GPS, hidden cameras watching over Baby Jesus

By ERIC GORSKIAP
Religion Writer AP

When Baby Jesus disappeared last year from a Nativity scene on the lawn of the Wellington, Fla., community center, village officials didn't follow a star to locate him.A GPS device mounted inside the life-size ceramic figurine led sheriff's deputies to a nearby apartment, where it was found face down on the carpet. An 18-year-old woman was arrested in the theft.

Wired News - AP News

ThatsMyFace

ThatsMyFace offers your own 3D face from two images

by Matthew Humphries posted on November 19, 2008 8:30 am



If you’ve ever wondered what you’d look like in a few years time, or when you start getting really old, then ThatsMyFace.com may be able to help. They have introduced a service where they will produce a 3D image of your face taken from just two pictures you upload.

The production of the face is free and just requires a shot of your face looking into the camera, and one of your side profile. This is then converted into a 3D mask for you to view. After that you can start doing some manipulating including the following options:

* Find out what you look like at age 20, 40, or 60
* Change yourself to be African, Indian, Asian, or Caucasian
* Change you gender
* Produce a caricature of your face to highlight the distinctive features
* Be shown your facial asymmetries
* Be awarded an attractiveness rating
* Locate other people who look very similar to your face

ThatsMyFace also aim to make some money out of this service by offering you the chance to buy your face in a number of different guises. These include having it lasered into a glass cube for US$29, a plastic face mask for US$49 that looks very real, and printing it on a number of items such as t-shirts, bags, or a hat. They are also branching out via relationships with other companies to offer you cosmetic surgery, or photographic services.

The 3D mask in plastic looks very eerie in the YouTube video. It would probably freak a few people out if you wore it and then took it off to reveal the same face. As it’s a free service I’m very tempted to try it out just to see how their aging process works. I’m not sure about the gender change option though.

This is a cool app. Imagine making a mask of someone's face and then totally messing around with it, etc. This could be fun.

Space Station residents to drink recycled urine | Gaming and Culture - CNET News

If you're the kind of person who wants to do research on the International Space Station, it appears that you may need to cross some boundaries of taste many of us wouldn't even consider.According to a BBC News story Friday, the crew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor, which is scheduled to launch from the Kennedy Space Center on Friday afternoon, will be handing off to their Space Station colleagues a water regeneration system designed to, among other things, recycle urine for reuse as fresh water.The system, which will ionize, filter, distill, and oxidize wastewater, "will make yesterday's coffee into today's coffee," one astronaut told the BBC.The idea behind the $250 million system seems to have been to figure out a way to ensure that residents of the Space Station had a supply of fresh water. To date, the Space Station has had the luxury of getting water deliveries from newly arrived Space Shuttles. But the Shuttle program is slated for retirement after 2010, and that looks to end the program's role as, among other things, the Space Station's personal water truck.Still, the system won't be implemented right away. First, NASA wants to be sure that it works, as designed, in a zero-gravity environment.On Earth, astronaut testers are apparently convinced that the filtration technology works just fine."Some people may think it's downright disgusting," Endeavor astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper told the BBC, "but if it's done correctly, you process water that's purer than what you drink here on Earth."Some who have tried the recycled water did report a faint taste of iodine, but they didn't see that as a problem."Other than that, it is just as refreshing as any other kind of water," said Bob Bagdigian, who ran the system's development. "I've got some in my fridge. It tastes fine to me."Daniel Terdiman is a staff writer at CNET News covering games, Net culture, and everything in between. E-mail Daniel.

Space Station residents to drink recycled urine | Gaming and Culture - CNET News

Teaching with Twitter - Chronicle.com

Teaching With Twitter



David Parry, a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, talks about using Twitter, a new messaging service, for his courses.

A new service that allows people to send notes to a set list of recipients' cellphones is being used as a teaching tool by some professors and college librarians.

Video: Teaching With Twitter - Chronicle.com

National Anthem at Texas Tech University

This was at Texas Tech University basketball game, February 9th. The National Anthem is sung by five young ladies (ages 6-8). You have never heard it performed better than this! An entire arena remains completely silent throughout the song. You could hear a pin drop. Take a moment to listen to this. Trust me, you will not regret it.

The two young ladies on the right are six years old. The two in the middle are seven and the one on the left is eight.

Today: iPod. Tomorrow: iBangle.

Today: iPod. Tomorrow: iBangle.
by Shaan Kirpalani posted on October 22, 2008 2:40 pm

Designer Gopinath Prasana reveals a fashionable future for the world’s most popular gadget with his conceptual iBangle. The device/fashion accessory is a thin aluminum bracelet complete with a multi-function trackpad, a wireless headset, and an inflatable cushion to ensure a perfect fit. Oh, and don’t forget an iconic Apple logo.Its like those Tiffany’s bracelets every sorority girl in America had/has with utility. I think it’s a great idea, but I seriously doubt that consumers would by into such frivolous trinketry. Ha! Wait until the Japanese get their hands on these things, Apple will make billions. Pretty durn ingenious.

Today: iPod. Tomorrow: iBangle. | Geek.com

Outside the Lines: Second Impact Syndrome

The best comment I hear in this video was the one at the end - If you can't afford to have a certified athletic trainer on site then you shouldn't have the sport." We would not allow the players to participate if we could not afford helmets - would we?

