Calling for IceInSpace ideas/suggestions [Archive]

iceman

31-03-2005, 07:36 AM

Hey guys.

It's time to get some feedback from you, the users of the site, on what you'd like to see improved, new features added, things you don't like, etc.

One of my motivations and goals is to integrate the site and forums a bit more.. At the moment, people will find the site or be linked to the site, have a look around, come to the forums, stay on the forums (good) but probably never go back to the main site. And that's expected if there's largely static information on the site.

So one of my aims is to have more content on the main site. That includes:

More upcoming events and event reports (http://www.iceinspace.com/index.php?clubs) (need input and submissions from club/society secretaries)
More observatories and club/society listings (http://www.iceinspace.com/index.php?clubs) (just need time to find all the details and add them)
More reviews (http://www.iceinspace.com/?reviews) of astro equipment/accessories. I need your submissions here, unless you can convince telescope shops to lend me stuff to review :)
Content in the "How-To (http://www.iceinspace.com/?resources)" section, including the promised GS Dob FAQ, Astrophotography with a dob guide, as well as general how-to guides for lots of different things, such as mirror centre-spotting, making a hartman mask, etc. I need your ideas and submissions! Astronomy DIY'ers I need your input!
More astro news on the front page (just need more time to add them)

One of my other aims is to have some more dynamic/changing content on the site, to give more reasons to go back to the site and have it as an allround astronomy resource. Some ideas/potential features include:

IceInSpace Member Map (due for launch in about 2 weeks)
Integrated Sky Chart, linked to your forum profile which has your lat/long. Kind of like the S&T site interactive sky chart.
Satellite/iridium flare pass information.. A popup/flashing button will let you know when a bright ISS pass or iridium flare is going to pass over your location in the next 24 hours (for example), and you can click on it to see the details etc.
A dark observing site database with location, maps, instructions etc of observing sites around normal suburban locations (will need submissions from members).
Integrated Observing Plan generator, so you can plan a nights observing by picking objects from a database and creating/printing a list to take outside with you.
Integrated Observation Report database, where forum members can submit their own observing reports to be stored in the IceInSpace database. They'll be able to search for old reports, and if the member chooses to allow it, other people will be able to view your reports etc. Potentially, sketches can be uploaded etc.
A "What's in the sky this week" section, which lists and highlights the best objects to view this week, any special events such as occultations or conjunctions, best features to view on the moon given it's current phase, etc. Just needs time to write each week as it's not a 5 minute job.

Most of these are just ideas and thoughts at the moment, they may be technically difficult to implement so it may rule them out..

So i'm after your feedback and ideas on the above lists, and your suggestions on what you'd like to see on the site.

And for the forums, how can they be improved? How is the current breakdown of sub-forums? Should there be a split of sections or categories, more sections added, less sections? What other features would you like to see on the forums?

This site is for you and the amateur astronomy community down under in australasia, so I need your help and content submissions, ideas, suggestions and feedback to make it the best site it can be.

Thanks for your time. You can reply here with your feedback, or if you'd like to do it privately, just email me or send me a PM.

Thanks

gaa_ian

31-03-2005, 09:21 AM

Hi Mike
One Idea :confuse3:
Would it be possible to have an automatic subscription to threads that we reply to, or start ?
With the option of being able to switch off this auto reply in our profiles?
I don't know about others, but I tend to forget to subscribe to threads I have replied to or even created sometimes.
With the forum getting so busy now, it is hard to keep up with the number of new posts
Cheers
Ian

ving

31-03-2005, 10:21 AM

noooo!
sorry ian but I dont want to auto subscribe to threads. I had a bugger of a time once clearing out my email inbox because it was cluttered with iceinspace reply to thread emails :(

or I could switch it off....

iceman

31-03-2005, 10:31 AM

It would be optional if we implemented Ian's request.. you could turn it on/off in your profile.

ving

31-03-2005, 10:39 AM

a messier listing with photos and description.... why tell people to go elsewhere all the time?

Brendan

31-03-2005, 10:50 AM

yes good idea ving, small addition though, make the images/description that which is trully seen at the EP. I think to many Noobs get discouraged when they see their first DSO and it doesn't look like a Malin Photo :D

ving

31-03-2005, 10:55 AM

true. where does one get pics of what can be seen thru an EP tho?

[1ponders]

31-03-2005, 11:31 AM

Mike now that we're heading for the gazzillion thread mark how about changing the search page for the non-boolian users with an advanced search option Something along the line of the google advanced search). Something with a more user friendly interface for refining searches. Or even a search within results link for refining.

gaa_ian

31-03-2005, 12:02 PM

Ving ... By "subscibed threads" I mean, being able to go to my profile & see if there are replies to the threads I am interested in or have created.
I would prefer not to get Emails everytime a get a reply to a thread either .. but i cant seem to make it stop!
I have set up a filter on my email to catch all those auto generated Emails, so they dont clutter up my inbox :)

ving

31-03-2005, 12:37 PM

ah! i see. :ashamed:

