re:Mark's

The Note

2011-02-21T02:31:00.000-06:00

While waiting at the dentist, I struck up a conversation about how students today need to be prepared for jobs that don't even exist today. The person I was chatting with was talking about a movie premiere for an animated short from a student at Purdue University. We were discussing how to mesh talent with the job market.

Being interested, I took note on my iPad and finally got around to looking up the video. It is a well done short about a love note being lost and the modelling figure from an art class trying to find it. I especially liked the setting recognizing several scenes from my days at Purdue University. To learn more about The Note, you can read an article about it here.

It is worth the time to watch. This is probably one of the most fun interactions I have had at a dentist office.

Very Punny

2011-01-03T15:30:00.003-06:00

As I head back to work, I might be able to apply some of this technical support if needed for BlackBerry.

If you are reading this on facebook, head over to http://remarks.theheinigs.com to view the video. Orange is a cellular carrier in Europe.

Where to Begin....

2011-01-03T00:06:00.000-06:00

The Christmas tree is on the curb, the decorations back in their boxes, and the calendar creeping ever closer to back to work. Here is a synopsis of the technology upgrades that have been done to make our connected world even tighter.

HD TV.

Hook Me Up

After much research and deliberation, we purchased a Philips 40 inch LED tv. 1080p, 120 Hz, Pixel Perfect, and surround sound make this ultra thin tv and great display. The 4 HDMI inputs will allow equipment to be hooked up like a Blu-Ray player, HD DVR, etc.... The setup was simple enough. I had a slight problem with the existing DVD player. The display was only showing black and white. After a little research, it was discovered that the yellow cable attached to the video out on the old TV would not work on the new Philips. Now that we had component connections on the DVD player and TV, hooking up all three channels allowed the color to play through it. Here is a summary from projectorcentral.com

Why? Because by using the yellow RCA video jacks, you are forcing your DVD player to down-convert all that great component video information on the DVD to lowly composite video in order to transmit it to your television or projector. You lose much of the picture quality that the DVD can deliver by doing this. OK, it looks better than your VCR. But you aren't getting the best picture you can get.

So the alternative, S-video, is a MUCH better solution. An S-video cable actually carries two separate signals, one for luminance (Y) and one for chrominance or color (C). The Y signal is the same as in the native component video format. And the C is simply a combination of the B-Y and R-Y color difference signals. (Sometimes you will see S-video referred to as Y/C.) By keeping luminance and chrominance information separate on two wires it prevents most of the signal degradation that is inherent in the conversion to single-wire composite video.

We have been a hold out for many years because of the lack of HD channels provided by TV Cable. Granted, Now TV Cable provides a few HD channels, but we have neutered them by running our cable directly into our Tivo, then out to the TV. The last straw was the 2nd Generation Apple TV. This product just makes sense.

Apple TV

By connecting the new TV to the Apple TV, we have access to any movie, audio, podcast and picture on our computer. We can play these items effortlessly while controlling the playback from the Remote App on our iPod Touch or iPad. The Apple TV cost 99 bucks- it was a steal. In addtition, we can watch Netflix, YouTube, Flickr pics, and internet radio. Words cannot describe how well this device works. This is the device we have been waiting for since we built our house. When our house was being built, we had it wired with Cat 5 cable. Connecting our Apple TV to the house was easy- plug it in. It has a wireless radio in it, but we took advantage of our networked house. If only it came with a gig link to the Apple TV. Life is good.

Wii Hacked

With a four year old and three other kids loading games in and out of the Wii, the life of the games was in jeopardy. I saw a post on Lifehacker on how to hack the Wii so that the discs could be stored on a hard drive and accessed without loading each disk invidividually. DOING THIS BREAKS THE ABILITY TO DO UPDATES! I have not been able to connect to the internet since completing this as well. Now, we can play any game that we have loaded from the hard drive. The discs are safe and sound from grubby fingers.

I have the Wii 4.2U version. Here is the guide I used. On Step A4, I used IOS250 and it worked perfectly. This took about 30 minutes to get set up. This is definitely something that a middle schooler could do with an SD card- no problem.

The compilation of Apple TV, LED TV, Tivo, Netflix, Wii, Flickr, YouTube, and media server access made for a great day. This was definitely a project that was worth the time investment. I can't do it justice in a post. If you have questions, I will do my best to answer- just pry the remotes out of my hands!

After Christmas Sale at Long's Gifts

2010-12-27T22:07:00.000-06:00

As is tradition, I spent the day at the Long's Gifts after Christmas sale. A true bargain was to be had by all who visited. 50% off all Christmas items. Conversations were still free. Some day I will do an extended post about the history of Long's Gifts. It truly is an interesting place with an even more interesting history. For instance, up above the drop ceiling the engine hoist is still present from when it was a garage from the turn of the century.

Even though I spend a large amount of time behind a computer, I still enjoy working at Long's Gifts. The mix of "seasoned" shoppers and young kids always peaks my interest. Some of the ladies that I visited with today have been shopping there for literally decades.

Long's Gifts is a great specialty gift store with unique items that are definitely a must see. Services such as gift wrap and special order make it a cut above the rest. Their extensive line of Vera Bradley bags brings in many repeat customers. The kitchen area has any utensil you can think of for cooking.

What I enjoy most is visiting with people and helping them find what it is they "need." I enjoy watching the husbands who accompany their wives- the brave venture in while the faint of heart sit in the parking lot. They should ALL come in since the coffee is always on and the coffee tables always have room for one more. I like to watch the kids who try to convince their moms or grandmas to buy them a toy from the toy area. Today a teenage girl was waiting on her family to be finished with their purchases. In her boredom, she took the icicles from the dripping gutters and placed them in the snow excalibur style. She then proceed to take pictures with her SLR, and I thought it was a great idea.

Today was the monthly meeting of what was originally three ladies who meet at Long's once a month. With husbands who are now retired, they accompany their wives and have a grand old time. They used to be neighbors, but have moved- some to Indianapolis, some stayed near Chicago. They truly embody the slogan of the store.

Long's Gifts- Where Friends Meet.

Serenity Found

2010-12-26T11:22:00.000-06:00

I hope that over the holidays, you have found your own piece of Serenity.

This one is made out of gingerbread.

To quote Mal, "We've done the impossible, and that makes us mighty."

I think our family is going to make it through the hustle and bustle of the holidays just fine.

Here are some Facebook pics of the building of Serenity out of gingerbread for the true Browncoats.

Here is a great post on a Firefly Christmas.

Merry Christmas from re:Mark's

2010-12-25T00:01:00.001-06:00

You may have already seen this, but I couldn't pass it up. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Best of Luck on the Holidays

2010-12-24T07:19:00.002-06:00

This morning I sit here distracted by the bustle of the season and wondering how all will get done that needs completed. I am not looking forward to the three trips I KNOW I have to make to Wal-Mart, grocery, and drug store. I started on Facebook this morning watching a video posted by one of childhood friends about luck to postpone the chaos.

I was reminded of how lucky I am. Merry Christmas to each of you. May God Bless you with the luck that has been bestowed on my family. If not the luck of my family, at least the luck of these people in this video.

Snowman Flash Mob!

2010-12-23T05:26:00.001-06:00

Were on a Mission from Frosty....

It was a not-so secret mission..... Flash Mob at Milroy Park! The idea behind a flash mob is that people sudenly show up at a place, do something, then leave. Ours- Build as many snowmen as possible in one evening at Milroy Park.

Pre-Flash Mob Photo

The idea was hatched late in the afternoon when the temp was hovering just above freezing. My partners in crime/work thought it would be fun to see how many snowmen could be made for the people of Rensselaer as they drive through town for the Christmas holidays.

After calling the City of Rensselaer Parks Department and asking permission to build snowmen in the park (an odd request, I am sure), we needed to get the word out. Through the powers of Facebook, Twitter, and mass texts, the word was out to literally hundreds of people in under five minutes. A calendar event was created, the idea was posted to people's status updates, and tweeted literally across the country.

Visitors from as far away as Utah and Texas took part in the first annual Snowman Flash Mob. My extended family who are visiting for the week got in on the action. Over the course of two hours, just under 100 people came to Milroy Park in Rensselaer to build snowmen. If only the temperature had not plummeted to 21 degrees, there would have been many more snowmen. Today, go by the park, and take a look for youself at the different attempts at snowmen. Some large, foot-stomped patterns, but most of them are reclining snowmen like they are tanning on the beach.

If you came out for the fun, thanks! If you honked as you drove by at the people throwing snow in the park and got a chuckle- it was a success.

I guess you were in on the fun too- even if you didn't build a snowman.

If you have images, you can post the to the Flickr group called Rensselaer Flash Mob for others to see.
More pictures of the fun

After the fact edit-
little INDIANA blog posted this youtube video that I thought needed included as well.

iThought about the iPad Yesterday, Oh Boy....

