Studio Field and Beyond

VIDEO FORMATS

2014-08-21T14:16:00.000+03:00

It used to be so easy to start out movie making - you'd buy an 8mm or Super8 camera; or if you were really industrious, a 16mm camera and shoot and edit your movies.

In the 1980s, shooting and editing movies got only slightly more complicated with the introduction of VHS, VHS-C and Betamax. You could read a two page article and know the differences between competing video formats. When video went digital though, everything went out the window. Suddenly there was a bewildering array of video formats - .wmv, .asf, .rm, .mov, .mpeg, for compressing files, - and on top of that, many of these standards had their own substandards (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, etc.) How's anyone supposed to keep it straight?
Containers and Codecs

Possibly one of the most confusing things about digital video formats is the idea that there's a "container" and "codec" - You might think it's enough to make you yearn for the days when you could just put a tape in the camera and start recording, but you'd be wrong. The plethora of video formats mean that whatever type of video production you're doing, there's a good way to make it happen. Twenty years ago everybody was watching movies the same way - either on a screen via a projector, or on a television set. Today many, many more options exist and people are taking advantage of them all - from high-end HD video with surround sound shown in a top of the line home theater, to video streaming from a cellphone - video is everywhere and having a grasp of the various formats will ensure that your video gets where it needs to in the best way.
An Analogy

Trying to figure out exactly what containers and codecs are can be a little bewildering because it's a very technical subject. You can think of containers as a type of publication: a hardback book, a glossy magazine, a newspaper, a pamphlet, a gum wrapper - all of which can contain words and other things like photographs, or cartoons, and yet each one works in a different way. Think of the codec as the way of displaying the information you want in your publication. You can, for example, print War and Peace on Bazooka Joe bubble gum wrappers, but it will take thousands and thousands of them and nobody will want to read it that way; in the same way you can put your vacation footage on an uncompressed DV format, but you won't be able to stream it over the web. Similarly, you likely want your copy of War and Peace to be beautifully bound in hardback, but that's not the proper container for a takeout menu someone's going to shove in your mail slot. Words with drawings could properly be placed in a comic book, or a hardback book, or a newspaper, but the images in an art catalog or high-end fashion magazine require heavy-weight glossy paper to reproduce properly. Every video application has a proper codec and container. To add one more layer of complexity: both codecs and containers go in and out of style - so a format which was popular a few years ago, may be something few people are using today.

The green screen is the best way to make professional quality special effects in your home, quickly and cheaply. We'll give you the info you need to create green screen environments that will give your videos an extra punch.

Lossy vs Lossless Compression

Usually, when video data is compressed some of it is lost. Video compression software works by looking for redundancies in a frame (such as one bit of blue sky next to another bit of blue sky) and representing the redundancies together. At very high rates of compression this becomes obvious, but at lower rates it's difficult for people to notice. There arises a desire in every movie maker to try to use lossless formats, which preserve all the original data, but the compression ratios aren't good enough (yet) to make them practical. Choices at the moment are to use the highest quality compression available for your intended purpose and to have multiple versions of your files for multiple uses (i.e. one file for web-streaming, another for disk-based distribution, another for standard definition DVD, another for Blu-ray, etc.).

Edit and Distribute in the Highest Quality

The highest quality video format is going to be the format you captured your video in. While digital files do not degrade in quality during copying, every time they are compressed with a "lossy" compression they lose data, so converting your uncompressed DV formatted files even into a high quality MP4 will result in a loss of quality. While it's necessary to compress files in order to be able to share them, you should avoid re-compressing any more than you have to. Keep your master files in the original format; edit, and create versions at whatever sizes necessary - but always from the originals. Don't burn a DVD from a file that's already been compressed into a low resolution file for streaming over the internet, instead create a separate, high resolution, file from your editing software. A lot of the work in deciding how to compress video files can be done by your video editing software. Most consumer editing software today will have presets for various methods of distribution the software's video compressor will use, such as DVD or even iPhone video, - your DVD burning software could automatically know which format to use in order to make a DVD that will play on home theaters.

Containers
We'll take a look at some containers and then at some codecs. A video's file extension usually refers to the container. A few containers have codecs that they almost always use and other containers are often used with many different codecs.

Audio Video Interleave (.avi)
Developed by Microsoft and released with Windows 3.1 way back when false teeth were still made out of wood, AVI files have been a work horse of digital video. Although its popularity has been waning, lots of legacy video in AVI can be found all over the web. More recently, AVI has been abandoned for Microsoft's WMV (Windows Media Video).

One of the most maddening things about AVI today is that the format doesn't allow for specifying an aspect ratio, so a 16:9 AVI video may start displaying at 4:3 - this is less of a problem if your player allows you to manually select aspect ratios. If you're watching in the non-pro version of QuickTime though, you'll have to learn to live with people being unusually narrow.

Advanced Systems Format (.asf)
ASF is a proprietary Microsoft container that usually houses files compressed with Microsoft's WMV codec - to make things confusing, the files are usually designated .wmv and not .asf. The ASF container has the advantage over many other formats that it is able to include DRM (Digital Rights Management), a form of copy protection.

QuickTime (.mov or .qt)
QuickTime was developed by Apple and supports a wide variety of codecs. It's a proprietary format though and Apple decides what it supports.

Advanced Video Coding, High Definition (AVCHD)
AVCHD is a very popular container for data compressed with the H.264 - it comes to us through a collaboration between Sony and Panasonic as a format for digital camcorders. It's a file based format, meaning that it's meant to be stored and played back on disks or other storage devices (such as compact flash drives or SD cards). It supports both standard definition and a variety of high definition variants from 720 to 1080p. The latest version (AVCHD 2.0) also supports 3D as well as some high frame rates.

Flash Video (.flv, .swf)
Flash was originally created by a company called Macromedia which was acquired by Adobe in 2005. Flash has been around for a while and comes in multiple versions, some better than others. Older Flash video often uses the Sorenson codec, newer Flash uses H.264. It's an extremely widespread container format used for streaming video across the web. Its major downside is that it will not play on iOS devices such as iPads or iPhones, a conscious decision made by Apple CEO Steve Jobs who famously called Flash "buggy" and blamed it for problems with the Apple Operating System. Jobs opted to skip Flash support in the belief that the HTML5 standardization of video display would solve streaming problems. (HTML5 and the way it handles video are beyond the scope of this article, but you can read about it

Codecs that are Also Containers
As if things aren't confusing enough, some containers have codecs with the same name.

MPEG-1
MPEG-1 is used almost exclusively for Video Compact Disks (VCD), which are extraordinarily popular in some parts of the world but never caught on in the U.S. - the video quality is substantially lower than DVDs.

MPEG-2 (H.262)
MPEG-2 is a container format, but there is also a codec of the same name, which most people call H.262, so that it's not so confusing. Though a world where we call something H.262 is already more confusing than it ought to be. MPEG-2 is used for DVDs and pretty much nothing else with the exception of broadcast High Definition Television (HDTV).
Codecs

Windows Media Video (.wmv)
Once it was realized that the Internet was a delivery vehicle for things like video, people started trying to come up with ways to share video that wouldn't take up a lot of bandwidth and disk space. One of the big advances was the idea of "streaming video" - where your computer downloads only a part of a video and begins to play while the download continues - this means you don't have to wait two hours for a movie to download before you can start watching. Over the years the WMV format has grown to include support for high definition 720 and 1080 video. To make things complicated, files that end in .wmv are usually stored in an .asf container.