I am a bit slow at times...:ashamed:

acropolite

31-03-2005, 05:29 PM

Pick up new members by getting Bintel and other dealers to put a reference to Iceinspace in the introductory letter that they send out with new scopes. My letter only had a reference to Yahoo LX groups. I know that out of that shipment of 15 LX90's, 13 were pre-sold, 3 of which I know were to our members..... What about the other 11? :rolleyes:

rowena

31-03-2005, 11:15 PM

one thing with the forums being so active there is a lot of socialising (which is a great thing.. but trying to keep up with the amount of different threads is a bit mind boggling)

have you thought about introducing a web-based IRC (Internet Relay Chat) client, or web-based chat room.. where we can all talk IRL (in real life/time), instead of using the forums. we can still use the forums for general questions, interest areas, things to do/see etc, but then we can use the chat room to socialise. if you don't want to host it on ice-in-space, then we can create a room and use one of the australian IRC servers and use a IRC client such as MIRC or perch.. etc.

my 2c worth :)

rowena

acropolite

01-04-2005, 02:44 AM

Not a bad idea Rowena but it might be easier to use AOL or MSN messenger for most.:D

toetoe

01-04-2005, 10:52 AM

What about a abbreviation section under the forum headers for people who don`t know what they are when they read the post.
Eg: DSO, EP, GPS, FL, etc etc. It may be logical for some but be very confusing for others just starting in this hobby.

iceman

01-04-2005, 11:00 AM

Hey Peter, the Glossary (http://www.iceinspace.com/?glossary) section on the website (also linked in the Beginners Forum) is there to serve that purpose.

If you can think of other abbreviations/terms which should be added to the glossary, by all means let me know! :)

toetoe

01-04-2005, 11:05 AM

Bugger!! sometimes we forget about other sections on the site.

ving

01-04-2005, 03:14 PM

your such a forum user peter! :P

i visit the site once a fortnight to check it out or as needed :)

rowena

01-04-2005, 05:11 PM

Phil,

can MSN do group chat?? I thought you could only do 1 on 1 chatting, and not as a group....

perhaps that may be the best way to go if you can do group chatting...and how do you do group chatting in MSN?

as for AOL.. i have never used AOL and I don't know how many people out there would of used it either? and again, can you do group chatting with that?

Striker

01-04-2005, 05:18 PM

Rowena they all have group chats......just go to the MSN website...I think it's under People and chat on the website....just browse what groups you want...or even start up your own Rowena group....

rowena

01-04-2005, 05:40 PM

arr cool... all i have is the little icon of MSN. havent been to their home page!... i tend to hang on the australian undernet... which was basically how chatting first started in the early 90's. i just haven't moved off of it :)

ballaratdragons

01-04-2005, 06:03 PM

I have learned to detest Chatrooms. Every one I have been to (rugby league and astronomy) has had about 20 to 200 people in there chatting about irrelevant dribble to what the room is dedicated to. (a bit like a conversation between me, tony and david) and the conversation pace is hard to keep up with, Conversations overlapping etc. If a chatroom could be made where MEMBERS ONLY could get access then that would be brilliant. (and as long as it doesn't stop us talking in the threads)

acropolite

01-04-2005, 07:31 PM

Rowena,
You can have group conversations without going to any chat rooms simply by inviting a person from your contacts list. (Go to menu....Actions then select Invite someone into this conversation) Easy..... Actually I don't use MSN messenger; its too cluttered, I just use windows messenger, the facilities are the same just no kids stuff. :computer:

rowena

01-04-2005, 11:55 PM

ballet... i "grew" up on it.. so to speak... having been in 'chat rooms' for the past ten years... 2 things i have now learnt to do...

1. type faster. i have gone from 32wpm to around 65 wpm
2. read faster.. and ignore the dribble :)

your right it can get very confusing with multiple people talking... but it takes a bit of practice and patience to perfect it! :)

Phil... well there ya go.. learning something new every day!!! :)

ballaratdragons

02-04-2005, 12:57 AM

Each time I go into these rooms, not one person NOT ONE! was talking about the room subject! I attempt to start conversations on topic and get told to #@*# off! Why learn to type and read faster? So I can talk faster about cats, drugs, cars, and who is doing who - in an astronomy chat room?

If there are proper astronomy chat rooms out there, I never found them!

If a chat room was started in here it would have to be members only or the same thing will happen.

And who is ballet?:confuse3:

mojo

02-04-2005, 02:16 AM

mmm, I'm with Ken on this one.

The trouble with chat rooms, is that it degrades to either people talking about anything but astronomy, in this case.
Or, you'll have people logged in for days and every now and then they might say something useful, but usually not.

From an IceInSpace point-of-view, it doesn't really add to the information database. Once you say something in the chat room, it's gone. People wanting an answer to a question can't search the chat room from three years ago - they'll find it on the forums or the website.

So if someone wants to start a chat room, knock yourself out, but it wont be endorsed.

Enough already with the chat room idea. Think harder people! What do YOU want to make your astronomy life easier or better or more interesting...

ballaratdragons

02-04-2005, 02:31 AM

I agree with placing the site address on Bintel newsletter.

Also, I would like to see the site receive a 'Griffith Observatory Award' (I think that's what it's called). How does one go about nominating the site for it?

slice of heaven

02-04-2005, 02:57 PM

To get back on track,(away from chatrooms) the IIS homepage needs to be more interactive and have up to date content to attract people there.
The list Mike provided at the start of the thread is exactly what is needed.
My opinion........A 'what's to view' section would be at the top of the list,maybe monthly, with a special events for the week. Add a new forum for people to discuss that section. How many people checked out trapezium after Vin666 made that post. Or jupiter after Aus' post. You can have a nights viewing then discuss with others the same. Consideration would be needed for all sizes of equipment. (eyes, binos or big eyed newts).
There's a lot of knowledgeable people on this site surely someone could address this.
There's a lot of buried information in the threads that could be condensed for howto's and reviews. Example.. EP case. Good thread for making your own ep case and storage of ep's. Full of tips. Everyone with a scope has ep's that need maintaining.

