by Holiday Inn on Pride Parkway or Premier Inn Derby East on Stanier way at The Wyvern. These hotels are all easy to find from the A52 and the Jurys Inns Derby Hotel on King Street.
Smartphone Map Location Tap here for a Smartphone Drop Pin -- Tap this link on your iPhone.
View this webpage on your smartphone, When you tap the link above, it will launch Google Maps app and
place a "push pin" onto the map with the exact location of the entrance to Derby summer beer festival. You can then use this marker to get driving, walking or
bus directions from your current location.
For example on an iPhone 6 you tap the blue button at the bottom right and
this will pre-fill in the start and end locations so just tap the
Route button at the bottom and it will show you either the driving
route or the walking route.
Its best to arrive by foot, there is plenty of parking outside for your Beer Scooter :)
Here is a video of the opening night of the 2012 Derby Summer Beer Festival :
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By the way if you are a cider lover and don't get a chance to goto Derby Beer and cider Festival then goto the JD Wetherspoons Cider Festival that runs at the same time as this festival and carries on for two weeks after !
The Summer Cider Festival at the Babington Arms and the Standing Order in Derby runs from Friday 8th - 24th July 2016. And all JD Wetherspoon pubs across the UK !
Wetherspoons Cider Festival 2016
This festival is always popular and its so good to see this pub chain promoting Ciders and Perries. This year they are offering the biggest selection ever so plenty of choice for those new to cider.
This dedicated Cider festival starts during Derby's CAMRA summer Beer Festival.
If you want to know where your local Wetherspoons pub is then I recommend their free App for iPhone. It locates your nearest pub and shows you on a map, complete with opening times and pub info. Get it here : Wetherspoons Pub Finder app for iPhone.
This Cider Festival will take place at all JD Wetherspoon pubs not just the Derby pubs.
If you are a fan of real ciders and live in Derby then its worth paying a
visit to the New Zealand Arms pub as they have a dedicated cider bar!
The great thing about the Summer is you can go out and take photographs very early as its so light so I seized the opportunity to go and capture some 360 degree Google Streetviews at Mundy Play Centre, Markeaton Park, Derby. Normally it would be impossible to take photographs here as its would be full of people, but I've managed to capture it with nobody here a couple of hours before the Race for Life event.
Also because it was early everywhere was clean and tidy without rubbish.
These views are best in full screen mode, drag the viewpoint around just like any other Google Streetview. Feel free to share the link and 360's if you wish.
Make the most of the hot sunny weather and enjoy Markeaton Park !
Just over four years ago I made a video to help you diagnose faults with your wiring, speakers or headphones.
My video "Speaker Test Video (Left and Right Audio), Ensure that your left and right speakers are connected correctly." Little did I know that it would have over 1.3 Million views by June 2016 !
Its such simple video but its very useful and used by a lot of people to find out if there earbuds are incorrectly labelled or wires are crossed over or just plain faulty
A problem that is often asked is "how can I swap the Left and Right audio channels"
Some older soundcards used to have a tick box which said "Swap LR" but not seen that for a long time.
I have the easy solution to your problem here, you need to buy the two following leads from Amazon.
These leads are adapters, The one on the left converts a 3.5mm Jack Plug into left and right audio on RCA sockets where as the lead on the right converts 3.5mm Jack Socket into left and right RCA plugs.
By connecting these two leads together you have the ability to SWAP the audio channels.
Buy these two separate items :
Once you have taken delivery of these two leads do the following :
1) Unplug your existing headphones/Speakers from your PC (thats the 3.5mm jack plug that goes into the GREEN socket on your soundcard).
2) Plug in the 3.5mm jack plug from the left lead above into that GREEN socket on your PC.
3) Now get the other lead which has the red and black RCA plugs on it and insert the RED RCA plug into the BLACK RCA socket of the other lead and insert the BLACK RCA plug into the RED RCA socket of the other lead.
4) Now plug in your headphones/Speakers plug into the 3.5mm jack socket on the adapter lead.
5) Problem solved. Left channel is now going to be routed through to the Right ear and Right channel to the left.
Hope someone finds my solution to this problem of use. if so please leave a comment or promote my solution.
My Left/Right Speaker Test video
The idea of this video is simple, it allows you to confirm that you have wired up your audio system the right way round. You
may not think its important but imagine playing a fighting game and you
hear the enemy to your right so you turn right to fire only to get shot
because they were actually on your left side !
