Tag Archives: digital

Digital Photo Danger

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Luckily this post isn’t a sob story about losing all of the photos of my child because they were on my computer which got stolen, stopped working, exploded, deleted them, etc. I’m fairly tech-minded but I’ve got to tell you that it took me a while to really think the issue of digital photos through enough for me to come to my senses. When I look back at photos our wedding and our honeymoon I instantly realize how important these images are. They take us back to a time when things were different. Probably not better but certainly worth remembering … Continue reading →

Digital Copies – Digital Syllabus

Sometimes my students just don’t know how lucky they are. The reason for their luck came as a surprise to me because it was one of those functional things that I simply overlooked while actually planning my own course. It makes sense, from a distribution standpoint, that in a class with over four hundred people you would distribute course materials in a digital format. It’s faster, harder to lose, and wastes significantly fewer trees in the process. What’s not to like? Apparently there is a lot not to like and I’m quite certain that I’ve experienced this dilemma with some … Continue reading →

Traveling Books or How the Digital can Suppress

I’m so concerned with and interested in new technologies that I often ignore older ones to my peril. This semester I’m working on a number of projects surrounding the use/abuse of copyright law as applied to the arts. Since my study isn’t confined to the twenty first century (or even the twentieth century for that matter) it would be unwise to rely entirely on the internet for securing resources and conducting research. This past week I used one of the tools I’d forgotten libraries had the ability to use: mail (and not the e-mail kind). Earlier this week a real, … Continue reading →

The Move to Technology

Technology is a good thing. Airplanes fly, e-mail doesn’t require a stamp, and finding information doesn’t require a trip to the library (or even the bookshelf) because of the internet and the computer. In education the move to technology has also brought many improvements and benefits to older ways of doing things (I would not have completed a masters thesis if not for the modern word processor as a typewriter would have driven me mad). There are downsides to technology though. Oftentimes digital presentation software will replace the skill of speaking (both for teacher lectures and student presentations). When I … Continue reading →

What is Hybrid Scrapbooking?

If you are active in the scrapbooking community at all, you might have seen reference to a new term dubbed hybrid scrapbooking. But what in the world does it mean? Is scrapbooking going green or is it referencing some scrapbooking vehicle for us hobby lovers? Nope. It’s a whole new take on the world of scrapbooking and it has taken off like a storm. First let’s look at what the word hybrid means. Hybrid is a something of mixed origin or composition. It essentially means two things that have been combined to be one thing. So knowing that, how does … Continue reading →

Scrapbooking in a New Way

Have you ever wondered why some scrapbookers scrapbook their photographs chronologically? Or maybe you wonder why some scrapbookers only use one photograph on a 12 x 12 layout. We all wonder why people that do things differently than us, do them that way to begin with. There is not an answer I can give you. I don’t know why some people love twelve pictures on a layout and some only like one. I also don’t know why some people scrapbook in order, as the events occurred, and why others scrapbook themes, or anytime they feel like it. Have you ever … Continue reading →

Smile Detection Technology

The ability to electronically detect someone’s smile has been around for a little while. Lat year, Sony unveiled its Smile Shutter features on some cameras, and other manufactures, such as Fuji, offer face (not smile) detection technology on their cameras. And now there is another use for smile and face detection technology–medical use. These technologies analyze different features of a face, from the curving lips, cheekbones that are high, squinting eyes, etc., to determine when someone is smiling. What is the Smile Shutter Feature? With the Smile Shutter feature on selected Sony digital cameras, such as the Cyber-shot DSC-T200, the … Continue reading →

Moment of Beauty 2

I want to introduce you to one of my favorite web sites out there. It is called Moment of Beauty. A new, lovely, photo or image is presented every day. From bright images of flowers and landscapes to solemn photos of religious statutes in shadow, to little hands discovering new things, Moment of Beauty offers a wonderful new surprise each day. This is the second half of the series. If you missed the first blog, click here. Mary Ann: What do you think is the best thing about Moment of Beauty? Patrice: For me, it is getting to pick out … Continue reading →

Free Tech Support and Troubleshooting

Is your high tech computerized dryer spitting out the clothes? Did your iPod go iKaplunk? Are your VHS and DVD player refusing to work nicely together? Before you go out and upgrade your appliance or gadget or spring for expensive technical support, why not visit this free and extensive website that offer technical support, instructions, manuals and troubleshooting for whatever ails you and your technology. FixYa (http://www.fixya.com) has a bunch of experts just waiting to help you fix your problem. With a $6 million budget, the site is filled with great stuff. FixYa consists of a community of users who … Continue reading →

Explaining the Upcoming Digital TV Conversion

Worried that your television won’t work? Do you need to buy expensive new digital equipment? Let’s weed through the confusion to explain exactly what the conversion is, how you will be affected and what you need. First of all, let’s talk about what the digital conversion is. Starting on February 18th, 2009, all full-power television broadcasters in the United States will turn off their old analog signals and broadcast in digital format only. This will potentially leave millions of television sets across the country cut off from programming. Turn on the television and get nothing but snow. How will this … Continue reading →