2010-12-21T23:08:00.001-06:00

Today was consumed by some serious thinking about the future and where Education is headed and how students learn. What is the perfect device for students? Isn't providing an education about more than providing a textbook? How do you manage a huge number of devices with few people to support the users?

I have been to HECC and learned about mobile learning devices from Dr. Elliott Soloway. His point is that students are already using cell phones. Why not provide a mobile learning device, a phone with no phone service (except 911), and no texting to students to use to access the internet? It fits in a pocket, can connect virtually anywhere, and is inexpensive. Agreed. HECC even went as far as to provide each user with an HTC Incredible with 6 months data to experiment the rest of this school year.

After some beta testing, the consensus is that the screen size is too small for reading extended texts. It can be done, but does not provide enough text at a time for continuity. Alway flipping the screen to the next block of text is distracting.

iPads? Expensive, but a seemingly good solution. Versatile, inexpensive apps that provide for a variety of learning styles and different tools that students do not have access to in a print only world.

My complaint about the iPad, besides the lack of Adobe Flash compatibility, is the lack of being able to close a program due to "multitasking." Once I leave a program, it really does not close it. It sits in the taskbar waiting for me to long click on the home button, THEN touch the red line to close the program. Why can't the apps have a quit feature in it? It seems simple enough to me....

Netbooks? I am not sure these are the best way for students. Each solution has its place. The trick is figuring out which way Education is going to head and provide the best end user experience possible.

Where did I park the DeLorean? I may need to go Back to the Future to solve this one.

It's A Wonderful Life!

2010-12-20T21:20:00.001-06:00

Tonight was the Cheyenne Running Club annual Christmas Lights run. On cue, the snow started falling as we took off on our run. We had some details to take care of first- Yak Traks, on. Reindeer Antlers, on. Santa hat, on. Creme Brule caramelized with propane torch, on.

We headed out looking for lights to check out around Rensselaer. In the softly falling snow, we were not disappointed. Usually our runs occur at 5 in the morning. This time is was at 5:30 in the evening. We heard many more dogs barking, and unfamiliar vehicles passing us by. No paper delivery guy this evening.... We will see HIM in the morning.

After viewing a few lights at different stops, we decided to pay homage to various houses with Christmas Carols. If we stopped at your place, it was because we liked your Christmas displays. The pictures cannot do it justice, but it was beautiful. Snow falling, lights shining. Only one lady did not answer the door as we rang the door bell. We sang anyway... Not well, but we sang anyway...

After making one last stop at the Santa house in Milroy Park for a photo op, we headed back to Ground Zero for the CRC for pizza from Slice of Pie and sweets by Sheila. For four years, we have ran the MC200. A relay event from Madison, Wisconsin to Chicago, Illinois. Jeff made a video of last year's trip. It was premiered at the party and enjoyed by all.

The evening was a huge success only dwarfed by the warm feelings of friends, miles, and memories. It truly is a Wonderful Life.

Sit back, grab a hot chocolate, eat a black and white cookie and watch the ending of possible the best movie ever.

More pics are here if you are interested.

Making a List...

2010-12-18T19:36:00.000-06:00

Today was a busy day hopefully with a promising start and a fun end to the day. We began the morning meeting some new people that I hope to see again and ended with the first crew arriving from Texas for Christmas.

Tomorrow we celebrate the first Christmas of the year. We are excited to visit once again with family.

Christmas cards are mailed, chili is made, cookies have been eaten.

Enjoy your time with friends and family. We hope to visit over break before school returns us to reality. The posts are growing shorter as more and more infringements of time occur. It is all for the greater good.

Big Traffic, Little City

2010-12-17T08:53:00.000-06:00

As I made my way from stop to stop hauling the kids where they need to be, I noticed a huge amount of traffic in downtown. Pulling up to the corner by CVS, at the intersection where Tonner's law office used to be located, there was an accident. A car had been hit in the front quarter panel causing traffic to be blocked going north. What originally caught my eye from a distance was the school bus and the City of Rensselaer Police Cruiser flashing its lights. It appeared that the people involved were not injured. The bus was just waiting to get through.

Trucks were making the turn to go south through the downtown causing traffic to be backed up a the stop sign 4 blocks away. It was a mess. I guess there was an accident on the interstate closing the south bound lanes of I-65.

After dropping off my daughter at ballet, I had to sit quite a while before I could pull back out into traffic. Sitting in front of the Clauss Bakery, I had time to ponder how lucky we are that we live in Rensselaer. Specifically for the proximity to resources. On a normal day, a trip to Wal-Mart, the Post Office, and swinging by to check what movie is playing at the Ritz can be done in a matter of minutes. In Indianapolis, sure there are more options- and more traffic similar to today's gridlock.

So as the times grow more hectic, remember to count the blessings in your life. Thank you to unknown driver of the black pickup who let me out yesterday back in the traffic by the courthouse. I appreciate it.

Happy Birthday

2010-12-16T03:43:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we celebrated my youngest daughter's 9th birthday. She had a great day with balloons delivered to school, which is a no-no for the bus ride, but lots of fun in the classroom, and gifts from friends, and snacks for her class. Life is full of simple pleasures.

She requested lasagna for dinner. I don't understand how we have so much left over, but will not worry about if it will be eaten. If was very tasty and will make for some good lunches and dinners for the rest of the week. The crazy thing about lasagna is making two and freezing one is easier than just making a single lasagna. So, we have one in the freezer for later.

Lasagna Recipe? Its nothing special, but tasty. We like it cheesy, just like my jokes. Here is the basic recipe. Cook the noodles for ten minutes. Burn your hands getting the noodles out the pot on the boiling hot water. Rip the noodles because it make layering the lasagna more challenging. Use a mixture of ricotta, cottage, and mozzarella cheese spread on top of the noodles covered with sauce, then covered with parmesan. Repeat with burning of the hands and dropping of the spoon on the ground splattering sauce on the cabinet. Then add the top layer of noodles and cover with sauce and mozarella and parmesan. Cook at 350 for 50 minutes. Leave the dishes in the sink. They will clean themselves! Remember to take the lasagna out of the oven BEFORE smoke detector goes off from boiled over sauce, cheese gooey-ness in the oven.

We had a party in the evening with her family who live in town and enjoyed the time with the cousins. This week is flying by and it seems that for every item checked off the list, there are two more added. Celebrating birthdays definitely puts things in perspective...

The End of a Beginning

2010-12-15T05:27:00.000-06:00

I have had the honor to teach a course at Saint Joseph's College this past semester. Being a Puma Alum, I have found it a rewarding way to give back to the SJC family. When I graduated in 1992, I was awarded the Creative Educator Award. Now, I have been able to return some of what Saint Joe has done for me by teaching a class to Juniors on Technology Integration in the Elementary Classroom.

I started the class by getting students to think about their own education and how relevant it is to them personally. This is the video that we watched at the start of the first class.

Over the past semester we explored Google Docs, online collaboration, creating a website, digital photography, film production, mobile learning devices, and other topics relevant in education today. I really enjoy teaching others and even more so when it is about technology. Contrary to popular belief, all students in college are not adept at using technology. Yes, they text, facebook, and are distracted by it, but they need some guidance on how to leverage its power for when they are in the classroom.

Hopefully this semester, they were given enough information to keep them ahead of the learning curve for the good of their future students. If you are interested in their final projects, you can find them here.

Easy Pretzel Treats

2010-12-14T08:18:00.000-06:00

Yesterday on the snow day from school, Helen and Mary Grace made some treats for their friends at school and the various functions that we need to take treats over the next two weeks. Here is the basic rundown on how to make these easy pretzel treats.

Ingredients are simple enough- Snyders Pretzel Squares, M&M's, and Hershey Kisses. Line a pan with foil before laying out the pretzels. On top of each pretzel, put a Hershey Kiss and put it in the oven for 175 degrees for 7 minutes. Once they come out of the oven, put an M&M on top of each one flattening the Hershey Kiss. Place the pan in the freezer or refrigerator until the chocolate hardens again.

Helen and Mary Grace had a great time doing this project. They prefer the candy cane kisses that have peppermint mixed with the chocolate. I am not picky....

Blustery High Tech Day

2010-12-13T04:50:00.000-06:00

Sunday was a great day to stay at home and be warmed by the glow of the fire, or the warmth of a laptop battery.

Here is an inside glimpse at how the digital natives spent the day at the Re:Mark techno cave.

After checking the finances, I jumped on Flickr and saw the picture that Kooop had posted of a day at the beach. I was reminded of how different today's world is that we live in- I can see flakes out my window, but see a picture of Cali and the ocean shot within the same hour and compare how different the environment is in our great country.

The view out my back window was a different view. Equally striking, but somewhat depressing at the same time.