I discovered that my L & R cables were mixed up at the back of my computer desk and have been for months.
My speaker test video :
It may help if you play this video in Full screen mode.
When Left shows on screen there should be a voice in the LEFT speaker ONLY.
If you can hear "Left channel" in the right speaker only then this means your L & R cables are swapped over.
If you can hear "Left channel" in BOTH speakers then this means you have a short circuit OR you are using a MONO sound system.
If your system IS correct then no point in watching all 4 minutes of the video.
It will then play a voice in
the left and right speakers alternating every 2 seconds from left to
right, this will play for 4 minutes giving you plenty of time to fiddle
around with cables etc.
The time-lapse clouds I have used as a background were filmed using my modified Canon Ixus 430 camera.
On my system the "line output" from the back of the PC soundcard was connected via a switchbox (A/B Input Source Switch Box TC-12 (Part #: 50-6220) that allows me to either send the sound to my Creative Labs speakers OR to my Hi-Fi.
The Red RCA female was connecting through to the white RCA Male that was on the end of this switch box in other words Right and Left audio were being swapped !
Hope this test video is of use to someone out there.
Here are some of my latest 360 degree Google Streetviews, I did these at Croots Farm Shop in Duffield. For more information see their website : www.croots.co.uk
My visit to Duffield Castle with my 360 degree Google Streetviews of this National Trust property.
"The remains of one of England's largest 13th-century castles"
Being a National Trust member I thought I would check out this site, I didn't actually know this was here until I got the National Trust handbook. I knew there was not a lot to see up there but was surprised by what state the site was in. The grass was so overgrown that it took me a while to find any remains, you can only see them in my 360 google streetviews because my camera was 10 foot high!
There were no information panels telling you stuff about the site either so left disappointed :(
The steps up Duffield Castle site are very overgrown, this makes it dark, there is no way you would want to go up here when its getting dark.
My video showing a timelapse walk up the many steps to Duffield Castle. Starting on the A6 and ending at the site of the remains :
I'm always striving to do unique Google Streetview 360's, Here is one I did today which I have been meaning to do for a while. In the Derbyshire Village of Quarndon (thats near Allestree) there is an old British red phone box which was converted into a book exchange, Quarndon Telephone Book Exchange box was opened in January 2014. The box is located on Church Road at the top where the village hall is located, you can't miss it.
The moto here is "Borrow a book! Donate a book!"
My Google streetview 360 inside the Quarndon Telephone Book Exchange box, Drag the view around like a normal streetview 360 :
Contributions are always welcome: just find your book - or books - a temporary home on a shelf. They don’t have to be in perfect condition, but they should be clean and complete.
If you’d like to donate a quantity of books, or make a comment, please contact Mrs Laura Storey, the Parish Clerk, on 07941 052009, or e-mail her on: books@quarndon.parishcouncil.net
Today is the last day of the 2016 Stockport Beer and Cider Festival which is held at Stockport County Footbal Club, Edgeley Park, Hardcastle Rd, Stockport, Cheshire SK3 9DD.
This year I offered to take some 360 degree photographs for Google Streetview to help the festival. I took them before the general public were allowed in on the Thursday and some at other points as well. One of the unique things about this beer festival is that because it takes place in a football stadium there are hundreds of seats to choose from.
These are interactive 360 degree photograph that you control by dragging the view point with the mouse or with your finger on a smartphone/Tablet exactly the same as you do with any Google Streetview image.
Here are some of my 360 views at Stockport Beer Festival:
A view of the festival seating plenty of places to sit !
Another view of the seating area:
I thought I would share my latest media. I visited St Chad's Water at Church Wilne near Draycott and captured the area using 360 photography and interactive video.
The video you see below is filmed in full 360 degrees, YOU control the view by dragging the viewpoint around with the mouse.
** Note if you want to view the video on smartphone then you need to view it using the link below the video and select to open it in your Youtube App.
My interactive 360 degree video taken at St chad's Water,Church Wilne, near Draycott, Derbyshire :
Smartphone link to the video.
Or click this link : St Chad's Water interactive 360 degree video. to watch in your Youtube App on a Smartphone. When asked by your phone, select Open in "YouTube" - Open and you will now be able to view my video as Virtual Reality by simply moving your physically around to view in that direction !
My 360 degree photographs from St chad's Water, Church Wilne :
The Brunswick Cider and Sausage Festival will take place from Thursday 12th to Sunday 15th May 2016 at The Brunswick Inn, Derby, Derbyshire, UK.