H.264
Not only do you need to call the MPEG-2 compression codec H.262, you have to keep from confusing it with H.264, which is used to compress Blu-ray disks as well as lots of web video. One of the very nice things about H.264 is that you can use it at very low and very high bitrates. The H.264 will send highly compressed low resolution video across the web and then happily encode your high definition movie at super high bitrates for delivery to a High Definition television. This is a very common codec for camcorders and digital video cameras. Its container is AVCHD.
Switching Between Formats

It's possible to convert video from one format to another by using a video format converter such as the Kigo Video Converter, which is available for both Macintosh and Windows for $40. If you do transfer your old AVI files to more popular MP4 files, remember that re-compression causes degradation, so don't delete the originals, archive them somewhere.

What's the best video format?
While there isn't one "best video format", there are best video formats for particular jobs. Things to be aware of when choosing a video format, apart from the intended audience, (Will they be watching video streaming over the Internet? Do they have a fast connection? Do they have a DVD player? Do they have a Blu-ray player?), are the longevity of the format and how widespread it's adoption. Flash, for example, is a very popular video format and its distributor, Adobe, will probably be around for a while. On the other hand, at the moment Flash doesn't play on Apple's popular iPad or iPhone. Currently, a good bet for a forward-looking, high-quality, versatile video format is H.264, aka, MPEG-4/AVC (Advanced Video Coding), though it really needs a better name. H.264 is supported by a number of important players including Microsoft, Apple and Adobe, though in early 2011 Google dropped support for H.264 from its Chrome browser citing the desire to use only open-source (i.e. non-patented, royalty free) standards.

Read 'YOU CAN NEGOTIATE ANYTHING'

2013-08-26T16:58:00.001+03:00

The truth is, we all need to be better influencers. Hardly a day passes that we don’t try to influence ourselves or others to do something different. We do our best to motivate employees to demonstrate more concern for profitability. We struggle to enable our teams to complete projects on time and on budget. In summary, we continually work on ways to exert
our influence, but we regularly fall short.

In fact, in spite of the fact that we’re routinely trying to help ourselves and others alter behavior, few of us can articulate a model of what it takes to do so. It’s time this changed.

Again, everyday, you negotiate for something: prestige, money, security, love. This straight-talking guide will show you how to get what you want by dealing successfully with your mate, your boss, your children, your best friends and even yourself.

As Herb Cohen counsels, "Power is based upon perception; if you think you've got it then you've got it. Be patient, be personal, be informed-- and you can bargain successfully for anything." Based on his book that spent over nine months on the New York Times bestseller list, the author presents specific guidelines, personal anecdotes and practical advice drawn from his three decades of successful negotiating experience. Here is a wealth of information and the motivation that you need to succeed.

By knowing how to negotiate, you will be able to to successfully lead change initiatives in your organization, transform corporate culture, reduce errors and project failures, diagnose the real causes behind problems and create real solutions, and plant influence across the organization, family, business- with or without formal authority.

Read 'YOU CAN NEGOTIATE ANYTHING' and practice!

How To Probe for More Information from your Client

2012-10-26T16:59:00.002+03:00

The art of probing or rather questioning someone, requires you occasionally to get into deeper detail about some particular issue or problem. You must also spot the signals they are sending that there is more here than meets the immediate eye.

Before you begin probing (in this case a client), you need a road map, and the only way to get that information is to extract it from your 'initial' conversations. Unfortunately, if you come right out and ask, it can sound like you're being nosy and, worst case, you can end up sounding like a police interrogator.

These are some steps to put in consideration when probing:

Do your research. Never ask a client a question that you can get answered somewhere else.

Ask creative questions. To keep the conversation from sounding like an interrogation, sprinkle it with questions that have built-in, positive assumptions.

Listen. Really listen. Listening is not a part of questioning; questioning is a part of listening. Listening -- completely and intently -- shows respect for the contact's knowledge and provides an opportunity for the contact to expound upon his or her experience. The more carefully you listen, the more you'll learn.

When seeking more detail from your client, there are a number of types probes you can use, depending on what they are saying and what you want to discover. Remember... you do get what you ask for!

Here are some probing questions:

1. Seek for Clarification

When they use vague or unclear language, or when you just need more detail, seek to further understand them by asking for clarification. What exactly did you mean by 'XXX'? What, specifically, will you do next week? Could you tell me more about YY?

2. Purpose

Sometimes they say things where the purpose of why they said it is not clear. Ask them to justify their statement or dig for underlying causes. Why did you say that? What were you thinking about when you said XX?

3. Relevance

If they seem to be going off-topic, you can check whether what they are saying is relevant or salient to the main purpose of inquiry. Is that relevant to the main question? How is what you are saying related to what I asked?

4. Completeness and accuracy

You can check that they are giving you a full and accurate account by probing for more detail and checking against other information you have. Sometimes people make genuine errors (and sometimes deliberate), which you may want to check. Is that all? Is there anything you have missed out? How do you know that is true? How does that compare with what you said before?

5. Repetition

One of the most effective ways of getting more detail is simply by asking the same question again. You can use the same words or you can rephrase the question (perhaps they did not fully understand it first time).

Where did you go?... What places did you visit? You can also repeat what they have said ('echo question'), perhaps with emphasis on the area where you want more detail. He asked you to marry him??

6. Examples

When they talk about something vaguely, you may ask for specific examples. This is particularly useful in interviews, where you want to test both their truthfulness and the depth behind what they are claiming.

Sorry, I don't understand. Could you help by giving an example? Could you give me an example of when you did XXX? Tell me about a time when you ...

7. Extension

When they have not given you enough information about something, ask them to tell you more.

Could you tell me more about that, please? And what happened after that? Then...

8. Evaluation

To discover both how judgmental they are and how they evaluate, use question that seek evaluation:

How good would you say it is? How do you know it is worthless? What are the pros and cons of this situation?

9. Emotional

Particularly if they are talking in the third person or otherwise unemotionally and you want to find out how they feel, you can ask something like: And how did you feel about that?

When you do this, do be careful: you may have just asked a cathartic question that results in them exploding with previously-suppressed emotion.

Asking questions is a fundamental part of finding information and for subtle (and otherwise) persuasion. Use positive words and be energetic and enthusiastic in your delivery, as you need to motivate someone to consider the questions you are asking. Ideally you want to inspire them to respond in a likewise manner and to open up the call into a conversation rather than a set of questions and answers.

Again, use your voice to project professional confidence as your client needs to have confidence in you. Always write down what you want to say and recite this so that you are prepared. Attention should be given to ensuring that conversations are natural and not forced. Listen to what your client has to say and link the answers into the next question.

GRAMMAR for Television and Film enthusiasts

2012-08-09T12:29:00.000+03:00

Television and film use certain common guidelines in audiovisual media often referred to as the GRAMMAR to convey meaning through particular camera and editing techniques.

Grammar of the Shot helps you learn how to use the basic grammar of making films and videos. Designed as an easy-to-use reference, this book shows you in no uncertain terms what you absolutely need to know to put together your own film or video, shot by shot. Whether you are just learning how to frame a shot, or if you just need a refresher, this book gives you a basic toolkit of how to build a successful visual story that flows smoothly. Grammar of the Shot begins with an explanation of the essential visual language of film-making. The book takes you from the basic shape of a shot, to different types to shots, to composition of visual elements within each frame. You will be given the basic building blocks essential for successful shot composition, shot lighting, screen direction, 3D elements, camera movement, and many general practices that make for a richer, and not least multi-layered visual presentations.

