"I find myself incredibly fascinating and this blog bears witness to that simple fact. Friends, from far and wide, are often pestered to keep abreast of my life and opinions. I offer sincere greetings to guests who stumble here by accident too."
- 49 12.284N 122 54.408W
- New Westminster,
- British Columbia, CANADA
The Blog's Vault
More Web Data
Getting in Touch
- Contact (E-mail)
- Contact (Web Form)
- Phone: 604.524.6197
- Cell: 778.235.6668
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Class Tools in 2006
I mentioned it yesterday and I've already made use of my course homepage for Monday's class. I uploaded an e-copy of the course outline, as well as adding news and announcements. I hope my photo from Hong Kong doesn't scare anyone away. Best of all, I've already sent all twenty students a welcoming message and some assignments. I can do these things before I even have a chance to meet them in person! What an instructor's dream!
Labels: BCIT
Friday, October 27, 2006
Doing Duplicates
The other day, I followed a beat-up, rusty old car with a bumper sticker that said, "I'd rather be golfing."
If I were wearing a message today it might be, "I should be photocopying."
I do have a brand new class that begins on Monday. Although I am completely prepared for the whole five-week course, I still have not duplicated my handouts. I generally teach from 1:00 to 5:00 in the afternoons but for this particular course, I'm doing 8:30 to 12:30. That means I'll have to get up at the crack of dawn. Well, maybe before. As we're sliding into winter, I bet that even with Sunday's switch back to Standard Time, I'll still have to get up in the dark.
I'm not terribly concerned. I will be moving more and more materials onto the BCIT's web portal. I can upload most e-materials directly to our class home page. Still, I sort of miss hovering over a hot photocopier.
If I were wearing a message today it might be, "I should be photocopying."I do have a brand new class that begins on Monday. Although I am completely prepared for the whole five-week course, I still have not duplicated my handouts. I generally teach from 1:00 to 5:00 in the afternoons but for this particular course, I'm doing 8:30 to 12:30. That means I'll have to get up at the crack of dawn. Well, maybe before. As we're sliding into winter, I bet that even with Sunday's switch back to Standard Time, I'll still have to get up in the dark.
I'm not terribly concerned. I will be moving more and more materials onto the BCIT's web portal. I can upload most e-materials directly to our class home page. Still, I sort of miss hovering over a hot photocopier.
Labels: BCIT
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Not a Time Machine
The Internet has everything, or so I thought. I'd never before been able to come up with a topic on which I couldn't find copious amounts of information.
I was recently admiring satellite views of the world through Google Earth. Back when personal computers were new and I worked overseas, I used to collect pirated software. In the Gulf, in the eighties, there were no avenues to purchase authentic copies. I was reminded of a very early program I once used. A company called BlueSky Software once created IBM-compatible software called PC Globe.
I came up nearly empty on the Internet. I only discovered a bit about the company and the titles they produced but very little about when the specific piece of software in question was released. What I really want to see is a view of the, then state-of-the-art, CGA graphics that it boasted. Suddenly I remembered, I could double check on PC Globe by looking at my Software Games from 1989 pdf. Unfortunately, the 5 1/4 inch bendable floppy disc I was thinking about is not listed there at all.
It's a bit sad to think that something created within the last twenty years can vanish so completely. This is especially poignant as computers are what the Internet is all about. I've been unsuccessful in my search. Please drop me a line if you know anything about BlueSky's PC Globe. I volunteer to be a resource and will even write up an entry for Wikipedia!
Today, it's possible to even zoom in on the very neighbourhood where I grew up. I'm 5,000 kilometers from that location and maybe that adds to the romanticism of being able to look where my feet trod over 45 years ago.
I was recently admiring satellite views of the world through Google Earth. Back when personal computers were new and I worked overseas, I used to collect pirated software. In the Gulf, in the eighties, there were no avenues to purchase authentic copies. I was reminded of a very early program I once used. A company called BlueSky Software once created IBM-compatible software called PC Globe.
I came up nearly empty on the Internet. I only discovered a bit about the company and the titles they produced but very little about when the specific piece of software in question was released. What I really want to see is a view of the, then state-of-the-art, CGA graphics that it boasted. Suddenly I remembered, I could double check on PC Globe by looking at my Software Games from 1989 pdf. Unfortunately, the 5 1/4 inch bendable floppy disc I was thinking about is not listed there at all.
