Searching on Google

I have to give @nicoleyeary credit for sharing this video. I think it does a great job of showing off the power of Google search in a wonderful way. I am constantly amazed at how advanced and yet intuitive search has become.

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Messing around with new photo equipment

First I want to thank John Belmonte for sending me the video link on how to set up flash photography with umbrellas. I was able to get my daughter to sit still long enough to take a few photos. I thought they came out pretty good. The best part is I almost got the look I was going for, I guess that means I'm beginning to understand this who flash photography thing. Here are a couple of the photos:

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Yes I want an iPad, but I'm holding out

I have to admit that after watching Steve Job's keynote I now want an iPad. I love the idea of having a giant iPod touch with 3G. This product is a perfect solution for someone like myself who would like to have "The Internet in my hand" plus the other great features it comes along with. I would pay to read newspapers on this device, I would also make sure its handy for showing off photos of the kids. That said, there are two things I still want to see in the next version of the iPad:

1) I want a camera just like the iPhone 3Gs. I want the camera to take decent stills along with video. I then want to upload that content to the web and share it with my personal and professional networks.

2) I want to be able to hook this device to my HDTV. All It needs is an HDMI port so I can share local content including photos and video on a larger HD screen.

As bad as I want to enjoy this product now, I think I'm going to wait this one out for a little while. I'll wait for the word from the early adopters like Leo Laporte and others who will give this product a proper review. Plus I believe the features I want will be included in the next version along with a few more goodies.

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I'm having a blast with my Flip Cam

Since I can take it everywhere, I've been able to save hours of precious moments with the family. Every time our kids do something cool, I'm there with the Flip to record it. My kids are either going to love me or hate me when they get older.

Here is a short video clip taken with my Flip. We were at the San Diego Zoo.

Here is a short video of me showing another Flip user how to edit video using the Flip video editing software.

Here is the Amazon link to the exact same camera I had in the video.

Do you have the Flip? If so please share your experiences.

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My wife doesn't know it, but she's on Google Voice.

I am constantly on the search for my wife. I never know if she's at home or on the road. Luckily Google created a great product called Google Voice. Right now it's available only by invite, but the wait is only a few days now. What Google Voice does is give you one phone number for all your locations. Now when I call my wife's Google Voice number it rings at home and her cell at the same time. Pretty handy huh? If she doesn't pick up I am greeted by a standard voicemail message to leave her a voice message. The message is immediately transcribed and dropped into her email (which she checks constantly).

All of this is happening without my wife's knowledge. According to her nothing has changed. Her old mobile number still works and she can still check her old voicemail as she usually does, but now I have the ability to get a hold of her a little easier thanks to Google.

Of course there are lots of other great features provided by Google Voice, and of course it's all free. You can request an invite by clicking here.

I'm sure I'll eventually tell her about her new phone number, but first I'll let her wonder why she's getting transcribed emails of all my voice messages.

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Is Google's Nexus One the iPhone Killer?

I really have no need for a smart phone right now. It's actually nice to have a break from a computer and get out once in a while. At the same time I am very curious about the Nexus One since I've heard Leo Laporte talk about it so much. The idea that Google made a phone that works seamlessly with its own services sounds great to me, but these benefits don't outweigh the cost for me. The idea of spending $529 for a device (there is no way I'm signing a two-year contract) plus over $70/month for data and voice is too much of a commitment for me.

What I'm holding out for is the day Google produces it's ad supported phone. I'd gladly look at ads for a free phone and free data/voice use. Google is inching itself closer to this plateau by independently developing the pieces: Google Talk, Nexus One, and the Android mobile operating system. Once they figure out a method for delivering free mobile Internet access, it's game over for another industry.

In the meantime I'll just dream about having cool devices like the Nexus One. Here is a video of a comparison between these two smart phone giants.

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My Geek Show on UStream was a Blast!

I had so much fun with my viewers tonight. I think I'm getting the hand of UStream and how to interact with the audience. I was able to answer questions and provide insight as though I knew what I was talking about. I'm definitely doing that again. Next time I think I'll start a little earlier though, 10:30 is too late to start an interactive Internet TV show. 

Here's a recording of the show. I realize it can get a little boring watching the recording, but trust me, you had to be there. Maybe next time. I'm planning the next show Saturday morning.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/4063540

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A Video Tease for my UStream Geek Show

 

In my last post I talked about Geeking out over my new photo gear. Here is a video of me introducing that gear and how I'm using it to expand my photography skills. Keep in mind I'm clearly not a professional photographer, but I do know my way around a camera. I also know there are lots of people out there who are buying Digital SLR cameras hoping their family photos will turn out better. This UStream show is for people who want to make sense of those dials and menus to make your next family album a show stopper. 