Ving made a good point of having more material available onsite.
Having that information 1 click away would be easier than scrounging through folders for a link or going hunting offsite.

As for reviews.
An unbiassed 'shootout' would give more credence to an equipments worth.
There's a lot of friendly banter over eps, so come on guys , line them up :poke:

We've been deprived of a online resource centre for Australasian amateur astronomers for so long. A few people have laid the foundations for something long needed here. Mike & Mojo are looking for some direction to improve this site for our benefit.
Have your say and throw some ideas/thoughts/opinions at them.
Help the site advance.

Slice

rowena

03-04-2005, 07:12 PM

ballarat ... hrm ok... i didn't mention my accuracy had improved! lol..
sorry for the mistyping there ;)

I'll blame the keyboard.. yeah.. it was the keyboard! :)

as for more idea's.....

I think a What's happening, as to astronomical events would be very beneficial.

another idea maybe a "checklist" of objects to check out (include a pic (which is what it would look like through the scope type) and description of the object) and do a seperate checklist for binoculars, smaller scopes, and larger scopes. I think a lot of people get disheartend looking through a smaller scope trying to find something that they cant see, or not recognise from photos which were taken from larger scopes. '

rowena

frogman

03-04-2005, 09:06 PM

Wow this going to be a kick a.. web site if all these ideas get put into play.
I like the idea of the Members ONLY chat room, however someon would have to be able to post any "revelations" bought up in the room (ROOM not rooms) to a ....chat forum revelation.... section.

on some sort of printer friendly page so it can be printed and bought to OUR STAR NIGHTS... that sounds good :)

I like the idea of having a section for Hardware. itemised for each type of scope/EP/????kit???

Members only section for MSN,ICQ whatever..... would like to be able to ask people then and there, how when and what the ____ was that.

HEY big thought how bout contacting the big mobs (andrews bintel maybe suppliers direct) and organising some sort of ...whats the word for it..... advertising/sponsorship/review thing.
Maybe make an item cheaper for purchase as a "door prize" for larger star events????? (member only draw)

i know i have repeated quite a bit of stuff already stated but i had to say something i was feeling left out ! :D

Frogtwat

Moonman

03-04-2005, 11:01 PM

"What's in the sky this week" sounds great especially from a beginners standpoint.

janoskiss

03-04-2005, 11:57 PM

Site is cool!! --- best of its kind this side of the planet. So my suggestion is to just keep it running and let members know if there are any difficulties with doing so. :thumbsup:

ballaratdragons

04-04-2005, 12:17 AM

A view of DSO's through the EP's of a cheapie Supermarket scope for a begginner would look something like these below.

Aren't they exciting!! Photos like these placed on the site might prevent some from buying Supermarket Junk and many ebay rip-offs. Then follow it up with good photos through the EP's of some better non-rip-off scopes.

We may just save some from hating this hobby!

janoskiss

04-04-2005, 01:04 AM

Ken, What on Earth (or in Heavens) are you talking about?? :reindeer:

What DSO is this supposed to be?:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~janosk/misc/kens-dso.png

Edit: Sorry Ken, your post makes more sense now. Talk about a moving target...

ballaratdragons

04-04-2005, 01:15 AM

Sorry if I'm a bit fast Steve.

They could have views like these if they went to a reputable shop.

iceman

04-04-2005, 06:37 AM

Regarding chat room, mojo echo'd my thoughts.. It was discussed quite a while ago in this thread (http://www.iceinspace.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=237&highlight=chat+room), but at the time the decision was the same as now - while it's fine in theory, it's more of a "general chat" chat room where people could get to know each other, but from the IceInSpace side, any astronomy-related discussions are gone as soon as they leave the page. So I won't be creating one and/or linking it to IceInSpace.

SliceOfHeaven, amen brother that's the sort of feedback we're after. Thanks!

Very true. I'll start working on a template for "what's to view this week/month" and try and rope in some volunteers to help in gathering the information.

Good point. The How-To section on the website is designed for exactly that, smaller how-to guides that can either be written by someone or from a number of sources/threads and combined into a handy guide that can go on the site. Again though, I'm going to need help from you guys.
Hopefully Starkler will get some time to finish the GS Dob FAQ soon because that will be a great allround guide for dob owners.

Getting the pics will be difficult.. I might search around and see if there's something already available.. but a description would be good. And yes it can be confusing for newcomers who see full colour pics of a nebula or galaxy and then see it through their eyepiece and it's a small grey fuzzy blob.

hmm not a bad idea for star parties.. i'll look into it for the May 7 star party.

Keep the momentum guys and gals.. what else would you like to see?

Also what about the forums? Is the current category/sub-forums structure to your liking? Are there any other categories/sub-forums that you think could be created?
We just have to be careful about creating too many small specialist forums if there's not going to be many posts in it, so there would have to be enough interest in it to keep it going.

Thanks!