Normally we spend Sunday on the road travelling to Blue Chip Basketball games in Lafayette. The weather being the hot topic of the day has kept us home. Good news since the team we were to play just slaughters our team every time they play us. Learning to play against high levels of competition is very good for our team however.

So now that we were going to be home, we would have time to make a dinner we would not normally have time to prepare. I fixed the turkey we mysteriously brought home from Market Day. We don't remember ordering it, but it was VERY good. 4 hours at 350. Hmmmm. This may be the ONLY day that we have to cook it. For those of you who participate in Market Day, I highly recommend the uncooked turkey breast. It was easy to cook, and very very tasty.

My oldest daughter and I ventured out to the grocery store, not because of the weather, but the lack of food in the house. We have an extremely busy week and lots of running to do from place to place. I am thankful for kids who are active and involved. This week we may pay for it though.

At the grocery store, I received the phone call that school was cancelled for Monday. I turned over the list to my daughter and I went about my business of sending out a tweet from Twitter, and posting on Facebook that school was cancelled. I could not access the school's web site easily with my smart phone to post that school was closed. The screen is just too small and the phone is just too slow to edit the website in a hurry from the frozen food aisle at Strack and Van Til. It had to wait until I returned back home to the comfy surroundings of the Mac Pro.

After dropping off the Netflix return in the mailbox, I shot this photo of the Jasper County Courthouse. I am drawn to shoot a picture any chance I get of this magnificent building. We trudged through the snow back home and were amazed at how much worse the roads were from just a few hours earlier.

After dinner we had a virtual guest via Skype. Skype is a teleconferencing tool that lets people with a webcam video chat for free. My nephews from Texas and my kids visited. In Texas, they had celebrated their family Christmas and can't wait to come to Indiana. We can't wait to see everyone this year. Almost ALL will be here this year. What a great blessing. In this picture you can see varying levels of engagement. Skype, iPod Touch, Book.

We ended the night with Angry Birds Seasons and White Christmas on AMC.

Why is this seemingly un-noteworthy day blog worthy? Because this level of decompression almost NEVER happens around here!

Thank you Jack Frost........

Band Boosters Breakfast with Santa

2010-12-12T03:17:00.001-06:00

Last weekend when we had much more pleasant precipitation than we did yesterday, the Rensselaer Band Boosters had their annual Breakfast with Santa at the Masons building.

The food was served by band students and was all you could eat. They served eggs, sausage and pancakes. The sausage was donated by a local hog farm, but the name is escaping me.

Santa was visiting with kids trying to make sure he knew what they wanted for Christmas. He and Mrs. Claus we busy handing out candy canes, coloring books and crayons. My youngest two had very differing experiences as can be seen in this picture.

As for the answer to the trivia from yesterday, Helen is the longest reigning Little Cousin Jasper Queen. She was the queen the year before there was a short break making her the queen who reigned for two years.

I am trying to keep warm thoughts in my head but the weather reports are making it tough today. Be safe today.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Little Cousin Jasper Trivia

2010-12-11T01:00:00.002-06:00

Thursday evening, my girls and I made a trip to the Jasper County Public Library in Rensselaer. We had a great time looking for books. My third grader has been studying Helen Keller and wanted to take a look at some books with Braille. We had a good time and left with a book showing Braille called The Black Book of Colors. It has pictures in Braille too. It was a great time.

In addition to the Braille, we came home with some Dan Gutman Weird School books. The library in my mind is a place where creativity should be able to run free. Here is a picture of what she created tonight with the items in our recycling container.

As we were leaving the library, they had a nice display of the history of the Little Cousin Jasper Festival. There are several articles from years past showing the kids and pictures of events from the festival from years past. It was an interesting display that we took a picture to complete their trivia.

Why is Helen a forever part of Little Cousin Jasper history? We shall see who knows their history.

The Courthouse Lights?

2010-12-10T01:00:00.007-06:00

A few posts ago I mentioned the Cheyenne Running Club and their early morning adventures. We are planning a holiday lights run in the very near future. If you have any suggestions of locations we should run by, please post them in the comments.

The Courthouse?
Does anyone know why the Jasper County Courthouse is not lit up this year? It has always been a beacon in the holiday season in years past. I am sure there is a good reason, but I have not heard.

The courthouse is one of my top ten buildings of all time. I was hoping it would be on our Christmas lights run. If good suggestions are passed on, I will see to it that some highlights are posted since Dessert Survivor is taking a hiatus from Christmas light postings this year.

On another note, the RCHS Santa Shuffle is this Saturday starting at Brookside Park. If you need details, stop by RCHS or Steffen's Jewelry uptown.

Tire-d reMarks

2010-12-09T02:05:00.003-06:00

This week I was concerned about the condition of the tires on my truck. The people at my service station, Rensselaer Tire, informed me that my tires were still in good shape. Yes, they would like the business, but I didn't need to fork out the cash yet.

So just an oil change for me this week. I try to support as many local businesses as I can. I certainly hope you will as well.
There are many places in Rensselaer to shop for tires. Uncertain whether you need new tires , check out what I learned this week.

Tire re:Marks
I have 8/32 of tread left on my tires. How much is that? According to TireRack normal tread depth on a tire is 10/32. Randy checked the depth with a little card that had the depths on it. Basically, I am good until 4/32 for my own sanity.

At work, the discussion around tires revolved back to how do you know when you need new tires? Look closely at your tires and you will see a tread bar between the treads of your tires. When the tread and the tread bar are even, it is time to replace the tires.

Another test? Maybe you know the penny test. It has been proven by Consumer Reports to be unsafe to measure the wear of your tires. They recommend using a quarter.

Quarter Test
Stick a quarter head first in the tread groove of your tires. If you can see Washington's head on the quarter, its time to start shopping for tires. The distance between Washington's head and the edge of a quarter is exactly 4/32.

Hopefully your vehicles will keep you safe this winter. Go check your tires and report back to me your results in the comments.

Here is a 5 minute video that explains it better than I can.

A Brisk Run, But Lots of Fun

2010-12-08T21:13:00.001-06:00

Yesterday the Cheyenne Running Club had a total of 10 runners hit the streets at 5 AM. That is our usual running time. We had a runner for every degree of temperature, meaning it was 10 degrees with a 0 degree wind chill. The zero represents the one runner who should have been there, but wasn't- you know who you are.

It may seem crazy, but there is something thrilling about living life unconventionally. It is a shame that exercise is unconventional for the majority of the United States.

Running outside when it is cold is definitely a thrill.

The crisp air that fills your lungs
The warmth of being dressed JUST enough to not freeze or roast
Christmas lights draped against the black of night
Conversation with good friends that are rarely are seen in the light of day
Meeting the guy who delivers papers early in the morning, even though he may run us down some day....
Seeing the sweat turn to steam off the top of your head and shoulders
GPS Stats- they are addicting for some reason
Making the last turn of the route to realize that you are ahead of pace and feel like you could run all day

Not everyone understands these simple pleasures, but I hope you will experience them. If you are interested in running with us, drop me a line. We are always looking for new conversations.

In addition, my oldest daughter made her running debut with us. She was able to put up 5 miles and had a great time. I think you could say we all did.

iPad unresponsive? Answers stat.....

2010-12-06T22:46:00.001-06:00

photo © 2010 Henri Bergius | more info (via: Wylio)

Ok so many of you commented to me about the last post about the power of back up. Here is another tale of woe with an "angry" ending.

On the same day that my iPad was remotely wiped, my wife mysteriously had weirdness overtake her iPad as well. When I arrived on the scene I was looking for similarities between my iPad debacle and hers.

What I discovered was that her iPad was responsive, but every action button on the iPad had a 1 pixel line surrounding it. Once the slide to unlock button was pressed, it would respond after 3 seconds or so. Then the next screen would appear displaying all the apps. None of them would respond.

Here is what I tried to resolve the issue in case you are experiencing the same problem.
1. Turned off the iPad by holding the power button on the the top of the iPad. On restart, the iPad responded in the same manner.

2. Held down the Home button and the Power button at the same time. On restart the iPad responded in the same manner.

3. Getting desperate at this point, i tried connecting the iPad to the computer. It did a backup and I attempted to perform a restore from a previously saved backup. Although the process looked promising, on restart the iPad responded in the same manner.

4. Wasted an hour on the Apple site trying to research the problem.

5. Eventually a link was uncovered that told me how to boot the device into recovery mode. In short, turn off the device, connect the USB transfer cable to the iPad with the other end attached to the computer. Press and hold the home button on the iPad until it boots up into iTunes. This basically brings up the screen that you first see when doing the initial sync and setup for the ipad after it is purchased.

You should see the following text

Go ahead and do the restore which wipes the firmware and starts from scratch. THIS fixed the problem. I was able to bring back in the apps that were on her iPad but I could not use the back up. I had to treat her ipad as a brand new device. When I tried to bring in her backup it replicated the problem that started this post.