Most importantly, you will be given crucial background information to expand your visual vocabulary and help jump-start your career in film and video. Each topic is covered succinctly and is accompanied by clear photographs and diagrams that illustrate the key concepts presented in the book. Grammar of the Shot is simple, elegant, and easy to use with clear overview of the principles of shooting... timeless information that will improve your work.

Together with its companion volume Grammar of the Edit, these little books are all the beginning filmmaker needs. If you want to get to grips with the editing, either in film or video, this book sets down, in a simple uncomplicated way, the fundamental knowledge you will need to make a good edit between two shots. Its intended primarily for the trainee to the craft of editing, Grammar of the Edit, is embedded in basic, jargon-free, language, illustrated by easy to follow diagrams. The book explains in simple terms the fundamental components of an edit. It lists, examines and explains the conventions and working practices of post-production editing and has been extensively class-tested globally.

Both Grammar of the Shot and Grammar of the Edit are a must have for every filmmaker’s reference library.

CD and DVD Burning Guide

2012-03-30T16:53:00.001+03:00

Nero StartSmart: an example of CD abd DVD burning software

To avoid burning unusable, unplayable, incompatible or defective discs observe the following:

Use high quality media. Defects in the media like scratches, scuffs, stains, contamination, defects in the plastic, will cause defects in your written disc.
Keep your hands off the disc... or at least the underside of the disc. Fingerprints or dirt on the bottom of the disc can cause distortion of the writing or reading laser.
Keep your discs dust-free.
Never wipe discs in a circle.
Plan your burn - figure out what kind of disc you want to make. If you want to make the disc playable in an audio CD player, you can’t format it as a ROM (data) disc. If you want a DVD to play in DVD Video players, you can’t format it as a DVD-ROM.
Burn using Disc-at-Once mode whenever practical. Track-At-Once mode is meant to help avoid buffer underruns on slower computers, but causes overlapping sectors in between tracks called "link transitions".
Turn off other programs, including screen savers. If you have problems with buffer underruns, you should choose a slower writing speed. You should also turn off virus protection software. For the best results, don’t run any other programs while you are burning.
Keep your hard disks defragmented. While this is a good idea for better PC performance in general, it is an especially good idea for people who do a lot of audio or video editing, or other multimedia production. If your hard disk is highly fragmented, it will have to seek to many sections in order to read and write each file. This will slow down the transfer rate of data to and from the hard drive, and it could cause buffer underruns when burning.
While higher speed recording saves time and generally results in great discs, slower speed recordings may give you your best chance for a higher quality disc, with lower error rates.
Always use a felt-tip marker to write on the top of your recordable discs. Never use a ball-point pen, or roller ball pen. These pens could damage the recording layer, which is just beneath the printed top layer.
Don’t leave open sessions. Unless you are storing data in increments to a recordable disc (using multi-session recording), you should "finalize" your recording. This will allow your burning software program to write a lead-out to the end of your session. This is necessary for compatibility with audio CD players.

CDs and DVDs

2012-03-30T16:29:00.000+03:00

Blank CDs on display

CD is short for compact disc. DVD initially stood for digital video disc, then digital versatile disc, but today the term DVD is often used without referring to a specific set of words. Both CDs and DVDs are optical media, meaning media that use light technology (more specifically, laser light) for data retrieval. A disc drive focuses a laser light beam into the CD or DVD to “read” the bits (data) in the disc. The drive can also “write” bits by focusing the laser beam into recordable CDs or DVDs. The laser reads and writes data starting from the center of the disc and proceeding in a spiral direction toward the outer edge. A pre-groove is stamped in all blank recordable and rewritable CDs and DVDs to guide the laser as it writes.

Usability

Optical discs are differentially identified to designate specific features such as recordability, rewritability, and accessibility. For example, CD-R, DVD-R, and DVD+R discs are dye-based recordable (write-once) discs—i.e., recordable but not erasable. CD-RW, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW discs are phase-change based, recordable, (rewritable) discs, or discs that permit the erasing of earlier information and the recording of new material in the same location on the disc. DVD-RAM discs are phase-change based, recordable (rewritable) discs formatted for random access, much like a computer hard drive. CD-ROM and DVD-ROM discs are pressed and molded, nonrecordable, read-only discs.

Used DVDs on display.

CDs and DVDs consist of the same basic materials and layers but are manufactured differently. A DVD is actually like two thin CDs glued together. A CD is read from and written to (by laser) on one side only; a DVD can be read from or written to on one or both sides, depending on how the disc was manufactured. Recordable DVDs (DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM) can be manufactured with one recording layer on each side. Prerecorded DVDs (DVD-ROM) can be manufactured with one or two recorded layers on each side.

CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW. DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM discs can become unusable in a matter of days. If such a disc is left in an environment that allows direct sunlight and extreme heat buildup (e.g., on the dashboard of a car in summertime, or next to a heater by a window), the organic dye or phase-changing film that holds the data will degrade quickly, causing the disc to become unreadable. A disc is not protected from the effects of heat buildup if left in a case that is exposed to direct sunlight or

other sources of heat. Extreme heat buildup can also cause warping of the disc.

Direct sunlight to R discs is harmful for two reasons: The sunlight’s ultraviolet photons (the higher frequency of the sunlight spectrum) have enough energy to produce a photochemical reaction, altering the optical properties of the dye (recording layer) molecules. The broad spectrum of unfiltered sunlight, infrared to ultraviolet (low frequency to high), can impart heat to the disc. The increased temperature generated by sunlight will accelerate the degradation or breakdown of the dye layer (recording layer) of the disc. The combination of high temperature and high relative humidity will further accelerate that degradation.

Scratches generally cross data lines or tracks on the disc, and how bad (deep and wide) they are will determine the extent of interference with laser focus on the data. Small or occasional scratches will likely have little or no effect on the ability of the laser to read the disc, because the data are far enough below the surface of the disc that the laser is focused beyond the scratch.

Choosing the best writing speed

Choosing a higher writing speed will result in a faster disc burn, but the optical quality may be lower (less reflective). If the reflectivity is too low to be accurately read when the CD is played back, it may skip or contain unwanted audio artifacts such as squeaking and clicking sounds. For optimal results burn at the media's rated speed.

New age DVDs; the HD-DVD and Blue-ray Disc

New age DVDs

DVD is still very successful, and will definitely be around for some time. With the introduction of HD-DVD and Blue-ray Discs and their respective media, large media content of upto 25GB on single-layer, and 50GB dual-layer can be stored. Blu-ray and HD-DVD both employ Blue Laser technology which has a much shorter wavelength than the red laser technology used in current DVD). Blu-ray and HD-DVD enables a disc the size of a current DVD disc but, which has much greater storage capacity than a standard DVD, to hold an entire film at HDTV resolution or allow the consumer to record two hours of high definition video content.

New Media Technology in Education

2012-03-30T11:49:00.000+03:00

Examples of applications for New-media technology.

There have been advance improvements in media technology and that has affected immensely on the way we interact, the way we get information, communicate, and the conduct business. More so traditional teaching methods are giving way to new educational approaches as the use of this technology in the classrooms is becoming more widespread.

New media technology is any type of application meant to transfer information via digital techniques, computerized systems or data networks. The forms of this technology are interactive and contain compressed data designed to be accessed in a variety of markets. Wikipedia refers new media as the on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community formation around the media content.

