Thursday, March 27, 2008

Free Photoshop!!!





Ok, so it is not the full version of Photoshop - it is Photoshop Express, Adobe's contribution to the world of online photos. It comes with 2GB of online storage - which is pretty sweet. Add in a bunch of tools to play with and it looks like fun.


Something neat is that it will link with other photo sites like Picasa, Photobucket, and Facebook. It was quite quick and simple to pull in my Picasa albums.


Lets wait and see how it compares to the other sites. Will it gain the huge following of Flickr? How about the simplicity and accessibility of Picasa? Time will tell.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Looking for Pictures


Well the title describes it. I am looking for a picture database. Blog entries always look better with pictures to spice them up. The problem is that thanks to some new found morality I would prefer to not break any copyrights (and most of my pictures are of my son). That leaves out the Google Image search, and Flickr, and most of the other picture sites. Anyone got any suggestions?

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Too Tired

I like this video. It made me rethink some of my reasons for doing (or not doing) things.

Remind anyone of staff meetings?

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Doodles and Off Task Writing

Sometimes I like when presenters give out handouts. I leave with proof that I was there. I end up with a bag of stuff to show me what I have done. What do I do with them afterwards? I put them into a binder, on a shelf, or into a drawer, and if I am lucky, later when I clean my room, into the recycle bin. I always think that I will go back and read what is in the handout. I don't and I don't expect that to change.

I also take notes. My notes are usually filled with quotes and sayings that caught my ear or eye. If the presenter is engaging all I find is writing on the page. If the presenter really gets me thinking my notes end up all over the page as I jump to new ideas and make my own connections. It is a messy web of writing. If the presentation is mediocre I end up doodling on my notes. If I take very little interest (and it is not quite bad enough to walk out of) I write about something else entirely (like this bit of writing here). The nice thing about writing is that people think that you are on task.

So what do I do with my notes when I am done with them? I put them into a binder, on a shelf, or into a drawer, and if I am lucky, later when I clean my room, into the recycle bin. So why do I take them? I am a bit of a visual and tactile learner. I think and learn best when I either see or do it myself. I remember things that I write down. Well, I remember them better anyways. My notes are often just a thought process. If they were meant to be great works to be saved for posterity they would be legible. Only I can follow or read my notes.

Back to the presenters handouts. There is nothing worse than getting a complete set of PowerPoint handouts at the beginning of a session. At my first off task moment I usually browse through them and then..........rats, none of this is what I was expecting. Do I get up and leave or do I stay and hope that I can get something out of it? Decisions, decisions.

So what is the end result of all these handouts and notes? Well at least I am supporting the forest industry.