In retrospect, I wish I had booted directly into recovery mode to see if the backup file would have restored it. I suspect that I overwrote a good backup that could have recovered most of her data.

Live and learn. Hopefully this post will keep you from the same hassles we have had.

So what did she lose?
Notes from several meetings that were not backed up to the cloud anywhere within Notability. I use Evernote, so when my iPad was wiped, I did not lose my notes because they are stored at Evernote and I don't need to backup at the computer level to backup. It does it when I save it if I have a wifi connection. A very nice feature indeed.

All her Angry Birds three star levels.....gone.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

iPad Follies and the Power of the Back up

2010-12-04T18:56:00.001-06:00

photo © 2009 Karola Riegler | more info (via: Wylio)

I had not been a good backer upper until this week. There was a weird trifecta of events that make me back up the iPad every day.

One....
There was a terrible fire in Rensselaer where a home was destroyed and they lost everything except a laptop. I started to panic a little thinking about all the personal mementos that we have on our Mac. Family photos, video projects, financials, etc.... So, I decided to finally start an online backup at Carbonite. I have been amazed how easy it is to have an off site backup. The funny thing is that it only can upload about 4 gig per day. At this rate, we will be backed up in around two months- there is a two week trial. It costs 65 bucks a year for unlimited data storage. Give yourself this safety net this holiday. I am resting a little easier each day knowing my data is being backed up off-site.

Two...photo © 2010 Emily Walker | more info (via: Wylio)
I had been listening to my friends at TWITand Leo was talking about some guy that had lost everything that was on his iPhone. The poor guy had his dog die and he had pictures on his iPhone of his favorite pooch. Then, his phone died losing all the pictures. Leo told him to just install the backup from his computer on the new phone. The guy had not done a back up since the pictures of the dog had been taken, so the pictures were gone.

Three...
My iPad had been working just fine. With the advent of iOS 4 on it, I was enjoying multiple Exchange accounts allowing my work email and my gmail to be pushed to my mobile device automatically. For some reason the work email could not connect back to the server.

In the process of trying to correct this problem, our Data Synchronizer server at work has an icon called "restore factory settings.". It does exactly what it says. My iPad was remotely wiped leaving me with an iPad that I had to go home and resume with my computer. All....was.....gone....

Thankfully, I had backed up my iPad about 3 days prior. All that was required was to resync and restore the back up. I lost a few apps that I had downloaded over the air. No biggy, they were apps that I had found on the great siteFree app alert. The site searches the app store for apps thatwere paid yesterday that are now free today.

Hopefully, you will heed my advice and not have to be visited by the ghosts of not backing up your devices.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

This is a test....

2010-12-01T23:24:00.000-06:00

photo © 2006 Sarah Riddiough | more info (via: Wylio)
Just hoping to see if I can get these reMarks rolling from the iPad. I sure would like the ability to run free from the desktop and write. We shall see.

The Speak Up survey is important to our schools if you have school age kids. Check out the link from the RCSC Homepage?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

HECC Yeah!

2010-11-20T17:54:00.001-06:00

This is a quick post to see if I can post from the Incredible using Blogaway. Blogaway is a free mobile posting app that just might do the trick.

I spent two days at HECC this week and received an Android based phone- Incredible from HTC. It has no voice or text capability but does everything else.

The theme of the conference was mobile learning. I was impressed to hear David Thornburg speak. He is a revolutionary ed tech advocate. Wow the things I learned. More to come if this device proves to be ... incredible. HECC

IPad and Educational Computing

2010-04-06T10:58:00.000-05:00

My wife and I both purchased iPads on pre order and waited like kids at Christmas for Santa Steve to come down the chimney in his brown UPS truck. Now that we have played with the iPads for a day or two, here are my thoughts, and yes, I am trying to compose this on the IPad.

The specs
16 gig wifi. Since we don't have great AT&T service nor want to pay for another plan wifi is the smart buy. Why 16? We can manage content with our home Mac.

Well?
That is the most common question I have Got this week. At first glance, it is a giant ipod touch. To the point that we call are touch the iPad nano like the joke i saw at Mahalo. We loaded it up with the apps we already owned from the touch. Yes it is cool, but i am trying to think differently about how to use it.

I removed all apps except Dropbox, Speedtest, FAcebook' and a few others. I purchased the iWorks programs, a reader for PDFs and downloaded a Bunch of free iPad apps. IBooks, freebooks pandora, etc. Noteworthy apps include Weatherbug, The weather Channel, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal.

The best app i have downloaded is the abc tv app. I get it now. The iPad is a media consumption device. It was this one app that shaped my use of the iPad. I reorganized my app screens into a all purpose, a video, an audio, and a work related sections. Now it works for me.

How is the interface?
Intuitive. It just works. The iWorks apps are very good but clunky to transfer. I was surprised that I could export an iPage document to word, PDF, or pages format then email it to whomever..... File transfer stinks since I can't throw it in Dropbox as of yet.

I refuse to get an external keyboard. I mightaswell use a laptop at that point. Typing this post is more than I want to do. Definitely not using the iPad to type a lesson plan or complicated document that would not have a template. I would like some arrow keys on the screen

Sunlight is a problem for me that i can deal with. No different than any other laptop.

Is it awesome?
Yes! I am using it to read newspapers. The WSJ is awesome. It is like reading Harry Potter with moving pictures. I love it. The WSJ does load slowly.

USA Today does not integrated video but is an excellent source for general news. When want my new, I use my RSS feeds. I subscribe to sites that interest me. The iPad will work for these.

Video works very well. Animoto, Youtube, videos purchased from iTunes, and even ones I ripped myself. I will be interested in how Handbrake will change with the new size of the iPad. Handbrake is how I rip my DVDs to mobile platforms.

Educationally?
It will be great for collecting info. Wikipedia, Internet and search all are very intuitive. Yes it has its place but I don't see it as a tool where studentsncan create easily on it. I have begun to explore pages and keynote on the iPad. The price is right for these programs and they provide functionality but file transfer is a problem.

As an eTextbook it will work. My concerns are on creating product to assess student learning. I don't think it brats a net book. I reserve the right to change my opinion!

Why did Apple create it?
It Is a great device for people don't have a lot of experience with computers. Here is the way I see it. Incan create video that I can view on my tv. 99 percent of the time I do nothing on my tv except watch it. I view the iPad the same way. Will spend most of my time consuming media not creating it on the iPad. I could create with it but this post is about my limit for now. Imhabe purposely left some formatting errors in here as examples of imperfection as a creation tool.

Now back to its original intent, consuming the Internet.

I hate mornings that are nice and I miss my run. But I found this...

2010-03-11T05:44:00.002-06:00

Indiana- Jon McLaughlin

2010-02-24T22:21:00.000-06:00

Jon McLaughlin- Indiana
I stumbled upon a video by Jon from his song, Indiana. Being a Hoosier, I thought I would give it a listen. If you have ever travelled I-65 by yourself, you can just about feel the music video forming in your head. Download the song here from iTunes.

Please listen to the song. I have copied the lyrics from Jon so you can get the essence of his message. I am no master songwriter, but I love the imagery in this. Well crafted. I hope my music friends give this a go. Check it out:

I'm glad I never lived next to the water
So I could never get used to the beach,
And I'm glad I never grew up on a mountain
To figure out how high the world could reach.

I love the miles between me and the city,
Where I quietly imagine every street.
And I'm glad I'm only picturing the moment.
I'm glad she never fell in love with me.

For some the world's a treasure to discover.
And your scenery should never stay the same.
And they're trading in their dreams for explanations.
All in an attempt to entertain.

I love the miles between me and the city,
Where I quietly imagine ever street.
And I'm glad I'm only picturing the moment.
I'm glad she never fell in love with me

The trick of love is to never let it find you.
It's easy to get over missing out.
I know the how's and whens, but now and then,
She's all I think about.

I wonder how it feels to be famous,
but wonder is as far as I will go.
Because I'd probably lose myself in all the pictures,
And end up being someone I don't know.

So it's probably best I stay in Indiana,
Just dreaming of the world as it should be.
Where every day is a battle to convince myself
I'm glad she never fell in love with me.

Pigeon Goes To Work

2010-02-21T05:10:00.000-06:00

Saw this video this morning. I wonder where he was going? Off to the park bench? Maybe to poop on the cars in the driveway? The set of Mary Poppins?

Just like, the pigeon, I'm on my way out.

Teachers Need to Learn

2010-02-09T19:50:00.002-06:00

To teach students you need to reach out to them. Listen to this.