[1ponders]

04-04-2005, 08:42 AM

How about the new improved search engine? :P

iceman

04-04-2005, 08:43 AM

Good suggestion Paul, it just sounds like a lot of work :) But I will look into it :computer:

astro_south

04-04-2005, 11:46 PM

I like the idea of a "What's good this month" section with some advice on what can be seen with different apertures. Some of this data is available on the web and in books. Another way to gather this data is to set certain test objects for the month, "Challenge Objects" if you like, that the keen people can go out and observe and then report back on in some detail. Better than a photo (which could be miss-leading and hard to match to the eyepice view) would be sketches of the objects noting the aperture and magnification used for the sketch and possibly the sky conditions (seeing, LVM, etc if appropriate). You don't have to be an artist to do this - its just dots and smudges. This sort of activity will hone our observing skills. The Challenge objects (I'm thinking of 3 to 5 objects here for the month) could also be the target for astrophotographers as well and results could be compared and questions could revolve around the differeing techniques and what works best. The 3 to 5 objects would have to be judiciously chosen to allow everyone to participate - for example at least 1 object taylored to (but not limited to) binocular views.

I don't see this as a specialised forum either, rather a thread in the "Space and Astronomy Talk" forum each month that lists the targets, gives some advice and then the replies can be observations and discussions targeted at the listed objects.

....and hey, if its not your cup of tea - don't worry...its not compulsary.

These are just some quick thoughts, though if you want I could put some more thought into this with a view of giving it a test run.

[1ponders]

04-04-2005, 11:56 PM

I like the Challenge Objects idea,it sounds like a really good way for new staters (and old starters:P )to widen their horizons and learn to find their way around the sky. Good idea Andrew

iceman

05-04-2005, 05:53 AM

What a great idea Andrew, I love it. Would you be interested in helping to organise it and help choose the objects?

Are there any other experienced observers willing to put their hand up and participate in the organisation of this each month? I think a group of 2-3 people could bounce ideas off each other and come up with the list each month, broken down into telescope targets and binocular targets. There might need to be a 12+ inch aperture target list, as well as a 6-12inch aperture target, for those without the large scopes.

Great idea!

astro_south

05-04-2005, 09:02 AM

I'm happy to be involved.

I will try and give it some thought over the next week and try setting up a test run to see how it will take off.

I think it would be beneficial even for those who don't participate in the reporting to see what can be seen with different equipment.

We could start of with a single list and later see if it is worth going to aperture specific lists. This will allow for a broad spectrum of reports / observations for each object.

If anyone else has any other ideas feel free to PM me - even with possible targets for the first list.

To get people inspired, below is a web page of a good friend of mine (still convincing him to join) which has some of his sketches - mostly using a 6" scope. Ours probably won't be this good to start with, though I think with time we will see some changes in our sketching techniques and observational skills.

http://www.geocities.com/dhumpie/dastro/dss.htm

cheers

iceman

05-04-2005, 09:10 AM

Nice Andrew!

Even if people don't want to sketch, just taking notes to describe the object forces you to actually look at the object in more detail so you can put it in words. Ultimately it will make people better observers, and i'm sure many of us would learn a lot along the way about the objects we're viewing.

For the "what's in the sky this month" section, here's an example from Universe Today (http://www.universetoday.com), for their "What's in the sky this week (http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/whatsup_apr4_2005.html?442005)" article. It doesn't have to be like that, but it's an example of a nice article which describes the object as well as getting people out under the skies looking at them.

Thanks for your offer to help getting this up and going! I've emailed a couple of other guys to try and get their help too, and if anyone else wants to help out that'd be great.

We can start with a retrospective list for April to test out the idea, the concept, the reports etc, and launch it fully for May??

Comet Hunter

08-04-2005, 06:38 PM

How about a 'Night Vision' colour scheme for the forums for those of us that like to browse while out observing/imaging?

I was out the other morning and had a cloud band come over for an a hour or so and thought I might have a look around the forums to pass some time and was blinded by the white background....:doh:

rmcpb

11-04-2005, 02:13 PM

Mike,

Can we get a guide that when something is sold in the Buy, Swap forum the subject line is appended with SOLD.

Some people do this and it is great but the rest are unknowns which is a bit of a bore.

Thanx

iceman

11-04-2005, 02:21 PM

Hi Rob.

The Posting Guidelines for the Buy/Sell Forum (http://www.iceinspace.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=894) do state that the seller should amend their topic to include "SOLD", but I agree that it's not consistent and not everyone has done it.

Some threads are old and may not be sold or may not be on the market anymore. I might introduce a rule that deletes threads older than 2 months or something..

Thoughts?

Striker

11-04-2005, 02:33 PM

I agree......

BTW.....any thoughts on adding a "Striker's Buy and sell" forum topic.....lol.

rmcpb

11-04-2005, 03:16 PM

Is there a way to archive older threads instead of deleting them? Its kind of good to be able to have a look at older threads sometimes.

If a person wants to keep them current then they just need to bump them.

ving

11-04-2005, 03:22 PM

a little thread management but the owner of the thread should overcome this problem mike. I know that if I had an item up there and it was deleted on me I'd hate to type it out again.

maybe thats just me tho

Vermin

12-04-2005, 08:59 PM

How about a browser bookmark icon?

After visiting some web sites the default bookmark icon in IE and Firefox for that site changes to an icon supplied by the website.

Makes it stand out more in the bookmark lists.

