At Station X meetup in February 2012, Paul Johnston (@pauldjohnston) suggested that
we pull together some of our content that we blog, photograph etc into a book,
with the primary purpose being to make some money for Bletchley Park and The
National Museum of Computing (TNMOC).

So, the idea is that anyone that has been to a Station X meetup since they
started would be able to provide an article (or two, or three) on what their
experiences were of Bletchley Park and TNMOC.

This book could then be turned into an e-book and sold to be read on Amazon
Kindle and iBooks etc. to generate funds, but also to encourage more people to
come to Bletchley Park.

So, what articles have you written (or could write)?

What was your favourite experience?

* Looking round the back of Colossus?
* Seeing the Bombe working?
* Your first view of the Turing Papers?
* Seeing the archives?

Whatever it was, we want you to write about it. We'll have further guidelines
soon (e.g. word counts, and the like) but above all, make it something that
people will want to read, and that will encourage people to visit.

We all come to @stationx to raise the profile via Social Media. Why not use that
content and ability to crowd source a book for the purpose?

And thus is born...

The @StationX Geek Book (Volume 1)

So if you have been to an @StationX meetup and can spare some time to jot down your experiences have been we woudl be very grateful, just click the link above and request to join.

When announced there wasn't a lot of buzz for the next @stationX date (today) but a glorious morning would act as an omen for an amaizing amount of people that turned up. @documentally, @shaunarmstrong, @bletchleypark, @125f8, @amandafclark, @pauldjohnston, @neilcford, @mcfontaine, @barnstormed, @computid plus two new bodies: @bparkPO, @helenarmfield and a visit from Austria

We had a visit from Lin Jones @linjones of The National Museum of Computing (@tnmoc) and Iain Standen (@bparkCEO) the new CEO for Bletchely Park of whome @documentally posted the following photo and #audioboo

 

Discussions were varied and fast, from the varied travels of @documentally to the depths of mesh networking, this also included a visit to @tnmoc to see the #CRAY computer in action after the recent news it was working sums out for Prime Numbers, we then asked when it would be on Twitter. there was time to see the newly finished BBC Room and the spankingly nice Doomsday Display which has an interactive multitouch tabletop screen.

 

Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, once a top secret institution where all photography was banned, is now welcoming the world’s photographers with open arms to take part in its inaugural‘Picture Bletchley Park’ photographic competition.

The prestigious board of judges includes Kate Day, communities editor for Telegraph.co.uk, who is also well known for her blogs about photography and Damien Demolder, editor of the magazine, Amateur Photographer.

Kate says “I’m delighted to be judging this competition. I’m a big supporter of Bletchley Park and of the campaign to save such an important part of our history.”

The competition is open to everyone, regardless of experience. Participants may submit photographs of any aspect of Bletchley Park, from the buildings and the army of staff and volunteers who work there, to its priceless historic collections and lovely gardens. There arethree categories, with four winners in each, plus a 13th overall winner of the whole competition who will be selected from among the 12 winners of the three categories. The three categories are digital cameras, mobile phone cameras and film cameras.

The 12 winners will feature in Bletchley Park’s official 2012 calendar, with the photograph by the overall winner featuring on the front cover. The 13 winning entries, along with 25 runners up, will also be displayed at Bletchley Park during the ‘Picture This’ event on 2 October, where the winners will each be presented with a framed copy of their entry.

 

To Enter Please Visit bparkcomp.org.uk

 

Today was the geek meet at Bletchley Park.
It had the usual suspects and a few new faces of the Chaplin to the Park (@chrisjhicken) and Paul Bevan (@bevangelist).

It was also the first stop off for Mark Baldwin, who is cycling to Paris in aid of #bpark. You can sponsor him here http://bit.ly/gyIDCl

By @125f8

Today saw the start of @stationX for 2011, a cold and damp start, however this soon changed with the arrival of some friendly faces and the offer of coffee.

In attendance today @125f8, @documentally, @barnstormed, @kirstyemmabacon, @bletchleypark, @pauldjohnston, @shaunarmstrong, @joelgreenberg & @linjones

Towards the end we were treated by @linjones to a look round The National
Museum of Computing (@tnmoc) at various classic tech including a 4mb disc larger than a child's hoolahoop! (see picture) also shown a patchwork hexadecimal HTML

I for one am looking forward to the coming months.

Written by @125f8

As of today, well about 4 hours ago the @stationX blog now has a custom short URL

http://stnx.at/bpark

Special thanks to @pauldjohnston for his work in sorting this out

This Wednesday (26/1/11) sees the first social-media cafe meet-up of 2011at Bletchley Park of @stationX

It is also, within a few days @stationX's  2nd Birthday, If you are coming then please let @bletchleypark or @stationX know.

The day usually starts around 10am in Hut 4 (the Cafe) which is on the left hand side of the Mansion, There people meet discuss anything and everything of a geeky nature. Occasionally @bletchleypark (Kelsey) has a surprise for us which has been a variety of things such as a private screening in the on-site cinema or the attendance of the @digitalplanet team and even a visit up to the famous 'Station X' room itself.

The main push has been from @documentally who through his tireless ways lets everybody know about the day. This being said he is not the only person pushing the #bpark word, it is the one and only rule that everybody who visits @stationX also amplifies / blogs by all means available to them about Bletchley Park and uses the #bpark hashtag.

@documentally interviewing the interviewee @billt

sitting in hut 4, its its either coke of coffee.

 

Written by @125f8

On BBC2 tonight at 9pm is a documentary about 'Operation Mincemeat' 

For more than 60 years, the real story behind Operation Mincemeat has been shrouded in secrecy. Now, Ben Macintyre reveals the extraordinary truth in a documentary based on his bestselling book.

Bletchley Park features significantly in this programme

 

In 1943, British Intelligence hatched a daring plan. As the Allies prepared to invade Sicily, their purpose was to convince the Germans that Greece was the real target. The plot to fool the Fuhrer was the brainchild of Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond.

British agents procured the body of a tramp and reinvented his entire identity. He was given a new name, an officer rank and a briefcase containing plans for a fake invasion of Greece. The body was floated off the Spanish coast where Nazi spies would find it.

The deception was an astonishing success. Hitler fell for it totally, ordering his armies to Greece to await an invasion that never happened. Meanwhile, the Allies landed in Sicily with minimal resistance. The island fell in a month. The war turned in the Allies' favour.

Together with original witnesses, Macintyre recreates the remarkable story of how one brilliant team, and one dead tramp, pulled off a deception which changed the course of history.

Trailer for Operation Mincemeat' from BBC2

 

"Wallet Litter" taken from the BBC2 site for 'Operation Mincemeat'

  

 

And we're off, welcome to the blogspace for stationX, here is where up to date info will be posted and the where and when for the next meeting will be, also we might drop in a few extras such as videos and pictures and other odd bits the @stationx tweetups as they happen.

There is a post facility, however like most sites we have to moderate it for anything you may decide to put up so please don't be offended if we reject it.