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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 14:40:20 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[diabetes]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>I was recently invited to the ‘300 Faces of Edinburgh Medical School’ launch event. Marking the 300th anniversary of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, this exhibition celebrates the people who have made inspirational contributions to the school.]]></description>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>I was recently invited to the ‘300 Faces of Edinburgh Medical School’ launch event. Marking the 300th anniversary of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, this exhibition celebrates the people who have made inspirational contributions to the school.</strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I am honoured, elated, and humbled to be included in an outdoor photographic exhibition at the Mound, Edinburgh, as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’m particularly grateful to the organisers for acknowledging my educational blogging and charitable fundraising efforts related to my own sight loss.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After losing vision in my left eye, the charity Sight Scotland played an integral part in my recovery, supporting my mental wellbeing with compassion and practical advice via their free helpline. Without them, I’m not sure I’d have returned to work at the university.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’d like to take this opportunity to try and raise £300 for this remarkable charity. Donate if you can to my JustGiving fundraiser via the following link (100% goes directly to Sight Scotland):</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.justgiving.com/page/300-faces">JustGiving fundraiser</a></p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">300 years of medicine</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">2026 marks 300 years of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. This exhibition celebrates the people who have shaped Edinburgh Medical School.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In 2025, University of Edinburgh students, staff and alumni were invited to nominate a person who has made an inspirational contribution to Edinburgh Medical School to be included in a collection of 300 faces.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Mound Exhibition </h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A selection of these faces (including my cheeky chops) are now on display at the Mound Precinct in Edinburgh city centre for the next six weeks (until 26th April). This is an exciting collaboration with the Edinburgh Science Festival. After that, you can see them on the Portobello Promenade (29 April to 14 June).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.edinburghscience.co.uk/event/faces-of-edinburgh-medical-school-mound/">Edinburgh Science Festival</a> (300 Faces page)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The fact my profile photo is one taken by my mum just seals the deal. My family is so proud of me, and I know my dad would have been over the moon to see how his wee boy made a positive difference.</p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">N.B. Tap on any photo to see a larger version.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Stewart Cromar (panel story)</h3>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In his role as e-learning developer, Stewart was a pivotal member of the award-winning team that created the first online learning resources for medical students. With an eye for design and curiosity for medical subject matter, he created visually appealing, user-friendly teaching materials, quizzes and online resources for staff and students.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In 2005, Stewart and colleagues were awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for a virtual online hospital, which allowed teaching staff to deliver online medical learning activities.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Stewart is registered partially-sighted and fundraises for several charities. He publishes a blog to help others understand his sight loss journey and is a renowned amateur Lego designer, often using Braille bricks in his creations.</p>
<cite>College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine</cite></blockquote>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Extraordinary educators</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are my esteemed neighbours on our ‘extraordinary educators’ panel:</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Tom Gillingwater</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Tom is a professor at the University of Edinburgh, leading the Anatomy Department. He has trained thousands of undergraduate and postgraduate students, instilling anatomy as a key part of their knowledge and skills.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Tom researches motor neuron disease. His work has led to a better understanding of neurological disorders and clinical trials for new treatments.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Gertrude Herzfeld</h4>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the first female surgeons to work in Scotland and the first female paediatric surgeon, Gertrude studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and spent most of her career in the city.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the 1920s and 30s, she held several medical appointments in Edinburgh, including consultant surgeon at the Bruntsfield Hospital for Women and the first female honorary assistant surgeon at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital for Sick Children. She became a full surgeon there in 1925.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Herzfeld">Gertrude Herzfeld</a> (Wikipedia page)</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Alexander Monro (secundus)</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A Scottish anatomist, physician and medical educator, Alexander Monro is typically known as “secundus” to distinguish him as the second of three generations of doctors with the same name.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Born in 1733, Alexander attended the University of Edinburgh when he was only 12 years old, taking courses in philosophy before later embarking on medical training.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Monro_Secundus">Alexander Monro</a> (Wikipedia page)</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Yvonne Odey</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Yvonne is a lecturer in reproductive biology and a course organiser on the MBChB medicine degree.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">She played a leading role in the redesign of course content and collaborated with colleagues to deliver a new birthing practical module and new forms of assessment.</p>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">‘300 years of medicine’ website</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">All 300 individuals have photos and biographies on a dedicated University of Edinburgh website.<br>N.B. All names will be published by the end of April.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk/300-years-of-medicine/300-faces-of-edinburgh-medical-school">300 Faces of Edinburgh Medical School</a></p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Colleagues and historical figures</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It’s wonderful to see so many people, my team and I have worked with over the years, also nominated: Ruthanne Baxter, Baljean Dhillon, Gordon Findlater, Liz Grant, Euan MacDonald, Suvankar Pal, and Janet Skinner.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For us all to be included in a list of contributors alongside Charles Darwin, Elsie Inglis, Joseph Lister, and Sophia Jex-Blake is a wonderful celebration.</p>
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</figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Charity fundraiser</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’m particularly grateful to the organisers for acknowledging my educational blogging and charitable fundraising efforts related to my own sight loss.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After losing vision in my left eye, Sight Scotland played an integral part in my recovery, supporting my mental wellbeing with compassion and practical advice via their free helpline. Without them, I’m not sure I’d have returned to work at the university.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’d like to take this opportunity to try and raise £300 for this remarkable charity. Donate if you can to my JustGiving fundraiser via the following link (100% goes directly to Sight Scotland). Please include Gift Aid if possible.</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://www.justgiving.com/page/300-faces">Donate now</a></div>
</div>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Sight Scotland</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sight Scotland offer specialist support and advice to individuals and families living with sight loss. They are dedicated to empowering people with visual impairments to lead fulfilling lives.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://sightscotland.org.uk">Sight Scotland</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Upcoming charity Lego shows</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Lastly, if you’d like to see some of my Lego creations with Braille bricks, I’ll be at two upcoming charitable shows: Fife Bricks (Dunfermline – 25th April) and Edinbrick (Edinburgh – 9th & 10th May). Buy your tickets online today!</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/edinbrick">Buy Edinbrick tickets</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.ticketsource.com/fifebricks">Buy Fife Bricks tickets</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Related posts</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/sharing-my-story/" data-type="post" data-id="3423">Sharing My Story</a> (9 March 2025)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/">Five Years of Sight Loss</a> (22 January 2025)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/braille-bricks/">Braille Bricks</a> (29 February 2024)</p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Disclaimer</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Please note this is a personal fundraiser for Sight Scotland, and is not officially endorsed or associated with Edinburgh Medical School or the University of Edinburgh.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Image credits</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Edinburgh Medical School 300 images are Copyright © The University of Edinburgh 2026.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
<wfw:commentRss>https://stubot.me/300-faces/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Interactive Women in STEM tour</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/stem-tour/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stem-tour</link>
<comments>https://stubot.me/stem-tour/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 14:35:12 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ada Lovelace]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ada Lovelace Day]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Creative Commons]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[OER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Women In STEM]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3578</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>For Ada Lovelace Day 2025, Jackie, Magda and Stewart created the 'Interactive Women in STEM tour' game for everyone to play.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>For Ada Lovelace Day 2025, Jackie, Magda and Stewart created this open-licensed ‘Interactive Women in STEM tour’ game for everyone to enjoy.</strong></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion in STEM by taking a look at nine Edinburgh-connected women who have made an impact in a wide range of STEM fields.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With fun quizzes and games (crosswords, pair matching and combination locks), play our open-licensed interactive game today.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">N.B. We recommend tapping the fullscreen button (<strong>⤢)</strong> in the top-right corner, available after you ‘Start’ the game</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Play the game</h2>
<div class="h5p-iframe-wrapper"><iframe id="h5p-iframe-19" class="h5p-iframe" data-content-id="19" style="height:1px" src="about:blank" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no" title="Ada Lovelace day fun"></iframe></div>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Featured scientists</h3>
<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Mary Brück (1925 – 2008)</li>
<li>Mary (Molly) Fergusson (1914 – 1997)</li>
<li>Isobel Wylie Hutchison (1889 – 1982)</li>
<li>Sophia Jex-Blake (1840 – 1912)</li>
<li>Christina Miller (1899 – 2001)</li>
<li>Noreen Murray, or Lady Murray (1935 – 2011)</li>
<li>Flora Philip (1865 – 1943)</li>
<li>Marion Ross (1903 – 1994)</li>
<li>Mary Fairfax Somerville (1780 – 1872)</li>
</ol>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Licence and copyright</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This game is intended to be shared, reused and remixed. In order to encourage this we’ve applied a Creative Commons open licence to our own content where the only requirements are to include the following attribution and distribute your contributions under the same licence as the original.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © The University of Edinburgh 2025 CC BY-SA.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"></a>This work is licensed under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence</a>.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Provide feedback</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Share your feedback via the Ada Lovelace Day (ALD) Working Group Teams channel or email the designers – Jackie Aim (lead), Magda Dundas & Stewart Lamb Cromar.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="mailto:interactive-content@ed.ac.uk">Email the designers</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Curious Edinburgh</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This interactive game was inspired by the <a href="http://curiousedinburgh.org/women-in-stem-trail/women-in-stem-tour-map/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Curious Edinburgh – Women in STEM Trail</a> map. This tour was developed by Cari Romans, Magda Dundas, Katie Grieve and Shivani Rao from Learning, Technology and Web (LTW) of the University of Edinburgh.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Download the Curious Edinburgh app for more mobile walking tours on Edinburgh’s scientific and community heritage.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The free app can be found on both <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.ac.edina.curiousedinburgh&ah=tL2uAyzW_gnBUxg9LaextxbCTGs&hl=en-GB&pcampaignid=MKT-Other-global-all-co-prtnr-py-PartBadge-Mar2515-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google Play</a> and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/curious-edinburgh/id1113602530?ls=1&mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">App Store</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
<wfw:commentRss>https://stubot.me/stem-tour/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Moira Dunbar</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/moira-dunbar/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=moira-dunbar</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 12:37:09 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ada Lovelace]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ada Lovelace Day]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[colouring book]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[illustration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[OER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Women In STEM]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3569</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>For Ada Lovelace Day 2025 I created a colouring-in illustration of Moira Dunbar (1918-1999), the pioneering Scottish-Canadian glaciologist and Arctic sea-ice researcher.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><strong>For Ada Lovelace Day 2025 I created a colouring-in illustration of Moira Dunbar (1918-1999), the pioneering Scottish-Canadian glaciologist and Arctic sea-ice researcher.</strong></strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Two new maps were added to the composition: Edinburgh (birthplace and primary/secondary education) and Dunrobin in Ottawa (countryside home in Canada).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It also incorporates an interpretation of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s Massey Medal she was awarded in 1972 for her “excellent work in Arctic geography and sea-ice”.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Isobel Moira Dunbar (1918 – 1999)</h3>
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<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Moira-Dunbar_v03-scaled.jpg">Download high-resolution illustration</a></div>
</div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moira_Dunbar">Moira Dunbar Wikipedia article</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ada Lovelace Day</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On Tuesday 14th October, the University of Edinburgh’s Information Services team are celebrating Ada Lovelace Day 2025 which is an international celebration day of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). This is our 10th year of celebrating that day!</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We have planned events and activities with a climate and earth sciences theme, running in the afternoon and early evening of that date.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/ada-lovelace-day/2025/07/28/save-the-date-ada-lovelace-day-14th-october-2025/">Edinburgh event booking details </a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright and licence</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The text and images published within this post are all intended to be shared, reused and remixed. In order to encourage this I’ve applied a Creative Commons open licence to my own content where the only requirements are to include the following attribution and distribute your contributions under the same licence as the original.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © Stewart Lamb Cromar, The University of Edinburgh 2025 CC BY-SA.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"></a>This work is licensed under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 International Licence</a>.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Original image credit</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Based on the Canadian Defense Research Board photograph of her with Arctic sea-ice maps (CC BY-SA 4.0) on Wikimedia Commons.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Isobel_Moira_Dunbar.jpg">Original photograph</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Further resources</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We have over 30 illustrated portraits of Women in STEM that are open-licenced (attribution only). All of them have a strong connection with the University of Edinburgh, past or present.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBMWmh">View Flickr album</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For even more illustrations please look at our ‘We have great stuff’ colouring books, there are three different volumes available.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://edin.ac/colouring-books">Download colouring book PDFs</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>In Their Own Time</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/in-their-own-time/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=in-their-own-time</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2025 13:33:50 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[academia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[academics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[comic]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[comic book]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[illustration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3519</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>Challenging conventional funding structures to include intersectionally underrepresented casualised academics. The Interactive Content team help launch a new digital comic resource.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Challenging conventional funding structures to include intersectionally underrepresented casualised academics. The Interactive Content team help launch a new digital comic resource.</strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The In Their Own Time (ITOT) project shares the stories of eight insecurely employed long-term academics – University Tutor in Design and professional illustrator Maria Stoian met with each of them to document their “own time,” and tell their stories through comics.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://in-their-own-time.ed.ac.uk">ITOT website</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Project leads</strong></h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Collaborating closely with Maria, this project was led by two Co-Investigators: Dr Cécile Ménard and Dr Lena Wånggren, both Research Fellows from the School of GeoSciences.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Maria, Cécile and Lena approached the Interactive Content team to help transform their physical publication into a creative and valuable online equivalent resource.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Steph’s story</strong></h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is only a short preview; please visit the ITOT website, in your own time, and read all eight academic stories in their entirety.</p>
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<details class="wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow"><summary>Steph’s transcript</summary>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Steph is a single mum. Today is her daughter’s first day back at school after the holidays.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I have two university jobs. Both are hourly, one is zero-hours.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I usually work in my own time from my kitchen table, in the evenings after my daughter has gone to bed.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">[Image Description] Steph with hot drink and laptop at kitchen table.</p>
</details>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Website features</strong></h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Restricted access times</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the key requirements for the website design was to restrict access from 9 am to 5pm. As this project highlights the exclusionary expectation for casualised academics to do unpaid work “in their own time,” the ITOT team wanted visitors to read their stories outside of UK office hours.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This unique and impactful functionality was the primary justification for not publishing this resource on an existing University platform (e.g. EdWeb 2).</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Sustainability</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The agreed long-term plan is to host this bespoke site for up to three years before submitting it to the UK Web Archive. This will ensure there is a permanent record of it, but it will also remove the University’s requirement for website hosting, maintenance, security, and legal compliance (e.g. accessibility statements).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As the ITOT project received research funding, it’s important that all digital outputs are available as long as possible.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://library.ed.ac.uk/heritage-collections/collections-and-search/archives/digital-archives-and-preservation/web-archiving">University guidance on website archiving</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Bespoke design</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To save on time and budget, we repurposed a suitable third-party WordPress theme (Kadence) with a free software licence (GNU General Public Licence).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In order to add bespoke design elements and retain better control, we developed a child theme for Kadence. For example, this child theme incorporated a handwritten typeface created by project illustrator Maria – ‘Stoian Comic’.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://mariastoian.com">Maria’s portfolio</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Responsive comics</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For each academic’s story, there are actually two versions of the digital comic. Maria designed and illustrated panels that are optimised for either desktop or smartphone layouts.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you look closely at the third row of Chris’ comic on a desktop/laptop, you can see a wide-panel containing spoons that bridges two neighbouring panels. But on a mobile, Maria has rearranged the panels so they can be stacked vertically without losing any of the story.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Chris’ story (excerpt)</h4>
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bbc1dd"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bbc1dd" class="wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2560" height="662" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3536" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-300x78.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-1024x265.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-768x199.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-1536x397.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-2048x530.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Desktop</figcaption></figure>
<figure data-wp-context="{"galleryId":"6a2f362bbc512"}" data-wp-interactive="core/gallery" class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bbca40"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bbca40" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="792" height="1024" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="3538" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-792x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3538" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-792x1024.jpg 792w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-232x300.jpg 232w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-768x993.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-1188x1536.jpg 1188w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-1584x2048.jpg 1584w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-scaled.jpg 1980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 792px) 100vw, 792px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mobile (part one)</figcaption></figure>
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bbcf11"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bbcf11" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img decoding="async" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="3537" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-3A.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3537"/><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mobile (part two)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<details class="wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow"><summary>Chris’ transcript</summary>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Chris is employed for 14 hours a week but often works more hours on their research, funding applications and university citizenship.<br>[Image Description] Visitor drawing a portrait of Chris while they sit and talk</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">[Image Description] Picture of 5 spoons.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I ask a lot of questions.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I think we’re doing research badly right now.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“People need more time to do reproducible and replicable research.”<br>[Image Description] Portrait evolves while Chris keeps talking.</p>
</details>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Inclusivity</strong></h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Inclusive comics</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To ensure as many people as possible can appreciate the ITOT resource, e-learning Developer Jackie Aim created transcripts for each of the eight academic comics.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We did experiment with alt text (short for alternative text) descriptions for each of the ~20 comic panels, but testing with various screen readers flagged an unforeseen issue. Some screen readers automatically read out the hand-drawn text in the panel in addition to the alt text provided. Having this repetition was deemed unacceptable, so we all agreed to include just the transcript for each comic.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/website-communications/content-improvement-club-what-we-covered-in-our-march-session/">How to write good alt text</a> (University of Edinburgh – Mel Batcharj)</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Accessibility compliance</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Our Digital Accessibility Intern, David Buik, completed the accessibility testing and published the required Accessibility Statement in line with Public Sector Body (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Having compliance with the WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria means you should be able to:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Zoom in up to 500% without the text spilling off the screen or without loss of content</li>
<li>Navigate most of the site using keyboard only</li>
<li>Navigate most of the site using speech recognition software e.g. Dragon</li>
<li>Use the website without encountering any inactivity timeouts</li>
<li>Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)</li>
</ul>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thank you to Viki Galt and Lori Anderson from the University Disability Information Team, who professionally verified David’s report and statement.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://information-services.ed.ac.uk/help-consultancy/accessibility/is-accessibility/disability-officer">Disability Information Team</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Licence and copyright</strong></h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Creative Commons licence</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When we first met the ITOT team, they were not so familiar with the practice of Creative Commons licensing, so it was a lovely opportunity to see if we could apply a licence that would help others freely share this valuable resource.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Maria’s beautiful comics (PDF downloads) and the project text written by Cécile and Lena are now licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 licence.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">The University of Edinburgh’s OER Policy</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The University of Edinburgh has an Open Education Resources (OERs) policy<strong> </strong>that outlines the institutional position on OERs and provides guidelines for practice in learning and teaching. You can find the policy in the University’s <a href="https://policies.ed.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Policy Directory</a>, or directly via the following link:</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/sites/PolicyRepository/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FPolicyRepository%2FShared%20Documents%2FOpen%5FEducational%5FResources%5FPolicy%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FPolicyRepository%2FShared%20Documents&p=true&ga=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Open Educational Resources Policy</a> (PDF)</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright notice</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © 2025 The University of Edinburgh. Illustrations and comics by Maria Stoian. Website text by Dr Cécile Ménard, Dr Lena Wånggren and Maria Stoian.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Testimonial</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Working with the IC Team was seamless and enjoyable. As the main output of our project, the website needed to reflect both our experience and that of our participants. We wanted it to be intuitive to navigate and as accessible as possible. Stewart and the team took everything we asked for on board, responded promptly, and made the whole process easy for us while delivering a site that looks fantastic!” – Dr Cécile Ménard</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Getting in touch</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We will be happy to discuss your needs and ideas and develop an approach that delivers a high-quality output, whatever your budget.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://information-services.ed.ac.uk/help-consultancy/rm-and-consultancy/interactive-content-service/how-to-get-in-touch">How to access the Interactive Content Service</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>ASPIRING study website</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/aspiring-study-website/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=aspiring-study-website</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 16:02:08 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Drupal]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3494</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>The Interactive Content team within Information Services designed and published the ASPIRING study website on behalf of Professor Rustam Al-Shahi Salman from the CCBS (Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh).]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The Interactive Content team within Information Services designed and published the ASPIRING study website on behalf of Professor Rustam Al-Shahi Salman</strong> from <strong>the CCBS (Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh).</strong></p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="724" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-1024x724.png" alt="* Screenshot of website homepage that includes main menu, introductory video, project logo and the key text - “Help us find out if medicines like aspirin protect people with bleeding in the brain from strokes, heart attacks, and death”." class="wp-image-3498" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-1024x724.png 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-300x212.png 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-768x543.png 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-1536x1086.png 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website.png 1810w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This multi-component project includes a patient recruitment portal (Drupal 10) multilingual videos (Media Hopper Create), investigator training materials (H5P interactive content), and a technical collaboration with developers from ECTU (Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit) who are responsible for the participant database.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.aspiring.ed.ac.uk">ASPIRING study</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Accessibility requirements</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">An important design consideration was the specific web accessibility needs of stroke survivors, who may have physical, sensory, or cognitive impairments.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In real terms, this means allowing website visitors to:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard</li>
<li>Magnify all content to 300% without loss of content</li>
<li>Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)</li>
<li>Navigate most of the website using screen recognition software e.g. Dragon</li>
<li>Experience no time limits</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Positive feedback</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the funding agencies, British Heart Foundation (BHF), kindly provided very positive feedback and requested their logo be included on the website.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">BHF currently link to ASPIRING through the ‘Active GCRFF trials’ page on their website.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.bhf.org.uk/for-professionals/information-for-researchers/gcrff-multinational-clinical-trials-initiative/funded-gcrff-trials">Trials endorsed by the GCRFF Multinational Clinical Trials Initiative</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">About the study</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Antiplatelet Secondary Prevention International Randomised study after INtracerebral haemorrhaGe</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">ASPIRING is an international study, testing whether aspirin and clopidogrel prevent strokes, heart attacks, and death after brain haemorrhage. This study, run by The University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian, will include more than 4,000 people with brain haemorrhage.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Sharing My Story</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/sharing-my-story/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sharing-my-story</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Mar 2025 12:08:24 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LEGO]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Braille Bricks]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Fabuland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LEGO House]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Maid of Fabuland]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3423</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> < 1</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minute. </span></span>It's been a busy, but rewarding, week at work and home. In the last 24 hours The Lego Group have published two personal videos documenting my sight loss disability and love for building with Braille bricks.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> < 1</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minute. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>It’s been a busy, but rewarding, week at work and home. In the last 24 hours The Lego Group have published two personal videos documenting my sight loss disability and love for building with Braille bricks.</strong></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">@Lego YouTube channel</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Check out this LEGO Steamboat at LEGO House!" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oquUs17GIxU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thank you again to the teams at both Lego House and Our Lego Agency (OLA) for inviting me to share my sight loss journey.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If my disability story can help others going through similar challenges that would make me incredibly happy.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I hope my Fabuland ship, the ‘Maid of Fabuland’, delivers love to all the visitors at the wonderful Lego House, Billund, Denmark.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Play Well, Stewart (@stubot) <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/2764.png" alt="❤" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f49b.png" alt="💛" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f499.png" alt="💙" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">@LegoBuilds Instagram account</h3>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DG8OJqOsFA8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DG8OJqOsFA8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DG8OJqOsFA8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by LEGO Builds (@legobuilds)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Sight Scotland</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you would like to help others experiencing similar challenges please consider donating to my chosen charity Sight Scotland.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sight Scotland offer specialist support and advice to individuals and families living with sight loss. They are dedicated to empowering people with visual impairments to lead fulfilling lives.</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://sightscotland.org.uk">Donate to Sight Scotland</a></div>
</div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Five Years of Sight Loss</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Over the last five years I have written personal blog posts detailing my traumatic sight loss journey. To help others better understand the significant changes in my vision I also created a series of interactive simulations (H5P files).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/" data-type="post" data-id="3303">Five Years of Sight Loss</a> (22 January 2025)</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Related posts</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/build-your-own-paddle-steamer/" data-type="post" data-id="3295">Build your own paddle steamer</a> (04 March 2025)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/maid-of-fabuland/">Maid of Fabuland</a> (22 October 2024)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/braille-bricks/" data-type="post" data-id="2747">Braille Bricks</a> (29 February 2024)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/lego-lovelace/" data-type="post" data-id="1969">LEGO Lovelace: Building a modern icon</a> (23 August 2017)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Five Years of Sight Loss</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=five-years-of-sight-loss</link>
<comments>https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Jan 2025 15:57:19 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Creative Commons]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sight Scotland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Wikimedia Commons]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Wikipedia]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3303</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>Over the last five years I have written personal blog posts detailing my traumatic sight loss journey. To help others better understand the significant changes in my vision I also created a series of interactive simulations (H5P files).]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Over the last five years I have written personal blog posts detailing my traumatic sight loss journey. To help others better understand the significant changes in my vision I also created a series of interactive simulations (H5P files).</strong></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">A Heartfelt and Interactive Diary</h3>
<div class="h5p-iframe-wrapper"><iframe id="h5p-iframe-18" class="h5p-iframe" data-content-id="18" style="height:1px" src="about:blank" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no" title="Five Years of Sight Loss"></iframe></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Open Education Resources (OERs)</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As someone who’s created online learning materials professionally for 25 years, it was a unique opportunity for me to communicate and document this hidden disability.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Publishing both the heartfelt blog and H5P content as open education resources (OERs), my hope was to help others going through similar surgeries and challenges.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This brand new ‘Interactive Book’ H5P file consolidates diary entries from the last five years into one bite-sized shareable learning resource.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://h5p.org/content-types/interactive-book">Interactive Book (H5P exemplar site)</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">OER publication tally</h3>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>10 sight loss blog posts</li>
<li>10,840 words / 58 minutes reading time</li>
<li>17 H5P files
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>x10 Agamotto</li>
<li>x2 Image Juxtaposition</li>
<li>x2 Image Slider</li>
<li>x1 Interactive Book</li>
<li>x1 Timeline</li>
<li>x1 Image Hotspots</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>97 images</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Share, reuse and remix</h3>
<figure data-wp-context="{"galleryId":"6a2f362bc5209"}" data-wp-interactive="core/gallery" class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bc5619"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bc5619" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="2093" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-1024x576.jpg" alt="LogMAR chart after a retinal detachment. Large dark shadow and blurring on the left-hand side, with minor white/yellow flaring at edge of shadow." class="wp-image-2093" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Retinal detachment LogMAR chart</figcaption></figure>
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bc5b3c"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bc5b3c" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="3347" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-1024x576.jpg" alt="Bunch of flowers (close-up), but everything blurred and a dark semi-circle obscuring half the image." class="wp-image-3347" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Gas bubble (day 1)</figcaption></figure>
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bc601a"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bc601a" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="3348" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-1024x576.jpg" alt="Same flowers, but dark circle in top-left corner only." class="wp-image-3348" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Gas bubble (day 8)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You can download any of the H5P files via the ‘Reuse’ link in the bottom-left corner.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">High-resolution versions of these sight loss photographs and representations are available via this dedicated Flickr album:</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stubot/albums/72157718976224995">‘Sight Loss OERs’ Flickr album</a></div>
</div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Select images have been uploaded to Wikimedia Commons and added to relevant Wikipedia pages.</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinal_detachment">Retinal detachment (Wikipedia)</a></div>
</div>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Wikimedia Commons</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Impression of a retinal detachment against a LogMAR chart:<br><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Retinal_detachment_LogMAR_chart_B.jpg">Retinal detachment LogMAR chart B</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Impression of a retinal detachment against a bouquet of flowers:<br><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gas_bubble_(day_1).jpg">Gas bubble (day 1)</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Impression of gas bubble against a bouquet of flowers:<br><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gas_bubble_(day_8).jpg">Gas bubble (day 8)</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright and licence</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The blog text, H5P files and images are all intended to be shared, reused and remixed. To encourage this, I’ve applied a Creative Commons open licence to my own content where the only requirement is to include the following attribution.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © Stewart Lamb Cromar 2025 CC BY.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">STARs – Visual tests: Nigel – Visual field test (Video)</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and The University of Edinburgh 2020 CC BY-NC-SA.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Different types of white cane (Image Hotspots)</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Images and text for the ‘Different types of white cane’ interactive are reproduced here with the kind permission of Sight Scotland.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">‘Retro Semi-Realistic Blind People’ illustrations created by Yan Moryachok for Canva (Free Content). Copyright © Canva 2025. All rights reserved.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Text written by Sight Scotland. Copyright © Sight Scotland 2025. All rights reserved.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">LogMAR chart</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">By user Fvasconcellos. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ETDRS_Chart_R.svg">ETDRS Chart R (.svg)</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Disclaimer</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Please note these resources are entirely a personal record of my own experiences and have not been verified by any qualified medical professionals or other individuals from the University of Edinburgh.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
<wfw:commentRss>https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Building a new home for Teaching Matters </title>
<link>https://stubot.me/teaching-matters/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=teaching-matters</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Nov 2024 15:02:58 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[cPanel]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Google Analytics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[WordPress]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3254</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>The University of Edinburgh's popular Teaching Matters blog was successfully migrated from a standalone WordPress instance created in 2016 to the Academic Blogging Service's WordPress service. This short post focuses on the technical challenges, new features and support/security benefits.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The University of Edinburgh’s popular Teaching Matters blog was successfully migrated from a standalone WordPress instance created in 2016 to the Academic Blogging Service’s WordPress service. This blog post focuses on the technical challenges, new features and support/security benefits.</strong></p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-1024x576.jpg" alt="Teaching Matters homepage, "Promoting, discussing and celebrating teaching at The University of Edinburgh". Features main navigation menu and 6 blog articles with photos." class="wp-image-3269" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM) colleagues (Stewart Lamb Cromar, James Slack, Mark Findlay and Karen Howie) have worked with Dr Jenny Scoles from the Institute for Academic Development (IAD) to design, test and build a new long-term home for their Teaching Matters blog.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters/new-website-for-teaching-matters/">Jenny’s blog post about this migration</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Technical challenges </h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Large image bank</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Teaching Matters blog has been publishing high-quality articles since January 2016. Migrating eight years’ worth of media-rich content was quite the challenge with: 1,200 posts and 3,600 images totaling almost 4 GB.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Security concerns</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Both the WordPress platform (6.2.6 and theme (Apostrophe 1) were upgraded to newer, safer and regularly maintained options (6.5.5 and Apostrophe 2 respectively).</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Preserving bookmarks</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">URL redirections have been enabled for the old domain name (<a href="https://www.teaching-matters-blog.ed.ac.uk/">www.teaching-matters-blog.ed.ac.uk</a>), so all pre-existing bookmarks and pages indexed by search engines will successfully redirect to the new URL: </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters">blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Redirection rules</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Due to the large number of high-resolution photographs, not all images could be migrated and hosted within their new home. Amendments were made to the previous ‘htaccess’ file so URL requests to the WordPress ‘Uploads’ directory were exempt from redirection.</p>
<pre class="wp-block-code"><code># Redirect all traffic to new hosting platform
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/wp-content/uploads/
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(?:www\.)teaching-matters-blog\.ed\.ac\.uk$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^ https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]</code></pre>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">New features</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Student and staff contributions</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-1024x576.jpg" alt="'Submit a post' webform with fields such as name, email, title, social media handles and biography." class="wp-image-3267" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A new WordPress plugin ‘User Submitted Posts (USP)’ was tested and configured especially for Teaching Matters. This new addition allows IAD to receive article submissions via a dedicated webform and have them stored automatically as draft Posts within WordPress.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/user-submitted-posts/">User Submitted Post plugin</a></p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Editorial workflow</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Having a bespoke webform for staff and students to submit blog posts for consideration has greatly improved the editorial workflow for the IAD team. Previously they would accept requests via email and manually enter the content as a new WordPress post. The USP plugin now automatically converts a valid webform entry into a draft Post, that can be quickly reviewed and published.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters/submit-a-post/">Submit a Teaching Matters post</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">HTML newsletters</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-1024x576.png" alt="Teaching Matters' newsletter archive page, with a colourful number 5 graphic for their '5 Things' section." class="wp-image-3270" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-1024x576.png 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-300x169.png 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-768x432.png 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-1536x864.png 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-2048x1152.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Since 2021, the IAD have offered a popular Teaching Matters newsletter – a round-up of the best of teaching at The University of Edinburgh and beyond.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7237382942862241792">Teaching Matters LinkedIn newsletter</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In addition to the LinkedIn monthly ‘5 Things’ newsletter, visitors can now sign up to receive automated email notifications whenever a new blog post is published. This functionality is achieved by the ‘Icegram Express’ plugin that is available to all users of the University’s WordPress service.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The plugin is configured with a double opt-in setting, so that visitors must confirm their subscription via email. This avoids any potential spam requests.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Improved analytics</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">IAD were keen to have better insights into how many visits the blog received, what articles visitors were looking at, and how long they spent reading them.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The transition between Universal Analytics (UA) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) in 2023 has meant access to historic records is challenging, if not impossible (UA records were all automatically deleted by Google in July 2024).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, if you don’t have a manual backup of that historic UA data you can always review some basic server statistics via cPanel.</p>
<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Log in to your cPanel</li>
<li>Scroll down to the Metrics section</li>
<li>Select the AWstats icon</li>
<li>Click View to open the report for each domain</li>
</ol>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Manually collating data for each year allowed us to discover the following lifetime statistics before the migration.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Lifetime statistics (2016-2024)</h4>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>581,256 visitors </li>
<li>1,110,716 visits </li>
<li>4,467,771 page views </li>
</ul>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Site Kit plugin</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The blog’s new home makes good use of the ‘Site Kit by Google’ plugin.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/:u:/r/sites/Blogs.ed/SitePages/Connect-your-blog-to-Google-Site-Kit.aspx">Connect your blog to Google Site Kit</a> (UoE only)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When successfully configured, you have direct and convenient access to Google Analytics from within the WordPress admin dashboard. </p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Google Analytics training</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you want to learn more about Google Analytics the LinkedIn Learning course ‘Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Essential Training’ is designed to help you track, analyse, and report on website traffic, conversions, and ad performance using GA4.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/help-consultancy/is-skills/linkedin-learning">Logging into LinkedIn Learning with UoE email</a> (UoE only)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/learning/google-analytics-4-ga4-essential-training-14915362">LinkedIn Learning GA4 Course</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Better accessibility compliance</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">University websites are required to be compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/">Full guidelines</a> (2.2)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Several CSS amendments were made to the WordPress theme to improve accessibility compliance:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Improved colour contrast ratios for headers and buttons.</li>
<li>Hyperlinks are no longer solely reliant on colour coding; they are now underlined too.</li>
<li>Reduction in number of menu items from 8 to 6. This helps cognitive processing, but also avoids line wrapping on narrower screens.</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Support / security benefits</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">A new home </h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Blogs.ed.ac.uk is a free University-hosted and supported WordPress platform for all staff and postgraduate research students. </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">View over 9,800 blogs or request your own:</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk">blogs.ed.ac.uk</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Dedicated resources</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For WordPress resources please visit the blogs.ed SharePoint site for support on creating your first blog along with videos and ‘How to’ documentation which we recommend viewing if you are new to WordPress.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/sites/Blogs.ed/SitePages/Home.aspx">Blogs.ed SharePoint site</a> (UoE only)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Find out what training and workshops are available to expand your blogging skills.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://information-services.ed.ac.uk/learning-technology/blogging/help-support/training-and-workshops">Training and workshops</a> (UoE only)</p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-1024x576.jpg" alt="Young student using a laptop, sitting in a pretty park with her cute white dog." class="wp-image-3263" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Header image is part of the Online Learning 2022 collection and was downloaded from the University of Edinburgh’s image gallery:</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/sites/Brand/SitePages/Photography-and-Video.aspx">UoE photography and video resources</a> (UoE only)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This collection was managed by Ari Badlishah (Digital Engagement Officer), and focused on improving the diversity in photography used in the University’s online courses.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © The University of Edinburgh 2024. All rights reserved.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Maid of Fabuland</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/maid-of-fabuland/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=maid-of-fabuland</link>
<comments>https://stubot.me/maid-of-fabuland/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Oct 2024 09:22:07 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LEGO]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Braille Bricks]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Denmark]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Fabuland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LEGO House]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Maid of Fabuland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Skaerbaek]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3087</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 14</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>Lego kindly invited me to build a Fabuland ship for the prestigious Lego House in Denmark. Going blind in one eye has been the hardest year and this creative challenge absolutely helped me move forward. Read about the ‘Maid of Fabuland’ paddle steamer and one of the happiest days ever.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 14</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Lego kindly invited me to build a Fabuland ship for the prestigious Lego House in Denmark. Going blind in one eye has been the hardest year and this creative challenge absolutely helped me move forward. Read about the ‘Maid of Fabuland’ paddle steamer and one of the happiest days ever.</strong></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-default"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1) Life got a little brighter</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-1024x768.jpg" alt="Stewart's Memoji standing outside LEGO House, a giant white building comprised of cubes." class="wp-image-3162" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Earlier this year I was contacted by the extremely gifted Lego House master builder Stuart Harris. I’m lucky enough to have met him a few times, but this communication was most unexpected.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After losing my sight loss last year, life has been extremely tough and bleak. I had managed to return to work at The University of Edinburgh with support from my line manager Karen Howie and the Staff Disability Advice Service. This was my first personal goal in terms of moving forward, but I was keen to push further.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/life-got-dark/">Life Got Dark</a> (17 November 2023)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Artistic expression whether at work or home has always been a core activity in my life and this commission from The Lego Group was the perfect opportunity to test what I could achieve with my latest vision loss.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.1) Design brief</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Stuart Harris invited me to build a Fabuland ship for the World Explorer experience within The Lego House at Billund, Denmark. I was told the delivery schedule, maximum dimensions and given permission to use Fabuland figures. But other than that, I could propose any type of ship that I wished.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1.1.1) World Explorer experience</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" data-id="3213" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3213" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-300x200.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-768x512.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Green Zone</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" data-id="3212" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3212" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk-300x200.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk-768x512.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk.jpg 1500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Steampunk Submarine</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" data-id="3214" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3214" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer-225x300.jpg 225w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer.jpg 1440w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The World Explorer Ship</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Every year the Lego House change their fan models, adding new artworks to galleries and interactive experiences. The magical World Explorer experience in the Green Zone has a large brick-built island with a Duplo volcano and amusement park called ‘Fabuland’! Visiting the island for 12 months is a custom ship designed by AFOLs (Adult Fan of Lego).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In 2018 Warren Elsmore and his talented team installed their epic ‘Steampunk Submarine’. He has written a fascinating blog about their creative process which involved 3D modelling, LEDs and so many exquisite details! </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.warrenelsmore.com/latest/the-steampunk-submarine/24/9/2018">The Steampunk Submarine</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Before my model there was the very cute, Friends themed ‘The World Explorer Ship’ by Ed Diment. With three impressive solar sails, his ship focused heavily on accessibility and sustainability to inspire the builders of tomorrow.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you have photos of World Explorer ships from previous years, please do share links to them in the comments section.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.2) Ship shape?</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3147" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3147" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396.jpg 1805w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3148" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3148" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3146" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3146" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown.jpg 1828w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For the first few weeks I toyed between a modern-day ferry and an old-fashioned paddle steamer. My first plan was to include loads of cute Fabuland vehicles and passengers on a car ferry. I felt this option had a lot of exposed building area that could host multiple amusing vignettes.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, I reflected on what is quintessential Fabuland? And for me it’s a powerful combination of nostalgia and whimsy. Even in theme’s original lifetime (1979-1989) it evoked a bygone era and embraced old-fashioned vehicles and architecture.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It just had to be a paddle steamer!</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.3) Captain Wilfred</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="822" data-id="3120" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-1024x822.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3120" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-1024x822.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-300x241.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-768x616.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-1536x1233.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-2048x1644.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3175" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3175" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The ‘Maid of Fabuland’ is my homage to the Fabuland set 3673 ‘Paddle Steamer’ from 1985. Wilfred Walrus is once again the captain of the ship. His cheeky monkey sailor friends also make a return appearance.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.4) Bookworm</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3210" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-300x300.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-150x150.jpg 150w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-768x768.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Scotland has a long history of paddle steamers and in 1812 the very first European commercial steamboat service began on the River Clyde between Glasgow and Greenock. This is my tribute to all the beautiful ships that once travelled our seas, rivers and lochs.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I managed to purchase quite a few second-hand books on this unfamiliar subject and most of them had amazing technical blueprints and archive photographs.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whilst I was keen to design a technically realistic ship, I also wanted to incorporate playful features that younger Lego fans would appreciate. So, I included several seminal children’s books by Richard Scarry in my reading list for potential inspiration.</p>
<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Richard Scarry’s Boats by Richard Scarry</li>
<li>Richard Scarry’s the Great Steamboat Mystery by Richard Scarry</li>
<li>Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry</li>
<li>The Once-Ubiquitous Paddle Steamer by John Hannavy</li>
<li>The Golden Years of the Clyde Steamers (1889-1914) by Alan J. S Paterson</li>
<li>Paddle Steamers: A Photographic Legacy by Andrew Gladwell</li>
<li>200 Years of Clyde Paddle Steamers by Iain Quinn</li>
<li>Classic Scottish Paddle Steamers by Alan J. S Paterson</li>
<li>The illustrated history of paddle steamers by G. W. & R. Plummer & J. Jobe. Hilton</li>
</ol>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.4.1) Busytown?</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-10 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="648" height="643" data-id="3202" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery.jpg" alt="Richard Scarry's the Great Steamboat Mystery" class="wp-image-3202" style="width:650px;height:auto" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery.jpg 648w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery-300x298.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 648px) 100vw, 648px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="754" height="1024" data-id="3207" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats-754x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3207" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats-754x1024.jpg 754w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats-221x300.jpg 221w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats-768x1043.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats.jpg 884w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 754px) 100vw, 754px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="798" height="1024" data-id="3208" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word-798x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3208" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word-798x1024.jpg 798w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word-234x300.jpg 234w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word-768x985.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word.jpg 862w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 798px) 100vw, 798px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Richard Scarry (1919–1994) was a children’s author and illustrator. He is best known for his ‘Best Ever’ book series that take place primarily in the fictional town of Busytown.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Busytown is inhabited by an assortment of anthropomorphic animals, including Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, Mr. Frumble, police Sergeant Murphy, Mr. Fixit, Bananas Gorilla and Hilda Hippo.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">First published in 1963, I would consider it the obvious precursor to both Lego’s Fabuland (1979-1989) and Nintendo’s Animal Crossing (2001-present).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busytown">Busytown</a> (Wikipedia article)</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.4.2) Tiny text</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One key issue was being unable to read the small text size, I’m so used to increasing the font size on my phone to 235%, but this text was too small even for my physical magnification aids.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thankfully my brother is an avid reader and has better eyesight than me, so he was tasked with reading through this collection and making notes for me.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The variety of ship designs was quite fascinating, but key features for my list were a rear paddle wheel (stern-wheeler), passenger deck on the top-level, cargo at the front (bow) and two iconic chimneys (smokestacks) near the captain’s cabin.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.5) Concept art</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-11 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-D.jpg"><img decoding="async" data-id="3101" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-D.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3101"/></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" data-id="3103" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3103" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-225x300.jpg 225w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-E-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="2560" data-id="3104" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-E-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3104" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-E-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-E-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With my research complete, I was keen to start prototyping and try building a few key components of the ship (paddle wheel, deck and smokestack). Stuart had asked me to share as much as I wanted with them, and sending some early sketches seemed a prudent thing to do.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1.5.1) Colour palette</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-12 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="490" data-id="3099" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-1024x490.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3099" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-1024x490.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-300x144.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-768x368.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-1536x735.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-2048x980.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3100" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3100" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The predominant colour palette is red, yellow and blue (see colour-coded ship sketch), with white and dark orange accents. However, the intention is to use all 14 Lego colours I consider typically Fabuland that are still in production today (see brick swatch photo).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I knew the final model would be installed on an existing blue surface, so I chose red for the hull to provide a strong contrast. And I had more blue Fabuland wall panels than yellow, so the bigger first deck is blue and yellow for the smaller second deck.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1.5.2) Modularity</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3105" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Lessons learned from a previous large model (Fabuland Hangar) were to try and go modular, I had found MILS (Modular integrated Landscaping System) plates incredibly efficient and resilient. My footprint was obviously narrower than 32×32 modules, but I could reuse the same principles.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.abellon.net/MILS/">MILS landscaping system</a></p>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-13 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="766" data-id="3124" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3124" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side-300x224.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side-768x575.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">‘Maid of the Loch’ at Balloch Pier, Scotland (2007)</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="591" data-id="3125" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria-1024x591.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3125" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria-1024x591.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria-300x173.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria-768x443.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria.jpg 1202w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">‘Spirit of Peoria’ at Peoria, Illinois (2018)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My ship design was effectively eight 16×16 modules (4 long x 2 wide) for the hull and one centred for the bow, so nine in total. Keeping the scale realistic was a key goal for me, I wanted it to be recognisable and believable. The height was the biggest restriction, and with tall smokestacks I only had room for two decks. Whilst most Lego models have the iconic USA three decks, it seemed more common in Scotland and Europe to have a more modest two.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After sharing these preliminary images with the Lego House team and getting a positive response, I was happy to start building the entire ship in earnest.</p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2) Build process</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2.1) Paddle wheel</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The stern wheel with 12 paddle blades was probably the hardest bit for me to engineer. You might have spotted that I used six Fabuland Ferris wheels for the main element (part number 4750). I felt the paddle wheel was such a critical component it was worth doing first and building things around that scale.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-14 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="774" data-id="3116" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-1024x774.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3116" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-1024x774.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-300x227.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-768x580.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-1536x1160.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-2048x1547.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Set 3681 ‘Amusement Park’ (1985)</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="690" data-id="3115" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-1024x690.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3115" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-1024x690.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-300x202.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-768x517.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-1536x1034.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-2048x1379.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Set 3668 ‘Merry-Go-Round’ (1986)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The large yellow Fabuland Ferris wheels were also used for Merry-Go-Round and Carousel sets in the 1980s.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For quite a few weeks the wheel only had eight blades. This seemed acceptable at first, but over time annoyed me more and more. Most paddle wheels have 12 blades, and this discrepancy annoyed me.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2.1.1) Welcome to Apocalypseburg!</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-15 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="824" height="1024" data-id="3108" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-824x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3108" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-824x1024.jpg 824w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-241x300.jpg 241w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-768x955.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-1235x1536.jpg 1235w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-1647x2048.jpg 1647w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 824px) 100vw, 824px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3109" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3109" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-1024x576.png 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-300x169.png 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-768x432.png 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-1536x864.png 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-2048x1152.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3110" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3110" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-1024x576.png 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-300x169.png 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-768x432.png 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-1536x864.png 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-2048x1152.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whilst watching one of my favourite YouTube builders (Brick Buffoon) I spotted something potentially useful. He was building the iconic set 70840 ‘Welcome to Apocalypseburg!’ from 2019.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://youtu.be/JVxxdCTu4QY" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/JVxxdCTu4QY">Welcome to Apocalypseburg – LEGO Set build – Part 5</a> (16 minute YouTube video)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Around step 615 they were using a combination of hinge plates, tiles and exposed studs to construct the Statue of Liberty crown. Whilst she has only seven points, the angles are the same for 12, namely 30 degrees.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thankfully all these parts are quite common, and I could adapt my wheel to feature the more historically accurate 12 blades.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-16 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" data-id="3111" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3111" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-225x300.jpg 225w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3176" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3176" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2.2) Accessibility adaptations</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sometimes I know my own limitations and ask for help from others. My mum Margaret helps me sort my collection by colour and then shape. She also gives me encouraging feedback on my progress and design choices.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Other accessibility adaptations I’ve had to make include:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Superglue with a retardant
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>I’d recommend Loctite’s ‘Super Glue Power Gel’ it can be repositioned for up to 60 seconds. This extra time is perfect for me to use a magnifier or correct a mistake due to my poor depth perception.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Magnifiers with a light:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Handheld – AAA battery operated and excellent for on-site installations</li>
<li>Desktop – USB powered, can be mains connected or portable, and can be clamped to a desk.</li>
<li>Anglepoise – mains connected, but ideal for maximising your workspace and giving you a free hand.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Room lights
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Additional floor and desk lamps drastically help improve my eyesight. Low lighting is particularly challenging for me and these lamps allow me to work after sunset.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2.3) Braille Bricks</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-17 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3171" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-1024x768.jpg" alt="Lego monkey sailor carrying 4 bricks that spell out the word LOVE." class="wp-image-3171" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">L-O</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3172" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-1024x768.jpg" alt="Another monkey sailor sitting down eating a banana." class="wp-image-3172" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">V-E</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Raising awareness of invisible disabilities is something I’m very passionate about. And in previous models I’ve started to incorporate Lego Braille Bricks.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/braille-bricks/" data-type="post" data-id="2747">Braille Bricks</a> (29 February 2024)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Not only do they perfectly symbolise my sight loss journey in Lego form, but they are also helpful for starting conversations with people about my story.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">They can also be a fun, educational and interactive prop. I often encourage children at shows to try using them.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This model incorporates four different Lego Braille bricks. One of the monkey sailors is carrying bricks that spell out the word LOVE. My hope is this ship delivers love to everyone who visits the Lego House.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2.3.1) Inclusive signage</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-18 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3142" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3142" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">English</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3144" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3144" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Danish</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3143" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="Lego Braille Bricks spelling out the words 'Ship built by Stewart Lamb Cromar'" class="wp-image-3143" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lego Braille Bricks</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Halfway through the process, I was asked by the Lego House team to contribute some interesting facts about me and my model that would go on a printed sign next it.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I was keen to be very open and honest about my disability, so I asked about the possibility of including a version of the same sign in Braille too.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thankfully they were very supportive, but as it hadn’t been done before they obviously had to make enquiries about whether this was feasible. Some parts of the Lego House are already fully inclusive, which is an impressive feat considering how highly interactive the building is.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’m very pleased to say my model currently has signs written in English, Danish and Lego Braille Bricks. A fourth panel with the full text in traditional Braille should be added shortly.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It made me extremely proud that a wide range of different people could discover facts about my model and hopefully have a richer experience as a result.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2.4) Easter eggs</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are a few secrets about my model, please skip ahead if you plan to visit the Lego House in person. I’ve now been four times, and each experience has been more magical than the last.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://legohouse.com/en-gb/">Visit the Lego House</a> (Billund, Denmark)</p>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-19 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3173" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3173" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lamb sigfig</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3169" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3169" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Book club</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3170" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3170" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Fishing competition</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3174" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3174" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Monkey overboard!</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>My middle name is Lamb and I’ve always been given cute little sheep as toys. Fabuland lambs are now my sigfig (signature figure) and there is one sitting down on a red bench chatting to his friend Peter Pig (in universe and IRL).</li>
<li>The ship name ‘Maid of Fabuland’ is a wee pun, as the model is built from a lot of original Lego Fabuland elements (windows, arches, fences, benches, chairs, Minifigures, Ferris wheels…).
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>It is also traditional to consider ships as female, referring to them as ‘she’.</li>
<li>For example, Maid of the Loch (1953–1981) is the last paddle steamer built in the United Kingdom. She operated on Loch Lomond for 29 years and as of 2022 is being restored near Balloch pier.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>One of the monkey shipmates just loves his bananas and has left a treacherous trail of slippery banana peels. Monkey overboard!</li>
<li>Romance is blooming for two passengers aboard the ‘Maid of Fabuland’. 36 years after their very first date, Lionel Lion and Hannah Hippopotamus finally have a second date.
