Dukes Digital Domain…

I’ve had an interest in social media since Cro worked on and developed Pitch, a mobile social network. I have joined a number of networks and thought I’d put together a list of social media sites that I use on a regular basis, although some of the links below are purely used for sharing content.

Feel free to follow and friend me on any of the following networks:

Facebook - I use this service to connect with friends, family and contacts. I keep this profile updated with pictures, videos and links.

Flickr - This is obvious but most of the pictures uploaded to flickr are used on my blog, or they’re transferred to ImageKind to be printed and then framed.

FriendFeed - Is mainly used to gather content from multiple sites, you’ll find my latest tweets, shared content alongside pictures and video.

Google Reader - I read a lot of RSS feeds via google reader because I often don’t have the time to visit each site for the latest news. I share interesting content with friends and other social networks.

ImageKind.com - As with Flickr, I upload pictures to this service. You can become a fan of artists. I’m currently selling a number of pictures that I took on my last trip to Canada.

Jaiku.com - This is primely used to distribute content from google reader, twitter and flickr.

Twitter.com - I’ve used twitter for nearly a year now and it’s a great micro-blogging tool. You can get breaking news before it’s covered on TV, keep updated on the latest trends and follow interesting and influential people. If you don’t get Twitter, then I suggest you have a read over Cat’s ‘How to’ guide on how to use it.

During week days I use the above services a lot, however, I tend not to use any of the services over the weekend because I’m usually out in the real world

The forth season of Battlestar Galactica aired on Sky One earlier this week, however, bit torrent users were able to download the American Sci-Fi channel’s version of BSG on Sunday. The cool thing is that there won’t be any spoilers posted online because our American friends won’t have much of a head-start over British BSG fans but at least everyone will get to watch the climax of the series at near enough the same time.

While I was surfing over Facebook I found a pretty cool BSG fan group and found a couple of interesting links that may be of interest to you:

WeWereCenturions.com - Great BSG animation.
BattlestarLondon.com - BSG the musical coming to London, register your interest.
BattlestarGalacticaGame.com - Sierra Online released an arcade game based on the show for the PC and Xbox 360.

Out of all of the Sci-Fi shows I watch on TV, Battlestar Galactica has got to be the best one ever made!

Yesterday afternoon I was given a code to use on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The code enabled me to download the new Call of Duty 4 maps. The Variety Map Pack took about twenty minutes to download and consists of four maps for the multiplayer aspect of the game. I’ve posted the official map descriptions with screenshots below:

Broadcast

With it’s size and alternate routes, Broadcast is a must for large team games. The multi-floored media facility overlooks a collection of buildings, perfect for sniper fire. With it’s multiple vantage points, tightly wound office spaces and roof-top access, Broadcast is sure to become a fan favorite.

Chinatown

A revision of the classic Call of Duty 2 map Carentan, Chinatown brings players into the foggy night life where the full moon lights the battle below. With multiple interiors, windows overlooking the courtyard and an intricate rooftop design, Chinatown is perfect for any size party and gametype.

Creek

A secluded village getaway doesn’t mean this creek is a nice vacation spot. With sniper friendly foliage, a deep ravine perfect for ambushes and an underground cave, Creek is an extensive map for large scale operations. Creek is a dream for an ambush plan, just hope you aren’t walking into one of your own.

Killhouse

An enclosed warehouse made up of plywood structures primarily used for S.A.S. speed tests, Killhouse is ground level carnage waiting to happen. You’d better enjoy respawning because in Killhouse you’ll always be coming back for more.

Once I had downloaded the new map pack, I had to download an update for the game. I didn’t have a lot of time last night but I was able to play the new maps briefly and I’m pleased the developers have created some great new content. Obviously, I need to spend a lot more time playing the maps to provide you with a detailed overview but I quite like ‘Broadcast’ and ‘KillHouse’ maps. ‘Creek’ is fun but that map is more geared towards snipers.

Also, Eurogamer has posted an interview with the developers and CLUK21 will be hosting a CoD4 tournament at their next LAN event. The Call of Duty 4 Variety Map Pack was released earlier this month via the Xbox Live Marketplace and costs 800 points.

On the 4th April I was looking over some photo’s that I uploaded to my Flickr account. I’ve always wanted to be able to print and frame some of my pictures with ease, especially the photo’s I took while I was visiting Chilliwack, Canada. While I was looking over the pictures, I saw a really good one of my dog and I decided to try out the services of ImageKind because they were able to print, and then frame the photo at one location. I signed up to the service and played around with the options, the process itself was fairly simple.

Basically, you select the picture you want via Flickr then it is uploaded onto ImageKind’s servers, which then provides you with a onscreen view of the picture, then it is up to you to select what you’d like to go alongside the picture. I picked a nice wooden frame but I was slightly concerned about the quality of the picture. However, my concerns were put to rest when the picture arrived this morning via FedEx.

I’m very impressed with the time frame it took to deliver the product that I had ordered. I kept an eye on the online tracking service - it was updated daily, providing location based updates and the expected date of arrival. I’m also, very impressed with the services of ImageKind, to me, at least, they’ve done a fantastic job and I won’t hesitate in recommending their services.

The cost of having the picture printed and framed was reasonable but the shipping costs were a little pricey but that’s not really a concern. To-date, I haven’t found anywhere in the UK that matches or provides a similar service.