It's a bit sad to think that something created within the last twenty years can vanish so completely. This is especially poignant as computers are what the Internet is all about. I've been unsuccessful in my search. Please drop me a line if you know anything about BlueSky's PC Globe. I volunteer to be a resource and will even write up an entry for Wikipedia!
Today, it's possible to even zoom in on the very neighbourhood where I grew up. I'm 5,000 kilometers from that location and maybe that adds to the romanticism of being able to look where my feet trod over 45 years ago.
Labels: computers, games, Google, Internet, New Hampshire, software
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Modifying Behaviour
I've developed some pretty poor Windows habits over the years.
For example, although I use the browser all the time, I frequently find myself closing that application and then opening it again a few minutes later. If viewed from a distance, this opening and closing would appear almost an obsessive behaviour. It may be an ingrained neurosis that pre-dates my use of Windows itself. Don't get me wrong, I can multi-task. In fact, I sort of love it when work demands that I copy, paste and check between six or seven different windows. Some people get that zen, I assume, from skiing down a mountain or driving a sports car very fast.
Some other bad habits are a result of the application's design. I've been doing pre-release IE7 for months and months. Yet, tabs have been nothing more than a curiosity. I would find a half dozen instances of Internet Explorer running on the task bar. That was because MS hadn't discovered tabs from their competitors. Yet, as I said, I've been running the newest version for months under beta, and I didn't change my way of working.
Now, I'm making a conscious effort to do things differently. I've set up the browser to load up my five most common sites when it starts. I will take care to work just within these tabs. I shall also ensure that I keep the program open constantly.
What bad habits are you going to eliminate today?
For example, although I use the browser all the time, I frequently find myself closing that application and then opening it again a few minutes later. If viewed from a distance, this opening and closing would appear almost an obsessive behaviour. It may be an ingrained neurosis that pre-dates my use of Windows itself. Don't get me wrong, I can multi-task. In fact, I sort of love it when work demands that I copy, paste and check between six or seven different windows. Some people get that zen, I assume, from skiing down a mountain or driving a sports car very fast.
Some other bad habits are a result of the application's design. I've been doing pre-release IE7 for months and months. Yet, tabs have been nothing more than a curiosity. I would find a half dozen instances of Internet Explorer running on the task bar. That was because MS hadn't discovered tabs from their competitors. Yet, as I said, I've been running the newest version for months under beta, and I didn't change my way of working.
Now, I'm making a conscious effort to do things differently. I've set up the browser to load up my five most common sites when it starts. I will take care to work just within these tabs. I shall also ensure that I keep the program open constantly.
What bad habits are you going to eliminate today?
Labels: complaints, Windows
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
The Moving Image
I could be Martin Scorsese. Okay, well maybe not.
When I was a kid I used to shoot 3-minute rolls of Super8 film. My family often spent weekends camping at Waterville Valley in the NH White Mountains. Although it was about 70 miles we'd stay at a campground in the National Forest. In the autumn of 1973, at the age of 14, I spliced together a whole summer's worth of movies onto a bigger reel. I added commentary and music on a cassette tape. I'd synch 'em up and put on a show. In that decade, I never could've imagined the day we'd have digital tape.
Now it is frightfully easy to capture adventures. I only need to plug the Firewire cable into my old Sony HC-40. Instantly, I'm given the option to copy to the drive from inside Ulead's Movie Factory 5. I've tried others, but paid for Movie Factory because it's designed to go through the process the same way I think. It takes a while to get the data on the drive. Then, I simply cut out parts I don't want, select a menu and write to DVD. The results are easy to access once on disc and inherently copyable in that form. This discs are full of colour and sound in a way which still-photography can't match.
This afternoon, I mailed a copy of our vacation in Sri Lanka to Jay's brother. He's working out of the country. It's been a long time since he's seen his wife, daughters, and the construction on a new home. He will love watching the DVD, I'm sure.
I don't know why I'm not creative more often. Doing a project today is a hell of a lot simpler than playing with Super8 film and a cassette!
When I was a kid I used to shoot 3-minute rolls of Super8 film. My family often spent weekends camping at Waterville Valley in the NH White Mountains. Although it was about 70 miles we'd stay at a campground in the National Forest. In the autumn of 1973, at the age of 14, I spliced together a whole summer's worth of movies onto a bigger reel. I added commentary and music on a cassette tape. I'd synch 'em up and put on a show. In that decade, I never could've imagined the day we'd have digital tape.Now it is frightfully easy to capture adventures. I only need to plug the Firewire cable into my old Sony HC-40. Instantly, I'm given the option to copy to the drive from inside Ulead's Movie Factory 5. I've tried others, but paid for Movie Factory because it's designed to go through the process the same way I think. It takes a while to get the data on the drive. Then, I simply cut out parts I don't want, select a menu and write to DVD. The results are easy to access once on disc and inherently copyable in that form. This discs are full of colour and sound in a way which still-photography can't match.