Thanks

Warning- Rant Ahead. Marina Cartage

2010-02-01T21:58:00.000-06:00

Marina Cartage is a trucking company based out of the Chicagoland area. They are a solid waste hauler to four states. The one I care about is Indiana. Daily, I see between 4 and 8 tractor trailers full of trash going to the Liberty Landfill full of trash. Occasionally, I have had the displeasure of waiting on their trucks to pass as I finish my morning run. It is advised to hold your breath when they pass. Marina's web site states they can haul solid waste (trash), special waste (construction, drums, biosolitds) and hazardous materials. While the majority of the trucks appear to be hauling solid waste, I wouldn't be surprised to see hazmat materials coming through town. About a year ago, there was an accident by Countryside Subdivision where a truck that was hauling soil from the Chicago area that was contaminated with HazMat materia overturned and dumped the entire trailer of soil within 10 yards of the pond. Talk about close calls. Who knows how that would have turned out if the HazMat contents had made it to the pond.
The Liberty Landfill disposes of the following items of waste:

Asbestos-Friable
Asbestos-Non-Friable
Auto Shredder Fluff
Biosolids
Construction & Demolition Debris
Drum Management-Solids
Industrial & Special Waste
Municipal Solid Waste
Tires

I hate the fact that they are a staple in the town of Rensselaer's traffic. Their trucks are dirty and unkempt occasionally letting stray trash fly out of their trailers. Usually they travel in pairs and are degrade the downtown of Rensselaer when they get stuck at a stoplight by Charlie Roberts on the town square.

I am in favor of a bypass around the City of Rensselaer for Marina and the like. Oscar the Grouch just might build a condo to get away from Sesame Street to enjoy the view. I sure don't.

Coffee in a Comic

2010-01-26T06:00:00.000-06:00

I like theoatmeal.com. You should check it out as well! Now its time for some coffee.....

Blogging as Therapy

2010-01-21T05:56:00.006-06:00

Writing is therapy. I read this post from Change Your Life and thought it was so good that you all needed to read it too. Writing can be very cathartic and provides insite into you that is often lost in the rat race of today. Here is the post from Steven.

I love to encourage others to start blogging, even if it is just as a means of self-discovery and free therapy. It’s true… blogging is incredibly effective as a method for handling our daily sources of stress and suffering.

Here’s why:

1. You find yourself constantly emptying your brain.

There is nothing worse than getting stuck inside your own head, in endless loops of self-defeating thoughts. When you are blogging, you get in the habit of writing things down in journals, notebooks, in the margins of your books, anywhere really. You observe something that happens in your life (or in your thoughts), you react on an personal level, and you write it down for a release. This is infinitely healthier than holding it all in.

2. It changes the way you view the world.

Once you start blogging, you begin to pay closer attention to the world around you. You notice the details, live in the present moment, and relish the life lessons, because these become the themes you will write about. You stop going through the motions, living your life on auto-pilot, and instead fully engage in everything that happens. This simple shift in your approach improves the quality of your life in unimaginable ways.

3. Blogging reminds you that you are not alone.

If you isolate yourself when you’re feeling down, you might find yourself thinking no one else out there could be as unfortunate as you are. By comparing yourself to all sorts of unrealistic standards and fantasies, you could easily become convinced that your life is hardly worth living.

But once you start writing about your issues, values, and concerns, and sharing them with the world, you’ll soon meet all sorts of people who “get” who you are, and where you’ve been. Communities form, friendships blossom, and as you start to feel understood, you cannot help but feel better about yourself.

4. Readers hold you accountable.

If you announce to your readers that you are going to lose 50 pounds, or quit smoking, or give up drinking, or donate $100 per day for the next 30 days, you are far more likely to do it than if you just think about these goals. You don’t want to have to report back to your readers that you failed, or gave up, or just got lazy.

Your readers become your cheerleaders and primary supporters, so you find yourself following through on your promises, dreams and goals (for a change). You stop feeling like a quitter, or a failure, and start enjoying your small victories. This gets you well on your way to greater victories down the road.

5. Helping others distracts you from your own issues.

Soon enough you will find yourself in the position of being a role model, friend, or therapist. The bonds you form through blogging run deep, and you end up helping your readers as much as they help you. As you become involved in their issues and challenges, you think less and less of your own. Once again, getting out of your own head minimizes the power of self-defeating thoughts. By helping others you allow new thoughts, positive thoughts, to take the place of the old, unhelpful ones. Optimism becomes your new, every day way of thinking.

So, even if you aren’t looking to become a career blogger, if you are struggling through personal challenges, or stressful situations, consider starting a free hobby blog as one of many possible techniques to help you get back on track.

Sheep Sculpture

2010-01-20T00:40:00.004-06:00

Recycling makes for creative people. Here is the work of an artist who used rotary phones to make sheep. What will they think of next? These are from the Telecommunications museum in Frankfurt.

Uke Maka Me Crazy

2010-01-19T04:20:00.005-06:00

Ukelele's are an interesting instrument that is not terribly difficult to play but has an interesting sound. If you can play guitar, you can play the uke. Here is some of its history as stated at ukes.com

In 1879, the Portuguese master craftsman and instrument maker Manuel Nunes arrived in the Hawaiian Islands with Joao Fernandes and Augustine Dias. They were immigrants who came to work in the sugar cane fields. Together they invented and developed the ukulele taking basic designs of instruments from their native home.

Hawaiians were not only impressed with the beautiful sounds these instruments could make, but also with the speed these musicians' fingers flew on the fingerboard. It is said, they in turn began calling this instrument the Ukulele, which roughly translates as "Jumping Fleas".

As always, here is a great video that I watched yesterday demonstrating the amazing range of the instrument in the hands of a master.

There is even a Great Britain Ukelele Orchestra. Here is a post from them as well.

Lego my ego

2010-01-17T05:07:00.007-06:00

Lots of you are reading this through my Facebook notes. I encourage you to visit the full posting at my website because the video links do not come through on Facebook.

Yesterday's Lego post must have made me more aware of the Lego infiltration into today's culture. Here are some various pics showing Legos in some more interesting varieties.

If you click on one link, it should be this one from WebUrbanist. Its a story of a German artist who patches damage done to buildings during World War 2 with Lego blocks. His thoughts on patching the damage done in troubled times with colorful bricks to reminding us to play is very intriguing.

At Make Magazine, here was a cool snowLego

The Burn by Cole Blaq.

And then the how-to on making your own Lego wireless router.

Ok. Go build something!

Saturday Creative Blast

2010-01-16T08:05:00.007-06:00

Lots of you are reading this through my Facebook notes. I encourage you to visit the full posting at my website because the video links do not come through on Facebook.

Hopefully you will find some time this weekend to do something you call creative. It seems odd to ask people to do creative things, because who is to really say what is creative?

Legos used to be a source of real creativity. I don't like the fact that it is very difficult to buy a kit of legos that does not tell you step by step how to build something. Let me imagine. But this video from Lego Click promotes creativity.

Another creative endeavor takes place in Minnesota. The third annual Art Sled Rally will take place on January 30. It is definitely a creative event. Teams of people build a sled of any design to travel down a hill at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the video there is a giant cobra snake, a bed, a landspeeder, and an icosohedron. Here is a video from last year's event.

They have a workshop to help with design and construction or you can do it all on your own.

Project 365

2010-01-15T03:37:00.012-06:00

The streak has been broken. Sorry I missed yesterday's post. Lots of you are reading this through my Facebook notes. I encourage you to visit the full posting at my website because the video links do not come through on Facebook.

Over a year ago, I was reconnected with one of my former students through Facebook, Kelly Lane. When she was a sixth grader, she helped set up what was probably my best teaching unit of all time- the Crime Scene. She actually was the outline of Felix Navidad on the full size crime scene map and provided the original handwriting sample for the secret note on the notebook impression. Ironically, I had to quit using her handwriting sample because it was too unique and easy to identify.

Kelly is an aspiring photographer in California that takes awesome pictures. I have enjoyed viewing her work and seeing her style develop as she has now finished art school. You can visit her links here and and here.

One of her sets of pictures is called Project 365. I inquired about what it was and she explained that you take a picture every day and post it somewhere that people can view it. Over the course of the year it helps catalog and encapsulate the events of the past. I read up on the idea at photojojo and thought, "Why Not?"

During the first year I shot pictures from very different places and have catalogued events that I

would have no record of for the future. I have been able to watch my kids grow, post pictures from events that are mundane to once in a lifetime and view my life in a different way. It was not alway easy to keep up with the posts, but it was definitely worth the time.

I have used Flickr and linked the Project 365 set with iPhoto to speed up the process. By using iPhoto, the process was simple. Import the pictures, do minimal editing. Change the title of the picture and write a short description. Then drag the photo to the folder and it automatically uploads to Flickr. The photo titles are simple- 1/365, 2/365, etc.. . .

Video How-To Share Photos on Flickr using iPhoto

Use the cameras that you have. Most of my pictures were taken with a small point and shoot or my cell phone camera. Since the focus of 365 is documenting life, carrying around a big DSLR is not always practical. Plus, that would require an investment not in the cards at the current time.

So now I am on year two and looking forward to documenting yet another year. I am always looking for interesting photos. If you see me shooting a random, odd picture, now you know.