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://brickset.com/sets/3622-1/Rowboat-with-Lionel-Lion-and-Hannah-Hippopotamus">Set 3622 ‘Rowboat’</a> (1988)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>When I’ve completed a large, or significant, model it’s tradition for me to digitally design some hypothetical retail packaging. For this project I’ve assigned the set number 2692024 to mark one of the happiest days of my life.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3177" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3) Model shipping</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-20 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2716-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="2560" data-id="3151" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2716-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3151" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2716-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2716-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" data-id="3153" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3153" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-225x300.jpg 225w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2353.jpg"><img decoding="async" data-id="3150" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2353.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3150"/></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3152" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3152" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Transporting my model from Scotland to Denmark was no mean feat, but it did involve a lot of fun and memorable adventures.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The model was designed to fit in two standard storage boxes. I like the brand Really Useful Box, and their 35 and 42 litre sizes were a perfect fit. I’d collected bubble wrap all year and this ensured my model didn’t move one iota whilst travelling.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My friends from the Scottish Lego club (Tartan LUG) kindly helped me by driving safely across the Netherlands and Germany. They also accompanied me on my first overnight ferry crossing from Newcastle courtesy of DFDS.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.tartanlug.com/join-us/">Join Tartan LUG</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It was only on the ferry, two days before the installation, that I let them in on my wee secret. Up until this point only my mum and brother knew of the commission.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I did have a partial clue for them, by putting the name of my model on a bag tag. Only Kitty spotted this, so she gets a bonus ten points!</p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4) Installation day</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">26 September 2024</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-21 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3156" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3156" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3159" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3159" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2557-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2560" height="1920" data-id="3158" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2557-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3158" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2557-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2557-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5889c-copy-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="649" data-id="3138" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5889c-copy-1024x649.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3138" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5889c-copy-1024x649.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5889c-copy-300x190.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="749" data-id="3140" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-1024x749.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3140" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-1024x749.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-300x219.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-768x562.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My kind-hearted Tartan LUG chums all agreed to get up at the crack of sparrows to drive from Skaerbaek to Billund for the installation at Lego House.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I was anxious to unbox my model, but thankfully John’s expert driving skills meant only one tiny flag had fallen off. A small dab of glue and everything was shipshape again (apologies).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Everyone from the Lego Group made me feel at ease and fully supported my additional needs related to sight loss. They were so patient and friendly; it felt more like playing Lego bricks with friends!</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">TikTok promo video</h3>
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@stub0t/video/7428584913454042401" data-video-id="7428584913454042401" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;" > <section> <a target="_blank" title="@stub0t" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@stub0t?refer=embed">@stub0t</a> Maid of Fabuland Currently on display at <a title="legohouse" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/legohouse?refer=embed">#LegoHouse</a> in Denmark. Read about my paddle steamer here – stubot.me (blog link in bio). <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/2764.png" alt="❤" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f49b.png" alt="💛" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f499.png" alt="💙" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> <a title="lego" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/lego?refer=embed">#Lego</a> <a title="レゴ" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B4?refer=embed">#レゴ</a> <a title="afol" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/afol?refer=embed">#Afol</a> <a title="tartanlug" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tartanlug?refer=embed">#TartanLUG</a> <a title="homeofthebrick" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/homeofthebrick?refer=embed">#HomeOfTheBrick</a> <a title="legoart" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/legoart?refer=embed">#LegoArt</a> <a title="sightloss" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/sightloss?refer=embed">#SightLoss</a> <a title="visionloss" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/visionloss?refer=embed">#VisionLoss</a> <a title="braille" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/braille?refer=embed">#Braille</a> <a title="northernbrickworks" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/northernbrickworks?refer=embed">#NorthernBrickworks</a> <a title="braillebricks" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/braillebricks?refer=embed">#BrailleBricks</a> <a title="legobraillebricks" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/legobraillebricks?refer=embed">#LegoBrailleBricks</a> <a title="fabuland" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fabuland?refer=embed">#Fabuland</a> <a target="_blank" title="♬ Loveboat - Kylie Minogue" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Loveboat-6712058136066263042?refer=embed">♬ Loveboat – Kylie Minogue</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5) Reflections</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-22 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3179" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3179" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">1988 – First date</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3178" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3178" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">2024 – Second date</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Looking back at this experience, I’m honoured to have been invited to build this ship for the Lego House. It’s not something I say often or easily, but I am so proud of what I achieved.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It was incredibly challenging to design and build this model with my vision loss, but without question I would do it all again in a heartbeat.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Living with sight loss or Diabetes is very taxing, and can cause high levels of anxiety, isolation and depression. But having this goal to work towards, helped me maintain a positive mood and genuine sense of accomplishment.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My time in Denmark was truly some of the happiest days of my life, I haven’t honestly smiled or laughed so much in a long time. Thank you to everyone who contributed towards this very special memory, it’s one I’ll forever cherish.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Love, Stewart</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">5.1) Support and advice</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If any of these topics I’ve mentioned have affected you, I’d recommend contacting a free and confidential support line offered by trained professionals such as Sight Scotland and RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://sightscotland.org.uk">Sight Scotland</a><br><a href="https://www.rnib.org.uk">RNIB</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">6) Thanks and hugs</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I will most likely forget to name everyone, but I am particularly grateful for the opportunities and support provided by the following people:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>The Cromar family – Mum and Steven</li>
<li>The LEGO Group – Stuart Harris, Mike Ganderton, Hasan Jensen, Line Dam Kjær and Erin Perkins</li>
<li>Tartan LUG – John, Christine, Adam, Warren, Kitty and Peter</li>
</ul>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">7) Image credits</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-1024x768.jpg" alt="Stewart's Memoji presenting his paddle boat with the Lego House logo (Home of the Brick)." class="wp-image-3164" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">‘Made of Fabuland’ Copyright © Stewart Lamb Cromar 2024. All rights reserved.</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>‘Welcome to Apocalypseburg!’ and vintage Fabuland product images are from BrickSet and are Copyright © The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.</li>
<li>Exterior photograph of Lego House and World Explorer Green Zone are Copyright © LEGO House. All rights reserved.</li>
<li>‘The World Explorer Ship’ photograph provided by Stuart Harris.</li>
<li>‘The Steampunk Submarine’ is Copyright © Warren Elsmore Ltd. All rights reserved.</li>
<li>‘Spirit of Peoria.jpg’ by ZcarstvnzRyan.harms, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.</li>
<li>‘Maid of the Loch side.JPG’ by Rosser1954, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.</li>
<li>Some interior Lego House photos kindly provided by Manu Schwendener (<a href="http://manuschwendener.ch">manuschwendener.ch</a>).</li>
<li>‘Akitsu Ferry’ by 妖精書士 – 投稿者自身による著作物, CC 表示-継承 3.0.</li>
<li>‘Sazanami Osakikamishimatown.jpg’ by Olegushka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">7.1) Disclaimer</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Please note this blog and its resources are a personal record of my own experiences. They have not been supplied, edited or verified by any individuals from the LEGO Group.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This article is not affiliated or endorsed by the LEGO House or the LEGO Group. LEGO®, the LEGO logo, the LEGO House logo and the Minifigure are trademarks and copyrights of the LEGO Group.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
<wfw:commentRss>https://stubot.me/maid-of-fabuland/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Women in STEM Illustrations</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/women-in-stem/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=women-in-stem</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Oct 2024 16:00:51 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Adobe Photoshop]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[colouring book]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[vision loss]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Women In STEM]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3061</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>To celebrate Ada Lovelace Day 2024, I created two new colouring-in illustrations of notable Women in STEM – author and codebreaker Irene Jessie Brown, and geologist Charlotte Murchison. I also discuss AI enhancement tools and vision loss challenges associated with my design process.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>To celebrate Ada Lovelace Day 2024, I created two new colouring-in illustrations of notable Women in STEM – author and codebreaker Irene Jessie Brown, and geologist Charlotte Murchison. I also discuss AI enhancement tools and vision loss challenges associated with my design process.</strong></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ada Lovelace Day</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On Tuesday 8th October 2024, the University of Edinburgh’s Information Services team celebrated Ada Lovelace Day 2024 which is an international celebration day of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Irene Jessie Brown (1919 – 2017)</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="766" height="1024" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-766x1024.jpg" alt="Colouring-in illustration of Irene Jessie Brown in a 1940s polka dot dress outside." class="wp-image-3069" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-766x1024.jpg 766w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-224x300.jpg 224w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-768x1027.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-1149x1536.jpg 1149w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-1532x2048.jpg 1532w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-scaled.jpg 1915w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 766px) 100vw, 766px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Irene Young was a codebreaker at Bletchley Park during the Second World War, and graduate of the University of Edinburgh (UoE).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Brown">Irene Brown Wikipedia article</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My colouring-in illustration of Irene is based on a 1944 photograph from the University of Edinburgh’s collections.</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Creator: Photographer unknown</li>
<li>Collection Name: Roslin Institute</li>
<li>Collection/Item Reference: Coll-1657</li>
</ul>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Permission granted by “The University of Edinburgh Heritage Collections”.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://archives.collections.ed.ac.uk/repositories/2/resources/85781">Irene Brown UoE collection URL</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Charlotte Murchison (1788 – 1869)</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="819" height="1024" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-819x1024.jpg" alt="Colouring-in illustration of Charlotte Murchison in formal Victorian attire." class="wp-image-3068" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-240x300.jpg 240w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-768x960.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1.jpg 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Charlotte Murchison was a British geologist and pioneer of geological research and fossil hunting.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Murchison">Charlotte Murchison Wikipedia article</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My colouring-in illustration of Charlotte is based primarily on the public domain photograph of her from 1860.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Bristol Channel and Jura</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-1024x295.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="295" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-1024x295.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-3081" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-1024x295.jpeg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-300x86.jpeg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-768x221.jpeg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-1536x442.jpeg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129.jpeg 1852w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It also incorporates a interpretation of the drawing by Charlotte depicting a cross-section of land, lying between the Bristol Channel and Jura.</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Title: Murchison 6</li>
<li>Work Record ID: 0055375</li>
<li>Holding Institution: University of Edinburgh</li>
<li>Catalogue Number: Coll-51/3/3</li>
</ul>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://archives.collections.ed.ac.uk/repositories/2/archival_objects/1534">Murchison drawing – UoE catalogue entry</a></p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Naming Spaces After Inspirational Women</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On International Women’s Day 2023, the University of Edinburgh renamed a lecture theatre at its King’s Buildings campus after Charlotte in recognition of her contribution to earth sciences.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Information Services Group have named many University spaces, both digital and physical, after inspirational women who were part of our community.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/about/naming-spaces-after-inspirational-women">Naming Spaces After Inspirational Women</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">New challenges</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">AI enhancement tools</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The only image of Charlotte Murchison that is in the public domain is very low-resolution (320 x 400 pixels). This makes my iPad tracing procedure within the iOS app ‘Procreate’ particularly challenging.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One approach I used was to experiment with Adobe Photoshop’s new AI filters. Specifically the neural filter called ‘Photo Restoration’ which does an excellent job of improving the resolution of archive photographs (2000 x 2500 pixels).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Neural filters use machine learning powered by Adobe Sensei, their cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) service.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/photoshop/using/neural-filters.html">Neural Filters overview</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Drag the green slider horizontally to comparison Charlotte’s original face with what enhancements the AI filter achieved.</p>
<div class="h5p-iframe-wrapper"><iframe id="h5p-iframe-17" class="h5p-iframe" data-content-id="17" style="height:1px" src="about:blank" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no" title="Charlotte Murchison"></iframe></div>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Disability factors</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I haven’t created any illustrations since losing my sight loss last year, but was determined to challenge myself to keep creating them for special events like Ada Lovelace Day.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/life-got-dark/" data-type="post" data-id="2733">Life Got Dark</a> (17 November 2023)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As with almost all tasks since I lost my left eye, it takes substantially more time, planning and adaptations to perform simple activities.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For tracing these photographs I like to use my iPad and Apple Pencil to keep the lines fluid, with a strong hand-drawn aesthetic. The Procreate app allows you to pinch and zoom quite easily, but even then I struggled to see any details.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My home office has multiple magnifications aids, including angle-poised, handheld and desktop solutions. The portable USB powered desktop magnifier was the most convenient, I could position it closely over my iPad and see facial features and environmental textures unavailable to me before.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It took a lot of effort to create these new illustrations, but I was 100% committed to contribute these open-educational resources (OERs) to my university’s Ada Lovelace Day. </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My friend and colleague Jackie commented on how they still retained my own personal style. This was very heart-warming and gave me some assurance about staying creative in my sight loss journey.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Further resources</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We have over 30 illustrated portraits of Women in STEM that are open-licenced (attribution only). All of them have a strong connection with the University of Edinburgh, past or present.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBMWmh">View Flickr album</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Flickr album (slideshow)</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-flickr wp-block-embed-flickr"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<a data-flickr-embed='true' href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/interactive-content/albums/72177720321190440/' title='Women in STEM by interactive.content, on Flickr'><img src='https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53255406890_b0aae1dbef_z.jpg' width='800' height='600' alt='Mary Brück'></a><script async src='https://embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js' charset='utf-8'></script>
</div></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright and licence</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The text, images and interactives published within this post are all intended to be shared, reused and remixed. In order to encourage this I’ve applied a Creative Commons open licence to my own content where the only requirement is to include the following attribution.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © Stewart Lamb Cromar, The University of Edinburgh 2024 CC BY.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"></a>This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>.</p>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 14:40:20 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>I was recently invited to the ‘300 Faces of Edinburgh Medical School’ launch event. Marking the 300th anniversary of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, this exhibition celebrates the people who have made inspirational contributions to the school.]]></description>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>I was recently invited to the ‘300 Faces of Edinburgh Medical School’ launch event. Marking the 300th anniversary of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, this exhibition celebrates the people who have made inspirational contributions to the school.</strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I am honoured, elated, and humbled to be included in an outdoor photographic exhibition at the Mound, Edinburgh, as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’m particularly grateful to the organisers for acknowledging my educational blogging and charitable fundraising efforts related to my own sight loss.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After losing vision in my left eye, the charity Sight Scotland played an integral part in my recovery, supporting my mental wellbeing with compassion and practical advice via their free helpline. Without them, I’m not sure I’d have returned to work at the university.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’d like to take this opportunity to try and raise £300 for this remarkable charity. Donate if you can to my JustGiving fundraiser via the following link (100% goes directly to Sight Scotland):</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.justgiving.com/page/300-faces">JustGiving fundraiser</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">300 years of medicine</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">2026 marks 300 years of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. This exhibition celebrates the people who have shaped Edinburgh Medical School.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In 2025, University of Edinburgh students, staff and alumni were invited to nominate a person who has made an inspirational contribution to Edinburgh Medical School to be included in a collection of 300 faces.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Mound Exhibition </h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A selection of these faces (including my cheeky chops) are now on display at the Mound Precinct in Edinburgh city centre for the next six weeks (until 26th April). This is an exciting collaboration with the Edinburgh Science Festival. After that, you can see them on the Portobello Promenade (29 April to 14 June).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.edinburghscience.co.uk/event/faces-of-edinburgh-medical-school-mound/">Edinburgh Science Festival</a> (300 Faces page)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The fact my profile photo is one taken by my mum just seals the deal. My family is so proud of me, and I know my dad would have been over the moon to see how his wee boy made a positive difference.</p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">N.B. Tap on any photo to see a larger version.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Stewart Cromar (panel story)</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In his role as e-learning developer, Stewart was a pivotal member of the award-winning team that created the first online learning resources for medical students. With an eye for design and curiosity for medical subject matter, he created visually appealing, user-friendly teaching materials, quizzes and online resources for staff and students.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In 2005, Stewart and colleagues were awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for a virtual online hospital, which allowed teaching staff to deliver online medical learning activities.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Stewart is registered partially-sighted and fundraises for several charities. He publishes a blog to help others understand his sight loss journey and is a renowned amateur Lego designer, often using Braille bricks in his creations.</p>
<cite>College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine</cite></blockquote>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Extraordinary educators</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are my esteemed neighbours on our ‘extraordinary educators’ panel:</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Tom Gillingwater</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Tom is a professor at the University of Edinburgh, leading the Anatomy Department. He has trained thousands of undergraduate and postgraduate students, instilling anatomy as a key part of their knowledge and skills.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Tom researches motor neuron disease. His work has led to a better understanding of neurological disorders and clinical trials for new treatments.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Gertrude Herzfeld</h4>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the first female surgeons to work in Scotland and the first female paediatric surgeon, Gertrude studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and spent most of her career in the city.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the 1920s and 30s, she held several medical appointments in Edinburgh, including consultant surgeon at the Bruntsfield Hospital for Women and the first female honorary assistant surgeon at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital for Sick Children. She became a full surgeon there in 1925.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Herzfeld">Gertrude Herzfeld</a> (Wikipedia page)</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Alexander Monro (secundus)</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A Scottish anatomist, physician and medical educator, Alexander Monro is typically known as “secundus” to distinguish him as the second of three generations of doctors with the same name.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Born in 1733, Alexander attended the University of Edinburgh when he was only 12 years old, taking courses in philosophy before later embarking on medical training.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Monro_Secundus">Alexander Monro</a> (Wikipedia page)</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Yvonne Odey</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Yvonne is a lecturer in reproductive biology and a course organiser on the MBChB medicine degree.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">She played a leading role in the redesign of course content and collaborated with colleagues to deliver a new birthing practical module and new forms of assessment.</p>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">‘300 years of medicine’ website</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">All 300 individuals have photos and biographies on a dedicated University of Edinburgh website.<br>N.B. All names will be published by the end of April.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk/300-years-of-medicine/300-faces-of-edinburgh-medical-school">300 Faces of Edinburgh Medical School</a></p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Colleagues and historical figures</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It’s wonderful to see so many people, my team and I have worked with over the years, also nominated: Ruthanne Baxter, Baljean Dhillon, Gordon Findlater, Liz Grant, Euan MacDonald, Suvankar Pal, and Janet Skinner.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For us all to be included in a list of contributors alongside Charles Darwin, Elsie Inglis, Joseph Lister, and Sophia Jex-Blake is a wonderful celebration.</p>
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</figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Charity fundraiser</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’m particularly grateful to the organisers for acknowledging my educational blogging and charitable fundraising efforts related to my own sight loss.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After losing vision in my left eye, Sight Scotland played an integral part in my recovery, supporting my mental wellbeing with compassion and practical advice via their free helpline. Without them, I’m not sure I’d have returned to work at the university.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’d like to take this opportunity to try and raise £300 for this remarkable charity. Donate if you can to my JustGiving fundraiser via the following link (100% goes directly to Sight Scotland). Please include Gift Aid if possible.</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://www.justgiving.com/page/300-faces">Donate now</a></div>
</div>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Sight Scotland</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sight Scotland offer specialist support and advice to individuals and families living with sight loss. They are dedicated to empowering people with visual impairments to lead fulfilling lives.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://sightscotland.org.uk">Sight Scotland</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Upcoming charity Lego shows</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Lastly, if you’d like to see some of my Lego creations with Braille bricks, I’ll be at two upcoming charitable shows: Fife Bricks (Dunfermline – 25th April) and Edinbrick (Edinburgh – 9th & 10th May). Buy your tickets online today!</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/edinbrick">Buy Edinbrick tickets</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.ticketsource.com/fifebricks">Buy Fife Bricks tickets</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Related posts</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/sharing-my-story/" data-type="post" data-id="3423">Sharing My Story</a> (9 March 2025)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/">Five Years of Sight Loss</a> (22 January 2025)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/braille-bricks/">Braille Bricks</a> (29 February 2024)</p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Disclaimer</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Please note this is a personal fundraiser for Sight Scotland, and is not officially endorsed or associated with Edinburgh Medical School or the University of Edinburgh.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Image credits</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Edinburgh Medical School 300 images are Copyright © The University of Edinburgh 2026.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
<wfw:commentRss>https://stubot.me/300-faces/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Interactive Women in STEM tour</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/stem-tour/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stem-tour</link>
<comments>https://stubot.me/stem-tour/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 14:35:12 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ada Lovelace]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ada Lovelace Day]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Creative Commons]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[OER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Women In STEM]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3578</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>For Ada Lovelace Day 2025, Jackie, Magda and Stewart created the 'Interactive Women in STEM tour' game for everyone to play.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>For Ada Lovelace Day 2025, Jackie, Magda and Stewart created this open-licensed ‘Interactive Women in STEM tour’ game for everyone to enjoy.</strong></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion in STEM by taking a look at nine Edinburgh-connected women who have made an impact in a wide range of STEM fields.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With fun quizzes and games (crosswords, pair matching and combination locks), play our open-licensed interactive game today.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">N.B. We recommend tapping the fullscreen button (<strong>⤢)</strong> in the top-right corner, available after you ‘Start’ the game</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Play the game</h2>
<div class="h5p-iframe-wrapper"><iframe id="h5p-iframe-19" class="h5p-iframe" data-content-id="19" style="height:1px" src="about:blank" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no" title="Ada Lovelace day fun"></iframe></div>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Featured scientists</h3>
<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Mary Brück (1925 – 2008)</li>
<li>Mary (Molly) Fergusson (1914 – 1997)</li>
<li>Isobel Wylie Hutchison (1889 – 1982)</li>
<li>Sophia Jex-Blake (1840 – 1912)</li>
<li>Christina Miller (1899 – 2001)</li>
<li>Noreen Murray, or Lady Murray (1935 – 2011)</li>
<li>Flora Philip (1865 – 1943)</li>
<li>Marion Ross (1903 – 1994)</li>
<li>Mary Fairfax Somerville (1780 – 1872)</li>
</ol>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Licence and copyright</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This game is intended to be shared, reused and remixed. In order to encourage this we’ve applied a Creative Commons open licence to our own content where the only requirements are to include the following attribution and distribute your contributions under the same licence as the original.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © The University of Edinburgh 2025 CC BY-SA.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"></a>This work is licensed under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence</a>.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Provide feedback</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Share your feedback via the Ada Lovelace Day (ALD) Working Group Teams channel or email the designers – Jackie Aim (lead), Magda Dundas & Stewart Lamb Cromar.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="mailto:interactive-content@ed.ac.uk">Email the designers</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Curious Edinburgh</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This interactive game was inspired by the <a href="http://curiousedinburgh.org/women-in-stem-trail/women-in-stem-tour-map/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Curious Edinburgh – Women in STEM Trail</a> map. This tour was developed by Cari Romans, Magda Dundas, Katie Grieve and Shivani Rao from Learning, Technology and Web (LTW) of the University of Edinburgh.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Download the Curious Edinburgh app for more mobile walking tours on Edinburgh’s scientific and community heritage.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The free app can be found on both <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.ac.edina.curiousedinburgh&ah=tL2uAyzW_gnBUxg9LaextxbCTGs&hl=en-GB&pcampaignid=MKT-Other-global-all-co-prtnr-py-PartBadge-Mar2515-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google Play</a> and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/curious-edinburgh/id1113602530?ls=1&mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">App Store</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
<wfw:commentRss>https://stubot.me/stem-tour/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Moira Dunbar</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/moira-dunbar/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=moira-dunbar</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 12:37:09 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ada Lovelace]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ada Lovelace Day]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[colouring book]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[illustration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[OER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Women In STEM]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3569</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>For Ada Lovelace Day 2025 I created a colouring-in illustration of Moira Dunbar (1918-1999), the pioneering Scottish-Canadian glaciologist and Arctic sea-ice researcher.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><strong>For Ada Lovelace Day 2025 I created a colouring-in illustration of Moira Dunbar (1918-1999), the pioneering Scottish-Canadian glaciologist and Arctic sea-ice researcher.</strong></strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Two new maps were added to the composition: Edinburgh (birthplace and primary/secondary education) and Dunrobin in Ottawa (countryside home in Canada).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It also incorporates an interpretation of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s Massey Medal she was awarded in 1972 for her “excellent work in Arctic geography and sea-ice”.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Isobel Moira Dunbar (1918 – 1999)</h3>
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<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Moira-Dunbar_v03-scaled.jpg">Download high-resolution illustration</a></div>
</div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moira_Dunbar">Moira Dunbar Wikipedia article</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ada Lovelace Day</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On Tuesday 14th October, the University of Edinburgh’s Information Services team are celebrating Ada Lovelace Day 2025 which is an international celebration day of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). This is our 10th year of celebrating that day!</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We have planned events and activities with a climate and earth sciences theme, running in the afternoon and early evening of that date.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/ada-lovelace-day/2025/07/28/save-the-date-ada-lovelace-day-14th-october-2025/">Edinburgh event booking details </a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright and licence</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The text and images published within this post are all intended to be shared, reused and remixed. In order to encourage this I’ve applied a Creative Commons open licence to my own content where the only requirements are to include the following attribution and distribute your contributions under the same licence as the original.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © Stewart Lamb Cromar, The University of Edinburgh 2025 CC BY-SA.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"></a>This work is licensed under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 International Licence</a>.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Original image credit</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Based on the Canadian Defense Research Board photograph of her with Arctic sea-ice maps (CC BY-SA 4.0) on Wikimedia Commons.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Isobel_Moira_Dunbar.jpg">Original photograph</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Further resources</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We have over 30 illustrated portraits of Women in STEM that are open-licenced (attribution only). All of them have a strong connection with the University of Edinburgh, past or present.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBMWmh">View Flickr album</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For even more illustrations please look at our ‘We have great stuff’ colouring books, there are three different volumes available.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://edin.ac/colouring-books">Download colouring book PDFs</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>In Their Own Time</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/in-their-own-time/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=in-their-own-time</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2025 13:33:50 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[academia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[academics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[comic]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[comic book]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[illustration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3519</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>Challenging conventional funding structures to include intersectionally underrepresented casualised academics. The Interactive Content team help launch a new digital comic resource.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Challenging conventional funding structures to include intersectionally underrepresented casualised academics. The Interactive Content team help launch a new digital comic resource.</strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The In Their Own Time (ITOT) project shares the stories of eight insecurely employed long-term academics – University Tutor in Design and professional illustrator Maria Stoian met with each of them to document their “own time,” and tell their stories through comics.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://in-their-own-time.ed.ac.uk">ITOT website</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Project leads</strong></h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Collaborating closely with Maria, this project was led by two Co-Investigators: Dr Cécile Ménard and Dr Lena Wånggren, both Research Fellows from the School of GeoSciences.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Maria, Cécile and Lena approached the Interactive Content team to help transform their physical publication into a creative and valuable online equivalent resource.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Steph’s story</strong></h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is only a short preview; please visit the ITOT website, in your own time, and read all eight academic stories in their entirety.</p>
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<details class="wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow"><summary>Steph’s transcript</summary>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Steph is a single mum. Today is her daughter’s first day back at school after the holidays.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I have two university jobs. Both are hourly, one is zero-hours.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I usually work in my own time from my kitchen table, in the evenings after my daughter has gone to bed.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">[Image Description] Steph with hot drink and laptop at kitchen table.</p>
</details>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Website features</strong></h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Restricted access times</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the key requirements for the website design was to restrict access from 9 am to 5pm. As this project highlights the exclusionary expectation for casualised academics to do unpaid work “in their own time,” the ITOT team wanted visitors to read their stories outside of UK office hours.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This unique and impactful functionality was the primary justification for not publishing this resource on an existing University platform (e.g. EdWeb 2).</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Sustainability</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The agreed long-term plan is to host this bespoke site for up to three years before submitting it to the UK Web Archive. This will ensure there is a permanent record of it, but it will also remove the University’s requirement for website hosting, maintenance, security, and legal compliance (e.g. accessibility statements).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As the ITOT project received research funding, it’s important that all digital outputs are available as long as possible.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://library.ed.ac.uk/heritage-collections/collections-and-search/archives/digital-archives-and-preservation/web-archiving">University guidance on website archiving</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Bespoke design</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To save on time and budget, we repurposed a suitable third-party WordPress theme (Kadence) with a free software licence (GNU General Public Licence).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In order to add bespoke design elements and retain better control, we developed a child theme for Kadence. For example, this child theme incorporated a handwritten typeface created by project illustrator Maria – ‘Stoian Comic’.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://mariastoian.com">Maria’s portfolio</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Responsive comics</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For each academic’s story, there are actually two versions of the digital comic. Maria designed and illustrated panels that are optimised for either desktop or smartphone layouts.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you look closely at the third row of Chris’ comic on a desktop/laptop, you can see a wide-panel containing spoons that bridges two neighbouring panels. But on a mobile, Maria has rearranged the panels so they can be stacked vertically without losing any of the story.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Chris’ story (excerpt)</h4>
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bbc1dd"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bbc1dd" class="wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2560" height="662" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3536" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-300x78.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-1024x265.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-768x199.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-1536x397.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-2048x530.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Desktop</figcaption></figure>
<figure data-wp-context="{"galleryId":"6a2f362bbc512"}" data-wp-interactive="core/gallery" class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bbca40"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bbca40" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="792" height="1024" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="3538" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-792x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3538" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-792x1024.jpg 792w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-232x300.jpg 232w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-768x993.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-1188x1536.jpg 1188w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-1584x2048.jpg 1584w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-scaled.jpg 1980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 792px) 100vw, 792px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mobile (part one)</figcaption></figure>
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bbcf11"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bbcf11" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img decoding="async" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="3537" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-3A.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3537"/><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mobile (part two)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<details class="wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow"><summary>Chris’ transcript</summary>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Chris is employed for 14 hours a week but often works more hours on their research, funding applications and university citizenship.<br>[Image Description] Visitor drawing a portrait of Chris while they sit and talk</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">[Image Description] Picture of 5 spoons.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I ask a lot of questions.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I think we’re doing research badly right now.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“People need more time to do reproducible and replicable research.”<br>[Image Description] Portrait evolves while Chris keeps talking.</p>
</details>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Inclusivity</strong></h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Inclusive comics</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To ensure as many people as possible can appreciate the ITOT resource, e-learning Developer Jackie Aim created transcripts for each of the eight academic comics.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We did experiment with alt text (short for alternative text) descriptions for each of the ~20 comic panels, but testing with various screen readers flagged an unforeseen issue. Some screen readers automatically read out the hand-drawn text in the panel in addition to the alt text provided. Having this repetition was deemed unacceptable, so we all agreed to include just the transcript for each comic.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/website-communications/content-improvement-club-what-we-covered-in-our-march-session/">How to write good alt text</a> (University of Edinburgh – Mel Batcharj)</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Accessibility compliance</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Our Digital Accessibility Intern, David Buik, completed the accessibility testing and published the required Accessibility Statement in line with Public Sector Body (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Having compliance with the WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria means you should be able to:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Zoom in up to 500% without the text spilling off the screen or without loss of content</li>
<li>Navigate most of the site using keyboard only</li>
<li>Navigate most of the site using speech recognition software e.g. Dragon</li>
<li>Use the website without encountering any inactivity timeouts</li>
<li>Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)</li>
</ul>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thank you to Viki Galt and Lori Anderson from the University Disability Information Team, who professionally verified David’s report and statement.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://information-services.ed.ac.uk/help-consultancy/accessibility/is-accessibility/disability-officer">Disability Information Team</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Licence and copyright</strong></h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Creative Commons licence</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When we first met the ITOT team, they were not so familiar with the practice of Creative Commons licensing, so it was a lovely opportunity to see if we could apply a licence that would help others freely share this valuable resource.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Maria’s beautiful comics (PDF downloads) and the project text written by Cécile and Lena are now licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 licence.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">The University of Edinburgh’s OER Policy</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The University of Edinburgh has an Open Education Resources (OERs) policy<strong> </strong>that outlines the institutional position on OERs and provides guidelines for practice in learning and teaching. You can find the policy in the University’s <a href="https://policies.ed.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Policy Directory</a>, or directly via the following link:</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/sites/PolicyRepository/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FPolicyRepository%2FShared%20Documents%2FOpen%5FEducational%5FResources%5FPolicy%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FPolicyRepository%2FShared%20Documents&p=true&ga=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Open Educational Resources Policy</a> (PDF)</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright notice</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © 2025 The University of Edinburgh. Illustrations and comics by Maria Stoian. Website text by Dr Cécile Ménard, Dr Lena Wånggren and Maria Stoian.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Testimonial</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Working with the IC Team was seamless and enjoyable. As the main output of our project, the website needed to reflect both our experience and that of our participants. We wanted it to be intuitive to navigate and as accessible as possible. Stewart and the team took everything we asked for on board, responded promptly, and made the whole process easy for us while delivering a site that looks fantastic!” – Dr Cécile Ménard</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Getting in touch</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We will be happy to discuss your needs and ideas and develop an approach that delivers a high-quality output, whatever your budget.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://information-services.ed.ac.uk/help-consultancy/rm-and-consultancy/interactive-content-service/how-to-get-in-touch">How to access the Interactive Content Service</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>ASPIRING study website</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/aspiring-study-website/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=aspiring-study-website</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 16:02:08 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Drupal]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3494</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>The Interactive Content team within Information Services designed and published the ASPIRING study website on behalf of Professor Rustam Al-Shahi Salman from the CCBS (Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh).]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The Interactive Content team within Information Services designed and published the ASPIRING study website on behalf of Professor Rustam Al-Shahi Salman</strong> from <strong>the CCBS (Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh).</strong></p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="724" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-1024x724.png" alt="* Screenshot of website homepage that includes main menu, introductory video, project logo and the key text - “Help us find out if medicines like aspirin protect people with bleeding in the brain from strokes, heart attacks, and death”." class="wp-image-3498" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-1024x724.png 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-300x212.png 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-768x543.png 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-1536x1086.png 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website.png 1810w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This multi-component project includes a patient recruitment portal (Drupal 10) multilingual videos (Media Hopper Create), investigator training materials (H5P interactive content), and a technical collaboration with developers from ECTU (Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit) who are responsible for the participant database.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.aspiring.ed.ac.uk">ASPIRING study</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Accessibility requirements</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">An important design consideration was the specific web accessibility needs of stroke survivors, who may have physical, sensory, or cognitive impairments.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In real terms, this means allowing website visitors to:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard</li>
<li>Magnify all content to 300% without loss of content</li>
<li>Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)</li>
<li>Navigate most of the website using screen recognition software e.g. Dragon</li>
<li>Experience no time limits</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Positive feedback</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the funding agencies, British Heart Foundation (BHF), kindly provided very positive feedback and requested their logo be included on the website.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">BHF currently link to ASPIRING through the ‘Active GCRFF trials’ page on their website.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.bhf.org.uk/for-professionals/information-for-researchers/gcrff-multinational-clinical-trials-initiative/funded-gcrff-trials">Trials endorsed by the GCRFF Multinational Clinical Trials Initiative</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">About the study</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Antiplatelet Secondary Prevention International Randomised study after INtracerebral haemorrhaGe</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">ASPIRING is an international study, testing whether aspirin and clopidogrel prevent strokes, heart attacks, and death after brain haemorrhage. This study, run by The University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian, will include more than 4,000 people with brain haemorrhage.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Sharing My Story</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/sharing-my-story/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sharing-my-story</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Mar 2025 12:08:24 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LEGO]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Braille Bricks]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Fabuland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LEGO House]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Maid of Fabuland]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3423</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> < 1</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minute. </span></span>It's been a busy, but rewarding, week at work and home. In the last 24 hours The Lego Group have published two personal videos documenting my sight loss disability and love for building with Braille bricks.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> < 1</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minute. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>It’s been a busy, but rewarding, week at work and home. In the last 24 hours The Lego Group have published two personal videos documenting my sight loss disability and love for building with Braille bricks.</strong></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">@Lego YouTube channel</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Check out this LEGO Steamboat at LEGO House!" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oquUs17GIxU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thank you again to the teams at both Lego House and Our Lego Agency (OLA) for inviting me to share my sight loss journey.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If my disability story can help others going through similar challenges that would make me incredibly happy.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I hope my Fabuland ship, the ‘Maid of Fabuland’, delivers love to all the visitors at the wonderful Lego House, Billund, Denmark.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Play Well, Stewart (@stubot) <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/2764.png" alt="❤" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f49b.png" alt="💛" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f499.png" alt="💙" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">@LegoBuilds Instagram account</h3>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DG8OJqOsFA8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DG8OJqOsFA8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DG8OJqOsFA8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by LEGO Builds (@legobuilds)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Sight Scotland</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you would like to help others experiencing similar challenges please consider donating to my chosen charity Sight Scotland.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sight Scotland offer specialist support and advice to individuals and families living with sight loss. They are dedicated to empowering people with visual impairments to lead fulfilling lives.</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://sightscotland.org.uk">Donate to Sight Scotland</a></div>
</div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Five Years of Sight Loss</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Over the last five years I have written personal blog posts detailing my traumatic sight loss journey. To help others better understand the significant changes in my vision I also created a series of interactive simulations (H5P files).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/" data-type="post" data-id="3303">Five Years of Sight Loss</a> (22 January 2025)</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Related posts</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/build-your-own-paddle-steamer/" data-type="post" data-id="3295">Build your own paddle steamer</a> (04 March 2025)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/maid-of-fabuland/">Maid of Fabuland</a> (22 October 2024)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/braille-bricks/" data-type="post" data-id="2747">Braille Bricks</a> (29 February 2024)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/lego-lovelace/" data-type="post" data-id="1969">LEGO Lovelace: Building a modern icon</a> (23 August 2017)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Five Years of Sight Loss</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=five-years-of-sight-loss</link>
<comments>https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Jan 2025 15:57:19 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Creative Commons]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sight Scotland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Wikimedia Commons]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Wikipedia]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3303</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>Over the last five years I have written personal blog posts detailing my traumatic sight loss journey. To help others better understand the significant changes in my vision I also created a series of interactive simulations (H5P files).]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Over the last five years I have written personal blog posts detailing my traumatic sight loss journey. To help others better understand the significant changes in my vision I also created a series of interactive simulations (H5P files).</strong></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">A Heartfelt and Interactive Diary</h3>
<div class="h5p-iframe-wrapper"><iframe id="h5p-iframe-18" class="h5p-iframe" data-content-id="18" style="height:1px" src="about:blank" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no" title="Five Years of Sight Loss"></iframe></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Open Education Resources (OERs)</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As someone who’s created online learning materials professionally for 25 years, it was a unique opportunity for me to communicate and document this hidden disability.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Publishing both the heartfelt blog and H5P content as open education resources (OERs), my hope was to help others going through similar surgeries and challenges.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This brand new ‘Interactive Book’ H5P file consolidates diary entries from the last five years into one bite-sized shareable learning resource.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://h5p.org/content-types/interactive-book">Interactive Book (H5P exemplar site)</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">OER publication tally</h3>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>10 sight loss blog posts</li>
<li>10,840 words / 58 minutes reading time</li>
<li>17 H5P files
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>x10 Agamotto</li>
<li>x2 Image Juxtaposition</li>
<li>x2 Image Slider</li>
<li>x1 Interactive Book</li>
<li>x1 Timeline</li>
<li>x1 Image Hotspots</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>97 images</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Share, reuse and remix</h3>
<figure data-wp-context="{"galleryId":"6a2f362bc5209"}" data-wp-interactive="core/gallery" class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bc5619"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bc5619" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="2093" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-1024x576.jpg" alt="LogMAR chart after a retinal detachment. Large dark shadow and blurring on the left-hand side, with minor white/yellow flaring at edge of shadow." class="wp-image-2093" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Retinal detachment LogMAR chart</figcaption></figure>
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bc5b3c"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bc5b3c" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="3347" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-1024x576.jpg" alt="Bunch of flowers (close-up), but everything blurred and a dark semi-circle obscuring half the image." class="wp-image-3347" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Gas bubble (day 1)</figcaption></figure>
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bc601a"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bc601a" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="3348" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-1024x576.jpg" alt="Same flowers, but dark circle in top-left corner only." class="wp-image-3348" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Gas bubble (day 8)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You can download any of the H5P files via the ‘Reuse’ link in the bottom-left corner.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">High-resolution versions of these sight loss photographs and representations are available via this dedicated Flickr album:</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stubot/albums/72157718976224995">‘Sight Loss OERs’ Flickr album</a></div>
</div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Select images have been uploaded to Wikimedia Commons and added to relevant Wikipedia pages.</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinal_detachment">Retinal detachment (Wikipedia)</a></div>
</div>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Wikimedia Commons</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Impression of a retinal detachment against a LogMAR chart:<br><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Retinal_detachment_LogMAR_chart_B.jpg">Retinal detachment LogMAR chart B</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Impression of a retinal detachment against a bouquet of flowers:<br><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gas_bubble_(day_1).jpg">Gas bubble (day 1)</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Impression of gas bubble against a bouquet of flowers:<br><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gas_bubble_(day_8).jpg">Gas bubble (day 8)</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright and licence</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The blog text, H5P files and images are all intended to be shared, reused and remixed. To encourage this, I’ve applied a Creative Commons open licence to my own content where the only requirement is to include the following attribution.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © Stewart Lamb Cromar 2025 CC BY.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">STARs – Visual tests: Nigel – Visual field test (Video)</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and The University of Edinburgh 2020 CC BY-NC-SA.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Different types of white cane (Image Hotspots)</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Images and text for the ‘Different types of white cane’ interactive are reproduced here with the kind permission of Sight Scotland.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">‘Retro Semi-Realistic Blind People’ illustrations created by Yan Moryachok for Canva (Free Content). Copyright © Canva 2025. All rights reserved.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Text written by Sight Scotland. Copyright © Sight Scotland 2025. All rights reserved.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">LogMAR chart</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">By user Fvasconcellos. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ETDRS_Chart_R.svg">ETDRS Chart R (.svg)</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Disclaimer</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Please note these resources are entirely a personal record of my own experiences and have not been verified by any qualified medical professionals or other individuals from the University of Edinburgh.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
<wfw:commentRss>https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Building a new home for Teaching Matters </title>
<link>https://stubot.me/teaching-matters/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=teaching-matters</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Nov 2024 15:02:58 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[cPanel]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Google Analytics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[WordPress]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3254</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>The University of Edinburgh's popular Teaching Matters blog was successfully migrated from a standalone WordPress instance created in 2016 to the Academic Blogging Service's WordPress service. This short post focuses on the technical challenges, new features and support/security benefits.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The University of Edinburgh’s popular Teaching Matters blog was successfully migrated from a standalone WordPress instance created in 2016 to the Academic Blogging Service’s WordPress service. This blog post focuses on the technical challenges, new features and support/security benefits.</strong></p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-1024x576.jpg" alt="Teaching Matters homepage, "Promoting, discussing and celebrating teaching at The University of Edinburgh". Features main navigation menu and 6 blog articles with photos." class="wp-image-3269" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM) colleagues (Stewart Lamb Cromar, James Slack, Mark Findlay and Karen Howie) have worked with Dr Jenny Scoles from the Institute for Academic Development (IAD) to design, test and build a new long-term home for their Teaching Matters blog.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters/new-website-for-teaching-matters/">Jenny’s blog post about this migration</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Technical challenges </h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Large image bank</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Teaching Matters blog has been publishing high-quality articles since January 2016. Migrating eight years’ worth of media-rich content was quite the challenge with: 1,200 posts and 3,600 images totaling almost 4 GB.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Security concerns</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Both the WordPress platform (6.2.6 and theme (Apostrophe 1) were upgraded to newer, safer and regularly maintained options (6.5.5 and Apostrophe 2 respectively).</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Preserving bookmarks</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">URL redirections have been enabled for the old domain name (<a href="https://www.teaching-matters-blog.ed.ac.uk/">www.teaching-matters-blog.ed.ac.uk</a>), so all pre-existing bookmarks and pages indexed by search engines will successfully redirect to the new URL: </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters">blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Redirection rules</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Due to the large number of high-resolution photographs, not all images could be migrated and hosted within their new home. Amendments were made to the previous ‘htaccess’ file so URL requests to the WordPress ‘Uploads’ directory were exempt from redirection.</p>
<pre class="wp-block-code"><code># Redirect all traffic to new hosting platform
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/wp-content/uploads/
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(?:www\.)teaching-matters-blog\.ed\.ac\.uk$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^ https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]</code></pre>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">New features</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Student and staff contributions</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-1024x576.jpg" alt="'Submit a post' webform with fields such as name, email, title, social media handles and biography." class="wp-image-3267" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A new WordPress plugin ‘User Submitted Posts (USP)’ was tested and configured especially for Teaching Matters. This new addition allows IAD to receive article submissions via a dedicated webform and have them stored automatically as draft Posts within WordPress.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/user-submitted-posts/">User Submitted Post plugin</a></p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Editorial workflow</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Having a bespoke webform for staff and students to submit blog posts for consideration has greatly improved the editorial workflow for the IAD team. Previously they would accept requests via email and manually enter the content as a new WordPress post. The USP plugin now automatically converts a valid webform entry into a draft Post, that can be quickly reviewed and published.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters/submit-a-post/">Submit a Teaching Matters post</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">HTML newsletters</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-1024x576.png" alt="Teaching Matters' newsletter archive page, with a colourful number 5 graphic for their '5 Things' section." class="wp-image-3270" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-1024x576.png 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-300x169.png 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-768x432.png 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-1536x864.png 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-2048x1152.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Since 2021, the IAD have offered a popular Teaching Matters newsletter – a round-up of the best of teaching at The University of Edinburgh and beyond.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7237382942862241792">Teaching Matters LinkedIn newsletter</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In addition to the LinkedIn monthly ‘5 Things’ newsletter, visitors can now sign up to receive automated email notifications whenever a new blog post is published. This functionality is achieved by the ‘Icegram Express’ plugin that is available to all users of the University’s WordPress service.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The plugin is configured with a double opt-in setting, so that visitors must confirm their subscription via email. This avoids any potential spam requests.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Improved analytics</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">IAD were keen to have better insights into how many visits the blog received, what articles visitors were looking at, and how long they spent reading them.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The transition between Universal Analytics (UA) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) in 2023 has meant access to historic records is challenging, if not impossible (UA records were all automatically deleted by Google in July 2024).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, if you don’t have a manual backup of that historic UA data you can always review some basic server statistics via cPanel.</p>
<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Log in to your cPanel</li>
<li>Scroll down to the Metrics section</li>
<li>Select the AWstats icon</li>
<li>Click View to open the report for each domain</li>
</ol>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Manually collating data for each year allowed us to discover the following lifetime statistics before the migration.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Lifetime statistics (2016-2024)</h4>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>581,256 visitors </li>
<li>1,110,716 visits </li>
<li>4,467,771 page views </li>
</ul>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Site Kit plugin</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The blog’s new home makes good use of the ‘Site Kit by Google’ plugin.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/:u:/r/sites/Blogs.ed/SitePages/Connect-your-blog-to-Google-Site-Kit.aspx">Connect your blog to Google Site Kit</a> (UoE only)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When successfully configured, you have direct and convenient access to Google Analytics from within the WordPress admin dashboard. </p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Google Analytics training</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you want to learn more about Google Analytics the LinkedIn Learning course ‘Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Essential Training’ is designed to help you track, analyse, and report on website traffic, conversions, and ad performance using GA4.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/help-consultancy/is-skills/linkedin-learning">Logging into LinkedIn Learning with UoE email</a> (UoE only)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/learning/google-analytics-4-ga4-essential-training-14915362">LinkedIn Learning GA4 Course</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Better accessibility compliance</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">University websites are required to be compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/">Full guidelines</a> (2.2)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Several CSS amendments were made to the WordPress theme to improve accessibility compliance:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Improved colour contrast ratios for headers and buttons.</li>
<li>Hyperlinks are no longer solely reliant on colour coding; they are now underlined too.</li>
<li>Reduction in number of menu items from 8 to 6. This helps cognitive processing, but also avoids line wrapping on narrower screens.</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Support / security benefits</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">A new home </h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Blogs.ed.ac.uk is a free University-hosted and supported WordPress platform for all staff and postgraduate research students. </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">View over 9,800 blogs or request your own:</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk">blogs.ed.ac.uk</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Dedicated resources</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For WordPress resources please visit the blogs.ed SharePoint site for support on creating your first blog along with videos and ‘How to’ documentation which we recommend viewing if you are new to WordPress.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/sites/Blogs.ed/SitePages/Home.aspx">Blogs.ed SharePoint site</a> (UoE only)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Find out what training and workshops are available to expand your blogging skills.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://information-services.ed.ac.uk/learning-technology/blogging/help-support/training-and-workshops">Training and workshops</a> (UoE only)</p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-1024x576.jpg" alt="Young student using a laptop, sitting in a pretty park with her cute white dog." class="wp-image-3263" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Header image is part of the Online Learning 2022 collection and was downloaded from the University of Edinburgh’s image gallery:</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/sites/Brand/SitePages/Photography-and-Video.aspx">UoE photography and video resources</a> (UoE only)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This collection was managed by Ari Badlishah (Digital Engagement Officer), and focused on improving the diversity in photography used in the University’s online courses.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © The University of Edinburgh 2024. All rights reserved.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Maid of Fabuland</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/maid-of-fabuland/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=maid-of-fabuland</link>
<comments>https://stubot.me/maid-of-fabuland/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Oct 2024 09:22:07 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LEGO]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Braille Bricks]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Denmark]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Fabuland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LEGO House]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Maid of Fabuland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Skaerbaek]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3087</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 14</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>Lego kindly invited me to build a Fabuland ship for the prestigious Lego House in Denmark. Going blind in one eye has been the hardest year and this creative challenge absolutely helped me move forward. Read about the ‘Maid of Fabuland’ paddle steamer and one of the happiest days ever.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 14</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Lego kindly invited me to build a Fabuland ship for the prestigious Lego House in Denmark. Going blind in one eye has been the hardest year and this creative challenge absolutely helped me move forward. Read about the ‘Maid of Fabuland’ paddle steamer and one of the happiest days ever.</strong></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-default"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1) Life got a little brighter</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-1024x768.jpg" alt="Stewart's Memoji standing outside LEGO House, a giant white building comprised of cubes." class="wp-image-3162" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Earlier this year I was contacted by the extremely gifted Lego House master builder Stuart Harris. I’m lucky enough to have met him a few times, but this communication was most unexpected.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After losing my sight loss last year, life has been extremely tough and bleak. I had managed to return to work at The University of Edinburgh with support from my line manager Karen Howie and the Staff Disability Advice Service. This was my first personal goal in terms of moving forward, but I was keen to push further.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/life-got-dark/">Life Got Dark</a> (17 November 2023)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Artistic expression whether at work or home has always been a core activity in my life and this commission from The Lego Group was the perfect opportunity to test what I could achieve with my latest vision loss.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.1) Design brief</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Stuart Harris invited me to build a Fabuland ship for the World Explorer experience within The Lego House at Billund, Denmark. I was told the delivery schedule, maximum dimensions and given permission to use Fabuland figures. But other than that, I could propose any type of ship that I wished.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1.1.1) World Explorer experience</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" data-id="3213" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3213" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-300x200.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-768x512.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Green Zone</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" data-id="3212" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3212" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk-300x200.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk-768x512.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk.jpg 1500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Steampunk Submarine</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" data-id="3214" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3214" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer-225x300.jpg 225w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer.jpg 1440w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The World Explorer Ship</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Every year the Lego House change their fan models, adding new artworks to galleries and interactive experiences. The magical World Explorer experience in the Green Zone has a large brick-built island with a Duplo volcano and amusement park called ‘Fabuland’! Visiting the island for 12 months is a custom ship designed by AFOLs (Adult Fan of Lego).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In 2018 Warren Elsmore and his talented team installed their epic ‘Steampunk Submarine’. He has written a fascinating blog about their creative process which involved 3D modelling, LEDs and so many exquisite details! </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.warrenelsmore.com/latest/the-steampunk-submarine/24/9/2018">The Steampunk Submarine</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Before my model there was the very cute, Friends themed ‘The World Explorer Ship’ by Ed Diment. With three impressive solar sails, his ship focused heavily on accessibility and sustainability to inspire the builders of tomorrow.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you have photos of World Explorer ships from previous years, please do share links to them in the comments section.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.2) Ship shape?</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3147" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3147" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396.jpg 1805w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3148" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3148" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3146" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3146" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown.jpg 1828w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For the first few weeks I toyed between a modern-day ferry and an old-fashioned paddle steamer. My first plan was to include loads of cute Fabuland vehicles and passengers on a car ferry. I felt this option had a lot of exposed building area that could host multiple amusing vignettes.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, I reflected on what is quintessential Fabuland? And for me it’s a powerful combination of nostalgia and whimsy. Even in theme’s original lifetime (1979-1989) it evoked a bygone era and embraced old-fashioned vehicles and architecture.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It just had to be a paddle steamer!</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.3) Captain Wilfred</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="822" data-id="3120" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-1024x822.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3120" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-1024x822.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-300x241.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-768x616.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-1536x1233.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-2048x1644.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3175" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3175" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The ‘Maid of Fabuland’ is my homage to the Fabuland set 3673 ‘Paddle Steamer’ from 1985. Wilfred Walrus is once again the captain of the ship. His cheeky monkey sailor friends also make a return appearance.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.4) Bookworm</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3210" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-300x300.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-150x150.jpg 150w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-768x768.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Scotland has a long history of paddle steamers and in 1812 the very first European commercial steamboat service began on the River Clyde between Glasgow and Greenock. This is my tribute to all the beautiful ships that once travelled our seas, rivers and lochs.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I managed to purchase quite a few second-hand books on this unfamiliar subject and most of them had amazing technical blueprints and archive photographs.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whilst I was keen to design a technically realistic ship, I also wanted to incorporate playful features that younger Lego fans would appreciate. So, I included several seminal children’s books by Richard Scarry in my reading list for potential inspiration.</p>
<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Richard Scarry’s Boats by Richard Scarry</li>
<li>Richard Scarry’s the Great Steamboat Mystery by Richard Scarry</li>
<li>Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry</li>
<li>The Once-Ubiquitous Paddle Steamer by John Hannavy</li>
<li>The Golden Years of the Clyde Steamers (1889-1914) by Alan J. S Paterson</li>
<li>Paddle Steamers: A Photographic Legacy by Andrew Gladwell</li>
<li>200 Years of Clyde Paddle Steamers by Iain Quinn</li>
<li>Classic Scottish Paddle Steamers by Alan J. S Paterson</li>
<li>The illustrated history of paddle steamers by G. W. & R. Plummer & J. Jobe. Hilton</li>
</ol>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.4.1) Busytown?</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-10 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="648" height="643" data-id="3202" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery.jpg" alt="Richard Scarry's the Great Steamboat Mystery" class="wp-image-3202" style="width:650px;height:auto" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery.jpg 648w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery-300x298.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 648px) 100vw, 648px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="754" height="1024" data-id="3207" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats-754x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3207" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats-754x1024.jpg 754w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats-221x300.jpg 221w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats-768x1043.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats.jpg 884w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 754px) 100vw, 754px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="798" height="1024" data-id="3208" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word-798x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3208" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word-798x1024.jpg 798w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word-234x300.jpg 234w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word-768x985.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word.jpg 862w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 798px) 100vw, 798px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Richard Scarry (1919–1994) was a children’s author and illustrator. He is best known for his ‘Best Ever’ book series that take place primarily in the fictional town of Busytown.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Busytown is inhabited by an assortment of anthropomorphic animals, including Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, Mr. Frumble, police Sergeant Murphy, Mr. Fixit, Bananas Gorilla and Hilda Hippo.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">First published in 1963, I would consider it the obvious precursor to both Lego’s Fabuland (1979-1989) and Nintendo’s Animal Crossing (2001-present).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busytown">Busytown</a> (Wikipedia article)</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.4.2) Tiny text</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One key issue was being unable to read the small text size, I’m so used to increasing the font size on my phone to 235%, but this text was too small even for my physical magnification aids.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thankfully my brother is an avid reader and has better eyesight than me, so he was tasked with reading through this collection and making notes for me.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The variety of ship designs was quite fascinating, but key features for my list were a rear paddle wheel (stern-wheeler), passenger deck on the top-level, cargo at the front (bow) and two iconic chimneys (smokestacks) near the captain’s cabin.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.5) Concept art</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-11 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-D.jpg"><img decoding="async" data-id="3101" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-D.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3101"/></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" data-id="3103" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3103" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-225x300.jpg 225w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-E-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="2560" data-id="3104" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-E-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3104" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-E-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-E-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With my research complete, I was keen to start prototyping and try building a few key components of the ship (paddle wheel, deck and smokestack). Stuart had asked me to share as much as I wanted with them, and sending some early sketches seemed a prudent thing to do.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1.5.1) Colour palette</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-12 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="490" data-id="3099" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-1024x490.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3099" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-1024x490.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-300x144.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-768x368.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-1536x735.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-2048x980.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3100" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3100" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The predominant colour palette is red, yellow and blue (see colour-coded ship sketch), with white and dark orange accents. However, the intention is to use all 14 Lego colours I consider typically Fabuland that are still in production today (see brick swatch photo).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I knew the final model would be installed on an existing blue surface, so I chose red for the hull to provide a strong contrast. And I had more blue Fabuland wall panels than yellow, so the bigger first deck is blue and yellow for the smaller second deck.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1.5.2) Modularity</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3105" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Lessons learned from a previous large model (Fabuland Hangar) were to try and go modular, I had found MILS (Modular integrated Landscaping System) plates incredibly efficient and resilient. My footprint was obviously narrower than 32×32 modules, but I could reuse the same principles.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.abellon.net/MILS/">MILS landscaping system</a></p>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-13 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="766" data-id="3124" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3124" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side-300x224.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side-768x575.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">‘Maid of the Loch’ at Balloch Pier, Scotland (2007)</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="591" data-id="3125" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria-1024x591.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3125" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria-1024x591.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria-300x173.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria-768x443.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria.jpg 1202w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">‘Spirit of Peoria’ at Peoria, Illinois (2018)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My ship design was effectively eight 16×16 modules (4 long x 2 wide) for the hull and one centred for the bow, so nine in total. Keeping the scale realistic was a key goal for me, I wanted it to be recognisable and believable. The height was the biggest restriction, and with tall smokestacks I only had room for two decks. Whilst most Lego models have the iconic USA three decks, it seemed more common in Scotland and Europe to have a more modest two.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After sharing these preliminary images with the Lego House team and getting a positive response, I was happy to start building the entire ship in earnest.</p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2) Build process</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2.1) Paddle wheel</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The stern wheel with 12 paddle blades was probably the hardest bit for me to engineer. You might have spotted that I used six Fabuland Ferris wheels for the main element (part number 4750). I felt the paddle wheel was such a critical component it was worth doing first and building things around that scale.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-14 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="774" data-id="3116" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-1024x774.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3116" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-1024x774.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-300x227.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-768x580.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-1536x1160.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-2048x1547.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Set 3681 ‘Amusement Park’ (1985)</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="690" data-id="3115" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-1024x690.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3115" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-1024x690.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-300x202.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-768x517.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-1536x1034.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-2048x1379.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Set 3668 ‘Merry-Go-Round’ (1986)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The large yellow Fabuland Ferris wheels were also used for Merry-Go-Round and Carousel sets in the 1980s.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For quite a few weeks the wheel only had eight blades. This seemed acceptable at first, but over time annoyed me more and more. Most paddle wheels have 12 blades, and this discrepancy annoyed me.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2.1.1) Welcome to Apocalypseburg!</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-15 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="824" height="1024" data-id="3108" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-824x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3108" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-824x1024.jpg 824w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-241x300.jpg 241w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-768x955.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-1235x1536.jpg 1235w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-1647x2048.jpg 1647w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 824px) 100vw, 824px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3109" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3109" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-1024x576.png 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-300x169.png 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-768x432.png 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-1536x864.png 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-2048x1152.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3110" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3110" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-1024x576.png 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-300x169.png 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-768x432.png 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-1536x864.png 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-2048x1152.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whilst watching one of my favourite YouTube builders (Brick Buffoon) I spotted something potentially useful. He was building the iconic set 70840 ‘Welcome to Apocalypseburg!’ from 2019.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://youtu.be/JVxxdCTu4QY" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/JVxxdCTu4QY">Welcome to Apocalypseburg – LEGO Set build – Part 5</a> (16 minute YouTube video)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Around step 615 they were using a combination of hinge plates, tiles and exposed studs to construct the Statue of Liberty crown. Whilst she has only seven points, the angles are the same for 12, namely 30 degrees.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thankfully all these parts are quite common, and I could adapt my wheel to feature the more historically accurate 12 blades.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-16 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" data-id="3111" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3111" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-225x300.jpg 225w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3176" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3176" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2.2) Accessibility adaptations</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sometimes I know my own limitations and ask for help from others. My mum Margaret helps me sort my collection by colour and then shape. She also gives me encouraging feedback on my progress and design choices.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Other accessibility adaptations I’ve had to make include:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Superglue with a retardant
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>I’d recommend Loctite’s ‘Super Glue Power Gel’ it can be repositioned for up to 60 seconds. This extra time is perfect for me to use a magnifier or correct a mistake due to my poor depth perception.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Magnifiers with a light:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Handheld – AAA battery operated and excellent for on-site installations</li>
<li>Desktop – USB powered, can be mains connected or portable, and can be clamped to a desk.</li>
<li>Anglepoise – mains connected, but ideal for maximising your workspace and giving you a free hand.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Room lights
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Additional floor and desk lamps drastically help improve my eyesight. Low lighting is particularly challenging for me and these lamps allow me to work after sunset.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2.3) Braille Bricks</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-17 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3171" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-1024x768.jpg" alt="Lego monkey sailor carrying 4 bricks that spell out the word LOVE." class="wp-image-3171" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">L-O</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3172" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-1024x768.jpg" alt="Another monkey sailor sitting down eating a banana." class="wp-image-3172" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">V-E</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Raising awareness of invisible disabilities is something I’m very passionate about. And in previous models I’ve started to incorporate Lego Braille Bricks.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/braille-bricks/" data-type="post" data-id="2747">Braille Bricks</a> (29 February 2024)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Not only do they perfectly symbolise my sight loss journey in Lego form, but they are also helpful for starting conversations with people about my story.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">They can also be a fun, educational and interactive prop. I often encourage children at shows to try using them.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This model incorporates four different Lego Braille bricks. One of the monkey sailors is carrying bricks that spell out the word LOVE. My hope is this ship delivers love to everyone who visits the Lego House.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2.3.1) Inclusive signage</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-18 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3142" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3142" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">English</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3144" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3144" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Danish</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3143" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="Lego Braille Bricks spelling out the words 'Ship built by Stewart Lamb Cromar'" class="wp-image-3143" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lego Braille Bricks</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Halfway through the process, I was asked by the Lego House team to contribute some interesting facts about me and my model that would go on a printed sign next it.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I was keen to be very open and honest about my disability, so I asked about the possibility of including a version of the same sign in Braille too.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thankfully they were very supportive, but as it hadn’t been done before they obviously had to make enquiries about whether this was feasible. Some parts of the Lego House are already fully inclusive, which is an impressive feat considering how highly interactive the building is.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’m very pleased to say my model currently has signs written in English, Danish and Lego Braille Bricks. A fourth panel with the full text in traditional Braille should be added shortly.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It made me extremely proud that a wide range of different people could discover facts about my model and hopefully have a richer experience as a result.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2.4) Easter eggs</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are a few secrets about my model, please skip ahead if you plan to visit the Lego House in person. I’ve now been four times, and each experience has been more magical than the last.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://legohouse.com/en-gb/">Visit the Lego House</a> (Billund, Denmark)</p>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-19 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3173" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3173" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lamb sigfig</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3169" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3169" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Book club</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3170" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3170" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Fishing competition</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3174" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3174" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Monkey overboard!</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>My middle name is Lamb and I’ve always been given cute little sheep as toys. Fabuland lambs are now my sigfig (signature figure) and there is one sitting down on a red bench chatting to his friend Peter Pig (in universe and IRL).</li>
<li>The ship name ‘Maid of Fabuland’ is a wee pun, as the model is built from a lot of original Lego Fabuland elements (windows, arches, fences, benches, chairs, Minifigures, Ferris wheels…).