I've noticed clearing the cache in IE will clear this icon, until the site is visited again, but it stays put in Firefox.

iceman

12-04-2005, 09:09 PM

Yep that one has been suggested a little while ago by Howzat, and we're working on one, but it's so hard to find something that fits in a 16x16 pixel square and still be recognisable as IceInSpace.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Vermin

12-04-2005, 09:41 PM

Damn. I sped read over the preceding pages checking for it (as I wasn't following the topic too closely), but must have missed it. Sorry.

janoskiss

12-04-2005, 10:32 PM

How about something like this?:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~janosk/misc/iis-icon.png

or (with transparency)

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~janosk/misc/iis-icon-2.png

Vermin

13-04-2005, 12:27 AM

How about a competition for the favicon?

My entries: http://www.webclot.com/images/iis.bmp http://www.webclot.com/images/iis2.bmp http://www.webclot.com/images/iis3.bmp

janoskiss

13-04-2005, 12:51 AM

You're on! Here is my final, refined entry for the IceInSpace icon:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~janosk/misc/iis-icon-3.png

iceman

13-04-2005, 06:06 AM

Nice guys, thanks for that. I'll try and get a final up, ASAP.

Comet Hunter

13-04-2005, 01:18 PM

Thanks Rajah, but... "This domain name expired on 04/04/2005 and is pending renewal or deletion." :(

Does it change everything? Cartes / Starry Night change all the programs + buttons etc to 'night vision' but leaves website layouts untouched, once your outside for an hour or two and have time to kill, there's not much else to do out there but surf the forums.....:whistle: :D

janoskiss

13-04-2005, 03:19 PM

Andrew, How about a sheet of red cellophane over the monitor?

Comet Hunter

13-04-2005, 04:02 PM

When I first started imaging I tried a sheet or 3 of cellophane but it didn't work too well.. brightness of the brighter areas was still painfully bright - kinda like looking at a full moon without a filter....blinding, the night vision that skycharts provide works well but doesn't convert site layouts, individually changing Firefox/web browser displays backwards and forwards is a major pita, so is changing screen brightness up and down all night!! A simple 'click a box on the front page of the forums' to convert to night vision or something similar would be much easier and quicker... ;-)

janoskiss

13-04-2005, 04:29 PM

I think the site maintainers would disagree. :P Imagine what's involved. All images graphics and text would have to be converted to monochrome. Linked images would have to be downloaded, processed, unlinked and reposted on the fly. Not only would this be hard work to implement, you can also run into problems with copyright violation by indiscriminately downloading and modifying linked material.

Comet Hunter

13-04-2005, 04:39 PM

The offsite graphics wouldn't need changing, it's just the background + text colours that the forum uses....lots of other fourms offer different styles/colourations...

janoskiss

13-04-2005, 05:25 PM

But then wouldn't messages with included or linked images kill your night vision anyway? :confused:

Comet Hunter

13-04-2005, 05:44 PM

Most of the images posted are planetary + DSO's (apart from show us your mug + scope threads) and would be similar to what I would have already been looking at prior to having some spare time to kill......was just a suggestion... if it's thought to be not worthy enough I can just spend my spare time annoying the dogs next door instead.. :D

Striker

17-04-2005, 06:55 PM

Mike,

Any thought yet on making an IceInSpace chat channel.....something like on IRC....or something within the forum would even be better......been plenty of times we could get some good educational conversations going with other members.....

I know I would still post a lot but it means you can talk about topics and issues as a group on the spot....and if some valuable info comes out of the conversation...it can always be posted on the forum anyway.....

What do you think.....

acropolite

17-04-2005, 07:17 PM

Better still, I suggest that interested Iceinspace members get a free copy of skype (voice over IP), we can then chat on line or even vocalise. You don't need a chat (type) channel and you can restrict who can see and or call you. All you need is a soundcard and headset with mic. (See screenshot). My skype number is phild1953 I am set up to only accept calls from people in my contacts list. If anyone would like to try, pm me and we can try it out.

GrampianStars

20-04-2005, 08:04 AM

G'day Y'all
Say Mike
How about putting a return to top of page button
at the bottom
I'ts a pain scrolling to the page top of threads
with just a toutch pad

iceman

20-04-2005, 09:00 AM

Good idea Robert.. Will see what I can do.

janoskiss

20-04-2005, 01:48 PM

The "Home" key works for me.

[1ponders]

20-04-2005, 01:50 PM

Ditto

ving

20-04-2005, 02:14 PM

doh!
yeah hit the home key to return to the top...

GrampianStars

20-04-2005, 06:05 PM

Thanks guys
bt the "Home" key is already at the top of page :confuse3:

Howzat

20-04-2005, 06:19 PM

The "home" key on your keyboard next to the "page up" key :D
To get to the bottom of a page press the "end" key

toetoe

20-04-2005, 07:23 PM

I like that Skype idea Phil. d/loading it know.

janoskiss

20-04-2005, 09:51 PM

GrampianStars, I meant key as in keyboard. Since you're using a touch pad I assume it's on a laptop so the Home key may not be as accessible or as easy to find as on full size keyboards. I'm sure it's there somewhere... (I press all the wrong things on our old Toshiba slaptop...)

