rich osborne / web scientist
The Virtual Explorer Blog
If you want another take on some of this web stuff you might find by blog The Virtual Explorer (http://thevirtualexplorer.blogspot.com) interesting. Here I explore some of the latest developments in the virtual world.
RSS ContentThe Sunday Roaster Blog
Alternatively there's my main hobby, cooking. I do keep a rather intermittent blog about by culinary exploits called The Sunday Roaster (http://thesundayroaster.blogspot.com/) which is primarily about, you guessed it, Sunday roasts.
RSS ContentWho am I?
I have two jobs at present, and am also a PhD student, all with the University of Exeter.
My main job is as Web Innovation Officer for the University, tasked with exploring new web 2.0/3.0 type developments and looking at ways in which these can benefit staff & students. You can read more about this work at the Web Innovation Project blog.
I also work for the Graduate School of Education, where I've been since 2001, managing the various websites we use, as well as developing e-Learning resources, and a little teaching.
Adobe Education Leader
I am also a member of the Adobe Education Leader program, a group of individuals from around the world specialising in the application of Educational Technology.
Why virtual architect?
I've long been interested in how people move within and interact in virtual spaces, and by virtual spaces I mean all those that are created by the use of Information & Communication Technologies. I therefore use the term virtual architect as a sort of moniker to describe my overall work. By combining these terms I hope to suggest a wide appreciation of what it means to create virtual spaces and how they function.
The term takes it's meaning from the definition of virtual, which can apply to anything that is created using ICT and architecture, a term already applied to designing for websites, as the definition below shows:
"Website architecture is an approach to the design and planning of websites which, like architecture itself, involves technical, aesthetic and functional criteria. As in traditional architecture, the focus is on the user and user requirements. This requires particular attention to web content, web design, usability and information architecture."