Improv Everywhere- They Cause Scenes

2010-01-12T20:20:00.012-06:00

A couple of months ago, a friend of mine introduced me to Improv Everywhere. If you are unaware, Improv Everywhere is a group from New York that has agents interact with groups of people and perform improv scenes where the general public has no clue what is going on. Examples include a surprise wedding reception for a couple at random who were married at a New York City courthouse, Guerilla Handbell Choir, and spontaneous musicals. Here is my favorite.

As I was waiting on my daughter to finish her dance class, I was reading the Rensselaer Republican and was amazed to find an article about their latest mission, the 9th Annual No Pants Subway Ride. Agents arrived on the subway at a designated time. There were around 3,000 agents and obviously many more unsuspecting members of the public. Their official video is not available yet, but it has certainly caused a stir.

Check out the website. There is something there for everyone.

Writing Wrules

2010-01-11T23:18:00.004-06:00

Hear our sum righting ruels wii shood follow:

These are taken from Reformation 21.

some basic rule's of grammar to which we would all Do well to adhere, to:

26 Golden Rules for Writing Well

1.Don't abbrev.

2.Check to see if you any words out.

3.Be carefully to use adjectives and adverbs correct.

4.About sentence fragments.

5.When dangling, don't use participles.

6.Don't use no double negatives.

7.Each pronoun agrees with their antecedent.

8.Just between you and I, case is important.

9.Join clauses good, like a conjunction should.

10.Don't use commas, that aren't necessary.

11.Its important to use apostrophe's right.

12.It's better not to unnecessarily split an infinitive.

13.Never leave a transitive verb just lay there without an object.

14.Only Proper Nouns should be capitalized. also a sentence should begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop

15.Use hyphens in compound-words, not just in any two-word phrase.

16.In letters compositions reports and things like that we use commas to keep a string of items apart.

17.Watch out for irregular verbs that have creeped into our language.

18.Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

19.Avoid unnecessary redundancy.

20.A writer mustn't shift your point of view.

21.Don't write a run-on sentence you've got to punctuate it.

22.A preposition isn't a good thing to end a sentence with.

23.Avoid cliches like the plague.

24.1 final thing is to never start a sentence with a number.

25.Always check your work for accuracy and completeness.

Music makes the world go round

2010-01-11T05:27:00.007-06:00

I believe music is important to the education of the whole student. Without it, I would not have the well rounded experiences that have lead me to where I am today. Thank you Miss Lutter for providing me the experience in orchestra by teaching me viola. I was not easy to deal with, but appreciate it now. Even though I have not picked it up in years, I sold mine to a wholesale instrument dealer in Lafayette, I look every time an orchestra is on to see the violas playing.

Writing this post, I found that I was drawn to this video. I found it through my Google Reader. I know there are people who say RSS is dead, but I love it. It is an easy way for me to check all my sites for new content without clicking or scrolling through old information. Many of you have

probably already seen this video of the song "I'm Yours," but have you seen the uke version and the little kid? It is worth at least listening to the first verse.

Please support music in your schools. It is the last remaining area not tested on a standardized test.

Things that Go Crack

2010-01-10T07:18:00.010-06:00

I had never heard of the Ig Nobel Prize awards, but they are interesting. According to the article in Scientific American, the Igs are given out by the organization, Improbable Research the day before the Nobel Prizes for “achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think.” The Ig Nobel Prize for Medicine went to Dr. Donald Unger for his research on whether cracking your knuckles actually causes arthritis. A study published back in 1998 in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism entitled “Does Knuckle Cracking Lead to Arthritis of the Fingers?" showed that there is no correlation to cracking your knuckles with arthritis when getting old.

Dr. Unger's research is solid from what from the Mythbusters level of the scientific method. From his publication: “For 50 years, the author cracked the knuckles of his left hand at least twice a day, leaving those on the right as a control. Thus, the knuckles on the left were cracked at least 36,500 times, while those on the right cracked rarely and spontaneously.” The results? No correlation. Although, I do have

to pass my skepticality about my favorite show on Discovery, Mythbusters to this article- good science must be repeatable. Just because one person says it to be so does not provide validity. Mythbusters claims to bust or confirm myths with a single trial. Not accepted here- but still its a great show. Here is a link to the results of all their "tests."

There you have it. Crack away. If you are going to have arthritis when you are old, it will not be from cracking your knuckles.

Things that caused me Pause

2010-01-09T09:01:00.010-06:00

I guess I will try and keep this going for a little while. I have not been this consistent in posting in quite a while. The two snow days this week helped me see some things I haven't seen in a while.

Community Corrections

While I am not a fan of the people walking up and down the highway to the Community Corrections Facility by the fairgrounds, at least they are people who are choosing to go to work. The optimistic side of me hopes they get their lives straightened out and get back on track. I am glad that the County offers them the reflective vests to wear as their Scarlet Letter to keep them somewhat safe. A mile walk to town with no sidewalk along the highway is a scary thing. At least they can call 911 if they get hit as it seems everyone of these walkers has a cell phone and a pack of smokes.

Jasper County Courthouse

I have always loved the courthouse. I have taken many of my students through its doors as we took community field trips highlighting the city's points of interest. I am not sure if the kids really appreciated it, but hopefully they saw some of its beauty. As the Courier and Ives snow fell this week, I snapped this picture through the vehicle window.

Annoying Asian LadyBeetles

While I looked at the window yesterday morning to watch the kids playing in the snow having a great time, I noticed the Asian LadyBeetles crawling on the window sill. I despise these bugs. I snapped this picture of this one crawling across the kitchen counter. I was amused that the flash of the camera caused it to stop and withdraw to its shell.

It is widely believed that Purdue released the Asian LadyBeetle to be used in agriculture as a natural insecticide. They have now replaced the typical ladybeetle, Coccilnellidae as we know it. After reading the USDA document, I am not so sure. But oh how they caused me pause as I was watching the kids play in the snow.

What causes you to pause?

Tools for the bookster

2010-01-08T00:09:00.005-06:00

We like to read at our house. We have lots of variety in the topics, places to read, and ways to read. Here are some different thoughts about reading and learning.

Over time, we have figured out that being read to is a perfectly valid way to learn. Years ago, we adopted Books on CD until the library could no longer keep up with my wife's ability to burn through them.

Then we were introduced to Play Away books. They are small mp3 players that have the content preloaded on t

hem that you plug in earphones to hear. These were good, but still not what we were looking for because the library could not keep up with our demand.

We were introduced to Audible through the podcast TWiT (This Week in Technology) and it solved the bill. Audible routinely gives away a free book using a coupon code. The audiobook can be downloaded and played on you

r mp3 player (ipod in this case) and we own the copy of the book. Their library is amazingly large and is a great way to find different related books based on

your listening library. We now pay a monthly fee to receive credits for books that can be listened to at leisure, or work. It has been

a great find for us.

But it raises a question. If you listen to an audiobook, do you say that you READ the book or you LISTENED to it?

I am in no way bashing the library. If it hadn't been for the Jasper County Public Library, then we would never have come to the conclusion that we needed to subscribe to Audible. Thank JCPL!

Another interesting device is the Kindle. The Kindle is an electronic tablet that displays text electronically, receives the books over cell phone technology, and has many features like Wikipedia built in that make it an interesting device. We don't have one at Camp Heinig, but we do have the iPod App for the Kindle and have even downloaded a free book to read on it. My complaint on the app is that it is too small of a screen to actually read for long periods of time. Maybe the iSlate will fix this issue but we will see.

Next, I saw this little low tech devi

ce today and thought it was an ingenious invention that I hope will catch on for reading paperback books. It is called the Thumbthing. Doesn't it look interesting? It is used to hold open a pa

perback book with one hand so you can sip your umbrella drink on the beach, or hold the cookbook while making a recipe.

Anyway, reading is a great pastime that is overlooked by many today. I wish more people would read so we could move this world to a better place.

Movies of 2010. Here we go. Fountain Stone? You listening?

2010-01-07T01:51:00.007-06:00

I have had a bit of time on my hands recently where I could not do a whole lot of intense work while taking care of sick kids. I spent some time with my Google Reader and came across a list of movies for 2010 that were being highly publicized. They are not necessarily the best movies of the year, but they will be entertaining.

Click here to view the site.

In no particular order,

My Top Picks:

1. Toy Story 3

2. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

3. Shrek

4. Tron the Legacy

5. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part I

There are many more that are intruiging than I care to mention. But Fountain Stone, won't you listen?

Toilet Paper Tube Art

2010-01-06T11:03:00.009-06:00

It always amazes me that we save the tube from used toilet paper rolls. I think being in education, they can be used for so much, but really, are we ever going to run out? It is more of a crises when we run out of the white stuff on the roll than the tube itself. Educators are trained to not throw ANYTHING out that could have a duality of purpose. Also, they are the best purchasers of junk at yard sales.

We recycle the tubes when my wife isn't looking. Actually, we recycle about twice as much as we toss in the garbage, but why do we save the toilet paper tubes to the point of them taking over the cabinet where the toilet paper is supposed to go?

Here is someone who has come up with a cool artistic use for them. Click on the image to read the story They must have really had to go. I found this at the Web Urbanist web site using my Google Reader.

Continuing my web browsing, I found another toil

et paper tube art site. Weird, but cool.

To old acquaintance ......

2010-01-05T22:44:00.003-06:00

The New Year has begun. I wish I had a focus like Rensselaer Adventures, but I don't. I have some New Years resolutions that I could share but I won't. I could continue with bad rhyme, but don't want to make you all sublime so I shant.

I am watching the Tivo of George Lucas on the Daily Show and hate to say that the interview was terrible. I would like to read his book Blockbusting, but he definitely left a lot to be desired in his interview. Come on Uncle George, use the force.

Uncle George, as he is called in the Heinig house has influenced the family for a long, long time. As you know, I love the Star Wars saga and all it has to bring. I took Helen to see Revenge of the Jedi when it was remastered in Digital, Harrison to Star Wars, Celebration III, and both to Episode III at midnight for the opening night. Thank you George Lucas for sharing what you thought would be a passing one time movie into the movie industry changing event that will live on forever.

Here is a clip I found on Youtube from one of the performances Harrison and I saw called One Man Star Wars from Celebration III. This is not the actual performance, but this guy tours the country performing his rendition of Star Wars with no props, no video, only the story and what ever he can do to make you see the story that we all know so well.

But now, today, I have a new sci-fi passion in the form of Firefly under the creation of Joss Whedon. How I wish Fox had not cancelled the show, but what do they know anyway. Once the season was cancelled, the fan base went guerilla and forced Fox into releasing a box set, 2 albums and eventually a feature movie called Serenity.

What is the link? Serenity was supposed to open a month after Star Wars, Episode 3 to capitalize on the previews during Star Wars. Once again, Fox screwed it up and delayed the process delaying the success of Serenity for DVD sales.

Firefly, as referenced in Wikipedia, is:

The series is set in the year 2517, after the arrival of humans in a new star system, and follows the adventures of the renegade crew ofSerenity, a "Firefly-class" spaceship. The ensemble cast portrays the nine characters who live on Serenity. Whedon pitched the show as "nine people looking into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things".^[6]

The show explores the lives of people who fought on the losing side of a civil war who now make a living on the outskirts of the society, as part of the pioneer culture that exists on the fringes of their star system. In addition, it is a future where the only two surviving superpowers, the United States and China, fused to form the central federal government, called the Alliance, resulting in the fusion of the two cultures as well. According to Whedon's vision, "nothing will change in the future: technology will advance, but we will still have the same political, moral, and ethical problems as today."^[7]

If you are looking for a great sci-fi experience, check out Firefly and the movie Serenity. It will feel like another old acquaintance.

New Years is a Comin

2009-12-30T21:16:00.004-06:00

Had a great time with my Project 365 for the year. I would like to continue it, but want it to be a broader base than just on Flickr. Not sure what I should do.

Maybe I will come back to reMark's or find another way. This is really a test message.

Check out our web site http://www.theheinigs.com and view a little bit of local.

Trying to figure this one out.

This is a test messa

2009-07-26T03:59:00.001-05:00

This is a test message for hellotxt to see if it works. Sorry if it wakes you up.

"Other Duties as Assigned"

2009-02-21T22:31:00.009-06:00

I spent two days this week working with the maintenance guys and the superintendent preparing the modular classrooms for transport back to the factory for some refurbishing. Rensselaer Central Schools purchased three portable classrooms to be used as a health clinic, an alternative school, and a training center.

As part of the deal, Rensselaer was to prepare them for transport. The four of us drove to East Central High School near Lawrenceburg Indiana. We filled 2 dumpsters full of dry rotted treated lumber in the shape of handicap ramps, decks between buildings, and stairs.

The classrooms will be a great addition to Rensselaer's educational environment. What they lack in aesthetics, they more than make up in functionality and an economical solution to a definite need in our community.

Whew. When I signed my contract for the job of Director of Educational Technology, I did not realize the extent of "Other Duties as Assigned."

What season is it?

2009-02-18T22:28:00.003-06:00

Just a quick note today. Facebook has taken over what I would call my blog time. Thought I should throw up some randomness for the few people who peek here.

Had a good chat with a CRC runner today. I need to get out more. When you see a runner running on the road, or off, please move over if you are in your car. We would much appreciate it. Thanks.

Rensselaer Central Middle School and High School had strong showings at the Saint Joseph's College Regional Competition this past weekend. RCMS will be moving on to state at IUPUI in March and RCHS will be headed to the Wild Card Tournament at Ivy Tech in Lafayette. The winner of the wild card will compete at state two weeks later.

I have been a casual user of an RSS reader until recently. Why I did not discover this before now reamins to be seen. I am a big Google fanboy. I now use the Google Reader many times a day to keep up on all my web sites I check. Basically, I add the URL by copying and pasting from an interesting web site into a box on Google Reader that will then show me what is new on that web site without visiting the site. I can gather 100's of web sites info on one page. If I want to visit the site, I can click on the link and wala! I am there. This is a huge time saver for me. You should check it out.

Give it a whirl. It has opened the mind of reMark's. Scary place. . . .

Dancing with the Stars: Rensselaer

2008-12-14T21:49:00.004-06:00

Just a quick little post to highlight a great event in Rensselaer. Dancing with the Stars sponsored by the Prairie Arts Council as a fundraiser for the School of Dance was a huge success. A sold out audience of 200 were enthralled with the dancing prowess of Rensselaer's finest.

Dr. Mallik Chiganti took home first place with his hip hop routine that left the crowd mesmerized. All the contestants, Jeff Gastineau, David Leeper, Ote Wood, Mike Feagans, Julie Evers, Ryan Preston, John Ahler and Kelly Berenda were wonderful dancers. Each one is to be commended on their hard work, sheer guts, and wonderfully giving spirit

To see the entire footage, the Prairie Arts Council has DVD's available for a cost of $20 with a portion of the profits returning to the School of Dance. If you are interested you can contact Amy Byrd at prairie@nwiis.com or rememberwhenproductions@gmail.com .

Here is a short sampling of the great show held at the Ritz Cinema in downtown Rensselaer. Highlighted is none other than Ote Wood from Midwest Handling Concepts and founding member of the Cheyenne Running Club.

Thanks again Amy for all your hard work in pulling off this event!

Not Much is new....Life is blue

2008-11-21T20:47:00.005-06:00

Random thoughts.

Helen is practicing her french horn. Actually, she is warming up while I wait to record with Garageband for her audition tape. She is getting quite good for a 7th grader. She was selected for All Region Band and is auditioning for the Junior All State. We shall see. . .

Sad to hear about Nicole Tholl who was killed in a car wreck yesterday.
She was a great kid. She will be dearly missed. Prayers for her family. . . . Rhyme... your smile lives on. Wow life can be short.

Harrison has basketball Sunday. He likes it.

Got a Lightscribe PulsePen and love it this past week. Syncs audio with handwritten text.

Change is in the "air"

2008-10-18T10:56:00.003-05:00

Today went out for a nice enjoyable run with friends. We covered 9 miles and saw many cool things. Road construction, caution tape, something brown on my shoe. . . . No really, It was a great morning to run. We saw a cow and her calf watching us as intently as we were watching her. It was nice to get out in the country and see some different sites. Believe it or not, we found a couple "hills" in the country.

Good luck to the running crew running in Des Moines tomorrow. Ote ran Chicago last weekend, Des Moines, this week. Torbet runs for, biscuits and gravy. This is for you guys.

Change is in the air. My buddy tweeted this saying it was training for all of us who will be helping our grandparents and others with the switch over to digital. Consider it necessary training. . .

I hope these re:Mark's brightened your day.

Ohhhh. I have to type on this to make it work.

2008-10-11T15:04:00.002-05:00

Been away awhile from the blog. Not stopping in for long. Good luck to the CRC Chicago Marathon Bunch.

Funny cartoon I saw today on digg. Enjoy.

Large Hadron Collider is a cool scientific tool. If only it could be used in this manner!

Where's the worm? I'm up early. . .

2008-08-18T02:48:00.010-05:00

I know, its early. I am the early bird today. Working on school stuff for my new teacher who is taking my place. I was reading the comments on this site and thought it would be fun to watch some retro MTV late night classics that I wish were still on.

Probably one of the best produced videos, not the first one (Video killed the radio star), in my opinion were from the album Raising Hell. I am not a hip hop guy, but enjoy music that is expressive. Run DMC and Aerosmith definitely make my top five videos of all time with Walk this Way. What were yours? If you want to see the video, here is a link.

