Thursday, November 29, 2007

Fun with QT

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Quicktime Pro® and Photobooth® have a number of features that will allow you to tweak the videos you create... on the fly! I've used filters and distortion tools to add special effects that are easy and fun to use. Any kid with a web cam and some time on their hands can learn them fast and once they do... look out! It is a lot of fun to watch someone express their creative genius. Thankfully, we can also upload these quick flicks to sites like blip, blogger and youtube to showcase the many talents that are going to eventually be seen by people everywhere. More power to the videobloggers everywhere !

This is so slick



I am actually blogging from my Ipod touch. People complained
when these things first came out that you would not be able to
e-mail or post data to the web using this device. Au Contrare'
my friend. Although it may take a little longer to type and post the
message,it is indeed possible . I am beginning to wonder why I
bought a new Macbook , when all I really need to carry along with
me is my Itouch ... Sweet! Also, If you have a minute, Check out the
cute little video I have attached.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Drill Sargent

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Using Photobooth, I created a cartoon like video of a sargent in the army barking an order.Don't ask me why I have the little picture of a crow with a top hat there. I am just posting content as I create it.What does it all mean? I dunno. Anyway, although this blog has been going on for two plus years, I still don't know if there is a rhyme or reason to it. I just like to post stuff. The crow was probably posted before anyway.Repetition and consistency. Those seem to be themes that people adhere to after their fifties. You try to hang on because you are not sure what you should let go of..."Hear that soldier!?"

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Dreading Winter


Right around the middle or late August, I start to think about the upcoming winter and how I am going to prepare for it. My car is on it's last legs and my only means of transport other than the local bus service and my bicycle is my motorscooter. So, when it rains, I take my car to work. Getting wet and cold is not my idea of a good time. I don't have the heat turned on in my apartment because of the cost. I have 2 down comforters on my bed to stay warm at night. I wear a knit cap to keep the heat from escaping my head at night. I purchased 2 pairs of long johns for the winter to keep my legs warm while driving my scooter on sunny days.So-d you get the ideathat when it comes to getting through the winter here,an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.My former girlfriend would tell me that it isn't the cold that causes flu symptoms and congestion.It's that the weather will predispose us to germs and infection. Go figure. I have been trying to ward off the stress that these winter months bring. Gee, I can hardly wait until daylight savings time !

Friday, November 23, 2007

Feeling Funky


Today is the day after Thanksgiving and I have been sick with a chest cold now for around 2 weeks. I cannot laugh or I am thrown into a coughing fit. My head and chest will ache if I could too much. I have taken expectorant and cough medicine now for around a week and it has only improved slightly. I just don't like bronchitis. It has been hanging on and hanging on. I got a flu shot at the end of October and thought that I would be protected to some degree.I have not taken any time off from work because I wouldn't know how to best spend my time, and would be spinning my wheels wondering what was going on at work.I have been trying to get more rest but it seems like the more rest I get the more I need. Hmmmm... I am going to stop by Cal-Mart and get some more medicine before I go home tonight. This sucks.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Gratitude Day


As Thanksgiving approaches this year, I think about all the things that I have to be grateful for... all the help people have offered me over the years. People like Eric Swenson, Reid Bennett, Dave Keegan and Don Freeland. Without these guys I don't know where I would be. There have been many others too, who have assisted me when I didn't know where else to turn. My sisters Martha and Rita, my nephew Edward and my brother John. Family has always been there for me. I try to help others as much as I can, and lend a hand where it is most needed. Now is the time of year to reflect on all of these blessings. I hope to continue to learn to be of service to others, to give what I can, when I can. If you are reading this and you have made a difference in someone's life, count yourself among those who matter very much to me and those you have helped.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

November has arrived


Here it is the seventh already and it seems like I just looked at the calendar and seven days have already gone by ! Life happens as you are making other plans... for sure! I suspect that this is the bane of modern society and the internet, but that is another matter. The W.O.F. has packed up and and moved on for another year.It is like the circus came to town and in a New York second, moved on to to San Antonio.It is so peaceful right now, I can actually stand it! Standard Time ( or is it Daylight Savings ) has begun and it starts to get dark just after four pm. The days are growing shorter, the nights longer. Pretty soon it will be December 21st and we will be longing for the Spring Equinox. Tonight I am having dinner with Dieter Dopplefield CMC. He is a Master Chef and quite a character. We have made the reservations under the name Dr. Deiter Dopplefield so we hope that holds sway. Over the past two days, I have met with friends, purchased a new MacBook, saw "Into the Wild" and finished some rudimentary domestic chores like laundry. Yes, there is always laundry to do.Zen and the art of doing laundry

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Worlds of Flavor 07

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I am embarrassed by the fact that I did not get any pics or vids from the W.O.F. that were worth a crap. My camera lacks image stabilization and decent video capture capability.Truth be told, I was VERY busy and had to make myself available to the attendees of the conference so I had little or no time to take pictures. We had the top chefs from around Asia, who showcased thier recipes as many vendors provided the exotic and sublime ingredients that were prepared over the past couple of days. Martin Yan of " Yan can Cook" fame was there, as was Iron Chef Masahuru Mosimoto who flew across the country on a whirlwind familiarization/book signing tour. His KORIN knives were misplaced at one point back in BOSTON, but by the time he got to California he was ready to do what he does best. Steve Garfield ( of Stevegarfield.com ) has a superb video of him being interviewed by Nina Simonds ( who is featured on her own podcast, "The Spices of Life" ). I know that ever since the advent of the food network that Culinary Art has entered another dimension. This past weekend was a testimony to that.