It does not seem that long ago that I saw this poster for the Cider Festival at the NWAF and yet here we are already!
The Brunswick was awarded Derby CAMRA's Cider Pub of the Year this year so what a great way to celebrate this fact by going along to their Cider and Sausage festival.
There are some great Ciders in the list to try, See below for complete list of Ciders at this festival.
The Brunswick's annual Cider and Sausage festival 2016
This real ale pub is only 200 yards from Derby Midland railway station which is handy if you are wanting to attend by train.
The cider list for the Brunswick Inn's, 2nd Cider & Sausage Festival
Ciders on the Festival Bar
Barbourne Cider Co. – Crimson King 6.0% - Medium/Dry
Barbourne Cider Co. – Golden Drop 5.0% - Medium
Barbourne Cider Co. – Painted Lady 5.0% - Medium /Sweet
Gwynt Y Ddraig – Black Dragon 7.2% - Medium /Dry
Gwynt Y Ddraig – Farmhouse Pyder 6.0% - Medium
Hairy Ferret – Cherry Scrumpy Cider 4.0% - Fruit
Lyme Bay – Chapel Rock 7.4% - Medium /Dry
Millwhites Cider – Hedge Layer 4.8% - Meduim/ Dry
Millwhites Cider – Original Scrumpy 6.5% - Dry
Millwhites Cider – Rum Cask Cider 7.5% - Speciality
Millwhites Cider – Somer Gold 5.0% - Medium
Moles – Black Rat 7.5% - Dry
Orchard Pig – Explorer 4.5% - Medium
Orchard Pig – Maverick 4.0% - Ginger & Chilli
Orchard Pig – Navelgazer 6.0% - Dry
Orchard Pig – Philosopher 6.0% - Medium
Sheppy’s Cider – Cider with Raspberry 4.0% - Fruit Cider
Sheppy’s Cider – Farmhouse Cider 6.0% - Medium/Dry
Sheppy’s Cider – Old Conky 6.5% - Dry
Sheppy’s Cider – Orchard Dew 6.0% - Medium/Dry
Skorpion Cider – Black Cider 4.0% - Black Speciaility
Spinney Abbey Cider – Monk & Disorderly 5.6%
Spinney Abbey Cider – Virgin on the Ridiculous 5.6%
Ales on the Festival Bar
Captain Cook Brewery – Botany Bay 4.0% - Light Ale, Citrus hint
Great Heck Brewing – Washington Red 3.8%
Richmond Brewery – Drummer Boy 3.8%
Richmond Brewery – Strong Hill 4.0%
Truefit Brewing – Ironopolis 4.7% - Stout
Truefit Brewing – Pale Grim 4.7% - Pale Ale, Lemon & Vanilla
Walls Brewery – Alvertune 3.8% - Pale Ale, Hoppy
Walls Brewery – Brewers Gold 4.0% - Golden, Malty Ale
Walls Brewery – Gun Dog Bitter 3.8% - Traditional Tawny Bitter
Here is a photograph I took of the Cider bar on Thursday night :
The ciders available at the 2016 Sausage and Cider Festival.
Prices
Ales - £3.00 pint £1.50 ½
Cider - £3.40 pint £1.70 ½
Ales on the Bar
16 extra cask ales on the bar – 9 regular ales & 7 ever changing guest ales. Prices vary.
Ciders on the Bar
Up to 16 further ciders available on the bar and from the cellar please see separate list at the bar. Priced £3.60 pint £1.80 ½
And the Sausages available :
These are served at the BBQ at the back garden.
I can highly recommend the Pork Apple and Cider ones and also the Pork and Leek ones.
You help yourself to fried Onions and sauces near the BBQ.
Where is The Brunswick?
The Brunswick Inn
1 Railway Terrace
Derby
DE1 2RU
01332 290677 or 07956505951
Google Street view of this pub: Click here for a 360 degree view of the pub on Railway Terrace. Here you can see its exact location relative to Derby Railway Station etc.
On Sunday 17th April 2016 the annual Vaisakhi parade took place in Derby.
This amazing colourful parade is a celebration by the Sikh community, the procession goes between the four temples in Derby, starting at Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara Derby on Stanhope Street, then onto Siri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara Derby on Princes Street then Ramgarhia Sabha Sikh Temple Derby on St Thomas Road and back to the Stanhope Street temple.
