WheatleyFamily.net

Jan19

Changing the way we Learn

I remember slugging around a heavy backpack full of textbooks that in some cases were outdated the moment I bought them.

Big, heavy, and expensive, I was glad to get rid of them.

Now a revolution has happened.

Not just for textbooks but a change that drastically improves the way we learn and the way we teach and create learning materials.

Apple announced today in partnership with the major text book publishers a new way to use textbooks by using the iPad.

Watch the video here. It’s awesome.

But the innovation doesn’t stop there. With iBooks Author, Apple has made it easy to create books with interactive content, and it’s drag and drop to create.

The books can be used on the iPad. You can take notes and the notes are saved with the books.

Courtesy of Flickr/William Hook cc-by-sa-2.0 license.

We’ve been stuck on a static system of learning for too long.

Now it’s time to catch up to the digital age.

The new iBooks still feature traditional text, but now video, interactive content, quizzes, note taking, flash cards, and more bring that learning to the new millennium.

And that’s only part of the innovation. Watch the video on Apple.com for more.

Jan09

First Go at HDR Photography

Have you ever taken a picture, and then when showing someone the picture you’ve taken, you sigh with dissapointment, “Well, you just had to be there. The picture doesn’t do it justice.”

I’ve gone through that…a lot.

I still have a lot to learn about photography, but I’ve wished I could get my pictures to turn out better.

There’s a technique called HDR (High Dynamic Range) Photography, and I finally was able to give it a go this holiday season.

Here are some shots I took:

A Cool Winter’s Day

Nestled in the Mountains

Cabins in the Distance

Red Sky Delight (or Pink)

First Go at HDR

When you’re watching a sunset, your senses take in the beauty of the scene.

The problem when taking a picture of the scene is that the photograph doesn’t record like your mind records a scene.

The camera doesn’t record what you see because your eyes and brain interpret the light differently than the camera’s sensor.

For example, here’s what the Red Sky photo looked like without HDR

You can see how the camera doesn’t interpret the light from the trees and ground very well, but standing there, you could see them and the sunset just fine.

It was a beautiful moment on what was becoming a chilly winter evening as the sun set.

Here’s the HDR version again:

HDR helps capture the essence and feeling of the scene.

You adjust your camera’s settings to take different exposures of the same scene.

Underexposed, which captures the majesty of the sky for example, and then increasing the exposure on the camera with each picture.

Low exposure:

Lighter:

Lighter-er:

Pretty exposed there:

Unfortunately, when I was taking the pictures, the clouds were moving super fast. They just would hold still for me!

So you take the various exposures and put them in a program called Photomatix that combines the images for you. It’s pretty slick.

Final Result:

If your camera can autobracket, you can take the different exposure levels automatically. My current camera can’t do that, so I have to manually adjust after each picture (which can move the camera, creating blur).

My pictures above are my first go at HDR and aren’t the best examples, but with time and a little more practice, who knows?

Dec31

2011 Year in Review

We had a great year this year.

The kids had a lot of fun, with tumbling, dance and school.

Mom and Dad had fun too with a trip to Jurassic Park (well, close enough).

Book Thomas Read:

The Science of Advertising
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D.
Poke the Box by Seth Godin
The Alchemist
Tell to Win
The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and a Fortune Sharing Your Advice
Blue Ocean Strategy (reread)
All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin
Free Prize Inside
Verse by Verse The Four Gospels by D. Kelly Ogden, Andrew C. Skinner
We are All Weird by Seth Godin
Read this before your next Meeting
The Book of Mormon

Media we Enjoyed:

Jurassic Park (because we flew there…sort of)
Food, Inc.
Waking Sleeping Beauty (Documentary about the Disney Animation Renaissance)
The Coat: A Story of Charity
Wise Men Still Seek Him
The Annoying Orange
AngryBirds (all for the kids of course)

World Events:

Widespread unrest in Arab and African nations overthrows governments in what is called the Arab Spring
The war in Iraq finally comes to an end
Osama bin Laden is killed
Tsunami triggered by a 9.1 magnitude earthquake devastates Japan and causes a meltdown situation at the Fukushima nuclear reactor
Steve Jobs dies

Dec19

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Merry Christmas.

And may your Holiday be Merry, Bright, and full of Light.

Jul17

Wheatley Reunion 2011

We had a fun Wheatley reunion up at the cabin.

The kids went on a nature hike in the morning with all the cousins.

The kids were told to keep an eye out for bugs and other things they might collect along the trail (there were fake bugs planted).

Megan got a little tired along the trail, but she hung in there. Fortunately, each child was given a little back to keep their goodies in which included a little apple juice.