If we "the taxpayer" are going to pay JaQuan Waller's mother a couple million dollars (like she deserves yet will not be sufficient to replace her son) then we could have paid 35 years of an athletic trainer's salary at $57,000 per year. And just imagine, that ATC would be on site for other injuries also.

Love to hear your comments. Enjoy!

ESPN - Outside the Lines

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL DEATHS
Tad Gormley

For 16-year-old Jaquan Waller, his passion for football ended in tragedy last month. After just two carries in a high school football game, the junior running back from Greenville, North Carolina collapsed on the sideline and was declared brain dead the following morning. This after being cleared to play following a head injury in practice two days prior. Waller died from complications of second impact syndrome (SIS), when a second concussion occurs before the first one has completely healed. Sunday on Outside the Lines, David Amber examines the need for Certified Athletic Trainers to protect high school football players.

ESPN - Outside the Lines

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Tatango makes sending group voice messages free | Webware : Cool Web apps for everyone - CNET

Tatango, the Seattle-based start-up specializing in connecting groups of people through text messaging, announced the launch of Tatango Voice, a service that will let users make free calls to other members within the group they create on Tatango's service.Using Tatango Voice, group leaders can record and send a free voice message to all the mobile phones in their group, which Tatango claims will eliminate the need for complex phone trees. Once the group leader records the call, other group members receive a text message alerting them to the waiting call. To listen to the recording, group members need only to reply to the text message with the word "call" and it will be delivered to their phone."Text messaging is great for certain types of group messages, but sometimes a group needs a little more room to convey their message" said Derek Johnson, CEO of Tatango. "By adding voice to our existing set of group communication tools, we've developed the most complete, powerful, user-friendly system available, no matter what type of message."Tatango Voice is free to use and will work on any mobile phone, but there's one caveat: each call is preceded by a 7-second advertisement. Granted, 7 seconds probably won't be enough to push users away, but with competitors like 3jam and Dean Alert offering similar services, it could make users want to try out other options before they pick which is best for them.

Tatango makes sending group voice messages free | Webware : Cool Web apps for everyone - CNET

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Web 2.0: Good for Education?

10/15/2008
By Trent Batson

Web 2.0, coined as a descriptor 4 years ago, describes a moment in history when we let go of print. Information technology became so prevalent and convenient that we could throw out books and read our news online instead of in print. We could listen to music and watch movies, share family albums, develop cadres of friends, and develop a life online with comfort.Web 2.0 is defined technically, to be sure, as AJAX (asynchronous Javascript and XML), moving the desktop to the Web, virtualization, data and functionality in different places, and so on, but from the distance of years, we'll look back at Web 2.0 as the moment our culture made the digital move. We might call it something different at that later time, but for now we use the shorthand "Web 2.0."Here is what this era means for higher education: - More interaction between knowers and learners occurs online rather than in a room - More continuity between learning meetings during a course of study and after the course is over - More active learning opportunities are available - The "Gap Year" and the organizers of gap year experiences, and other developments, call into question the need for certification of all formal learning; evidence of the experience may be sufficient (or better!) - A shift in the fundamental perception of learning from, ugh, content delivery, to a guided learning process - More recognition of and scaffolding on what students already know - Collection of evidence of student learning online that is owned by the student - The learning process is associated with the learnerThose are some positive trends. Other trends: - A deluge of unfiltered information without mature consensus methodologies to handle the deluge - Transience of knowledge as opinion-producers gain currency more quickly each day than ever before - Gap between upper-echelon institutions that are able to adapt to Web 2.0 trends and the rest of higher education - K-12 schools may be even less able to adapt, not just because of less technology access but because of the massive curricular, standards, and testing structures in place that are based largely on pre-Web 2.0 learning assumptions. K-12 schools, quite reasonably, also can't open the gates for broad-scale interaction on the Web - The education enterprise is merely reactive to industry developments; it must instead lead; and educators by and large are resistant; they must instead find opportunities for positive change"Leading" and "positive change" do not mean merely adopting technology initiatives, but instead mounting institutional reform initiatives. Every part of the institution is affected by the re-structuring of how our culture develops knowledge. Changing how students interface with cultural knowledge puts us educators back on our heels. When you re-envision learning to mean not students sitting and listening to an expert but instead to mean students gathering evidence of their learning under the guidance of an expert, all enterprise humans systems must be re-oriented.When I went through high school, memorization was still stressed even though printed materials had been widely available for four centuries, making memorization moot. Four hundred years for print to be fully incorporated into our beliefs about learning! We can do better than that.Trent Batson, Ph.D. has served as an English professor, director of academic computing, and has been an IT leader since the mid-1980s. He is currently a Communication Strategist in the Office of Educational Innovation and Technology at MIT. batsontr@mit.edu

Web 2.0: Good for Education?