In 2008 I was given the chance to climb to the top of Derby's Guildhall theatre while it was having some repairs done to the roof. I used this opportunity to take several 360 degree photographs from this unique vantage point. Its only now, eight years later that I have finally found a suitable medium for showing them off. I have added them to Google Streetview so everyone can now see what I was able to see back then.
I would like to thank Richard Grant for his help and kind offer for me to climb all the way to the top of the Guildhall in Derby, sorry its taken a while to get them online for everyone to view.
I captured my panoramas from five different positions around the scaffolding boards.
I captured all of these 360 degree photographs on Friday, February 08, 2008. Back then we had the big BBC screen on the market place and the Water Feature was still running. Derby Westfield (now intu) has only opened the previous year and the Quad building was still being built!
Here are my unique 360 degree photographs from the very top of Derby Guildhall theater during repairs. You will need broadband to view them. Best viewed fullscreen, use the full screen icon in the top right of the viewer or click the links below each 360 to view in Google Maps. Drag your viewpoint around just like you do in Google Streetview.
While I was up there I also made a time-lapse video looking down near the water feature, watch that on my YouTube channel here : Derby Guildhall time-lapse 2008.
Hope you enjoyed the great views as much as I did. Feel free to share this blog post or the map links via Facebook etc.
Love it or Hate it, everyone knows the water feature as its been there running for 21 years. The water pump was turned off for good at 11am on March 31st 2016.
In March 2016 it was announced by Derby City Council that the Water feature on Derby Market Place would be switched off. All the authority's water features are being turned off to save £63,000 in running costs during 2016-17 and £32,000 in each future year!
Upon hearing this news I decided to capture the water feature from many different angles in 360 degrees so we can remember how it used to be before it was turned off. I have added all of these 360's to Google Streetview so they are available to view by everyone. If you want to see them via a map, go to Google Maps then drag the orange peg man over Derby Market Place and look for the small blue circles around the Water Feature and then drop the peg man directy onto one of them to view it or simply use the links below.
Did you know that the Water feature was designed by artist William Pye was installed in March 1995.
"Derby Cascade" which is its correct name, is 3.5 metres high and 12 metres in diameter.
Here are my 360 degree photographs of Derby Market Place's waterfall feature. I hope you enjoy having a look around it. These are high resolution 360 degree photos so you will need a broadband connection.
To view them in fullscreen, click the icon in the top right of the viewers. Use your mouse to drag the view point around.
View from the front of the cascade right :
Derby Market Place water feature, view from the top 3:
Here is a 360 degree photograph I captured way back in November 2005 at night when all the Market place was decorated for Christmas. (I did this with old equipment so the vertical view is limited compared with my current 360s)
Here is a 360 degree view I captured of the Cenotaph in Derby Market Place.
I took this back in June 2010 but have now added it to Google Streetview seeing as its such a nice view. Click the fullscreen icon to view it at its best.
This war memorial was designed by C C Thompson and was built in the Market Place in 1924 by A G Walker. In this view you can also see the Guild Hall, the Quad and the now disused Assembly Rooms.
My 360 degree view of the Cenotaph in Derby Market Place.:
Belper Farmers' Market takes place on the second Saturday of every month. The market runs from 8:30am to 1pm on Belper Market Place, Belper, Derbyshire.
Dates in 2016 for the Belper Farmers Market.
Saturday 9th April
Saturday 14th May
Saturday 11th June
Saturday 9th July
Saturday 13th August
Saturday 10th September
Saturday 8th October
Saturday 12th November
Saturday 10th December
Belper Market Place is located at the very top of King Street where it meets the A609.
There is a FREE car park right next to the Market Place, its called "The Coppice", its not obvious. You get to it by driving onto the Market Place and turning to the right, you will see the entrance down the left side of Monki do. When leaving you exit between the Cross Keys and the black Swan pub.
Some 360 degree photographs I took of One Friar Gate Square aka the Copper building in Derby at the end of Agard Street where it meets Ford Street. There are plans to build two more modern looking building next to this one. these would be located inline with the old Friargate railway bridge. I decided to create these 360s before these new buildings are in place, thus capturing this view before its too late !
This is me testing methods of embedding my 360 degree photos from Google Maps into my blog.
Allows full control over initial view etc. Do they work for you?
Hopefully here you should see my 360 photos which you can look around.....
And another view I made :
And a view from the car park where the old Friar Gate line used to run a long time ago...