New Job, Old Town

2008-08-17T07:34:00.004-05:00

To quote Van Halen, I want the best...of...both..worlds. I guess I got it. A new job in the same town doing what I want. Yes, I will miss teaching and getting to know the kids, but Director of Educational Technology at Rensselaer Central Schools is a great gig for me. I have a lot to offer the corporation.

We have found a replacement for me who will start Monday in the classroom. I will be helping her out until she gets the hang of it.

Chad Vader, a great internet series has an episode that I found amusing about new jobs. For those of you who were not in on the original joke, Chad is Darth Vader's brother who works at a grocery store called, Empire Market. Enjoy.

CRC Road Trip 2008

2008-08-05T06:25:00.005-05:00

The Cheyenne Running Club took a field trip this past week to see the debut of the UltraMarathon Man in Kankakee, Illinois. For those of you not familiar with the geography (Shannon), we had to travel about an hour west to see the premier of this awesome movie.

Our evening began at the Countryside manor where we departed in two vehicles, one hybrid, one not, to eat dinner at the Brickstone Brewery where we had wonderful food and homebrews. I had the salmon, which I highly recommend and an IPA that was quite tasty even though it is not my usual preference. Others enjoyed their meal too.

Once we arrived at the movie theater, the Classic Cinemas complex, we were nervous about finding a seat. We had all purchased our tickets online to insure we would have a seat. This show was for one night only. The Classic Cinemas is a downtown old time theater with great parking and a charming old building. My apologies on the lack of images. I am still a rookie blogger who can't figure out how to get images throughout my post. I will not give up!

When we made it in to the theater, we were the only 8 people in the place. Eventually, two groups of three joined us for the CRC premier of Dean Karanazes UltraMarathon Man. It was on DVD, and not formatted for our theater, but was a great time for all of us. I made a trip up to the projection booth to see if I could help them with the size of the image since it was too tall to fit on the screen. The young girl working up there asked if I was from the home office. I told here no, but I was the Technology Teacher of the Year and I might be able to fix the projector! Amazing how much clout an award like that carries. . .

Much to my chagrin, the projector was doing the best it could. The "movie" was shot in full screen format and movie theaters are set for widescreen. Oh well. The content of the movie made up for the technical aspects of the theater. When we left, the theater gave us all free passes to come back again since they had such trouble with the projection.

A good time was had by all. Field trips are always fun, especially when all your friends are in the same group.

Here is a clip posted for my opera/bugs bunny fans that was mentioned while we were eating. An awesome drum solo to a tune you may already know.

I tried to get out and run today. No luck. Mother Nature says blog instead. See you soon!

48 Stars, Charles Halleck, and the Rensselaer Central High School

2008-07-29T23:41:00.004-05:00

As I tell this story, I want to put out a disclaimer of all things historical. I am not a fanatic about history, but love the local connection to our community and the weird place Rensselaer holds in the record of all things past. Think about it. Eisenhower visited here, the Underground Railroad, cloned cows, Talbert trailers, SJC and Brian Piccolo, da Bears. . . it would be interesting to spend some time pulling the list of notables together. I really enjoy Campbell's Printing magazine about Rensselaer history.

I have been working at the Rensselaer Schools this summer on tech issues. I was talking to our Athletic Director who was searching for something in the school's vault. He found some interesting documents from the school. Baseball field diagrams, concession stand blueprints, tennis court diagrams, etc. . .

In the box that he was looking in was another box sealed up. When he opened up the box, he found a letter from the Architect of the Capitol in Washington DC. The letter was written to Charles Halleck. I paraphrase since I have not seen the letter yet with my own eyes, but the gist was: Mr. Halleck, enclosed you will find the flag that flew over the Capitol Building on this day July 6, 1958, the day Alaska became a state. This flag is the last flag to fly over the Capitol Building with 48 stars.

Needless to say the AD was quite amazed at the find he had just made. When he asked the current administration, they knew nothing of the flag. The acquirinig of the flag by the schools is a mystery at this point. The current hypothesis is that when Charlie Halleck died, it was part of his effects and given to the school where it sat in a box for 50 years. Presumably the flag came into the school's possession around 1986 when Halleck passed away.

The Architect of the Capitol, according to the web site is responsible to the United States Congress for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex, which includes the Capitol, the congressional office buildings, the Library of Congress buildings, the Supreme Court building, the U.S. Botanic Garden, the Capitol Power Plant, and other facilities. The current AOC is Alan Hantman, appointed by former President Clinton.

At the time the letter was written, the AOC was J. George Stewart who oversaw the expansion of the Capitol's east central front. He was appointed by President Eisenhower and served as a Republican member of the 74th Congress with Halleck where Stewart was elected from Delaware. I believe they were in the same freshman class of 1935 in Congress.

Anywho. . . I am amazed that a piece of history of our country, however small it may be, has been sitting in the RCHS high school vault for years with no knowledge. Plans to display the flag are in the preliminary stages, but at least now there are more people know that it is in our school.

The last flag to fly over the Capitol building wit 48 stars, found by an AD looking for something much less historical. Irony? History continues to come alive.

Is this the return?

2008-07-28T04:37:00.001-05:00

I am heading out the door, hoping someone will be at ye olde running post. Monday- no Jeff. Shannon? Carol? Ote? Myth? Anyone? Bueller?

I am trying to make a go of the running thing again. Went to bed early, up early, posted early. Maybe it will be good if it is only me. . .

Time to lace up.

Oh wait. . . its raining! Back to bed or sit ups?

Ultra Marathon Man

2008-07-25T12:06:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. My butt has not been on the road lately. I miss it. This post is about the upcoming Dean Karnazes movie, UltraMarathon Man- although Ote would be the great subject of a movie. Ote, your movie would be something about Iowa, shelling corn, and running. Maybe yours should be called the Ultra Corny Man. All of you who read this I am sure have already seen the trailer, but here it is.

The movie will be on July 31, at

Indiana
JEFFERSON POINTE
4250 West Jefferson Blvd, Fort Wayne, IN 46804
Buy Tickets
METROPOLIS 18
2490 East Metropolis Way, Plainfield, IN 46168
Buy Tickets

Jasper County Fair Projects and the Heinig Connection

2008-07-13T06:01:00.000-05:00

Ok... I know that I am biased, but my kids did very nice work for the fair. Those of you that know how creative they are will be pleased to know they have about 12 projects on display at the fair. Dogs, dog poster, shooting sports, creative writing, color photography, black and white photography, wildlife, woodworking, and sewing. If I forgot anything, you can let me know.

Heather and I are proud of the kids and what they have accomplished. Harrison, in his first year received all blues and reserve champion in both photography categories. He has some cool pictures of Anderson, and wait. wait. is that a former famous guitar player? No, its just me.

Helen has worked very hard on her 4H projects and was rewarded amply. She received all blues and state fair entries in dogs (champion in obedience, reserve champion in showmanship), sewing (yellow jacket and khaki shorts), and black and white photography.

Mary Grace, at the age of six, also submitted artwork in the open show. She did a life size self portrait in crayon. She received a blue, and a good shot of self esteem.

When you go to fair this week, check out all the cool projects. I do mean cool.. . . since the projects are in the buildings with the super cooled AC units.

I guess today is just a bragging day at reMark's.

For those of you wondering about why no tech story? I am reformatting the mac and transferring files to an off-machine hard drive. I am uneasy about wiping the mac since I am no expert in these uncharted waters. But hey, Columbus was no expert either!

The Music in Me

2008-07-10T10:11:00.000-05:00

My buddy Sean got a Zune yesterday and is quite giddy with its capabilities. I was not a big fan from the beginning, but for $14.95 a month, and download as much music as you want. . . what a deal! The interface is snazzy and functional.

We compared image quality for video between the iPod video and the Zune with it being a draw. Zune has a slightly larger screen, but is slightly thicker. Anywho. . . I rather enjoyed the fact that you could listen to the full songs in the Zune marketplace without having to download them.

I wonder why they don't charge 5 bucks more a month and just give away the zunes.

Another music thing. . . www.guyinatie.com is an awesome podcast by a guy that is a science teacher and a indie music fan luva. At his web site, he features about 5 new songs a week from Indie artists that should be signed by labels. No extra software needed to listen to his podcast. Just go to the site and dig it!

Here we go again... .

2008-07-10T00:38:00.000-05:00

It seems I have been down this road before, but my computer chair has not moved. Yep, I am blogging again. Mostly inspired by my buddy Jeff and his antics at 26orless, if I remember right.

Anyway, randomness will prevail! reMark's will hopefully document my meanderings around the web, and the real world.

So. . . I came across this on Digg and thought you all should read this article about how to shoot interesting pictures. Read it. http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/10-ways-to-take-stunning-portraits/

iPad unresponsive? Answers stat.....

2000-12-31T18:00:00.000-06:00