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>It is also traditional to consider ships as female, referring to them as ‘she’.</li>
<li>For example, Maid of the Loch (1953–1981) is the last paddle steamer built in the United Kingdom. She operated on Loch Lomond for 29 years and as of 2022 is being restored near Balloch pier.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>One of the monkey shipmates just loves his bananas and has left a treacherous trail of slippery banana peels. Monkey overboard!</li>
<li>Romance is blooming for two passengers aboard the ‘Maid of Fabuland’. 36 years after their very first date, Lionel Lion and Hannah Hippopotamus finally have a second date.
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://brickset.com/sets/3622-1/Rowboat-with-Lionel-Lion-and-Hannah-Hippopotamus">Set 3622 ‘Rowboat’</a> (1988)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>When I’ve completed a large, or significant, model it’s tradition for me to digitally design some hypothetical retail packaging. For this project I’ve assigned the set number 2692024 to mark one of the happiest days of my life.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3177" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3) Model shipping</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-20 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2716-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="2560" data-id="3151" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2716-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3151" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2716-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2716-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" data-id="3153" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3153" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-225x300.jpg 225w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2353.jpg"><img decoding="async" data-id="3150" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2353.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3150"/></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3152" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3152" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Transporting my model from Scotland to Denmark was no mean feat, but it did involve a lot of fun and memorable adventures.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The model was designed to fit in two standard storage boxes. I like the brand Really Useful Box, and their 35 and 42 litre sizes were a perfect fit. I’d collected bubble wrap all year and this ensured my model didn’t move one iota whilst travelling.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My friends from the Scottish Lego club (Tartan LUG) kindly helped me by driving safely across the Netherlands and Germany. They also accompanied me on my first overnight ferry crossing from Newcastle courtesy of DFDS.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.tartanlug.com/join-us/">Join Tartan LUG</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It was only on the ferry, two days before the installation, that I let them in on my wee secret. Up until this point only my mum and brother knew of the commission.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I did have a partial clue for them, by putting the name of my model on a bag tag. Only Kitty spotted this, so she gets a bonus ten points!</p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4) Installation day</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">26 September 2024</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-21 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3156" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3156" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3159" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3159" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2557-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2560" height="1920" data-id="3158" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2557-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3158" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2557-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2557-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5889c-copy-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="649" data-id="3138" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5889c-copy-1024x649.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3138" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5889c-copy-1024x649.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5889c-copy-300x190.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="749" data-id="3140" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-1024x749.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3140" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-1024x749.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-300x219.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-768x562.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My kind-hearted Tartan LUG chums all agreed to get up at the crack of sparrows to drive from Skaerbaek to Billund for the installation at Lego House.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I was anxious to unbox my model, but thankfully John’s expert driving skills meant only one tiny flag had fallen off. A small dab of glue and everything was shipshape again (apologies).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Everyone from the Lego Group made me feel at ease and fully supported my additional needs related to sight loss. They were so patient and friendly; it felt more like playing Lego bricks with friends!</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">TikTok promo video</h3>
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@stub0t/video/7428584913454042401" data-video-id="7428584913454042401" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;" > <section> <a target="_blank" title="@stub0t" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@stub0t?refer=embed">@stub0t</a> Maid of Fabuland Currently on display at <a title="legohouse" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/legohouse?refer=embed">#LegoHouse</a> in Denmark. Read about my paddle steamer here – stubot.me (blog link in bio). <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/2764.png" alt="❤" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f49b.png" alt="💛" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f499.png" alt="💙" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> <a title="lego" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/lego?refer=embed">#Lego</a> <a title="レゴ" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B4?refer=embed">#レゴ</a> <a title="afol" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/afol?refer=embed">#Afol</a> <a title="tartanlug" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tartanlug?refer=embed">#TartanLUG</a> <a title="homeofthebrick" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/homeofthebrick?refer=embed">#HomeOfTheBrick</a> <a title="legoart" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/legoart?refer=embed">#LegoArt</a> <a title="sightloss" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/sightloss?refer=embed">#SightLoss</a> <a title="visionloss" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/visionloss?refer=embed">#VisionLoss</a> <a title="braille" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/braille?refer=embed">#Braille</a> <a title="northernbrickworks" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/northernbrickworks?refer=embed">#NorthernBrickworks</a> <a title="braillebricks" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/braillebricks?refer=embed">#BrailleBricks</a> <a title="legobraillebricks" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/legobraillebricks?refer=embed">#LegoBrailleBricks</a> <a title="fabuland" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fabuland?refer=embed">#Fabuland</a> <a target="_blank" title="♬ Loveboat - Kylie Minogue" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Loveboat-6712058136066263042?refer=embed">♬ Loveboat – Kylie Minogue</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5) Reflections</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-22 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3179" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3179" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">1988 – First date</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3178" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3178" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">2024 – Second date</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Looking back at this experience, I’m honoured to have been invited to build this ship for the Lego House. It’s not something I say often or easily, but I am so proud of what I achieved.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It was incredibly challenging to design and build this model with my vision loss, but without question I would do it all again in a heartbeat.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Living with sight loss or Diabetes is very taxing, and can cause high levels of anxiety, isolation and depression. But having this goal to work towards, helped me maintain a positive mood and genuine sense of accomplishment.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My time in Denmark was truly some of the happiest days of my life, I haven’t honestly smiled or laughed so much in a long time. Thank you to everyone who contributed towards this very special memory, it’s one I’ll forever cherish.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Love, Stewart</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">5.1) Support and advice</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If any of these topics I’ve mentioned have affected you, I’d recommend contacting a free and confidential support line offered by trained professionals such as Sight Scotland and RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://sightscotland.org.uk">Sight Scotland</a><br><a href="https://www.rnib.org.uk">RNIB</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">6) Thanks and hugs</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I will most likely forget to name everyone, but I am particularly grateful for the opportunities and support provided by the following people:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>The Cromar family – Mum and Steven</li>
<li>The LEGO Group – Stuart Harris, Mike Ganderton, Hasan Jensen, Line Dam Kjær and Erin Perkins</li>
<li>Tartan LUG – John, Christine, Adam, Warren, Kitty and Peter</li>
</ul>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">7) Image credits</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-1024x768.jpg" alt="Stewart's Memoji presenting his paddle boat with the Lego House logo (Home of the Brick)." class="wp-image-3164" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">‘Made of Fabuland’ Copyright © Stewart Lamb Cromar 2024. All rights reserved.</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>‘Welcome to Apocalypseburg!’ and vintage Fabuland product images are from BrickSet and are Copyright © The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.</li>
<li>Exterior photograph of Lego House and World Explorer Green Zone are Copyright © LEGO House. All rights reserved.</li>
<li>‘The World Explorer Ship’ photograph provided by Stuart Harris.</li>
<li>‘The Steampunk Submarine’ is Copyright © Warren Elsmore Ltd. All rights reserved.</li>
<li>‘Spirit of Peoria.jpg’ by ZcarstvnzRyan.harms, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.</li>
<li>‘Maid of the Loch side.JPG’ by Rosser1954, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.</li>
<li>Some interior Lego House photos kindly provided by Manu Schwendener (<a href="http://manuschwendener.ch">manuschwendener.ch</a>).</li>
<li>‘Akitsu Ferry’ by 妖精書士 – 投稿者自身による著作物, CC 表示-継承 3.0.</li>
<li>‘Sazanami Osakikamishimatown.jpg’ by Olegushka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">7.1) Disclaimer</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Please note this blog and its resources are a personal record of my own experiences. They have not been supplied, edited or verified by any individuals from the LEGO Group.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This article is not affiliated or endorsed by the LEGO House or the LEGO Group. LEGO®, the LEGO logo, the LEGO House logo and the Minifigure are trademarks and copyrights of the LEGO Group.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
<wfw:commentRss>https://stubot.me/maid-of-fabuland/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Women in STEM Illustrations</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/women-in-stem/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=women-in-stem</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Oct 2024 16:00:51 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Adobe Photoshop]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[colouring book]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[vision loss]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Women In STEM]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3061</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>To celebrate Ada Lovelace Day 2024, I created two new colouring-in illustrations of notable Women in STEM – author and codebreaker Irene Jessie Brown, and geologist Charlotte Murchison. I also discuss AI enhancement tools and vision loss challenges associated with my design process.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>To celebrate Ada Lovelace Day 2024, I created two new colouring-in illustrations of notable Women in STEM – author and codebreaker Irene Jessie Brown, and geologist Charlotte Murchison. I also discuss AI enhancement tools and vision loss challenges associated with my design process.</strong></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ada Lovelace Day</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On Tuesday 8th October 2024, the University of Edinburgh’s Information Services team celebrated Ada Lovelace Day 2024 which is an international celebration day of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Irene Jessie Brown (1919 – 2017)</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="766" height="1024" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-766x1024.jpg" alt="Colouring-in illustration of Irene Jessie Brown in a 1940s polka dot dress outside." class="wp-image-3069" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-766x1024.jpg 766w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-224x300.jpg 224w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-768x1027.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-1149x1536.jpg 1149w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-1532x2048.jpg 1532w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-scaled.jpg 1915w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 766px) 100vw, 766px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Irene Young was a codebreaker at Bletchley Park during the Second World War, and graduate of the University of Edinburgh (UoE).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Brown">Irene Brown Wikipedia article</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My colouring-in illustration of Irene is based on a 1944 photograph from the University of Edinburgh’s collections.</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Creator: Photographer unknown</li>
<li>Collection Name: Roslin Institute</li>
<li>Collection/Item Reference: Coll-1657</li>
</ul>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Permission granted by “The University of Edinburgh Heritage Collections”.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://archives.collections.ed.ac.uk/repositories/2/resources/85781">Irene Brown UoE collection URL</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Charlotte Murchison (1788 – 1869)</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="819" height="1024" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-819x1024.jpg" alt="Colouring-in illustration of Charlotte Murchison in formal Victorian attire." class="wp-image-3068" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-240x300.jpg 240w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-768x960.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1.jpg 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Charlotte Murchison was a British geologist and pioneer of geological research and fossil hunting.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Murchison">Charlotte Murchison Wikipedia article</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My colouring-in illustration of Charlotte is based primarily on the public domain photograph of her from 1860.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Bristol Channel and Jura</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-1024x295.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="295" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-1024x295.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-3081" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-1024x295.jpeg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-300x86.jpeg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-768x221.jpeg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-1536x442.jpeg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129.jpeg 1852w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It also incorporates a interpretation of the drawing by Charlotte depicting a cross-section of land, lying between the Bristol Channel and Jura.</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Title: Murchison 6</li>
<li>Work Record ID: 0055375</li>
<li>Holding Institution: University of Edinburgh</li>
<li>Catalogue Number: Coll-51/3/3</li>
</ul>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://archives.collections.ed.ac.uk/repositories/2/archival_objects/1534">Murchison drawing – UoE catalogue entry</a></p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Naming Spaces After Inspirational Women</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On International Women’s Day 2023, the University of Edinburgh renamed a lecture theatre at its King’s Buildings campus after Charlotte in recognition of her contribution to earth sciences.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Information Services Group have named many University spaces, both digital and physical, after inspirational women who were part of our community.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/about/naming-spaces-after-inspirational-women">Naming Spaces After Inspirational Women</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">New challenges</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">AI enhancement tools</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The only image of Charlotte Murchison that is in the public domain is very low-resolution (320 x 400 pixels). This makes my iPad tracing procedure within the iOS app ‘Procreate’ particularly challenging.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One approach I used was to experiment with Adobe Photoshop’s new AI filters. Specifically the neural filter called ‘Photo Restoration’ which does an excellent job of improving the resolution of archive photographs (2000 x 2500 pixels).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Neural filters use machine learning powered by Adobe Sensei, their cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) service.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/photoshop/using/neural-filters.html">Neural Filters overview</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Drag the green slider horizontally to comparison Charlotte’s original face with what enhancements the AI filter achieved.</p>
<div class="h5p-iframe-wrapper"><iframe id="h5p-iframe-17" class="h5p-iframe" data-content-id="17" style="height:1px" src="about:blank" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no" title="Charlotte Murchison"></iframe></div>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Disability factors</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I haven’t created any illustrations since losing my sight loss last year, but was determined to challenge myself to keep creating them for special events like Ada Lovelace Day.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/life-got-dark/" data-type="post" data-id="2733">Life Got Dark</a> (17 November 2023)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As with almost all tasks since I lost my left eye, it takes substantially more time, planning and adaptations to perform simple activities.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For tracing these photographs I like to use my iPad and Apple Pencil to keep the lines fluid, with a strong hand-drawn aesthetic. The Procreate app allows you to pinch and zoom quite easily, but even then I struggled to see any details.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My home office has multiple magnifications aids, including angle-poised, handheld and desktop solutions. The portable USB powered desktop magnifier was the most convenient, I could position it closely over my iPad and see facial features and environmental textures unavailable to me before.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It took a lot of effort to create these new illustrations, but I was 100% committed to contribute these open-educational resources (OERs) to my university’s Ada Lovelace Day. </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My friend and colleague Jackie commented on how they still retained my own personal style. This was very heart-warming and gave me some assurance about staying creative in my sight loss journey.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Further resources</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We have over 30 illustrated portraits of Women in STEM that are open-licenced (attribution only). All of them have a strong connection with the University of Edinburgh, past or present.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBMWmh">View Flickr album</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Flickr album (slideshow)</h3>
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<a data-flickr-embed='true' href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/interactive-content/albums/72177720321190440/' title='Women in STEM by interactive.content, on Flickr'><img src='https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53255406890_b0aae1dbef_z.jpg' width='800' height='600' alt='Mary Brück'></a><script async src='https://embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js' charset='utf-8'></script>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright and licence</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The text, images and interactives published within this post are all intended to be shared, reused and remixed. In order to encourage this I’ve applied a Creative Commons open licence to my own content where the only requirement is to include the following attribution.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © Stewart Lamb Cromar, The University of Edinburgh 2024 CC BY.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"></a>This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>.</p>
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<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>I was recently invited to the ‘300 Faces of Edinburgh Medical School’ launch event. Marking the 300th anniversary of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, this exhibition celebrates the people who have made inspirational contributions to the school.]]></description>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>I was recently invited to the ‘300 Faces of Edinburgh Medical School’ launch event. Marking the 300th anniversary of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, this exhibition celebrates the people who have made inspirational contributions to the school.</strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I am honoured, elated, and humbled to be included in an outdoor photographic exhibition at the Mound, Edinburgh, as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’m particularly grateful to the organisers for acknowledging my educational blogging and charitable fundraising efforts related to my own sight loss.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After losing vision in my left eye, the charity Sight Scotland played an integral part in my recovery, supporting my mental wellbeing with compassion and practical advice via their free helpline. Without them, I’m not sure I’d have returned to work at the university.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’d like to take this opportunity to try and raise £300 for this remarkable charity. Donate if you can to my JustGiving fundraiser via the following link (100% goes directly to Sight Scotland):</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.justgiving.com/page/300-faces">JustGiving fundraiser</a></p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">300 years of medicine</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">2026 marks 300 years of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. This exhibition celebrates the people who have shaped Edinburgh Medical School.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In 2025, University of Edinburgh students, staff and alumni were invited to nominate a person who has made an inspirational contribution to Edinburgh Medical School to be included in a collection of 300 faces.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Mound Exhibition </h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A selection of these faces (including my cheeky chops) are now on display at the Mound Precinct in Edinburgh city centre for the next six weeks (until 26th April). This is an exciting collaboration with the Edinburgh Science Festival. After that, you can see them on the Portobello Promenade (29 April to 14 June).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.edinburghscience.co.uk/event/faces-of-edinburgh-medical-school-mound/">Edinburgh Science Festival</a> (300 Faces page)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The fact my profile photo is one taken by my mum just seals the deal. My family is so proud of me, and I know my dad would have been over the moon to see how his wee boy made a positive difference.</p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">N.B. Tap on any photo to see a larger version.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Stewart Cromar (panel story)</h3>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In his role as e-learning developer, Stewart was a pivotal member of the award-winning team that created the first online learning resources for medical students. With an eye for design and curiosity for medical subject matter, he created visually appealing, user-friendly teaching materials, quizzes and online resources for staff and students.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In 2005, Stewart and colleagues were awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for a virtual online hospital, which allowed teaching staff to deliver online medical learning activities.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Stewart is registered partially-sighted and fundraises for several charities. He publishes a blog to help others understand his sight loss journey and is a renowned amateur Lego designer, often using Braille bricks in his creations.</p>
<cite>College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine</cite></blockquote>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Extraordinary educators</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are my esteemed neighbours on our ‘extraordinary educators’ panel:</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Tom Gillingwater</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Tom is a professor at the University of Edinburgh, leading the Anatomy Department. He has trained thousands of undergraduate and postgraduate students, instilling anatomy as a key part of their knowledge and skills.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Tom researches motor neuron disease. His work has led to a better understanding of neurological disorders and clinical trials for new treatments.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Gertrude Herzfeld</h4>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the first female surgeons to work in Scotland and the first female paediatric surgeon, Gertrude studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and spent most of her career in the city.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the 1920s and 30s, she held several medical appointments in Edinburgh, including consultant surgeon at the Bruntsfield Hospital for Women and the first female honorary assistant surgeon at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital for Sick Children. She became a full surgeon there in 1925.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Herzfeld">Gertrude Herzfeld</a> (Wikipedia page)</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Alexander Monro (secundus)</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A Scottish anatomist, physician and medical educator, Alexander Monro is typically known as “secundus” to distinguish him as the second of three generations of doctors with the same name.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Born in 1733, Alexander attended the University of Edinburgh when he was only 12 years old, taking courses in philosophy before later embarking on medical training.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Monro_Secundus">Alexander Monro</a> (Wikipedia page)</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Yvonne Odey</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Yvonne is a lecturer in reproductive biology and a course organiser on the MBChB medicine degree.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">She played a leading role in the redesign of course content and collaborated with colleagues to deliver a new birthing practical module and new forms of assessment.</p>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">‘300 years of medicine’ website</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">All 300 individuals have photos and biographies on a dedicated University of Edinburgh website.<br>N.B. All names will be published by the end of April.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk/300-years-of-medicine/300-faces-of-edinburgh-medical-school">300 Faces of Edinburgh Medical School</a></p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Colleagues and historical figures</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It’s wonderful to see so many people, my team and I have worked with over the years, also nominated: Ruthanne Baxter, Baljean Dhillon, Gordon Findlater, Liz Grant, Euan MacDonald, Suvankar Pal, and Janet Skinner.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For us all to be included in a list of contributors alongside Charles Darwin, Elsie Inglis, Joseph Lister, and Sophia Jex-Blake is a wonderful celebration.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Charity fundraiser</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’m particularly grateful to the organisers for acknowledging my educational blogging and charitable fundraising efforts related to my own sight loss.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After losing vision in my left eye, Sight Scotland played an integral part in my recovery, supporting my mental wellbeing with compassion and practical advice via their free helpline. Without them, I’m not sure I’d have returned to work at the university.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’d like to take this opportunity to try and raise £300 for this remarkable charity. Donate if you can to my JustGiving fundraiser via the following link (100% goes directly to Sight Scotland). Please include Gift Aid if possible.</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://www.justgiving.com/page/300-faces">Donate now</a></div>
</div>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Sight Scotland</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sight Scotland offer specialist support and advice to individuals and families living with sight loss. They are dedicated to empowering people with visual impairments to lead fulfilling lives.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://sightscotland.org.uk">Sight Scotland</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Upcoming charity Lego shows</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Lastly, if you’d like to see some of my Lego creations with Braille bricks, I’ll be at two upcoming charitable shows: Fife Bricks (Dunfermline – 25th April) and Edinbrick (Edinburgh – 9th & 10th May). Buy your tickets online today!</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/edinbrick">Buy Edinbrick tickets</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.ticketsource.com/fifebricks">Buy Fife Bricks tickets</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Related posts</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/sharing-my-story/" data-type="post" data-id="3423">Sharing My Story</a> (9 March 2025)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/">Five Years of Sight Loss</a> (22 January 2025)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/braille-bricks/">Braille Bricks</a> (29 February 2024)</p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Disclaimer</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Please note this is a personal fundraiser for Sight Scotland, and is not officially endorsed or associated with Edinburgh Medical School or the University of Edinburgh.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Image credits</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Edinburgh Medical School 300 images are Copyright © The University of Edinburgh 2026.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
<wfw:commentRss>https://stubot.me/300-faces/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Interactive Women in STEM tour</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/stem-tour/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stem-tour</link>
<comments>https://stubot.me/stem-tour/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 14:35:12 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ada Lovelace]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ada Lovelace Day]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Creative Commons]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[OER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Women In STEM]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3578</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>For Ada Lovelace Day 2025, Jackie, Magda and Stewart created the 'Interactive Women in STEM tour' game for everyone to play.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>For Ada Lovelace Day 2025, Jackie, Magda and Stewart created this open-licensed ‘Interactive Women in STEM tour’ game for everyone to enjoy.</strong></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion in STEM by taking a look at nine Edinburgh-connected women who have made an impact in a wide range of STEM fields.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With fun quizzes and games (crosswords, pair matching and combination locks), play our open-licensed interactive game today.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">N.B. We recommend tapping the fullscreen button (<strong>⤢)</strong> in the top-right corner, available after you ‘Start’ the game</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Play the game</h2>
<div class="h5p-iframe-wrapper"><iframe id="h5p-iframe-19" class="h5p-iframe" data-content-id="19" style="height:1px" src="about:blank" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no" title="Ada Lovelace day fun"></iframe></div>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Featured scientists</h3>
<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Mary Brück (1925 – 2008)</li>
<li>Mary (Molly) Fergusson (1914 – 1997)</li>
<li>Isobel Wylie Hutchison (1889 – 1982)</li>
<li>Sophia Jex-Blake (1840 – 1912)</li>
<li>Christina Miller (1899 – 2001)</li>
<li>Noreen Murray, or Lady Murray (1935 – 2011)</li>
<li>Flora Philip (1865 – 1943)</li>
<li>Marion Ross (1903 – 1994)</li>
<li>Mary Fairfax Somerville (1780 – 1872)</li>
</ol>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Licence and copyright</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This game is intended to be shared, reused and remixed. In order to encourage this we’ve applied a Creative Commons open licence to our own content where the only requirements are to include the following attribution and distribute your contributions under the same licence as the original.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © The University of Edinburgh 2025 CC BY-SA.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"></a>This work is licensed under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence</a>.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Provide feedback</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Share your feedback via the Ada Lovelace Day (ALD) Working Group Teams channel or email the designers – Jackie Aim (lead), Magda Dundas & Stewart Lamb Cromar.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="mailto:interactive-content@ed.ac.uk">Email the designers</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Curious Edinburgh</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This interactive game was inspired by the <a href="http://curiousedinburgh.org/women-in-stem-trail/women-in-stem-tour-map/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Curious Edinburgh – Women in STEM Trail</a> map. This tour was developed by Cari Romans, Magda Dundas, Katie Grieve and Shivani Rao from Learning, Technology and Web (LTW) of the University of Edinburgh.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Download the Curious Edinburgh app for more mobile walking tours on Edinburgh’s scientific and community heritage.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The free app can be found on both <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.ac.edina.curiousedinburgh&ah=tL2uAyzW_gnBUxg9LaextxbCTGs&hl=en-GB&pcampaignid=MKT-Other-global-all-co-prtnr-py-PartBadge-Mar2515-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google Play</a> and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/curious-edinburgh/id1113602530?ls=1&mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">App Store</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
<wfw:commentRss>https://stubot.me/stem-tour/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Moira Dunbar</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/moira-dunbar/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=moira-dunbar</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 12:37:09 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ada Lovelace]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ada Lovelace Day]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[colouring book]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[illustration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[OER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Women In STEM]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3569</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>For Ada Lovelace Day 2025 I created a colouring-in illustration of Moira Dunbar (1918-1999), the pioneering Scottish-Canadian glaciologist and Arctic sea-ice researcher.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><strong>For Ada Lovelace Day 2025 I created a colouring-in illustration of Moira Dunbar (1918-1999), the pioneering Scottish-Canadian glaciologist and Arctic sea-ice researcher.</strong></strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Two new maps were added to the composition: Edinburgh (birthplace and primary/secondary education) and Dunrobin in Ottawa (countryside home in Canada).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It also incorporates an interpretation of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s Massey Medal she was awarded in 1972 for her “excellent work in Arctic geography and sea-ice”.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Isobel Moira Dunbar (1918 – 1999)</h3>
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<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Moira-Dunbar_v03-scaled.jpg">Download high-resolution illustration</a></div>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moira_Dunbar">Moira Dunbar Wikipedia article</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ada Lovelace Day</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On Tuesday 14th October, the University of Edinburgh’s Information Services team are celebrating Ada Lovelace Day 2025 which is an international celebration day of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). This is our 10th year of celebrating that day!</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We have planned events and activities with a climate and earth sciences theme, running in the afternoon and early evening of that date.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/ada-lovelace-day/2025/07/28/save-the-date-ada-lovelace-day-14th-october-2025/">Edinburgh event booking details </a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright and licence</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The text and images published within this post are all intended to be shared, reused and remixed. In order to encourage this I’ve applied a Creative Commons open licence to my own content where the only requirements are to include the following attribution and distribute your contributions under the same licence as the original.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © Stewart Lamb Cromar, The University of Edinburgh 2025 CC BY-SA.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"></a>This work is licensed under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 International Licence</a>.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Original image credit</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Based on the Canadian Defense Research Board photograph of her with Arctic sea-ice maps (CC BY-SA 4.0) on Wikimedia Commons.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Isobel_Moira_Dunbar.jpg">Original photograph</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Further resources</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We have over 30 illustrated portraits of Women in STEM that are open-licenced (attribution only). All of them have a strong connection with the University of Edinburgh, past or present.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBMWmh">View Flickr album</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For even more illustrations please look at our ‘We have great stuff’ colouring books, there are three different volumes available.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://edin.ac/colouring-books">Download colouring book PDFs</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>In Their Own Time</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/in-their-own-time/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=in-their-own-time</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2025 13:33:50 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[academia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[academics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[comic]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[comic book]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[illustration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3519</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>Challenging conventional funding structures to include intersectionally underrepresented casualised academics. The Interactive Content team help launch a new digital comic resource.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Challenging conventional funding structures to include intersectionally underrepresented casualised academics. The Interactive Content team help launch a new digital comic resource.</strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The In Their Own Time (ITOT) project shares the stories of eight insecurely employed long-term academics – University Tutor in Design and professional illustrator Maria Stoian met with each of them to document their “own time,” and tell their stories through comics.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://in-their-own-time.ed.ac.uk">ITOT website</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Project leads</strong></h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Collaborating closely with Maria, this project was led by two Co-Investigators: Dr Cécile Ménard and Dr Lena Wånggren, both Research Fellows from the School of GeoSciences.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Maria, Cécile and Lena approached the Interactive Content team to help transform their physical publication into a creative and valuable online equivalent resource.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Steph’s story</strong></h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is only a short preview; please visit the ITOT website, in your own time, and read all eight academic stories in their entirety.</p>
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<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bba336"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bba336" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img decoding="async" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="3534" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ITOT-Steph-1.png" alt="Steph is a migrant academic, researcher, teacher and single mum. She highlights the difficulty of juggling an academic career and childcare. Alongside her fight for better care for her child, who is disabled, Steph battles changing immigration rules - as a precariously employed migrant parent, she juggles childcare, visa extensions, and grant applications." class="wp-image-3534"/><button
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<details class="wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow"><summary>Steph’s transcript</summary>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Steph is a single mum. Today is her daughter’s first day back at school after the holidays.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I have two university jobs. Both are hourly, one is zero-hours.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I usually work in my own time from my kitchen table, in the evenings after my daughter has gone to bed.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">[Image Description] Steph with hot drink and laptop at kitchen table.</p>
</details>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Website features</strong></h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Restricted access times</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the key requirements for the website design was to restrict access from 9 am to 5pm. As this project highlights the exclusionary expectation for casualised academics to do unpaid work “in their own time,” the ITOT team wanted visitors to read their stories outside of UK office hours.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This unique and impactful functionality was the primary justification for not publishing this resource on an existing University platform (e.g. EdWeb 2).</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Sustainability</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The agreed long-term plan is to host this bespoke site for up to three years before submitting it to the UK Web Archive. This will ensure there is a permanent record of it, but it will also remove the University’s requirement for website hosting, maintenance, security, and legal compliance (e.g. accessibility statements).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As the ITOT project received research funding, it’s important that all digital outputs are available as long as possible.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://library.ed.ac.uk/heritage-collections/collections-and-search/archives/digital-archives-and-preservation/web-archiving">University guidance on website archiving</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Bespoke design</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To save on time and budget, we repurposed a suitable third-party WordPress theme (Kadence) with a free software licence (GNU General Public Licence).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In order to add bespoke design elements and retain better control, we developed a child theme for Kadence. For example, this child theme incorporated a handwritten typeface created by project illustrator Maria – ‘Stoian Comic’.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://mariastoian.com">Maria’s portfolio</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Responsive comics</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For each academic’s story, there are actually two versions of the digital comic. Maria designed and illustrated panels that are optimised for either desktop or smartphone layouts.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you look closely at the third row of Chris’ comic on a desktop/laptop, you can see a wide-panel containing spoons that bridges two neighbouring panels. But on a mobile, Maria has rearranged the panels so they can be stacked vertically without losing any of the story.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Chris’ story (excerpt)</h4>
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bbc1dd"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bbc1dd" class="wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2560" height="662" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3536" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-300x78.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-1024x265.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-768x199.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-1536x397.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-desktop-3A-2048x530.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Desktop</figcaption></figure>
<figure data-wp-context="{"galleryId":"6a2f362bbc512"}" data-wp-interactive="core/gallery" class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bbca40"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bbca40" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="792" height="1024" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="3538" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-792x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3538" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-792x1024.jpg 792w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-232x300.jpg 232w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-768x993.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-1188x1536.jpg 1188w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-1584x2048.jpg 1584w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-2C-scaled.jpg 1980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 792px) 100vw, 792px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mobile (part one)</figcaption></figure>
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bbcf11"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bbcf11" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img decoding="async" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="3537" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mobile-Chris-3A.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3537"/><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mobile (part two)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<details class="wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow"><summary>Chris’ transcript</summary>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Chris is employed for 14 hours a week but often works more hours on their research, funding applications and university citizenship.<br>[Image Description] Visitor drawing a portrait of Chris while they sit and talk</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">[Image Description] Picture of 5 spoons.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I ask a lot of questions.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I think we’re doing research badly right now.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“People need more time to do reproducible and replicable research.”<br>[Image Description] Portrait evolves while Chris keeps talking.</p>
</details>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Inclusivity</strong></h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Inclusive comics</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To ensure as many people as possible can appreciate the ITOT resource, e-learning Developer Jackie Aim created transcripts for each of the eight academic comics.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We did experiment with alt text (short for alternative text) descriptions for each of the ~20 comic panels, but testing with various screen readers flagged an unforeseen issue. Some screen readers automatically read out the hand-drawn text in the panel in addition to the alt text provided. Having this repetition was deemed unacceptable, so we all agreed to include just the transcript for each comic.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/website-communications/content-improvement-club-what-we-covered-in-our-march-session/">How to write good alt text</a> (University of Edinburgh – Mel Batcharj)</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Accessibility compliance</strong></h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Our Digital Accessibility Intern, David Buik, completed the accessibility testing and published the required Accessibility Statement in line with Public Sector Body (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Having compliance with the WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria means you should be able to:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Zoom in up to 500% without the text spilling off the screen or without loss of content</li>
<li>Navigate most of the site using keyboard only</li>
<li>Navigate most of the site using speech recognition software e.g. Dragon</li>
<li>Use the website without encountering any inactivity timeouts</li>
<li>Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)</li>
</ul>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thank you to Viki Galt and Lori Anderson from the University Disability Information Team, who professionally verified David’s report and statement.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://information-services.ed.ac.uk/help-consultancy/accessibility/is-accessibility/disability-officer">Disability Information Team</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Licence and copyright</strong></h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Creative Commons licence</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When we first met the ITOT team, they were not so familiar with the practice of Creative Commons licensing, so it was a lovely opportunity to see if we could apply a licence that would help others freely share this valuable resource.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Maria’s beautiful comics (PDF downloads) and the project text written by Cécile and Lena are now licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 licence.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">The University of Edinburgh’s OER Policy</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The University of Edinburgh has an Open Education Resources (OERs) policy<strong> </strong>that outlines the institutional position on OERs and provides guidelines for practice in learning and teaching. You can find the policy in the University’s <a href="https://policies.ed.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Policy Directory</a>, or directly via the following link:</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/sites/PolicyRepository/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FPolicyRepository%2FShared%20Documents%2FOpen%5FEducational%5FResources%5FPolicy%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FPolicyRepository%2FShared%20Documents&p=true&ga=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Open Educational Resources Policy</a> (PDF)</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright notice</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © 2025 The University of Edinburgh. Illustrations and comics by Maria Stoian. Website text by Dr Cécile Ménard, Dr Lena Wånggren and Maria Stoian.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Testimonial</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Working with the IC Team was seamless and enjoyable. As the main output of our project, the website needed to reflect both our experience and that of our participants. We wanted it to be intuitive to navigate and as accessible as possible. Stewart and the team took everything we asked for on board, responded promptly, and made the whole process easy for us while delivering a site that looks fantastic!” – Dr Cécile Ménard</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Getting in touch</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We will be happy to discuss your needs and ideas and develop an approach that delivers a high-quality output, whatever your budget.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://information-services.ed.ac.uk/help-consultancy/rm-and-consultancy/interactive-content-service/how-to-get-in-touch">How to access the Interactive Content Service</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>ASPIRING study website</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/aspiring-study-website/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=aspiring-study-website</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 16:02:08 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Drupal]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3494</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>The Interactive Content team within Information Services designed and published the ASPIRING study website on behalf of Professor Rustam Al-Shahi Salman from the CCBS (Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh).]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The Interactive Content team within Information Services designed and published the ASPIRING study website on behalf of Professor Rustam Al-Shahi Salman</strong> from <strong>the CCBS (Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh).</strong></p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="724" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-1024x724.png" alt="* Screenshot of website homepage that includes main menu, introductory video, project logo and the key text - “Help us find out if medicines like aspirin protect people with bleeding in the brain from strokes, heart attacks, and death”." class="wp-image-3498" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-1024x724.png 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-300x212.png 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-768x543.png 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website-1536x1086.png 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ASPIRING-website.png 1810w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This multi-component project includes a patient recruitment portal (Drupal 10) multilingual videos (Media Hopper Create), investigator training materials (H5P interactive content), and a technical collaboration with developers from ECTU (Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit) who are responsible for the participant database.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.aspiring.ed.ac.uk">ASPIRING study</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Accessibility requirements</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">An important design consideration was the specific web accessibility needs of stroke survivors, who may have physical, sensory, or cognitive impairments.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In real terms, this means allowing website visitors to:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard</li>
<li>Magnify all content to 300% without loss of content</li>
<li>Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)</li>
<li>Navigate most of the website using screen recognition software e.g. Dragon</li>
<li>Experience no time limits</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Positive feedback</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the funding agencies, British Heart Foundation (BHF), kindly provided very positive feedback and requested their logo be included on the website.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">BHF currently link to ASPIRING through the ‘Active GCRFF trials’ page on their website.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.bhf.org.uk/for-professionals/information-for-researchers/gcrff-multinational-clinical-trials-initiative/funded-gcrff-trials">Trials endorsed by the GCRFF Multinational Clinical Trials Initiative</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">About the study</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Antiplatelet Secondary Prevention International Randomised study after INtracerebral haemorrhaGe</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">ASPIRING is an international study, testing whether aspirin and clopidogrel prevent strokes, heart attacks, and death after brain haemorrhage. This study, run by The University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian, will include more than 4,000 people with brain haemorrhage.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Sharing My Story</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/sharing-my-story/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sharing-my-story</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Mar 2025 12:08:24 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LEGO]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Braille Bricks]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Fabuland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LEGO House]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Maid of Fabuland]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3423</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> < 1</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minute. </span></span>It's been a busy, but rewarding, week at work and home. In the last 24 hours The Lego Group have published two personal videos documenting my sight loss disability and love for building with Braille bricks.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> < 1</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minute. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>It’s been a busy, but rewarding, week at work and home. In the last 24 hours The Lego Group have published two personal videos documenting my sight loss disability and love for building with Braille bricks.</strong></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">@Lego YouTube channel</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Check out this LEGO Steamboat at LEGO House!" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oquUs17GIxU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thank you again to the teams at both Lego House and Our Lego Agency (OLA) for inviting me to share my sight loss journey.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If my disability story can help others going through similar challenges that would make me incredibly happy.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I hope my Fabuland ship, the ‘Maid of Fabuland’, delivers love to all the visitors at the wonderful Lego House, Billund, Denmark.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Play Well, Stewart (@stubot) <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/2764.png" alt="❤" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f49b.png" alt="💛" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f499.png" alt="💙" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">@LegoBuilds Instagram account</h3>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DG8OJqOsFA8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DG8OJqOsFA8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DG8OJqOsFA8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by LEGO Builds (@legobuilds)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Sight Scotland</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you would like to help others experiencing similar challenges please consider donating to my chosen charity Sight Scotland.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sight Scotland offer specialist support and advice to individuals and families living with sight loss. They are dedicated to empowering people with visual impairments to lead fulfilling lives.</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://sightscotland.org.uk">Donate to Sight Scotland</a></div>
</div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Five Years of Sight Loss</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Over the last five years I have written personal blog posts detailing my traumatic sight loss journey. To help others better understand the significant changes in my vision I also created a series of interactive simulations (H5P files).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/" data-type="post" data-id="3303">Five Years of Sight Loss</a> (22 January 2025)</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Related posts</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/build-your-own-paddle-steamer/" data-type="post" data-id="3295">Build your own paddle steamer</a> (04 March 2025)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/maid-of-fabuland/">Maid of Fabuland</a> (22 October 2024)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/braille-bricks/" data-type="post" data-id="2747">Braille Bricks</a> (29 February 2024)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/lego-lovelace/" data-type="post" data-id="1969">LEGO Lovelace: Building a modern icon</a> (23 August 2017)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Five Years of Sight Loss</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=five-years-of-sight-loss</link>
<comments>https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Jan 2025 15:57:19 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Creative Commons]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sight Scotland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Wikimedia Commons]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Wikipedia]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3303</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>Over the last five years I have written personal blog posts detailing my traumatic sight loss journey. To help others better understand the significant changes in my vision I also created a series of interactive simulations (H5P files).]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Over the last five years I have written personal blog posts detailing my traumatic sight loss journey. To help others better understand the significant changes in my vision I also created a series of interactive simulations (H5P files).</strong></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">A Heartfelt and Interactive Diary</h3>
<div class="h5p-iframe-wrapper"><iframe id="h5p-iframe-18" class="h5p-iframe" data-content-id="18" style="height:1px" src="about:blank" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no" title="Five Years of Sight Loss"></iframe></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Open Education Resources (OERs)</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As someone who’s created online learning materials professionally for 25 years, it was a unique opportunity for me to communicate and document this hidden disability.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Publishing both the heartfelt blog and H5P content as open education resources (OERs), my hope was to help others going through similar surgeries and challenges.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This brand new ‘Interactive Book’ H5P file consolidates diary entries from the last five years into one bite-sized shareable learning resource.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://h5p.org/content-types/interactive-book">Interactive Book (H5P exemplar site)</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">OER publication tally</h3>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>10 sight loss blog posts</li>
<li>10,840 words / 58 minutes reading time</li>
<li>17 H5P files
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>x10 Agamotto</li>
<li>x2 Image Juxtaposition</li>
<li>x2 Image Slider</li>
<li>x1 Interactive Book</li>
<li>x1 Timeline</li>
<li>x1 Image Hotspots</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>97 images</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Share, reuse and remix</h3>
<figure data-wp-context="{"galleryId":"6a2f362bc5209"}" data-wp-interactive="core/gallery" class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bc5619"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bc5619" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="2093" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-1024x576.jpg" alt="LogMAR chart after a retinal detachment. Large dark shadow and blurring on the left-hand side, with minor white/yellow flaring at edge of shadow." class="wp-image-2093" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B-1568x882.jpg 1568w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/logMAR-chart-B.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Retinal detachment LogMAR chart</figcaption></figure>
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bc5b3c"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bc5b3c" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="3347" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-1024x576.jpg" alt="Bunch of flowers (close-up), but everything blurred and a dark semi-circle obscuring half the image." class="wp-image-3347" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113663978_9eaa2967ab_o.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Gas bubble (day 1)</figcaption></figure>
<figure data-wp-context="{"imageId":"6a2f362bc601a"}" data-wp-interactive="core/image" data-wp-key="6a2f362bc601a" class="wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-id="3348" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-1024x576.jpg" alt="Same flowers, but dark circle in top-left corner only." class="wp-image-3348" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/51113510149_bae0b981c7_o.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><button
class="lightbox-trigger"
type="button"
aria-haspopup="dialog"
data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel"
data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton"
data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox"
data-wp-style--right="state.thisImage.buttonRight"
data-wp-style--top="state.thisImage.buttonTop"
>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12">
<path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z" />
</svg>
</button><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Gas bubble (day 8)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You can download any of the H5P files via the ‘Reuse’ link in the bottom-left corner.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">High-resolution versions of these sight loss photographs and representations are available via this dedicated Flickr album:</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stubot/albums/72157718976224995">‘Sight Loss OERs’ Flickr album</a></div>
</div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Select images have been uploaded to Wikimedia Commons and added to relevant Wikipedia pages.</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinal_detachment">Retinal detachment (Wikipedia)</a></div>
</div>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Wikimedia Commons</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Impression of a retinal detachment against a LogMAR chart:<br><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Retinal_detachment_LogMAR_chart_B.jpg">Retinal detachment LogMAR chart B</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Impression of a retinal detachment against a bouquet of flowers:<br><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gas_bubble_(day_1).jpg">Gas bubble (day 1)</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Impression of gas bubble against a bouquet of flowers:<br><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gas_bubble_(day_8).jpg">Gas bubble (day 8)</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright and licence</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The blog text, H5P files and images are all intended to be shared, reused and remixed. To encourage this, I’ve applied a Creative Commons open licence to my own content where the only requirement is to include the following attribution.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © Stewart Lamb Cromar 2025 CC BY.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">STARs – Visual tests: Nigel – Visual field test (Video)</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and The University of Edinburgh 2020 CC BY-NC-SA.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Different types of white cane (Image Hotspots)</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Images and text for the ‘Different types of white cane’ interactive are reproduced here with the kind permission of Sight Scotland.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">‘Retro Semi-Realistic Blind People’ illustrations created by Yan Moryachok for Canva (Free Content). Copyright © Canva 2025. All rights reserved.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Text written by Sight Scotland. Copyright © Sight Scotland 2025. All rights reserved.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">LogMAR chart</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">By user Fvasconcellos. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ETDRS_Chart_R.svg">ETDRS Chart R (.svg)</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Disclaimer</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Please note these resources are entirely a personal record of my own experiences and have not been verified by any qualified medical professionals or other individuals from the University of Edinburgh.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
<wfw:commentRss>https://stubot.me/five-years-of-sight-loss/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Building a new home for Teaching Matters </title>
<link>https://stubot.me/teaching-matters/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=teaching-matters</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Nov 2024 15:02:58 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[cPanel]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Google Analytics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[WordPress]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3254</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>The University of Edinburgh's popular Teaching Matters blog was successfully migrated from a standalone WordPress instance created in 2016 to the Academic Blogging Service's WordPress service. This short post focuses on the technical challenges, new features and support/security benefits.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The University of Edinburgh’s popular Teaching Matters blog was successfully migrated from a standalone WordPress instance created in 2016 to the Academic Blogging Service’s WordPress service. This blog post focuses on the technical challenges, new features and support/security benefits.</strong></p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-1024x576.jpg" alt="Teaching Matters homepage, "Promoting, discussing and celebrating teaching at The University of Edinburgh". Features main navigation menu and 6 blog articles with photos." class="wp-image-3269" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImageVy5PUX-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM) colleagues (Stewart Lamb Cromar, James Slack, Mark Findlay and Karen Howie) have worked with Dr Jenny Scoles from the Institute for Academic Development (IAD) to design, test and build a new long-term home for their Teaching Matters blog.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters/new-website-for-teaching-matters/">Jenny’s blog post about this migration</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Technical challenges </h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Large image bank</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Teaching Matters blog has been publishing high-quality articles since January 2016. Migrating eight years’ worth of media-rich content was quite the challenge with: 1,200 posts and 3,600 images totaling almost 4 GB.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Security concerns</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Both the WordPress platform (6.2.6 and theme (Apostrophe 1) were upgraded to newer, safer and regularly maintained options (6.5.5 and Apostrophe 2 respectively).</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Preserving bookmarks</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">URL redirections have been enabled for the old domain name (<a href="https://www.teaching-matters-blog.ed.ac.uk/">www.teaching-matters-blog.ed.ac.uk</a>), so all pre-existing bookmarks and pages indexed by search engines will successfully redirect to the new URL: </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters">blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Redirection rules</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Due to the large number of high-resolution photographs, not all images could be migrated and hosted within their new home. Amendments were made to the previous ‘htaccess’ file so URL requests to the WordPress ‘Uploads’ directory were exempt from redirection.</p>
<pre class="wp-block-code"><code># Redirect all traffic to new hosting platform
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/wp-content/uploads/
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(?:www\.)teaching-matters-blog\.ed\.ac\.uk$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^ https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]</code></pre>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">New features</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Student and staff contributions</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-1024x576.jpg" alt="'Submit a post' webform with fields such as name, email, title, social media handles and biography." class="wp-image-3267" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tempImage5DT3uI-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A new WordPress plugin ‘User Submitted Posts (USP)’ was tested and configured especially for Teaching Matters. This new addition allows IAD to receive article submissions via a dedicated webform and have them stored automatically as draft Posts within WordPress.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/user-submitted-posts/">User Submitted Post plugin</a></p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Editorial workflow</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Having a bespoke webform for staff and students to submit blog posts for consideration has greatly improved the editorial workflow for the IAD team. Previously they would accept requests via email and manually enter the content as a new WordPress post. The USP plugin now automatically converts a valid webform entry into a draft Post, that can be quickly reviewed and published.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters/submit-a-post/">Submit a Teaching Matters post</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">HTML newsletters</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-1024x576.png" alt="Teaching Matters' newsletter archive page, with a colourful number 5 graphic for their '5 Things' section." class="wp-image-3270" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-1024x576.png 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-300x169.png 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-768x432.png 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-1536x864.png 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/newsletter-2048x1152.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Since 2021, the IAD have offered a popular Teaching Matters newsletter – a round-up of the best of teaching at The University of Edinburgh and beyond.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7237382942862241792">Teaching Matters LinkedIn newsletter</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In addition to the LinkedIn monthly ‘5 Things’ newsletter, visitors can now sign up to receive automated email notifications whenever a new blog post is published. This functionality is achieved by the ‘Icegram Express’ plugin that is available to all users of the University’s WordPress service.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The plugin is configured with a double opt-in setting, so that visitors must confirm their subscription via email. This avoids any potential spam requests.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Improved analytics</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">IAD were keen to have better insights into how many visits the blog received, what articles visitors were looking at, and how long they spent reading them.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The transition between Universal Analytics (UA) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) in 2023 has meant access to historic records is challenging, if not impossible (UA records were all automatically deleted by Google in July 2024).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, if you don’t have a manual backup of that historic UA data you can always review some basic server statistics via cPanel.</p>
<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Log in to your cPanel</li>
<li>Scroll down to the Metrics section</li>
<li>Select the AWstats icon</li>
<li>Click View to open the report for each domain</li>
</ol>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Manually collating data for each year allowed us to discover the following lifetime statistics before the migration.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Lifetime statistics (2016-2024)</h4>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>581,256 visitors </li>
<li>1,110,716 visits </li>
<li>4,467,771 page views </li>
</ul>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Site Kit plugin</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The blog’s new home makes good use of the ‘Site Kit by Google’ plugin.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/:u:/r/sites/Blogs.ed/SitePages/Connect-your-blog-to-Google-Site-Kit.aspx">Connect your blog to Google Site Kit</a> (UoE only)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When successfully configured, you have direct and convenient access to Google Analytics from within the WordPress admin dashboard. </p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Google Analytics training</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you want to learn more about Google Analytics the LinkedIn Learning course ‘Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Essential Training’ is designed to help you track, analyse, and report on website traffic, conversions, and ad performance using GA4.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/help-consultancy/is-skills/linkedin-learning">Logging into LinkedIn Learning with UoE email</a> (UoE only)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/learning/google-analytics-4-ga4-essential-training-14915362">LinkedIn Learning GA4 Course</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Better accessibility compliance</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">University websites are required to be compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/">Full guidelines</a> (2.2)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Several CSS amendments were made to the WordPress theme to improve accessibility compliance:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Improved colour contrast ratios for headers and buttons.</li>
<li>Hyperlinks are no longer solely reliant on colour coding; they are now underlined too.</li>
<li>Reduction in number of menu items from 8 to 6. This helps cognitive processing, but also avoids line wrapping on narrower screens.</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Support / security benefits</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">A new home </h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Blogs.ed.ac.uk is a free University-hosted and supported WordPress platform for all staff and postgraduate research students. </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">View over 9,800 blogs or request your own:</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk">blogs.ed.ac.uk</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Dedicated resources</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For WordPress resources please visit the blogs.ed SharePoint site for support on creating your first blog along with videos and ‘How to’ documentation which we recommend viewing if you are new to WordPress.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/sites/Blogs.ed/SitePages/Home.aspx">Blogs.ed SharePoint site</a> (UoE only)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Find out what training and workshops are available to expand your blogging skills.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://information-services.ed.ac.uk/learning-technology/blogging/help-support/training-and-workshops">Training and workshops</a> (UoE only)</p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-1024x576.jpg" alt="Young student using a laptop, sitting in a pretty park with her cute white dog." class="wp-image-3263" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HJ2A7137-crop-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Header image is part of the Online Learning 2022 collection and was downloaded from the University of Edinburgh’s image gallery:</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/sites/Brand/SitePages/Photography-and-Video.aspx">UoE photography and video resources</a> (UoE only)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This collection was managed by Ari Badlishah (Digital Engagement Officer), and focused on improving the diversity in photography used in the University’s online courses.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © The University of Edinburgh 2024. All rights reserved.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Maid of Fabuland</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/maid-of-fabuland/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=maid-of-fabuland</link>