This is my Virgin Media Vivid 200 Broadband package being tested on Speedtest and to think that 10 years ago I was happy with 300Kbps. How things have changed!
Here are some helpful bits of information for you that may be of use. If your PC is a few years old then you are not going to feel the benefit of having fast broadband as the speed of the PC will actually be holding back the speed of the broadband. You need a fast processor, plenty of Ram, fast video card and most important of all you MUST have a Gigabit WLan connection.
In 1999 I wired up my home with Ethernet cable so I could access the internet and share files between different rooms. I was finding that the fastest download speed I could achieve was around 78Mbps.
I checked my Windows 10 computer had a Gigabit Lan as follows
Start - Settings - Network & Internet - Change Adapter settings and check it says Gigabit.
Example my PC says "Intel(R) 82567V-2 Gigabit Network Connection"
The next thing to check was the colour of the led on the Ethernet socket on the Virgin Media Super hub. Each Ethernet port has its own light to indicate a connection between the Super Hub and the attached device. These lights will blink when data is being transferred across the network.
A green light indicates a network connection of 1,000Mbps (Gigabit), while an amber light indicates a 100Mbps network. The hub connection to my home network was Amber which showed that even though my PC on the other end of the cable WAS capable of a Gigabit connection it was not actually connecting at that speed. I then bought some Cat 6 Ethernet cable and connected it directly to the pc using a 20M extension and that DID give me a green light on the router. This proved that the reason I was not getting a faster download speed that 78Mbps was entirely down to the old Cat5 Ethernet cable I had installed back in 1999. I had no choice but to completely rewire the entire house again using this newer spec cable. It took several hours to change all the wiring but it was worth it as I now get over 200Mbps download speed.
The fastest speed check ever was 211.75Mbps as you can see here....
Back in 2014 I was on 50Mbps
Back in 2013 I was on 20Mbps
Back in 2009 I was on 10Mbps
Back in 2007 I was on 1Mbps
Back in 2006 I was on 300Kbps
Back in 2005 I was on 150Kbps
Here is another video I made showing you what the indicator leds mean on the Virgin Media super Hub 2ac:
If you have a Super Hub 2ac Broadband Modem on Virgin Media then this video explains what the LED indicators mean.
On the rear of the Super Hub 2ac are four LAN ports, which can be used to make wired connections to computers and other devices on your network.
Each Ethernet port has TWO indicator lights, one is yellow and one is green. The colour indicates the speed of the connection that has been plugged into it.
The light will blink when data is being transferred across the network.
IMPORTANT :
A green light indicates a network connection of 1,000Mbps (Gigabit) while an amber light indicates a network connection of 100Mbps.
As you can see in my video I have devices connected to all four ports, The top one is showing a GREEN led, this means that the PC that I have plugged into this port is connected at 1000Mbps (aka Gigabit). the next two ports are both showing Yellow lights this means they are only connected at 100Mbps. By the way these two devices are an old Raspberry Pi and an old Laptop.
The bottom port is again connected to a PC with a Gigabit connection so we have a GREEN led.
If you are paying for a Broadband connection faster than 70Mpbs then it is important that you are connecting your wired devices using a Gigabit connection otherwise your speed will be limited to around 78Mpbs.
For example I am on a 200Mbps Broadband connection so if I only had a yell light showing then this means I would NOT be able to get 200Mbps.Thanks
Here is a Hyperlapse video tour I did at the 2016 National Winter Ales Festival at Derby Roundhouse. I start in the main hall and end in the Carriage room.
The 2016 National Winter Ales Festival is being held at the historic Derby Roundhouse, running from Wednesday 17th to Saturday 20th February. This beer festival was formally known as the Derby Winter Beer Festival but is now the home of the NWAF which used to take place in Manchester. The 2016 NWAF is the last time it will take place in Derby, the new host city for 2017 will be Norwich, So make the most of this years Derby beer festival !
I have created two unique 360 photographs for Ashbourne Football, These allow you to see what its like to stand in front of the goals. These goals are 3 miles apart! During the Shrovetide football game the area around these goals would be total chaos and very muddy so I thought it would be great to capture the goals when there were more peaceful. These are high resolution photographs so may take a while to load if your broadband is slow. you can make them fullscreen using the control icons at the bottom.
For full details on Ashbourne Shrovetide Football.
Use the mouse to drag the view around... Clifton Goal, Ashbourne Football 360 degree V.R. Photograph.
If you would prefer to open this 360 view in a new webpage then use my link here : Clifton Goal in 360 degrees.