Creation of media content, its publishing, distribution and consumption is nowadays extensive beyond imagination with increasing real-time generation of new, unregulated content.New media does not include television programs, feature films, magazines, books, or paper-based publications; unless they contain technologies that enable digital interactivity.

Interactive media must be interactive and easy to and track responses.

As technologies advance, we use these emerging tools to our advantage. Each technology provides potential benefits to help people learn, but at what cost? The changes in how we learn with new technologies can have both positive and negative effects on our ability to learn and on the educational systems at large.

Social networking sites allow students to explore their interests on a global scale and discuss their interests with a wider range of people. By adding some self development skills through the new media can boost oneself towards success. Facebook is an example of the social media model, in which most users are also participants. This has huge implications for self-learning, as information and resources are much more available than they were previously. However, for students that aren’t skilled at evaluating different content, it can be hard for them to sort through various resources to find accurate and useful information.

It’s not so rare anymore nowadays for entire courses and degree programs to be offered online, where educators and students are using a wide variety of tools to work within these new virtual learning environments.

Find a want and fill it

2012-01-12T12:38:00.001+03:00

"The most common mistake entrepreneurs make as they develop their ideas is they take an inward view. Instead of exploring what people may need, they focus on what they themselves want to do. It’s a simple trap. A common mistake. And it’s deadly." Rob Spiegel

Truth is, follow this “find a need and fill it” advice and you are inviting commodity pricing.

Think about it…

People NEED to get their roof repaired … but they WANT on-time, courteous service, clean workers and a guarantee their roof won’t leak again.

People NEED a computer network set up … but they WANT someone who understands their business, will suggest things to make it run smoother before a breakdown prompts it, and won’t make them feel stupid by talking geek to them.
People NEED to have a cavity filled … but they WANT to look good and have a pain-free experience in a friendly office with warm people.

People price shop for what they need, and even that makes them grumpy.

People pay premium prices for what they want, and they love it.
Go to an Apple Store. Play marketing anthropologist. Really observe the people. You’ll “get it” in less than an hour.
Service business, retail business, business-to-business, whatever your business… if your business struggles with commodity pricing or if you have to “justify” your price more than once in a blue moon … betcha an iPhone (ahem, another example) you are focusing on what your customers or clients need, and aren’t paying attention to what they want. And that makes them begin to not want you.

Forget find a need and fill it.
Find a want, touch your market … and lead a movement.

Cashflow Quadrant: Robert Toru Kiyosaki

2011-01-27T16:27:00.001+03:00

Have you read the Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki? Get yourself a copy right away its a must read!

In the last three months I read three books this been the third and I tell you, its one thing to be an employee in one sense, and to be an investor in another. In-fact it’s a book whose time had come in recognizing where i am coming from and where i want to go. This is the rich dad's guide to financial freedom.

Robert Kiyosaki is an American investor, businessman, self-help author and motivational speaker, best known for his Rich Dad Poor Dad series of motivational books and other material published under the Rich Dad brand. In Cashflow Quantrant he vividly explains the different money types of people and how we can go about becoming a different type if we so desire.

In his book the Cashflow Quadrant he specifies where our primary source of income comes from. There is the Employee who works for income; there are the Self-employed who work for themselves for income; there is the Businessperson who gets income from his businesses and then there is the Investor whose money works for him and brings him more income. There might be some confusion as to the difference between the Self-employed and a Business person and Robert Kiyosaki states it thus: "...true B's can leave their business for a year or more and return to find their businesses more profitable and running better than when they left it." So the Businessperson develops systems and the Self-employed are the system.

Does this diagram say something about you?

Robert Kiyosaki goes on to explain the seven levels of investors in the world. They are:

Those with nothing to invest. They spend everything they get or more than they get.

Borrowers. They borrow from one creditor to pay another.

Savers. These people put aside money regularly to consume later and they pay cash for everything.

"Smart" investors. These investors know that they must invest. There is three categories in here: A - I can't be bothered; B - Cynic: They know why investment won't work; C - The Gambler: They "invest" because it is the smart thing to do, but they don't bother with the details and often end up gambling on these investments.

Long-term investors. They are actively involved in their own investment decisions and are aware of the tax consequences of their investments. They are not big-time investors but know where they are going in the long term.

Sophisticated investors. These are the people that can afford 'riskier' investments because they have good money habits and a solid financial base. They are clear on their own principles and rules of investments.

Capitalists. These are the people that use other people's money and other people's time and create their own investments.

As you become a better investor you move up in these levels till the stage where you can call yourself a capitalist. In terms of the quadrants, a level six will be a businessperson that sells the business as an investment.

I say it's time to get smarter with Robert Toru Kiyosaki. it's time to get smarter with your money.

Source: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/robert-kiyosaki/index.htm

Camera: Digital or Film?

2010-11-22T12:41:00.000+03:00

A variety of digital cameras

In our earlier write up on "headache printing digital photos" we highlighted three simple steps to getting better prints for your digital photos: 1. Printer settings 2. Resolution of image and 3. Paper quality. Today is about digital cameras over film, and both pros and cons of digital cameras. Digital cameras offer many conveniences that you cannot get with film. Digicamguides.com affirms digital cameras offer more flexibility than film cameras, but require some computer savvy to use. Here is how:

Pros of Digital Cameras
Instant Feedback: Right after you take a photograph with a digital camera, you can see the photo you just took displayed. No more worrying if you got the shot or not, no more portraits of people with their eyes closed. Take the shot and see. If you don't like what you see, take another.

No Film: Digital cameras store photographs digitally, using removable cards. You can purchase a single photo storage card that will allow you to take about 360 photographs. That's 15 rolls of film, if a roll is 24 photos! Most of these cards are about the size of a postage stamp or a stick of gum. What would you rather carry with you on your next vacation? A stick of gum, or 15 rolls of film?

No Prints: Store all the photos you take on your computer and only print the ones you really like. You'll never have to bay for badly exposed photos again.

Volume: With digital cameras this is not a problem. You can take as many shots as you want as well as deleting them.

Portability: Many digital cameras are designed to be extremely portable. Since they don't need space to accommodate film, they can be very compact and lightweight.

Easy Sharing: Digital cameras are a great way to share photographs with friends and family who do not live nearby.

Drawbacks to Digital Cameras
Complexity: Digital cameras are small computers that take photographs. Even the fairly simple ones come with many buttons, menus, options and settings. Camera manufacturers like to boast that their camera has more features than their competitor's. More features means controls that you will have to learn.

Home Computer: The idea behind digital photography is that you can take thousands of photographs, review them on your computer first and then decide what you want to print.

Computing Power: Photographs created by digital cameras create large computer files. If you have a small hard drive, you will fill it up in an instant. A slow computer can make the process of viewing photos frustrating.

Fast Internet Connection: The easiest way to share your photos with others is to upload them to the Internet. Uploading digital photos can be a slow and time-consuming process.

Cost: Digital cameras store photographs on small removable cards. You still have to pay the initial card cost.

Battery Life: If you own a film camera now, you may have had to change the batteries once in 5 years. Digital camera batteries will be drained in a week if you take lots of photos. Rechargeable batteries are a necessity.

Today professional photographers are switching from their older film-fed cameras to newer, higher quality and better working digital SLR cameras. Such digital SLR cameras are actually changing the way the world of photography works forever, and in a good way.

Great Photography Tips

2010-11-17T13:03:00.001+03:00

Interested in learning photography techniques? Read on. Whether its fashion photography, sports photography, wedding photography, travel photography, stock photography, studio lighting, or even digital darkroom, these insight from Kodak.com covers the basics of photography you might want to learn about.