The url for this show is http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tony-zerrer. I'm planning to start the show tonight around 8:30pm pacific time (after the kids are fast asleep). Viewers can participate in the chat room and ask me questions during the show. Be sure to have your camera ready. If your computer has a webcam you can be on the show as well. It's going to be lots of fun.

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Totally Geeking Out Over New Photo Stuff

Last night the UPS guy delivered my new photo gear. Inside were two umbrellas and light stands. Ever since I read the Strobist blog I've been interested in learning more about flash photography. I enjoy having control over the light to create different effects and accentuate details to reflect my vision of the subject. Hopefully these umbrellas will help build my understanding of lighting effects.

The first photo is a shot of my setup. I had two flashes, but I returned one of them because it was too weak. The one in the photo is my old 420 EX. The bummer is I have no manual control over the power of the flash since it is remotely triggered. I'm wondering if a Pocket Wizard would fix this since they communicate more information to the flash than most radio triggers.

I've learned so much in the last few months thanks to the Strobist blog and Flickr groups. I keep asking dumb questions and everyone great answers without rolling their eyes.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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My First Posterous Post

After listening to Jay Berkowitz's interview the Posterous's founder, Sachin Agarwal, I now understand why this blogging service is becoming so popular. I've now set up my Posterous account to sync with all my other media-sharing accounts. Hopefully this post will be found on my Facebook page, Blogger blog, Tumblr blog, Flickr account, and Plurk timeline. If this works out it could become a big time saver when posting new content. I included a photo of my daughter Isabella. I'm curious to see how Posterous will format this post. I guess it's time to find out.

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Getting Set for a Live Training

I'm way into cameras. I'm not a pro, but I know my way around photography. Through my research on the Internet, I found few good resources for people to quickly grasp the fundamentals.

To smooth that learning curve I decided to produce a UStream show devoted to learning digital photography. This show is directed at the growing number of people who own an SLR camera and have no idea how to use it. While point-and-shoot owners can participate, I don't think many of them are interested in moving beyond their camera's "Auto" mode.

I welcome anyone to watch the show. I'm planning to start tomorrow morning. I think I might start at 6:00am Pacific time.

A Walk Through Best Buy's Camera Center

I was in Best Buy yesterday and was standing next to a customer talking to the sales lady. She was telling him wrong information so I piped in and told him the info he needed to hear. Right there I realized that there is a market for people that want a Digital SLR camera, but have no idea what they're all about. They know that they're more expensive and can take better photos, but they don't know how to use the settings to get the photos they want. So I decided to create a video tutorial series that will teach people how to get the most out of their Digital SLR's. I'll start recording today. Do you have one of these cameras? If so, it's time to take it off "Auto" mode and start messing wih those dials. Any suggestions on tutorial topics?

I'm an Internet Star on UStream

I just learned about this great service called UStream. The idea is you can broadcast yourself live on the Internet, kind of like having your own live TV show complete with fans chatting live while your doing your thing. I thought I'd try this out and start a show about photography since I'm a geek and like playing with these gadgets. This show is about shutter speed and how it changes exposure. Check out the recorded version of my live show.

Live TV by Ustream

I was hesitant to start a show, fearing I'd make a fool out of myself, but I don't think anyone even watched it. I also didn't know I had the chat window disabled so I couldn't interact with my audience even if I had one. Next time I plan to tweet out my show in advance and broadcast to as many people as possible. I think this is going to be a lot of fun.

Roku and Media Tribe

I love my Roku box. This device allows me to stream Netflix movies on my TV along with lots of other Internet TV content. I love the product so much I purchased a second one when they came out with the new Roku XR that is compatible with wireless N routers. After buying a new router from Amazon I am able to move through menus and watch content with faster loading times and better video quality.

Roku also added more channels to their product which allow the user to Interact with their Internet world through their TV. Here is a short video of how I'm using my Roku box.



The only service I pay for is Media Tribe. I'm still not sure it's worth the $2.99/month subscription price. The ability to watch Youtube videos on the TV is cool, but I'd just as soon watch them on my computer, especially since the video quality isn't that good on this application. I still haven't been able to view any of my Picasa photos on my TV, all I see is a message, "downloading album photos" for several minutes.

What I'm hoping for is Roku to make a deal with the NBA like they did with MLB so I can dump my cable TV and watch everything from the Roku.

How a Geek Uses the Internet to Teach Math

Today my students earned an 87% average on today's test. I'm excited over their accomplishment and am pumped to keep going. The secret is mostly due to Google Docs. Here I explain the method.



Would you like to take a look at the practice test? The third page contains my solutions.

Pre-Algebra Chapter 4 Practice Test