Talk Hard

I just finished watching Christian Slater in the movie Pump Up the Volume. For those of you who live under a rock it is about a teenager with a voice - a voice that the adult establishment doesn't really want heard. He speaks his mind through illegal pirate radio. While there is a lot of fear and misunderstanding amoungst the adults he really strikes up a chord with his peers.

"You hear about some kid who did something stupid, something desperate; what possessed him? How could he do such a terrible thing? Well, it's really quite simple, actually. Consider the life of a teenager - you have parents, teachers telling you what to do, you have movies, magazines and TV telling you what to do, but you know what you have to do. Your job, your purpose is to get accepted, get a cute girlfriend, think up something great to do with the rest of your life. What if you're confused and can't imagine a career? What if you're funny looking and can't get a girlfriend? You see, no-one wants to hear it. But the terrible secret is that being young is sometimes less fun than being dead. ."
- Hard Harry

There are lots of parrallels to today's bloggers. Pirate radio was free, uncensored (albiet illegal) media. Today blogs are the more accessable (and legal) alternative. Hard Harry would be sending out his subversive ideas over the internet and would be able to reach a much wider audience than with his basement transmitter.

Just think of the freedoms that voices like Harry's have now. Without an intimite knowledge of RadioShack he never would have been able to air his voice. Now the internet with its push button publishing makes it easier for anyone to have their say. Just let Pricipal Creswood try and silence these voices today (almost 20 years after this movie first hit the theaters).

Jim Gates (a blogger I read regularly) posted about a student with an interesting voice. The boy was easily able to voice his critizism of his educational system. Read the students comment. Then I will tell you that he is only in Grade 5. Do we really want to miss voices like these?

Until next time.......

"Talk hard, I like that. It's like a dirty thought in a nice clean mind. "
- Hard Harry

Smiles of Ridiculous Magnitude

This is pretty entertaining.

Daily Mail Article

A primary school in Clacton, Essex has decided to cover the all faces of their students in any pictures they put online. They covered them with smiley faces! (Ok - one exception had a frown on it.) They took privacy and security to the realm of the ridiculous.

How much pride are they showing in their students if they won't show their faces? What is the point of putting up one of these photos?

It has been said before and I will say it again. How many of these people are tickled pink when their child or student is featured in a tradition print newspaper? There is no real difference between a photo on a website and a photo in a newspaper. The photos are out in the public for everyone to see. Besides, most newspapers are available online anyways.

Free Photoshop!!!

https://www.photoshop.com/express/landing.html

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.

The Impossible Dream

To achieve the impossible dream, try going to sleep. - Joan Klempner

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?

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?

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.