1. Look your subject in the eye

Direct eye contact can be as engaging in a picture as it is in real life. When taking a picture of someone, hold the camera at the person's eye level to unleash the power of those magnetic gazes and mesmerizing smiles. For children, that means stooping to their level. And your subject need not always stare at the camera. All by itself that eye level angle will create a personal and inviting feeling that pulls you into the picture.

2. Use a plain background
A plain background shows off the subject you are photographing. When you look through the camera viewfinder, force yourself to study the area surrounding your subject. Make sure no poles grow from the head of your favorite niece and that no cars seem to dangle from her ears.

3. Use flash outdoors
Bright sun can create unattractive deep facial shadows. Eliminate the shadows by using your flash to lighten the face. When taking people pictures on sunny days, turn your flash on. You may have a choice of fill-flash mode or full-flash mode. If the person is within five feet, use the fill-flash mode; beyond five feet, the full-power mode may be required. With a digital camera, use the picture display panel to review the results. On cloudy days, use the camera's fill-flash mode if it has one. The flash will brighten up people's faces and make them stand out. Also take a picture without the flash, because the soft light of overcast days sometimes gives quite pleasing results by itself.

4. Move in close
If your subject is smaller than a car, take a step or two closer before taking the picture and zoom in on your subject. Your goal is to fill the picture area with the subject you are photographing. Up close you can reveal telling details, like a sprinkle of freckles or an arched eyebrow. But don't get too close or your pictures will be blurry. The closest focusing distance for most cameras is about three feet, or about one step away from your camera. If you get closer than the closest focusing distance of your camera (see your manual to be sure), your pictures will be blurry.

5. Move it from the middle
Center-stage is a great place for a performer to be. However, the middle of your picture is not the best place for your subject. Bring your picture to life by simply moving your subject away from the middle of your picture. Start by playing tick-tack-toe with subject position. Imagine a tick-tack-toe grid in your viewfinder. Now place your important subject at one of the intersections of lines. You'll need to lock the focus if you have an auto-focus camera because most of them focus on whatever is in the center of the viewfinder.

6. Lock the focus
If your subject is not in the center of the picture, you need to lock the focus to create a sharp picture. Most auto-focus cameras focus on whatever is in the center of the picture. But to improve pictures, you will often want to move the subject away from the center of the picture. If you don't want a blurred picture, you'll need to first lock the focus with the subject in the middle and then recompose the picture so the subject is away from the middle. Usually you can lock the focus in three steps. First, center the subject and press and hold the shutter button halfway down. Second, reposition your camera (while still holding the shutter button) so the subject is away from the center. And third, finish by pressing the shutter button all the way down to take the picture.

7. Know your flash's range
The number one flash mistake is taking pictures beyond the flash's range. Why is this a mistake? Because pictures taken beyond the maximum flash range will be too dark. For many cameras, the maximum flash range is less than fifteen feet—about five steps away. What is your camera's flash range? Look it up in your camera manual. Can't find it? Then don't take a chance. Position yourself so subjects are no farther than ten feet away. Film users can extend the flash range by using Kodak Max versatility or versatility plus film.

8. Watch the light

Next to the subject, the most important part of every picture is the light. It affects the appearance of everything you photograph. On a great-grandmother, bright sunlight from the side can enhance wrinkles. But the soft light of a cloudy day can subdue those same wrinkles. Don't like the light on your subject? Then move yourself or your subject. For landscapes, try to take pictures early or late in the day when the light is orangish and rakes across the land

9. Take some vertical pictures

Is your camera vertically challenged? It is if you never turn it sideways to take a vertical picture. All sorts of things look better in a vertical picture. From a lighthouse near a cliff to the Eiffel Tower to your four-year-old niece jumping in a puddle. So next time out, make a conscious effort to turn your camera sideways and take some vertical pictures.

10. Be a picture director

Take control of your picture-taking and watch your pictures dramatically improve. Become a picture director, not just a passive picture-taker. A picture director takes charge. A picture director picks the location. A picture director adds props. A picture director arranges people.

Take charge of your pictures and win your own best picture awards.

Source http://www.kodak.com; http://www.digitalslrcameras360.com/

Panoramic Photography

2010-10-26T20:17:00.003+03:00

Panoramic photos were the realm of the professional with the time and funds to create gorgeous super wide angle shots. In the digital age, it’s not only simple to create panoramic images on your home computer, it has become increasingly easier thanks to advances in software.

Beautiful Tokyo at night

This is a technique of photography, using specialized equipment or software, that captures images with elongated fields of view. It is sometimes known as wide format photography. The term has also been applied to a photograph that is cropped to a relatively wide aspect ratio. While there is no formal division between "wide-angle" and "panoramic" photography, "wide angle" normally refers to a type of lens, but this lens type does not necessarily image a panorama. An image made with an ultra wide angle fisheye lens covering the normal film frame of 1:1.33 is not automatically considered to be a panorama.

Taking panaromas can be fun. Find yourself a nice scene, and work along the bits you want , in rows or columns. Most software wants about 20% overlap at each side. The software should help fix exposure variations for you, but it will help a lot to avoid wide variations in brightness. Take care to hold the camera still and level - a tripod will help greatly, but a steady hand can work just fine. If you do have a digital camera, review the images before leaving the scene!

Panoramic Tokyo by night

Try and avoid things being very close to the camera - this will make any camera movement between shots VERY obvious, and ruin the results. Remember to rotate around the camera position, not just turn in a circle holding the camera. Unless you have a VERY good flash, avoid this when taking panoramas - any unevenness will be VERY obvious in the blended images. Windy days can cause problems, as trees, flags, and other things bend in the wind and change position. I was pleasantly surprised that ripples on water do not seem to have this problem - both the packages I have used can make effective joins on water, without obvious blurring or other soft image effect.

It's a shame to spoil a sequence of 24 images because your finger was over the lens for 1 of them! If you really want that photo, try taking two complete sets of images - perhaps with different overlap areas. This is particularly recommended if circumstances are difficult, e.g. bad light, long exposures, many moving people. Experience it.

Headache Printing Digital Photos?

2010-09-13T10:34:00.000+03:00


Tana River at dawn. Tana is the longest river in Kenya.

There are three simple steps to getting better prints for your digital photos: 1. Printer settings 2. Resolution of image and 3. Paper quality. Done.

1. Printer Settings

Printer setting is also important factor in image result, but these setting almost same with the all printers, for example Paper size, printing mode (EconoMode for save toner), printing quality (Best Quality, Faster Printing and Custom) and color management.

2. Resolution of Image

The important factor to get a quality print, the DPI of the an image. DPI stand for numbers of dots of ink per inch that will appear on the page in both directions (Vertically and horizontally), for example 600X700 dpi. If you are going to print simple text or image then 300 dpi is best and for higher quality text or image your choice for image resolution should be 600 dpi. But if you are working with professional image quality then set dpi up to 2400.

3. Paper Quality

Paper quality playing a vital role in printing an images. Specially printer manufactures designed paper to be used with the ink in your printer. You should consider some qualities in paper like page size, paper color and its weight.

Stereoscopic 3D

2010-09-01T14:10:00.002+03:00

Three-dimensional (3D) viewing means that you perceive depth, and distance, but the cues are abundant in 2D images, especially the moving ones. People use ‘3D’ as shorthand for ‘stereoscopic’, which means different images delivered to the left and right eyes.

