Gadget Show Live 2015

Another year, another trip to Gadget Show Live (here you’ll find the post from Gadget Show Live 2014).  

This year the show was smaller than last, but the stands seemed more hemmed in. In the few times I’ve been, the show seems to go from large to small to large over alternate years. 

There were some new and interesting appearances, as well as the usual suspects.  It was good to see big names such as DysonSynology, and EBuyer there, as well as a section dedicated to British inventions.

Disappointingly there were no major camera manufacturers at the show, even though I’d been told Olympus would be there.  There were some photography related gadgets, the best of which was TurnsPro, a Kickstarter funded time lapse camera mount.  There were also some add-on lenses for mobile phones which were a tad expensive for what they were.

My wallet nearly escaped unscathed, with just a couple of car phone mounts from Osomount in my bag.  But then, with some help from the excellent Synology and EBuyer teams, I bought a DS415+ network attached storage device to keep all of my photos safe and sound.

Scotland (part 2 of 2) – Edinburgh

This post is the second in a series of two about a recent trip to Scotland and is focused on Edinburgh.

A day trip to Edinburgh as part of the break allowed for just five-and-a-half hours exploring this amazing city.  It was the day before the Edinburgh Festival Fringe started, and so there was a real buzz and the city geared itself up for a month of fun!

After being dropped near Princes Street with limited time available I decided that Edinburgh Castle should be the first port of call (after a coffee, of course!).  The Castle, on the edge of the Old Town part of Edinburgh, overlooks the New Town part and beyond with spectacular views.  The famous One O’Clock Gun was a great photo opportunity, so I picked a place with a good view for photos and despite some rude tourists shoving to get a view I still got a good shot by holding my Olympus OMD E-M1 camera up high and using its handy tilt screen to keep everything in frame.

Leaving the Castle behind I went on an open top bus tour of the city to see the highlights.  Although I got caught by a passing shower (luckily the E-M1 is weather proof!) it was a great way to see the city and learn about some of its history.  

Time ran out on me, and I definitely plan to return to Edinburgh one day to see more of the city.  If I could combine it with a trip the Fringe, that would be amazing!