Commuter Story

Kyler Quelch

2012-05-06T17:30:00.002-07:00

Instead of my original idea of going to an archery lesson, or a store where they also make weather vanes, I got in contacted a horse farm, where children with disabilities ride horses for therapy. I eventually was able to meet up with one rider and his mother, so that I could find out what it is like for a rider to have hippo-therapy. This is Kyler Quelch's story...

Artesano Mead - Video Project Two + Story

2012-04-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Artesano Mead in Groton, Vermont

**************************See End Notes for references*******************************

Mark Simakaski demonstrates how he makes a new batch of mead at Artesano Mead.

Upon walking through Artesano's door, all of your senses are sparked with curiosity. Your nose smells what it would as if in a bakery, you hear the churning of the liquids inside the distant fermenting tanks, you look around as you have just entered into a quaint shop.

Artesano is located on 1334 Scott Highway in Groton, VT. Artesano prides itself in producing mead from locally gathered honey and fruits.

Mead is and alcoholic wine made fermented water and honey.

Mead is referenced in numerous mythological stories. Mead is mentioned in literary works such as: the Rigveda (meaning "Praise Knowledge" The Rigveda is a collection of sacred ancient Indian hymns, compiled into ten books and is also a part of Indian mythology dated between 1700–1100 BC (1) and Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon heroic epic poem dated between 8thand the early 11th century. (2)

On Artesano's website there is an interesting paragraph explain the ancestry relation of mead. It reads:

"It's not hard to imagine our early ancestors discovering the entrance to a beehive in some ancient tree and becoming curious about the determination and speed which the workers sallied forth. Our innate drive to know more would have led us to the honey, the golden reward of the bees' labor." (3)

Check out their website for more interesting secrets of mead and all it's flavors: http://www.artesanomead.com/

Speaking of flavors, can you honestly find another brewing company that would ever consider mixing chilli and cinnamon flavors into an alcoholic beverage? That is the power of Artesano's Chili-Cinnamon flavored mead.

This flavor is available for you to offer at your wedding, and especially while on your honeymoon.

No pun intended.

Speaking of honeymoon's, on Artesano's there is this interesting factoid about the tradition of the term "honeymoon:"

"The term “honeymoon” is believed to have stemmed from the tradition of newlyweds drinking honey wine every day for one full moon after their wedding. Today, many weddings still include a traditional mead toast to the newlyweds as a fair tribute to times and well wishes of both old and new."

I will start writing my personal opinion bit, by first saying this... it was not on this shoot that I have tried Artesano's mead. I sampled their mead prior to this shoot, at the beginning of this year.

I have tried the traditional mead and their blueberry mead, and both are very tasty, and warm the soul very fast. But what I figured out is that you can't really think of it as drinking wine.

You just have to think about that you are just having mead. It is not really wine. It acts and smells like wine, but the taste is mead.

Try Artesano mead for yourself, and tell me what you think!

******************End Notes/References**************************************

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigveda

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf

(3) http://www.artesanomead.com/about-mead/

(4) http://www.artesanomead.com/honeymoon/

Second Video Project Ideas/ Final

2012-04-16T07:07:00.001-07:00

I have a few ideas for this video project. I have emailed a man named Jeff at Smiths' Archery Shop in St. Johnsbury. This weekend he is giving a hunting education session that goes from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

He has not emailed me back yet, but I will update my blog when I know if this is a go or not.

If this idea does not work out, then I know a place called Schumacher Weather Vanes in Marshfield, VT.

I do not know much about this company, but they at least sell weather vanes. I am hoping they make weather vanes too.

I'll keep this updated with what I am going to do.

I will do this project by myself

For my final project, I still need time to come up with an idea. There is a company in Groton that produces mead, or honey wine. Perhaps I could visit them and see what they do. But that is just an idea.

My Friend's Blog

2012-04-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is this link to my friend, Andrew Desmarais's, blog:

http://greenmountainbeer.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

My iReport Profile

2012-04-11T07:49:00.002-07:00

http://ireport.cnn.com/people/lookwest1973?viewingAsOthers=true

Rowan Court Easter Egg Hunt (YouTube)

2012-04-11T06:33:00.001-07:00

In Barre Vermont, at Rowan Court Nursing Home, an Easter egg hunt was held by the Rowan Court Activity Center on Saturday, April 7, 2012, at 2:00 p.m.

A total of 2,000 eggs were scattered in two locations around the premises - a section for 0-5 year-olds, another for 6-10 year-olds.

After the coordinators and volunteers spread the eggs an hour, they waited for participants to arrive. A steady stream of parents with their children arrived within the hour, prior to the start of the hunt.

The Easter bunny was there to greet the children as they arrived and gave many hugs before they left.