Japan does not like the 3D technology
as much as the rest of the world

Nikkei, a Japan company conducted a survey where over 8957 Japanese consumers were asked about the new 3D technology. Remarkably, 70% of those asked stated that they have no plans of buying a new 3DTV.

Tomsguide.com enlightens us that 3D television is not what we think it is and that there is no magic trick when it comes to how 3D technology actually works. 3D’s goal is to trick your binocular-based brain into thinking that the 2D images you are viewing actually contain depth. Today, there are a growing number of techniques to produce and display 3D television. But now that the secret is out, the most common 3D technology used today is stereoscopic.
Erez Ben-Ari, a journalist and technology guru who has worked in the high-tech industry for over a decade says “our brain is programmed to automatically diagnose this slight difference, and unconsciously judge the distance the object is based on the amount of shift it notices.”

Mitsubishi's new Blu-ray players can make any 2D movie 3D

3D glasses produce
stereoscopic or 3-D imaging

Our ability to feel the world around us in three dimensions is based on the fact that we have two eyes, and they are placed next to each other. This distance causes the images captured by the eyes to have a vertical shift relative to each other. This is easy to notice if you look at something, and alternate closing one your eyes. The closer an object is, the bigger the horizontal shift will be.

With 3D movies and photos, the photographer uses two cameras that are placed adjacent to each other, similar to how our eyes are. Its the same concept in taken from 3D glasses Mitsubishi Company is now making High-definition video much more realistic by making it 3D.

3D imagery has been around for ages. The current incarnation of digital-quality 3D photography, combined with high-quality and distortion free viewing technologies, is finally mature enough to warrant an industry-wide technology and mindset switch.

Generation Y or is it Why?

2010-08-25T17:36:00.001+03:00

Today Generation Y is catapulting the world ahead.

Generation Y according to Wikipedia, is also known as the Millennial Generation, Generation Next or Net Generation. Itdescribes the demographic cohort following. Its members are often referred to as Millennials or Echo Boomers. This generation generally represents an increase in births from the 1980s and 90s, not because of a significant increase in birthrates, but because the large cohort of baby boomers began to have children. The world has really changed!

The members of this generation are a direct reflection on the numerous and profound changes in daily life within the past couple decades. Its the first to grow up with computers at home and school, they have also been introduced to reality television and cell phones.

Please read why recruiting and retaining Generation Y will become more and more important over the next few years. As the first generation with easy access to the Internet, members of Generation Y have grown up in a socially and politically turbulent era full of media bombardment leading to an intelligent and technologically savvy generation with many ideas and more opportunities than previous age groups.

In an almost unanimous response from students, technology is what has most affected Generation Y. This generation has grown up surrounded by technology in a digitally-driven world.

Generation Y is even more questioning, causing it to be referred to as Generation Why? For instance when a manager goes to them and says, 'Do this,' they'll ask, 'Why?' If they're not used to it, they may take it as insubordination and cockiness. Unbelievable.

Read how Generation Y heavily dependent on technology, promotes laziness - Features

Its an interesting read.

Interns Deserve a Great Time.

2010-08-19T11:20:00.004+03:00

Oh Yes. Interns deserve a great time with you.

Most interns have a hard time coping and managing themselves with their new place of work. We all know that internships are most effective if the experience begins with an orientation to the work site.

When interns come on board, it’s crucial to have them tour the office with you. Introduce fellow workers, colleagues, upper-level management, or to anyone who you interact with daily. Explain your department goals, functions, services, and procedures.

It is necessary to clarify and be upfront about the expectations and role of the intern. Discuss of learning goals and specific projects for both your department and organization. Determine the intern’s work schedule so that they are well acquainted with the expectations you have. Pinpoint times where the student may need to focus on exams.

Establish this relationship with these young professionals whether they come from outside or inside the organization. Effective on boarding of new team members is one of the most important contributions any hiring manager or professional can make to long-term success. If this done right it drives the young professional's productivity, accelerates results, and significantly improves talent retention. Yet few organizations manage interns well.

I got news for you, interns deserve a great time with you. You never know!

The Tower and The Cloud

2010-06-18T15:55:00.002+03:00

This is a New EDUCAUSE e-Book. The emergence of the networked information economy is unleashing two powerful forces. On one hand, easy access to high-speed networks is empowering individuals. People can now discover and consume information resources and services globally from their homes. Further, new social computing approaches are inviting people to share in the creation and edification of information on the Internet.

Empowerment of the individual—or consumerization—is reducing the individual's reliance on traditional brick-and-mortar institutions in favor of new and emerging virtual ones. Second, ubiquitous access to high-speed networks along with network standards, open standards and content, and techniques for virtualizing hardware, software, and services is making it possible to leverage scale economies in unprecedented ways. What appears to be emerging is industrial-scale computing—a standardized infrastructure for delivering computing power, network bandwidth, data storage and protection, and services.

Consumerization and industrialization beg the question "Is this the end of the middle?"; that is, what will be the role of "enterprise" IT in the future? Indeed, the bigger question is what will become of all of our intermediating institutions? This volume examines the impact of IT on higher education and on the IT organization in higher education.

Enjoy the read.

Life in 2050

2010-06-16T13:24:00.007+03:00

What picture do you have of the future? Will life in the future be better, worse or the same as now? What do you hope about the future?

Futurologists predict that life will probably be very different in 2050 in all the fields of activity, from entertainment to technology.

First of all, it seems that TV channels will have disappeared by 2050. Instead, people will choose a programme from a 'menu' and a computer will send the programme directly to the television.

Today, we can use the World Wide Web to read newspaper stories and see pictures on a computer thousands of kilometers away. By 2050, music, films, programmes, newspapers and books will come to us by computer.

Then, 'Holographic Feedback TV' will have arrived. Holograms are pictures that have height, width and depth kind of 3d.

Simple holograms exist today and 'virtual reality' games are already popular. By 2050, we will be able to see, smell and touch the things that we see on television.

In what concerns the environment, water will have become one of our most serious problems. In many places, agriculture is changing and they are growing fruit and vegetables to export. This uses a lot of water. Demand for water will increase ten times between now and 2050 and there could be serious shortages. Some futurologists predict that water could be the cause of war if we don't act now.

In transport, cars will run on new, clean fuels and they will go very fast. Cars will have computers to control the speed of the car and there won't be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination. On the other hand, space planes will take people halfway around the world in two hours. Nowadays, the United States Shuttle can go into space and land on Earth again. By 2050, space planes will fly all over the world and people will fly from Los Angels to Tokyo in just two hours.

In the domain of technology, robots will have replaced people in factories. Many factories already use robots. Big companies prefer robots because they do not ask for pay rises or go on strike, and they work 24 hours a day. By 2050, we will see robots everywhere in factories, schools, offices, hospitals, shops and homes.

Last but not least, medicine technology will have conquered many diseases. Today, there are electronic devices that connect directly to the brain to help people hear. By 2050, we will be able to help blind and deaf people see again and hear again. Scientists have discovered how to control genes. They have already produced clones of animals. By 2050, scientists will be able to produce clones of people and decide how they look, how they behave and how much intelligence they have. Scientists will be able to do these things - but should they?

How will life in 2050 be like? This article is written by Cristina Nuta for FamousWhy.com. The image is on the Future Life Experience Museum in China.

What’s Web 2.0?

2010-05-26T19:40:00.012+03:00

The term "Web 2.0" is commonly associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the internet. A Web 2.0 site allows its users to interact with each other as contributors to the website's content, in contrast to websites where users are limited to the passive viewing of information that is provided to them.