<comments>https://stubot.me/maid-of-fabuland/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Oct 2024 09:22:07 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LEGO]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Braille Bricks]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Denmark]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Fabuland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[LEGO House]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Maid of Fabuland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Skaerbaek]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3087</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 14</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>Lego kindly invited me to build a Fabuland ship for the prestigious Lego House in Denmark. Going blind in one eye has been the hardest year and this creative challenge absolutely helped me move forward. Read about the ‘Maid of Fabuland’ paddle steamer and one of the happiest days ever.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 14</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Lego kindly invited me to build a Fabuland ship for the prestigious Lego House in Denmark. Going blind in one eye has been the hardest year and this creative challenge absolutely helped me move forward. Read about the ‘Maid of Fabuland’ paddle steamer and one of the happiest days ever.</strong></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-default"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1) Life got a little brighter</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-1024x768.jpg" alt="Stewart's Memoji standing outside LEGO House, a giant white building comprised of cubes." class="wp-image-3162" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LEGO-House-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Earlier this year I was contacted by the extremely gifted Lego House master builder Stuart Harris. I’m lucky enough to have met him a few times, but this communication was most unexpected.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After losing my sight loss last year, life has been extremely tough and bleak. I had managed to return to work at The University of Edinburgh with support from my line manager Karen Howie and the Staff Disability Advice Service. This was my first personal goal in terms of moving forward, but I was keen to push further.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/life-got-dark/">Life Got Dark</a> (17 November 2023)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Artistic expression whether at work or home has always been a core activity in my life and this commission from The Lego Group was the perfect opportunity to test what I could achieve with my latest vision loss.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.1) Design brief</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Stuart Harris invited me to build a Fabuland ship for the World Explorer experience within The Lego House at Billund, Denmark. I was told the delivery schedule, maximum dimensions and given permission to use Fabuland figures. But other than that, I could propose any type of ship that I wished.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1.1.1) World Explorer experience</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" data-id="3213" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3213" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-300x200.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-768x512.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/green-zone-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Green Zone</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" data-id="3212" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3212" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk-300x200.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk-768x512.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/steampunk.jpg 1500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Steampunk Submarine</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" data-id="3214" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3214" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer-225x300.jpg 225w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/World-Explorer.jpg 1440w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The World Explorer Ship</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Every year the Lego House change their fan models, adding new artworks to galleries and interactive experiences. The magical World Explorer experience in the Green Zone has a large brick-built island with a Duplo volcano and amusement park called ‘Fabuland’! Visiting the island for 12 months is a custom ship designed by AFOLs (Adult Fan of Lego).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In 2018 Warren Elsmore and his talented team installed their epic ‘Steampunk Submarine’. He has written a fascinating blog about their creative process which involved 3D modelling, LEDs and so many exquisite details! </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.warrenelsmore.com/latest/the-steampunk-submarine/24/9/2018">The Steampunk Submarine</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Before my model there was the very cute, Friends themed ‘The World Explorer Ship’ by Ed Diment. With three impressive solar sails, his ship focused heavily on accessibility and sustainability to inspire the builders of tomorrow.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you have photos of World Explorer ships from previous years, please do share links to them in the comments section.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.2) Ship shape?</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3147" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3147" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1396.jpg 1805w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3148" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3148" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Akitsu_ferry.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3146" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3146" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2048px-Sazanami_Osakikamishimatown.jpg 1828w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For the first few weeks I toyed between a modern-day ferry and an old-fashioned paddle steamer. My first plan was to include loads of cute Fabuland vehicles and passengers on a car ferry. I felt this option had a lot of exposed building area that could host multiple amusing vignettes.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, I reflected on what is quintessential Fabuland? And for me it’s a powerful combination of nostalgia and whimsy. Even in theme’s original lifetime (1979-1989) it evoked a bygone era and embraced old-fashioned vehicles and architecture.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It just had to be a paddle steamer!</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.3) Captain Wilfred</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="822" data-id="3120" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-1024x822.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3120" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-1024x822.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-300x241.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-768x616.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-1536x1233.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3673-1-2048x1644.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3175" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3175" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2583-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The ‘Maid of Fabuland’ is my homage to the Fabuland set 3673 ‘Paddle Steamer’ from 1985. Wilfred Walrus is once again the captain of the ship. His cheeky monkey sailor friends also make a return appearance.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.4) Bookworm</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3210" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-300x300.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-150x150.jpg 150w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-768x768.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/book-grid-6.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Scotland has a long history of paddle steamers and in 1812 the very first European commercial steamboat service began on the River Clyde between Glasgow and Greenock. This is my tribute to all the beautiful ships that once travelled our seas, rivers and lochs.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I managed to purchase quite a few second-hand books on this unfamiliar subject and most of them had amazing technical blueprints and archive photographs.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whilst I was keen to design a technically realistic ship, I also wanted to incorporate playful features that younger Lego fans would appreciate. So, I included several seminal children’s books by Richard Scarry in my reading list for potential inspiration.</p>
<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Richard Scarry’s Boats by Richard Scarry</li>
<li>Richard Scarry’s the Great Steamboat Mystery by Richard Scarry</li>
<li>Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry</li>
<li>The Once-Ubiquitous Paddle Steamer by John Hannavy</li>
<li>The Golden Years of the Clyde Steamers (1889-1914) by Alan J. S Paterson</li>
<li>Paddle Steamers: A Photographic Legacy by Andrew Gladwell</li>
<li>200 Years of Clyde Paddle Steamers by Iain Quinn</li>
<li>Classic Scottish Paddle Steamers by Alan J. S Paterson</li>
<li>The illustrated history of paddle steamers by G. W. & R. Plummer & J. Jobe. Hilton</li>
</ol>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.4.1) Busytown?</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-10 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="648" height="643" data-id="3202" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery.jpg" alt="Richard Scarry's the Great Steamboat Mystery" class="wp-image-3202" style="width:650px;height:auto" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery.jpg 648w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery-300x298.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steamboat-Mystery-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 648px) 100vw, 648px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="754" height="1024" data-id="3207" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats-754x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3207" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats-754x1024.jpg 754w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats-221x300.jpg 221w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats-768x1043.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Boats.jpg 884w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 754px) 100vw, 754px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="798" height="1024" data-id="3208" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word-798x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3208" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word-798x1024.jpg 798w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word-234x300.jpg 234w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word-768x985.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Best-Word.jpg 862w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 798px) 100vw, 798px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Richard Scarry (1919–1994) was a children’s author and illustrator. He is best known for his ‘Best Ever’ book series that take place primarily in the fictional town of Busytown.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Busytown is inhabited by an assortment of anthropomorphic animals, including Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, Mr. Frumble, police Sergeant Murphy, Mr. Fixit, Bananas Gorilla and Hilda Hippo.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">First published in 1963, I would consider it the obvious precursor to both Lego’s Fabuland (1979-1989) and Nintendo’s Animal Crossing (2001-present).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busytown">Busytown</a> (Wikipedia article)</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.4.2) Tiny text</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One key issue was being unable to read the small text size, I’m so used to increasing the font size on my phone to 235%, but this text was too small even for my physical magnification aids.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thankfully my brother is an avid reader and has better eyesight than me, so he was tasked with reading through this collection and making notes for me.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The variety of ship designs was quite fascinating, but key features for my list were a rear paddle wheel (stern-wheeler), passenger deck on the top-level, cargo at the front (bow) and two iconic chimneys (smokestacks) near the captain’s cabin.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">1.5) Concept art</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-11 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-D.jpg"><img decoding="async" data-id="3101" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-D.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3101"/></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" data-id="3103" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3103" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-225x300.jpg 225w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-F-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-E-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="2560" data-id="3104" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-E-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3104" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-E-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-E-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With my research complete, I was keen to start prototyping and try building a few key components of the ship (paddle wheel, deck and smokestack). Stuart had asked me to share as much as I wanted with them, and sending some early sketches seemed a prudent thing to do.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1.5.1) Colour palette</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-12 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="490" data-id="3099" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-1024x490.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3099" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-1024x490.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-300x144.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-768x368.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-1536x735.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-A-2048x980.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3100" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3100" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-B-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The predominant colour palette is red, yellow and blue (see colour-coded ship sketch), with white and dark orange accents. However, the intention is to use all 14 Lego colours I consider typically Fabuland that are still in production today (see brick swatch photo).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I knew the final model would be installed on an existing blue surface, so I chose red for the hull to provide a strong contrast. And I had more blue Fabuland wall panels than yellow, so the bigger first deck is blue and yellow for the smaller second deck.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1.5.2) Modularity</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3105" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-C-crop.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Lessons learned from a previous large model (Fabuland Hangar) were to try and go modular, I had found MILS (Modular integrated Landscaping System) plates incredibly efficient and resilient. My footprint was obviously narrower than 32×32 modules, but I could reuse the same principles.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.abellon.net/MILS/">MILS landscaping system</a></p>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-13 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="766" data-id="3124" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3124" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side-300x224.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1024px-Maid_of_the_Loch_side-768x575.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">‘Maid of the Loch’ at Balloch Pier, Scotland (2007)</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="591" data-id="3125" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria-1024x591.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3125" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria-1024x591.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria-300x173.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria-768x443.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spirit_of_Peoria.jpg 1202w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">‘Spirit of Peoria’ at Peoria, Illinois (2018)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My ship design was effectively eight 16×16 modules (4 long x 2 wide) for the hull and one centred for the bow, so nine in total. Keeping the scale realistic was a key goal for me, I wanted it to be recognisable and believable. The height was the biggest restriction, and with tall smokestacks I only had room for two decks. Whilst most Lego models have the iconic USA three decks, it seemed more common in Scotland and Europe to have a more modest two.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After sharing these preliminary images with the Lego House team and getting a positive response, I was happy to start building the entire ship in earnest.</p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2) Build process</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2.1) Paddle wheel</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The stern wheel with 12 paddle blades was probably the hardest bit for me to engineer. You might have spotted that I used six Fabuland Ferris wheels for the main element (part number 4750). I felt the paddle wheel was such a critical component it was worth doing first and building things around that scale.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-14 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="774" data-id="3116" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-1024x774.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3116" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-1024x774.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-300x227.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-768x580.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-1536x1160.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3681-1-2048x1547.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Set 3681 ‘Amusement Park’ (1985)</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="690" data-id="3115" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-1024x690.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3115" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-1024x690.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-300x202.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-768x517.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-1536x1034.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3668-1-2048x1379.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Set 3668 ‘Merry-Go-Round’ (1986)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The large yellow Fabuland Ferris wheels were also used for Merry-Go-Round and Carousel sets in the 1980s.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For quite a few weeks the wheel only had eight blades. This seemed acceptable at first, but over time annoyed me more and more. Most paddle wheels have 12 blades, and this discrepancy annoyed me.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2.1.1) Welcome to Apocalypseburg!</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-15 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="824" height="1024" data-id="3108" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-824x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3108" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-824x1024.jpg 824w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-241x300.jpg 241w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-768x955.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-1235x1536.jpg 1235w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/70840_Box1_v29-1647x2048.jpg 1647w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 824px) 100vw, 824px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3109" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3109" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-1024x576.png 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-300x169.png 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-768x432.png 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-1536x864.png 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-A-2048x1152.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3110" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3110" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-1024x576.png 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-300x169.png 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-768x432.png 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-1536x864.png 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Apocalypseburg-B-2048x1152.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whilst watching one of my favourite YouTube builders (Brick Buffoon) I spotted something potentially useful. He was building the iconic set 70840 ‘Welcome to Apocalypseburg!’ from 2019.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://youtu.be/JVxxdCTu4QY" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/JVxxdCTu4QY">Welcome to Apocalypseburg – LEGO Set build – Part 5</a> (16 minute YouTube video)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Around step 615 they were using a combination of hinge plates, tiles and exposed studs to construct the Statue of Liberty crown. Whilst she has only seven points, the angles are the same for 12, namely 30 degrees.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thankfully all these parts are quite common, and I could adapt my wheel to feature the more historically accurate 12 blades.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-16 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" data-id="3111" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3111" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-225x300.jpg 225w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Paddle-Steamer-H-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3176" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3176" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2580-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2.2) Accessibility adaptations</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sometimes I know my own limitations and ask for help from others. My mum Margaret helps me sort my collection by colour and then shape. She also gives me encouraging feedback on my progress and design choices.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Other accessibility adaptations I’ve had to make include:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Superglue with a retardant
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>I’d recommend Loctite’s ‘Super Glue Power Gel’ it can be repositioned for up to 60 seconds. This extra time is perfect for me to use a magnifier or correct a mistake due to my poor depth perception.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Magnifiers with a light:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Handheld – AAA battery operated and excellent for on-site installations</li>
<li>Desktop – USB powered, can be mains connected or portable, and can be clamped to a desk.</li>
<li>Anglepoise – mains connected, but ideal for maximising your workspace and giving you a free hand.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Room lights
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Additional floor and desk lamps drastically help improve my eyesight. Low lighting is particularly challenging for me and these lamps allow me to work after sunset.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2.3) Braille Bricks</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-17 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3171" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-1024x768.jpg" alt="Lego monkey sailor carrying 4 bricks that spell out the word LOVE." class="wp-image-3171" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2563-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">L-O</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3172" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-1024x768.jpg" alt="Another monkey sailor sitting down eating a banana." class="wp-image-3172" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2566-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">V-E</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Raising awareness of invisible disabilities is something I’m very passionate about. And in previous models I’ve started to incorporate Lego Braille Bricks.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/braille-bricks/" data-type="post" data-id="2747">Braille Bricks</a> (29 February 2024)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Not only do they perfectly symbolise my sight loss journey in Lego form, but they are also helpful for starting conversations with people about my story.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">They can also be a fun, educational and interactive prop. I often encourage children at shows to try using them.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This model incorporates four different Lego Braille bricks. One of the monkey sailors is carrying bricks that spell out the word LOVE. My hope is this ship delivers love to everyone who visits the Lego House.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2.3.1) Inclusive signage</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-18 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3142" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3142" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5890c-copy-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">English</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3144" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3144" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2577-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Danish</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" data-id="3143" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="Lego Braille Bricks spelling out the words 'Ship built by Stewart Lamb Cromar'" class="wp-image-3143" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2576-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lego Braille Bricks</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Halfway through the process, I was asked by the Lego House team to contribute some interesting facts about me and my model that would go on a printed sign next it.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I was keen to be very open and honest about my disability, so I asked about the possibility of including a version of the same sign in Braille too.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thankfully they were very supportive, but as it hadn’t been done before they obviously had to make enquiries about whether this was feasible. Some parts of the Lego House are already fully inclusive, which is an impressive feat considering how highly interactive the building is.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I’m very pleased to say my model currently has signs written in English, Danish and Lego Braille Bricks. A fourth panel with the full text in traditional Braille should be added shortly.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It made me extremely proud that a wide range of different people could discover facts about my model and hopefully have a richer experience as a result.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">2.4) Easter eggs</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are a few secrets about my model, please skip ahead if you plan to visit the Lego House in person. I’ve now been four times, and each experience has been more magical than the last.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://legohouse.com/en-gb/">Visit the Lego House</a> (Billund, Denmark)</p>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-19 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3173" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3173" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2568-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lamb sigfig</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3169" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3169" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2573-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Book club</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3170" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3170" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2572-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Fishing competition</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3174" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3174" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2591-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Monkey overboard!</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>My middle name is Lamb and I’ve always been given cute little sheep as toys. Fabuland lambs are now my sigfig (signature figure) and there is one sitting down on a red bench chatting to his friend Peter Pig (in universe and IRL).</li>
<li>The ship name ‘Maid of Fabuland’ is a wee pun, as the model is built from a lot of original Lego Fabuland elements (windows, arches, fences, benches, chairs, Minifigures, Ferris wheels…).
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>It is also traditional to consider ships as female, referring to them as ‘she’.</li>
<li>For example, Maid of the Loch (1953–1981) is the last paddle steamer built in the United Kingdom. She operated on Loch Lomond for 29 years and as of 2022 is being restored near Balloch pier.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>One of the monkey shipmates just loves his bananas and has left a treacherous trail of slippery banana peels. Monkey overboard!</li>
<li>Romance is blooming for two passengers aboard the ‘Maid of Fabuland’. 36 years after their very first date, Lionel Lion and Hannah Hippopotamus finally have a second date.
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://brickset.com/sets/3622-1/Rowboat-with-Lionel-Lion-and-Hannah-Hippopotamus">Set 3622 ‘Rowboat’</a> (1988)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>When I’ve completed a large, or significant, model it’s tradition for me to digitally design some hypothetical retail packaging. For this project I’ve assigned the set number 2692024 to mark one of the happiest days of my life.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3177" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-Box-v05-crop-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3) Model shipping</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-20 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2716-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="2560" data-id="3151" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2716-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3151" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2716-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2716-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" data-id="3153" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3153" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-225x300.jpg 225w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2488-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2353.jpg"><img decoding="async" data-id="3150" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2353.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3150"/></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3152" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3152" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2352-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Transporting my model from Scotland to Denmark was no mean feat, but it did involve a lot of fun and memorable adventures.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The model was designed to fit in two standard storage boxes. I like the brand Really Useful Box, and their 35 and 42 litre sizes were a perfect fit. I’d collected bubble wrap all year and this ensured my model didn’t move one iota whilst travelling.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My friends from the Scottish Lego club (Tartan LUG) kindly helped me by driving safely across the Netherlands and Germany. They also accompanied me on my first overnight ferry crossing from Newcastle courtesy of DFDS.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.tartanlug.com/join-us/">Join Tartan LUG</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It was only on the ferry, two days before the installation, that I let them in on my wee secret. Up until this point only my mum and brother knew of the commission.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I did have a partial clue for them, by putting the name of my model on a bag tag. Only Kitty spotted this, so she gets a bonus ten points!</p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4) Installation day</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">26 September 2024</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-21 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3156" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3156" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2595-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3159" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3159" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2605-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2557-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2560" height="1920" data-id="3158" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2557-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3158" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2557-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2557-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5889c-copy-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="649" data-id="3138" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5889c-copy-1024x649.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3138" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5889c-copy-1024x649.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5889c-copy-300x190.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="749" data-id="3140" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-1024x749.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3140" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-1024x749.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-300x219.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSCF5947c2-copy-768x562.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My kind-hearted Tartan LUG chums all agreed to get up at the crack of sparrows to drive from Skaerbaek to Billund for the installation at Lego House.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I was anxious to unbox my model, but thankfully John’s expert driving skills meant only one tiny flag had fallen off. A small dab of glue and everything was shipshape again (apologies).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Everyone from the Lego Group made me feel at ease and fully supported my additional needs related to sight loss. They were so patient and friendly; it felt more like playing Lego bricks with friends!</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">TikTok promo video</h3>
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@stub0t/video/7428584913454042401" data-video-id="7428584913454042401" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;" > <section> <a target="_blank" title="@stub0t" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@stub0t?refer=embed">@stub0t</a> Maid of Fabuland Currently on display at <a title="legohouse" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/legohouse?refer=embed">#LegoHouse</a> in Denmark. Read about my paddle steamer here – stubot.me (blog link in bio). <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/2764.png" alt="❤" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f49b.png" alt="💛" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f499.png" alt="💙" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> <a title="lego" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/lego?refer=embed">#Lego</a> <a title="レゴ" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B4?refer=embed">#レゴ</a> <a title="afol" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/afol?refer=embed">#Afol</a> <a title="tartanlug" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tartanlug?refer=embed">#TartanLUG</a> <a title="homeofthebrick" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/homeofthebrick?refer=embed">#HomeOfTheBrick</a> <a title="legoart" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/legoart?refer=embed">#LegoArt</a> <a title="sightloss" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/sightloss?refer=embed">#SightLoss</a> <a title="visionloss" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/visionloss?refer=embed">#VisionLoss</a> <a title="braille" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/braille?refer=embed">#Braille</a> <a title="northernbrickworks" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/northernbrickworks?refer=embed">#NorthernBrickworks</a> <a title="braillebricks" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/braillebricks?refer=embed">#BrailleBricks</a> <a title="legobraillebricks" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/legobraillebricks?refer=embed">#LegoBrailleBricks</a> <a title="fabuland" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fabuland?refer=embed">#Fabuland</a> <a target="_blank" title="♬ Loveboat - Kylie Minogue" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Loveboat-6712058136066263042?refer=embed">♬ Loveboat – Kylie Minogue</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5) Reflections</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-22 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3179" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3179" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3622-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">1988 – First date</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" data-id="3178" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3178" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2nd-date-v03-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">2024 – Second date</figcaption></figure>
</figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Looking back at this experience, I’m honoured to have been invited to build this ship for the Lego House. It’s not something I say often or easily, but I am so proud of what I achieved.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It was incredibly challenging to design and build this model with my vision loss, but without question I would do it all again in a heartbeat.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Living with sight loss or Diabetes is very taxing, and can cause high levels of anxiety, isolation and depression. But having this goal to work towards, helped me maintain a positive mood and genuine sense of accomplishment.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My time in Denmark was truly some of the happiest days of my life, I haven’t honestly smiled or laughed so much in a long time. Thank you to everyone who contributed towards this very special memory, it’s one I’ll forever cherish.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Love, Stewart</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">5.1) Support and advice</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If any of these topics I’ve mentioned have affected you, I’d recommend contacting a free and confidential support line offered by trained professionals such as Sight Scotland and RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://sightscotland.org.uk">Sight Scotland</a><br><a href="https://www.rnib.org.uk">RNIB</a></p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">6) Thanks and hugs</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I will most likely forget to name everyone, but I am particularly grateful for the opportunities and support provided by the following people:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>The Cromar family – Mum and Steven</li>
<li>The LEGO Group – Stuart Harris, Mike Ganderton, Hasan Jensen, Line Dam Kjær and Erin Perkins</li>
<li>Tartan LUG – John, Christine, Adam, Warren, Kitty and Peter</li>
</ul>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">7) Image credits</h2>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-1024x768.jpg" alt="Stewart's Memoji presenting his paddle boat with the Lego House logo (Home of the Brick)." class="wp-image-3164" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Maid-banner-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">‘Made of Fabuland’ Copyright © Stewart Lamb Cromar 2024. All rights reserved.</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>‘Welcome to Apocalypseburg!’ and vintage Fabuland product images are from BrickSet and are Copyright © The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.</li>
<li>Exterior photograph of Lego House and World Explorer Green Zone are Copyright © LEGO House. All rights reserved.</li>
<li>‘The World Explorer Ship’ photograph provided by Stuart Harris.</li>
<li>‘The Steampunk Submarine’ is Copyright © Warren Elsmore Ltd. All rights reserved.</li>
<li>‘Spirit of Peoria.jpg’ by ZcarstvnzRyan.harms, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.</li>
<li>‘Maid of the Loch side.JPG’ by Rosser1954, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.</li>
<li>Some interior Lego House photos kindly provided by Manu Schwendener (<a href="http://manuschwendener.ch">manuschwendener.ch</a>).</li>
<li>‘Akitsu Ferry’ by 妖精書士 – 投稿者自身による著作物, CC 表示-継承 3.0.</li>
<li>‘Sazanami Osakikamishimatown.jpg’ by Olegushka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">7.1) Disclaimer</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Please note this blog and its resources are a personal record of my own experiences. They have not been supplied, edited or verified by any individuals from the LEGO Group.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This article is not affiliated or endorsed by the LEGO House or the LEGO Group. LEGO®, the LEGO logo, the LEGO House logo and the Minifigure are trademarks and copyrights of the LEGO Group.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
<wfw:commentRss>https://stubot.me/maid-of-fabuland/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Women in STEM Illustrations</title>
<link>https://stubot.me/women-in-stem/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=women-in-stem</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stewart Lamb Cromar]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Oct 2024 16:00:51 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[University of Edinburgh]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Adobe Photoshop]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[colouring book]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[H5P]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Interactive Content feed]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[vision loss]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Women In STEM]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://stubot.me/?p=3061</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>To celebrate Ada Lovelace Day 2024, I created two new colouring-in illustrations of notable Women in STEM – author and codebreaker Irene Jessie Brown, and geologist Charlotte Murchison. I also discuss AI enhancement tools and vision loss challenges associated with my design process.]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Estimated reading time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes. </span></span>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>To celebrate Ada Lovelace Day 2024, I created two new colouring-in illustrations of notable Women in STEM – author and codebreaker Irene Jessie Brown, and geologist Charlotte Murchison. I also discuss AI enhancement tools and vision loss challenges associated with my design process.</strong></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ada Lovelace Day</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On Tuesday 8th October 2024, the University of Edinburgh’s Information Services team celebrated Ada Lovelace Day 2024 which is an international celebration day of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Irene Jessie Brown (1919 – 2017)</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="766" height="1024" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-766x1024.jpg" alt="Colouring-in illustration of Irene Jessie Brown in a 1940s polka dot dress outside." class="wp-image-3069" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-766x1024.jpg 766w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-224x300.jpg 224w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-768x1027.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-1149x1536.jpg 1149w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-1532x2048.jpg 1532w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Irene-scaled.jpg 1915w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 766px) 100vw, 766px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Irene Young was a codebreaker at Bletchley Park during the Second World War, and graduate of the University of Edinburgh (UoE).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Brown">Irene Brown Wikipedia article</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My colouring-in illustration of Irene is based on a 1944 photograph from the University of Edinburgh’s collections.</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Creator: Photographer unknown</li>
<li>Collection Name: Roslin Institute</li>
<li>Collection/Item Reference: Coll-1657</li>
</ul>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Permission granted by “The University of Edinburgh Heritage Collections”.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://archives.collections.ed.ac.uk/repositories/2/resources/85781">Irene Brown UoE collection URL</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Charlotte Murchison (1788 – 1869)</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="819" height="1024" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-819x1024.jpg" alt="Colouring-in illustration of Charlotte Murchison in formal Victorian attire." class="wp-image-3068" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-240x300.jpg 240w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-768x960.jpg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Charlotte-1.jpg 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Charlotte Murchison was a British geologist and pioneer of geological research and fossil hunting.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Murchison">Charlotte Murchison Wikipedia article</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My colouring-in illustration of Charlotte is based primarily on the public domain photograph of her from 1860.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Bristol Channel and Jura</h4>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-1024x295.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="295" src="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-1024x295.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-3081" srcset="https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-1024x295.jpeg 1024w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-300x86.jpeg 300w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-768x221.jpeg 768w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129-1536x442.jpeg 1536w, https://stubot.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_0129.jpeg 1852w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It also incorporates a interpretation of the drawing by Charlotte depicting a cross-section of land, lying between the Bristol Channel and Jura.</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Title: Murchison 6</li>
<li>Work Record ID: 0055375</li>
<li>Holding Institution: University of Edinburgh</li>
<li>Catalogue Number: Coll-51/3/3</li>
</ul>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://archives.collections.ed.ac.uk/repositories/2/archival_objects/1534">Murchison drawing – UoE catalogue entry</a></p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Naming Spaces After Inspirational Women</h4>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On International Women’s Day 2023, the University of Edinburgh renamed a lecture theatre at its King’s Buildings campus after Charlotte in recognition of her contribution to earth sciences.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Information Services Group have named many University spaces, both digital and physical, after inspirational women who were part of our community.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/about/naming-spaces-after-inspirational-women">Naming Spaces After Inspirational Women</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">New challenges</h2>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">AI enhancement tools</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The only image of Charlotte Murchison that is in the public domain is very low-resolution (320 x 400 pixels). This makes my iPad tracing procedure within the iOS app ‘Procreate’ particularly challenging.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One approach I used was to experiment with Adobe Photoshop’s new AI filters. Specifically the neural filter called ‘Photo Restoration’ which does an excellent job of improving the resolution of archive photographs (2000 x 2500 pixels).</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Neural filters use machine learning powered by Adobe Sensei, their cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) service.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/photoshop/using/neural-filters.html">Neural Filters overview</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Drag the green slider horizontally to comparison Charlotte’s original face with what enhancements the AI filter achieved.</p>
<div class="h5p-iframe-wrapper"><iframe id="h5p-iframe-17" class="h5p-iframe" data-content-id="17" style="height:1px" src="about:blank" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no" title="Charlotte Murchison"></iframe></div>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Disability factors</h3>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I haven’t created any illustrations since losing my sight loss last year, but was determined to challenge myself to keep creating them for special events like Ada Lovelace Day.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://stubot.me/life-got-dark/" data-type="post" data-id="2733">Life Got Dark</a> (17 November 2023)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As with almost all tasks since I lost my left eye, it takes substantially more time, planning and adaptations to perform simple activities.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For tracing these photographs I like to use my iPad and Apple Pencil to keep the lines fluid, with a strong hand-drawn aesthetic. The Procreate app allows you to pinch and zoom quite easily, but even then I struggled to see any details.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My home office has multiple magnifications aids, including angle-poised, handheld and desktop solutions. The portable USB powered desktop magnifier was the most convenient, I could position it closely over my iPad and see facial features and environmental textures unavailable to me before.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It took a lot of effort to create these new illustrations, but I was 100% committed to contribute these open-educational resources (OERs) to my university’s Ada Lovelace Day. </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My friend and colleague Jackie commented on how they still retained my own personal style. This was very heart-warming and gave me some assurance about staying creative in my sight loss journey.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Further resources</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We have over 30 illustrated portraits of Women in STEM that are open-licenced (attribution only). All of them have a strong connection with the University of Edinburgh, past or present.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBMWmh">View Flickr album</a></p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Flickr album (slideshow)</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-flickr wp-block-embed-flickr"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<a data-flickr-embed='true' href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/interactive-content/albums/72177720321190440/' title='Women in STEM by interactive.content, on Flickr'><img src='https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53255406890_b0aae1dbef_z.jpg' width='800' height='600' alt='Mary Brück'></a><script async src='https://embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js' charset='utf-8'></script>
</div></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Copyright and licence</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The text, images and interactives published within this post are all intended to be shared, reused and remixed. In order to encourage this I’ve applied a Creative Commons open licence to my own content where the only requirement is to include the following attribution.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Copyright © Stewart Lamb Cromar, The University of Edinburgh 2024 CC BY.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"></a>This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>.</p>
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<title>Data Visualization: The Intersection between Science and Art</title>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[tli4]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2025 08:48:10 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span> Hi, I’m Hera, the Data Visualization Intern working on the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Data Dashboards. Before getting into this internship, data had already been a fundamental part of my life. As an undergraduate student studying Psychology and Linguistics, statistics is part of the core of what we do. We’ve been taught how […]]]></description>
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<div id="attachment_5767" style="width: 1811px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5767" class="wp-image-5767 size-full" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443.png" alt="Image of the TEL Data Dashboard SharePoint" width="1801" height="780" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443.png 1801w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443-300x130.png 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443-1024x443.png 1024w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443-768x333.png 768w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443-1536x665.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1801px) 100vw, 1801px" /><p id="caption-attachment-5767" class="wp-caption-text">The TEL Data Dashboard SharePoint</p></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Hi, I’m Hera, the Data Visualization Intern working on the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Data Dashboards. Before getting into this internship, data had already been a fundamental part of my life.</p>
<p>As an undergraduate student studying Psychology and Linguistics, statistics is part of the core of what we do. We’ve been taught how to approach data, clean it, visualize it, and analyze it. We’ve been taught how to run countless tests on it to figure out numbers like p-values and Cohen’s d.</p>
<p>Data and statistics are the shield behind what we do, the numbers that say “yeah, we’re 95% confident that what we found was not just an outcome of chance”.</p>
<p>It is the “sciencey” part.</p>
<p>But the visualization was small. It was more about getting the numbers to fit certain significance levels, just cold numbers and letters on a report. Visuals were required to have a better understanding of distributions. Although they were important and did tell a story, they weren’t exactly pretty and exciting standing by themselves. The excitement mainly comes when significant values are put into the context of suggesting that some scientific discoveries are “real”.</p>
<p>So when I got the opportunity to look at the data of LTW services when creating the dashboards, it was like a whole new world of fantasies and stories.</p>
<p>You start with the same old things that you do with any data.</p>
<p>You explore it, get yourself familiarized with it. Make sure you know what each data point means, how they each interlink with another. Meet with the data providers, service managers, and ask clarifying questions: What data points are relevant? What do you want to see on the dashboards? What would users want to see?</p>
<p>You clean the data, make sure everything is consistent, check for errors, and decide what measures to exclude and what measures to keep. You filter the data, merge stuff together when needed, and transform it into formats that PowerBI won’t give you errors working with.</p>
<p>And then the fundamental part of this internship, and the most exciting part – you paint visuals with numbers.</p>
<p>Bar charts, line graphs, area graphs, and pie charts.</p>
<p>Name cards, funnels, slicers, and filters.</p>
<p>Numbers are no longer just numbers. They are grouped together in bars or lines or arcs, illuminated with vibrant colours, and interactive with everything else that you click on.</p>
<p>PowerBI is my paintbrush.</p>
<p>An annoying one at certain times, trying to get it to do what I want, but a very useful one too indeed. You can play around with it in so many different ways: filter, slice, cross-highlight, drill down…</p>
<p>It was a constant problem-solving process to organize the data in certain ways and to customize the visualizations, trying to figure out relationships between models, and edit interactions between visuals so that related data move together. As there are ten services that I create dashboards for, and each of them is unique, the whole process starts again brand new with every dashboard that I make.</p>
<p>I also got to play around with the colours, the blank spaces, the shapes and lines – just like an artist would with his or her pieces of work.</p>
<p>But it was not only art in terms of the visuals. It was also art in terms of storytelling.</p>
<p>When data forms more than tables and numbers, you start to see the pictures more directly. Visualizations help to filter down the data to the most important bits, which makes the difficult communication of huge datasets much easier.</p>
<p>You can tell the story through different perspectives and dimensions. You can see the trend through time and years, a story of rises or fluctuations that make you wonder why there are certain peaks or troughs. You can see the categorizations by departments or user roles, which reveal how similar or different things are with students versus staff.</p>
<p>And as a product, the dashboards go through iterations of feedback with the data providers, service managers, and LTW representatives from the different schools. I was constantly having meetings to display my dashboards and to ask for feedback.</p>
<p>In fact, meeting with the services was one of the best parts. With both the initial walk-through of the datasets and the later feedback for the completed dashboards, collaboration with the different teams gave me a short glimpse of all of their work and inputs over the years. All the hidden work and immense effort behind the scenes, where I would not have known if I didn’t have the chance to work with LTW as an intern. The most inspiring part, though, was seeing their incredible expertise and familiarity with the services that they manage, and that was what brought the sparks into their eyes when they saw the dashboards.</p>
<p>So the dashboards tell way more than what someone can imagine, because people have different perspectives when they look at the same visualizations.</p>
<p>For the management teams of the different schools, the visualizations tell a story that reveals the preferences of their students and staff. For the data providers and service managers, the dashboards provide a snapshot of all their efforts and inputs into their services over the past few years.</p>
<p>For me, the whole project was a journey of exploration, discovery, and growth.</p>
<p>A journey of exploring the intersection between science and art.</p>
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<title>Elia Müller – Initial thoughts on doing Accessibility Checks</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/07/05/elia-muller-initial-thoughts-on-doing-accessibility-checks/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/07/05/elia-muller-initial-thoughts-on-doing-accessibility-checks/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[emuller2]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Jul 2024 10:23:36 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[EDE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Educational Design and Engagement]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Learn Foundations Intern]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Learn Foundations Learning Applications Developer]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[summer]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[university of edinburgh]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Year of study & degree: 2nd year Psychology and Linguistics Internship: Learn Foundations Intern Meal deal of choice: Least offensive looking sandwich + Bakery item + Smoothie Favourite floor in Argyle House: Definitely K The title of your preferred work playlist: tasteless bops Subpar Slides As a Learn Foundations Intern, I’m involved in conducting a […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><hr />
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Year of study & degree: </span></b><span data-contrast="auto">2</span><span data-contrast="auto">nd</span><span data-contrast="auto"> year Psychology and Linguistics</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Internship:</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> Learn Foundations Intern</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Meal deal of choice:</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> Least offensive looking sandwich + Bakery item + Smoothie</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Favourite floor in Argyle House:</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> Definitely K</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">The title of your preferred work playlist:</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> tasteless bops</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<hr />
<h2><span data-contrast="none">Subpar Slides</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"201341983":0,"335559738":160,"335559739":80,"335559740":279}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">As a Learn Foundations Intern, I’m involved in conducting a number of checks on the university’s Virtual Learning Environment, Learn. We are tasked with verifying the presence of a school-dependent template and making sure that the correct variables are present, among other things (think LOTS of Excel spreadsheets filled with Ys and Ns).</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">But the part of my internship that has intrigued me the most so far is the accessibility checks that I’ve had to fill out for a random sample of courses from each school. More specifically, I thoroughly enjoyed scrolling through the PowerPoint slides of various courses and imagining the lectures that had accompanied them (a personal favourite so far were the slides of a female filmmakers course from which I got great movie recommendations). </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">But what about the accessibility of these slides? </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">It leaves much to be desired, unfortunately. Aside from scans of documents, PowerPoints seem to be the documents that consistently have the most accessibility issues, ranging from insufficient contrast between text and slide backgrounds to images that didn’t include alternative text. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">I was stumped, as there is guidance on how to make PowerPoint presentations accessible to all, as well as </span><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/:p:/r/sites/Anintroductiontoaccessibilityinlearningtechnology/Shared%20Documents/PowerPoint%20Accessible%20Template%201.pptx?d=w0026da0da47d4bc08995b30bfe529ecb&csf=1&web=1&e=7RS9cA"><span data-contrast="none">a</span><span data-contrast="none"> template</span></a><span data-contrast="auto"> provided by the university. Why weren’t people using that template?</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<h2><span data-contrast="none">Both beautiful and accessible</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":160,"335559739":80,"335559740":279}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Whilst I was staring incredulously at the university template that was getting so little use, I came to the realisation that a possible explanation for its invariable rejection was that it was a little </span><i><span data-contrast="auto">too </span></i><span data-contrast="auto">template-like. Its background is a neutral navy blue, and its font is Arial. What it has in accessibility, it lacks in flair. I believe that one reason the template may not be used is that course organisers want to add personality to the slides.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">But surely both are possible? This got me thinking about the way in which I design my own PowerPoint presentations. I frequently make use of online databases of PowerPoint templates, where I can choose between a myriad of different layouts and designs. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">How could we blend the world of accessibility and the world of design freedom?</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<h2><span data-contrast="none">A possible route forward</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"201341983":0,"335559738":160,"335559739":80,"335559740":279}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">One of the aspects I appreciate most about having an internship within ISG is that my line manager and supervisors are very keen on hearing our feedback and potential suggestions for improvements. This allowed me to suggest a database of accessible PowerPoint templates, to expand on the single template that currently exists and to enable course organisers to opt for an accessible template without sacrificing their aesthetic desires. If time permits, I would like to work on this project in the later stages of my internship.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<h6>– your new Blog Editor</h6>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2024-07-05" itemprop="dateModified">Jul 5, 2024</time>
</span>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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<title>Tallulah Thompson – What I have learnt from the Media and Podcasting Internship</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/05/27/tallulah-thompson-what-i-have-learnt-from-the-media-and-podcasting-internship/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/05/27/tallulah-thompson-what-i-have-learnt-from-the-media-and-podcasting-internship/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[tthompso]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 27 May 2024 08:14:32 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Applications and Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Internships]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=2426</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: 1st year Informatics (MInf) Intern Position: Media and Podcasting Intern I have now been working with the Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM) group as the Media and Podcasting Intern since February. It’s been an amazing experience – I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in so many interesting things and […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><p><strong>Programme of Study and Year: </strong>1st year Informatics (MInf)<br />
<strong>Intern Position: </strong>Media and Podcasting Intern</p>
<hr />
<p>I have now been working with the Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM) group as the Media and Podcasting Intern since February. It’s been an amazing experience – I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in so many interesting things and to work with a brilliant team led by Karen Howie. I’m really grateful to Karen and my colleagues for stretching me and supporting me in equal measure. As my internship comes to an end soon, I have decided to share my reflections and what I have learnt.</p>
<p><!-- notionvc: 0025adfe-330e-429b-a7a2-3092aef75b03 --></p>
<h3>Why I applied for this internship</h3>
<p>At the end of my first semester, I decided I wanted to find a job for the following semester that would allow me to interact with more people across the university, and that ideally would involve a project that would benefit others. After looking through many Computer Science related jobs, I found that most were exclusive to penultimate/final year students, and I realised I would have to broaden my search. I started looking for jobs, that despite being less directly related to my field of study, would still be relevant to my interests and help me gain professional experience and valuable skills. That was when I came across the Media and Podcasting Intern job opportunity on MyCareerHub; when I read the job description, I knew I had to apply! It was so appealing because it would allow me to bridge two of my main interests: technology and data, and content creation.</p>
<h3>What I have been doing</h3>
<p>My job has mainly entailed looking through videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create, and analysing their metadata to see how it can be improved, coming up with a metadata guidance document and checklist, collating videos to display on the front page that correspond to monthly themes, collaborating with content owners to improve the accessibility of their media, and, most excitingly, helping design the layout of the front page of the new Media Hopper Create website.</p>
<h3>What I have learnt</h3>
<p>This experience has taught me so much about metadata (<a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/03/20/2398/">see my previous blogpost</a>) and really highlighted the importance of having good metadata when it comes to improving the accessibility and findability of media. A small yet surprising fact I have learnt is that podcasts do not have to be audio only, and in order for media to be classed as a podcast on Media Hopper Create, it needs to be designed to be consumed in an episodic format, although, majority of the time, a podcast is audio only. I had used Media Hopper Create prior to my internship, however, this was mainly for watching lecture recordings, I hadn’t appreciated the range in content on the website and will continue to use it even after my internship ends. Another thing I hadn’t realised was how useful my ability to code is. I was asked to look through 2 data files and identify the entries that were in one and not the other; and being the Computer Science student that I am, rather than doing this manually/through Excel, I wrote a Python program to do this, which meant that I could complete this task in a much faster and more accurate way. I also used my Python skills to analyse metadata, identify trends and representing them as graphs. I so happy to discover how laterally applicable my skillset is!<!-- notionvc: 1730fcf1-c979-4f30-a932-ddc83022c226 --></p>
<h3>My thoughts</h3>
<p>Overall, this internship has not only expanded my understanding of metadata and media management but also reinforced the value of my technical skills in real-world applications. I’m excited to carry forward these lessons and continue exploring the intersection of technology and media in my future endeavours. I would like to thank Karen, Liam and the rest of the wonderful DLAM team for this amazing experience.</p>
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<time datetime="2024-05-27" itemprop="dateModified">May 27, 2024</time>
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<title>Tallulah Thompson – Reflections on metadata</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/03/20/2398/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/03/20/2398/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[tthompso]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:10:54 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Asset Management System Metadata Intern]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Applications and Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Media Assistant]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Internships]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=2398</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: 1st year Informatics (MInf) Intern Position: Media and Podcasting Intern Introduction Hi! I’m Tallulah and I’m in my 4th week as the Media and Podcasting Intern with Media Hopper Create. So far, I’ve been looking through videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create to analyse their metadata and see how it could […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><p><strong>Programme of Study and Year: </strong>1st year Informatics (MInf)</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position: </strong>Media and Podcasting Intern</p>
<hr />
<h3>Introduction</h3>
<p>Hi! I’m Tallulah and I’m in my 4th week as the Media and Podcasting Intern with Media Hopper Create. So far, I’ve been looking through videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create to analyse their metadata and see how it could be improved, coming up with a metadata guidance sheet, and I’ve collated videos to display on the front page that correspond to monthly themes.</p>
<h3>Metadata</h3>
<p>Most of my internship so far has involved looking at metadata. Metadata essentially is data about data. In the context of Media Hopper Create, it is the information associated with the different videos that have been uploaded, for example, title, video description, tags, captions, publisher, etc. Having good metadata will make it easier for users of Media Hopper Create to find videos. Unfortunately, the quality in the metadata across the videos is quite inconsistent, which is why one of my jobs is to write guidance to help improve the quality and to make the media easier to find.</p>
<h3>What is good metadata?</h3>
<p>Good metadata will help organise, find and understand data. It should serve as the bridge between content and users. When it comes to videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create, this is what good metadata should look like for media:</p>
<p><strong>Title:</strong> should be clear and give context, for example, if it is a lecture., a good format would be: [Course Name] [Video Subject], rather than just naming a video “Overview” or “Summary”, e.g., “Object Oriented Programming, Lecture 2: Conditionals and Loops”. The users should be able to have a good idea what the video is about based on the title.</p>
<p><strong>Description:</strong> brief description of what the video is about. It should not just be the title repeated, and it should be detailed enough so that users should not have to watch the whole video to see if it is going to be useful to them</p>
<p><strong>Tags:</strong> should be relevant and specific to the video and should not be too general, for example having the tag “acts” on a video about climate change is not specific enough to the video. If the video is a podcast, adding the tag “podcast” will help users who are specifically finding a podcast, and/or if the video is only audio, adding the tag “audio only” will help users who are specifically finding audio only videos . It is better to have fewer tags that are specific and relevant to the video that will help the users find what they are looking for rather than having many tags that are not specific enough. Tags are added from frequently used words in the auto-generated captions, but sometimes these are not the most relevant, so after captioning is complete, it would be good to go through the tags and remove the irrelevant ones. Having a consistent format for tags will make it easier to organise videos, for example, a video with the tag “#artificialintelligence” will be considered different to a video with the tag “artificial intelligence”. A good format for tags is having them completely lowercase.</p>
<p><strong>Captions:</strong> key accessibility feature for many, including but not limited to: people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people who have difficulty processing auditory information, and people whose native language is not English. At the very least, auto-generated captions should be requested for videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create, although at times they can be inaccurate, it is still better than nothing. These captions can either be corrected by the uploader or a request can be put in to have them reviewed and corrected by the captioning team, to make them as accurate as possible.</p>
<p><strong>Attachments:</strong> The transcript, which is created from the auto-generated captions should be uploaded automatically. It is useful to not remove the transcript as it will allow users to search through it to see if the video is relevant. If a presentation is included in the video, uploading the slides will make it more convenient for the user.</p>
<p><strong>Chapters:</strong> divides the video into different sections based on what it is about. Adding in chapters is very useful especially when the video is longer than 30 mins, because it will allow the user to find what they are looking for in a video without having to watch the whole video.</p>
<h3>What is “bad” metadata?</h3>
<p>When videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create have “bad” metadata, it can lead to poor content sorting, making it harder for users to find videos that they are looking for. For instance, when the title for a lecture video is just “0.0”, rather than having the course the lecture is from and more information about the video, it makes it very difficult for users to find this video unless they specifically have the link/know exactly where to find it. It also means that users are less likely to watch the video as they will not know if it is relevant to them. If a video has too many tags that aren’t specific or relevant to the video, when users try searching based on tags, many less relevant videos might come up, making it harder for the user to find what they are looking for.</p>
<h3>My thoughts</h3>
<p>In my opinion, the main issue with the metadata associated with videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create is that it is inconsistent. Having inconsistent metadata makes it much harder for videos to be organised, which will then make it harder for users to find what they are looking for. As part of my internship, I have been tasked with writing a metadata guidance sheet for video uploaders, which I hope will increase the consistency in quality of metadata of videos uploaded. Although this guidance won’t necessarily be able to change the metadata of the already uploaded videos, by hopefully improving the metadata for future videos, it will mean that users can access the most up to date and relevant videos to them much more easily.</p>
<h3>What I have learned so far</h3>
<p>Before I started this internship, I thought I had quite a good idea of what metadata was and its importance. Although I have only been interning with Media Hopper Create for 3 weeks, I realised, I have already learned a lot. I’ve learned a lot about Media Hopper Create and how useful it is as a service for the University, and I didn’t realise how such small details in metadata could make such a big difference in the user experience. I’m looking forward to the rest of my internship and learning even more about metadata.</p>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2024-03-20" itemprop="dateModified">Mar 20, 2024</time>
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<title>Lewis Forbes – LaTeX and Accessibility</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/08/15/lewis-forbes-latex-and-accessibility/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/08/15/lewis-forbes-latex-and-accessibility/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[lforbes3]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Aug 2023 14:46:31 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Applications and Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Intern]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=2152</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: Informatics (MInf), going into final year. Intern Position: Digital Learning Intern As a former Computer Science and Maths student (now just a Computer Science student), LaTeX has brought me much grief over my time at university. Writing my 30+ page dissertation using the software definitely increased my confidence in using […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><hr />
<p><strong>Programme of Study and Year: </strong>Informatics (MInf), going into final year.</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position: </strong>Digital Learning Intern</p>
<hr />
<p>As a former Computer Science and Maths student (now just a Computer Science student), LaTeX has brought me much grief over my time at university. Writing my 30+ page dissertation using the software definitely increased my confidence in using it, but to be honest I still don’t really understand how it works and frequently rely on StackOverflow.</p>
<p>As such, it was saddening but somewhat validating to learn that the problem of accessibility in LaTeX is one which has been plaguing the community for years – it’s maintained by a team of volunteers who have struggled to implement features which are becoming standard in electronic documents. In this post I’ll share my attempts at creating the most accessible LaTeX documents possible and conclude with steps you can take to achieve this. The speed at which LaTeX seems to advance (and break) led to a lot of trial and error in this process, and it’s possible that things which worked for me might not work for you.</p>
<p>I used the <a href="http://edin.ac/ally">accessibility evaluation software Ally</a> to determine what makes documents accessible, which gives documents an accessibility percentage and suggests where improvements can be made. Ally gave the initial PDF I provided a score of 5%, but guided me to create a document with a score of 96%. It did not comment on maths however, which is not accessible by default in LaTeX as explained in this <a href="https://asarantsev.github.io/WebArchive/access.pdf" class="mtli_attachment mtli_pdf">report by Massie and Sarantsev</a>.</p>
<figure id="attachment_2238" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2238" style="width: 277px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-2238" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-218x300.png" alt="" width="277" height="382" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-218x300.png 218w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image.png 569w" sizes="(max-width: 277px) 100vw, 277px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2238" class="wp-caption-text">Ally’s initial rating and comments for an unchanged LaTeX document.</figcaption></figure>
<p>Based on Ally’s guidance and the information in the report mentioned, the inaccessible aspects of default LaTeX documents are their lack of tagging and headers, lack of alt text, lack of metadata, and maths which cannot be meaningfully read by screen readers.</p>
<h2>LaTeX Accessibility Summary</h2>
<p>If your document contains a lot of maths, I recommend creating an HTML5 file using <a href="https://pandoc.org/index.html">Pandoc</a>. See the checklist in the ‘Maths’ section below for information on this.</p>
<p>If your document has no maths, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Add alt text as explained in the first two bullet points in the ‘Alt Text’ section below.</li>
<li>Add metadata as explained in the ‘Metadata’ section below.</li>
<li>Add tags/headings using the using <a href="https://pdfix.io/make-pdf-accessible/">this PDFix tool</a>.</li>
</ol>
<p>As mentioned, following these steps produced <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/wnfhnwdpbfmy">96% accessible LaTeX project</a>, based on Ally’s score of its PDF after tagging.</p>
<hr />
<p>I will now go into more detail about each of the different inaccessible areas mentioned.</p>
<h2>Alt Text</h2>
<p>Alternative text is often included for those <a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/website-communications/improving-alt-text-at-the-university/">using screen readers</a>, but thanks to the <a href="https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/the-curb-cut-effect-8a6b68d6485">curb cut effect</a> has uses for many people – both visually impaired and sighted. Different sources recommend different ways of including this:</p>
<p>I successfully added alt text using the following methods:</p>
<ul>
<li>Using a parameter on caption <code>\caption[alt text]{caption text}</code>, as recommended by ChatGPT. This should be used when <code>\includegraphics{}</code> is used within a <code>\figure{}</code> environment.</li>
<li>Using <code>\pdftooltip{}</code> from the <a href="https://ctan.org/pkg/pdfcomment?lang=en">pdfcomment interface</a> successfully added tooltips with user-specified text to the document, which Ally recognized as alt text. This should be used when <code>\includegraphics{}</code> is being used with no <code>\caption{}</code>. For example, I used it in a <code>\subfloat{}</code> environment. This was advised in this <a href="https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/75102/need-alt-text-for-images-in-pdf-for-screen-readers?answertab=modifieddesc#tab-top">StackExchange forum</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>The following methods were recommended by various sources, but did not allow me to successfully add alt text to images:</p>
<ul>
<li>Using <code>\Description{}</code> as recommended in this <a href="https://authors.acm.org/journals/how-to-write-alt-text-and-why">Association for Computing Machinery article</a>. This command was not recognized by the compiler, and no packages to include were mentioned.</li>
<li>Using <code>\nextalt{}</code> as recommended in this <a href="https://people.bath.ac.uk/cspehj/maths-access/latex-instructions/sect0049.html">webpage by Emma Cliffe at Bath University</a>. This command was not recognized by the compiler even with the inclusion of the graphicsx package as mentioned.</li>
<li>Using the accessibility package and the <code>\alt{}</code> comment as recommended in this <a href="https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/c.php?g=995742&p=8207771">Michigan State University Library guide</a>. This also didn’t work.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Metadata</h2>
<p>Ally highlights the need for the inclusion of a PDF’s title and language. This allows screen readers to introduce the document, which can be included with the following lines in the document preamble:</p>
<p><code>\usepackage{hyperref}<br />
\hypersetup{pdftitle={Document Name}, pdflang={en-GB}}</code></p>
<h2>PDF Tagging & Headings</h2>
<p>There does not appear to be a way of reliably generating tagged PDFs using LaTeX. The unsuitability of two potential solutions I came across follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>As outlined in the <a href="https://ctan.math.illinois.edu/macros/latex/contrib/tagpdf/tagpdf.pdf" class="mtli_attachment mtli_pdf">tagpdf documentation</a>, the tagpdf package is not meant for normal document production. As such, the syntax required to use it is complicated and the package likely contains bugs.</li>
<li>As outlined on the <a href="https://github.com/AndyClifton/accessibility"><!--StartFragment --><span class="cf0">Accessibility package GitHub page</span></a>, the accessibility package is also not suitable for production and is no longer maintained. Although it does produces tagged PDFs according to Ally, it sometimes leads to documents not compiling, and sometimes causes unexpected behaviour. As an example:
<ul>
<li>This <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/jhnbjpgkbfgy">compilable project</a> does not contain the package, but otherwise identical <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/xrqdvtbrksds">uncompilable project</a> contains the package.</li>
<li>In this <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/vjnnqxjwtnvy">incorrectly compiled project</a> some of the text is duplicated whereas in this <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/grpjgthrpcvq">correctly compiled project</a> no duplication occurs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Tags can be added to a PDF once it’s been created by a few different services, namely Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, Microsoft Word, and PDFix. Since Acrobat Pro isn’t free to use and Word seems to often ruin the format, I found PDFix’s <a href="https://pdfix.io/make-pdf-accessible/">‘Make PDF Accessible’ tool</a> to be the best solution. This also allows metadata to be changed. The company appear reputable with the <a href="https://pdfix.net/privacy-policy/">PDFix privacy policy</a> stating they delete all provided files for 30 days and pass data to third parties “only within the extent necessary to meet its obligations”.</p>
<p>The only problem I found with this service was its inability to render a <code>.pdf</code> vector image. This format is unusual, and was easily fixed by converting the image to a <code>.png</code> file.</p>
<h2>Maths</h2>
<p>Making maths accessible in LaTeX does appear to be possible but is a little complex. Most sources seem to recommend converting LaTeX documents to HTML5 documents via a semi-automated process using various tools. This aforementioned <a href="https://asarantsev.github.io/WebArchive/access.pdf" class="mtli_attachment mtli_pdf">Massie and Sarantsev paper</a> provides a good overview of the topic.</p>
<p>I found <a href="https://pandoc.org/index.html">Pandoc</a> to be the easiest tool to do this conversion. To convert maths it uses <a href="https://www.mathjax.org/">MathJax</a> – a JavaScript engine which creates “beautiful and accessible math in all browsers”. HTML documents are accessible by default since they are tagged, and contain conventions for setting alt text and metadata. See this <a href="https://docs.mathjax.org/en/v2.7-latest/misc/accessibility-features.html#screenreader-support">MathJax documentation page</a> for information on screen readers for maths it helps display.</p>
<p>Once installing Pandoc, LaTeX documents can be converted on Windows as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open command prompt (press <code>Win+R</code>, type cmd, press enter).</li>
<li>Copy the location of the folder containing the <code>.tex</code> file you wish to convert. The <code>.bib</code> file should be in the same directory.</li>
<li>In command prompt, enter:
<ul>
<li><code>cd "the folder location you copied"</code></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Enter the following command, replacing <code>myTex.tex</code> and <code>myBib.bib</code> with your filenames.
<ul>
<li><code>pandoc myTex.tex -f latex -t html -s -o output.html --bibliography myTex.bib --citeproc --mathjax</code></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Move the new file <code>output.html</code> up one folder level. For example, from <code>C:/folder1/folder2/folder3/output.html</code> to <code>C:/folder1/folder2/output.html</code>. This is so images’ paths are correct.</li>
<li>Open <code>output.html</code>.</li>
</ol>
<p>You might find Pandoc is <span class="NormalTextRun SCXW204967602 BCX0">less forgiving with syntax errors than your usual </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW204967602 BCX0">compiler when it comes to your bibliography</span>. A verifier such as <a href="https://flamingtempura.github.io/bibtex-tidy/">BibTeX Tidy</a> can be used to identify and correct errors.</p>
<h2>The Future</h2>
<p>Decreasing the steps authors have to take to make their LaTeX documents accessible is an area of active development, as outlined in <a href="https://www.latex-project.org/publications/indexbytopic/pdf/">The LaTex Project’s accessibility publications</a>. The most recent update I’ve seen comes from this <a href="https://www.latex-project.org/news/2023/05/27/latex-dev-2/">LaTeX news article</a> introducing the final pre-release of the June 2023 version of LaTeX.</p>
<p>This pre-releases produced viable, tagged documents for simple files, but cannot format some complex files, as shown in the image below. For documents with tables it produced well-compiled PDFs, but they were untagged. This means the pre-release is currently no better than the tagging methods mentioned above.</p>
<figure id="attachment_2203" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2203" style="width: 967px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-2203 size-full" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-3.png" alt="A screenshot of a unreadable document, containing text which overflows to off of the page and displayed commands." width="967" height="559" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-3.png 967w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-3-300x173.png 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-3-768x444.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 967px) 100vw, 967px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2203" class="wp-caption-text">A poorly formatted document produced by the final June pre-release of LaTeX.</figcaption></figure>
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<time datetime="2023-08-15" itemprop="dateModified">Aug 15, 2023</time>
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<title>Ioana-Sabina Susanu – My Digital Learning Internship, in a nutshell.</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/06/07/ioana-sabina-susanu-my-digital-learning-internship-in-a-nutshell/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/06/07/ioana-sabina-susanu-my-digital-learning-internship-in-a-nutshell/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[lforbes3]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 07 Jun 2023 14:48:11 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Intern]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1905</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: 3rd year Astrophysics Hobbies: Reading, music, karate Intern Position: Digital Learning Intern Describe your role in 4 words: interesting, challenging (at times), rewarding I wanted to take the time to do a blog post on how my internship has been for the past year. I have worked full-time during the […]]]></description>
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<p><strong>Programme of Study and Year: </strong>3rd year Astrophysics</p>
<p><strong>Hobbies: </strong>Reading, music, karate</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position: </strong>Digital Learning Intern</p>
<p><strong>Describe your role in 4 words: </strong>interesting, challenging (at times), rewarding</p>
<hr />
<p>I wanted to take the time to do a blog post on how my internship has been for the past year. I have worked full-time during the summer in the DLAM TEL team (Digital Learning Applications and Media, Technology Enhanced Learning – so many acronyms!), and part-time during the academic year.</p>
<p>I have done mostly Accessibility testing on various applications, including Turnitin, Moodle, Echo360, Collaborate and Ally, but also other tasks like caption verification or blog editing. I have had a lot to learn about all of the different software types and environments used within the University, and how important each piece of technology is.</p>
<p>Wrapping up my time in DLAM, I wanted to share once again how important the topic of Accessibility is, since it is what the vast majority of my work consisted of. Even though it seems that most of the regulations and adaptive software is concentrated on visual impairment (and too few regulations cover physical impairment – but this is a discussion for another time), it is certain that every little element that is made accessible on a page/application/platform makes a huge difference. Every colour combination, every button, every description and every message matters and can make the navigation better for users if accessibility is taken into consideration.</p>
<p>That being said, my work has been varied, and I never got a chance to get ‘bored’ as every thing I had to do was different from the previous one. I had the opportunity of working with a lot of different people, and I had a lot to learn from everyone I’ve met during my internship. The fact that the team has been welcoming and helpful made a great difference for me and my work – being relaxed and confident in my actions made me more productive, efficient and attentive to details</p>
<h2>Make the most of Learning Technology!</h2>
<p>I would like to end this blog post with a big ‘Thank you’ to the DLAM TEL team, and the wider Learning, Teaching and Web community for the continued support throughout the year.</p>
<p>I certainly recommend giving Learning Technology a chance, regardless of your degree – in the end, it is used by everyone at University, and it’s a very diverse field that will never make you bored.</p>
<p>And lastly, make the most of the resources available – there is a wide variety of them (books, software, databases, videos, courses, trainings), all available at a few clicks’ distance.</p>
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<time datetime="2023-06-07" itemprop="dateModified">Jun 7, 2023</time>
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<title>Eva Spanachi – The journey of being a Digital Learning Intern</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/08/04/__trashed/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/08/04/__trashed/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[espanach]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Aug 2022 14:15:15 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Intern]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1629</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: 4th Year Chemistry Hobbies: Art, reading, yoga, baking Intern Position: Digital learning Intern Describe your role in 4 words: Write a blog guys! “Known as” at the office: That annoying person who wouldn’t stop sending emails about the ISG Student Employee blog The opportunity to be part of the ISG […]]]></description>
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<p><strong>Programme of Study and Year:</strong> 4<sup>th</sup> Year Chemistry</p>
<p><strong>Hobbies:</strong> Art, reading, yoga, baking</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position:</strong> Digital learning Intern</p>
<p><strong>Describe your role in 4 words:</strong> Write a blog guys!</p>
<p><strong>“Known as” at the office:</strong> That annoying person who wouldn’t stop sending emails about the ISG Student Employee blog</p>
<hr />
<h2>The opportunity to be part of the ISG team</h2>
<p>In mid-April, having the usual mid-semester crisis I started thinking of what I would be doing over the summer! So I started a search to find an internship and I came across the various roles offered by ISG on MyCareerHub and everything looked very interesting (and not chemistry related, which would allow my brain to have a break from all the science). Having my interview with some of the Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM) members, I immediately realized that I really wanted to become part of that lovely team and was therefore really happy to receive an offer for the digital learning role.</p>
<h2>The internship so far…</h2>
<p>Part of my internship consists of general testing, as well as accessibility testing on University platforms. After undergoing some training on accessibility, I was so surprised to realize how unfamiliar I was with the whole concept and I definitely learned a lot about how to make things more accessible by considering things like using a correct colour contrast, alternative text when using images, captions in videos and the general structure of a site to make it easy to navigate when someone is not using a mouse or using a speech navigator for example. The general lesson I learned however, was to actually keep in mind the various audiences and not just assume that we all use computers and technology in the same way, but we definitely all deserve to be able to access and navigate through all online environments.</p>
<p>Another part of my role has been to create screencasts using MediaHopper to provide instructions on how to navigate around some teaching and learning sites such as Learn. I now know the struggle of having to record your own voice, and the need to have approximately a hundred takes before you decide to give up and use whatever you have recorded by convincing yourself that it is good enough! The first video I had to script and record was 1.5 mins long and it took me a day to perfect, caption and finally post so I can only imagine how difficult it must be to record an hour long lecture!</p>
<p>I was also recently able to observe how the Unidesk side of the team works and see how they keep the Learning Technology of the University working, and ensure that any issue that occurs is resolved. So I had the opportunity to follow through the process of how an issue, that a staff member or student may be dealing with on different university platforms, such as Turnitin and Learn, is handled and eventually resolved. In the next few weeks I will also be able to go through a few issues and try to propose a way to resolve the problem, and become familiar with the different stages of coming up with a solution.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1805 " src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-300x241.jpg" alt="" width="467" height="375" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-300x241.jpg 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-1024x822.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-768x617.jpg 768w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-1536x1233.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903.jpg 1919w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px" /></p>
<p> </p>
<h2>Getting familiar with Blogs.ed!</h2>
<p>The general and accessibility testing I did was on Blogs.ed which was really useful because it helped me get familiar with the website as I had to use it daily as part of having the role of the student intern blog editor. My first task with this role was to come up with a template for the blog posts (a challenging task considering I had never written a single blog post or anything similar before). So I had to come up with a plan!</p>
<p>-> <strong>Plan A:</strong> Read all the previous blogs written by interns and get inspired. Well, I discovered that there were too many previous interns and hence too many previous blogs and too little time! -> <strong>Plan B:</strong> Read <em>a few</em> blogs from each past summer to get inspired and create a template. That actually worked and I managed to structure a template. Step 1 done! <strong>Step 2-</strong> Get the template approved and come up with a strategy on how to approach the other interns. I knew immediately that I had to find a way to make my fellow interns want to write blog posts without being too annoying. <strong> Step 3-</strong> After annoying the interns I then had to edit and proofread their blogs and finally post them on <a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/">the Information Services Group: Student Employee Blog</a>. It has been great to see that the plan actually worked and interns did offer to write a blog, and I definitely enjoyed reading them all!</p>
<h2>A few weeks left…</h2>
<p>Only a few weeks left for the end of my internship and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to be part of such a lovely team, where everyone was very welcoming and supportive throughout the internship. Also very grateful that Covid managed to calm down and allow us to go to the office now and then and enjoy each other’s company in person, and got to meet other interns during the great Unitemps social events!</p>
<p><strong>I hope all the interns had a great time during their internships and enjoyed their summers as well! Hopefully the rest of the staff in ISG enjoyed having us around and I am sure all of us appreciate their work and effort a lot more now that we got to see what is happening behind ‘the scenes’.</strong></p>
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<time datetime="2022-08-04" itemprop="dateModified">Aug 4, 2022</time>
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<title>Ioana -Uncovering the depths of accessibility testing in the Digital Learning Internship</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/07/25/ioana-uncovering-the-depths-of-accessibility-testing-in-the-digital-learning-internship/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/07/25/ioana-uncovering-the-depths-of-accessibility-testing-in-the-digital-learning-internship/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[espanach]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Jul 2022 13:10:59 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Intern]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1727</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: Astrophysics (MPhys), going into 3rd year Hobbies: Reading, listening to music, taking walks, watching TV series Intern Position: Digital Learning Intern within Learning, Teaching and Web (LTW) Fun fact about your internship: I have become knowledgeable in Accessibility testing, even though this was not the plan initially Describe your role […]]]></description>
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<p><strong>Programme of Study and Year:</strong> Astrophysics (MPhys), going into 3<sup>rd</sup> year</p>
<p><strong>Hobbies:</strong> Reading, listening to music, taking walks, watching TV series</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position:</strong> Digital Learning Intern within Learning, Teaching and Web (LTW)</p>
<p><strong>Fun fact about your internship:</strong> I have become knowledgeable in Accessibility testing, even though this was not the plan initially</p>
<p><strong>Describe your role in 4 words: </strong> Challenging, rewarding, technical, awesome</p>
<hr />
<h2>The internship experience in a nutshell</h2>
<p>I have found out about these internships from the Unitemps website. I kept checking it in March, as I knew that was the time when the summer roles would be advertised. I have also received notifications over e-mail regarding the roles and how to apply. My role requires me to become familiar with a variety of learning technology applications, and do the accessibility testing based on a specific script and using assistive software. The most enjoyable part is that I get to see, learn, experience and test a lot of the University’s platforms, applications and integrations, and I have the chance to see these from a developer point of view. Additionally, it is just enjoyable to collaborate with my team members and socialise with other interns when we are in the office. Speaking of socialising, the Unitemps social events for interns are the best – the food is great and I always get to meet and talk to lots of interesting people with various experiences.</p>
<h2>Highlights of Digital Learning – Creating documentation and conducting accessibility testing</h2>
<p>I find the 9-5 life surprisingly relaxing, especially when I work from home. Office days can be a bit more tiring, but they are the most fun as almost everyone is there on certain days. My team is welcoming and friendly, even in busy and stressful times – for which I admire them greatly. I really enjoy that communication is very efficient within the team, both when we are in the office and when we are working remotely.</p>
<p>My role so far has helped me overcome certain ‘fears’, for example listening to my own voice. I had to create some videos with instructions on how to use one of the applications within the University. I already had the script, I just had to record my screen while navigating the application. Even though it seems like a simple task, the idea of recording my own voice felt strange. After talking to my manager and some of the members of my team about this, I found that my feeling was quite common – no-one likes to record and listen to their own voice! Therefore I was a bit more confident that nothing could go wrong and I recorded the videos. Listening to my own voice while doing the captioning was not that bad – especially since I was focused on the quality of the sound and the content itself. The feedback I received for the videos was good, which boosted my confidence for this type of task.</p>
<p>As my work requires me to do accessibility testing, I had the opportunity to discover how complex this field is, and how many regulations need to be taken into account for a webpage/application/platform to be considered accessible. As an example, I was aware of captioning being needed for videos, but I wasn’t aware of the exact ratios needed for colour contrasts within a page. In addition, I could see how certain types of assistive software interact with the University platforms and applications, and which issues are encountered. While I still have some training sessions to do, I have developed an awareness for accessibility and I feel that this subject should be promoted more.</p>
<p>The internship has been a great experience so far. I feel lucky that I am a part of a lovely team (DLAM TEL – Digital Learning Applications and Media, Tech Enhanced Learning) where everyone is friendly and willing to help. I have a lot to learn from all of the team members, and also the other interns. The working environment is very good and inspiring, and it allows me to develop valuable skills that will certainly be beneficial in future assignments.</p>
<p><strong>Through this blog post, I would like to wish all the other interns the best of luck in their internships and projects, and to thank all the staff members for being welcoming and supportive in every matter. And last but not least, I encourage every student to apply for a summer internship within the Information Services Group – it’s definitely a fantastic experience!</strong></p>
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<time datetime="2022-07-25" itemprop="dateModified">Jul 25, 2022</time>
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<title>How I develop skills as a continuing App Developer Intern – Martin Lewis</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/04/20/how-i-develop-skills-as-a-continuing-app-developer-intern-martin-lewis/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/04/20/how-i-develop-skills-as-a-continuing-app-developer-intern-martin-lewis/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[awilso35]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2022 11:59:17 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Learn Foundations Learning Applications Developer]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1581</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Martin Lewis is a final year student in BSc (Hons) Computer Science, and started working as a Summer Intern in ISG in 2020, as one of our interns auditing Learn. Martin really impressed the Learn team with his initiative in finding a chance to automate some work, so since summer 2021 he has since been […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><p><em>Martin Lewis is a final year student in BSc (Hons) Computer Science, and started working as a Summer Intern in ISG in 2020, as one of our interns auditing Learn. Martin really impressed the Learn team with his initiative in finding a chance to automate some work, so since summer 2021 he has since been working with the Learn team in a more technical role, doing programming.</em></p>
<p>I started work in Information Services Group (ISG) at the University as a <strong>Summer Intern</strong> in 2020 and 2021, and <strong>since then I’ve been working for ISG doing technical bits and pieces</strong>. In this blog post I’ll be discussing <strong>what I’ve been doing as a part of my work for ISG and what skills this has helped me develop.</strong></p>
<p>Initially I was doing rather non-technical work as part of the Learn Foundations project getting the University’s Learn courses prepared for the new academic year. This was adding things like the course outline and organiser details into these fresh courses. <strong>However, I managed to find a way to automate parts of the workflow I was assigned to and from there began to do technical work for the ISG.</strong><br />
I now have the very long winded title of ‘Learn Foundations Applications Developer Intern’ in which I do development work, making applications that are usually, sometime tangentially, related to the Learn Foundations Project.</p>
<p>For those more technically minded, I’m working in the PHP programming language doing full stack (front and backend) work using the Laravel framework. An excellent opportunity to learn a new language and framework. <strong>There is also the chance to work on real world projects that contain issues and experiences that cannot be found in the classroom or in a coursework assignment.</strong> With real team members (big thanks to Andrew and his team who I have been working with) and <strong>projects that have a real outcome (not just a grade).</strong></p>
<p>Now this is not only a good opportunity to hone skills but it also looks very good on a CV. Already having practical software development experience is fantastic and it also is a great source of discussion <strong>during interviews being able to bring up situations and decisions you made outside of a classroom is great.</strong></p>
<p>Now let’s look at the day to day practicalities (this is just my experience your mileage may vary with role and when you might work). The work is remote, as you could probably guess, which fits well alongside my majority remote learning these past few years. Over the summers I’ve worked full time, 35 hours a week, being treated as a standard member of university staff. Then over the semesters only 7 hours a week which I find easy to fit around my studies and personal life but it does often mean rather slow progress in the projects you work on.</p>
<p><strong>Both of the line managers I’ve had have been wonderful and very understanding about the need to change work patterns last minute or take time off around major deadlines and exams.</strong> The pay isn’t too bad and goes a long way towards covering my rent.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if I’ll be continuing to work for the University after May as I am finally graduating. I will however apologise in advance to any potential future intern who has to work with my code! But the last two years have gone a long way to making me a much more employable graduate.</p>
<p>So do consider applying for an ISG internship,<strong> I’ve personally gotten a lot out of it and I think any proactive student can benefit greatly from such a role.</strong></p>
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<time datetime="2022-04-20" itemprop="dateModified">Apr 20, 2022</time>
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<title>Top Five Things I Like About my Internship</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2021/08/11/top-five-things-i-like-about-my-internship/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2021/08/11/top-five-things-i-like-about-my-internship/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[rcormac3]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 Aug 2021 11:07:16 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Media Assistant]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1543</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Hazel is the Digital Media Assistant Intern and is responsible for making promotional videos for some of the Ed Web Services and self-enroll courses that are available for staff with the aim of explaining the system and services better to encourage higher usage. She enjoys her job because it allows for creativity and also loves […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><p><em>Hazel is the Digital Media Assistant Intern and is responsible for making promotional videos for some of the Ed Web Services and self-enroll courses that are available for staff with the aim of explaining the system and services better to encourage higher usage. She enjoys her job because it allows for creativity and also loves singing, dancing, cooking and has just recently starting learning the ukulele!</em></p>
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<p>“It’s summer again!” This was what I thinking as I finished my semester. Then what? What should I do this summer? I wanted to make myself useful and gain some experience, which led me to browse for internship opportunities, and fortunately, I was accepted as a Digital Media Assistant Intern under Learning, Teaching and Web services (LTW)!</p>
<p>Impacted by COVID-19, the ways in which we learn and work have changed drastically. As a student, I’m not really a big fan of online learning but to my surprise, I have enjoyed my remote-working internship experience. Here are the top five things I like about my internship experience, and I hope some of that resonate with yours too <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<h3>1) Have my own input and make things happen!</h3>
<p>I’d never really had any internship experience before I joined. From my what my friends said, they described it as more of a rigid form of working, which means managers tell them exactly what they need to do and manage all the tasks with frequent reporting. It seems like it curbs much of their own creative input into the work as they are only following what they are asked to do.</p>
<p>However, my internship experience is totally different! To my surprise, I am given a plethora of opportunities to have my own input in creative tasks. For example, I initiated ideas of the video storyboards and the design of them. The fact that most of them were accepted truly makes me feel empowered as my manager and colleagues trust my skills in making the videos happen.<em><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-1545 aligncenter" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-300x200.jpg" alt="Table with laptop, mug, pen and paper and a mobile phone." width="411" height="274" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 411px) 100vw, 411px" /></em></p>
<h3>2) Effective communication</h3>
<p>Since the internship is entirely remote, we have used different methods of communication. Making use of Microsoft Teams and Outlook Email functions facilitates effective communication and avoids long-winded boring meetings (which usually happens in a physical setting). With all the technology available, it makes Working from Home possible and seemingly more effective, saving travelling time and speeding up work productivity. Therefore, although we cannot see each other physically, I am still able to communicate with my line manager and other team members easily on a weekly basis and get things going.</p>
<h3>3) High flexibility (time management skills are required!)</h3>
<p>My internship experience is very flexible with the whole project timeline. I can take on the role to plan when things should be delivered and manage when I should sort out the ideas, video storyboards and drafts, etc. This has certainly strengthened my time management skills, as I have to ensure that I am not falling behind the schedule and the project can progress swiftly.</p>
<p>The high flexibility also enables me to schedule other commitments around it. This allows me to achieve a good work-life balance during this period. I know that having an unexpected flexibility with time might seem to be a bit too good to be true, but to be honest, it does require a lot of self-control and time management skills!</p>
<h3>4) Gaining diverse skills</h3>
<p>It is a pleasant surprise to be able to gain other skills outside of what I’ve already learned! My project requires collaboration with other team members in the project and that has enabled me to learn so much more in other aspects, such as content writing, visual design, persona creation etc. These are all valuable opportunities and relevant skillsets that will be very helpful in a workplace. The fact that I can gain all these diverse skills makes the whole experience much more fulfilling!</p>
<h3>5) Supportive environment</h3>
<p>Last but not least, I’ve got to say I’m so grateful to have a really supportive manager that has kindly guided me all along. My colleagues have been really welcoming and encouraging with what I have done. Also, other team members in LTW have helped me so much with their constructive feedback! This whole working environment is surely a great add-on to this internship experience as who wouldn’t love to be surrounded by smart and friendly people?</p>
<hr />
<p>I’m certain that some of you may have a similar/ different internship experience according to your own department/ projects. Feel free to comment down below and share yours too! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2021-08-11" itemprop="dateModified">Aug 11, 2021</time>
</span>
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<title>Data Visualization: The Intersection between Science and Art</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/2025/08/15/data-visualization-the-intersection-between-science-and-art/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[tli4]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2025 08:48:10 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[data]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Applications and Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[DLAM Feed]]></category>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/?p=5766</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span> Hi, I’m Hera, the Data Visualization Intern working on the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Data Dashboards. Before getting into this internship, data had already been a fundamental part of my life. As an undergraduate student studying Psychology and Linguistics, statistics is part of the core of what we do. We’ve been taught how […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> </p>
<div id="attachment_5767" style="width: 1811px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5767" class="wp-image-5767 size-full" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443.png" alt="Image of the TEL Data Dashboard SharePoint" width="1801" height="780" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443.png 1801w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443-300x130.png 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443-1024x443.png 1024w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443-768x333.png 768w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443-1536x665.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1801px) 100vw, 1801px" /><p id="caption-attachment-5767" class="wp-caption-text">The TEL Data Dashboard SharePoint</p></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Hi, I’m Hera, the Data Visualization Intern working on the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Data Dashboards. Before getting into this internship, data had already been a fundamental part of my life.</p>
<p>As an undergraduate student studying Psychology and Linguistics, statistics is part of the core of what we do. We’ve been taught how to approach data, clean it, visualize it, and analyze it. We’ve been taught how to run countless tests on it to figure out numbers like p-values and Cohen’s d.</p>
<p>Data and statistics are the shield behind what we do, the numbers that say “yeah, we’re 95% confident that what we found was not just an outcome of chance”.</p>
<p>It is the “sciencey” part.</p>
<p>But the visualization was small. It was more about getting the numbers to fit certain significance levels, just cold numbers and letters on a report. Visuals were required to have a better understanding of distributions. Although they were important and did tell a story, they weren’t exactly pretty and exciting standing by themselves. The excitement mainly comes when significant values are put into the context of suggesting that some scientific discoveries are “real”.</p>
<p>So when I got the opportunity to look at the data of LTW services when creating the dashboards, it was like a whole new world of fantasies and stories.</p>
<p>You start with the same old things that you do with any data.</p>
<p>You explore it, get yourself familiarized with it. Make sure you know what each data point means, how they each interlink with another. Meet with the data providers, service managers, and ask clarifying questions: What data points are relevant? What do you want to see on the dashboards? What would users want to see?</p>
<p>You clean the data, make sure everything is consistent, check for errors, and decide what measures to exclude and what measures to keep. You filter the data, merge stuff together when needed, and transform it into formats that PowerBI won’t give you errors working with.</p>
<p>And then the fundamental part of this internship, and the most exciting part – you paint visuals with numbers.</p>
<p>Bar charts, line graphs, area graphs, and pie charts.</p>
<p>Name cards, funnels, slicers, and filters.</p>
<p>Numbers are no longer just numbers. They are grouped together in bars or lines or arcs, illuminated with vibrant colours, and interactive with everything else that you click on.</p>
<p>PowerBI is my paintbrush.</p>
<p>An annoying one at certain times, trying to get it to do what I want, but a very useful one too indeed. You can play around with it in so many different ways: filter, slice, cross-highlight, drill down…</p>
<p>It was a constant problem-solving process to organize the data in certain ways and to customize the visualizations, trying to figure out relationships between models, and edit interactions between visuals so that related data move together. As there are ten services that I create dashboards for, and each of them is unique, the whole process starts again brand new with every dashboard that I make.</p>
<p>I also got to play around with the colours, the blank spaces, the shapes and lines – just like an artist would with his or her pieces of work.</p>
<p>But it was not only art in terms of the visuals. It was also art in terms of storytelling.</p>
<p>When data forms more than tables and numbers, you start to see the pictures more directly. Visualizations help to filter down the data to the most important bits, which makes the difficult communication of huge datasets much easier.</p>
<p>You can tell the story through different perspectives and dimensions. You can see the trend through time and years, a story of rises or fluctuations that make you wonder why there are certain peaks or troughs. You can see the categorizations by departments or user roles, which reveal how similar or different things are with students versus staff.</p>
<p>And as a product, the dashboards go through iterations of feedback with the data providers, service managers, and LTW representatives from the different schools. I was constantly having meetings to display my dashboards and to ask for feedback.</p>
<p>In fact, meeting with the services was one of the best parts. With both the initial walk-through of the datasets and the later feedback for the completed dashboards, collaboration with the different teams gave me a short glimpse of all of their work and inputs over the years. All the hidden work and immense effort behind the scenes, where I would not have known if I didn’t have the chance to work with LTW as an intern. The most inspiring part, though, was seeing their incredible expertise and familiarity with the services that they manage, and that was what brought the sparks into their eyes when they saw the dashboards.</p>
<p>So the dashboards tell way more than what someone can imagine, because people have different perspectives when they look at the same visualizations.</p>
<p>For the management teams of the different schools, the visualizations tell a story that reveals the preferences of their students and staff. For the data providers and service managers, the dashboards provide a snapshot of all their efforts and inputs into their services over the past few years.</p>
<p>For me, the whole project was a journey of exploration, discovery, and growth.</p>
<p>A journey of exploring the intersection between science and art.</p>
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<title>Elia Müller – Initial thoughts on doing Accessibility Checks</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/07/05/elia-muller-initial-thoughts-on-doing-accessibility-checks/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/07/05/elia-muller-initial-thoughts-on-doing-accessibility-checks/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[emuller2]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Jul 2024 10:23:36 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[EDE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Educational Design and Engagement]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Learn Foundations Intern]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Learn Foundations Learning Applications Developer]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[summer]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[university of edinburgh]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=2455</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Year of study & degree: 2nd year Psychology and Linguistics Internship: Learn Foundations Intern Meal deal of choice: Least offensive looking sandwich + Bakery item + Smoothie Favourite floor in Argyle House: Definitely K The title of your preferred work playlist: tasteless bops Subpar Slides As a Learn Foundations Intern, I’m involved in conducting a […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><hr />
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Year of study & degree: </span></b><span data-contrast="auto">2</span><span data-contrast="auto">nd</span><span data-contrast="auto"> year Psychology and Linguistics</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Internship:</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> Learn Foundations Intern</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Meal deal of choice:</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> Least offensive looking sandwich + Bakery item + Smoothie</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Favourite floor in Argyle House:</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> Definitely K</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">The title of your preferred work playlist:</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> tasteless bops</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<hr />
<h2><span data-contrast="none">Subpar Slides</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"201341983":0,"335559738":160,"335559739":80,"335559740":279}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">As a Learn Foundations Intern, I’m involved in conducting a number of checks on the university’s Virtual Learning Environment, Learn. We are tasked with verifying the presence of a school-dependent template and making sure that the correct variables are present, among other things (think LOTS of Excel spreadsheets filled with Ys and Ns).</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">But the part of my internship that has intrigued me the most so far is the accessibility checks that I’ve had to fill out for a random sample of courses from each school. More specifically, I thoroughly enjoyed scrolling through the PowerPoint slides of various courses and imagining the lectures that had accompanied them (a personal favourite so far were the slides of a female filmmakers course from which I got great movie recommendations). </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">But what about the accessibility of these slides? </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">It leaves much to be desired, unfortunately. Aside from scans of documents, PowerPoints seem to be the documents that consistently have the most accessibility issues, ranging from insufficient contrast between text and slide backgrounds to images that didn’t include alternative text. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">I was stumped, as there is guidance on how to make PowerPoint presentations accessible to all, as well as </span><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/:p:/r/sites/Anintroductiontoaccessibilityinlearningtechnology/Shared%20Documents/PowerPoint%20Accessible%20Template%201.pptx?d=w0026da0da47d4bc08995b30bfe529ecb&csf=1&web=1&e=7RS9cA"><span data-contrast="none">a</span><span data-contrast="none"> template</span></a><span data-contrast="auto"> provided by the university. Why weren’t people using that template?</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<h2><span data-contrast="none">Both beautiful and accessible</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":160,"335559739":80,"335559740":279}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Whilst I was staring incredulously at the university template that was getting so little use, I came to the realisation that a possible explanation for its invariable rejection was that it was a little </span><i><span data-contrast="auto">too </span></i><span data-contrast="auto">template-like. Its background is a neutral navy blue, and its font is Arial. What it has in accessibility, it lacks in flair. I believe that one reason the template may not be used is that course organisers want to add personality to the slides.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">But surely both are possible? This got me thinking about the way in which I design my own PowerPoint presentations. I frequently make use of online databases of PowerPoint templates, where I can choose between a myriad of different layouts and designs. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">How could we blend the world of accessibility and the world of design freedom?</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<h2><span data-contrast="none">A possible route forward</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"201341983":0,"335559738":160,"335559739":80,"335559740":279}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">One of the aspects I appreciate most about having an internship within ISG is that my line manager and supervisors are very keen on hearing our feedback and potential suggestions for improvements. This allowed me to suggest a database of accessible PowerPoint templates, to expand on the single template that currently exists and to enable course organisers to opt for an accessible template without sacrificing their aesthetic desires. If time permits, I would like to work on this project in the later stages of my internship.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<h6>– your new Blog Editor</h6>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2024-07-05" itemprop="dateModified">Jul 5, 2024</time>
</span>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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<item>
<title>Tallulah Thompson – What I have learnt from the Media and Podcasting Internship</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/05/27/tallulah-thompson-what-i-have-learnt-from-the-media-and-podcasting-internship/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/05/27/tallulah-thompson-what-i-have-learnt-from-the-media-and-podcasting-internship/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[tthompso]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 27 May 2024 08:14:32 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Applications and Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Internships]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=2426</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: 1st year Informatics (MInf) Intern Position: Media and Podcasting Intern I have now been working with the Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM) group as the Media and Podcasting Intern since February. It’s been an amazing experience – I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in so many interesting things and […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><p><strong>Programme of Study and Year: </strong>1st year Informatics (MInf)<br />
<strong>Intern Position: </strong>Media and Podcasting Intern</p>
<hr />
<p>I have now been working with the Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM) group as the Media and Podcasting Intern since February. It’s been an amazing experience – I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in so many interesting things and to work with a brilliant team led by Karen Howie. I’m really grateful to Karen and my colleagues for stretching me and supporting me in equal measure. As my internship comes to an end soon, I have decided to share my reflections and what I have learnt.</p>
<p><!-- notionvc: 0025adfe-330e-429b-a7a2-3092aef75b03 --></p>
<h3>Why I applied for this internship</h3>
<p>At the end of my first semester, I decided I wanted to find a job for the following semester that would allow me to interact with more people across the university, and that ideally would involve a project that would benefit others. After looking through many Computer Science related jobs, I found that most were exclusive to penultimate/final year students, and I realised I would have to broaden my search. I started looking for jobs, that despite being less directly related to my field of study, would still be relevant to my interests and help me gain professional experience and valuable skills. That was when I came across the Media and Podcasting Intern job opportunity on MyCareerHub; when I read the job description, I knew I had to apply! It was so appealing because it would allow me to bridge two of my main interests: technology and data, and content creation.</p>
<h3>What I have been doing</h3>
<p>My job has mainly entailed looking through videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create, and analysing their metadata to see how it can be improved, coming up with a metadata guidance document and checklist, collating videos to display on the front page that correspond to monthly themes, collaborating with content owners to improve the accessibility of their media, and, most excitingly, helping design the layout of the front page of the new Media Hopper Create website.</p>
<h3>What I have learnt</h3>
<p>This experience has taught me so much about metadata (<a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/03/20/2398/">see my previous blogpost</a>) and really highlighted the importance of having good metadata when it comes to improving the accessibility and findability of media. A small yet surprising fact I have learnt is that podcasts do not have to be audio only, and in order for media to be classed as a podcast on Media Hopper Create, it needs to be designed to be consumed in an episodic format, although, majority of the time, a podcast is audio only. I had used Media Hopper Create prior to my internship, however, this was mainly for watching lecture recordings, I hadn’t appreciated the range in content on the website and will continue to use it even after my internship ends. Another thing I hadn’t realised was how useful my ability to code is. I was asked to look through 2 data files and identify the entries that were in one and not the other; and being the Computer Science student that I am, rather than doing this manually/through Excel, I wrote a Python program to do this, which meant that I could complete this task in a much faster and more accurate way. I also used my Python skills to analyse metadata, identify trends and representing them as graphs. I so happy to discover how laterally applicable my skillset is!<!-- notionvc: 1730fcf1-c979-4f30-a932-ddc83022c226 --></p>
<h3>My thoughts</h3>
<p>Overall, this internship has not only expanded my understanding of metadata and media management but also reinforced the value of my technical skills in real-world applications. I’m excited to carry forward these lessons and continue exploring the intersection of technology and media in my future endeavours. I would like to thank Karen, Liam and the rest of the wonderful DLAM team for this amazing experience.</p>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2024-05-27" itemprop="dateModified">May 27, 2024</time>
</span>
]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
</item>
<item>
<title>Tallulah Thompson – Reflections on metadata</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/03/20/2398/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/03/20/2398/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[tthompso]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:10:54 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Asset Management System Metadata Intern]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Applications and Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Media Assistant]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Internships]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=2398</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: 1st year Informatics (MInf) Intern Position: Media and Podcasting Intern Introduction Hi! I’m Tallulah and I’m in my 4th week as the Media and Podcasting Intern with Media Hopper Create. So far, I’ve been looking through videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create to analyse their metadata and see how it could […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><p><strong>Programme of Study and Year: </strong>1st year Informatics (MInf)</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position: </strong>Media and Podcasting Intern</p>
<hr />
<h3>Introduction</h3>
<p>Hi! I’m Tallulah and I’m in my 4th week as the Media and Podcasting Intern with Media Hopper Create. So far, I’ve been looking through videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create to analyse their metadata and see how it could be improved, coming up with a metadata guidance sheet, and I’ve collated videos to display on the front page that correspond to monthly themes.</p>
<h3>Metadata</h3>
<p>Most of my internship so far has involved looking at metadata. Metadata essentially is data about data. In the context of Media Hopper Create, it is the information associated with the different videos that have been uploaded, for example, title, video description, tags, captions, publisher, etc. Having good metadata will make it easier for users of Media Hopper Create to find videos. Unfortunately, the quality in the metadata across the videos is quite inconsistent, which is why one of my jobs is to write guidance to help improve the quality and to make the media easier to find.</p>
<h3>What is good metadata?</h3>
<p>Good metadata will help organise, find and understand data. It should serve as the bridge between content and users. When it comes to videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create, this is what good metadata should look like for media:</p>
<p><strong>Title:</strong> should be clear and give context, for example, if it is a lecture., a good format would be: [Course Name] [Video Subject], rather than just naming a video “Overview” or “Summary”, e.g., “Object Oriented Programming, Lecture 2: Conditionals and Loops”. The users should be able to have a good idea what the video is about based on the title.</p>
<p><strong>Description:</strong> brief description of what the video is about. It should not just be the title repeated, and it should be detailed enough so that users should not have to watch the whole video to see if it is going to be useful to them</p>
<p><strong>Tags:</strong> should be relevant and specific to the video and should not be too general, for example having the tag “acts” on a video about climate change is not specific enough to the video. If the video is a podcast, adding the tag “podcast” will help users who are specifically finding a podcast, and/or if the video is only audio, adding the tag “audio only” will help users who are specifically finding audio only videos . It is better to have fewer tags that are specific and relevant to the video that will help the users find what they are looking for rather than having many tags that are not specific enough. Tags are added from frequently used words in the auto-generated captions, but sometimes these are not the most relevant, so after captioning is complete, it would be good to go through the tags and remove the irrelevant ones. Having a consistent format for tags will make it easier to organise videos, for example, a video with the tag “#artificialintelligence” will be considered different to a video with the tag “artificial intelligence”. A good format for tags is having them completely lowercase.</p>
<p><strong>Captions:</strong> key accessibility feature for many, including but not limited to: people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people who have difficulty processing auditory information, and people whose native language is not English. At the very least, auto-generated captions should be requested for videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create, although at times they can be inaccurate, it is still better than nothing. These captions can either be corrected by the uploader or a request can be put in to have them reviewed and corrected by the captioning team, to make them as accurate as possible.</p>
<p><strong>Attachments:</strong> The transcript, which is created from the auto-generated captions should be uploaded automatically. It is useful to not remove the transcript as it will allow users to search through it to see if the video is relevant. If a presentation is included in the video, uploading the slides will make it more convenient for the user.</p>
<p><strong>Chapters:</strong> divides the video into different sections based on what it is about. Adding in chapters is very useful especially when the video is longer than 30 mins, because it will allow the user to find what they are looking for in a video without having to watch the whole video.</p>
<h3>What is “bad” metadata?</h3>
<p>When videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create have “bad” metadata, it can lead to poor content sorting, making it harder for users to find videos that they are looking for. For instance, when the title for a lecture video is just “0.0”, rather than having the course the lecture is from and more information about the video, it makes it very difficult for users to find this video unless they specifically have the link/know exactly where to find it. It also means that users are less likely to watch the video as they will not know if it is relevant to them. If a video has too many tags that aren’t specific or relevant to the video, when users try searching based on tags, many less relevant videos might come up, making it harder for the user to find what they are looking for.</p>
<h3>My thoughts</h3>
<p>In my opinion, the main issue with the metadata associated with videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create is that it is inconsistent. Having inconsistent metadata makes it much harder for videos to be organised, which will then make it harder for users to find what they are looking for. As part of my internship, I have been tasked with writing a metadata guidance sheet for video uploaders, which I hope will increase the consistency in quality of metadata of videos uploaded. Although this guidance won’t necessarily be able to change the metadata of the already uploaded videos, by hopefully improving the metadata for future videos, it will mean that users can access the most up to date and relevant videos to them much more easily.</p>
<h3>What I have learned so far</h3>
<p>Before I started this internship, I thought I had quite a good idea of what metadata was and its importance. Although I have only been interning with Media Hopper Create for 3 weeks, I realised, I have already learned a lot. I’ve learned a lot about Media Hopper Create and how useful it is as a service for the University, and I didn’t realise how such small details in metadata could make such a big difference in the user experience. I’m looking forward to the rest of my internship and learning even more about metadata.</p>
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<time datetime="2024-03-20" itemprop="dateModified">Mar 20, 2024</time>
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<title>Lewis Forbes – LaTeX and Accessibility</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/08/15/lewis-forbes-latex-and-accessibility/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/08/15/lewis-forbes-latex-and-accessibility/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[lforbes3]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Aug 2023 14:46:31 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Applications and Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Intern]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=2152</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: Informatics (MInf), going into final year. Intern Position: Digital Learning Intern As a former Computer Science and Maths student (now just a Computer Science student), LaTeX has brought me much grief over my time at university. Writing my 30+ page dissertation using the software definitely increased my confidence in using […]]]></description>
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<p><strong>Programme of Study and Year: </strong>Informatics (MInf), going into final year.</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position: </strong>Digital Learning Intern</p>
<hr />
<p>As a former Computer Science and Maths student (now just a Computer Science student), LaTeX has brought me much grief over my time at university. Writing my 30+ page dissertation using the software definitely increased my confidence in using it, but to be honest I still don’t really understand how it works and frequently rely on StackOverflow.</p>
<p>As such, it was saddening but somewhat validating to learn that the problem of accessibility in LaTeX is one which has been plaguing the community for years – it’s maintained by a team of volunteers who have struggled to implement features which are becoming standard in electronic documents. In this post I’ll share my attempts at creating the most accessible LaTeX documents possible and conclude with steps you can take to achieve this. The speed at which LaTeX seems to advance (and break) led to a lot of trial and error in this process, and it’s possible that things which worked for me might not work for you.</p>
<p>I used the <a href="http://edin.ac/ally">accessibility evaluation software Ally</a> to determine what makes documents accessible, which gives documents an accessibility percentage and suggests where improvements can be made. Ally gave the initial PDF I provided a score of 5%, but guided me to create a document with a score of 96%. It did not comment on maths however, which is not accessible by default in LaTeX as explained in this <a href="https://asarantsev.github.io/WebArchive/access.pdf" class="mtli_attachment mtli_pdf">report by Massie and Sarantsev</a>.</p>
<figure id="attachment_2238" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2238" style="width: 277px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-2238" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-218x300.png" alt="" width="277" height="382" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-218x300.png 218w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image.png 569w" sizes="(max-width: 277px) 100vw, 277px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2238" class="wp-caption-text">Ally’s initial rating and comments for an unchanged LaTeX document.</figcaption></figure>
<p>Based on Ally’s guidance and the information in the report mentioned, the inaccessible aspects of default LaTeX documents are their lack of tagging and headers, lack of alt text, lack of metadata, and maths which cannot be meaningfully read by screen readers.</p>
<h2>LaTeX Accessibility Summary</h2>
<p>If your document contains a lot of maths, I recommend creating an HTML5 file using <a href="https://pandoc.org/index.html">Pandoc</a>. See the checklist in the ‘Maths’ section below for information on this.</p>
<p>If your document has no maths, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Add alt text as explained in the first two bullet points in the ‘Alt Text’ section below.</li>
<li>Add metadata as explained in the ‘Metadata’ section below.</li>
<li>Add tags/headings using the using <a href="https://pdfix.io/make-pdf-accessible/">this PDFix tool</a>.</li>
</ol>
<p>As mentioned, following these steps produced <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/wnfhnwdpbfmy">96% accessible LaTeX project</a>, based on Ally’s score of its PDF after tagging.</p>
<hr />
<p>I will now go into more detail about each of the different inaccessible areas mentioned.</p>
<h2>Alt Text</h2>
<p>Alternative text is often included for those <a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/website-communications/improving-alt-text-at-the-university/">using screen readers</a>, but thanks to the <a href="https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/the-curb-cut-effect-8a6b68d6485">curb cut effect</a> has uses for many people – both visually impaired and sighted. Different sources recommend different ways of including this:</p>
<p>I successfully added alt text using the following methods:</p>
<ul>
<li>Using a parameter on caption <code>\caption[alt text]{caption text}</code>, as recommended by ChatGPT. This should be used when <code>\includegraphics{}</code> is used within a <code>\figure{}</code> environment.</li>
<li>Using <code>\pdftooltip{}</code> from the <a href="https://ctan.org/pkg/pdfcomment?lang=en">pdfcomment interface</a> successfully added tooltips with user-specified text to the document, which Ally recognized as alt text. This should be used when <code>\includegraphics{}</code> is being used with no <code>\caption{}</code>. For example, I used it in a <code>\subfloat{}</code> environment. This was advised in this <a href="https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/75102/need-alt-text-for-images-in-pdf-for-screen-readers?answertab=modifieddesc#tab-top">StackExchange forum</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>The following methods were recommended by various sources, but did not allow me to successfully add alt text to images:</p>
<ul>
<li>Using <code>\Description{}</code> as recommended in this <a href="https://authors.acm.org/journals/how-to-write-alt-text-and-why">Association for Computing Machinery article</a>. This command was not recognized by the compiler, and no packages to include were mentioned.</li>
<li>Using <code>\nextalt{}</code> as recommended in this <a href="https://people.bath.ac.uk/cspehj/maths-access/latex-instructions/sect0049.html">webpage by Emma Cliffe at Bath University</a>. This command was not recognized by the compiler even with the inclusion of the graphicsx package as mentioned.</li>
<li>Using the accessibility package and the <code>\alt{}</code> comment as recommended in this <a href="https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/c.php?g=995742&p=8207771">Michigan State University Library guide</a>. This also didn’t work.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Metadata</h2>
<p>Ally highlights the need for the inclusion of a PDF’s title and language. This allows screen readers to introduce the document, which can be included with the following lines in the document preamble:</p>
<p><code>\usepackage{hyperref}<br />
\hypersetup{pdftitle={Document Name}, pdflang={en-GB}}</code></p>
<h2>PDF Tagging & Headings</h2>
<p>There does not appear to be a way of reliably generating tagged PDFs using LaTeX. The unsuitability of two potential solutions I came across follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>As outlined in the <a href="https://ctan.math.illinois.edu/macros/latex/contrib/tagpdf/tagpdf.pdf" class="mtli_attachment mtli_pdf">tagpdf documentation</a>, the tagpdf package is not meant for normal document production. As such, the syntax required to use it is complicated and the package likely contains bugs.</li>
<li>As outlined on the <a href="https://github.com/AndyClifton/accessibility"><!--StartFragment --><span class="cf0">Accessibility package GitHub page</span></a>, the accessibility package is also not suitable for production and is no longer maintained. Although it does produces tagged PDFs according to Ally, it sometimes leads to documents not compiling, and sometimes causes unexpected behaviour. As an example:
<ul>
<li>This <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/jhnbjpgkbfgy">compilable project</a> does not contain the package, but otherwise identical <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/xrqdvtbrksds">uncompilable project</a> contains the package.</li>
<li>In this <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/vjnnqxjwtnvy">incorrectly compiled project</a> some of the text is duplicated whereas in this <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/grpjgthrpcvq">correctly compiled project</a> no duplication occurs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Tags can be added to a PDF once it’s been created by a few different services, namely Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, Microsoft Word, and PDFix. Since Acrobat Pro isn’t free to use and Word seems to often ruin the format, I found PDFix’s <a href="https://pdfix.io/make-pdf-accessible/">‘Make PDF Accessible’ tool</a> to be the best solution. This also allows metadata to be changed. The company appear reputable with the <a href="https://pdfix.net/privacy-policy/">PDFix privacy policy</a> stating they delete all provided files for 30 days and pass data to third parties “only within the extent necessary to meet its obligations”.</p>
<p>The only problem I found with this service was its inability to render a <code>.pdf</code> vector image. This format is unusual, and was easily fixed by converting the image to a <code>.png</code> file.</p>
<h2>Maths</h2>
<p>Making maths accessible in LaTeX does appear to be possible but is a little complex. Most sources seem to recommend converting LaTeX documents to HTML5 documents via a semi-automated process using various tools. This aforementioned <a href="https://asarantsev.github.io/WebArchive/access.pdf" class="mtli_attachment mtli_pdf">Massie and Sarantsev paper</a> provides a good overview of the topic.</p>
<p>I found <a href="https://pandoc.org/index.html">Pandoc</a> to be the easiest tool to do this conversion. To convert maths it uses <a href="https://www.mathjax.org/">MathJax</a> – a JavaScript engine which creates “beautiful and accessible math in all browsers”. HTML documents are accessible by default since they are tagged, and contain conventions for setting alt text and metadata. See this <a href="https://docs.mathjax.org/en/v2.7-latest/misc/accessibility-features.html#screenreader-support">MathJax documentation page</a> for information on screen readers for maths it helps display.</p>
<p>Once installing Pandoc, LaTeX documents can be converted on Windows as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open command prompt (press <code>Win+R</code>, type cmd, press enter).</li>
<li>Copy the location of the folder containing the <code>.tex</code> file you wish to convert. The <code>.bib</code> file should be in the same directory.</li>
<li>In command prompt, enter:
<ul>
<li><code>cd "the folder location you copied"</code></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Enter the following command, replacing <code>myTex.tex</code> and <code>myBib.bib</code> with your filenames.
