British Gurkhas run night and day across Central Nepal mountain range for Gurkha Welfare Trust

Earlier this year, the British Gurkha Ultra Marathon Polkara team ran over 150 kilometers across the Annapurna Circuit, a mountain range in Central Nepal as a fundraising initiative for the Gurkha Welfare Trust. This was in memory of two soldiers killed in Afghanistan in 2012 — Lieutenant Edward Drummond-Baxter and Lance Corporal Siddhanta Kunwar. Find out more about the appeal.

It was an extreme challenge requiring months of training and preparation. At some points, the team was running at altitudes of up to 5400 metres which meant drastically reduced oxygen levels, often with half the oxygen present at sea level. All donations raised will be used to rebuild a secondary school, Shree Saraswoti, based in the Priti area of Eastern Nepal.

James Devall from the Brigade of Gurkhas talks about how the team accomplished the challenge and how they stayed motivated…

They may have completed the challenge but you can still donate here.

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Social media etiquette & talking about death – what do you think?

social-media-etiquette-death

Credit: KROMKRATHOG at freedigitalphotos.net

At Away For A Bit, we want to know what your view is when it comes to social media etiquette and how we talk about death. What’s your response when you see the news of a friend’s death posted on a Facebook wall? How do you send condolences these days?

Please share your opinions in this very short survey. It will take a couple of minutes and all individual responses will be treated confidentially. We’ll be sharing group feedback from this survey shortly and report back on what you think.

Many thanks for participating. We appreciate your time. Have your say in this survey.

Three ways to turn photos into confectionery and satisfy a sweet tooth

Normally, the focus of this blog concentrates on preserving memories stored in digital files and spaces.

This post is a little different however because I’ve been researching suppliers who print images and messages on chocolate and other delectable goodies. A fun way to capture and share memories!

Here are three companies that print photos on confectionery and also deliver internationally.

OriginalBoomf

I love this UK based service which allows you to print images – from Instagram, Facebook or your camera roll – onto marshmallows. Marshmallows arrive in boxes of nine and cost £15, €20 or US$25 per box and come in double vanilla or strawberry flavours. Worldwide delivery is free!

Cocoagraph

Another service which is very creative. This service offers custom photo bars and chocstagram Instagram bars which are both stunning and delicious, the chocolate being provided by Guittard Chocolate Company.

Cocoagraph is US based and will ship internationally but they recommend that you drop a line to them first to confirm that customs in your country will accept the delivery. According to Cocoagraph once processed, delivery of an order to Australia will take 3-7 days depending on Australian customs. Packages are shipped via DHL International.

M&M’s

M&M’s offers a personalised service that means you can add images and messages to this familiar and hugely popular candy. In one order, you can select up to three colours, one image and four text messages (9 characters max) and the design process is very straightforward.

For international orders, M&M’s only ships customised candy with images and text and do not accept orders of ‘My Teams’ (NRL sports branded M&M’s) or personalised Packaging for personal use.

International orders take approximately 2 – 3 weeks for processing and shipping and are delivered by Fedex.

Legacy Tips #5-9: 5 ways to make sure your digital life is not locked up online (podcast)

facebook_digital_afterlife_what_happens_when_someone_diesAway For A Bit spoke with Damien Carrick on ABC Radio National on legal and practical considerations for managing a digital afterlife and legacy.

Gaining access to an individual’s online accounts (social networking, email) after they die is often impossible, although in some cases, next of kin have fought for access via the courts. As the podcast demonstrates, they do not always win.

Here are five recommendations from the podcast to avoid your digital life from being locked up online.

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