Examples of Web 2.0 include web-based communities, hosted services, web applications, social-networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, and blogs among many other forms.

Are you really taking full advantage of the Web 2.0? We all know that no matter what image a a company, you or your splendid profiles tries to project, it's made up of ordinary people with personalities, insecurities and lives. But because the marketing and public relations, teams work so hard to polish, control and package a company's image, the public ordinarily sees none of that human side.

On the flipside when a firm or your impressive profiles embraces the possibilities of Web 2.0, it makes contact with its public in a more casual, less sanitized way that, as a result, is accepted with much less cynicism. Web 2.0 offers a direct, more trusted line of communications than anything that came before it.

Today Web 2.0 companies make the user enjoy blogging, download, email the RSS feeds, and so on. Such benefits give an excitement quotient to the online experience. Many companies claim to provide web 2.0 applications that have better interactivity, easy usability, and adjust better to changing trends. You can also get many 2.0 websites links to your website. It has been seen that web 2.0 sites get higher rankings in search engines, especially in Google. Web 2.0 gives long term business advantages to its user, whether it's a traditional business or a new business process.

The success of web 2.0 is highly dependent on how efficient the site is in picking the newer forms of business models, new online communities, and joint processes.

The Web 2.0 benefits according to http://ezinearticles.com/ Web 2.0 provides a web platform that is highly functional in obtaining and implementing sales strategies. Web 2.0 development also enables better use of the core enterprise application.

You can make use of semantic tagging technology that can raise the navigation of internal and external web pages, thereby leading to increased sales of products/services. For greater employee satisfaction and collaboration within the organization web 2.0 can be utilized to its best, creating waves of networking achievement stories.

EzineArticles emphasize that it effectively targets the marketing resources, hastens the product development life cycle, and gives apt feedback of the new products.

Web 2.0 uses its users and bloggers for establishing a positive image and creating positive publicity among the masses. It makes the Internet marketing a compulsory process so that your marketing budget is used to its best.

Web 2.0 tremendously improves the quality of social interaction for anyone across the globe. Here, views, experiences, recipes, thoughts, comments, etc are easily exchanged. Another cool advantage is you can post photos, guest books, albums, how-to guides, maps for planning traveling that are interactive in nature, etcetera!

Mastering New Media

2010-05-18T15:37:00.009+03:00

Jason Van Orden says mastering new media is the GetPAID Business Model for making money through the internet. He also emphasis that the best business plans can be written on a napkin.

He uses a very simple plan and model but it pays a great deal: (P) – Pinpoint your market (A) – Attract a loyal community (I) – Identify what they want most (D) – Deliver the solution as premium content.

Lets explore what new media.

New media is a term meant to encompass the emergence of digital, computerized, or networked information and communication technologies in the later part of the 20th century. Most technologies described as "new media" are digital, often having characteristics of being manipulated, networkable, dense, compressible, interactive and impartial and all us today are in one way or the other very much involved. Its what I prefer to call online content.

What you need today is New Media for that success you have been longing for.

New Media provides many benefits to end-users. It has a High impact with a potentially sensual and compelling interactive experience through the use of spoken word, animation, graphics and video.

There is Freedom of choice through interactivity. Users like to feel in control and not be forced down a particular route. We like to browse. Usefulness because users value quality information delivered in a properly organised and easily understood fashion.

New Media provides Instant availability from the desktop PC, or increasingly, the laptop, or even WAP phone or Pocket PC. It also provides many benefits for those who commission them.

There is provisions for Effectiveness, which is doubled by using sight and sound, compared to sight or sound alone, as in old media. Appropriateness through the ability to deliver as much or as little information as the user requires in order to be convinced. The capability to sustain long term relationships with customers, without the need to visit them.

Expandability as needs develop or change. New parts can be added, or old areas amended with reasonable ease.

What do you think? Indulge now by mastering the New Media and GetPAID. I am!

Instructional Design and E-learning

2010-04-06T11:12:00.012+03:00

Simply stated, Instructional System Design process provides a means for sound decision making to determine the who, what, when, where, why, and how of a learning program.

The concept of a system approach is based on obtaining an overall view of the learning process. It is characterized by an orderly process for gathering and analyzing collective and individual performance requirements, and by the ability to respond to identified training needs.

The application of a system's approach insures that learning programs and the required support materials are continually developed in an effective and efficient manner to match the variety of needs in a rapidly changing environment.

E-learning is learning which is supported or facilitated by the use of technology. It can include putting teaching materials and activities online, online assessment, communication tools, audio and video recordings, and classroom technologies such as personal response systems and interactive whiteboards. Its where as a professional you can learn web design, graphic design, or all other softwares and technologies that are necessary for branching out into other fields.

On the same page, e-learning is naturally suited for distance learning and flexible learning, but can also be used in conjunction with face-to-face teaching, in that case the term Blended learning is commonly used. E-Learning pioneer Bernard Luskin argues that the "E" must be understood to have broad meaning if e-Learning is to be effective. Luskin says that the "e" should be interpreted to mean exciting, energetic, enthusiastic, emotional, extended, excellent, and educational in addition to "electronic" that is a traditional national interpretation. This broader interpretation allows for 21st century applications and brings learning and media psychology into the equation.

Note that ISD is sometimes referred to as SAT (System Approach to Training) or ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implement, Evaluate). Although there are minor differences among the various ISD models, most learning design models follow an approaches similar to the ADDIE model:
Analyze the performance environment in order to understand it and then describe the goals needed in order to correct any performance deficiencies (identify training requirements).
Design a process to achieve your goals, that is, correct the performance deficiencies.
Develop your initial discoveries and process into a product that will assist the learners into becoming performers (in training, this product is often called courseware).
Implement by delivering the courseware to the learners.
Evaluate the performers, courseware, and audit-trail throughout the four phases and in the working environment to ensure it is achieving the desired results. In the Media Technology for Education and Communication (MTEC) Experts, ISD is mainly for learning material development.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEM PROCESS
According to Training Complex Cognitive Skills: A Four-Component Instructional Design Model for Technical Training, a book by Jeroen J. G. Van Merrienboer, there are keys processes that can lead achieving effetive instructional process based on the ADDIE model.

1. Analyze
- Determine business outcome or linkage for example.
- Analyze system (department, job, etc.) to gain an understanding of it.
- Compile a task inventory of all tasks associated with each job (if needed).
- Select tasks that people need to learn to become performers (needs analysis).
- Build performance measures for the tasks to be learned.

- Choose instructional setting for the tasks to be learned, e.g. classroom, elearning, on-the-job, self study, blended, etc.
- Estimate cost and compare to benefits gained.

2.Design
- Develop the learning objectives, to include both terminal and enabling objectives.
- Identify and list the learning steps required to perform the task.
- Develop performance tests to show mastery of the tasks.
- List the entry behaviors that the learner must demonstrate prior to entering the learning program.
- Sequence and structure the learning objectives.

3. Develop
- List activities that will help the students learn the task.
- Select the delivery methods (media).
- Review existing material so that you do not reinvent the wheel.
- Develop the instructional courseware.
- Synthesize the courseware into a viable learning program.
- Validate the instruction to ensure it accomplishes all goals and objectives.

4. Implement
- Create a plan for conducting the training.
- Conduct the training.

5. Evaluate
- Review and evaluate each phase (analyze, design, develop, implement) to ensure it is accomplishing what it is supposed to.
- Perform external evaluations, e.g. observe that the tasks that were trained can actually be performed by the learners in their working environment.
- Revise training system to make it better and to meet future challenges.