<ul>
<li><code>pandoc myTex.tex -f latex -t html -s -o output.html --bibliography myTex.bib --citeproc --mathjax</code></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Move the new file <code>output.html</code> up one folder level. For example, from <code>C:/folder1/folder2/folder3/output.html</code> to <code>C:/folder1/folder2/output.html</code>. This is so images’ paths are correct.</li>
<li>Open <code>output.html</code>.</li>
</ol>
<p>You might find Pandoc is <span class="NormalTextRun SCXW204967602 BCX0">less forgiving with syntax errors than your usual </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW204967602 BCX0">compiler when it comes to your bibliography</span>. A verifier such as <a href="https://flamingtempura.github.io/bibtex-tidy/">BibTeX Tidy</a> can be used to identify and correct errors.</p>
<h2>The Future</h2>
<p>Decreasing the steps authors have to take to make their LaTeX documents accessible is an area of active development, as outlined in <a href="https://www.latex-project.org/publications/indexbytopic/pdf/">The LaTex Project’s accessibility publications</a>. The most recent update I’ve seen comes from this <a href="https://www.latex-project.org/news/2023/05/27/latex-dev-2/">LaTeX news article</a> introducing the final pre-release of the June 2023 version of LaTeX.</p>
<p>This pre-releases produced viable, tagged documents for simple files, but cannot format some complex files, as shown in the image below. For documents with tables it produced well-compiled PDFs, but they were untagged. This means the pre-release is currently no better than the tagging methods mentioned above.</p>
<figure id="attachment_2203" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2203" style="width: 967px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-2203 size-full" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-3.png" alt="A screenshot of a unreadable document, containing text which overflows to off of the page and displayed commands." width="967" height="559" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-3.png 967w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-3-300x173.png 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-3-768x444.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 967px) 100vw, 967px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2203" class="wp-caption-text">A poorly formatted document produced by the final June pre-release of LaTeX.</figcaption></figure>
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<time datetime="2023-08-15" itemprop="dateModified">Aug 15, 2023</time>
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<title>Ioana-Sabina Susanu – My Digital Learning Internship, in a nutshell.</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/06/07/ioana-sabina-susanu-my-digital-learning-internship-in-a-nutshell/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/06/07/ioana-sabina-susanu-my-digital-learning-internship-in-a-nutshell/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[lforbes3]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 07 Jun 2023 14:48:11 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Intern]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1905</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: 3rd year Astrophysics Hobbies: Reading, music, karate Intern Position: Digital Learning Intern Describe your role in 4 words: interesting, challenging (at times), rewarding I wanted to take the time to do a blog post on how my internship has been for the past year. I have worked full-time during the […]]]></description>
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<p><strong>Programme of Study and Year: </strong>3rd year Astrophysics</p>
<p><strong>Hobbies: </strong>Reading, music, karate</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position: </strong>Digital Learning Intern</p>
<p><strong>Describe your role in 4 words: </strong>interesting, challenging (at times), rewarding</p>
<hr />
<p>I wanted to take the time to do a blog post on how my internship has been for the past year. I have worked full-time during the summer in the DLAM TEL team (Digital Learning Applications and Media, Technology Enhanced Learning – so many acronyms!), and part-time during the academic year.</p>
<p>I have done mostly Accessibility testing on various applications, including Turnitin, Moodle, Echo360, Collaborate and Ally, but also other tasks like caption verification or blog editing. I have had a lot to learn about all of the different software types and environments used within the University, and how important each piece of technology is.</p>
<p>Wrapping up my time in DLAM, I wanted to share once again how important the topic of Accessibility is, since it is what the vast majority of my work consisted of. Even though it seems that most of the regulations and adaptive software is concentrated on visual impairment (and too few regulations cover physical impairment – but this is a discussion for another time), it is certain that every little element that is made accessible on a page/application/platform makes a huge difference. Every colour combination, every button, every description and every message matters and can make the navigation better for users if accessibility is taken into consideration.</p>
<p>That being said, my work has been varied, and I never got a chance to get ‘bored’ as every thing I had to do was different from the previous one. I had the opportunity of working with a lot of different people, and I had a lot to learn from everyone I’ve met during my internship. The fact that the team has been welcoming and helpful made a great difference for me and my work – being relaxed and confident in my actions made me more productive, efficient and attentive to details</p>
<h2>Make the most of Learning Technology!</h2>
<p>I would like to end this blog post with a big ‘Thank you’ to the DLAM TEL team, and the wider Learning, Teaching and Web community for the continued support throughout the year.</p>
<p>I certainly recommend giving Learning Technology a chance, regardless of your degree – in the end, it is used by everyone at University, and it’s a very diverse field that will never make you bored.</p>
<p>And lastly, make the most of the resources available – there is a wide variety of them (books, software, databases, videos, courses, trainings), all available at a few clicks’ distance.</p>
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<time datetime="2023-06-07" itemprop="dateModified">Jun 7, 2023</time>
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<title>Eva Spanachi – The journey of being a Digital Learning Intern</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/08/04/__trashed/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/08/04/__trashed/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[espanach]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Aug 2022 14:15:15 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Intern]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1629</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: 4th Year Chemistry Hobbies: Art, reading, yoga, baking Intern Position: Digital learning Intern Describe your role in 4 words: Write a blog guys! “Known as” at the office: That annoying person who wouldn’t stop sending emails about the ISG Student Employee blog The opportunity to be part of the ISG […]]]></description>
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<hr />
<p><strong>Programme of Study and Year:</strong> 4<sup>th</sup> Year Chemistry</p>
<p><strong>Hobbies:</strong> Art, reading, yoga, baking</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position:</strong> Digital learning Intern</p>
<p><strong>Describe your role in 4 words:</strong> Write a blog guys!</p>
<p><strong>“Known as” at the office:</strong> That annoying person who wouldn’t stop sending emails about the ISG Student Employee blog</p>
<hr />
<h2>The opportunity to be part of the ISG team</h2>
<p>In mid-April, having the usual mid-semester crisis I started thinking of what I would be doing over the summer! So I started a search to find an internship and I came across the various roles offered by ISG on MyCareerHub and everything looked very interesting (and not chemistry related, which would allow my brain to have a break from all the science). Having my interview with some of the Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM) members, I immediately realized that I really wanted to become part of that lovely team and was therefore really happy to receive an offer for the digital learning role.</p>
<h2>The internship so far…</h2>
<p>Part of my internship consists of general testing, as well as accessibility testing on University platforms. After undergoing some training on accessibility, I was so surprised to realize how unfamiliar I was with the whole concept and I definitely learned a lot about how to make things more accessible by considering things like using a correct colour contrast, alternative text when using images, captions in videos and the general structure of a site to make it easy to navigate when someone is not using a mouse or using a speech navigator for example. The general lesson I learned however, was to actually keep in mind the various audiences and not just assume that we all use computers and technology in the same way, but we definitely all deserve to be able to access and navigate through all online environments.</p>
<p>Another part of my role has been to create screencasts using MediaHopper to provide instructions on how to navigate around some teaching and learning sites such as Learn. I now know the struggle of having to record your own voice, and the need to have approximately a hundred takes before you decide to give up and use whatever you have recorded by convincing yourself that it is good enough! The first video I had to script and record was 1.5 mins long and it took me a day to perfect, caption and finally post so I can only imagine how difficult it must be to record an hour long lecture!</p>
<p>I was also recently able to observe how the Unidesk side of the team works and see how they keep the Learning Technology of the University working, and ensure that any issue that occurs is resolved. So I had the opportunity to follow through the process of how an issue, that a staff member or student may be dealing with on different university platforms, such as Turnitin and Learn, is handled and eventually resolved. In the next few weeks I will also be able to go through a few issues and try to propose a way to resolve the problem, and become familiar with the different stages of coming up with a solution.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1805 " src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-300x241.jpg" alt="" width="467" height="375" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-300x241.jpg 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-1024x822.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-768x617.jpg 768w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-1536x1233.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903.jpg 1919w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px" /></p>
<p> </p>
<h2>Getting familiar with Blogs.ed!</h2>
<p>The general and accessibility testing I did was on Blogs.ed which was really useful because it helped me get familiar with the website as I had to use it daily as part of having the role of the student intern blog editor. My first task with this role was to come up with a template for the blog posts (a challenging task considering I had never written a single blog post or anything similar before). So I had to come up with a plan!</p>
<p>-> <strong>Plan A:</strong> Read all the previous blogs written by interns and get inspired. Well, I discovered that there were too many previous interns and hence too many previous blogs and too little time! -> <strong>Plan B:</strong> Read <em>a few</em> blogs from each past summer to get inspired and create a template. That actually worked and I managed to structure a template. Step 1 done! <strong>Step 2-</strong> Get the template approved and come up with a strategy on how to approach the other interns. I knew immediately that I had to find a way to make my fellow interns want to write blog posts without being too annoying. <strong> Step 3-</strong> After annoying the interns I then had to edit and proofread their blogs and finally post them on <a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/">the Information Services Group: Student Employee Blog</a>. It has been great to see that the plan actually worked and interns did offer to write a blog, and I definitely enjoyed reading them all!</p>
<h2>A few weeks left…</h2>
<p>Only a few weeks left for the end of my internship and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to be part of such a lovely team, where everyone was very welcoming and supportive throughout the internship. Also very grateful that Covid managed to calm down and allow us to go to the office now and then and enjoy each other’s company in person, and got to meet other interns during the great Unitemps social events!</p>
<p><strong>I hope all the interns had a great time during their internships and enjoyed their summers as well! Hopefully the rest of the staff in ISG enjoyed having us around and I am sure all of us appreciate their work and effort a lot more now that we got to see what is happening behind ‘the scenes’.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
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<time datetime="2022-08-04" itemprop="dateModified">Aug 4, 2022</time>
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<title>Ioana -Uncovering the depths of accessibility testing in the Digital Learning Internship</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/07/25/ioana-uncovering-the-depths-of-accessibility-testing-in-the-digital-learning-internship/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/07/25/ioana-uncovering-the-depths-of-accessibility-testing-in-the-digital-learning-internship/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[espanach]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Jul 2022 13:10:59 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Intern]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1727</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: Astrophysics (MPhys), going into 3rd year Hobbies: Reading, listening to music, taking walks, watching TV series Intern Position: Digital Learning Intern within Learning, Teaching and Web (LTW) Fun fact about your internship: I have become knowledgeable in Accessibility testing, even though this was not the plan initially Describe your role […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><hr />
<p><strong>Programme of Study and Year:</strong> Astrophysics (MPhys), going into 3<sup>rd</sup> year</p>
<p><strong>Hobbies:</strong> Reading, listening to music, taking walks, watching TV series</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position:</strong> Digital Learning Intern within Learning, Teaching and Web (LTW)</p>
<p><strong>Fun fact about your internship:</strong> I have become knowledgeable in Accessibility testing, even though this was not the plan initially</p>
<p><strong>Describe your role in 4 words: </strong> Challenging, rewarding, technical, awesome</p>
<hr />
<h2>The internship experience in a nutshell</h2>
<p>I have found out about these internships from the Unitemps website. I kept checking it in March, as I knew that was the time when the summer roles would be advertised. I have also received notifications over e-mail regarding the roles and how to apply. My role requires me to become familiar with a variety of learning technology applications, and do the accessibility testing based on a specific script and using assistive software. The most enjoyable part is that I get to see, learn, experience and test a lot of the University’s platforms, applications and integrations, and I have the chance to see these from a developer point of view. Additionally, it is just enjoyable to collaborate with my team members and socialise with other interns when we are in the office. Speaking of socialising, the Unitemps social events for interns are the best – the food is great and I always get to meet and talk to lots of interesting people with various experiences.</p>
<h2>Highlights of Digital Learning – Creating documentation and conducting accessibility testing</h2>
<p>I find the 9-5 life surprisingly relaxing, especially when I work from home. Office days can be a bit more tiring, but they are the most fun as almost everyone is there on certain days. My team is welcoming and friendly, even in busy and stressful times – for which I admire them greatly. I really enjoy that communication is very efficient within the team, both when we are in the office and when we are working remotely.</p>
<p>My role so far has helped me overcome certain ‘fears’, for example listening to my own voice. I had to create some videos with instructions on how to use one of the applications within the University. I already had the script, I just had to record my screen while navigating the application. Even though it seems like a simple task, the idea of recording my own voice felt strange. After talking to my manager and some of the members of my team about this, I found that my feeling was quite common – no-one likes to record and listen to their own voice! Therefore I was a bit more confident that nothing could go wrong and I recorded the videos. Listening to my own voice while doing the captioning was not that bad – especially since I was focused on the quality of the sound and the content itself. The feedback I received for the videos was good, which boosted my confidence for this type of task.</p>
<p>As my work requires me to do accessibility testing, I had the opportunity to discover how complex this field is, and how many regulations need to be taken into account for a webpage/application/platform to be considered accessible. As an example, I was aware of captioning being needed for videos, but I wasn’t aware of the exact ratios needed for colour contrasts within a page. In addition, I could see how certain types of assistive software interact with the University platforms and applications, and which issues are encountered. While I still have some training sessions to do, I have developed an awareness for accessibility and I feel that this subject should be promoted more.</p>
<p>The internship has been a great experience so far. I feel lucky that I am a part of a lovely team (DLAM TEL – Digital Learning Applications and Media, Tech Enhanced Learning) where everyone is friendly and willing to help. I have a lot to learn from all of the team members, and also the other interns. The working environment is very good and inspiring, and it allows me to develop valuable skills that will certainly be beneficial in future assignments.</p>
<p><strong>Through this blog post, I would like to wish all the other interns the best of luck in their internships and projects, and to thank all the staff members for being welcoming and supportive in every matter. And last but not least, I encourage every student to apply for a summer internship within the Information Services Group – it’s definitely a fantastic experience!</strong></p>
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<time datetime="2022-07-25" itemprop="dateModified">Jul 25, 2022</time>
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<title>How I develop skills as a continuing App Developer Intern – Martin Lewis</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/04/20/how-i-develop-skills-as-a-continuing-app-developer-intern-martin-lewis/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/04/20/how-i-develop-skills-as-a-continuing-app-developer-intern-martin-lewis/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[awilso35]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2022 11:59:17 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Learn Foundations Learning Applications Developer]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1581</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Martin Lewis is a final year student in BSc (Hons) Computer Science, and started working as a Summer Intern in ISG in 2020, as one of our interns auditing Learn. Martin really impressed the Learn team with his initiative in finding a chance to automate some work, so since summer 2021 he has since been […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><p><em>Martin Lewis is a final year student in BSc (Hons) Computer Science, and started working as a Summer Intern in ISG in 2020, as one of our interns auditing Learn. Martin really impressed the Learn team with his initiative in finding a chance to automate some work, so since summer 2021 he has since been working with the Learn team in a more technical role, doing programming.</em></p>
<p>I started work in Information Services Group (ISG) at the University as a <strong>Summer Intern</strong> in 2020 and 2021, and <strong>since then I’ve been working for ISG doing technical bits and pieces</strong>. In this blog post I’ll be discussing <strong>what I’ve been doing as a part of my work for ISG and what skills this has helped me develop.</strong></p>
<p>Initially I was doing rather non-technical work as part of the Learn Foundations project getting the University’s Learn courses prepared for the new academic year. This was adding things like the course outline and organiser details into these fresh courses. <strong>However, I managed to find a way to automate parts of the workflow I was assigned to and from there began to do technical work for the ISG.</strong><br />
I now have the very long winded title of ‘Learn Foundations Applications Developer Intern’ in which I do development work, making applications that are usually, sometime tangentially, related to the Learn Foundations Project.</p>
<p>For those more technically minded, I’m working in the PHP programming language doing full stack (front and backend) work using the Laravel framework. An excellent opportunity to learn a new language and framework. <strong>There is also the chance to work on real world projects that contain issues and experiences that cannot be found in the classroom or in a coursework assignment.</strong> With real team members (big thanks to Andrew and his team who I have been working with) and <strong>projects that have a real outcome (not just a grade).</strong></p>
<p>Now this is not only a good opportunity to hone skills but it also looks very good on a CV. Already having practical software development experience is fantastic and it also is a great source of discussion <strong>during interviews being able to bring up situations and decisions you made outside of a classroom is great.</strong></p>
<p>Now let’s look at the day to day practicalities (this is just my experience your mileage may vary with role and when you might work). The work is remote, as you could probably guess, which fits well alongside my majority remote learning these past few years. Over the summers I’ve worked full time, 35 hours a week, being treated as a standard member of university staff. Then over the semesters only 7 hours a week which I find easy to fit around my studies and personal life but it does often mean rather slow progress in the projects you work on.</p>
<p><strong>Both of the line managers I’ve had have been wonderful and very understanding about the need to change work patterns last minute or take time off around major deadlines and exams.</strong> The pay isn’t too bad and goes a long way towards covering my rent.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if I’ll be continuing to work for the University after May as I am finally graduating. I will however apologise in advance to any potential future intern who has to work with my code! But the last two years have gone a long way to making me a much more employable graduate.</p>
<p>So do consider applying for an ISG internship,<strong> I’ve personally gotten a lot out of it and I think any proactive student can benefit greatly from such a role.</strong></p>
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<time datetime="2022-04-20" itemprop="dateModified">Apr 20, 2022</time>
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<title>Top Five Things I Like About my Internship</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2021/08/11/top-five-things-i-like-about-my-internship/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2021/08/11/top-five-things-i-like-about-my-internship/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[rcormac3]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 Aug 2021 11:07:16 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Media Assistant]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1543</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Hazel is the Digital Media Assistant Intern and is responsible for making promotional videos for some of the Ed Web Services and self-enroll courses that are available for staff with the aim of explaining the system and services better to encourage higher usage. She enjoys her job because it allows for creativity and also loves […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><p><em>Hazel is the Digital Media Assistant Intern and is responsible for making promotional videos for some of the Ed Web Services and self-enroll courses that are available for staff with the aim of explaining the system and services better to encourage higher usage. She enjoys her job because it allows for creativity and also loves singing, dancing, cooking and has just recently starting learning the ukulele!</em></p>
<hr />
<p>“It’s summer again!” This was what I thinking as I finished my semester. Then what? What should I do this summer? I wanted to make myself useful and gain some experience, which led me to browse for internship opportunities, and fortunately, I was accepted as a Digital Media Assistant Intern under Learning, Teaching and Web services (LTW)!</p>
<p>Impacted by COVID-19, the ways in which we learn and work have changed drastically. As a student, I’m not really a big fan of online learning but to my surprise, I have enjoyed my remote-working internship experience. Here are the top five things I like about my internship experience, and I hope some of that resonate with yours too <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<h3>1) Have my own input and make things happen!</h3>
<p>I’d never really had any internship experience before I joined. From my what my friends said, they described it as more of a rigid form of working, which means managers tell them exactly what they need to do and manage all the tasks with frequent reporting. It seems like it curbs much of their own creative input into the work as they are only following what they are asked to do.</p>
<p>However, my internship experience is totally different! To my surprise, I am given a plethora of opportunities to have my own input in creative tasks. For example, I initiated ideas of the video storyboards and the design of them. The fact that most of them were accepted truly makes me feel empowered as my manager and colleagues trust my skills in making the videos happen.<em><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-1545 aligncenter" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-300x200.jpg" alt="Table with laptop, mug, pen and paper and a mobile phone." width="411" height="274" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 411px) 100vw, 411px" /></em></p>
<h3>2) Effective communication</h3>
<p>Since the internship is entirely remote, we have used different methods of communication. Making use of Microsoft Teams and Outlook Email functions facilitates effective communication and avoids long-winded boring meetings (which usually happens in a physical setting). With all the technology available, it makes Working from Home possible and seemingly more effective, saving travelling time and speeding up work productivity. Therefore, although we cannot see each other physically, I am still able to communicate with my line manager and other team members easily on a weekly basis and get things going.</p>
<h3>3) High flexibility (time management skills are required!)</h3>
<p>My internship experience is very flexible with the whole project timeline. I can take on the role to plan when things should be delivered and manage when I should sort out the ideas, video storyboards and drafts, etc. This has certainly strengthened my time management skills, as I have to ensure that I am not falling behind the schedule and the project can progress swiftly.</p>
<p>The high flexibility also enables me to schedule other commitments around it. This allows me to achieve a good work-life balance during this period. I know that having an unexpected flexibility with time might seem to be a bit too good to be true, but to be honest, it does require a lot of self-control and time management skills!</p>
<h3>4) Gaining diverse skills</h3>
<p>It is a pleasant surprise to be able to gain other skills outside of what I’ve already learned! My project requires collaboration with other team members in the project and that has enabled me to learn so much more in other aspects, such as content writing, visual design, persona creation etc. These are all valuable opportunities and relevant skillsets that will be very helpful in a workplace. The fact that I can gain all these diverse skills makes the whole experience much more fulfilling!</p>
<h3>5) Supportive environment</h3>
<p>Last but not least, I’ve got to say I’m so grateful to have a really supportive manager that has kindly guided me all along. My colleagues have been really welcoming and encouraging with what I have done. Also, other team members in LTW have helped me so much with their constructive feedback! This whole working environment is surely a great add-on to this internship experience as who wouldn’t love to be surrounded by smart and friendly people?</p>
<hr />
<p>I’m certain that some of you may have a similar/ different internship experience according to your own department/ projects. Feel free to comment down below and share yours too! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
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<time datetime="2021-08-11" itemprop="dateModified">Aug 11, 2021</time>
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<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span> Hi, I’m Hera, the Data Visualization Intern working on the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Data Dashboards. Before getting into this internship, data had already been a fundamental part of my life. As an undergraduate student studying Psychology and Linguistics, statistics is part of the core of what we do. We’ve been taught how […]]]></description>
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<div id="attachment_5767" style="width: 1811px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5767" class="wp-image-5767 size-full" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443.png" alt="Image of the TEL Data Dashboard SharePoint" width="1801" height="780" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443.png 1801w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443-300x130.png 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443-1024x443.png 1024w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443-768x333.png 768w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-15-092443-1536x665.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1801px) 100vw, 1801px" /><p id="caption-attachment-5767" class="wp-caption-text">The TEL Data Dashboard SharePoint</p></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Hi, I’m Hera, the Data Visualization Intern working on the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Data Dashboards. Before getting into this internship, data had already been a fundamental part of my life.</p>
<p>As an undergraduate student studying Psychology and Linguistics, statistics is part of the core of what we do. We’ve been taught how to approach data, clean it, visualize it, and analyze it. We’ve been taught how to run countless tests on it to figure out numbers like p-values and Cohen’s d.</p>
<p>Data and statistics are the shield behind what we do, the numbers that say “yeah, we’re 95% confident that what we found was not just an outcome of chance”.</p>
<p>It is the “sciencey” part.</p>
<p>But the visualization was small. It was more about getting the numbers to fit certain significance levels, just cold numbers and letters on a report. Visuals were required to have a better understanding of distributions. Although they were important and did tell a story, they weren’t exactly pretty and exciting standing by themselves. The excitement mainly comes when significant values are put into the context of suggesting that some scientific discoveries are “real”.</p>
<p>So when I got the opportunity to look at the data of LTW services when creating the dashboards, it was like a whole new world of fantasies and stories.</p>
<p>You start with the same old things that you do with any data.</p>
<p>You explore it, get yourself familiarized with it. Make sure you know what each data point means, how they each interlink with another. Meet with the data providers, service managers, and ask clarifying questions: What data points are relevant? What do you want to see on the dashboards? What would users want to see?</p>
<p>You clean the data, make sure everything is consistent, check for errors, and decide what measures to exclude and what measures to keep. You filter the data, merge stuff together when needed, and transform it into formats that PowerBI won’t give you errors working with.</p>
<p>And then the fundamental part of this internship, and the most exciting part – you paint visuals with numbers.</p>
<p>Bar charts, line graphs, area graphs, and pie charts.</p>
<p>Name cards, funnels, slicers, and filters.</p>
<p>Numbers are no longer just numbers. They are grouped together in bars or lines or arcs, illuminated with vibrant colours, and interactive with everything else that you click on.</p>
<p>PowerBI is my paintbrush.</p>
<p>An annoying one at certain times, trying to get it to do what I want, but a very useful one too indeed. You can play around with it in so many different ways: filter, slice, cross-highlight, drill down…</p>
<p>It was a constant problem-solving process to organize the data in certain ways and to customize the visualizations, trying to figure out relationships between models, and edit interactions between visuals so that related data move together. As there are ten services that I create dashboards for, and each of them is unique, the whole process starts again brand new with every dashboard that I make.</p>
<p>I also got to play around with the colours, the blank spaces, the shapes and lines – just like an artist would with his or her pieces of work.</p>
<p>But it was not only art in terms of the visuals. It was also art in terms of storytelling.</p>
<p>When data forms more than tables and numbers, you start to see the pictures more directly. Visualizations help to filter down the data to the most important bits, which makes the difficult communication of huge datasets much easier.</p>
<p>You can tell the story through different perspectives and dimensions. You can see the trend through time and years, a story of rises or fluctuations that make you wonder why there are certain peaks or troughs. You can see the categorizations by departments or user roles, which reveal how similar or different things are with students versus staff.</p>
<p>And as a product, the dashboards go through iterations of feedback with the data providers, service managers, and LTW representatives from the different schools. I was constantly having meetings to display my dashboards and to ask for feedback.</p>
<p>In fact, meeting with the services was one of the best parts. With both the initial walk-through of the datasets and the later feedback for the completed dashboards, collaboration with the different teams gave me a short glimpse of all of their work and inputs over the years. All the hidden work and immense effort behind the scenes, where I would not have known if I didn’t have the chance to work with LTW as an intern. The most inspiring part, though, was seeing their incredible expertise and familiarity with the services that they manage, and that was what brought the sparks into their eyes when they saw the dashboards.</p>
<p>So the dashboards tell way more than what someone can imagine, because people have different perspectives when they look at the same visualizations.</p>
<p>For the management teams of the different schools, the visualizations tell a story that reveals the preferences of their students and staff. For the data providers and service managers, the dashboards provide a snapshot of all their efforts and inputs into their services over the past few years.</p>
<p>For me, the whole project was a journey of exploration, discovery, and growth.</p>
<p>A journey of exploring the intersection between science and art.</p>
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<title>Elia Müller – Initial thoughts on doing Accessibility Checks</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/07/05/elia-muller-initial-thoughts-on-doing-accessibility-checks/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/07/05/elia-muller-initial-thoughts-on-doing-accessibility-checks/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[emuller2]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Jul 2024 10:23:36 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[EDE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Educational Design and Engagement]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Learn Foundations Intern]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Learn Foundations Learning Applications Developer]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[summer]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[university of edinburgh]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=2455</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Year of study & degree: 2nd year Psychology and Linguistics Internship: Learn Foundations Intern Meal deal of choice: Least offensive looking sandwich + Bakery item + Smoothie Favourite floor in Argyle House: Definitely K The title of your preferred work playlist: tasteless bops Subpar Slides As a Learn Foundations Intern, I’m involved in conducting a […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><hr />
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Year of study & degree: </span></b><span data-contrast="auto">2</span><span data-contrast="auto">nd</span><span data-contrast="auto"> year Psychology and Linguistics</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Internship:</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> Learn Foundations Intern</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Meal deal of choice:</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> Least offensive looking sandwich + Bakery item + Smoothie</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Favourite floor in Argyle House:</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> Definitely K</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">The title of your preferred work playlist:</span></b><span data-contrast="auto"> tasteless bops</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<hr />
<h2><span data-contrast="none">Subpar Slides</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"201341983":0,"335559738":160,"335559739":80,"335559740":279}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">As a Learn Foundations Intern, I’m involved in conducting a number of checks on the university’s Virtual Learning Environment, Learn. We are tasked with verifying the presence of a school-dependent template and making sure that the correct variables are present, among other things (think LOTS of Excel spreadsheets filled with Ys and Ns).</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">But the part of my internship that has intrigued me the most so far is the accessibility checks that I’ve had to fill out for a random sample of courses from each school. More specifically, I thoroughly enjoyed scrolling through the PowerPoint slides of various courses and imagining the lectures that had accompanied them (a personal favourite so far were the slides of a female filmmakers course from which I got great movie recommendations). </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">But what about the accessibility of these slides? </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">It leaves much to be desired, unfortunately. Aside from scans of documents, PowerPoints seem to be the documents that consistently have the most accessibility issues, ranging from insufficient contrast between text and slide backgrounds to images that didn’t include alternative text. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">I was stumped, as there is guidance on how to make PowerPoint presentations accessible to all, as well as </span><a href="https://uoe.sharepoint.com/:p:/r/sites/Anintroductiontoaccessibilityinlearningtechnology/Shared%20Documents/PowerPoint%20Accessible%20Template%201.pptx?d=w0026da0da47d4bc08995b30bfe529ecb&csf=1&web=1&e=7RS9cA"><span data-contrast="none">a</span><span data-contrast="none"> template</span></a><span data-contrast="auto"> provided by the university. Why weren’t people using that template?</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<h2><span data-contrast="none">Both beautiful and accessible</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":160,"335559739":80,"335559740":279}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Whilst I was staring incredulously at the university template that was getting so little use, I came to the realisation that a possible explanation for its invariable rejection was that it was a little </span><i><span data-contrast="auto">too </span></i><span data-contrast="auto">template-like. Its background is a neutral navy blue, and its font is Arial. What it has in accessibility, it lacks in flair. I believe that one reason the template may not be used is that course organisers want to add personality to the slides.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">But surely both are possible? This got me thinking about the way in which I design my own PowerPoint presentations. I frequently make use of online databases of PowerPoint templates, where I can choose between a myriad of different layouts and designs. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">How could we blend the world of accessibility and the world of design freedom?</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<h2><span data-contrast="none">A possible route forward</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"201341983":0,"335559738":160,"335559739":80,"335559740":279}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">One of the aspects I appreciate most about having an internship within ISG is that my line manager and supervisors are very keen on hearing our feedback and potential suggestions for improvements. This allowed me to suggest a database of accessible PowerPoint templates, to expand on the single template that currently exists and to enable course organisers to opt for an accessible template without sacrificing their aesthetic desires. If time permits, I would like to work on this project in the later stages of my internship.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}"> </span></p>
<h6>– your new Blog Editor</h6>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2024-07-05" itemprop="dateModified">Jul 5, 2024</time>
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<title>Tallulah Thompson – What I have learnt from the Media and Podcasting Internship</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/05/27/tallulah-thompson-what-i-have-learnt-from-the-media-and-podcasting-internship/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/05/27/tallulah-thompson-what-i-have-learnt-from-the-media-and-podcasting-internship/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[tthompso]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 27 May 2024 08:14:32 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Applications and Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Internships]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=2426</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: 1st year Informatics (MInf) Intern Position: Media and Podcasting Intern I have now been working with the Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM) group as the Media and Podcasting Intern since February. It’s been an amazing experience – I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in so many interesting things and […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><p><strong>Programme of Study and Year: </strong>1st year Informatics (MInf)<br />
<strong>Intern Position: </strong>Media and Podcasting Intern</p>
<hr />
<p>I have now been working with the Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM) group as the Media and Podcasting Intern since February. It’s been an amazing experience – I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in so many interesting things and to work with a brilliant team led by Karen Howie. I’m really grateful to Karen and my colleagues for stretching me and supporting me in equal measure. As my internship comes to an end soon, I have decided to share my reflections and what I have learnt.</p>
<p><!-- notionvc: 0025adfe-330e-429b-a7a2-3092aef75b03 --></p>
<h3>Why I applied for this internship</h3>
<p>At the end of my first semester, I decided I wanted to find a job for the following semester that would allow me to interact with more people across the university, and that ideally would involve a project that would benefit others. After looking through many Computer Science related jobs, I found that most were exclusive to penultimate/final year students, and I realised I would have to broaden my search. I started looking for jobs, that despite being less directly related to my field of study, would still be relevant to my interests and help me gain professional experience and valuable skills. That was when I came across the Media and Podcasting Intern job opportunity on MyCareerHub; when I read the job description, I knew I had to apply! It was so appealing because it would allow me to bridge two of my main interests: technology and data, and content creation.</p>
<h3>What I have been doing</h3>
<p>My job has mainly entailed looking through videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create, and analysing their metadata to see how it can be improved, coming up with a metadata guidance document and checklist, collating videos to display on the front page that correspond to monthly themes, collaborating with content owners to improve the accessibility of their media, and, most excitingly, helping design the layout of the front page of the new Media Hopper Create website.</p>
<h3>What I have learnt</h3>
<p>This experience has taught me so much about metadata (<a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/03/20/2398/">see my previous blogpost</a>) and really highlighted the importance of having good metadata when it comes to improving the accessibility and findability of media. A small yet surprising fact I have learnt is that podcasts do not have to be audio only, and in order for media to be classed as a podcast on Media Hopper Create, it needs to be designed to be consumed in an episodic format, although, majority of the time, a podcast is audio only. I had used Media Hopper Create prior to my internship, however, this was mainly for watching lecture recordings, I hadn’t appreciated the range in content on the website and will continue to use it even after my internship ends. Another thing I hadn’t realised was how useful my ability to code is. I was asked to look through 2 data files and identify the entries that were in one and not the other; and being the Computer Science student that I am, rather than doing this manually/through Excel, I wrote a Python program to do this, which meant that I could complete this task in a much faster and more accurate way. I also used my Python skills to analyse metadata, identify trends and representing them as graphs. I so happy to discover how laterally applicable my skillset is!<!-- notionvc: 1730fcf1-c979-4f30-a932-ddc83022c226 --></p>
<h3>My thoughts</h3>
<p>Overall, this internship has not only expanded my understanding of metadata and media management but also reinforced the value of my technical skills in real-world applications. I’m excited to carry forward these lessons and continue exploring the intersection of technology and media in my future endeavours. I would like to thank Karen, Liam and the rest of the wonderful DLAM team for this amazing experience.</p>
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<time datetime="2024-05-27" itemprop="dateModified">May 27, 2024</time>
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<title>Tallulah Thompson – Reflections on metadata</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/03/20/2398/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2024/03/20/2398/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[tthompso]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:10:54 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Asset Management System Metadata Intern]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Applications and Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Media Assistant]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Internships]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=2398</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: 1st year Informatics (MInf) Intern Position: Media and Podcasting Intern Introduction Hi! I’m Tallulah and I’m in my 4th week as the Media and Podcasting Intern with Media Hopper Create. So far, I’ve been looking through videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create to analyse their metadata and see how it could […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><p><strong>Programme of Study and Year: </strong>1st year Informatics (MInf)</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position: </strong>Media and Podcasting Intern</p>
<hr />
<h3>Introduction</h3>
<p>Hi! I’m Tallulah and I’m in my 4th week as the Media and Podcasting Intern with Media Hopper Create. So far, I’ve been looking through videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create to analyse their metadata and see how it could be improved, coming up with a metadata guidance sheet, and I’ve collated videos to display on the front page that correspond to monthly themes.</p>
<h3>Metadata</h3>
<p>Most of my internship so far has involved looking at metadata. Metadata essentially is data about data. In the context of Media Hopper Create, it is the information associated with the different videos that have been uploaded, for example, title, video description, tags, captions, publisher, etc. Having good metadata will make it easier for users of Media Hopper Create to find videos. Unfortunately, the quality in the metadata across the videos is quite inconsistent, which is why one of my jobs is to write guidance to help improve the quality and to make the media easier to find.</p>
<h3>What is good metadata?</h3>
<p>Good metadata will help organise, find and understand data. It should serve as the bridge between content and users. When it comes to videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create, this is what good metadata should look like for media:</p>
<p><strong>Title:</strong> should be clear and give context, for example, if it is a lecture., a good format would be: [Course Name] [Video Subject], rather than just naming a video “Overview” or “Summary”, e.g., “Object Oriented Programming, Lecture 2: Conditionals and Loops”. The users should be able to have a good idea what the video is about based on the title.</p>
<p><strong>Description:</strong> brief description of what the video is about. It should not just be the title repeated, and it should be detailed enough so that users should not have to watch the whole video to see if it is going to be useful to them</p>
<p><strong>Tags:</strong> should be relevant and specific to the video and should not be too general, for example having the tag “acts” on a video about climate change is not specific enough to the video. If the video is a podcast, adding the tag “podcast” will help users who are specifically finding a podcast, and/or if the video is only audio, adding the tag “audio only” will help users who are specifically finding audio only videos . It is better to have fewer tags that are specific and relevant to the video that will help the users find what they are looking for rather than having many tags that are not specific enough. Tags are added from frequently used words in the auto-generated captions, but sometimes these are not the most relevant, so after captioning is complete, it would be good to go through the tags and remove the irrelevant ones. Having a consistent format for tags will make it easier to organise videos, for example, a video with the tag “#artificialintelligence” will be considered different to a video with the tag “artificial intelligence”. A good format for tags is having them completely lowercase.</p>
<p><strong>Captions:</strong> key accessibility feature for many, including but not limited to: people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people who have difficulty processing auditory information, and people whose native language is not English. At the very least, auto-generated captions should be requested for videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create, although at times they can be inaccurate, it is still better than nothing. These captions can either be corrected by the uploader or a request can be put in to have them reviewed and corrected by the captioning team, to make them as accurate as possible.</p>
<p><strong>Attachments:</strong> The transcript, which is created from the auto-generated captions should be uploaded automatically. It is useful to not remove the transcript as it will allow users to search through it to see if the video is relevant. If a presentation is included in the video, uploading the slides will make it more convenient for the user.</p>
<p><strong>Chapters:</strong> divides the video into different sections based on what it is about. Adding in chapters is very useful especially when the video is longer than 30 mins, because it will allow the user to find what they are looking for in a video without having to watch the whole video.</p>
<h3>What is “bad” metadata?</h3>
<p>When videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create have “bad” metadata, it can lead to poor content sorting, making it harder for users to find videos that they are looking for. For instance, when the title for a lecture video is just “0.0”, rather than having the course the lecture is from and more information about the video, it makes it very difficult for users to find this video unless they specifically have the link/know exactly where to find it. It also means that users are less likely to watch the video as they will not know if it is relevant to them. If a video has too many tags that aren’t specific or relevant to the video, when users try searching based on tags, many less relevant videos might come up, making it harder for the user to find what they are looking for.</p>
<h3>My thoughts</h3>
<p>In my opinion, the main issue with the metadata associated with videos uploaded to Media Hopper Create is that it is inconsistent. Having inconsistent metadata makes it much harder for videos to be organised, which will then make it harder for users to find what they are looking for. As part of my internship, I have been tasked with writing a metadata guidance sheet for video uploaders, which I hope will increase the consistency in quality of metadata of videos uploaded. Although this guidance won’t necessarily be able to change the metadata of the already uploaded videos, by hopefully improving the metadata for future videos, it will mean that users can access the most up to date and relevant videos to them much more easily.</p>
<h3>What I have learned so far</h3>
<p>Before I started this internship, I thought I had quite a good idea of what metadata was and its importance. Although I have only been interning with Media Hopper Create for 3 weeks, I realised, I have already learned a lot. I’ve learned a lot about Media Hopper Create and how useful it is as a service for the University, and I didn’t realise how such small details in metadata could make such a big difference in the user experience. I’m looking forward to the rest of my internship and learning even more about metadata.</p>
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<time datetime="2024-03-20" itemprop="dateModified">Mar 20, 2024</time>
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<title>Lewis Forbes – LaTeX and Accessibility</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/08/15/lewis-forbes-latex-and-accessibility/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/08/15/lewis-forbes-latex-and-accessibility/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[lforbes3]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Aug 2023 14:46:31 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Applications and Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Intern]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=2152</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: Informatics (MInf), going into final year. Intern Position: Digital Learning Intern As a former Computer Science and Maths student (now just a Computer Science student), LaTeX has brought me much grief over my time at university. Writing my 30+ page dissertation using the software definitely increased my confidence in using […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 5</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><hr />
<p><strong>Programme of Study and Year: </strong>Informatics (MInf), going into final year.</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position: </strong>Digital Learning Intern</p>
<hr />
<p>As a former Computer Science and Maths student (now just a Computer Science student), LaTeX has brought me much grief over my time at university. Writing my 30+ page dissertation using the software definitely increased my confidence in using it, but to be honest I still don’t really understand how it works and frequently rely on StackOverflow.</p>
<p>As such, it was saddening but somewhat validating to learn that the problem of accessibility in LaTeX is one which has been plaguing the community for years – it’s maintained by a team of volunteers who have struggled to implement features which are becoming standard in electronic documents. In this post I’ll share my attempts at creating the most accessible LaTeX documents possible and conclude with steps you can take to achieve this. The speed at which LaTeX seems to advance (and break) led to a lot of trial and error in this process, and it’s possible that things which worked for me might not work for you.</p>
<p>I used the <a href="http://edin.ac/ally">accessibility evaluation software Ally</a> to determine what makes documents accessible, which gives documents an accessibility percentage and suggests where improvements can be made. Ally gave the initial PDF I provided a score of 5%, but guided me to create a document with a score of 96%. It did not comment on maths however, which is not accessible by default in LaTeX as explained in this <a href="https://asarantsev.github.io/WebArchive/access.pdf" class="mtli_attachment mtli_pdf">report by Massie and Sarantsev</a>.</p>
<figure id="attachment_2238" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2238" style="width: 277px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-2238" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-218x300.png" alt="" width="277" height="382" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-218x300.png 218w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image.png 569w" sizes="(max-width: 277px) 100vw, 277px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2238" class="wp-caption-text">Ally’s initial rating and comments for an unchanged LaTeX document.</figcaption></figure>
<p>Based on Ally’s guidance and the information in the report mentioned, the inaccessible aspects of default LaTeX documents are their lack of tagging and headers, lack of alt text, lack of metadata, and maths which cannot be meaningfully read by screen readers.</p>
<h2>LaTeX Accessibility Summary</h2>
<p>If your document contains a lot of maths, I recommend creating an HTML5 file using <a href="https://pandoc.org/index.html">Pandoc</a>. See the checklist in the ‘Maths’ section below for information on this.</p>
<p>If your document has no maths, follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Add alt text as explained in the first two bullet points in the ‘Alt Text’ section below.</li>
<li>Add metadata as explained in the ‘Metadata’ section below.</li>
<li>Add tags/headings using the using <a href="https://pdfix.io/make-pdf-accessible/">this PDFix tool</a>.</li>
</ol>
<p>As mentioned, following these steps produced <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/wnfhnwdpbfmy">96% accessible LaTeX project</a>, based on Ally’s score of its PDF after tagging.</p>
<hr />
<p>I will now go into more detail about each of the different inaccessible areas mentioned.</p>
<h2>Alt Text</h2>
<p>Alternative text is often included for those <a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/website-communications/improving-alt-text-at-the-university/">using screen readers</a>, but thanks to the <a href="https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/the-curb-cut-effect-8a6b68d6485">curb cut effect</a> has uses for many people – both visually impaired and sighted. Different sources recommend different ways of including this:</p>
<p>I successfully added alt text using the following methods:</p>
<ul>
<li>Using a parameter on caption <code>\caption[alt text]{caption text}</code>, as recommended by ChatGPT. This should be used when <code>\includegraphics{}</code> is used within a <code>\figure{}</code> environment.</li>
<li>Using <code>\pdftooltip{}</code> from the <a href="https://ctan.org/pkg/pdfcomment?lang=en">pdfcomment interface</a> successfully added tooltips with user-specified text to the document, which Ally recognized as alt text. This should be used when <code>\includegraphics{}</code> is being used with no <code>\caption{}</code>. For example, I used it in a <code>\subfloat{}</code> environment. This was advised in this <a href="https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/75102/need-alt-text-for-images-in-pdf-for-screen-readers?answertab=modifieddesc#tab-top">StackExchange forum</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>The following methods were recommended by various sources, but did not allow me to successfully add alt text to images:</p>
<ul>
<li>Using <code>\Description{}</code> as recommended in this <a href="https://authors.acm.org/journals/how-to-write-alt-text-and-why">Association for Computing Machinery article</a>. This command was not recognized by the compiler, and no packages to include were mentioned.</li>
<li>Using <code>\nextalt{}</code> as recommended in this <a href="https://people.bath.ac.uk/cspehj/maths-access/latex-instructions/sect0049.html">webpage by Emma Cliffe at Bath University</a>. This command was not recognized by the compiler even with the inclusion of the graphicsx package as mentioned.</li>
<li>Using the accessibility package and the <code>\alt{}</code> comment as recommended in this <a href="https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/c.php?g=995742&p=8207771">Michigan State University Library guide</a>. This also didn’t work.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Metadata</h2>
<p>Ally highlights the need for the inclusion of a PDF’s title and language. This allows screen readers to introduce the document, which can be included with the following lines in the document preamble:</p>
<p><code>\usepackage{hyperref}<br />
\hypersetup{pdftitle={Document Name}, pdflang={en-GB}}</code></p>
<h2>PDF Tagging & Headings</h2>
<p>There does not appear to be a way of reliably generating tagged PDFs using LaTeX. The unsuitability of two potential solutions I came across follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>As outlined in the <a href="https://ctan.math.illinois.edu/macros/latex/contrib/tagpdf/tagpdf.pdf" class="mtli_attachment mtli_pdf">tagpdf documentation</a>, the tagpdf package is not meant for normal document production. As such, the syntax required to use it is complicated and the package likely contains bugs.</li>
<li>As outlined on the <a href="https://github.com/AndyClifton/accessibility"><!--StartFragment --><span class="cf0">Accessibility package GitHub page</span></a>, the accessibility package is also not suitable for production and is no longer maintained. Although it does produces tagged PDFs according to Ally, it sometimes leads to documents not compiling, and sometimes causes unexpected behaviour. As an example:
<ul>
<li>This <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/jhnbjpgkbfgy">compilable project</a> does not contain the package, but otherwise identical <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/xrqdvtbrksds">uncompilable project</a> contains the package.</li>
<li>In this <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/vjnnqxjwtnvy">incorrectly compiled project</a> some of the text is duplicated whereas in this <a href="https://www.overleaf.com/read/grpjgthrpcvq">correctly compiled project</a> no duplication occurs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Tags can be added to a PDF once it’s been created by a few different services, namely Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, Microsoft Word, and PDFix. Since Acrobat Pro isn’t free to use and Word seems to often ruin the format, I found PDFix’s <a href="https://pdfix.io/make-pdf-accessible/">‘Make PDF Accessible’ tool</a> to be the best solution. This also allows metadata to be changed. The company appear reputable with the <a href="https://pdfix.net/privacy-policy/">PDFix privacy policy</a> stating they delete all provided files for 30 days and pass data to third parties “only within the extent necessary to meet its obligations”.</p>
<p>The only problem I found with this service was its inability to render a <code>.pdf</code> vector image. This format is unusual, and was easily fixed by converting the image to a <code>.png</code> file.</p>
<h2>Maths</h2>
<p>Making maths accessible in LaTeX does appear to be possible but is a little complex. Most sources seem to recommend converting LaTeX documents to HTML5 documents via a semi-automated process using various tools. This aforementioned <a href="https://asarantsev.github.io/WebArchive/access.pdf" class="mtli_attachment mtli_pdf">Massie and Sarantsev paper</a> provides a good overview of the topic.</p>
<p>I found <a href="https://pandoc.org/index.html">Pandoc</a> to be the easiest tool to do this conversion. To convert maths it uses <a href="https://www.mathjax.org/">MathJax</a> – a JavaScript engine which creates “beautiful and accessible math in all browsers”. HTML documents are accessible by default since they are tagged, and contain conventions for setting alt text and metadata. See this <a href="https://docs.mathjax.org/en/v2.7-latest/misc/accessibility-features.html#screenreader-support">MathJax documentation page</a> for information on screen readers for maths it helps display.</p>
<p>Once installing Pandoc, LaTeX documents can be converted on Windows as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open command prompt (press <code>Win+R</code>, type cmd, press enter).</li>
<li>Copy the location of the folder containing the <code>.tex</code> file you wish to convert. The <code>.bib</code> file should be in the same directory.</li>
<li>In command prompt, enter:
<ul>
<li><code>cd "the folder location you copied"</code></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Enter the following command, replacing <code>myTex.tex</code> and <code>myBib.bib</code> with your filenames.