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YouTube - Ladies & Gentlemen - Opener at North Point

My buddy Randy Parker posted this from North Point in Atlanta.  This rocks.  Enjoy!
YouTube - Ladies & Gentlemen - Opener at North Point

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Oxford and Cambridge Universities sign up to iTunes U | Geek.com

The iTunes U service has been running for a while now and allows education institutes to easily make course content available through iTunes. Students can then download that content on to their digital media players or PCs.In the UK the Open University and University College of London are already signed up, but now both Oxford and Cambridge Universities are also joining in. On offer will be lectures, teaching materials, and interviews. Cambridge University is also making available podcasts from well-known scientists including Dr Chris Smith from The Naked Scientists. In total they will make over 300 audio and video clips available.These resources aren’t limited to students though, anyone can download and use them to learn. You can visit both the Oxford iTunes U area and the Cambridge iTunes U area if you have iTunes installed and learn more about the available content.Read more at the Cambridge University press release, found via ITProPortal.com

Oxford and Cambridge Universities sign up to iTunes U | Geek.com

I think this goes along with what my position on this subject has been - Universities sell degrees and don't have an exclusive corner on information.  Why not give away the information?  Even if I watch an entire semester of classes I still can't say I graduated from Oxford (Which is a really cool place.  I happened to go there this last summer.)

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These polo shirts are fashionable and stop bullets | Geek.com

If you work in dangerous places where you need the lifesaving protection of bullet proof clothing, I’m sure you never thought for one second, “Does this bulletproof vest make me look fat?” Well, if you happen to be the rare exception that constantly worries about your fashion sense, a bullet proof armor vendor has a polo shirt that lets you look your best while protecting vital organs at the same time.

These polo shirts are fashionable and stop bullets | Geek.com

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Findings - Energy Lessons From the ’70s - Hard Power vs. Soft Power - NYTimes.com

A Gift From the ’70s: Energy Lessons

By JOHN TIERNEY
Published: October 6, 2008

"The presidential candidates claim to see America’s energy future, but their competing visions have a certain vintage quality. They’ve revived that classic debate: the hard path versus the soft path."

I was not clear on what "hard power v. soft power" referred to.  This is a very interesting article and blows up some of the "commonly held" beliefs that have been presented to me as "fact" in the past.  Enjoy!

Findings - Energy Lessons From the ’70s - Hard Power vs. Soft Power - NYTimes.com

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The new face of giving - USATODAY.com

By Andrea Stone, USA TODAY

A charity that provides water to African villages posts locations of new wells using Google Earth, and a 13-year-old contributor in Manhattan tracks the progress.

A cancer charity accepts "micro-donations" of $5 by text message.

An orchestra in Michigan begins posting videos of its performances on YouTube to try to draw patrons.

The United States long has been a nation of givers, but a new generation is transforming the way we do good. Millennials and Generation Xers, especially those 20- and 30-somethings starting careers, may not have the bucks to be major donors, but they are finding ways to help others and prompting big changes in the way charities raise money.

Read more - The new face of giving - USATODAY.com

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Social Sciences and Society - TierneyLab Blog - NYTimes.com

See a Pattern on Wall Street?

By John Tierney

Take a look at the two blurry images below. Can you see an object hidden in each one?


Before I give the answers, here’s another question: Do you feel a certain lack of control over events right now?

These questions are not unrelated, according to a report in the new issue of Science
by Jennifer Whitson and Adam Galinsky. The researchers found that when
people were primed to feel out of control, they were more likely to see
patterns where none exist. They would spot an object in each of the
images above, even though only the image on the right contains one (the
outline of Saturn and its rings). If you thought you saw something in
the image on the left, don’t be too hard on yourself — your feeling may
be perfectly understandable given the chaos on Wall Street.

Social Sciences and Society - TierneyLab Blog - NYTimes.com

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TeamSmile 2008 @ Fresno State

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Mega Church Myths Dispelled | Catalyst

Mega Church Myths Dispelled
October 01, 2008

"What Americans Really Believe reveals that megachurch members tend to be younger, practice evangelism more frequently, and are bigger on volunteerism than those in smaller churches. Oops. There go the stereotypes. And they aren't abandoning the harder, counter-cultural doctrines of the Christian faith either."

Mega Church Myths Dispelled | Catalyst

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Fresno State Grad Program Video

Y GRADS SURVEYED ON 'HELICOPTER' PARENTS

According to the latest poll undertaken by the Graduate Recruitment Bureau, 43% of Y’s said their parents show a lot of interest in their careers and most welcomed the involvement. However, when it came to parents getting actively involved, the consensus was almost entirely hostile. For example, 87% would object to parents negotiating salaries, 97% would resist parents attending interviews, and 96% would not want parents to question an employer about being overlooked for promotion.
-Online Recruitment magazine, August 20, 2008

XERS PLAYING PADDLE TENNIS

Nightly suburban paddle tennis leagues have become very popular for Xers in places like New York and Chicago. Compared to tennis, the paddle tennis court is smaller and the game is played with a solid paddle and a depressurized tennis ball. The smaller court size adds a strong advantage to net play and creates a fast and reaction-based game. And because the enclosed, elevated aluminum court has a heating system in its base, it allows those who live in colder climes to play year-round.
-Seacoastonline.com, September 18, 2008

Chris Powers Video 2

Chris Powers Video 2

http://blip.tv/file/get/Ssailor-SportsMedicineSymposium2008ChrisPowersSession2895.mp4

Fireproof

SailorMedia Channel

The future of gaming is all in the mind - CNN.com

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Be excited, but be scared. A world of mind-blowing possibilities is suddenly being thrust upon the world of video gaming. Detecting your thoughts: the EPOC headset is a breakthrough in brain - computer interfaces.Detecting your thoughts: the EPOC headset is a breakthrough in brain - computer interfaces. The era of thought controlled games has arrived, and soon you could be required only to 'think' to operate a video game. Maybe you'll even have the chance to be completely immersed in a video game 'world'.