For more information on how effective ISD and Addie model can be on e-learning, read more on this article Introduction to Instructional Design and the ADDIE Model by Kevin Kruse.

With these kind of serene opportunities we have golden chances to develop other skills that would not only make us valuable employees and students, but also ensure a better rate of getting hired. With e-learning, we can learn at our own pace anywhere provided there is a good internet connection.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS- Transactional Analysis

2010-04-01T13:39:00.005+03:00

The transactional analysis is on the extension wire of the communications skill. In other words, the transactional analysis is one of the flows of communication such as negotiation, assertiveness and self-disclosure etc, and also it is a theory of a systematic psychotherapy in growth and changing both the character and the individual. Transactional Analysis in COMMUNICATION SKILLS has support in improving your relationships and personal effectiveness (behaviour) as well as in creating a happier working environment in home and office.

You can apply the transactional analysis technique for the field of communication, counseling, consulting, management and education. Additionally, it is being used by various groups.

Analyzing Your Communication
Each human being has three ego stages; as a parent, an adult, or/and as a child. In any given day you will probably spend some time in each ego stage, and each will affect how we behave.

Our communication styles will vary markedly depending on whether we are functioning from the parent, adult, or child position (PAC).

P (Parent)
People imitate parents'(or, one that becomes parents' taking the place) behavior patterns of unconsciousness, it acts, it feels, and it thinks about this. For instance, it is enumerated that the person might also shout at the person from frustration if it learns when it is young when the powerful person is seen to be shouting, and it is effective.

The skills of transactional analysis are learning to identify whether you are talking from your parents, adult, or child. If you are talking from a hurt, angry place while your son is having a tantrum, it probably means that your child is involved too.

A (Adult)
"Now. This. Here" People act what has occurred, it feels, and it thinks calmly. Under such a condition, the human experience and knowledge as the adult who has lived for years help, and the person is made to act. In the state of the ego, of this A(Adult), oneself is seen as a target of the objective evaluation that can be actually put.

C (Child)
This acts, feels, and thinks how the person behaved in childhood. For instance, the person to whom it is angry will be likely to look down on the superior like having gone in childhood, and to remember disgrace and anger from the superior.

I strongly recommend that we keep our communication clean by applying Transactional Analysis rules for effective communication. We must know the ego state from which we are communicating. We must know the ego state to which you are sending your message. We ought to be sensitive to the child in others, protect that child, and recognize the “non-okey” burden that it must carry. We should protect the child in us.

What am i Saying
We should keep it safely tucked away when others are angry and attacking. Do not use your punitive parent to communicate. No one wants to hear it, and people are likely to react by trying to hook your child with not-okay attacks. When appropriate, use your supportive parent, or rely on your adult style of communicating.

DIGITAL STREAMING: Why Stream?

2010-03-16T15:10:00.016+03:00

The goal is to provide industry professionals and corporations utilizing digital media technology with global real-time news, resources and information to help foster the adoption of streaming media technology and applications.

Streaming media technology enables the real time or on demand distribution of audio, video and multimedia on the Internet. Streaming media is the simultaneous transfer of digital media so that it is received as a continuous real-time stream; i.e. video, voice and data. Streamed data is transmitted by a server application and received and displayed in real-time by client applications. These applications can start displaying video or playing back audio as soon as enough data has been received and stored in the receiving station’s buffer.

All stream recorders (streaming video recorders, stream rippers) (freeware, shareware,...) [windows, linux, mac os] Recommended software is shown in bold. Protocols (separately for Windows Media, Real Video/Audio, QuickTime and Flash video streams). There are easy yet powerful softwares to use for recording and streaming audio and video. For best freeware or shareware stream recorder click here.

Here are major streaming media FORMATs:

Flash video streams (Adobe Flash Player): .FLV, .MP4, .F4V
Windows Media streams (Windows Media Player): .WMA, .WMV, .ASF, .ASX, .WAX, .WMX, .WVX, .SMIL
Real Media, Real Video and Real Audio streams (RealPlayer, RealOne Player, Real Player Alternative): .RM, .RMJ, .RAM, .RA, .RMVB, .SMI, .SMIL, and .RPM
QuickTime video streams (QuickTime Player, QuickTime Alternative): .MOV, .MP4, .SDP, .SMIL
IceCast audio streams (SHOUTcast compatible): .MP3, .OGG, .AAC, .PLS
Nullsoft audio and Nullsoft video (Winamp): .NSA, .NSV
MoveNetworks MoveMedia video
Silverlight

And these are popular streaming media PROTOCOLS:

Flash audio and video: HTTP, RTMP,RTMPE
Windows Media audio and video: HTTP, RTSP, MMS
RealMedia audio and video: HTTP, RTSP, PNM
QuickTime Video streams: HTTP, RTSP
IceCast/ShoutCast audio streams: HTTP (ICY)
Nullsoft audio and video: HTTP (UNSV)

Creative Profiles

2010-02-03T20:54:00.009+03:00

OBED MULE is a Creative Producer & Designer, all in one creative package: writer, online producer, multimedia content coaching, multimedia graphic designer and web designer. Contact me!

I suppose Ariston made the best advert.

Cycling can tremendously improve your life

2010-02-02T20:09:00.003+03:00

Getting on your bike regularly not only gets you where you want to go faster than a car, it protects you against a wide range of ill health, and also makes you feel better.
Cycling is good for your heart and health

Everyday cycling, where the exercise leaves you breathing heavily but not being out of breath, is an effective and enjoyable form of aerobic exercise. This is the type of exercise that is most effective at promoting good health. For example, cycling reduces the risk of serious conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and the most common form of diabetes.

One rough calculation suggests that new cyclists covering short distances can reduce their risk of death (mainly due to the reduction of heart disease) by as much as 22 per cent.

Cycling will help with weight management

Cycling can be part of a programme to lose weight because it burns the energy supplied by a chocolate bar or a couple of alcoholic drinks in an hour (about 300 calories). A 15-minute bike ride to and from work five times a week burns off the equivalent of 11 pounds of fat in a year.

Cycling can improve your mood

Cycling can have positive effects on how we feel too. Moderate exercise has been found to reduce levels of depression and stress, improve mood and raise self-esteem, and has also been found to relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

Cycling can help to maintain strength and coordination

There can also be indirect benefits in terms of reducing injuries from falls, which can be seriously disabling, especially in older people. The strength and co-ordination that regular cycling brings make them less likely. Physically active older people have much reduced rates of hip fracture.

Cycling improves fitness

A study carried out for the Department of Transport found that 'even a small amount of cycling can lead to significant gains in fitness'. The study found that aerobic fitness was boosted by 11 per cent after just six weeks of cycling 'short distances' four times a week. If cycling the equivalent of four miles to and from work in total a day the aerobic benefit increased to 17 per cent.

According to the Department of Transport study people who do not exercise who start cycling move from the third of the population who are the least fit, to the fittest half of the population in just a few months.

Leg strength also improved in the cyclists in the study. This is more important than it seems because leg strength improves other mobility by allowing people to get out of chairs more easily, and helps older people especially avoid falls and the broken bones and other injuries associated with them.

Cycling, the researchers behind the study concluded, is 'one of the few physical activities which can be undertaken by the majority of the population as part of a daily routine'.

Cyclists breathe in less fumes than car drivers

If you are worried about traffic fumes, there may be no need. Cyclists and pedestrians actually absorb lower levels of pollutants from traffic fumes than car drivers.