Daily Archives: Monday, January 27, 2014

  • Snowdrops

    Steve WoodsBristol

    Whenever I get my first sight of snowdrops (Galanthus) each winter, my spirit lifts as this very unassuming little flower is the first to bloom each year and thus indicates spring cannot be far away.

    It will soon be followed by crocuses, daffodils, tulips and other popular garden bulbs.

    image of snowdrops

    These snowdrops were spotted at Lawford’s Gate, Bristol on the site of the Lawford’s Gate House of Correction, a former prison lying outside the city of Bristol until the late Victorian era. Along with the city’s other gaols, it was a target in the 1831 Bristol Riot, when it was set alight. The prison also had a whipping post for punishing prisoners.

    Once a place of punishment and misery, the site of the prison is now a pleasant green space with mature trees and – in January at least – the first heralds of spring.

  • An open source messenging service for French universities and elite schools

    Steve WoodsOpen Source, Tech

    Blue-Mind, the French open source collaborative messaging solution, has been adopted for French universities and other associated establishments, including scientific and technical public institutions, Le Monde Informatique reports today.

    screenshot of Blue-Mind software

    The Ministry for Higher Education and Research has signed a four-year framework agreement with French software supplier Blue-Mind. Its collaborative open source messenging solution is therefore now available with a specific pricing structure to all French universities, elite schools (the so-called ‘grandes écoles‘), scientific and technical public institutions such as the CNRS, INSERM, INRA, INRIA, etc. and public sector research and computing centres.

    The Blue-Mind offering is positioned as a competitor to Google Apps as regards functionality. Its features include messenging/email, contact management, calendars, etc. for all types of devices, including mobiles.