This afternoon, I mailed a copy of our vacation in Sri Lanka to Jay's brother. He's working out of the country. It's been a long time since he's seen his wife, daughters, and the construction on a new home. He will love watching the DVD, I'm sure.
I don't know why I'm not creative more often. Doing a project today is a hell of a lot simpler than playing with Super8 film and a cassette!
Labels: sharing, software, technology
Monday, October 23, 2006
Sure, Shore's Nice
I must remember to relish each day this week. For a week from today, I'll be back in the classroom. It's been a substantial break. I needed the time away to re-charge emotional batteries and gather a few fresh perspectives. I'm fortunate to have found a niche where I can enjoy a lot of free time, yet afford a comfortable lifestyle.
I still run into kids whose stated goal in life is to become rich. That has never been a personal priority. I essentially buy copious amounts of time off and have done so for years. There's no actual money transfer; rather, it's only calculation of wages not earned. As they say, you can't miss what you've never had. I just searched the contents of my blog. Yes, I've said it before and will undoubtedly do so again.
Nobody, when looking back on life, wishes they'd spent more time at the office!
I still run into kids whose stated goal in life is to become rich. That has never been a personal priority. I essentially buy copious amounts of time off and have done so for years. There's no actual money transfer; rather, it's only calculation of wages not earned. As they say, you can't miss what you've never had. I just searched the contents of my blog. Yes, I've said it before and will undoubtedly do so again.
Nobody, when looking back on life, wishes they'd spent more time at the office!
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Based on Old Choices
I just looked at the clock and discovered that I'd spent a few hours in Wikipedia. It really is the place to go to look up ... well, nearly anything. I had started out by typing in "1080p". That's because I am deeply into the research required in getting HDTV.
As I spent a dozen years overseas, I knew a little about multisystem televisions and the difference between PAL and NTSC standards. I may have even known that European PAL is broadcast at 25 frames per second. There were all sorts of things I didn't know, however. For example, standard North American theatre films are shot at 24 frames per second. Therefore after conversion, films run a full 4.2% shorter when converted for a PAL broadcast. There is even a noticeable difference in pitch.
Conversion to NTSC's 29.97 frame rate requires even more elaborate changes. First, the film is slowed down by 0.1%. Then, four frames need to be stretched onto five. Yet, because of NTSC's interlacing, four frames actually have to fit across ten. So the first film frame is saved on two NTSC frames, and the second is saved on three, and the third saved on 2, and the last saved on three. This continues. The process works but it introduces something called Telecine judder which is why movement on home TV equipment was never as smooth as in the theatre.
These examples stem from historical factors. Some go back all the way to the choice of using 50Hz phase electrical current in Europe and 60Hz in North America. It is amazing how we are often impacted by previous decisions. We seldom start from scratch although that would probably be far more efficient. If we didn't have to contend with legacy technology, we could create much better and more universal modern systems, from a computer OS to a television's technical standards.
As I spent a dozen years overseas, I knew a little about multisystem televisions and the difference between PAL and NTSC standards. I may have even known that European PAL is broadcast at 25 frames per second. There were all sorts of things I didn't know, however. For example, standard North American theatre films are shot at 24 frames per second. Therefore after conversion, films run a full 4.2% shorter when converted for a PAL broadcast. There is even a noticeable difference in pitch.Conversion to NTSC's 29.97 frame rate requires even more elaborate changes. First, the film is slowed down by 0.1%. Then, four frames need to be stretched onto five. Yet, because of NTSC's interlacing, four frames actually have to fit across ten. So the first film frame is saved on two NTSC frames, and the second is saved on three, and the third saved on 2, and the last saved on three. This continues. The process works but it introduces something called Telecine judder which is why movement on home TV equipment was never as smooth as in the theatre.
These examples stem from historical factors. Some go back all the way to the choice of using 50Hz phase electrical current in Europe and 60Hz in North America. It is amazing how we are often impacted by previous decisions. We seldom start from scratch although that would probably be far more efficient. If we didn't have to contend with legacy technology, we could create much better and more universal modern systems, from a computer OS to a television's technical standards.
Labels: technology, television
Locate additional information at the my eJournal and images blog site.