<ul>
<li><code>pandoc myTex.tex -f latex -t html -s -o output.html --bibliography myTex.bib --citeproc --mathjax</code></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Move the new file <code>output.html</code> up one folder level. For example, from <code>C:/folder1/folder2/folder3/output.html</code> to <code>C:/folder1/folder2/output.html</code>. This is so images’ paths are correct.</li>
<li>Open <code>output.html</code>.</li>
</ol>
<p>You might find Pandoc is <span class="NormalTextRun SCXW204967602 BCX0">less forgiving with syntax errors than your usual </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW204967602 BCX0">compiler when it comes to your bibliography</span>. A verifier such as <a href="https://flamingtempura.github.io/bibtex-tidy/">BibTeX Tidy</a> can be used to identify and correct errors.</p>
<h2>The Future</h2>
<p>Decreasing the steps authors have to take to make their LaTeX documents accessible is an area of active development, as outlined in <a href="https://www.latex-project.org/publications/indexbytopic/pdf/">The LaTex Project’s accessibility publications</a>. The most recent update I’ve seen comes from this <a href="https://www.latex-project.org/news/2023/05/27/latex-dev-2/">LaTeX news article</a> introducing the final pre-release of the June 2023 version of LaTeX.</p>
<p>This pre-releases produced viable, tagged documents for simple files, but cannot format some complex files, as shown in the image below. For documents with tables it produced well-compiled PDFs, but they were untagged. This means the pre-release is currently no better than the tagging methods mentioned above.</p>
<figure id="attachment_2203" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2203" style="width: 967px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-2203 size-full" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-3.png" alt="A screenshot of a unreadable document, containing text which overflows to off of the page and displayed commands." width="967" height="559" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-3.png 967w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-3-300x173.png 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2023/08/image-3-768x444.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 967px) 100vw, 967px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2203" class="wp-caption-text">A poorly formatted document produced by the final June pre-release of LaTeX.</figcaption></figure>
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<title>Ioana-Sabina Susanu – My Digital Learning Internship, in a nutshell.</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/06/07/ioana-sabina-susanu-my-digital-learning-internship-in-a-nutshell/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/06/07/ioana-sabina-susanu-my-digital-learning-internship-in-a-nutshell/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[lforbes3]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 07 Jun 2023 14:48:11 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Intern]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1905</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: 3rd year Astrophysics Hobbies: Reading, music, karate Intern Position: Digital Learning Intern Describe your role in 4 words: interesting, challenging (at times), rewarding I wanted to take the time to do a blog post on how my internship has been for the past year. I have worked full-time during the […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><hr />
<p><strong>Programme of Study and Year: </strong>3rd year Astrophysics</p>
<p><strong>Hobbies: </strong>Reading, music, karate</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position: </strong>Digital Learning Intern</p>
<p><strong>Describe your role in 4 words: </strong>interesting, challenging (at times), rewarding</p>
<hr />
<p>I wanted to take the time to do a blog post on how my internship has been for the past year. I have worked full-time during the summer in the DLAM TEL team (Digital Learning Applications and Media, Technology Enhanced Learning – so many acronyms!), and part-time during the academic year.</p>
<p>I have done mostly Accessibility testing on various applications, including Turnitin, Moodle, Echo360, Collaborate and Ally, but also other tasks like caption verification or blog editing. I have had a lot to learn about all of the different software types and environments used within the University, and how important each piece of technology is.</p>
<p>Wrapping up my time in DLAM, I wanted to share once again how important the topic of Accessibility is, since it is what the vast majority of my work consisted of. Even though it seems that most of the regulations and adaptive software is concentrated on visual impairment (and too few regulations cover physical impairment – but this is a discussion for another time), it is certain that every little element that is made accessible on a page/application/platform makes a huge difference. Every colour combination, every button, every description and every message matters and can make the navigation better for users if accessibility is taken into consideration.</p>
<p>That being said, my work has been varied, and I never got a chance to get ‘bored’ as every thing I had to do was different from the previous one. I had the opportunity of working with a lot of different people, and I had a lot to learn from everyone I’ve met during my internship. The fact that the team has been welcoming and helpful made a great difference for me and my work – being relaxed and confident in my actions made me more productive, efficient and attentive to details</p>
<h2>Make the most of Learning Technology!</h2>
<p>I would like to end this blog post with a big ‘Thank you’ to the DLAM TEL team, and the wider Learning, Teaching and Web community for the continued support throughout the year.</p>
<p>I certainly recommend giving Learning Technology a chance, regardless of your degree – in the end, it is used by everyone at University, and it’s a very diverse field that will never make you bored.</p>
<p>And lastly, make the most of the resources available – there is a wide variety of them (books, software, databases, videos, courses, trainings), all available at a few clicks’ distance.</p>
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<time datetime="2023-06-07" itemprop="dateModified">Jun 7, 2023</time>
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<title>Eva Spanachi – The journey of being a Digital Learning Intern</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/08/04/__trashed/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/08/04/__trashed/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[espanach]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Aug 2022 14:15:15 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Intern]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1629</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 4</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: 4th Year Chemistry Hobbies: Art, reading, yoga, baking Intern Position: Digital learning Intern Describe your role in 4 words: Write a blog guys! “Known as” at the office: That annoying person who wouldn’t stop sending emails about the ISG Student Employee blog The opportunity to be part of the ISG […]]]></description>
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<hr />
<p><strong>Programme of Study and Year:</strong> 4<sup>th</sup> Year Chemistry</p>
<p><strong>Hobbies:</strong> Art, reading, yoga, baking</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position:</strong> Digital learning Intern</p>
<p><strong>Describe your role in 4 words:</strong> Write a blog guys!</p>
<p><strong>“Known as” at the office:</strong> That annoying person who wouldn’t stop sending emails about the ISG Student Employee blog</p>
<hr />
<h2>The opportunity to be part of the ISG team</h2>
<p>In mid-April, having the usual mid-semester crisis I started thinking of what I would be doing over the summer! So I started a search to find an internship and I came across the various roles offered by ISG on MyCareerHub and everything looked very interesting (and not chemistry related, which would allow my brain to have a break from all the science). Having my interview with some of the Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM) members, I immediately realized that I really wanted to become part of that lovely team and was therefore really happy to receive an offer for the digital learning role.</p>
<h2>The internship so far…</h2>
<p>Part of my internship consists of general testing, as well as accessibility testing on University platforms. After undergoing some training on accessibility, I was so surprised to realize how unfamiliar I was with the whole concept and I definitely learned a lot about how to make things more accessible by considering things like using a correct colour contrast, alternative text when using images, captions in videos and the general structure of a site to make it easy to navigate when someone is not using a mouse or using a speech navigator for example. The general lesson I learned however, was to actually keep in mind the various audiences and not just assume that we all use computers and technology in the same way, but we definitely all deserve to be able to access and navigate through all online environments.</p>
<p>Another part of my role has been to create screencasts using MediaHopper to provide instructions on how to navigate around some teaching and learning sites such as Learn. I now know the struggle of having to record your own voice, and the need to have approximately a hundred takes before you decide to give up and use whatever you have recorded by convincing yourself that it is good enough! The first video I had to script and record was 1.5 mins long and it took me a day to perfect, caption and finally post so I can only imagine how difficult it must be to record an hour long lecture!</p>
<p>I was also recently able to observe how the Unidesk side of the team works and see how they keep the Learning Technology of the University working, and ensure that any issue that occurs is resolved. So I had the opportunity to follow through the process of how an issue, that a staff member or student may be dealing with on different university platforms, such as Turnitin and Learn, is handled and eventually resolved. In the next few weeks I will also be able to go through a few issues and try to propose a way to resolve the problem, and become familiar with the different stages of coming up with a solution.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1805 " src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-300x241.jpg" alt="" width="467" height="375" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-300x241.jpg 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-1024x822.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-768x617.jpg 768w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903-1536x1233.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2022/07/IMG20220328150556-scaled-e1659605487903.jpg 1919w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px" /></p>
<p> </p>
<h2>Getting familiar with Blogs.ed!</h2>
<p>The general and accessibility testing I did was on Blogs.ed which was really useful because it helped me get familiar with the website as I had to use it daily as part of having the role of the student intern blog editor. My first task with this role was to come up with a template for the blog posts (a challenging task considering I had never written a single blog post or anything similar before). So I had to come up with a plan!</p>
<p>-> <strong>Plan A:</strong> Read all the previous blogs written by interns and get inspired. Well, I discovered that there were too many previous interns and hence too many previous blogs and too little time! -> <strong>Plan B:</strong> Read <em>a few</em> blogs from each past summer to get inspired and create a template. That actually worked and I managed to structure a template. Step 1 done! <strong>Step 2-</strong> Get the template approved and come up with a strategy on how to approach the other interns. I knew immediately that I had to find a way to make my fellow interns want to write blog posts without being too annoying. <strong> Step 3-</strong> After annoying the interns I then had to edit and proofread their blogs and finally post them on <a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/">the Information Services Group: Student Employee Blog</a>. It has been great to see that the plan actually worked and interns did offer to write a blog, and I definitely enjoyed reading them all!</p>
<h2>A few weeks left…</h2>
<p>Only a few weeks left for the end of my internship and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to be part of such a lovely team, where everyone was very welcoming and supportive throughout the internship. Also very grateful that Covid managed to calm down and allow us to go to the office now and then and enjoy each other’s company in person, and got to meet other interns during the great Unitemps social events!</p>
<p><strong>I hope all the interns had a great time during their internships and enjoyed their summers as well! Hopefully the rest of the staff in ISG enjoyed having us around and I am sure all of us appreciate their work and effort a lot more now that we got to see what is happening behind ‘the scenes’.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
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<time datetime="2022-08-04" itemprop="dateModified">Aug 4, 2022</time>
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<title>Ioana -Uncovering the depths of accessibility testing in the Digital Learning Internship</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/07/25/ioana-uncovering-the-depths-of-accessibility-testing-in-the-digital-learning-internship/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/07/25/ioana-uncovering-the-depths-of-accessibility-testing-in-the-digital-learning-internship/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[espanach]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Jul 2022 13:10:59 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Learning Intern]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1727</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Programme of Study and Year: Astrophysics (MPhys), going into 3rd year Hobbies: Reading, listening to music, taking walks, watching TV series Intern Position: Digital Learning Intern within Learning, Teaching and Web (LTW) Fun fact about your internship: I have become knowledgeable in Accessibility testing, even though this was not the plan initially Describe your role […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><hr />
<p><strong>Programme of Study and Year:</strong> Astrophysics (MPhys), going into 3<sup>rd</sup> year</p>
<p><strong>Hobbies:</strong> Reading, listening to music, taking walks, watching TV series</p>
<p><strong>Intern Position:</strong> Digital Learning Intern within Learning, Teaching and Web (LTW)</p>
<p><strong>Fun fact about your internship:</strong> I have become knowledgeable in Accessibility testing, even though this was not the plan initially</p>
<p><strong>Describe your role in 4 words: </strong> Challenging, rewarding, technical, awesome</p>
<hr />
<h2>The internship experience in a nutshell</h2>
<p>I have found out about these internships from the Unitemps website. I kept checking it in March, as I knew that was the time when the summer roles would be advertised. I have also received notifications over e-mail regarding the roles and how to apply. My role requires me to become familiar with a variety of learning technology applications, and do the accessibility testing based on a specific script and using assistive software. The most enjoyable part is that I get to see, learn, experience and test a lot of the University’s platforms, applications and integrations, and I have the chance to see these from a developer point of view. Additionally, it is just enjoyable to collaborate with my team members and socialise with other interns when we are in the office. Speaking of socialising, the Unitemps social events for interns are the best – the food is great and I always get to meet and talk to lots of interesting people with various experiences.</p>
<h2>Highlights of Digital Learning – Creating documentation and conducting accessibility testing</h2>
<p>I find the 9-5 life surprisingly relaxing, especially when I work from home. Office days can be a bit more tiring, but they are the most fun as almost everyone is there on certain days. My team is welcoming and friendly, even in busy and stressful times – for which I admire them greatly. I really enjoy that communication is very efficient within the team, both when we are in the office and when we are working remotely.</p>
<p>My role so far has helped me overcome certain ‘fears’, for example listening to my own voice. I had to create some videos with instructions on how to use one of the applications within the University. I already had the script, I just had to record my screen while navigating the application. Even though it seems like a simple task, the idea of recording my own voice felt strange. After talking to my manager and some of the members of my team about this, I found that my feeling was quite common – no-one likes to record and listen to their own voice! Therefore I was a bit more confident that nothing could go wrong and I recorded the videos. Listening to my own voice while doing the captioning was not that bad – especially since I was focused on the quality of the sound and the content itself. The feedback I received for the videos was good, which boosted my confidence for this type of task.</p>
<p>As my work requires me to do accessibility testing, I had the opportunity to discover how complex this field is, and how many regulations need to be taken into account for a webpage/application/platform to be considered accessible. As an example, I was aware of captioning being needed for videos, but I wasn’t aware of the exact ratios needed for colour contrasts within a page. In addition, I could see how certain types of assistive software interact with the University platforms and applications, and which issues are encountered. While I still have some training sessions to do, I have developed an awareness for accessibility and I feel that this subject should be promoted more.</p>
<p>The internship has been a great experience so far. I feel lucky that I am a part of a lovely team (DLAM TEL – Digital Learning Applications and Media, Tech Enhanced Learning) where everyone is friendly and willing to help. I have a lot to learn from all of the team members, and also the other interns. The working environment is very good and inspiring, and it allows me to develop valuable skills that will certainly be beneficial in future assignments.</p>
<p><strong>Through this blog post, I would like to wish all the other interns the best of luck in their internships and projects, and to thank all the staff members for being welcoming and supportive in every matter. And last but not least, I encourage every student to apply for a summer internship within the Information Services Group – it’s definitely a fantastic experience!</strong></p>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2022-07-25" itemprop="dateModified">Jul 25, 2022</time>
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<title>How I develop skills as a continuing App Developer Intern – Martin Lewis</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/04/20/how-i-develop-skills-as-a-continuing-app-developer-intern-martin-lewis/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/04/20/how-i-develop-skills-as-a-continuing-app-developer-intern-martin-lewis/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[awilso35]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2022 11:59:17 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Learn Foundations Learning Applications Developer]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1581</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Martin Lewis is a final year student in BSc (Hons) Computer Science, and started working as a Summer Intern in ISG in 2020, as one of our interns auditing Learn. Martin really impressed the Learn team with his initiative in finding a chance to automate some work, so since summer 2021 he has since been […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 2</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><p><em>Martin Lewis is a final year student in BSc (Hons) Computer Science, and started working as a Summer Intern in ISG in 2020, as one of our interns auditing Learn. Martin really impressed the Learn team with his initiative in finding a chance to automate some work, so since summer 2021 he has since been working with the Learn team in a more technical role, doing programming.</em></p>
<p>I started work in Information Services Group (ISG) at the University as a <strong>Summer Intern</strong> in 2020 and 2021, and <strong>since then I’ve been working for ISG doing technical bits and pieces</strong>. In this blog post I’ll be discussing <strong>what I’ve been doing as a part of my work for ISG and what skills this has helped me develop.</strong></p>
<p>Initially I was doing rather non-technical work as part of the Learn Foundations project getting the University’s Learn courses prepared for the new academic year. This was adding things like the course outline and organiser details into these fresh courses. <strong>However, I managed to find a way to automate parts of the workflow I was assigned to and from there began to do technical work for the ISG.</strong><br />
I now have the very long winded title of ‘Learn Foundations Applications Developer Intern’ in which I do development work, making applications that are usually, sometime tangentially, related to the Learn Foundations Project.</p>
<p>For those more technically minded, I’m working in the PHP programming language doing full stack (front and backend) work using the Laravel framework. An excellent opportunity to learn a new language and framework. <strong>There is also the chance to work on real world projects that contain issues and experiences that cannot be found in the classroom or in a coursework assignment.</strong> With real team members (big thanks to Andrew and his team who I have been working with) and <strong>projects that have a real outcome (not just a grade).</strong></p>
<p>Now this is not only a good opportunity to hone skills but it also looks very good on a CV. Already having practical software development experience is fantastic and it also is a great source of discussion <strong>during interviews being able to bring up situations and decisions you made outside of a classroom is great.</strong></p>
<p>Now let’s look at the day to day practicalities (this is just my experience your mileage may vary with role and when you might work). The work is remote, as you could probably guess, which fits well alongside my majority remote learning these past few years. Over the summers I’ve worked full time, 35 hours a week, being treated as a standard member of university staff. Then over the semesters only 7 hours a week which I find easy to fit around my studies and personal life but it does often mean rather slow progress in the projects you work on.</p>
<p><strong>Both of the line managers I’ve had have been wonderful and very understanding about the need to change work patterns last minute or take time off around major deadlines and exams.</strong> The pay isn’t too bad and goes a long way towards covering my rent.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if I’ll be continuing to work for the University after May as I am finally graduating. I will however apologise in advance to any potential future intern who has to work with my code! But the last two years have gone a long way to making me a much more employable graduate.</p>
<p>So do consider applying for an ISG internship,<strong> I’ve personally gotten a lot out of it and I think any proactive student can benefit greatly from such a role.</strong></p>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2022-04-20" itemprop="dateModified">Apr 20, 2022</time>
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<wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2022/04/20/how-i-develop-skills-as-a-continuing-app-developer-intern-martin-lewis/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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<title>Top Five Things I Like About my Internship</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2021/08/11/top-five-things-i-like-about-my-internship/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2021/08/11/top-five-things-i-like-about-my-internship/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[rcormac3]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 Aug 2021 11:07:16 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Digital Media Assistant]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/?p=1543</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span>Hazel is the Digital Media Assistant Intern and is responsible for making promotional videos for some of the Ed Web Services and self-enroll courses that are available for staff with the aim of explaining the system and services better to encourage higher usage. She enjoys her job because it allows for creativity and also loves […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class="span-reading-time rt-reading-time" style="display: block;"><span class="rt-label rt-prefix">Reading Time: </span> <span class="rt-time"> 3</span> <span class="rt-label rt-postfix">minutes</span></span><p><em>Hazel is the Digital Media Assistant Intern and is responsible for making promotional videos for some of the Ed Web Services and self-enroll courses that are available for staff with the aim of explaining the system and services better to encourage higher usage. She enjoys her job because it allows for creativity and also loves singing, dancing, cooking and has just recently starting learning the ukulele!</em></p>
<hr />
<p>“It’s summer again!” This was what I thinking as I finished my semester. Then what? What should I do this summer? I wanted to make myself useful and gain some experience, which led me to browse for internship opportunities, and fortunately, I was accepted as a Digital Media Assistant Intern under Learning, Teaching and Web services (LTW)!</p>
<p>Impacted by COVID-19, the ways in which we learn and work have changed drastically. As a student, I’m not really a big fan of online learning but to my surprise, I have enjoyed my remote-working internship experience. Here are the top five things I like about my internship experience, and I hope some of that resonate with yours too <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<h3>1) Have my own input and make things happen!</h3>
<p>I’d never really had any internship experience before I joined. From my what my friends said, they described it as more of a rigid form of working, which means managers tell them exactly what they need to do and manage all the tasks with frequent reporting. It seems like it curbs much of their own creative input into the work as they are only following what they are asked to do.</p>
<p>However, my internship experience is totally different! To my surprise, I am given a plethora of opportunities to have my own input in creative tasks. For example, I initiated ideas of the video storyboards and the design of them. The fact that most of them were accepted truly makes me feel empowered as my manager and colleagues trust my skills in making the videos happen.<em><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-1545 aligncenter" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-300x200.jpg" alt="Table with laptop, mug, pen and paper and a mobile phone." width="411" height="274" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/wp-content/uploads/sites/197/2021/08/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 411px) 100vw, 411px" /></em></p>
<h3>2) Effective communication</h3>
<p>Since the internship is entirely remote, we have used different methods of communication. Making use of Microsoft Teams and Outlook Email functions facilitates effective communication and avoids long-winded boring meetings (which usually happens in a physical setting). With all the technology available, it makes Working from Home possible and seemingly more effective, saving travelling time and speeding up work productivity. Therefore, although we cannot see each other physically, I am still able to communicate with my line manager and other team members easily on a weekly basis and get things going.</p>
<h3>3) High flexibility (time management skills are required!)</h3>
<p>My internship experience is very flexible with the whole project timeline. I can take on the role to plan when things should be delivered and manage when I should sort out the ideas, video storyboards and drafts, etc. This has certainly strengthened my time management skills, as I have to ensure that I am not falling behind the schedule and the project can progress swiftly.</p>
<p>The high flexibility also enables me to schedule other commitments around it. This allows me to achieve a good work-life balance during this period. I know that having an unexpected flexibility with time might seem to be a bit too good to be true, but to be honest, it does require a lot of self-control and time management skills!</p>
<h3>4) Gaining diverse skills</h3>
<p>It is a pleasant surprise to be able to gain other skills outside of what I’ve already learned! My project requires collaboration with other team members in the project and that has enabled me to learn so much more in other aspects, such as content writing, visual design, persona creation etc. These are all valuable opportunities and relevant skillsets that will be very helpful in a workplace. The fact that I can gain all these diverse skills makes the whole experience much more fulfilling!</p>
<h3>5) Supportive environment</h3>
<p>Last but not least, I’ve got to say I’m so grateful to have a really supportive manager that has kindly guided me all along. My colleagues have been really welcoming and encouraging with what I have done. Also, other team members in LTW have helped me so much with their constructive feedback! This whole working environment is surely a great add-on to this internship experience as who wouldn’t love to be surrounded by smart and friendly people?</p>
<hr />
<p>I’m certain that some of you may have a similar/ different internship experience according to your own department/ projects. Feel free to comment down below and share yours too! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2021-08-11" itemprop="dateModified">Aug 11, 2021</time>
</span>
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Diag| Considering item [https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/dlam/?p=5766] "Data Visualization: The Intersection between Science and Art"
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<title>PHPUK 2026</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/egreen2/2026/04/17/phpuk-2026/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/egreen2/2026/04/17/phpuk-2026/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Edward Green]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:08:58 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Conference]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/egreen2/?p=21</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This February I was back at the PHPUK conference in London. The venue this year was 1 America Square with a historic wall through the middle of one of the rooms. There were three tracks to follow so unfortunately we couldn’t go to all the talks, but managed to cover two thirds. It Depends – […]]]></description>
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<p>This February I was back at the PHPUK conference in London. The venue this year was 1 America Square with a historic wall through the middle of one of the rooms. There were three tracks to follow so unfortunately we couldn’t go to all the talks, but managed to cover two thirds.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">It Depends – Gary Hockin</h2>
<p>After a short welcome to the conference (and the new venue), Gary Hockin gave a talk about how decisions that we make every day have different outcomes based on the context. There are always trade-offs to consider for every choice we make and because one option is not chosen in one instance, it doesn’t mean it is unsuitable for all situations.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Know Your Enemies: Live Exploit of a PHP Engine Security Breach – Alexandre Daubois</h2>
<p>Alexandre presented an interesting talk on real exploits or attempted exploits in PHP. The most interesting example to me was an attempt to add malicious code that would allow executing any code on a server running PHP as long as it’s connected to the internet. This was done by interpreting a specific header on incoming requests as code to run when given a certain prefix. It even made it to a release candidate before it was noticed by other contributors. This was done by exploiting a vulnerability in the version control server that allowed the malicious actor to submit the code changes under a different user. Luckily the code was spotted and removed before becoming widely available in a full release. This also influenced the decision to move the code into GitHub, so maintainers didn’t have to worry as much about the security of the code.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Packets, Protocols and PHP: Networking Fundamentals for Developers – Jessica Smith</h2>
<p>This next talk discussed what happens behind the scenes whenever a network request is made over the internet. Jessica covered a lot during the 45 minutes and even though it isn’t knowledge that I’d usually consider a key part to my job, I think it is very useful to understand what is happening in the background when users are accessing your website. It still amazes me how we can send information across the world in seconds (or less) over the internet. Even with an explanation on how data is split into packets and how they are routed, it’s still hard to comprehend.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Four Pillars of Observability – Florian Engelhardt</h2>
<p>Next came a guide to monitoring live applications and how to quickly find when something is wrong with Florian. I found a lot of the tips to be relevant to websites I have worked on within the university such as the Short Courses Platform (SCP). Occasionally we have a bug in the site, and it can be very difficult to find what the actual cause of it is. Using metrics, logging, tracing, and profiling we can get a better idea of what is causing an issue and why it has started happening. As a developer, I’m used to using logs and error messages to get an idea about what is going wrong when something breaks, but Florian gave some interesting ideas that aren’t completely code related like monitoring live sales (or course enrolments for the SCP) and visualising them. If the numbers start to drop rapidly, then something has probably broken which means people can’t use the website properly.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Saving Time by Using a Debugger – Derick Rethans</h2>
<p>Derick gave a demonstration on ways to use Xdebug to improve developer efficiency. Once setup, it can be a useful tool for stepping through PHP code and inspecting the current state of the web application to find out what is happening. Personally, I have used debuggers with C# and C++ code and found it useful there since I don’t have to recompile anything to add in some logs and inspect data. In interpreted languages like PHP, this isn’t something I have considered before, however I will definitely be finding it useful in my future work. Even though some technical issues disrupted the live demonstrations, Derick still managed to inspire me to check out Xdebug for myself and use with both personal and work projects.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Stepping away from the code… but not quite… – Wim Godden</h2>
<p>This was one of my favourite talks of the day from Wim about how stakeholders in a project should approach the code, particularly emphasising when people in management or non-development roles need to <em>step away from the code</em> and let developers do their job. He talked about how people from outside of development teams, especially those with development experience, can often try to dictate the implementation of a feature rather than what the result of having that feature should be which can cause issues with development and often makes the process of adding a feature take longer. Providing high quality user stories that have good coverage of what the users need to be able to do on the application will be far more valuable to developers. He also talked about how the career progression of a developer doesn’t have to be continuously upwards within an organisation. Instead, it’s ok to move up and down or stay where we’re comfortable.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Escaping the Code Maze – Yannick Chenot</h2>
<p>To finish off the day, Yannick discussed how we can make our code easier to understand by reducing the assumptions that can be made. Some languages are already stricter on some of the methods of explaining code such as providing types to variables with static types, whereas languages like PHP don’t enforce many rules like this. He demonstrated a few PHP classes and how the assumptions can be reduced by making simple changes that can greatly improve the readability of the code.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">In conclusion</h2>
<p>There were lots of interesting topic discussed throughout the day and plenty to think about afterwards. I will definitely be looking into Xdebug and different tools for monitoring and observing web applications. I found Wim Godden’s talk about how we should see code in different roles across an organisation interesting. I’d highly recommend watching/listening to the recording as this one is also relevant to less technical people who work with developers.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Elephants </h2>
<p>I’ve also started a collection of PHP elephants with two from this conference.</p>
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<item>
<title>PHPUK Conference 2025</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/egreen2/2025/08/19/phpuk-conference-2025/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/egreen2/2025/08/19/phpuk-conference-2025/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Edward Green]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2025 11:09:19 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/egreen2/?p=7</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In February, a colleague and I got the chance to attend the PHPUK conference 2025. Throughout the day, we attended talks from various contributors to the PHP community. The conference had two tracks, which allowed us to split up and cover as much as possible with plenty of breaks to discuss what we’ve learnt about. […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In February, a colleague and I got the chance to attend the PHPUK conference 2025. Throughout the day, we attended talks from various contributors to the PHP community. The conference had two tracks, which allowed us to split up and cover as much as possible with plenty of breaks to discuss what we’ve learnt about.</p>
<p>Before splitting into separate tracks, Daniel Terhorst-North gave a talk on behaviour driven development (BDD) and the 20 years of history behind it. He showed how even though it was started by one person, the community has kept it going.</p>
<p>The next speaker I listened to was Wim Godden who spoke about deploying software at both small and large scales and automating the processes behind it as much as possible. He showed a real-world example of deploying software to rental lockers for a Belgium based company. They used a tool called Ansible to remotely connect to each computer and run tasks for setting up the computer, installing software, and running the company’s software that operates the lockers. This talk felt especially relevant to the Short Courses Platform I am currently working on, since we are also using Ansible to deploy the website onto multiple servers and update it when required.</p>
<p>After a quick break and discussion about the talks we’d listened to, I attended a talk about how large codebases can be compared to onions from Katy Ereira. She explained how large systems can be broken down into smaller, more understandable parts and comparing them to different parts of an onion to help understand their function.</p>
<p>Nils Adermann gave a talk on securing software supply chains. When most people add a library to their codebase, they don’t always think about the security of the library itself, and especially not the dependencies required by it. However, a dependency of a dependency of a library used for something as simple as logging messages could have a security vulnerability that affects the whole codebase. Nils talked about ways to protect against that using tools like GitHub Dependabot or Conductor, which Private Packagist is currently developing. He also revealed how many widely used and often open source libraries receive extremely little funding, which can make it difficult finding volunteers to maintain security.</p>
<p>Over lunch, we discussed the speakers we had listened to and spoke to other attendees of the conference.</p>
<p>Next was a talk from Gina Banyard about discovering edge cases in the PHP language. As a PHP core maintainer, they had an interesting perspective on how bugs are diagnosed and discussions about the expected functionality. Some examples of recently addressed bugs were demonstrated, along with how PHP now handles them.</p>
<p>After the final break, I attended a talk about OpenAPI from Lorna Mitchell, which discussed what the OpenAPI specification is and how it can benefit both developers and users of APIs. The specification assists developers in designing APIs and creating extensive documentation for them through a schema written in either JSON or YAML. Since it is language agnostic, it can be applied to any API.</p>
<p>The conference provided some interesting perspectives and ideas that I will be sharing with other colleagues and may encourage us to consider in current or future projects. Many of the talks were not just relevant to PHP, so can be applied to other projects such as the short courses platform, which already uses Ansible for deployment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Information about all the speakers and recordings of the talks can be found on the <a href="https://www.phpconference.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PHPUK Conference website</a></p>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Edward Green]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:08:58 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[This February I was back at the PHPUK conference in London. The venue this year was 1 America Square with a historic wall through the middle of one of the rooms. There were three tracks to follow so unfortunately we couldn’t go to all the talks, but managed to cover two thirds. It Depends – […]]]></description>
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<p>This February I was back at the PHPUK conference in London. The venue this year was 1 America Square with a historic wall through the middle of one of the rooms. There were three tracks to follow so unfortunately we couldn’t go to all the talks, but managed to cover two thirds.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">It Depends – Gary Hockin</h2>
<p>After a short welcome to the conference (and the new venue), Gary Hockin gave a talk about how decisions that we make every day have different outcomes based on the context. There are always trade-offs to consider for every choice we make and because one option is not chosen in one instance, it doesn’t mean it is unsuitable for all situations.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" src="about:blank" data-bs-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w5Ja7Gysm_w?feature=oembed" width="660" height="544" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Know Your Enemies: Live Exploit of a PHP Engine Security Breach – Alexandre Daubois</h2>
<p>Alexandre presented an interesting talk on real exploits or attempted exploits in PHP. The most interesting example to me was an attempt to add malicious code that would allow executing any code on a server running PHP as long as it’s connected to the internet. This was done by interpreting a specific header on incoming requests as code to run when given a certain prefix. It even made it to a release candidate before it was noticed by other contributors. This was done by exploiting a vulnerability in the version control server that allowed the malicious actor to submit the code changes under a different user. Luckily the code was spotted and removed before becoming widely available in a full release. This also influenced the decision to move the code into GitHub, so maintainers didn’t have to worry as much about the security of the code.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" src="about:blank" data-bs-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jXkBWNLUO2M?feature=oembed" width="660" height="544" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Packets, Protocols and PHP: Networking Fundamentals for Developers – Jessica Smith</h2>
<p>This next talk discussed what happens behind the scenes whenever a network request is made over the internet. Jessica covered a lot during the 45 minutes and even though it isn’t knowledge that I’d usually consider a key part to my job, I think it is very useful to understand what is happening in the background when users are accessing your website. It still amazes me how we can send information across the world in seconds (or less) over the internet. Even with an explanation on how data is split into packets and how they are routed, it’s still hard to comprehend.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
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</div></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Four Pillars of Observability – Florian Engelhardt</h2>
<p>Next came a guide to monitoring live applications and how to quickly find when something is wrong with Florian. I found a lot of the tips to be relevant to websites I have worked on within the university such as the Short Courses Platform (SCP). Occasionally we have a bug in the site, and it can be very difficult to find what the actual cause of it is. Using metrics, logging, tracing, and profiling we can get a better idea of what is causing an issue and why it has started happening. As a developer, I’m used to using logs and error messages to get an idea about what is going wrong when something breaks, but Florian gave some interesting ideas that aren’t completely code related like monitoring live sales (or course enrolments for the SCP) and visualising them. If the numbers start to drop rapidly, then something has probably broken which means people can’t use the website properly.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" src="about:blank" data-bs-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DVSq54wZL00?feature=oembed" width="660" height="544" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Saving Time by Using a Debugger – Derick Rethans</h2>
<p>Derick gave a demonstration on ways to use Xdebug to improve developer efficiency. Once setup, it can be a useful tool for stepping through PHP code and inspecting the current state of the web application to find out what is happening. Personally, I have used debuggers with C# and C++ code and found it useful there since I don’t have to recompile anything to add in some logs and inspect data. In interpreted languages like PHP, this isn’t something I have considered before, however I will definitely be finding it useful in my future work. Even though some technical issues disrupted the live demonstrations, Derick still managed to inspire me to check out Xdebug for myself and use with both personal and work projects.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Stepping away from the code… but not quite… – Wim Godden</h2>
<p>This was one of my favourite talks of the day from Wim about how stakeholders in a project should approach the code, particularly emphasising when people in management or non-development roles need to <em>step away from the code</em> and let developers do their job. He talked about how people from outside of development teams, especially those with development experience, can often try to dictate the implementation of a feature rather than what the result of having that feature should be which can cause issues with development and often makes the process of adding a feature take longer. Providing high quality user stories that have good coverage of what the users need to be able to do on the application will be far more valuable to developers. He also talked about how the career progression of a developer doesn’t have to be continuously upwards within an organisation. Instead, it’s ok to move up and down or stay where we’re comfortable.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Escaping the Code Maze – Yannick Chenot</h2>
<p>To finish off the day, Yannick discussed how we can make our code easier to understand by reducing the assumptions that can be made. Some languages are already stricter on some of the methods of explaining code such as providing types to variables with static types, whereas languages like PHP don’t enforce many rules like this. He demonstrated a few PHP classes and how the assumptions can be reduced by making simple changes that can greatly improve the readability of the code.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">In conclusion</h2>
<p>There were lots of interesting topic discussed throughout the day and plenty to think about afterwards. I will definitely be looking into Xdebug and different tools for monitoring and observing web applications. I found Wim Godden’s talk about how we should see code in different roles across an organisation interesting. I’d highly recommend watching/listening to the recording as this one is also relevant to less technical people who work with developers.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Elephants </h2>
<p>I’ve also started a collection of PHP elephants with two from this conference.</p>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Edward Green]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2025 11:09:19 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[In February, a colleague and I got the chance to attend the PHPUK conference 2025. Throughout the day, we attended talks from various contributors to the PHP community. The conference had two tracks, which allowed us to split up and cover as much as possible with plenty of breaks to discuss what we’ve learnt about. […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In February, a colleague and I got the chance to attend the PHPUK conference 2025. Throughout the day, we attended talks from various contributors to the PHP community. The conference had two tracks, which allowed us to split up and cover as much as possible with plenty of breaks to discuss what we’ve learnt about.</p>
<p>Before splitting into separate tracks, Daniel Terhorst-North gave a talk on behaviour driven development (BDD) and the 20 years of history behind it. He showed how even though it was started by one person, the community has kept it going.</p>
<p>The next speaker I listened to was Wim Godden who spoke about deploying software at both small and large scales and automating the processes behind it as much as possible. He showed a real-world example of deploying software to rental lockers for a Belgium based company. They used a tool called Ansible to remotely connect to each computer and run tasks for setting up the computer, installing software, and running the company’s software that operates the lockers. This talk felt especially relevant to the Short Courses Platform I am currently working on, since we are also using Ansible to deploy the website onto multiple servers and update it when required.</p>
<p>After a quick break and discussion about the talks we’d listened to, I attended a talk about how large codebases can be compared to onions from Katy Ereira. She explained how large systems can be broken down into smaller, more understandable parts and comparing them to different parts of an onion to help understand their function.</p>
<p>Nils Adermann gave a talk on securing software supply chains. When most people add a library to their codebase, they don’t always think about the security of the library itself, and especially not the dependencies required by it. However, a dependency of a dependency of a library used for something as simple as logging messages could have a security vulnerability that affects the whole codebase. Nils talked about ways to protect against that using tools like GitHub Dependabot or Conductor, which Private Packagist is currently developing. He also revealed how many widely used and often open source libraries receive extremely little funding, which can make it difficult finding volunteers to maintain security.</p>
<p>Over lunch, we discussed the speakers we had listened to and spoke to other attendees of the conference.</p>
<p>Next was a talk from Gina Banyard about discovering edge cases in the PHP language. As a PHP core maintainer, they had an interesting perspective on how bugs are diagnosed and discussions about the expected functionality. Some examples of recently addressed bugs were demonstrated, along with how PHP now handles them.</p>
<p>After the final break, I attended a talk about OpenAPI from Lorna Mitchell, which discussed what the OpenAPI specification is and how it can benefit both developers and users of APIs. The specification assists developers in designing APIs and creating extensive documentation for them through a schema written in either JSON or YAML. Since it is language agnostic, it can be applied to any API.</p>
<p>The conference provided some interesting perspectives and ideas that I will be sharing with other colleagues and may encourage us to consider in current or future projects. Many of the talks were not just relevant to PHP, so can be applied to other projects such as the short courses platform, which already uses Ansible for deployment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Information about all the speakers and recordings of the talks can be found on the <a href="https://www.phpconference.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PHPUK Conference website</a></p>
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<description><![CDATA[This February I was back at the PHPUK conference in London. The venue this year was 1 America Square with a historic wall through the middle of one of the rooms. There were three tracks to follow so unfortunately we couldn’t go to all the talks, but managed to cover two thirds. It Depends – […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>This February I was back at the PHPUK conference in London. The venue this year was 1 America Square with a historic wall through the middle of one of the rooms. There were three tracks to follow so unfortunately we couldn’t go to all the talks, but managed to cover two thirds.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">It Depends – Gary Hockin</h2>
<p>After a short welcome to the conference (and the new venue), Gary Hockin gave a talk about how decisions that we make every day have different outcomes based on the context. There are always trade-offs to consider for every choice we make and because one option is not chosen in one instance, it doesn’t mean it is unsuitable for all situations.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" src="about:blank" data-bs-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w5Ja7Gysm_w?feature=oembed" width="660" height="544" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Know Your Enemies: Live Exploit of a PHP Engine Security Breach – Alexandre Daubois</h2>
<p>Alexandre presented an interesting talk on real exploits or attempted exploits in PHP. The most interesting example to me was an attempt to add malicious code that would allow executing any code on a server running PHP as long as it’s connected to the internet. This was done by interpreting a specific header on incoming requests as code to run when given a certain prefix. It even made it to a release candidate before it was noticed by other contributors. This was done by exploiting a vulnerability in the version control server that allowed the malicious actor to submit the code changes under a different user. Luckily the code was spotted and removed before becoming widely available in a full release. This also influenced the decision to move the code into GitHub, so maintainers didn’t have to worry as much about the security of the code.</p>
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<iframe loading="lazy" src="about:blank" data-bs-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jXkBWNLUO2M?feature=oembed" width="660" height="544" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Packets, Protocols and PHP: Networking Fundamentals for Developers – Jessica Smith</h2>
<p>This next talk discussed what happens behind the scenes whenever a network request is made over the internet. Jessica covered a lot during the 45 minutes and even though it isn’t knowledge that I’d usually consider a key part to my job, I think it is very useful to understand what is happening in the background when users are accessing your website. It still amazes me how we can send information across the world in seconds (or less) over the internet. Even with an explanation on how data is split into packets and how they are routed, it’s still hard to comprehend.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
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</div></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Four Pillars of Observability – Florian Engelhardt</h2>
<p>Next came a guide to monitoring live applications and how to quickly find when something is wrong with Florian. I found a lot of the tips to be relevant to websites I have worked on within the university such as the Short Courses Platform (SCP). Occasionally we have a bug in the site, and it can be very difficult to find what the actual cause of it is. Using metrics, logging, tracing, and profiling we can get a better idea of what is causing an issue and why it has started happening. As a developer, I’m used to using logs and error messages to get an idea about what is going wrong when something breaks, but Florian gave some interesting ideas that aren’t completely code related like monitoring live sales (or course enrolments for the SCP) and visualising them. If the numbers start to drop rapidly, then something has probably broken which means people can’t use the website properly.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" src="about:blank" data-bs-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DVSq54wZL00?feature=oembed" width="660" height="544" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Saving Time by Using a Debugger – Derick Rethans</h2>
<p>Derick gave a demonstration on ways to use Xdebug to improve developer efficiency. Once setup, it can be a useful tool for stepping through PHP code and inspecting the current state of the web application to find out what is happening. Personally, I have used debuggers with C# and C++ code and found it useful there since I don’t have to recompile anything to add in some logs and inspect data. In interpreted languages like PHP, this isn’t something I have considered before, however I will definitely be finding it useful in my future work. Even though some technical issues disrupted the live demonstrations, Derick still managed to inspire me to check out Xdebug for myself and use with both personal and work projects.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Stepping away from the code… but not quite… – Wim Godden</h2>
<p>This was one of my favourite talks of the day from Wim about how stakeholders in a project should approach the code, particularly emphasising when people in management or non-development roles need to <em>step away from the code</em> and let developers do their job. He talked about how people from outside of development teams, especially those with development experience, can often try to dictate the implementation of a feature rather than what the result of having that feature should be which can cause issues with development and often makes the process of adding a feature take longer. Providing high quality user stories that have good coverage of what the users need to be able to do on the application will be far more valuable to developers. He also talked about how the career progression of a developer doesn’t have to be continuously upwards within an organisation. Instead, it’s ok to move up and down or stay where we’re comfortable.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Escaping the Code Maze – Yannick Chenot</h2>
<p>To finish off the day, Yannick discussed how we can make our code easier to understand by reducing the assumptions that can be made. Some languages are already stricter on some of the methods of explaining code such as providing types to variables with static types, whereas languages like PHP don’t enforce many rules like this. He demonstrated a few PHP classes and how the assumptions can be reduced by making simple changes that can greatly improve the readability of the code.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">In conclusion</h2>
<p>There were lots of interesting topic discussed throughout the day and plenty to think about afterwards. I will definitely be looking into Xdebug and different tools for monitoring and observing web applications. I found Wim Godden’s talk about how we should see code in different roles across an organisation interesting. I’d highly recommend watching/listening to the recording as this one is also relevant to less technical people who work with developers.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Elephants </h2>
<p>I’ve also started a collection of PHP elephants with two from this conference.</p>
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<title>PHPUK Conference 2025</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/egreen2/2025/08/19/phpuk-conference-2025/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/egreen2/2025/08/19/phpuk-conference-2025/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Edward Green]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2025 11:09:19 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[In February, a colleague and I got the chance to attend the PHPUK conference 2025. Throughout the day, we attended talks from various contributors to the PHP community. The conference had two tracks, which allowed us to split up and cover as much as possible with plenty of breaks to discuss what we’ve learnt about. […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In February, a colleague and I got the chance to attend the PHPUK conference 2025. Throughout the day, we attended talks from various contributors to the PHP community. The conference had two tracks, which allowed us to split up and cover as much as possible with plenty of breaks to discuss what we’ve learnt about.</p>
<p>Before splitting into separate tracks, Daniel Terhorst-North gave a talk on behaviour driven development (BDD) and the 20 years of history behind it. He showed how even though it was started by one person, the community has kept it going.</p>
<p>The next speaker I listened to was Wim Godden who spoke about deploying software at both small and large scales and automating the processes behind it as much as possible. He showed a real-world example of deploying software to rental lockers for a Belgium based company. They used a tool called Ansible to remotely connect to each computer and run tasks for setting up the computer, installing software, and running the company’s software that operates the lockers. This talk felt especially relevant to the Short Courses Platform I am currently working on, since we are also using Ansible to deploy the website onto multiple servers and update it when required.</p>
<p>After a quick break and discussion about the talks we’d listened to, I attended a talk about how large codebases can be compared to onions from Katy Ereira. She explained how large systems can be broken down into smaller, more understandable parts and comparing them to different parts of an onion to help understand their function.</p>
<p>Nils Adermann gave a talk on securing software supply chains. When most people add a library to their codebase, they don’t always think about the security of the library itself, and especially not the dependencies required by it. However, a dependency of a dependency of a library used for something as simple as logging messages could have a security vulnerability that affects the whole codebase. Nils talked about ways to protect against that using tools like GitHub Dependabot or Conductor, which Private Packagist is currently developing. He also revealed how many widely used and often open source libraries receive extremely little funding, which can make it difficult finding volunteers to maintain security.</p>
<p>Over lunch, we discussed the speakers we had listened to and spoke to other attendees of the conference.</p>
<p>Next was a talk from Gina Banyard about discovering edge cases in the PHP language. As a PHP core maintainer, they had an interesting perspective on how bugs are diagnosed and discussions about the expected functionality. Some examples of recently addressed bugs were demonstrated, along with how PHP now handles them.</p>
<p>After the final break, I attended a talk about OpenAPI from Lorna Mitchell, which discussed what the OpenAPI specification is and how it can benefit both developers and users of APIs. The specification assists developers in designing APIs and creating extensive documentation for them through a schema written in either JSON or YAML. Since it is language agnostic, it can be applied to any API.</p>
<p>The conference provided some interesting perspectives and ideas that I will be sharing with other colleagues and may encourage us to consider in current or future projects. Many of the talks were not just relevant to PHP, so can be applied to other projects such as the short courses platform, which already uses Ansible for deployment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Information about all the speakers and recordings of the talks can be found on the <a href="https://www.phpconference.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PHPUK Conference website</a></p>
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<title>Working hand in hand</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2025/12/10/working-hand-in-hand/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2025/12/10/working-hand-in-hand/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kat]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[general]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dlam-feed]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=126</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A lot of the time IT services are supporting users – that is, students and teaching staff – or work quietly in the background to assure systems and infrastructure are in good shape and fit for purpose. In my own role I rarely have an opportunity to see what happens “on the ground”, in the […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A lot of the time IT services are supporting users – that is, students and teaching staff – or work quietly in the background to assure systems and infrastructure are in good shape and fit for purpose. In my own role I rarely have an opportunity to see what happens “on the ground”, in the physical teaching environments. However, recently I was attending a staff training event for Data Protection Champions, and it ended up being an exciting little showcase of how our services work together to make learning and teaching happen. Not just for students <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<p>What are Data Protection Champions? These are a group of staff members who commit to staying up to date on current developments across the university on matters intersecting with Data Protection and to help keep information otherwise available on the web current in discussions and work locally. The Community Meetings help to exchange knowledge and ask questions to understand in better detail what processes and procedures are designed to do and to disambiguate the legalese that necessarily accompanies legal and compliance rules and regulations.</p>
<p>In other words, understanding the details is important, and summarising this “second hand” is not always easy. This prompted some champions to reach out to the organiser asking if the event could be recorded.</p>
<p>This was not a Teams meeting. But, it was set at a lecture theatre with Lecture recording facilities. So after a little consideration of alternatives (recording in segments on a mobile phone? recording via Kaltura video recorder from a laptop?) we set to work out what might need to happen to make use of the lecture recording equipment.</p>
<ul>
<li>Sound check – oh my. Somehow feedback reverberating in stereo through the theatre makes for a great alarm clock, but it transpired quite quickly that we were in need of support. A colleague from Digital Spaces Tech attended within minutes – and some troubleshooting later had all the microphones operating normally. Sigh of relief – we can all hear and know this will be captured in the recording.</li>
<li>Recording – typically recordings are linked to course delivery in our VLE, Learn. And timetabling allows for lectures to be added to the courses automatically. When requesting an ad-hoc recording, this is available to instructors; or can be supported from the Media Service team with a little notice. In our case, notice was very limited, and the support from the service team was invaluable. The lights of the recording equipment turned red – on time for the meeting to start.</li>
<li>Processing – with the event being a full morning, including a break for coffee and networking, the recording took some time to process on the system. With help from the service team, this time duly recorded using our ticketing system Unidesk, the recording was modified to exclude the break to make this more convenient for champions to review once shared.</li>
</ul>
<p>Since the event was not associated with a course or programme, and the default of our lecture recordings setup via the VLE did not apply, sharing recordings is not automatic. The system is designed to safeguard teaching activities and keep permissions for processing and sharing details in line with the terms and conditions of service. Data Protection compliance at its best. Staff training, still falls within the remit of teaching, but staff training is not hosted on our VLE Learn, again, in order to comply with the terms and conditions of service for the VLE. On guidance from the Media Service team we requested for the migration of the video to our other media channel, Media Hopper Create. With this being the first interaction on the service the help and support with this process was incredibly appreciated by the organiser and all involved in the event.</p>
<ul>
<li>Migrating – as part of this whole process, I discovered a whole new set of environments that can be logged into, alas, because my account is linked to a playground account, and I was not the owner of the video recording, we took up the kind offer of support from the Media Service team who brought the video into Media Hopper Create, which offers captioning and wider sharing permissions.</li>
<li>Sharing – as with many of our services, the ability to secure content is shared with the appropriate user groups is really important. Materials can be set to only exist for the video owner (private), made accessible only to users who have been given the link (unlisted) or be made public to all users. In addition, licensing selections assure that users are informed of what is permissible with regards to use of the content and copyright.</li>
</ul>
<p>The support and efforts across the different teams was a really good reminder of why working in ISG / LTW / DLAM is such a rewarding experience. Sometimes we end up being in the role of our own users, and colleagues come to our rescue and support to make the most of the teaching and training that keeps our service provisions compliant and up to date.</p>
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<p> </p>
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<time datetime="2025-12-10" itemprop="dateModified">Dec 10, 2025</time>
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<title>What’s in a measure? Considerations on Anthology Ally</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2023/12/04/whats-in-a-measure-considerations-on-anthology-ally/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2023/12/04/whats-in-a-measure-considerations-on-anthology-ally/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kat]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Dec 2023 11:09:51 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dlam-feed]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=85</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Let me take a moment to share my thoughts around one of our newer services with Learning, Teaching and Web: Anthology Ally. Accessibility is fast becoming one of my favourite topics working within DLAM. A Humanities graduate myself, maybe the link between Hermeneutics (Interpretation theory) and digital transformations in accessible design play a part. Whilst […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Let me take a moment to share my thoughts around one of our newer services with Learning, Teaching and Web: Anthology Ally. Accessibility is fast becoming one of my favourite topics working within DLAM. A Humanities graduate myself, maybe the link between Hermeneutics (Interpretation theory) and digital transformations in accessible design play a part. Whilst I used to be primarily concerned about the meaning behind the words, I now find myself deeply fascinated by the (digital) transactions that take place to transmit and present information, and the tools it takes to make this happen!</p>
<p><span class="TextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun CommentStart CommentHighlightPipeRest CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">Digital accessibility refers to </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">digital content </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">that has been reviewed and tested to be </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">accessible to the widest possible audience and be free from any avoidable access restrictions when using assisti</span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">ve technologies. </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">In the broad landscape of software, programmes and platforms, readability and interoperability </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">are crucial if we are to enable our users to interact with out content in an output format suited to th</span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">eir needs. Thus, for accessibility to </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">translate to digital media </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">educational design (content focussed), interoperability, and user navigation and software availability</span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8"> all play a part</span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">. </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">To achieve this, </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">the ability </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">to review and revise </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightPipeRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">core information – such as</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> file properties,</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> logical </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">input</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> and design </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">elements</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> – </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">this data </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">must be clearly readable to </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">a variety of </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">software </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">before the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">output</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> can be guaranteed</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">. Who else remembers the wonders of opening a foreign file extension with Word and being faced with code </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">rendered</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> in Webdings?</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW170933220 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}"> </span></p>
<p><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW185165916 BCX8">Our ability to alter and edit our content and </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW185165916 BCX8">render</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW185165916 BCX8"> it accessible at all levels, is critical. </span>Anthology Ally offers us a window into the system level dialogue of our digital learning environment and the digital media we populate our classrooms with. Ally is a software integration on our primary VLE that scans contents for digital accessibility, its meta text, settings and requirements hidden behind the on-the-face output. It allows the users to identify accessibility issues at software level and supports some measures of fixing these; as well as enabling the conversion of files into alternative formats. Alternative formats can make teaching resources more adaptable to the diverse needs and wants of our students. Changing file type may help in presenting a file more adaptive to screen size; opting for a different display modus can support reading; access to audio can allow you to listen back on materials whilst working out, running chores or on the commute… with a diverse student body, we have the opportunity to fit all our teaching courses into a more flexible learning style. An improved digital experience supports all our learners, and having a chance to gauge better what poses a hindrance to assistive technology will make an impact to our users!</p>
<figure id="attachment_87" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-87" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-87" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/accessibility-formats-300x224.png" alt="Image title: Know your options. Chose a format that's right for you. List of alternative formats and their advantages shows 8 items. Item 1 Format: OCRed PDF for automatically extracted text. Advantage: Improved scanned documents for better reading and text search. Item 2 Format: Tagged PDF for a structured PDF for assistive technology. Advantage: Improved structure for navigation, essential for screen readers. Item 3 Format: HTML for browser and mobile. Advantage: Customize your text with a file that adapts text to mobile screen sizes. Item 4 Format: ePub for reading on tablets and e-book readers. Advantage: usable for ebooks on tablets to annotate and highlight. Item 5 Format: Electronic braille in BRF file format. Advantage: supports tactile reading and offers relief from screenreaders. Item 6 Format: Audio as MP3 recording of text. Advantage: Listen and learn on the go by engaging different modalities. Item 7 Format: BeeLine Reader. This creates a machine translated version of the document. Advantage: Improved on-screen reading to read faster and with greater focus. Item 8 Format: Translated version (this is an opt-in product) offering a machine translated version of the document. Advantage: Translates text to one of 50 different languages. Speak to Information Services if you are interested in this version." width="300" height="224" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/accessibility-formats-300x224.png 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/accessibility-formats.png 343w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-87" class="wp-caption-text">Table of available alternative formats</figcaption></figure>
<p>Here at DLAM testing out our service solutions to assure that they work as intended and integrate seamlessly (we can but try!) into our existing service environment is a wonderful part of the job. The <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1</a> (version 2.2 has been launched in October) offer a detailed list of criteria when reviewing all our websites and applications for legal compliance <span class="TextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8"> under the </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8">Equality Act (2010)</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8"> and </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8">The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (<a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/about/website/accessibility/guidelines-policy-legislation">https://www.ed.ac.uk/about/website/accessibility/guidelines-policy-legislation</a>)</span></span>. One of the core efforts in the standard is that organisations have to lay bare how they identified and thought about accessibility for their products and services, and where possible, mitigated any avoidable shortcomings. In broad terms, our applications are challenged on three aspects: audio, visual and navigation / workflow; the touch points of our digital environment. It is a “dimension of interoperability” to assess whether “assistive technologies [are] working predictably with different combinations of browsers, mobile operating systems, and devices“ (<a href="https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.is.ed.ac.uk/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4842-7948-9_7">The Next Frontier – Expanding the Definition of Accessibility | SpringerLink</a>). When testing for Ally, a core challenge for me was using assistive technology, often for the first time, and to interpret the behaviour. Whilst I was reasonably familiar with Ease of Access settings for my PC and browser, other more specialist tools I found hard to judge. What if my lack of familiarity with assistive technology in the test makes for a poor result due to difficulties with the assistive tool rather than the target interface? It is the hard to judge places that lead us to use tools to scan and evaluate what meets compliance criteria and helps us to correlate our own experience with the data we interact with.</p>
<p>To guide instructors about digital accessibility, Ally produces a score. It is meant as a guide to how clean a file is in digital terms, i.e. how successful it will be in converting to an alternative file format or being negotiated by any common assistive technology tool. So taking a moment to demystify the scoring for a moment should clear our view to how Ally supports our wider mission to produce accessible learning and teaching materials.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-86" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/Low-gauge.png" alt="Fuel gauge symbol pictured in red pointing to low level to denote 0-33% success rate" width="22" height="19" /> <strong>Low </strong>(0-33%): Needs help! There are severe accessibility issues.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-89" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/Medium-gauge.png" alt="Fuel gauge symbol pictured in amber pointing to mid-level to denote 34-66% success rate" width="22" height="19" /> <strong>Medium </strong>(34-66%): A little better. The file is somewhat accessible and needs improvement.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/high-gauge.png" alt="Fuel gauge symbol pictured in light green pointing to high level to denote 67-99% success rate" width="22" height="19" /> <strong>High </strong>(67-99%): Almost there. The file is accessible but more improvements are possible.</p>
<p><strong><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-90" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/Perfect-gauge.png" alt="Fuel gauge symbol pictured in dark green pointing to full tank level to denote 100% success rate" width="22" height="19" /> Perfect </strong>(100%): Perfect! Ally didn’t identify any accessibility issues but further improvements may still be possible.</p>
<p>Now, a scan for alternative text, in spite of the potential for AI to play a part here in future, cannot infer the context for the teaching resource and the focus the image might have in the lesson plan in the assessment of the appropriateness of ALT text. Ally is first and foremost an editing tool for the instructor, and a convenient conversion tool for the students. Accessibility needs remain to be assessed at the human level. So what do we do to assure we keep the service on track?</p>
<ul>
<li>Training; we must foster a keen awareness of what constitute accessible design in our digital service landscape</li>
<li>Testing; we must test out applications and websites to identify and mitigate challenges in accessibility</li>
<li>Research; we must continue to learn about digital trends, possible new solutions and developments in assistive technology, and accessible design</li>
<li>Feedback; we must actively listen to user feedback to satisfy ourselves that we are not merely offering a legally compliant but a practical and usable service solution and that users understand the benefits and limits of the tools we provide; evaluating our service data can support this conversation (and I hope to go into more detail about this in my next blog).</li>
</ul>
<p>What I have found in the course of the launch of Ally is that users, academics and technologists alike, need to know not only what the barriers of student users may be, and what assistive technologies might be employed, but how to make the leap between the informational content, the educational experience or activities, and the digital needs of the programmes to make it operate for other software. Whilst it is important to point out that accessibility needs are as diverse as the subjects we offer in teaching, focused on honing different skills and abilities, the same goes for assistive technologies. There will never be a one-size-fits-all. And that is a positive thing. It curtails our tendency to reduce accessibility to a tick box exercise. Checking for accessibility remains at all times an iterative process. With Ally, we have one more tool to help us orientate ourselves amidst this ever evolving digital landscape.</p>
<p> </p>
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<time datetime="2023-12-04" itemprop="dateModified">Dec 4, 2023</time>
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<title>Accessible by design</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2023/07/25/accessible-by-design/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2023/07/25/accessible-by-design/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kat]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jul 2023 07:20:48 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[general]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[#digitalaccessibility]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=59</guid>
<description><![CDATA[For many years I have worked as a proof-reader and editor on an assignment basis. It seemed a suitable outlet to my fastidious nature and relentless drive for detail (attributes that I have only marginally been able to tamper for polite society since). What it has given me, however, is a deep appreciation of the […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>For many years I have worked as a proof-reader and editor on an assignment basis. It seemed a suitable outlet to my fastidious nature and relentless drive for detail (attributes that I have only marginally been able to tamper for polite society since). What it has given me, however, is a deep appreciation of the intricacies of good type setting, clean style guides and accurate referencing.</p>
<p>Fast forward to the present day, I am starting to learn more about the digital footprint all these choices and settings create and which of them support interoperability with assistive technologies. What used to be, to my untrained eye, just a flat surface, a 2-dimensional choice of matching the style to the words for the benefit of the reader, suddenly had 3 dimensions: making the text comprehensible to technology to assist in its easy transformation across media by means of tags and codes and alt text… and with it opening up to a more agile interaction with that all-important source material that was being communicated.</p>
<p>So I have set myself two goals: to collate reference material in support of accessibility that may help in designing documents at the outset with accessibility in mind; and to work on some style sheets that can meaningfully integrate what characteristics might be required for different materials to make them meaningfully accessible in their own context and user groups. </p>
<p>What does it take to annotate an art textbook in digital print? What software best integrates disciplinary challenges like specialist symbols and characters? What etiquette rules should be followed in the landscape of gifs and emoji? How can good editing eliminate additional workflows and processes to create differently accessible materials? Is there really ever going to be a “golden copy”?</p>
<p>Let the journey begin <img decoding="async" src="https://statics.teams.cdn.office.net/evergreen-assets/personal-expressions/v2/assets/emoticons/mmm/default/50_f.png?v=v17" alt="Mmmmm…" width="20px" height="20px" aria-label="Mmmmm…" /></p>
<h4>Accessibility Resources </h4>
<p>Government Digital Service – <a href="https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2017/10/23/an-accessibility-reading-list/">An accessibility reading list – Accessibility in government (blog.gov.uk)</a></p>
<p>TextBox Digital – Designing Accessibly – <a href="https://www.textboxdigital.com/aspiredatabase-education/university-of-kent">University of Kent (textboxdigital.com)</a></p>
<p>Universal Design for Learning Guidelines <a href="https://udlguidelines.cast.org/">UDL: The UDL Guidelines (cast.org)</a></p>
<p>Ally Accessibility Formats <a href="https://sites.reading.ac.uk/tel-support-for-students/2018/09/21/blackboard-ally-getting-started-with-alternative-accessible-formats/">Blackboard Ally: Getting started with alternative accessible formats – Blackboard Help for Students – University of Reading</a></p>
<p>Guidelines for Assessment Descriptions <a href="https://www.nwea.org/uploads/2022/11/Image-Description-Guidelines-for-Assessments_NWEA_2021.pdf" class="mtli_attachment mtli_pdf">NWEA Image Description Guidelines for Assessments</a></p>
<p>Guide to writing ALT text <a href="https://matthewdeeprose.github.io/alt-text-images-charts-graphs.html">What is alternative text? How do I write it for images, charts, and graphs? (matthewdeeprose.github.io)</a></p>
<p>Accessibility Resources Portfolio <a href="https://inclusiveinstructionaldesign.com/favorite-resources/#STEM_Accessibility">Favorite Resources – Inclusive Instructional Design</a></p>
<h4>Visuals and Graphics around Accessibility</h4>
<p>Designing for Accessibility Dos and Dont’s – https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2016/09/02/dos-and-donts-on-designing-for-accessibility/</p>
<h4>Accessibility standards, compliance legislation and tools</h4>
<p><a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/952/contents/made">The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)</a></p>
<p><a href="https://aha.elliance.com/2017/12/30/ada-accessibility-compliance-for-college-and-university-websites/">ADA Accessibility Compliance for College and University Websites | Aha! :: Elliance Blog</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG-EM/">Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) 1.0 (w3.org)</a><br /><a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/#conformance">Evaluating Web Accessibility Overview | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C</a></p>
<p>Maintaining Accessibility <a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/planning-and-managing/sustain/">Sustain | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C</a></p>
<p>Contrast Checker <a href="https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/">WebAIM: Contrast Checker</a></p>
<p>MS Office Accessibility Inspector <a href="https://matthewdeeprose.github.io/inspector_for_all">Accessibility Inspector for Everyone (matthewdeeprose.github.io)</a></p>
<p>Nvda Screen Reader <a href="https://www.nvaccess.org/download/">NV Access | Download NVDA</a></p>
<h4>Reporting around Accessibility</h4>
<p>University of Edinburgh – <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/equality-diversity/about/reports">Monitoring and Data | The University of Edinburgh</a></p>
<h4>Community</h4>
<p>Anthology Accessibility Discussion Board <a href="https://community.anthology.com/discuss/viewcategory/91">Accessibility – The Anthology Community</a></p>
<p>Anthology Ally User Group <a href="https://usergroup.ally.ac/dashboard">Dashboard – Ally User Group</a></p>
<p>Digital Accessibility at the University of Reading <a href="https://www.reading.ac.uk/digital-accessibility/digital-accessibility-section/user-stories">User stories (reading.ac.uk)</a></p>
<p>AbilityNet <a href="https://abilitynet.org.uk/accessibility-services/what-digital-accessibility">What is Digital Accessibility? | AbilityNet</a></p>
<p>Champians of Accessibility Network <a href="https://www.skyscanner.net/company-news/introducing-the-champions-of-accessibility-network">Introducing the Champions of Accessibility Network | Skyscanner’s Travel Blog</a></p>
<p>UoE Intern view of LaTeX <a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/08/15/lewis-forbes-latex-and-accessibility/">Lewis Forbes – LaTeX and Accessibility – Information Services Group: Student Employee Blog (ed.ac.uk)</a></p>
<h4>Self-help and training materials</h4>
<p>Discovering Learning styles <a href="https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/learner/front-matter/introduction/">Enter The Learning – Liberated Learners (pressbooks.pub)</a></p>
<p>ABC Teaching toolkit <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/learning-technology/learning-design/abc/toolkit-for-facilitators">Toolkit for facilitators | The University of Edinburgh</a></p>
<p><a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-your-powerpoint-presentations-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-6f7772b2-2f33-4bd2-8ca7-dae3b2b3ef25">Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities – Microsoft Support</a></p>
<h4>University of Edinburgh Resources</h4>
<p><a href="https://media.ed.ac.uk/playlist/details/1_qd3s9zbx">Playlist Details – Global Accessibility Awareness Day – 18 May 2023 – Media Hopper Create</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/help-consultancy/accessibility/creating-materials">Creating accessible materials | The University of Edinburgh</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/learning-technology/accessibility">Learning Technology and Accessibility | The University of Edinburgh</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2023-07-25" itemprop="dateModified">Jul 25, 2023</time>
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<title>Welcome!</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2018/08/08/hello-world/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2018/08/08/hello-world/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Blog administrator]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Aug 2018 14:05:17 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[#general]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=1</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Welcome to Digital Sojourns! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will find my content interesting, and if, like me, you get excited over IT drop me a comment if you think there are things out there I haven’t seen and maybe should! Together we can make this into a diverting and educational space. I’m […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1>Welcome to Digital Sojourns!</h1>
<p>Thanks for stopping by.</p>
<p>I hope you will find my content interesting, and if, like me, you get excited over IT drop me a comment if you think there are things out there I haven’t seen and maybe should! Together we can make this into a diverting and educational space.</p>
<p>I’m leaving the little guidance notes underneath for reference until I made a bit of progress on the content for this blog… hopefully you will see development along the way.</p>
<blockquote><p>For help and advice on getting started with a WordPress blog, see the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/learning-technology/blogging">Academic Blogging help pages</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Your blog is private by default</strong></p>
<p>You can open your blog up to as many or as few people as you like in <strong>Dashboard > Settings > Reading > Site Visibility</strong>:</p>
<ul>
<li>You can open your blog up to specific University members by adding them as users to your blog.</li>
<li>You can open your blog up to all University members who have an EASE login.</li>
<li>You can make you blog open to the world.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>The featured image on this post comes from the University Collections. If you want to use more images in your blog posts, or perhaps use your own choice of image in your blog header, you can:<strong><br />
</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/crcedinburgh/albums/with/72157651943511750">Browse a selection of images on Flickr</a> from the Collections that are available for you to use on open licenses.</li>
<li><a href="https://images.is.ed.ac.uk/">Search the full online image collections</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://open.ed.ac.uk/how-to-guides/">Find more information about searching for and using openly licensed images</a> on the Open.ed site.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>You should read the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/is/blogging/terms">Terms of Use</a> if you haven’t already.</p></blockquote>
<p> <span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area"><br />
<time datetime="2018-08-08" itemprop="dateModified">Aug 8, 2018</time><br />
</span></p>
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<title>Working hand in hand</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2025/12/10/working-hand-in-hand/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2025/12/10/working-hand-in-hand/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kat]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[general]]></category>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=126</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A lot of the time IT services are supporting users – that is, students and teaching staff – or work quietly in the background to assure systems and infrastructure are in good shape and fit for purpose. In my own role I rarely have an opportunity to see what happens “on the ground”, in the […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A lot of the time IT services are supporting users – that is, students and teaching staff – or work quietly in the background to assure systems and infrastructure are in good shape and fit for purpose. In my own role I rarely have an opportunity to see what happens “on the ground”, in the physical teaching environments. However, recently I was attending a staff training event for Data Protection Champions, and it ended up being an exciting little showcase of how our services work together to make learning and teaching happen. Not just for students <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<p>What are Data Protection Champions? These are a group of staff members who commit to staying up to date on current developments across the university on matters intersecting with Data Protection and to help keep information otherwise available on the web current in discussions and work locally. The Community Meetings help to exchange knowledge and ask questions to understand in better detail what processes and procedures are designed to do and to disambiguate the legalese that necessarily accompanies legal and compliance rules and regulations.</p>
<p>In other words, understanding the details is important, and summarising this “second hand” is not always easy. This prompted some champions to reach out to the organiser asking if the event could be recorded.</p>
<p>This was not a Teams meeting. But, it was set at a lecture theatre with Lecture recording facilities. So after a little consideration of alternatives (recording in segments on a mobile phone? recording via Kaltura video recorder from a laptop?) we set to work out what might need to happen to make use of the lecture recording equipment.</p>
<ul>
<li>Sound check – oh my. Somehow feedback reverberating in stereo through the theatre makes for a great alarm clock, but it transpired quite quickly that we were in need of support. A colleague from Digital Spaces Tech attended within minutes – and some troubleshooting later had all the microphones operating normally. Sigh of relief – we can all hear and know this will be captured in the recording.</li>
<li>Recording – typically recordings are linked to course delivery in our VLE, Learn. And timetabling allows for lectures to be added to the courses automatically. When requesting an ad-hoc recording, this is available to instructors; or can be supported from the Media Service team with a little notice. In our case, notice was very limited, and the support from the service team was invaluable. The lights of the recording equipment turned red – on time for the meeting to start.</li>
<li>Processing – with the event being a full morning, including a break for coffee and networking, the recording took some time to process on the system. With help from the service team, this time duly recorded using our ticketing system Unidesk, the recording was modified to exclude the break to make this more convenient for champions to review once shared.</li>
</ul>
<p>Since the event was not associated with a course or programme, and the default of our lecture recordings setup via the VLE did not apply, sharing recordings is not automatic. The system is designed to safeguard teaching activities and keep permissions for processing and sharing details in line with the terms and conditions of service. Data Protection compliance at its best. Staff training, still falls within the remit of teaching, but staff training is not hosted on our VLE Learn, again, in order to comply with the terms and conditions of service for the VLE. On guidance from the Media Service team we requested for the migration of the video to our other media channel, Media Hopper Create. With this being the first interaction on the service the help and support with this process was incredibly appreciated by the organiser and all involved in the event.</p>
<ul>
<li>Migrating – as part of this whole process, I discovered a whole new set of environments that can be logged into, alas, because my account is linked to a playground account, and I was not the owner of the video recording, we took up the kind offer of support from the Media Service team who brought the video into Media Hopper Create, which offers captioning and wider sharing permissions.</li>
<li>Sharing – as with many of our services, the ability to secure content is shared with the appropriate user groups is really important. Materials can be set to only exist for the video owner (private), made accessible only to users who have been given the link (unlisted) or be made public to all users. In addition, licensing selections assure that users are informed of what is permissible with regards to use of the content and copyright.</li>
</ul>
<p>The support and efforts across the different teams was a really good reminder of why working in ISG / LTW / DLAM is such a rewarding experience. Sometimes we end up being in the role of our own users, and colleagues come to our rescue and support to make the most of the teaching and training that keeps our service provisions compliant and up to date.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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<time datetime="2025-12-10" itemprop="dateModified">Dec 10, 2025</time>
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<title>What’s in a measure? Considerations on Anthology Ally</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2023/12/04/whats-in-a-measure-considerations-on-anthology-ally/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2023/12/04/whats-in-a-measure-considerations-on-anthology-ally/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kat]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Dec 2023 11:09:51 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dlam-feed]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=85</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Let me take a moment to share my thoughts around one of our newer services with Learning, Teaching and Web: Anthology Ally. Accessibility is fast becoming one of my favourite topics working within DLAM. A Humanities graduate myself, maybe the link between Hermeneutics (Interpretation theory) and digital transformations in accessible design play a part. Whilst […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Let me take a moment to share my thoughts around one of our newer services with Learning, Teaching and Web: Anthology Ally. Accessibility is fast becoming one of my favourite topics working within DLAM. A Humanities graduate myself, maybe the link between Hermeneutics (Interpretation theory) and digital transformations in accessible design play a part. Whilst I used to be primarily concerned about the meaning behind the words, I now find myself deeply fascinated by the (digital) transactions that take place to transmit and present information, and the tools it takes to make this happen!</p>
<p><span class="TextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun CommentStart CommentHighlightPipeRest CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">Digital accessibility refers to </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">digital content </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">that has been reviewed and tested to be </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">accessible to the widest possible audience and be free from any avoidable access restrictions when using assisti</span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">ve technologies. </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">In the broad landscape of software, programmes and platforms, readability and interoperability </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">are crucial if we are to enable our users to interact with out content in an output format suited to th</span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">eir needs. Thus, for accessibility to </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">translate to digital media </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">educational design (content focussed), interoperability, and user navigation and software availability</span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8"> all play a part</span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">. </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">To achieve this, </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">the ability </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">to review and revise </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightPipeRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">core information – such as</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> file properties,</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> logical </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">input</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> and design </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">elements</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> – </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">this data </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">must be clearly readable to </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">a variety of </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">software </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">before the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">output</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> can be guaranteed</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">. Who else remembers the wonders of opening a foreign file extension with Word and being faced with code </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">rendered</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> in Webdings?</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW170933220 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}"> </span></p>
<p><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW185165916 BCX8">Our ability to alter and edit our content and </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW185165916 BCX8">render</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW185165916 BCX8"> it accessible at all levels, is critical. </span>Anthology Ally offers us a window into the system level dialogue of our digital learning environment and the digital media we populate our classrooms with. Ally is a software integration on our primary VLE that scans contents for digital accessibility, its meta text, settings and requirements hidden behind the on-the-face output. It allows the users to identify accessibility issues at software level and supports some measures of fixing these; as well as enabling the conversion of files into alternative formats. Alternative formats can make teaching resources more adaptable to the diverse needs and wants of our students. Changing file type may help in presenting a file more adaptive to screen size; opting for a different display modus can support reading; access to audio can allow you to listen back on materials whilst working out, running chores or on the commute… with a diverse student body, we have the opportunity to fit all our teaching courses into a more flexible learning style. An improved digital experience supports all our learners, and having a chance to gauge better what poses a hindrance to assistive technology will make an impact to our users!</p>
<figure id="attachment_87" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-87" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-87" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/accessibility-formats-300x224.png" alt="Image title: Know your options. Chose a format that's right for you. List of alternative formats and their advantages shows 8 items. Item 1 Format: OCRed PDF for automatically extracted text. Advantage: Improved scanned documents for better reading and text search. Item 2 Format: Tagged PDF for a structured PDF for assistive technology. Advantage: Improved structure for navigation, essential for screen readers. Item 3 Format: HTML for browser and mobile. Advantage: Customize your text with a file that adapts text to mobile screen sizes. Item 4 Format: ePub for reading on tablets and e-book readers. Advantage: usable for ebooks on tablets to annotate and highlight. Item 5 Format: Electronic braille in BRF file format. Advantage: supports tactile reading and offers relief from screenreaders. Item 6 Format: Audio as MP3 recording of text. Advantage: Listen and learn on the go by engaging different modalities. Item 7 Format: BeeLine Reader. This creates a machine translated version of the document. Advantage: Improved on-screen reading to read faster and with greater focus. Item 8 Format: Translated version (this is an opt-in product) offering a machine translated version of the document. Advantage: Translates text to one of 50 different languages. Speak to Information Services if you are interested in this version." width="300" height="224" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/accessibility-formats-300x224.png 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/accessibility-formats.png 343w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-87" class="wp-caption-text">Table of available alternative formats</figcaption></figure>
<p>Here at DLAM testing out our service solutions to assure that they work as intended and integrate seamlessly (we can but try!) into our existing service environment is a wonderful part of the job. The <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1</a> (version 2.2 has been launched in October) offer a detailed list of criteria when reviewing all our websites and applications for legal compliance <span class="TextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8"> under the </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8">Equality Act (2010)</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8"> and </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8">The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (<a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/about/website/accessibility/guidelines-policy-legislation">https://www.ed.ac.uk/about/website/accessibility/guidelines-policy-legislation</a>)</span></span>. One of the core efforts in the standard is that organisations have to lay bare how they identified and thought about accessibility for their products and services, and where possible, mitigated any avoidable shortcomings. In broad terms, our applications are challenged on three aspects: audio, visual and navigation / workflow; the touch points of our digital environment. It is a “dimension of interoperability” to assess whether “assistive technologies [are] working predictably with different combinations of browsers, mobile operating systems, and devices“ (<a href="https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.is.ed.ac.uk/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4842-7948-9_7">The Next Frontier – Expanding the Definition of Accessibility | SpringerLink</a>). When testing for Ally, a core challenge for me was using assistive technology, often for the first time, and to interpret the behaviour. Whilst I was reasonably familiar with Ease of Access settings for my PC and browser, other more specialist tools I found hard to judge. What if my lack of familiarity with assistive technology in the test makes for a poor result due to difficulties with the assistive tool rather than the target interface? It is the hard to judge places that lead us to use tools to scan and evaluate what meets compliance criteria and helps us to correlate our own experience with the data we interact with.</p>
<p>To guide instructors about digital accessibility, Ally produces a score. It is meant as a guide to how clean a file is in digital terms, i.e. how successful it will be in converting to an alternative file format or being negotiated by any common assistive technology tool. So taking a moment to demystify the scoring for a moment should clear our view to how Ally supports our wider mission to produce accessible learning and teaching materials.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-86" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/Low-gauge.png" alt="Fuel gauge symbol pictured in red pointing to low level to denote 0-33% success rate" width="22" height="19" /> <strong>Low </strong>(0-33%): Needs help! There are severe accessibility issues.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-89" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/Medium-gauge.png" alt="Fuel gauge symbol pictured in amber pointing to mid-level to denote 34-66% success rate" width="22" height="19" /> <strong>Medium </strong>(34-66%): A little better. The file is somewhat accessible and needs improvement.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/high-gauge.png" alt="Fuel gauge symbol pictured in light green pointing to high level to denote 67-99% success rate" width="22" height="19" /> <strong>High </strong>(67-99%): Almost there. The file is accessible but more improvements are possible.</p>
<p><strong><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-90" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/Perfect-gauge.png" alt="Fuel gauge symbol pictured in dark green pointing to full tank level to denote 100% success rate" width="22" height="19" /> Perfect </strong>(100%): Perfect! Ally didn’t identify any accessibility issues but further improvements may still be possible.</p>
<p>Now, a scan for alternative text, in spite of the potential for AI to play a part here in future, cannot infer the context for the teaching resource and the focus the image might have in the lesson plan in the assessment of the appropriateness of ALT text. Ally is first and foremost an editing tool for the instructor, and a convenient conversion tool for the students. Accessibility needs remain to be assessed at the human level. So what do we do to assure we keep the service on track?</p>
<ul>
<li>Training; we must foster a keen awareness of what constitute accessible design in our digital service landscape</li>
<li>Testing; we must test out applications and websites to identify and mitigate challenges in accessibility</li>
<li>Research; we must continue to learn about digital trends, possible new solutions and developments in assistive technology, and accessible design</li>
<li>Feedback; we must actively listen to user feedback to satisfy ourselves that we are not merely offering a legally compliant but a practical and usable service solution and that users understand the benefits and limits of the tools we provide; evaluating our service data can support this conversation (and I hope to go into more detail about this in my next blog).</li>
</ul>
<p>What I have found in the course of the launch of Ally is that users, academics and technologists alike, need to know not only what the barriers of student users may be, and what assistive technologies might be employed, but how to make the leap between the informational content, the educational experience or activities, and the digital needs of the programmes to make it operate for other software. Whilst it is important to point out that accessibility needs are as diverse as the subjects we offer in teaching, focused on honing different skills and abilities, the same goes for assistive technologies. There will never be a one-size-fits-all. And that is a positive thing. It curtails our tendency to reduce accessibility to a tick box exercise. Checking for accessibility remains at all times an iterative process. With Ally, we have one more tool to help us orientate ourselves amidst this ever evolving digital landscape.</p>
<p> </p>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2023-12-04" itemprop="dateModified">Dec 4, 2023</time>
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<title>Accessible by design</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2023/07/25/accessible-by-design/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2023/07/25/accessible-by-design/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kat]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jul 2023 07:20:48 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[general]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[#digitalaccessibility]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=59</guid>
<description><![CDATA[For many years I have worked as a proof-reader and editor on an assignment basis. It seemed a suitable outlet to my fastidious nature and relentless drive for detail (attributes that I have only marginally been able to tamper for polite society since). What it has given me, however, is a deep appreciation of the […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>For many years I have worked as a proof-reader and editor on an assignment basis. It seemed a suitable outlet to my fastidious nature and relentless drive for detail (attributes that I have only marginally been able to tamper for polite society since). What it has given me, however, is a deep appreciation of the intricacies of good type setting, clean style guides and accurate referencing.</p>
<p>Fast forward to the present day, I am starting to learn more about the digital footprint all these choices and settings create and which of them support interoperability with assistive technologies. What used to be, to my untrained eye, just a flat surface, a 2-dimensional choice of matching the style to the words for the benefit of the reader, suddenly had 3 dimensions: making the text comprehensible to technology to assist in its easy transformation across media by means of tags and codes and alt text… and with it opening up to a more agile interaction with that all-important source material that was being communicated.</p>
<p>So I have set myself two goals: to collate reference material in support of accessibility that may help in designing documents at the outset with accessibility in mind; and to work on some style sheets that can meaningfully integrate what characteristics might be required for different materials to make them meaningfully accessible in their own context and user groups. </p>
<p>What does it take to annotate an art textbook in digital print? What software best integrates disciplinary challenges like specialist symbols and characters? What etiquette rules should be followed in the landscape of gifs and emoji? How can good editing eliminate additional workflows and processes to create differently accessible materials? Is there really ever going to be a “golden copy”?</p>
<p>Let the journey begin <img decoding="async" src="https://statics.teams.cdn.office.net/evergreen-assets/personal-expressions/v2/assets/emoticons/mmm/default/50_f.png?v=v17" alt="Mmmmm…" width="20px" height="20px" aria-label="Mmmmm…" /></p>
<h4>Accessibility Resources </h4>
<p>Government Digital Service – <a href="https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2017/10/23/an-accessibility-reading-list/">An accessibility reading list – Accessibility in government (blog.gov.uk)</a></p>
<p>TextBox Digital – Designing Accessibly – <a href="https://www.textboxdigital.com/aspiredatabase-education/university-of-kent">University of Kent (textboxdigital.com)</a></p>
<p>Universal Design for Learning Guidelines <a href="https://udlguidelines.cast.org/">UDL: The UDL Guidelines (cast.org)</a></p>
<p>Ally Accessibility Formats <a href="https://sites.reading.ac.uk/tel-support-for-students/2018/09/21/blackboard-ally-getting-started-with-alternative-accessible-formats/">Blackboard Ally: Getting started with alternative accessible formats – Blackboard Help for Students – University of Reading</a></p>
<p>Guidelines for Assessment Descriptions <a href="https://www.nwea.org/uploads/2022/11/Image-Description-Guidelines-for-Assessments_NWEA_2021.pdf" class="mtli_attachment mtli_pdf">NWEA Image Description Guidelines for Assessments</a></p>
<p>Guide to writing ALT text <a href="https://matthewdeeprose.github.io/alt-text-images-charts-graphs.html">What is alternative text? How do I write it for images, charts, and graphs? (matthewdeeprose.github.io)</a></p>
<p>Accessibility Resources Portfolio <a href="https://inclusiveinstructionaldesign.com/favorite-resources/#STEM_Accessibility">Favorite Resources – Inclusive Instructional Design</a></p>
<h4>Visuals and Graphics around Accessibility</h4>
<p>Designing for Accessibility Dos and Dont’s – https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2016/09/02/dos-and-donts-on-designing-for-accessibility/</p>
<h4>Accessibility standards, compliance legislation and tools</h4>
<p><a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/952/contents/made">The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)</a></p>
<p><a href="https://aha.elliance.com/2017/12/30/ada-accessibility-compliance-for-college-and-university-websites/">ADA Accessibility Compliance for College and University Websites | Aha! :: Elliance Blog</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG-EM/">Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) 1.0 (w3.org)</a><br /><a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/#conformance">Evaluating Web Accessibility Overview | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C</a></p>
<p>Maintaining Accessibility <a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/planning-and-managing/sustain/">Sustain | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C</a></p>
<p>Contrast Checker <a href="https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/">WebAIM: Contrast Checker</a></p>
<p>MS Office Accessibility Inspector <a href="https://matthewdeeprose.github.io/inspector_for_all">Accessibility Inspector for Everyone (matthewdeeprose.github.io)</a></p>
<p>Nvda Screen Reader <a href="https://www.nvaccess.org/download/">NV Access | Download NVDA</a></p>
<h4>Reporting around Accessibility</h4>
<p>University of Edinburgh – <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/equality-diversity/about/reports">Monitoring and Data | The University of Edinburgh</a></p>
<h4>Community</h4>
<p>Anthology Accessibility Discussion Board <a href="https://community.anthology.com/discuss/viewcategory/91">Accessibility – The Anthology Community</a></p>
<p>Anthology Ally User Group <a href="https://usergroup.ally.ac/dashboard">Dashboard – Ally User Group</a></p>
<p>Digital Accessibility at the University of Reading <a href="https://www.reading.ac.uk/digital-accessibility/digital-accessibility-section/user-stories">User stories (reading.ac.uk)</a></p>
<p>AbilityNet <a href="https://abilitynet.org.uk/accessibility-services/what-digital-accessibility">What is Digital Accessibility? | AbilityNet</a></p>
<p>Champians of Accessibility Network <a href="https://www.skyscanner.net/company-news/introducing-the-champions-of-accessibility-network">Introducing the Champions of Accessibility Network | Skyscanner’s Travel Blog</a></p>
<p>UoE Intern view of LaTeX <a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/08/15/lewis-forbes-latex-and-accessibility/">Lewis Forbes – LaTeX and Accessibility – Information Services Group: Student Employee Blog (ed.ac.uk)</a></p>
<h4>Self-help and training materials</h4>
<p>Discovering Learning styles <a href="https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/learner/front-matter/introduction/">Enter The Learning – Liberated Learners (pressbooks.pub)</a></p>
<p>ABC Teaching toolkit <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/learning-technology/learning-design/abc/toolkit-for-facilitators">Toolkit for facilitators | The University of Edinburgh</a></p>
<p><a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-your-powerpoint-presentations-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-6f7772b2-2f33-4bd2-8ca7-dae3b2b3ef25">Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities – Microsoft Support</a></p>
<h4>University of Edinburgh Resources</h4>
<p><a href="https://media.ed.ac.uk/playlist/details/1_qd3s9zbx">Playlist Details – Global Accessibility Awareness Day – 18 May 2023 – Media Hopper Create</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/help-consultancy/accessibility/creating-materials">Creating accessible materials | The University of Edinburgh</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/learning-technology/accessibility">Learning Technology and Accessibility | The University of Edinburgh</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2023-07-25" itemprop="dateModified">Jul 25, 2023</time>
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<title>Welcome!</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2018/08/08/hello-world/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2018/08/08/hello-world/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Blog administrator]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Aug 2018 14:05:17 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[#general]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=1</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Welcome to Digital Sojourns! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will find my content interesting, and if, like me, you get excited over IT drop me a comment if you think there are things out there I haven’t seen and maybe should! Together we can make this into a diverting and educational space. I’m […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1>Welcome to Digital Sojourns!</h1>
<p>Thanks for stopping by.</p>
<p>I hope you will find my content interesting, and if, like me, you get excited over IT drop me a comment if you think there are things out there I haven’t seen and maybe should! Together we can make this into a diverting and educational space.</p>
<p>I’m leaving the little guidance notes underneath for reference until I made a bit of progress on the content for this blog… hopefully you will see development along the way.</p>
<blockquote><p>For help and advice on getting started with a WordPress blog, see the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/learning-technology/blogging">Academic Blogging help pages</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Your blog is private by default</strong></p>
<p>You can open your blog up to as many or as few people as you like in <strong>Dashboard > Settings > Reading > Site Visibility</strong>:</p>
<ul>
<li>You can open your blog up to specific University members by adding them as users to your blog.</li>
<li>You can open your blog up to all University members who have an EASE login.</li>
<li>You can make you blog open to the world.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>The featured image on this post comes from the University Collections. If you want to use more images in your blog posts, or perhaps use your own choice of image in your blog header, you can:<strong><br />
</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/crcedinburgh/albums/with/72157651943511750">Browse a selection of images on Flickr</a> from the Collections that are available for you to use on open licenses.</li>
<li><a href="https://images.is.ed.ac.uk/">Search the full online image collections</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://open.ed.ac.uk/how-to-guides/">Find more information about searching for and using openly licensed images</a> on the Open.ed site.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>You should read the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/is/blogging/terms">Terms of Use</a> if you haven’t already.</p></blockquote>
<p> <span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area"><br />
<time datetime="2018-08-08" itemprop="dateModified">Aug 8, 2018</time><br />
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<title>Working hand in hand</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2025/12/10/working-hand-in-hand/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2025/12/10/working-hand-in-hand/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kat]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[general]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dlam-feed]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=126</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A lot of the time IT services are supporting users – that is, students and teaching staff – or work quietly in the background to assure systems and infrastructure are in good shape and fit for purpose. In my own role I rarely have an opportunity to see what happens “on the ground”, in the […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A lot of the time IT services are supporting users – that is, students and teaching staff – or work quietly in the background to assure systems and infrastructure are in good shape and fit for purpose. In my own role I rarely have an opportunity to see what happens “on the ground”, in the physical teaching environments. However, recently I was attending a staff training event for Data Protection Champions, and it ended up being an exciting little showcase of how our services work together to make learning and teaching happen. Not just for students <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<p>What are Data Protection Champions? These are a group of staff members who commit to staying up to date on current developments across the university on matters intersecting with Data Protection and to help keep information otherwise available on the web current in discussions and work locally. The Community Meetings help to exchange knowledge and ask questions to understand in better detail what processes and procedures are designed to do and to disambiguate the legalese that necessarily accompanies legal and compliance rules and regulations.</p>
<p>In other words, understanding the details is important, and summarising this “second hand” is not always easy. This prompted some champions to reach out to the organiser asking if the event could be recorded.</p>
<p>This was not a Teams meeting. But, it was set at a lecture theatre with Lecture recording facilities. So after a little consideration of alternatives (recording in segments on a mobile phone? recording via Kaltura video recorder from a laptop?) we set to work out what might need to happen to make use of the lecture recording equipment.</p>
<ul>
<li>Sound check – oh my. Somehow feedback reverberating in stereo through the theatre makes for a great alarm clock, but it transpired quite quickly that we were in need of support. A colleague from Digital Spaces Tech attended within minutes – and some troubleshooting later had all the microphones operating normally. Sigh of relief – we can all hear and know this will be captured in the recording.</li>
<li>Recording – typically recordings are linked to course delivery in our VLE, Learn. And timetabling allows for lectures to be added to the courses automatically. When requesting an ad-hoc recording, this is available to instructors; or can be supported from the Media Service team with a little notice. In our case, notice was very limited, and the support from the service team was invaluable. The lights of the recording equipment turned red – on time for the meeting to start.</li>
<li>Processing – with the event being a full morning, including a break for coffee and networking, the recording took some time to process on the system. With help from the service team, this time duly recorded using our ticketing system Unidesk, the recording was modified to exclude the break to make this more convenient for champions to review once shared.</li>
</ul>
<p>Since the event was not associated with a course or programme, and the default of our lecture recordings setup via the VLE did not apply, sharing recordings is not automatic. The system is designed to safeguard teaching activities and keep permissions for processing and sharing details in line with the terms and conditions of service. Data Protection compliance at its best. Staff training, still falls within the remit of teaching, but staff training is not hosted on our VLE Learn, again, in order to comply with the terms and conditions of service for the VLE. On guidance from the Media Service team we requested for the migration of the video to our other media channel, Media Hopper Create. With this being the first interaction on the service the help and support with this process was incredibly appreciated by the organiser and all involved in the event.</p>
<ul>
<li>Migrating – as part of this whole process, I discovered a whole new set of environments that can be logged into, alas, because my account is linked to a playground account, and I was not the owner of the video recording, we took up the kind offer of support from the Media Service team who brought the video into Media Hopper Create, which offers captioning and wider sharing permissions.</li>
<li>Sharing – as with many of our services, the ability to secure content is shared with the appropriate user groups is really important. Materials can be set to only exist for the video owner (private), made accessible only to users who have been given the link (unlisted) or be made public to all users. In addition, licensing selections assure that users are informed of what is permissible with regards to use of the content and copyright.</li>
</ul>
<p>The support and efforts across the different teams was a really good reminder of why working in ISG / LTW / DLAM is such a rewarding experience. Sometimes we end up being in the role of our own users, and colleagues come to our rescue and support to make the most of the teaching and training that keeps our service provisions compliant and up to date.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2025-12-10" itemprop="dateModified">Dec 10, 2025</time>
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</item>
<item>
<title>What’s in a measure? Considerations on Anthology Ally</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2023/12/04/whats-in-a-measure-considerations-on-anthology-ally/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2023/12/04/whats-in-a-measure-considerations-on-anthology-ally/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kat]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Dec 2023 11:09:51 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dlam-feed]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=85</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Let me take a moment to share my thoughts around one of our newer services with Learning, Teaching and Web: Anthology Ally. Accessibility is fast becoming one of my favourite topics working within DLAM. A Humanities graduate myself, maybe the link between Hermeneutics (Interpretation theory) and digital transformations in accessible design play a part. Whilst […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Let me take a moment to share my thoughts around one of our newer services with Learning, Teaching and Web: Anthology Ally. Accessibility is fast becoming one of my favourite topics working within DLAM. A Humanities graduate myself, maybe the link between Hermeneutics (Interpretation theory) and digital transformations in accessible design play a part. Whilst I used to be primarily concerned about the meaning behind the words, I now find myself deeply fascinated by the (digital) transactions that take place to transmit and present information, and the tools it takes to make this happen!</p>
<p><span class="TextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun CommentStart CommentHighlightPipeRest CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">Digital accessibility refers to </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">digital content </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">that has been reviewed and tested to be </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">accessible to the widest possible audience and be free from any avoidable access restrictions when using assisti</span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">ve technologies. </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">In the broad landscape of software, programmes and platforms, readability and interoperability </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">are crucial if we are to enable our users to interact with out content in an output format suited to th</span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">eir needs. Thus, for accessibility to </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">translate to digital media </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">educational design (content focussed), interoperability, and user navigation and software availability</span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8"> all play a part</span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">. </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">To achieve this, </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">the ability </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">to review and revise </span><span class="NormalTextRun CommentHighlightPipeRest SCXW170933220 BCX8">core information – such as</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> file properties,</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> logical </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">input</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> and design </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">elements</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> – </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">this data </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">must be clearly readable to </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">a variety of </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">software </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">before the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">output</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> can be guaranteed</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">. Who else remembers the wonders of opening a foreign file extension with Word and being faced with code </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8">rendered</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW170933220 BCX8"> in Webdings?</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW170933220 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}"> </span></p>
<p><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW185165916 BCX8">Our ability to alter and edit our content and </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW185165916 BCX8">render</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW185165916 BCX8"> it accessible at all levels, is critical. </span>Anthology Ally offers us a window into the system level dialogue of our digital learning environment and the digital media we populate our classrooms with. Ally is a software integration on our primary VLE that scans contents for digital accessibility, its meta text, settings and requirements hidden behind the on-the-face output. It allows the users to identify accessibility issues at software level and supports some measures of fixing these; as well as enabling the conversion of files into alternative formats. Alternative formats can make teaching resources more adaptable to the diverse needs and wants of our students. Changing file type may help in presenting a file more adaptive to screen size; opting for a different display modus can support reading; access to audio can allow you to listen back on materials whilst working out, running chores or on the commute… with a diverse student body, we have the opportunity to fit all our teaching courses into a more flexible learning style. An improved digital experience supports all our learners, and having a chance to gauge better what poses a hindrance to assistive technology will make an impact to our users!</p>
<figure id="attachment_87" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-87" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-87" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/accessibility-formats-300x224.png" alt="Image title: Know your options. Chose a format that's right for you. List of alternative formats and their advantages shows 8 items. Item 1 Format: OCRed PDF for automatically extracted text. Advantage: Improved scanned documents for better reading and text search. Item 2 Format: Tagged PDF for a structured PDF for assistive technology. Advantage: Improved structure for navigation, essential for screen readers. Item 3 Format: HTML for browser and mobile. Advantage: Customize your text with a file that adapts text to mobile screen sizes. Item 4 Format: ePub for reading on tablets and e-book readers. Advantage: usable for ebooks on tablets to annotate and highlight. Item 5 Format: Electronic braille in BRF file format. Advantage: supports tactile reading and offers relief from screenreaders. Item 6 Format: Audio as MP3 recording of text. Advantage: Listen and learn on the go by engaging different modalities. Item 7 Format: BeeLine Reader. This creates a machine translated version of the document. Advantage: Improved on-screen reading to read faster and with greater focus. Item 8 Format: Translated version (this is an opt-in product) offering a machine translated version of the document. Advantage: Translates text to one of 50 different languages. Speak to Information Services if you are interested in this version." width="300" height="224" srcset="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/accessibility-formats-300x224.png 300w, https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/accessibility-formats.png 343w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-87" class="wp-caption-text">Table of available alternative formats</figcaption></figure>
<p>Here at DLAM testing out our service solutions to assure that they work as intended and integrate seamlessly (we can but try!) into our existing service environment is a wonderful part of the job. The <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1</a> (version 2.2 has been launched in October) offer a detailed list of criteria when reviewing all our websites and applications for legal compliance <span class="TextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8"> under the </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8">Equality Act (2010)</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8"> and </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8" lang="EN-GB" xml:lang="EN-GB" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW56190171 BCX8">The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (<a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/about/website/accessibility/guidelines-policy-legislation">https://www.ed.ac.uk/about/website/accessibility/guidelines-policy-legislation</a>)</span></span>. One of the core efforts in the standard is that organisations have to lay bare how they identified and thought about accessibility for their products and services, and where possible, mitigated any avoidable shortcomings. In broad terms, our applications are challenged on three aspects: audio, visual and navigation / workflow; the touch points of our digital environment. It is a “dimension of interoperability” to assess whether “assistive technologies [are] working predictably with different combinations of browsers, mobile operating systems, and devices“ (<a href="https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.is.ed.ac.uk/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4842-7948-9_7">The Next Frontier – Expanding the Definition of Accessibility | SpringerLink</a>). When testing for Ally, a core challenge for me was using assistive technology, often for the first time, and to interpret the behaviour. Whilst I was reasonably familiar with Ease of Access settings for my PC and browser, other more specialist tools I found hard to judge. What if my lack of familiarity with assistive technology in the test makes for a poor result due to difficulties with the assistive tool rather than the target interface? It is the hard to judge places that lead us to use tools to scan and evaluate what meets compliance criteria and helps us to correlate our own experience with the data we interact with.</p>
<p>To guide instructors about digital accessibility, Ally produces a score. It is meant as a guide to how clean a file is in digital terms, i.e. how successful it will be in converting to an alternative file format or being negotiated by any common assistive technology tool. So taking a moment to demystify the scoring for a moment should clear our view to how Ally supports our wider mission to produce accessible learning and teaching materials.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-86" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/Low-gauge.png" alt="Fuel gauge symbol pictured in red pointing to low level to denote 0-33% success rate" width="22" height="19" /> <strong>Low </strong>(0-33%): Needs help! There are severe accessibility issues.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-89" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/Medium-gauge.png" alt="Fuel gauge symbol pictured in amber pointing to mid-level to denote 34-66% success rate" width="22" height="19" /> <strong>Medium </strong>(34-66%): A little better. The file is somewhat accessible and needs improvement.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/high-gauge.png" alt="Fuel gauge symbol pictured in light green pointing to high level to denote 67-99% success rate" width="22" height="19" /> <strong>High </strong>(67-99%): Almost there. The file is accessible but more improvements are possible.</p>
<p><strong><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-90" src="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/wp-content/uploads/sites/8190/2023/11/Perfect-gauge.png" alt="Fuel gauge symbol pictured in dark green pointing to full tank level to denote 100% success rate" width="22" height="19" /> Perfect </strong>(100%): Perfect! Ally didn’t identify any accessibility issues but further improvements may still be possible.</p>
<p>Now, a scan for alternative text, in spite of the potential for AI to play a part here in future, cannot infer the context for the teaching resource and the focus the image might have in the lesson plan in the assessment of the appropriateness of ALT text. Ally is first and foremost an editing tool for the instructor, and a convenient conversion tool for the students. Accessibility needs remain to be assessed at the human level. So what do we do to assure we keep the service on track?</p>
<ul>
<li>Training; we must foster a keen awareness of what constitute accessible design in our digital service landscape</li>
<li>Testing; we must test out applications and websites to identify and mitigate challenges in accessibility</li>
<li>Research; we must continue to learn about digital trends, possible new solutions and developments in assistive technology, and accessible design</li>
<li>Feedback; we must actively listen to user feedback to satisfy ourselves that we are not merely offering a legally compliant but a practical and usable service solution and that users understand the benefits and limits of the tools we provide; evaluating our service data can support this conversation (and I hope to go into more detail about this in my next blog).</li>
</ul>
<p>What I have found in the course of the launch of Ally is that users, academics and technologists alike, need to know not only what the barriers of student users may be, and what assistive technologies might be employed, but how to make the leap between the informational content, the educational experience or activities, and the digital needs of the programmes to make it operate for other software. Whilst it is important to point out that accessibility needs are as diverse as the subjects we offer in teaching, focused on honing different skills and abilities, the same goes for assistive technologies. There will never be a one-size-fits-all. And that is a positive thing. It curtails our tendency to reduce accessibility to a tick box exercise. Checking for accessibility remains at all times an iterative process. With Ally, we have one more tool to help us orientate ourselves amidst this ever evolving digital landscape.</p>
<p> </p>
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<time datetime="2023-12-04" itemprop="dateModified">Dec 4, 2023</time>
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<title>Accessible by design</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2023/07/25/accessible-by-design/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2023/07/25/accessible-by-design/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kat]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jul 2023 07:20:48 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[general]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[#digitalaccessibility]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=59</guid>
<description><![CDATA[For many years I have worked as a proof-reader and editor on an assignment basis. It seemed a suitable outlet to my fastidious nature and relentless drive for detail (attributes that I have only marginally been able to tamper for polite society since). What it has given me, however, is a deep appreciation of the […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>For many years I have worked as a proof-reader and editor on an assignment basis. It seemed a suitable outlet to my fastidious nature and relentless drive for detail (attributes that I have only marginally been able to tamper for polite society since). What it has given me, however, is a deep appreciation of the intricacies of good type setting, clean style guides and accurate referencing.</p>
<p>Fast forward to the present day, I am starting to learn more about the digital footprint all these choices and settings create and which of them support interoperability with assistive technologies. What used to be, to my untrained eye, just a flat surface, a 2-dimensional choice of matching the style to the words for the benefit of the reader, suddenly had 3 dimensions: making the text comprehensible to technology to assist in its easy transformation across media by means of tags and codes and alt text… and with it opening up to a more agile interaction with that all-important source material that was being communicated.</p>
<p>So I have set myself two goals: to collate reference material in support of accessibility that may help in designing documents at the outset with accessibility in mind; and to work on some style sheets that can meaningfully integrate what characteristics might be required for different materials to make them meaningfully accessible in their own context and user groups. </p>
<p>What does it take to annotate an art textbook in digital print? What software best integrates disciplinary challenges like specialist symbols and characters? What etiquette rules should be followed in the landscape of gifs and emoji? How can good editing eliminate additional workflows and processes to create differently accessible materials? Is there really ever going to be a “golden copy”?</p>
<p>Let the journey begin <img decoding="async" src="https://statics.teams.cdn.office.net/evergreen-assets/personal-expressions/v2/assets/emoticons/mmm/default/50_f.png?v=v17" alt="Mmmmm…" width="20px" height="20px" aria-label="Mmmmm…" /></p>
<h4>Accessibility Resources </h4>
<p>Government Digital Service – <a href="https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2017/10/23/an-accessibility-reading-list/">An accessibility reading list – Accessibility in government (blog.gov.uk)</a></p>
<p>TextBox Digital – Designing Accessibly – <a href="https://www.textboxdigital.com/aspiredatabase-education/university-of-kent">University of Kent (textboxdigital.com)</a></p>
<p>Universal Design for Learning Guidelines <a href="https://udlguidelines.cast.org/">UDL: The UDL Guidelines (cast.org)</a></p>
<p>Ally Accessibility Formats <a href="https://sites.reading.ac.uk/tel-support-for-students/2018/09/21/blackboard-ally-getting-started-with-alternative-accessible-formats/">Blackboard Ally: Getting started with alternative accessible formats – Blackboard Help for Students – University of Reading</a></p>
<p>Guidelines for Assessment Descriptions <a href="https://www.nwea.org/uploads/2022/11/Image-Description-Guidelines-for-Assessments_NWEA_2021.pdf" class="mtli_attachment mtli_pdf">NWEA Image Description Guidelines for Assessments</a></p>
<p>Guide to writing ALT text <a href="https://matthewdeeprose.github.io/alt-text-images-charts-graphs.html">What is alternative text? How do I write it for images, charts, and graphs? (matthewdeeprose.github.io)</a></p>
<p>Accessibility Resources Portfolio <a href="https://inclusiveinstructionaldesign.com/favorite-resources/#STEM_Accessibility">Favorite Resources – Inclusive Instructional Design</a></p>
<h4>Visuals and Graphics around Accessibility</h4>
<p>Designing for Accessibility Dos and Dont’s – https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2016/09/02/dos-and-donts-on-designing-for-accessibility/</p>
<h4>Accessibility standards, compliance legislation and tools</h4>
<p><a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/952/contents/made">The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)</a></p>
<p><a href="https://aha.elliance.com/2017/12/30/ada-accessibility-compliance-for-college-and-university-websites/">ADA Accessibility Compliance for College and University Websites | Aha! :: Elliance Blog</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG-EM/">Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) 1.0 (w3.org)</a><br /><a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/#conformance">Evaluating Web Accessibility Overview | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C</a></p>
<p>Maintaining Accessibility <a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/planning-and-managing/sustain/">Sustain | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C</a></p>
<p>Contrast Checker <a href="https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/">WebAIM: Contrast Checker</a></p>
<p>MS Office Accessibility Inspector <a href="https://matthewdeeprose.github.io/inspector_for_all">Accessibility Inspector for Everyone (matthewdeeprose.github.io)</a></p>
<p>Nvda Screen Reader <a href="https://www.nvaccess.org/download/">NV Access | Download NVDA</a></p>
<h4>Reporting around Accessibility</h4>
<p>University of Edinburgh – <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/equality-diversity/about/reports">Monitoring and Data | The University of Edinburgh</a></p>
<h4>Community</h4>
<p>Anthology Accessibility Discussion Board <a href="https://community.anthology.com/discuss/viewcategory/91">Accessibility – The Anthology Community</a></p>
<p>Anthology Ally User Group <a href="https://usergroup.ally.ac/dashboard">Dashboard – Ally User Group</a></p>
<p>Digital Accessibility at the University of Reading <a href="https://www.reading.ac.uk/digital-accessibility/digital-accessibility-section/user-stories">User stories (reading.ac.uk)</a></p>
<p>AbilityNet <a href="https://abilitynet.org.uk/accessibility-services/what-digital-accessibility">What is Digital Accessibility? | AbilityNet</a></p>
<p>Champians of Accessibility Network <a href="https://www.skyscanner.net/company-news/introducing-the-champions-of-accessibility-network">Introducing the Champions of Accessibility Network | Skyscanner’s Travel Blog</a></p>
<p>UoE Intern view of LaTeX <a href="https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/isintern/2023/08/15/lewis-forbes-latex-and-accessibility/">Lewis Forbes – LaTeX and Accessibility – Information Services Group: Student Employee Blog (ed.ac.uk)</a></p>
<h4>Self-help and training materials</h4>
<p>Discovering Learning styles <a href="https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/learner/front-matter/introduction/">Enter The Learning – Liberated Learners (pressbooks.pub)</a></p>
<p>ABC Teaching toolkit <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/learning-technology/learning-design/abc/toolkit-for-facilitators">Toolkit for facilitators | The University of Edinburgh</a></p>
<p><a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-your-powerpoint-presentations-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-6f7772b2-2f33-4bd2-8ca7-dae3b2b3ef25">Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities – Microsoft Support</a></p>
<h4>University of Edinburgh Resources</h4>
<p><a href="https://media.ed.ac.uk/playlist/details/1_qd3s9zbx">Playlist Details – Global Accessibility Awareness Day – 18 May 2023 – Media Hopper Create</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/help-consultancy/accessibility/creating-materials">Creating accessible materials | The University of Edinburgh</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/learning-technology/accessibility">Learning Technology and Accessibility | The University of Edinburgh</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area">
<time datetime="2023-07-25" itemprop="dateModified">Jul 25, 2023</time>
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<title>Welcome!</title>
<link>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2018/08/08/hello-world/</link>
<comments>https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/2018/08/08/hello-world/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Blog administrator]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Aug 2018 14:05:17 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[#general]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=1</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Welcome to Digital Sojourns! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will find my content interesting, and if, like me, you get excited over IT drop me a comment if you think there are things out there I haven’t seen and maybe should! Together we can make this into a diverting and educational space. I’m […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1>Welcome to Digital Sojourns!</h1>
<p>Thanks for stopping by.</p>
<p>I hope you will find my content interesting, and if, like me, you get excited over IT drop me a comment if you think there are things out there I haven’t seen and maybe should! Together we can make this into a diverting and educational space.</p>
<p>I’m leaving the little guidance notes underneath for reference until I made a bit of progress on the content for this blog… hopefully you will see development along the way.</p>
<blockquote><p>For help and advice on getting started with a WordPress blog, see the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/learning-technology/blogging">Academic Blogging help pages</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Your blog is private by default</strong></p>
<p>You can open your blog up to as many or as few people as you like in <strong>Dashboard > Settings > Reading > Site Visibility</strong>:</p>
<ul>
<li>You can open your blog up to specific University members by adding them as users to your blog.</li>
<li>You can open your blog up to all University members who have an EASE login.</li>
<li>You can make you blog open to the world.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>The featured image on this post comes from the University Collections. If you want to use more images in your blog posts, or perhaps use your own choice of image in your blog header, you can:<strong><br />
</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/crcedinburgh/albums/with/72157651943511750">Browse a selection of images on Flickr</a> from the Collections that are available for you to use on open licenses.</li>
<li><a href="https://images.is.ed.ac.uk/">Search the full online image collections</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://open.ed.ac.uk/how-to-guides/">Find more information about searching for and using openly licensed images</a> on the Open.ed site.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>You should read the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/is/blogging/terms">Terms of Use</a> if you haven’t already.</p></blockquote>
<p> <span class="uoe-published-time uoe-seo-hidden-area"><br />
<time datetime="2018-08-08" itemprop="dateModified">Aug 8, 2018</time><br />
</span></p>
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Diag| Considering item [https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=126] "Working hand in hand"
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Diag====| Item [https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=126] "Working hand in hand" is a duplicate of an existing post.
Diag| Considering item [https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=85] "What’s in a measure? Considerations on Anthology Ally"
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Diag====| Item [https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=85] "What’s in a measure? Considerations on Anthology Ally" is a duplicate of an existing post.
Diag| Considering item [https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=59] "Accessible by design"
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Diag========| CHECKED familiarity of term "#digitalaccessibility" across {"1":"category","2":"post_tag"} with result: falseDiag====| Assigned category "#digitalaccessibility" by feed; checking {"1":"category","2":"post_tag"} with result: nullDiag====| Category: MAPPED term names ["general","#digitalaccessibility"] to IDs: null
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Diag| Considering item [https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=1] "Welcome!"
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Diag====| Item [https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/kneuman2/?p=1] "Welcome!" is a NEW POST.
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All the edtech shenanigans that's fit to print
First launched in 2011, this popular Scottish Government funded e-learning resource was refreshed and relaunched on 9th June 2021, coinciding with national changes to foot screening services across Scotland. ‘National Diabetes Foot Co-ordinator’ Duncan Stang kindly provides a short overview of this collaborative project with the University of Edinburgh and the measurable impact it has […]
Diag| Memory: Current usage: 10 MB
Diag| Memory: Peak usage: 10 MB
Thank you, Karen! You are very much missed over here.
This is a brilliant idea David! Nice work :) I'm still learning from you all despite not working at UoE…
Hi Jackie, This sounds like an exciting creative project. Designing and animating custom stick figures from scratch is not that…
This is fascinating, particularly the idea of "coding without writing a single line." It really highlights the potential of prompt…
N.B. Closing date now extended to 23:59 on Wednesday, 4th of March.