The future of gaming is all in the mind - CNN.com

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he Pop Vs Soda Map

308 - The Pop Vs Soda Map « Strange Maps

I would imagine some college professor put this together.

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Living Paycheck to Paycheck On $100,000 - Personal Finance * US * News * Story - CNBC.com

If you are counting the days until the next payday comes around, you’re not alone.And we're not talking Jane and Joe Six Pack here. Some 21 percent of those with salaries of $100,000 or more say they are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com.

Living Paycheck to Paycheck On $100,000 - Personal Finance * US * News * Story - CNBC.com

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How NOT to protect your car from a hurricane - Autoblog

How NOT to protect your car from a hurricane - Autoblog

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Charitable Gifts by Politicians Add Up, For Some - America’s Election HQ

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden has come under criticism in recent weeks for his charitable giving — or, more specifically, the lack of it.The Delaware senator and his wife, Jill, showed annual earnings of more than $200,000 and sometimes $300,000 between 1998 and 2007. And they gave relatively very little of it away. In 2007, their most generous year, the Bidens gave $995 to charity. In 1999, their charitable donations added up to $120.

Charitable Gifts by Politicians Add Up, For Some - America’s Election HQ

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Is College Necessary in a Knowledge-Drenched World?

Is College Necessary in a Knowledge-Drenched World?

9/17/2008   By Trent Batson

A friend told me recently that people are asking him why learners, in this age, need to ever attend college to become educated. This question undoubtedly has occurred to all educators, and to many parents who are paying tuition. There is perhaps no more raw-edged question than this in all of higher education: Have we educators become obsolete?If we are considering only the learning value of higher education institutions, and not the developmental life-transition value, the list of unique opportunities for learning that higher education offers seems to have shrunk in the past few years.One gold mine that distinguished higher education institutions in previous decades, the library and its collections, seems to have deflated in its traditional value. And, who needs large lecture halls to learn? Who needs a sound studio or post-production facilities when you can have them on your laptop? Who needs an art studio if you create your composition on your laptop? If high-end lab equipment or scientific simulation software is also available via the Web, why do you need to visit a campus to run an experiment? And why teach writing in a classroom where you have to talk when you could teach it on the Web where you have to, uh, write? Maybe the question "Why attend college at all?" is suddenly a serious question.

Is College Necessary in a Knowledge-Drenched World?
Cross Posted from Campustechnology.com

I have tried to impress upon my colleagues here at the university and with my colleagues in my professional association - We don't sell information anymore.  We provide degrees and continuing education units.  If that is the paradigm then you can give away the information (e.g., podcasts, vidcasts, online documents) but recoup the expense through assessment leading to degree or certificates.  At some point degrees don't matter as much as results but they are important because they represent that you have completed something (and hopefully know something).  If the paradigm I suggest was actually today's paradigm how would education be different?  Better?  Worse? Unsustainable?  Thriving?  Collaborative?

One thing to keep in mind - students can always buy the textbooks without taking the class.  So why do they come to class?  Hopefully it is to be in an environment where they can learn better then if they attempted the process on their own.

Why go to the gym?  Can't you get your own treadmill?  Weights?  Yes.  But you go to the gym to get direction from someone who can help you make sense of the information you have available to you.  This might be the niche college have (and always have had).  Just my view from both sides.  Enjoy!

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Sports Medicine Symposium 2008 - Chris Powers (Session 1)

Click To Play

This video was taken at the inaugural Sports Medicine Symposium put on by the Central California Sports Medicine Institute housed within the College of Health and Human Services at California State University, Fresno.

New Windows Mobile app creates portable hotspot | Geek.com

New Windows Mobile app creates portable hotspot | Geek.com

A new application by Morose Media will give those people with Windows
Mobile WiFi enabled smartphones the ability to become a roaming
hotspot. Besides being able to share their Internet connection via WiFi, users of the application will also be able to share Internet access
using a USB or Bluetooth connection. The advantage of sharing an
Internet connection via USB or Bluetooth is that it doesn’t utilize as
much battery power on the smartphone as WiFi.

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Net-talking toaster to burn news onto bread | Register Hardware

Net-talking toaster to burn news onto bread | Register Hardware

The Scan Toaster connects to a PC over USB and downloads everything from local weather conditions and the current time to the morning’s news headlines.

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E-books: The flexible future | Speeds and feeds - Technology analysis by Peter N. Glaskowsky - CNET News

E-books: The flexible future | Speeds and feeds - Technology analysis by Peter N. Glaskowsky - CNET News

This particular gizmo is very attractive. It uses a large, flexible electronic paper display based on technology from E Ink (the same company that makes the displays for Amazon.com's Kindle and Sony's Reader), but the device overall is remarkably thin and light.