GrampianStars

21-04-2005, 08:35 AM

Thanks Guys
found it amongst the numeric keys
a few taps and im back at the top :cool:

[1ponders]

21-04-2005, 10:43 AM

Mike I think we need a "drool" or "lusting" emoticon amongst the selection. After looking at some of the gear people have and the shots they've been taking I'm finding it hard to choose a smilie for some of the occasions :D

iceman

21-04-2005, 11:04 AM

Thanks Paul, i'll try and hunt one down.

rowena

25-04-2005, 09:29 PM

skype is a good little program.

also if anyone is on irc, jump onto #iceinspace channel. my nick is Dracs

i have a permanent connection, so im permantly on there, but will mainly respond nights or weekends! If we get a few people on there, i can get admin accounts created (my partner is one of the guys that runs the irc network in australia).

my skype name is rowenab

*edit* IRC on the Australian network, oz.org e.g servers such as sydney.oz.org or aussie.oz.org or au.oz.org

ballaratdragons

25-04-2005, 10:19 PM

Here you go Paul, use this one

ballaratdragons

25-04-2005, 10:55 PM

Or this one

acropolite

25-04-2005, 11:05 PM

Skype is happening, just had first contact.....:ship2:
Suggest if you've got it and want to use it that you put your skype ID in your signature.:D You can always put Striker in the blocked users list.... (only kidding Tony.... Honest.....):P

RAJAH235

26-04-2005, 12:29 AM

Andrew, It reddens the whole screen. But it has a small problem.It doesn't do much with white. Never noticed that before.
If you want to try it > (www.adpartnership.net)
:D L.
ps. They have one or two other interesting progs as well.

iceman

26-04-2005, 06:43 AM

Skypers/IRC'ers, I'd prefer if discussion about these 2 things were taken out of this thread now, it's gone way off topic.

Please start a thread in the general chat forum for further discussions about it.

And as has already been stated, i'm not interested at this stage in creating an "official" IRC chat channel or applet linked to the site, the reasons have already been outlined. However please feel free to "get together" on IRC/skype/MSN/ICQ or whatever means you have at your disposal. The more people get together to talk about astronomy, the better!

gaa_ian

15-05-2005, 11:37 PM

Hi Mike & Mojo
Any further progress/thoughts on the suggestions, questions I posted previously above :confuse3:

iceman

16-05-2005, 07:41 AM

Ian,

The only reason you would be receiving emails to threads/posts is if you subscribed to them. You should be able to (via your profile) see what threads/forums you're subscribed to, and unsubscribe from them.

If it's still happening, perhaps you can change your password temporarily, and i'll login as your userid to have a look at your settings.

There's been no other progress on the more complex items in this thread yet.. mojo and I have been taking a bit of a break on new development since the .au launch, but i'm hoping/expecting we'll get back into new stuff shortly.

gaa_ian

16-05-2005, 12:52 PM

Thanks Mike :)
Is it possible to be subscribed to a thread, and not receive an Email ?
It is good to be able to come into "Profile" and see if the are replies to the threads I have subscribed to, but an Email is not needed.
I appreciate the time that you guys put into this & realise it takes up your valuable free time to attend to these issues.

frogman

17-05-2005, 08:47 PM

Hey ice...... how about another set of dates letting you know how old the original post is ?????

iceman

17-05-2005, 09:12 PM

What do you mean? You can look at the date under the left hand column of each post to see when it was posted. Do you mean in the thread view?

frogman

17-05-2005, 09:16 PM

yeah ...... sorry wasnt clear was i ? had a think about it and i think its a waste of time and would just .....clutter dont wory about it bud e

elusiver

28-05-2005, 11:24 PM

ok.. don't wanna sound like a 'gimme' here..

but is there any chance of more 'beginner' orientated stuff. Like a more 'comprehensive' source. I know first hand that you can spend hours searching the web for an answer to a question you may have, and each website gives you another piece to the puzzle of your question. I know you can truly never cover EVERYTHING.. but the common things that noobs looks for, and in basic terms. Like there's lots of websites out there to explain the differences in telescope designs, but seldom explain in simple terms 'you'd be able to see something like this well, but have no hope of seeing something like this with this scope', i'm not asking for jargon free.. cause we all have to learn the jargon.. but i dunno.. a bit more newb friendly. it'll also provide another avenue for the "get the 8" dob" brigade :P

also.. there seems to be alot of VERY knowledgable types in the forums. Why not move the how-to's to their own dedicated forum. There members(if they choose to) can share their knowledge in the once place and the site could eventually build up quite a resource of member maintained information, kinda like austech have done with their sat stuff, casue there really isn't any other national amatuer forum like this.

just some ideas..
el :)

[1ponders]

04-06-2005, 12:10 PM

Mike, after you've taken a bit of a breather and gotten in some serious sky time away from the computer, something that is missing that I found very useful in the old site format was the <<previous message/next message>> link at the bottom of the PM page. Unless of course its already there and I just can't find it :P

asimov

04-06-2005, 02:00 PM

Hi Mike. I think I would like to see the equipment discussions sub-catagorized....ie: reflector/refractor/cats/motor drives etc etc....& a collimation catagory.

A great site none-the-less!

High regards,
Asimov [John]

vindictive666

06-06-2005, 09:23 AM

how about an seperate place for solar pictures ect ect?

iceman

06-06-2005, 09:46 AM

Hey el. The how-to's are found at the IceInSpace How-to's (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/?howto) page. The aim is for the IceInSpace site to be a repository for all types of resources and info, such as reviews, how-to's, DIY projects etc. It's just a matter of getting more people to submit them! :)

Thanks for the feedback John. So far, i've avoided sub-categorising the equipment forums because there simply hasn't been the member base to support it.. As we grow bigger though, it will certainly be something we'll look at.