The number of children who participated, exceeded this years prediction by the Activity Center; the number also exceeding last years number.

All of the eggs were collected in three minutes.

The children then cracked their eggs to see what prizes they won. The majority filled with candy, but some contained slips of paper that were redeemable at a prize table.

Prizes included art supplies with playful canvases, boxes of candy and the top prize: a bicycle.

Chentel Cherrier reports, as I, Michael Woodward, shot and edited this story.

Rowan Court Easter Egg Hunt - Video Project 1

2012-04-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

This is the link to my iReport Story: Rowan Court Easter Egg Hunt

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-773301

Commuting Videos Monetized!!

2012-04-06T10:10:00.002-07:00

All of the videos with me in the car commuting to and/or from school, have all been monetized on YouTube!!

Pretty cool!!

Stop-Start Animation Video Project

2012-03-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

About what, I am not sure, but I have made some in the past, and I think it would be fun to make another one.

Just a thought...

Flip cam test in class

2012-03-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

Interviews, Asac 100, and my amazing opening credits!

Lack of Color: Photo Montage

2012-03-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

I made this picture slideshow in high school, from 2007 to 2008.

I went around my home town and school and took colorful pictures to oppose the theme of the song Lack of Color.

My goal was to show that there is color in the world, unlike the songs message. The song promotes the notion that when life goes downhill that colors escape from all things.

I hope to show that even when times are tough, that the world is still bright and hopeful.

Enjoy!

Here is the YouTube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLPQoK12Um8

Here is the Link to my YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhee

Carbon Leaf- The War Was In Color Photo and Video Montage

2012-03-26T18:17:00.002-07:00

I have watched this video plenty of times in the past. Sometimes to listen to this non-album version of the song "The War Was In Color" by Carbon Leaf.

Nonetheless, I believe this is an interesting and creative way to make a multimedia slideshow, by combining photos and video from American wars with a modern, well written song about war.

Carbon Leaf is a great band and this is a great song! I love this video especially because this version of the song is not the album rendition of the song.

I hear more of the vocals than the interments, where in the album version the instruments are prominent. For the most part the photos and videos match the words of the song, so that we, the viewers are able to see and react to what is happening as the lyrics are being sung.

Great montage! Great Song!

Outrageous American Roadside Attractions

2012-03-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

Here is the link:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/45804220/?slide=1

This is a gallery of pictures of different roadside attractions across America. There is a description of the history of each place to the left of the photo.

I found this on CNBC and thought it would be fitting to put onto my commuting blog. The pictures are neat and interesting, and sometime hopefully in my life it would be cool to stop by some of these places!

Gizmodo The Gadget Guide

2012-03-26T17:51:00.000-07:00

http://gizmodo.com/

Interestingly, Gizmodo has a similar layout to Jalopnik. Basically, the layout is identical. However Gizmodo features the latest in technology and science.

If you like keeping up with new, interesting, and/or bizarre scientific findings and technology, this might be a site worth checking out!

Jalopnik- Drive Free or Die Multimedia Example 1

2012-03-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

http://jalopnik.com/

This blog is features the latest in interesting, bizarre, funny, and serious motor vehicle stories and news. The layout is very simple, but enjoyable to navigate through.

With many photo gallery categories, text, and videos all being posted every day, this site is very active

If you are a car fanatic check this site out!

First Blog Critique

2012-03-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

http://easyhiker.co.uk/

This blog is about a British man who hikes all around Europe. Unfortunately, I have not found his name on his blog.

I like this blog a lot because there are a lot of tabs to click on, to read information about his travels, and many beautiful photos to view showing us his surrounding when he hikes. Navigation around his blog is very simple.

Tabs are easy to read and find and each have straight forward titles. Headlines are bold and easy to read.

I like how there is a side bar with a list of recent posts, for there are a lot of posts per page, it is nice to see he wants his blog to be organized, for older posts could be easily buried.

It is clear this man is very passionate about hiking. There are 35 very content heavy pages of just his own posts, not including guest comments, videos, and descriptions of some of the countries where he has hiked.

Although he seems to stress that hiking is for beginners, and is easy to start, he seems very advanced.

Commute Slideshow

2012-03-19T20:20:00.001-07:00

This is still a work in progress. I do not believe that too much of the audio will change, but there will some lower third CG's too accompany the pictures coming soon. But this is what I have for now. Enjoy!

Initially, my intention for this slideshow was to show how I prepare for my commute, getting into my car, driving off, the drive and arriving at school. As I started to work on that idea, I realized that I would not complete my vision that idea in the time which I had to work on this assignment.

So I came up with another idea. I would focus on two or three different, interesting places or buildings that I pass every morning, that would be fun and aesthetically interesting to take pictures of.

I decided that I would stop to take pictures of the Martin Bridge in Marshfield.

This bridge was built by Herman Townsend in 1890 for William Martin Jr. and his first son Harry Martin, who were successful Marshfield farmers. At 44 feet long, the bridge was built solely to provide agricultural access to the Martins' land on the far side of the Winooski River.

The Martin Bridge is the only original covered "farm" bridge left in Vermont.

The agricultural heritage of the Martin Bridge is evident in many ways. The distinctive tall and narrow shape of the bridge, as well as the unuaually short knee braces, is a result of the need to allow for the passage of horse drawn hay wagons piled high with loose hay. Another unique reminder of the long agricultural history of the bridge is the functional cattle gate attached to one of the queenposts.

It is one of the few local covered bridges that survived the famous state-wide flood of 1927 which destroyed over 1200 bridges throughout Vermont.

My next stop was Joe's Pond in West Danville.

Covering 393 acres it's maximum depth is about 100 feet. It is three miles long and at its widest, three-quarters of a mile across.

According to the Vermont Department of Water Resources, the "Joe's Pond Basin" was formed during the Pleistocene glaciations under stagnating ice conditions. Research shows it is likely that before this period, Joe's Pond did not exist and the stream flowed southwesterly to the Winooski Drainage Basin.

As the ice advanced, it scoured deeply into the basin, and stagnating ice blocked a spillway through the ridge where West Danville and the present outlet is now.

Del Amitri - Driving With The Brakes On

2012-03-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

"And we might get lost someplace, so desolate that no one where we're from would ever come, but she's got the wheel and I've got to deal from now on; When you're driving with the brakes on; when you're swimming with your boots on..."

Tenative Second Slideshow Idea

2012-03-12T17:32:00.001-07:00

I am going to create a slideshow about my commute from before I get into the car to when I park my car in the school parking lot, and the places that I pass along the way.

I will capture natural sound from for instance, I have a garage door that opens and closes, and I can use that sound for me preparing to get into my car and of course, the sound of the car starting. I will also use my own voice to describe some of the places and what is going on in the photos.

I will add in my own music that I create in Garage Band that will appropriately accompany my story. I also know somebody who has traveled this route with me to and from school before, so I can interview her about her opinions about the route and what she makes of me, driving it everyday.

I intend to reach out to the people who may want to get to know the areas in Central Vermont and the Northeast Kingdom, since I drive between the two every day, so that is where my story. Also, people who may want to get to know me, personally, a bit better, to get an inside look as to what I see every morning on my way to school.

I must say that since I have specified earlier in my blog that there are two ways that I am able to travel to school, that I am going to focus this slideshow on Route 2.

I want to do this slideshow about my commute, because it ties so well into my theme, and that I can already hear you yawning after you read that this is going to be about a guy in a car, traveling… on Route 2. I intend to make this an engaging presentation, so that at the end of the show, it will not feel as if less time has gone by than two or three minutes.

I am intending to do this project by myself so that I can tell my own story. I fear that this is too ambitious of a project. I do have a vision for it. I hope I can pull it off!

CBS Atlanta Website v. Facebook Page

2012-03-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

When I go onto to CBS Atlanta's website, I notice there are lists of just headlines, which are nine words or less, of relatively small font size. There are a few pictures, above stories with larger headlines, to signify the importance of the story.

The current large headline is: Confessed killer fights to fire judge

There is a toolbar when people can share this site on many social media forums. After columns of smaller headlines, there is finally a spot for weather...then more headlines.

So to me, this site makes me think that CBS Atlanta is very busy finding stories, to the point where content is being posted and changed constantly.

The color scheme of the site, holds true to the CBS Atlanta, using greys, blues, reds, and silvers. I enjoy looking at the site.

My only complaint is that there are too many words to look at. Besides the one large headline and picture, my attention is not pulled in any direction. It is overwhelming to look at all the words. I do not know what to click on first.
--- ---
The CBS Facebook page is filled with stories which underneath ask an open-ended question looking for opinions. For example, there is story:

19 people were arrested in Paulding County after police said they vandalized school property for a senior prank at East Paulding High School.

Those arrested ranged in age from 17 to 19, and all were charged with felonies. Do you think that's too harsh a charge for a senior prank?

So far there are 11 "likes" and 63 comments. I like the fact that CBS Atlanta is looking for opinions about stories, because perhaps another story could be reported from the responses... you never know.

First Audio Slideshow Synopsis

2012-03-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

On March 4, 2012 I am going to the Lyndon Outing Club Hill to the Snowmobile Hill Climb Race. My goal for this slideshow is for the viewer to see the action from each of the events.

I already know there is going to be three different events that are going to take place at the races: a children's snowmobile hill climb race, pit crew operations, and the main event race.

