Paris: survived

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Greetings, readers.  Just wanted to make everyone aware that not only did I survive Paris with Dusty, but I actually had a remarkably great time.  It was, truly, the perfect 30th birthday adventure and I’d highly recommend something like it to my fellow late-twenties friends.  Because I’m an enormous dork, I put together a short highlight video (really, I needed to have a new example clip to demonstrate iMovie on the iPad in classes this term – but I’d probably have done it anyway).  You can see it in its 1080p glory here:

And, of course, photos.  Had to justify purchasing a new lens, you see.

 
Even more on Flickr.

Things I’d totally play…

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More than once you’ll find yourself asking: Is that stairway really a dead end? And the answer is, probably not.Monument Valley is full of optical illusions that test your spatial reasoning. But it’s your job to figure out what’s real, what’s fake and how you can bridge the gap between those two states using the visual cues from the game.

– Liz Stinson, Wired

 

Watch: “Do Digital Natives Exist?”

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I can’t tell you the number of times that faculty (or my mother) have told me that they just don’t understand computers in the way that I do because they didn’t have them around for their entire lives.  I certainly understand the sentiment, but it really falls apart on closer inspection.  The first computer that I used (an Apple IIe) bears very little resemblance to the iPad mini I use to browse the web for videos like this one.  Those that are considered “digital natives” are forced to adapt just as much as those born before computers existed.  And they also need training and support on tools that they are unfamiliar with, just like anyone else.  So you can imagine my moment of “right on-ness” with this latest Idea Channel transmission.  What do you think?

Watch: the Jupiter Ascending trailer

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You know, I’d been truly prepared to not care for Jupiter Ascending.  And I was certainly not expecting to find myself really wanting to see the film.  But the trailer has me hooked and I think I can even get behind Mila Kunis in the lead role.  So, count me in!

Let’s fast-track this one, shall we?

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I was prepared to roll my eyes at another airline “innovation” but I can actually get behind Morph from seymourpowell.  Imagine being able to upgrade your seat without the stupid divisions between front and back of the plane.  Or just to have reclining functions without encroaching on or being encroached upon by – other passengers.  I’d imagine the use of no foam also cuts down on the environmental impact of manufacturing all of those seats and prevents them from wearing out as quickly, to boot.  If only the seats could also roll forward and backward…

Back – with a roundabout

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I’ve returned, and I bring you tidings of Mythbusters.  This time, the guys are testing whether the traditional American four way stop is more or less efficient than the roundabout.

The results matched with what I’d have imagined, but one thing that I’d like to have seen thrown into the mix (because what’s a Mythbusters test without fan suggestions) would be pedestrians.  Does the higher percentage of foot traffic along European roads change the usefulness of the roundabout?  I have a feeling it gets even more efficient, but that’s just a wild guess…

Missing the Point Much?

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From Engadget:

The Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Erdogan, has condemned social media as a “the worst menace to society” following a weekend of anti-government demonstrations across his country. He singled out the “scourge” of Twitter in particular, since protestors have been using that platform to share information and vent anger at the government.

Well, it’ll be interesting to see how long the menacing scourge needs to topple this out of touch government, won’t it?

 

 

Community Really Does Care at Behrend

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Penn State Behrend professor Anne Campbell wanted to find a way to get her students more engaged with the community this Spring as well as boost their public speaking skills for CAS 100H.  So she signed up for the Mobile Media Pilot and received 12 iPod touch devices that her students used to create interviews with both campus and local service organizations, charities and the like.  These interviews were then shown in class as a compliment to persuasive speeches meant to raise awareness about each community group profiled.

And, the results were even better than she’d hoped.  Anne shared her excitement with me by email:

“I think that going into the community and filming the interview made the students more passionate about their organization.  Not only were the speeches more persuasive than previous semesters without the device, but the class collected $200 for the organization of the most persuasive speakers …”

Campbell and her students divided the $200 raised between the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life ($150) and the Therapeutic Riding Equestrian Center ($50), extending the awareness raised by the project through charitable donations.

“I really like[d] it because [the iPod’s] super portable and user-friendly. I wasn’t distracted with the technology and the mobility is good for the type of interview we’re looking to achieve.” – Camille M

Anne plans to continue assigning these video interviews and has already begun mapping out a project for the Fall 2013 semester with me.  I can’t wait to see what her students come up with next.  You can see more student videos and learn more about the project by visiting her Mobile Media Pilot profile page.