I think the next forum category would be for ATM (Amateur Telescope Making), for discussions about making telescopes, DIY and how-to stuff, observatory building, etc. Anyone else think this would be useful to separate from Equipment Discussions?

Solar pics are part of the Solar System, so they belong in the Solar System imaging forum :) There's not too many people taking solar pics or discussing solar activity to warrant a separate forum.. sorry John :)

ving

07-06-2005, 12:51 PM

how about removal of post count from threads... I find mine embarasing :ashamed:

asimov

11-06-2005, 06:35 PM

A white board that pops up so you can draw a quick diagram of a bit of technical equipment in a PM because you find it hard to describe it in words. [such as in yahoo messenger.] ??
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___

A spell checker....??

acropolite

11-06-2005, 07:24 PM

Geez Ving, you must have RSI, 1731 Posts... Mike, I suggest a counselling service for habitual posters, or perhaps automatic termination after 1750 posts....:P While we're at it perhaps the control panel at the top could go in a static frame (non scrolling) at the side, there's plenty of wasted horizontal real estate and we wouldn't need to scroll to get back to the ctl panel.. and a return to new posts button for when we're browsing the new posts....:D

cahullian

12-06-2005, 10:43 AM

hi Mike
First off I just want you to know I think this is the best amature astronomy site on the web. Now for my big question... when you post the monthly observing challenge could you put a little pair on bino's10x 50 or a telescope 10' (minimum requirements to find the object)to let us newbee's know we wont be wasting our time kooking for things we are never going to find ,or a dark skies only. This would be a great help to me and I'm sure a lot of others.

Thanks

Gazz

asimov

12-06-2005, 12:19 PM

Hi Gazz....part of the 'challenge' for me is to actually find the object either by using a chart or finding it visually....OR the internet....

iceman

12-06-2005, 12:37 PM

Hi Gazz.
Most of the objects we include are suitable for small scopes, to ensure everyone can participate. You can tell by the magnitude how faint it will be - anything mag 5 and higher will be naked eye visibility under dark skies (for open clusters, for example). Mag 8 is much fainter and would need a telescope or large binoculars.

We'll take your suggestion onboard though and see if we can clarify it more in the descriptions.

Thanks!

cahullian

12-06-2005, 12:41 PM

hi John
The main reason I ask is because I have a very bright street light at my front and it makes it very hard to find anything even the moon lol jk. So any faint objects are really hard for me to find. I often can find the location of things but just cant make anything out : (For example when I look up from my yard Ii cant see the great orion nebula with my 8".
I think I will start to throw bricks at that light when I know my neighbours are asleep : )

Gazz

ving

14-06-2005, 08:02 PM

anothing thing that might be changable, or maybe user training would be better :P when posting a PM to some one it asks you if you want a reciept. now while I click cancel to let it go with out a reciept other seem to go: "damn pop-up" and hit enter, then when Its read you have to click to say you have reieved the said PM before you reply.... whats with?

iceman

15-06-2005, 06:27 AM

It's message tracking - it means the other person wants to know that you have received (and read) their message. But it also lets you deny the receipt, so the other person doesn't get that confirmation that you have read it.

It's just like Microsoft Outlook, where someone sending you an email can request a read receipt - to show that you have read their message. But privacy being privacy, you also get the option to "deny" sending that receipt.

If you don't want to request a receipt, hit cancel when it asks you. If someone else requests a read receipt (either on purpose, or because they just hit enter), then it's up to you to decide if you send one or not..

asimov

15-06-2005, 02:23 PM

"I think I will start to throw bricks at that light when I know my neighbours are asleep : )"

:) Gazz, I have the same trouble...I think it's the ONLY street light in the whole town that lights up even before the sun sets too! I've tried rocks....In process of making a BIG sling-shot...I'm going to NAIL that sucker very soon! :D

astroron

15-06-2005, 04:09 PM

:thumbsup: I know people like privacy but it would be nice to know whereabout people are. So when you fill out your profile Pleeeeease put your location :thumbsup:

Ashgill

16-06-2005, 03:40 PM

Well Astroron, looks like someone is lonely....

[1ponders]

20-06-2005, 09:43 AM

Mike is there anyway the articles could have a link to a "printer friendly version". I'd like to be able to print articles like these for "in field referencing" and currently it's take 8 pages to print. By "printer friendly" I mean when it comes up in print preview, its minus all the frames at the sides and expands the margins so that more info and less webpage layout appears in the printed version.

See here http://www.designplace.org/tutorials.php?page=1&c_id=27

iceman

20-06-2005, 09:44 AM

As I responded in the other thread, right at the bottom of each article there's a "Print" icon (next to "up" and "back"). Click it, and you'll get what you want.

(don't confuse it with the IE toolbar "print" icon)

[1ponders]

20-06-2005, 09:52 AM

At least everyone can find the question and see the answer here:) thanks Mike

cynicmeister

17-07-2005, 10:59 AM

Hi all... a little while back the Ice InSpace guys & gals had a get-together on the Central Coast - it was mentioned that there were several persons from the "Maitland" area, but when i asked at the appropriate "thread", no-one responded.

Where would be the best place to talk about a "do" in the maitland area?

Y'see National Science Week is a-comin' and I've been asked by the Uni of Newcastle to put togetehr an observing schedule for that.

Any suggestions?