Use the mouse to drag the view around... Sturston Goal, Ashbourne Football 360 degree V.R. Photograph.
If you would prefer to open this 360 view in a new webpage then use my link here : Sturston Goal in 360 degrees.
Its that time of year again when the maddest game of football in the world takes place in Ashbourne Derbyshire. Here are the details for 2016 :
The 2016 game takes place on the 9th and 10th of February.
On Tuesday Barrie Greenwood, will be turning up the ball at 2.00pm. And on Ash Wednesday, Bill Milward will have the honor.
Ashbourne in Derbyshire is host to one of the Oldest Shrovetide football games in England and this annual event is one not to be missed.
It was first recorded in 1682, though thought to date back to the 12th Century ,various attempts were made to suppress it over the years.
It has continued unabated ever since, and by 1928 it had become so respectable that the then Prince of Wales was invited to start the game. From that year on it was known as the Royal Shrovetide Football game.
The Game is played annually on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, and consists of two teams, one from anyone born to the North of the River Henmore, and one from people born South of the river, these are known as Upards and Downards.
The Goals are on the sites of Old mills, one at Clifton and one at Sturston, these are three miles apart.
A goal is scored by a player striking the mill wheel three times with the Ball. 360 views of the goals.
The ball may be kicked, carried or thrown, but generally proceeds in a series of hugs invisible to the spectator. The game can last for many hours, finishing well after dark.
The game starts at 2pm in the afternoon, when a specially prepared ball - larger than a football and filled with cork which weighs around 4lbs is thrown in by a visiting guest of honor. The balls used for the Shrovetide games are made by Ashbourne man John Harrison.
The hand sewn leather balls are filled with cork chippings.
The balls are a work of art and take a few weeks to paint.
The Rules
If the balls are goaled, then it will become the proud possession of the person who has goaled it. If no-one goals it, then the person that turned-up the ball gets to take it home.
The game starts in the Shawcroft Carpark (back of Waitrose supermarket), See my detailed map lower down. I have provided a detailed interactive Shrovetide map lower down in this post which will enable you to see all the key points of the playing field which 3 miles between the two goals at Sturston and Clifton.
My Videos from Ashbourne Shrovetide Football:
This is a Slow Motion video (240fps) of Mick Pepper turning up the ball at Ashbourne Shrovetide Football 2015 on Tuesday 17th February. Look at all those hands waiting to grab the ball !
Was that YOUR hand it bounced off first?
Part 1 of my video collection for Tuesday's Ashbourne Shrovetide Football 2015:
Part 2 of my video collection for Tuesday's Ashbourne Shrovetide Football 2015:
Part 3 of my video collection for Tuesday's Ashbourne Shrovetide Football 2015:
Part 4 of my video collection for Tuesday's Ashbourne Shrovetide Football 2015:
Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide Football is something that you just have to see to believe your eyes.
Here is part one of four videos I made of the game in 2012 to give you an idea of what its like :
Here is part one of six videos I made of the game in 2013 to give you an idea of what its like :
I have lots of photographs and several videos from past games that you can view :
Location Map: Smartphone drop pin locator for Ashbourne Shrovetide Football,
If you own a smartphone (iPhone,HTC etc) then CLICK HERE and it will launch your mapping app with a "drop pin" which I have perfectly located above the turning up plinth, If you have never been to Ashbourne then you can use this to get walking directions to where the action will be at 2pm.
On an iPhone, once the map shows up there will be a red drop pin in the middle of the screen with the title "Ashbourne Shrovetide" above it. Touch "Directions" at the bottom and then "by foot" icon at the top of the screen to get detailed walking directions to the start of the game.
The town of Ashbourne is located in Derbyshire just off the A52, see my time-lapse driving video to Ashbourne Football.
I have created an interactive map which shows all the key points in the game such as the turning up plinth where the ball is thrown, the two goals and the Henmore which is what determines if you are an Upard or a Downard, Click the link below the map for a large view of all the points of interest :
Transport
If you are travelling from Derby then you
could catch the Swift Bus from Derby Bus Station for £3.80 single/£7.50
return. This stops at Ashbourne Bus Station which is a two minute walk from the Shorecroft car park. Information on the Swift Bus Service.
Hi, I am the webmaster of www.derbyphotos.co.uk
Local photographer and film maker promoting Derby and Derbyshire. Hope you enjoy my blog bringing you the latest stuff for this area.
