iTunes U

I'll admit it.... I'm late to the party when it comes to iTunes U. I've seen it listed in iTunes, but never took the time to check it out. That is, until last night.

What a great service being provided by Apple. There are more than 250,000 offerings in a broad range of topics.


What's even better is that you have access to iTunes U via an iPhone or iPad. So, if you're like me and enjoy history, science, technology, or mathematics, there's plenty here for you.

And the coolest thing of all, it's free.

There are many major universities making their course material and lectures available here.

Apple is facilitating this, which I think is just great. Sure, it helps them sell iPods, iPads, and iPhones, but so what. This is giving back in a way that really can't be measured.

I've never let school interfere with my education - Mark Twain

Street Photographer

With the Independence Day Parade just around the corner, it's time for me to charge my batteries and empty my cards to get ready.

Erectile Tax?

In another indication of just how dire the financial situation is for the State of California, a proposal is being kicked around Sacramento to raise revenue via electronic license plates that display ads when the car isn't moving.

Given the fact that our freeways are nothing more than parking lots, this would mean the ads would be displayed most of the time. There's no indication that this would be a voluntary program.

I'm sure we can all guess what types of ads we're most likely to see.

This gives a whole new meaning to raising taxes, not to mention brings Californians to new depths of shallowness.

Here's a link to the story

A Game of Chicken

Reminds me of the budget process in California.

Facebook

I just don't get the mass appeal of these folks. Sure, it's a great way to keep in touch with family and friends, or just see whats going on. When it comes down to genuine usefulness, these folks are truly lacking.

I find facebook to be a hodgepodge of disjointed and disorganized data and add-on apps that don't work well. What little that is useful is a pain administer. Most of the time things don't work, and if they do it's only on an intermittent basis.

The site administrators are non-responsive to user inquiries, and there's just a general lack of communication. I'm almost to the point of why even bother with these folks.

I see a lot of room for improvement. You can't just cater to people with FarmVille additions.

Parade Shooter

It was nice to get out of the house and put the troubles of the world aside for a few hours.

That Summer Swing

So, I made it to the parade. After going through the routine of trying to find some place to park, and then walking downtown, I was able to find a good spot without obstructions in front of me.

The festivities took longer than usual to proceed. It was about two hours before the action passed my way. The time passed quickly chatting with some people around me.

Before things got started, I'd put my flash on my camera and was determined to shoot outside of my comfort zone.

I know on-camera flash isn't the best route to go, but considering this was a parade with big crowds, it seemed to best way to go at the time. Besides, I was more interested in working with the flash unit and getting used to its controls.

So, how did it go? Much easier than I anticipated. And the results? Much better than working without the flash.

I wasn't interested in overpowering the light from the sun, though that can be done with these units. It was still the middle of the day, with the sun almost directly overhead, so what I was really interested in was lowering the sharp contrast between light and shadow.

This was very easy to accomplish, as was adjusting the output from the flash. I could quickly increase or decease its output and range.

So, now I'm thinking why didn't I go this route sooner... Doesn't matter now.... I'll be using my flash more and more in the future.

There are two more parades this Summer, so I'll get a lot more practice.