I also want to gather pictures of reactions from the crowds, and to show the turn out of the event.

I hope to capture the sounds of the racers revving the snowmobiles engines in anticipation of bursting off the starting line, and to use voices from interviews from the event coordinator, and a rider.

I intend to match as best I can the pictures to the words, so that I can bring the viewer of this slideshow immediately into the sights and sounds of this event.

Snowmobile Up-Hill Race on Sunday March 4, 2012

2012-03-07T08:59:00.006-08:00

The Outing Club Hill Snowmobile Race was a fantastic event on which to make a soundslide show! I was able to capture the exact sounds and interviews that I wanted. I shot pictures of the kids race, the crews who made sure that each snowmobile was up to the correct standards, so that the specs of each snowmobile in every division was as equal and fair as possible.

I was able to take the audio from an interview with the event coordinator, and a rider and underlay their voices, so that their story could be heard.

I was captured some audio of the event coordinator speaking through the PA system. He was giving instructions to the riders to have their snowmobile checked out by the crews.

I incorporated this sound bite to have another voice that was heard by all who attended the events.

The best part of this project was being at the event, capturing these images, sounds, and the story of the racers. I liked watching the racers fly up the 700 foot hill between 11-15 seconds!

Not a single crashed, even with two jumps on the course. Though it was great to see a nice clean race, it would have been cool to see a wipe out!

The most difficult part of this project was deciding what to use for audio, and which pictures to incorporate. I first concentrated on making a solid audio track, then I found appropriate pictures to accompany the sounds.

I just wish I had more time to make better quality pictures and better flow of the slideshow, because some of the pictures transition too fast that it is hard to see what is in the picture.

It believe it is my lack of experience with the SoundSlides program.

Audio Slideshow Synopsis

2012-02-27T08:20:00.006-08:00

I am going to create a slideshow about my commute from before I get into the car to when I park my car in the school parking lot, and the places that I pass along the way.

I intend to reach out to the people who may want to get to know the areas in Central Vermont and the Northeast Kingdom, since I drive between the two every day, so that is where my story. Also, people who may want to get to know me, personally, a bit better, to get an inside look as to what I see every morning on my way to school.

I must say that since I have specified earlier in my blog that there are two ways that I am able to travel to school, that I am going to focus this slideshow on Route 2.

I am intending to do this project by myself so that I can tell my own story.

Feb 25, 2012 Commute To Burlington

2012-02-26T17:02:00.001-08:00

This is my commute to Burlington to pick up my girlfriend from school! Enjoy!

This is my YouTube Channel Link:

http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhee

Listening to Music...Heard Some Great Lyrics!

2012-02-24T21:34:00.000-08:00

While listening to some music in my iTunes Library, I heard some cool lyrics that were about traveling. I think from now on when I hear a great quote/lyric about traveling, that I find interesting or cool, I will post it on my blog! Good idea? I think so! Here is one that I have heard so far:

"So much to do, so much to see; So what's wrong with taking the back streets? You'll never know if you don't go..." 'All Star' by: Smash Mouth

Commuter Story

Kyler Quelch

Artesano Mead - Video Project Two + Story

Second Video Project Ideas/ Final

My Friend's Blog

My iReport Profile

Rowan Court Easter Egg Hunt (YouTube)

Rowan Court Easter Egg Hunt - Video Project 1

Commuting Videos Monetized!!

Stop-Start Animation Video Project

Flip cam test in class

Lack of Color: Photo Montage

Carbon Leaf- The War Was In Color Photo and Video Montage

Outrageous American Roadside Attractions

Gizmodo The Gadget Guide

Jalopnik- Drive Free or Die Multimedia Example 1

First Blog Critique

http://easyhiker.co.uk/

Commute Slideshow

Del Amitri - Driving With The Brakes On

Tenative Second Slideshow Idea

CBS Atlanta Website v. Facebook Page

19 people were arrested in Paulding County after police said they vandalized school property for a senior prank at East Paulding High School. Those arrested ranged in age from 17 to 19, and all were charged with felonies. Do you think that's too harsh a charge for a senior prank?

So far there are 11 "likes" and 63 comments. I like the fact that CBS Atlanta is looking for opinions about stories, because perhaps another story could be reported from the responses... you never know.

First Audio Slideshow Synopsis

Snowmobile Up-Hill Race on Sunday March 4, 2012

Audio Slideshow Synopsis

Feb 25, 2012 Commute To Burlington

Listening to Music...Heard Some Great Lyrics!

19 people were arrested in Paulding County after police said they vandalized school property for a senior prank at East Paulding High School.

Those arrested ranged in age from 17 to 19, and all were charged with felonies. Do you think that's too harsh a charge for a senior prank?