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Best of Shows: Top 10 from DemoFall, TechCrunch50 | Webware : Cool Web apps for everyone - CNET

Best of Shows: Top 10 from DemoFall, TechCrunch50 | Webware : Cool Web apps for everyone - CNET

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AppleInsider | Apple details next-gen Nike+ system with GPS, wear sensors

AppleInsider | Apple details next-gen Nike+ system with GPS, wear sensors

A new filing from Apple describes a future generation Nike+ system that would be capable of more accurately monitoring athletic performance in real-time, providing feedback on wear of athletic gear, and even conveying advertisements from establishments that an athlete passes during a workout.

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Heat Watcher watch helps prevent heat strokes | Geek.com

Heat Watcher watch helps prevent heat strokes | Geek.com

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Add Captions to YouTube Videos

Add Captions to YouTube Videos

This is cool.  This is a big issue around the University.  We are working to make all our materials universally accessible.  This would be a big help. Now we just need a good consistent way to create transcripts (from which captions can be created) via software rather than human effort.

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Sailor Family Picture

DSC_0216.JPG
Originally uploaded by scott.sailor

I had the privilege (and pressure) of shooting a photo of all my parents kids and grandkids, along with myself last Sunday. I was very pleased with some of the pictures. I think it had to do a lot with my new lens. The equipment makes the man. Have fun.

Welcome, Freshmen. Have an iPod.

By JONATHAN D. GLATER
Crosspost from New York Times

Taking a step that professors may view as a bit counterproductive, some universities are doling out Apple iPhones and Internet-capable iPods to students.

The always-on Internet devices raise some novel possibilities, like tracking where students congregate. With far less controversy, colleges could send messages about canceled classes, delayed buses, campus crises or just the cafeteria menu.

While schools emphasize its usefulness — online research in class and instant polling of students, for example — a big part of the attraction is, undoubtedly, that the iPhone is cool and a hit with students. Basking in the aura of a cutting-edge product could just help a university foster a cutting-edge reputation.

Apple stands to win as well, hooking more young consumers with decades of technology purchases ahead of them. The lone losers, some fear, could be professors.

Students already have laptops and cellphones, of course, but the newest devices can take class distractions to a new level. They practically beg a user to ignore the long-suffering professor struggling to pass on accumulated wisdom from the front of the room — a prospect that teachers find galling and students view as, well, inevitable.

“When it gets a little boring, I might pull it out,” acknowledged Naomi J. Pugh, a first-year student at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn., referring to her new iPod Touch, which can connect to the Internet over a campus wireless network. She speculated that professors might try harder to make classes interesting if they were competing with the devices.

Experts see a movement toward the use of mobile technology in education, though they say it is in its infancy as professors try to concoct useful applications. Providing powerful hand-held devices is sure to fuel debates over the role of technology in higher education.

“We think this is the way the future is going to work,” said Kyle Dickson, co-director of research and the mobile learning initiative at Abilene Christian University in Texas, which has bought more than 600 iPhones and 300 iPods for students entering this fall.

Although plenty of students take their laptops to class, they don’t take them everywhere and would prefer something lighter. Abilene Christian settled on the devices after surveying students and finding that they did not like hauling around laptops, but that most always carried a cellular phone, Dr. Dickson said.

It is not clear how many colleges plan to give out iPhones and iPods this fall; officials at Apple were coy about the subject and said they would not leak any institution’s plans.

“We can’t announce other people’s news,” said Greg Joswiak, vice president of iPod and iPhone marketing at Apple. He also said that he could not discuss discounts to universities for bulk purchases.

At least four institutions — the University of Maryland, Oklahoma Christian University, Abilene Christian and Freed-Hardeman — have announced that they will give the devices to some or all of their students this fall.

Other universities are exploring their options. Stanford University has hired a student-run company to design applications like a campus map and directory for the iPhone. It is considering whether to issue iPhones but not sure it’s necessary, noting that more than 700 iPhones were registered on the university’s network last year.

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, iPhones might already have been everywhere, if AT&T, the wireless carrier offering the iPhone in the United States, had a more reliable network, said Andrew J. Yu, mobile devices platform project manager at M.I.T.

“We would have probably gone ahead of this, maybe just getting a thousand iPhones and giving them out,” Mr. Yu said.

The University of Maryland, College Park is proceeding cautiously, giving the iPhone or iPod Touch to 150 students, said Jeffrey C. Huskamp, vice president and chief information officer at the university. “We don’t think we have all the answers,” Mr. Huskamp said. By observing how students use the gadgets, he said, “We’re trying to get answers from students.”

At each college, the students who choose to get an iPhone must pay for mobile phone service. Those service contracts include unlimited data use. Both the iPhones and the iPod Touch devices can connect to the Internet through campus wireless networks. With the iPhone, those networks may provide faster connections and longer battery life than AT&T’s data network. Many cellphones allow users to surf the Web, but only some newer ones have Wi-Fi capability.

University officials say they have no plans to track their students (and Apple said it would not be possible unless students give their permission). They say they are drawn to the prospect of learning applications outside the classroom, though such lesson plans have yet to surface.

“My colleagues and I are studying something called augmented reality,” said Christopher J. Dede, professor in learning technologies at Harvard University. “Alien Contact,” for example, is an exercise developed for middle-school students who use hand-held devices that can determine their location. As they walk around a playground or other area, text, video or audio pops up at various points to help them try to figure out why aliens were in the schoolyard.

“You can imagine similar kinds of interactive activities along historical lines,” like following the Freedom Trail in Boston, Professor Dede said. “It’s important that we do research so that we know how well something like this works.”

The rush to distribute the devices worries some professors, who say that students are less likely to participate in class if they are multitasking. “I’m not someone who’s anti-technology, but I’m always worried that technology becomes an end in and of itself, and it replaces teaching or it replaces analysis,” said Ellen G. Millender, associate professor of classics at Reed College in Portland, Ore. (She added that she hoped to buy an iPhone for herself once prices fall.)

Robert S. Summers, who has taught at Cornell Law School for about 40 years, announced this week — in a detailed, footnoted memorandum — that he would ban laptop computers from his class on contract law.

“I would ban that too if I knew the students were using it in class,” Professor Summers said of the iPhone, after the device and its capabilities were explained to him. “What we want to encourage in these students is active intellectual experience, in which they develop the wide range of complex reasoning abilities required of the good lawyers.”

The experience at Duke University may ease some concerns. A few years ago, Duke began giving iPods to students with the idea that they might use them to record lectures (these older models could not access the Internet).

“We had assumed that the biggest focus of these devices would be consuming the content,” said Tracy Futhey, vice president for information technology and chief information officer at Duke.

But that is not all that the students did. They began using the iPods to create their own “content,” making audio recordings of themselves and presenting them. The students turned what could have been a passive interaction into an active one, Ms. Futhey said.

GEN Y CHECKS FACEBOOK MORE THAN CNN

This is another post from Sarah Sladek's eblast. I almost missed it. I think this is amazing. Want to reach this generation? How are you using Facebook to do so? Wow!


There’s nothing exactly newsy in the fact that young people read the paper less than their elders. That information has been around for awhile. What is news, however, is that it might be a misconception to think young people (under 25) are getting news from any type of source. The latest Pew report states that 34 percent of the people surveyed under the age of 25 get no news on any typical day. Ten years ago, in 1998, that number was at 25 percent. While these same people might check a social networking site daily, such as Facebook, that still isn’t getting any news to them.
- Staff Writer blog, August 18, 2008

Your Toughest Customers

This is an awesome crosspost from Sarah Sladek's eblast she sent recently. I believe this is valuable insight for people in a variety of industries (e.g., educators, youth pastors, business people). Let me know what you think.

YOUR TOUGHEST CUSTOMERS

They're growing up on the wired alphabet: PC, CD, PDA, DVD and CUL8R. They average $100 a week in disposable income, spending a stunning $150 billion a year. And they influence another $50 billion in family purchases, bumping the total to $200 billion.

Say hello to Generation Y (ages 13-25), also known as Echo Boomers or Millennials. For sheer spending power, this consumer group is unrivaled in American history. If your organization hasn't thought much about how your wares might attract this cohort of big spenders — who are savvy and wary in equal parts — start thinking.

Gen Y is savvy because they were weaned on technology. These days, many youngsters are busy creating their own social circles by blogging about the Jonas Brothers, updating their social network profiles, and uploading videos of their latest dance party on YouTube.

Gen Y is wary because they were raised in the midst of some rather nasty national traumas, including the O.J. and Monica scandals, the 1999 Columbine school shootings, and a presidential election that failed to pick a winner. All before Sept. 11.

Reaching today's teens poses both a great opportunity and challenge to your organization. The organizations that succeed will be able to balance the benefits of attracting the younger market against the difficulties of embracing alternative business principles.

Here are a few tips:

Use technology. This generation wants rich media, gadget ads, customization, and expressive ad copy. Companies targeting America’s youth need to take a long hard look at their current marketing plan and allocate the necessary time and funds into new mediums. The days of simple keyword searches and text ads on Google are numbered with this group.


Build relationships. Like Gen X, Gen Y relies on peer recommendations. In addition to using technology to build relationships, find ways to be present where teenagers want to spend time (malls, skate parks, concerts) and deliver value to them (discounts, free merchandise, movie tickets, jobs, etc.). Establish meaningful relationships with them and they will return the favor.


Be giving. Gen Y is far more socially conscious than any generation since World War II. They believe in giving, volunteering, and donating time and resources. In fact, a Cone/Roper survey discovered that 91% of teens value companies and products that support good causes and 89% would be likely to switch brands to one associated with a good cause.


Be honest. When pitching Gen Y, keep in mind that they've grown up on slick ads and commercial messages. Any whiff of over-promising or false advertising will send them running. To appeal to teenagers is to be genuine and to deliver consistent, excellent service.


Understand Y This generation is well-educated. Their awareness level is very high and they loathe being treated like young whippersnappers that need to be managed or kids that don’t know anything. Don’t assume you know what’s best for them. Ask them for their feedback or assemble a team of teens who can be trend-setters and trend-spotters for your organization.

Gen Y spends $150 billion per year. Furthermore, attracting a teen customer is like triple dipping: First, you get the youngster. Next, you get the parent. Third, you get the loyal customer that a teen grows up to be.

That’s a whole lot of revenue that your organization can’t afford to lose.



Sarah L. Sladek, President & CEO
ssladek@limelightgenerations.com

Fresno State Alma Mater

Youth for Christ VBS 2008

These pictures were taken at the VBS held for Youth for Christ (Fresno/Madera). The event was hosted by New Covenant Community Church. There are also photos from the dedication of a room recently renovated for YFC called Station One.


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Hoops of Hope

Check out this great video showing highlights of our Hoops of Hope event held at New Covenant Community Church on Friday July 11, 2008.

Austin Gutwein Fresno Visit

The creator of Hoops of Hope came to visit New Covenant Community Church following the inaugural year of implementing the organization's basketball shoot-a-thon fundraising format. Read about the great work they are accomplishing for AIDS orphans in Africa.

My family had the pleasure of picking Austin and his father, Dan, up at the Fresno airport and taking them both out to dinner. It was a great evening with a couple wonderful people. Austin (14) is a great young man who had a passion in his heart for some hurting kids and decided to do something about it. Austin and Dan are two of the nicest people you could care to meet. It was really special for my family to have spent some time with such great people.

Austin is the featured guest at New Covenant Community Church on Sunday July 12, 2008 where a check will be presented to him for Hoops for Hope. The funds were raised by nearly 150 people, mainly kids, who got sponsors and shot baskets last night.


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VBS 08 Indiana Jones at New Cov

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Bob Pettitt's Going Away Party

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Charlie Sailor's 74th Birthday Party

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BBQ Island Construction

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Gaming: Guitar Hero World Tour Gets Official

Guitar Hero World Tour is now official for a Fall of 2008 release thanks to a press release making it so. As our friends at Kotaku have pointed out, the most innovative aspect of the game is the Music Studio feature that will allow users to create and share original music, essentially making the Guitar Hero guitar the real instrument everyone hoped it could be. Other than that, we can expect the rumored electronic drum kit, newly redesigned guitar and a microphone along with the standard gameplay upgrades. For the full scoop, check out the press release after the break. And hit the Kotaku link for more screenshots.

Gaming: Guitar Hero World Tour Gets Official

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Indiana Jones Theme Song Spoof

This is a very fun spoof on Indiana Jones.  We are using an Indiana Jones theme for VBS this year.  I think some green screen work like this might just be the ticket.  Enjoy!

I pulled the video because it automatically played each time you visit my site. Very annoying.

Keith Urban - Tommy Emanuel

Tommy Emanuel was voted best guitar player in the world recently.  Check it out!

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Nintendo launches WiiWare with six games | Geek Gestalt - A blog by Daniel Terdiman - CNET News.com

Nintendo launches WiiWare with six games | Geek Gestalt - A blog by Daniel Terdiman - CNET
News.com

Nintendo on Monday put its latest shot across the bow of Microsoft
and Sony when it officially launched WiiWare, its new online repository
of downloadable games.

Ostensibly a service where Wii gamers will be able to shop for new, independent games, WiiWare seems to be Nintendo's answer to Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade and its XNA Studio and to Sony's PlayStation Store.

WiiWare is launching with six games: Square Enix's Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, Frontier Development's LostWinds, XGen Studios' Defend your Castle, Nnooo's Pop, High Voltage Software's V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack, and Gameloft's TV Show King.

Nintendo said it would add new games to WiiWare each Monday.

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Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

I believe college students are becoming more aware that what they are being taught is more theory then science in a lot of cases. It appears Ben Stein is advocating for presenting the evidence and letting the intelligent community arrive at the appropriate conclusion. It would be a shame if we squelch good science just because it doesn't support the current paradigm of the scientific elite. I think we might have seen something like that happen in other places where freedom is non-existent. There are a lot of dictators who have tried that. Look out - society is pretty resistant. Enjoy!

I find the premise of this movie very interesting. I am amazed at the resistance to having a variety of intellectual viewpoints on a college campus. I thought that was what college campuses were all about. I am surprised at the responses in this trailer by the "Evolutionists." Aren't these the same people (aka the modern intelligencia) who told us to have open minds? I am in for quite a weekend - Friday night debate between Michael Shermer and Denish D'Souza and Saturday premiere of Expelled. That might be intellectual overload.

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Web Worker Daily » Archive GroupTweet Enhances Twitter «

One of the persistent complaints about Twitter is that it doesn’t
offer any sort of “group” functionality: messages from everyone you
follow come in as a big heap, and anything you say goes to all of your
followers. GroupTweet provides a solution for the second half of this complaint, by layering distribution groups on top of Twitter.

Using GroupTweet is simple: create a separate account on Twitter for
your group, and have everyone in your group follow that account. Then
whenever that account gets a direct message, it pushes it back out for
everyone to see. I expect to be using this to share statuses among some
distributed teams I’m working with.

