When Kaitlyn wanted to pose with the stuffed squirrel in her back yard at her graduation celebration I thought it was funny and cute. It was great to see the photo turn out so well. It really seems to capture that twinkle in her eye, that spark of inventiveness and creativity that makes her so special. Sometimes an unexpected moment staged in jest can result in a fun photographic moment.
Kaitlyn and her squirrel friend
When our daughter Katy graduated from the College of Fine Arts she was excited, filled with anticipation, and relieved. We planned a weekend of activities with close friends and family. We weren’t surprised when she adorned her cap with an Easy button, but we were delighted when moments after the photo below was taken the Dean shaking her hand reached up and pressed the button. Although the accompanying “That was easy” recorded message was drowned out by laughter from the audience, it was a special moment ripe with all manner of symbolism and just plain humor.
Katy graduating from the College of Fine Arts
Goolge’s national television ad is more about experiences and less about technology. Nicely done.
The Antikythera shipwreck was discovered in the early 1900s. The wreck included the oldest known analog computer. The Antikythera mechanism was used around 100-150 B.C. to calculate astronomical positions – lunar and eclipse cycles, along with what some believe were dials indicating the positions of the five planets known to Greeks. This video illustrates a more modern interpretation of the mechanism built almost entirely from plastic LEGO® bricks, gears, and pieces.
Google eBooks arrived today, just in time for the holidays. TechCrunch’s Devin Coldewey has an interesting perspective on the new service, including Google’s curious decision to go with a fat sales margin. Forrester predicts $1 billion in 2010 eBook sales. With more than 50% of the eBooks market, will Amazon maintain their dominance? Before iPad, Steve Jobs said the Kindle was flawed: “It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore.” More eBook choices for consumers is a good thing.
Google's new eBook service aspires to provide a web-based platform accessible from any device with a browser
From friend Claudia Noakes, “Too late for Veteran’s Day but a dedication that should not be missed.” The video above is a making-of and the music video is below. Radney Foster records “Angel Flight,” a moving tribute to the pilots who fly their fallen brethen home to their final resting places. Foster’s co-writer, Darden Smith, started writing the song after talking to a pilot of the Texas Air National Guard who mentioned he flew the “angel flight.” Smith asked Radney to finish the song with him, and the pair are donating proceeds from the song to a charity that provides assistance to military families beset by tragedy.
Some give a little, but he gave it all.
Bravo! to 650 choristers, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Macy’s Center City Philadelphia, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
To learn more about this program and view more events, visit randomactsofculture.org. The Opera Company thanks Macy’s and the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ (wanamakerorgan.com) for their partnership, as well as Organ Music Director Peter Conte and Fred Haas, accompanists; OCP Chorus Master Elizabeth Braden, conductor; and Sound Engineer James R. Stemke. For a complete list of participating choirs and more information, visit operaphila.org/rac. This event was planned to coincide with the first day of National Opera Week.
Sesame Street spoofs the Old Spice Guy: “Look at yourself, now back to me. Sadly you are not a monster…”
This “Sensory Box” video was developed by Paris-based new media agent SUPERBIEN for a Mobile World Congress event. It uses a form of architectural projection mapping where three dimensional objects are wrapped with video elements.
The video below is a historic building in Amsterdam enhanced by architectural projection Samsung used to promote their new range of 3D LED televisions. The projection appears to send birds flying, crack the building in half, and spew debris before it is flooded with water and drained into a rain forest to reveal the new Samsung 3D product.
Aimee and Warren, three years ago on September 15, at the foot of the majestic Wellsville Mountains in Utah's Cache Valley (photos by Kenn Stearns)
And hand in hand on the edge of the sand,They danced by the light of the moonThe moon, The moon.They danced by the light of the moon.
Solar roadways, an innovative way to conserve energy and recycle; thinking outside of the box.
Mark Hurst at Good Experience uses this video as an example of a ”boring to better” effort. He likes the mix of humor and common sense (“For the .0001% of you who have never operated a seat belt before, it works like this…” acknowledges Virgin America knows most of their customers can operate a seat belt).
If you haven’t failed, you haven’t lived.
BoGo Lights are solar powered flashlights with rechargeable batteries that last for 750 to 1,000 nights of individual use (photo by BoGo Light)
The average family in the developing world can spend 20 to 30 percent of their disposable income to purchase sources of illumination. A solar powered renewable light source significantly reduces or eliminates this cost for families who live on $1 to $2 per day.
Two billion people living in the developing world rely on kerosene lanterns, candles, and single-use battery flashlights for light at night. Not only are these options expensive, dangerous, and harmful to the environment, they also negatively impact health, education, and security.
You can provide light to those in developing countries who need it and get a BoGo light for yourself. Check out the Buy One Give One offers for the Mini-BoGo Light or the larger SN2. You can even choose where you want to send your donated light.
The BoGo Light is a handheld solar powered flashlight with rechargeable batteries that provides light for years. When the energy is exhausted, simply replace the three standard AA rechargeable batteries and keep going. Most flashlights are made by companies that sell batteries. A great way to power battery sales is to offer disposable flashlights with a short life measured in hours. BoGo Light life is measured in years and they are reusable.
Mark Bent founded two companies–SunNight Solar to sell solar lights to commercial and government clients; BoGo Light as a non-profit organization to provide lights to charities and under-developed countries. He has partnered with the World Bank on a program called Lighting Up the Bottom of the Pyramid.
Re-manufactured hybrid battery in a first generation Toyota Prius, view looking into trunk with rear seat removed (photo by Javier Escalante at Raul's Automotive in Austin, TX)
It’s what every hybrid vehicle owner fears: having to replace the expensive hybrid battery buried somewhere in the back of the car. Our 2002 first-generation Toyota Prius has 130,000 miles and all symptoms indicated it was time.
We spent a lot of time researching the differences between Gen 1 and Gen 2 Prius batteries and read up on Toyota options, memos, recommendations, and pricing. Pricing diversity across Toyota dealers is concerning. For a Gen 1 Prius, $4,000-$6,000 will buy a new curiously somewhat obsolete hybrid battery that, like the expired battery, is prone to leaking cells and corrosion (those issues were addressed with the Gen 2 battery but Toyota has not passed all those improvements to the Gen 1 version). Some dealers require replacement of more than essential hybrid battery components while others try to convince us the hybrid battery is not the problem and lobby for more analysis. We spent $200+ on various Toyota dealers’ interpretations of inconclusive data held within our Prius on-board computer.
After talking with several Toyota dealers and probing online, we select Re-Involt Technologies in North Carolina. They have a unique innovative method of re-manufacturing Gen 1 and Gen 2 Prius batteries, but more importantly they’ve updated the Gen 1 battery with some Gen 2 enhancements, plus common sense elements of their own design. We couldn’t find a repair facility in Houston so with help from Re-Involt we shipped the battery and moved the car to Raul’s Automotive in Austin, TX. Javier with Raul’s and Tracy with Re-Involt kept us informed at every step along the way, from battery exchange and shipping to installation and road test results. Javier even emailed photos taken during the Re-Involt battery installation.
The results speak for themselves: we saved money, had the pleasure of dealing with motivated independent businesses, kept a battery out of the landfill, and early reports indicate the self-diagnosed performance issues have been resolved.
Raul's Automotive mechanics lift the 130+ pound hybrid battery into place (photo by Javier Escalante at Raul's Automotive)