[1ponders]

17-07-2005, 11:16 AM

In either General Chat or Space and Astronomy Talk cynicmeister :cool2:

cynicmeister

17-07-2005, 12:49 PM

My Apologies, I forgot that bit - I'm open to suggestions, I was actually thinking of a range of activities - pick one in the range of

* an informal get-togetther, with no set structure; via a basic astronomy talk straight off the top of my head, possibly about stellar distances or another topic that others want to hear (perhaps they can present?) ; on all the way to a formal meeting to form a Maitland "mid Hunter" astronomical society" under the auspices of the Newcastle Astronomicla Society.

I leave others to decide where in that range IF they want such, and when / where they want such.

But my ask is / was where does one place such a question on these forums?

asimov

25-07-2005, 03:25 PM

I would like to see more reviews on equipment...mainly telescopes. If I was a newbie looking for advice on what to buy & asked that question in this forum, the usual reply to that is a GS dob of some description, right? (if their budget is a max of about 2 K) So ok...Iv'e made up my mind I want (because somone told me there the bee's-knee's) a GS dob, my next reaction is to read a review about that telescope in question. Well there is no review on any GS dob here. Unless you want to search the threads archived in the site, which takes a long time to do, alternatively you can post a thread asking for a user review, which I'm sure some of the people here are sick & tired of answering. Although some may enjoy giving the 'standard' reply to a newbie lol.

How about it you GS dob user's?

iceman

26-07-2005, 06:29 AM

I agree John, and I'd like to see more too.. but as you can well understand, I'm completely reliant on the submissions from members in this area.. I wish it was the case, but I just don't buy enough new telescopes to review :lol:

That's a good point, and there was talk a few months back that we would write a "GS Dob Guide", which would be part-review part-howto for all the things that could be fixed/modded on the GS dobs.

Starkler was leading that charge, and as a temporary release he did the mirror astigmatism article, I'll see if we can get some more collabaration on a review.. it's very true that for the amount of times we recommend a GS Dob, there should be a review on it on the site.

Maybe one of the recent (or soon to be) owners of the 8, 10 or 12" dob could do a review?

gaa_ian

26-07-2005, 11:33 PM

Ok Mike I was supposed to Do something about that myself, so here goes:
GS Dob review... Why a GS dob is usually recommended as the best first scope ?

Having started seriously in Amateur astronomy 2 1/2 years ago, with the formation of our local club, I did the usual seach the Net for answers on what my first scope should be.
I quickly discovered the first rule of amateur astronomy "appeture rules" the second thing I discovered is that the scope you can easily use is the best scope that is going to keep you interested & involved in the discovery of the night sky.
After reading many articles on US forums & sites, it quicly became apparent the the best Value/Quality/ease of use scope was a dobsonian (Dob) mounted Neutonian Reflector.
As there was no IceInSpace back in those dark days :help3: , A bit more searching revealed two possibles suppliers in Sydney as the best option, one offering a keen price & one offering a fair price & great service, there are many more suppliers in the market today.
The 10" GS Dob was the biggest availible then so the decision was made & a few weeks later I had my new scope !
Assembly was easy for the Base (Ikea style with instructions) the optical tube assembly (OTA) was not to hard to work out (but no instructions)
That is the main difference between the Keen priced supplier & the fair priced one (comprehensive instructions) !
After collumating (aligning the mirrors) of the scope (A topic covered elsewhere in this forum) it was out for first light for the scope.
My first discovery was that the 4mm & 6mm Possol eyepieces are pretty useless (but that is a whole seperate topic)
The most useful eyepieces I would have to say are 9,15,25 & 40mm focal lengths, tring to over magnify is usually the first thing a Nooby will do (yep I did it too :doh: )
First light was a while ago for me, but as I recall it went like this:
First impressions were awesome, Omega Centuri & M42 were superb, planets were good, but the level of detail less than optimal.
This is were the hunt for better quality short focal length eyepieces comes in, after columating the scope & cleaning optics (had quite a few dusty observing sessions by now) seems this was the only thing left to try.
Spending $150 plus on good quality eyepieces (first seibert optics & now Teleview radian) certainly made a difference.
I have yet to check for pinched optics as described elsewhere in this forum.
Star tests have always looked good to my with the GSO dob I received.
There are several modifications that can be easily made to the GS Dob & again they are covered comprehensivly elsewhere in this forum, but in summary they are:
- "Milk Jug" washers under the center bolt of the base to reduce the friction on the outside teflon pads
- Adding a couple of "key rings" to the OTA tension springs to reduce the Altitude tension
- Adding a couple of heavy duty lockable castors to the base, to enable easy deployment of the scope for that impromptu observing session.
- Adding a couple of handles near the OTA pivot point to allow easy moving of the newly mobile scope.
As with any scope, quality Eyepieces will make a Difference to your viewing experience, particully at higher magnifications (shorter focal lengths 3 to 10mm)
If you are a visual observer, who wants to take some planetary & Moon photos (see Icemans great photo's with his Dob elsewhere in this forum), this is all the scope you will ever need (unless you get a serious case of appeture fever!)
So how big is big enough ? If you can afford the space, get the 12" model, if space & or weight are an issue, consider the 8 or 10" models.
Would I buy one again given my time over? Yes ... in a second, but I would get the 12"
I hope this helps you in your desicion to by your first scope, you have done the right thing in any case, you have come here to the "IceinSpace family"

(Photos to come later, once I take some decent ones of the scope & Mods)
May your skies be clear & you appeture large :-)

Well Mike, I hope that is a good start to a GS Dob review :thumbsup: