Showin' Some Love for Linda Rathgeber

I was going to post this morning about the terrific design that Linda Rathgeber did for Community MX a few months ago, but somehow got caught up in all things Linda. So instead of talking about how much I love the design, let's talk about Linda.

If you don't know Linda, then you really don't know Fireworks. She has been active in the Fireworks community since the first version of the program was released, and probably knows more about the creative uses of Fireworks than anybody on the planet. Linda has also helped thousands and thousands of people, myself included, at the Fireworks forums over the years.

Her Playing with Fire book that she wrote for Fireworks 4 is still one of the best books ever for creative techniques using Fireworks that's available. Sadly, it is out of print. (Why no publisher agreed to update this book for future versions of Fireworks is an enduring mystery.)

So, here's a shout out to Linda. I just love what you did with the Traverse City Jumpstart design. I've been using this design as a basis for a project I'm working on, and every time I look at the original PNG file I'm just blown away by how well balanced the design is and the way that she uses colors to evoke a mood while calling attention to the important elements on the page. And to do that and provide a file that is a model for how design prototypes ought to be made, well, it knocks my socks off, metaphorically speaking.

If you want to be inspired and learn how to make the most of Fireworks you can do no wrong in picking up anything that Linda has produced. She's got a full listing of the projects she's involved with at her Playing With Fire home page. Stop by, check out the free tutorials, pick up an eBook or see one of the design packages that she's produced for Project Seven or Community MX.

Linda has that rare combination of artistic talent and the ability to teach. You'll never go wrong in spending some time, or even a little coin, with something from Linda.

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Do's and Don'ts of a Content Management System

A Content Management Systems (CMS) can be a great boon for organizations who want to allow a wider audience to publish online. They can also be a major pain in the patootie if they aren't implemented well or thoroughly thought out.

Kirk Biglione does an excellent job of laying out the do's and don't in his article at AltTags, appropriately titled CMS Do’s and Don’ts. As more businesses and educational organizations move towards offering portals and other tools for allowing the rapid publishing of content online his list of rules are important ones to keep in mind.

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For Language Fans: The Language Log

I'm sure I've pointed to this blog as one of my favorites before, but it's probably been awhile. So I wanted to point again to The Language Log for those of you who might be fans of a well-turned phrase.

Yes, the site is literally run by a band of cunning linguists. What more do you really need to know than that?

Today you can read a fun story about a recent article with the headline "Fossil Yields Surprise Kin of Crocodiles" which yielded this question.

When I saw the headline, I was wondering how a fossil yield could surprise crocodiles (or their kin), and it took a few moments to figure out what it was intended to mean.

The author then goes on to discuss similar poorly written headlines, including the classic "British Push Bottles Up German Rear."

You might not think that a blog from a group of linguistics professors could be amusing, but if you're a word geek you might find this one worth a visit.

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Some Practical Tips on Using Breeze Live

At the school district where I work we've been embracing Breeze Live more and more over the past few months. We now have the service/software available to some 100 account holders, with lots more to follow. As a demonstration project for all of our Breezers we've even developed a weekly "show" where we discuss technology tools for teachers and some of the software products we use in our classrooms. So far, Breeze has been a big hit.

But as with any software product, there are limitations to face and things to consider when using Breeze Live. Here are a couple that have come to me lately.

1. Breeze Live is informal.

It's hard to get a truly polished presentation done in Breeze Live, simply due to the limitations of technology. You can argue that the problems are with the software, with the server, or with the available bandwidth for the viewers and users of a Breeze Live meeting, but the simple fact is that there are often glitches in delivery. Sometimes content may not load as quickly as you expect, or the audio may drop out. If you're using video sometimes your camera might go blank. It's also likely that the presenter will click on the wrong button and the microphone will go off or a pod will close.

The message here is to chill. Relax. And don't place too high an expectation on either the technology or your performance. If you take a casual and informal tone during your presentation and don't stress too much when something goes momentarily awry you'll have a much better experience, as will the participants.

If you want a polished presentation use another tool such as the Breeze PowerPoint plug-in--Breeze Presenter--or some other product such as Captivate or Camtasia.

Breeze Live is best seen as a way to connect, communicate, collaborate, and discuss. Which takes me to the next point.

2. Breeze Live should be conversational.

The best Breeze Live presentations that I've been a part of found a way to involve the participants. Ask questions and seek replies in the chat pod. Use polls. In other words, take steps to bring the audience into the conversation you're trying to have with them. Sure, there will be those cases where you need to cover your talking points, but you're viewers will have a better experience if you keep those short and then ask questions or have some other method for engaging the audience. After all, that's the advantage of having a live meeting.

So there you have it--some tips from the trenches as you will. Today I'll be doing a couple of Breeze Live sessions on using Picasa2 in the classroom to perform the basic photo editing tasks that most teachers face. I'll try to keep my own points in mind as I do my Breezo today.

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The Blog Hits 500K

Sometime today the hit counter down in the lower left hand corner of this page will roll over to the 500,000 mark. Gosh. I can literally remember sitting with a buddy at school when I first launched this little hobby of mine and watching as the counter went from 16 to 17 as she refreshed the page.

Yeah, I know, a hit counter is just a virtual vanity plate that you hang on the bumper of a web site, but if the idea is to get strokes from seeing those numbers climb then it's working for me. My ego is properly inflated when they jump up, and when you hit a major milestone like reaching half a million page views, well, it's just kind of cool.

So thanks to all of you who're stopped by over the last 2 years. I hope you've found something useful or interesting or entertaining to read here. I won't make any rash promises about the future, but here's hoping I can keep you coming back.

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Telling a Story by Avoiding PowerPoint

I work for a large company that happens to be in the business of providing public education to the children of a large county in Florida. With nearly 20,000 employees spread out over almost 200 locations, managing an organization of this size is a big job, and the folks at the top of our organization are as busy as any executive at a company of our size. If you're preparing a presentation for them you better be prepared to make it quick, to make your point, and to answer pointed questions.

When I was tasked to prepare a presentation recently I thought about that as I worked on my notes and, ultimately the mandatory PowerPoint presentation that must accompany the pitch that needs to be made to the boss. There was just one little problem--total and utter brain lock as I sat in front of the computer and stared at my slides. And the longer I attempted to capture the talking points that needed to be conveyed during the presentation, the more I struggled.

Finally, an epiphany!

My problem was not that I couldn't prepare a PowerPoint show, the problem was that I was looking at the problem from the wrong perspective and using the wrong tool. What I needed to be able to do in the short time available was to tell a story.

And you can't tell a story with bullet points.

A story needs an introduction, some drama or comedy or tragedy, a plot, and a conclusion. Regardless of what is being said, an effective presentation is one that tells a story by engaging the listener and moving them towards reaching the same conclusion that you have.

So today as I sit down at work the task will not be to prepare bullet points, the task will be to prepare my script. What is it I want to say? What should be said to draw the listener into my story and to care about what they'll be hearing? What is the problem that is faced--the drama of my story? Who are the characters involved and why should the listener care about the problems they face? And what do the characters hope to do to overcome these problems?

At its heart, that is the story I want to tell. If I can weave my narrative together I'll be better prepared to finish things up with some visual support to help tell my story.

That's where PowerPoint comes into play. But without the story, the visuals are meaningless. As I've learned, if you start by trying to tell your story with visuals first, then think about your story only after your fancy slideshow is built, you're approaching the problem from the wrong direction. In the end you run the risk of wasting those precious few minutes with the boss with a presentation that has no impact and fails to make its point.

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All Florida Teachers to Get Laptops

Governor Bush of Florida announced a new plan yesterday for recruiting and retaining teachers for Florida schools. No, the name of the campaign is NOT "7 Hurricanes in 2 years? What are the chances that will happen again?" but will attempt to attract and retain teachers by providing financial incentives, beefing up the education offerings at state colleges and universities, and an ambitious plan to spend $188 million on laptop computers for every teacher in the state. Tied to those computers will be some new tools for accessing student information and records and new systems that will make it easier for teachers to work electronically.

It's a bold step into the 21st century for a state that has been funding education with a decidedly 1950's mentality for far too long. The Governor's proposal has a long way to go in obtaining legislative approval, but it appears that the funding sources are in place and that in the near future teachers will have some important new tools for getting their work done.

Read the full press release here.

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Google: More Popular Than Mom

There's been an awful lot of attention devoted this week to the dustup over the subpoena issued by the U.S. government for Google search terms. It's nice to see a big company standing on principle, but what really caught my eye was this quote in some of the early coverage of the story:

Search engines now play such an important part in our daily lives that many people probably contact Google more often than they do their own mother," said Thomas Burke, a San Francisco attorney who has handled several prominent cases involving privacy issues.

Well, duh.

I mean we all love our moms, but trying to get information from her would probably end up sounding like this:

Son: Hi Mom. Can you give me directions to 1146 NE 146th Street in Miami.

Mom: Harold! Our son is on the phone. Well, to what do we owe the pleasure of your call?

Son: I just need some directions Mom. From my house to 1146 NE 146th Street in Miami please.

Mom: Harold! He wants directions to someplace in Miami. Do you have that gas station map? What, is this some girl's place that you're trying to get to?

Son: No Mom. Can I just get the directions please?

Mom: Well, isn't it about time that you did find a nice girl? My hairdresser's niece is a lovely girl. Remember me telling you about her?

Son: Never mind Mom. Thanks though. Talk to you soon. *click*

*10 minutes later*

Son: Hey Mom. Can you spell "transcinsedental" please.

Mom: Did you mean: "transcendental."

Son: Yeah, that's it. Thanks Mom. *click*

Mom: Hey wait a minute. You're not getting off the phone this........hello? Harold! He hung up on me!

*10 minutes later*

Son: Hi Mom. Do you have any photos of Anna Sorenstam?

Mom: Who?

Son: She's a pro golfer Mom. Do you have any pictures of her?

Mom: Now listen here buster. Do you want me to have your father talk to you? Why are you constantly calling all the sudden?

Son: Mom. Really. I don't want to get into it. Do you have any pictures of her or not? Or something related to her? Or in your cache?

Mom: You know, this is very bizarre behavior. Are you drinking? Oh my God! It's drugs isn't it? Oh my God!!! Harold! I think he's on drugs!

Son: No Mom. I'm not on drugs. Forget the pictures. Sheesh. *click*

*10 minutes pass*

Son: Mom, do you.....

Mom: Why are you doing this to me? You're upsetting me and your father. Please stop calling.

Son: Mom, I just wanted some information on....

Mom: No, no, no, no, NO!! Stop asking me these questions! And God help me, I never thought I'd say this, but STOP CALLING ME!

Son: So you don't know the atomic weight of aluminum?

Mom: *click*

Son: Mom? Mom?

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The Dumb Terminal in My Living Room

During my month-long computer sabbatical I've managed to stay away from this machine and take up other endeavors during my time away from the day job. One of the things I discovered was this marvelous networked device sitting right in my living room.

This device is simple in its functionality. There are numerous streams of multimedia files being transmitted in real-time directly into my home. Sometimes called "channels", each of the networks that broadcast these files provides different forms of information and entertainment programming. The programmers of these networks primarily use an advertising model for supporting their endeavors, although there are a few multimedia streams that require a subscription.

The input devices for the receiver of these streams is simply a dumb terminal that displays the information as it is received. There is no mouse, no keyboard, and the one simple input device provided with most terminals is also void of the traditional keyboard. In its place you receive a RF or IR remote device with a keypad and some basic arrow keys for moving through the different "channels" and for adjusting the sound volume. While some may be put off by the lack of user inputs, the methodology behind the device and the networks that produce content seems to warrant a simple means of navigation. You can either move rapidly up and down the different offerings from the various networks by pressing the Up or Down arrow keys on the remote, or use the keypad to jump directly to the channel you desire by entering it manually with the numeric pad. It is a simple and effective navigation device that matches well with both the terminal and the networked content that is provided.

In my reviews of this device and the programming available I found the quality of the "shows" to vary wildly. Many of the networks produce professional quality broadcasts, but many others are decidedly amateurish. Still, you can find many different types of entertainment, and you can easily lose hours either watching the shows or in just surfing around looking for something interesting. Parents will be none-to-pleased when they learn that this device may take as much of their children's time that might normally be spent playing World of Warcraft.

For the most part, I found this device and the many networks of content providers to be fairly satisfying, with one few caveat. Since this device merely receives information, there is little opportunity for interaction between the viewer and sites that are broadcasting. Some networks resort to using telephone support in real-time when they want to provide a means for users to interact with the programs, but that is not the norm. In most cases users simply sit in front of this device and consume the entertainment without any interaction. (Some users report that they talk to their device, and I have seen this behavior in my own home from time-to-time. This seems to take place in conjunction with the appearance of a politician on one of the "shows".)

But make no mistake about it--this device and the programming provided on the various networks is an entirely passive experience. You sit, you watch, and hopefully you are entertained. I can confess to spending nearly 5 hours in front of the device on a recent Sunday, watching football games and a streaming media program called "24". Admittedly, I found those hours to be mostly enjoyable, but in many cases finding a steady flow of entertainment worth watching is a bit of a chore. So, while the device itself works remarkably well, the one downfall would appear to be with the networks of content providers. Hopefully there will be improvements in the quality of their offerings in the future.

If not, you can always read a book, head back to the computer, or spend some time with a quality game system.

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6 Words a Teenager Might Say in a Last Desperate Attempt to Put Off Cleaning Her Room for Just a Little Longer

Not now. My feet are cold.

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Lessons From "The Bachelor": Don't Say 'My Eggs Are Rotting'

I'm not a regular or even semi-regular viewer of The Bachelor, but I have to admit that I did watch the first few minutes of the show the other evening. And yes, I admit that the eye candy of beautiful young women in sexy dresses caught my eye long enough to make me pause from my search for one of the 137 episodes of Law and Order that were running at the same time. So sue me.

The next morning I learned that one of the lovelies was a local doctor, a 33 year-old young woman who is apparently just a little obsessed with making babies before her biological clock strikes midnight and her ovaries turn into pumpkins. When she laid this out for the dude in the TV show who is the object of desire for 25 young women attempting to win his affection(and don't I know what a burden that can be) she became the first contestant given the old heave-ho.

Well. Can't say as I blame the guy. Here you meet an nice, attractive, and accomplished woman and the first thing she tells you is that she sees the two of you spooning pablum into the mouths of a troop of screaming infants, and that she wants that to happen right now, dammit.

I didn't see that part of the show, but it sounds like the bachelor dude ran from this woman as fast as humanly possible. Somehow I picture his legs spinning in a wild circular motion ala Wiley Coyote. Not to mention the fact that if a woman tells you something on, in, or near her body is "rotting", well, let's just say that it's not exactly the kind of thing you want to hear on a date.

But not to worry. Thanks to the power of the Internet Dr. Allie G. has her own website now, where she's attempting to cash in on her new-found fame for uttering the worst line ever spoken by a woman on a date. And for the ladies out there, apparently this means you can order your very own "My Eggs Are Rotting" T-shirt. That's sure to reel them in.

The Palm Beach Post has the full story on their website, along with some practical tips from the author of "Smart Man Hunting" (now there's a title for you liberated ladies) on the things that women should absolutely not do on a date.

I wonder if advertising on your web site that you want a man who is "Tall, slender but athletic, has a good butt, is outgoing, romantic, thoughtful, compassionate, personable, witty and makes me laugh" as Dr. Allie G. does is on the do or don't list?

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Color Inspiration From an Unlikely Source

Yesterday I was doing some research on our upcoming home remodeling project and stumbled across a fascinating site that could easily be used for those seeking new color schemes for a web design project. Sometimes the hardest part of starting a new project can be just getting the colors that you want to use nailed down. This site has some great tools that allow you to explore the use of colors in different combinations.

What's different is that this is not a web or graphics design site, but the on-line home of Behr Paint, the company that supplies paint to Home Depot, a major home improvement store here in the U.S. Although the site is put together for those people choosing color palettes for painting projects, the Flash-based tools and sample palettes they use could easily be used for choosing color swatches for a design project that uses digital tools.

The Color Inspiration page has some very nice color palettes arranged into different categories such as artistic, historical, and regional colors but my favorite is the Explore Color page where you can launch a Flash window that allows you to choose a primary or dominant color and then see the colors that compliment the one you've chosen. Or, you can explore different swatch palettes by going to the Inspiration Library to see photographs of rooms or homes painted with different color schemes.

While this isn't your traditional color picking tool, it's a great way to get a jump on choosing the colors you want to use in an upcoming project. You won't get hexadecimal or RGB values for the colors you might wish to use, but capturing the screen and pulling the results into Fireworks or Dreamweaver where you can use the Eyedropper to sample the image and get the values needed for your design should be an easy process.

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6 Words You Don't Want to Hear From Your Barber

I cut this too short, didn't I?

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Back to Work for 2006

My self-imposed computer exiled is over, and it's time to get back to work. During the past week I've forced myself to stay away from the computer and do things that might not have been productive, but certainly were restful. It's been a perfectly lazy week, spent visiting with family, out on the boat soaking up some nature (including a spectacular few hours following a family of dolphins feeding in the St. Lucie River and another morning catching so many jack crevalle on light tackle in the Lake Worth Lagoon that my arm was sore the next day), and reading a few good--but lightweight and totally frivolous--books. Considering what my work schedule was like during the Fall of 2005 a prolonged break was just what I needed.

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