Web Worker Daily » Archive GroupTweet Enhances Twitter «

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Life Needs More Cowbell

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Spinal Tap 11

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FWATA 2008 - Ed Ferreira Most Distinguished ATC

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St. Anthony's School Video

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Ed Ferreira - FWATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer

FWATA 2008

Photobucket Album

Watch reminds you of your own mortality

Crosspost from Geek.com


Just in case you forgot the Grim Reaper has an appointment with you in the future, there is a new watch that never lets you neglect that little fact. While the concept may seem a little morbid, the idea is to remind the wearer that life is short and you should take the time to smell the roses while you are still here.

The watch is called The Accurate and is designed by Crispin Jones. While looking like most analog watches, the thing that sets this timepiece apart is the hands of the watch. The hour hand reads “remember” while the minute hand displays “you will die”. The face of the watch is also mirrored so that your image is reflected while you look at the time. This is apparently so you can’t deny who the mortality message is aimed for.

Priced at $145 dollars, The Accurate comes with a 12 month guarantee from defects. Unfortunately, life holds no such guarantee which I guess goes back to the message The Accurate watch conveys.

Read more at Watchismo.

Baby Boomer Animation

Walt Handelsman

This is a great little animation.  I have been blogging about the Y Generation.  Perhaps we should give equal time to Boomers.  Enjoy!

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One Scary Night Outakes

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Here it is.  The actual behind the scenes footage of the award winning One Scary Night video.

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One Scarry Night Video

This is a video created by some kids during a trip to Huntington Lake, California during the summer of 2007.  The acting is award winning.  The editing and script are also as you will see.  Enjoy!

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I'm Starting This Foundation So Inner-City Youths Will Have The Pole-Vaulting Opportunities I Never Had

Take a look around at the state of our schools, the violence on TV, and the drugs on our streets, and you'll see why so many of our children are...

AppleInsider | Apple developing full-fledged digital lifestyle fitness companion

Check out this use of the iPod and iPhone.  Pretty neat.

Electronics maker Apple Inc. is developing a digital fitness companion system based around its iPhone and iPod touch players aimed a helping americans, and folks in general, live a healthier and more fit lifestyle

AppleInsider | Apple developing full-fledged digital lifestyle fitness companion

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Avila Beach Vacation 2007

Enjoy this highlight reel of a great time on the Central Coast of California with good friends.

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One-Uped by my Niece

On the week that I got to be the Profile of the New California (see previous post) my niece Natalie Nelson scored a photo in the Fresno Bee.

Just kidding about the jealousy. I am proud of Natalie. What a great servant's heart.


Fresno City College student Natalie Nelson sells Kids Day editions of The Fresno Bee at the corner of McKinley and Blackstone to benefit Children's Hospital Central California.

Special edition

By Louis Galvan / The Fresno Bee
The secret to get people to reach into their pockets for money is to make them laugh, said Javier Segura, one of about 4,000 volunteers who turned out Tuesday to sell the special Kids Day edition of The Fresno Bee to benefit Children's Hospital Central California.

Reality Church?

Dan Kimball (Vintage Faith Church) has an interesting post on the cycle of frustration and disillusionment that so many in the church world journey through from time to time. Check it out. I know it is a little sad but it also is a bit comical. Are the stages related to maturity? Interesting concept.

Check it out here http://www.dankimball.com/vintage_faith/2005/08/reality_church.html

Unchristian

I don't know where to start with this post. I am an avid listener to several podcasts and one of them discussed this book. I visited the website and was amazed at some of the data this book collected. Many Christians will find this information painful. It could produce feelings of hurt and anger. The methods for addressing these issues are definately debatable but, other than potentially methodology which is difficult to challenge considering it is Barna Group, I don't see much ground to stand on debating "perception." It is what it is. What do we do about it?

Check out the website at www.unchristian.com.
A useful overview is the "Quick Reference Research Summary."
There is an interview with Gabe Lyons from CNN on YouTube.

I would love to hear input. Help!

Gen X Nostalgia Marketing

Sarah Sladek - CEO & President of Limelight Generations distributed some interesting information regarding the reasons why we are seeing a return of the 80's. I think she brings up some interesting points. Here is her post -

XERS MOVE INTO PURCHASING POWER

Have you noticed? The ‘80s are back.

This week I was interviewed by National Public Radio for a story on marketing to Generation X through nostalgia. And while nostalgia marketing has been referred to as a trend, it is indicative of a significant shift in consumerism.

The Transformers movie is just one the latest—never mind the biggest—piece of ‘80s nostalgia that's been recycled. The film's producers took a reported $150 million gamble on a movie that targets Generation X, a generation characterized as cynical, unsentimental, and incredibly difficult to engage and entertain.

The movie was a hit, not to mention the re-introduction of toys like Care Bears, My Little Pony, Cabbage Patch Dolls, GI Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the Rubik’s Cube.

On television, we’re seeing Bionic Woman and Knight Rider resurface. In music there’s The Police reunion, George Michael appearances on a new television series, and Super Bowl performances by ‘80s icons like Tom Petty, Prince, and Janet Jackson.

So what does all this mean for business? It means Generation X has moved into a position of purchasing power. For the past few decades, Baby Boomers have held most, if not all, the purchasing power. The Xers are now making an influential step up to the cash register, and the return to the ‘80s is an obvious attempt to reach these savvy, skeptical consumers.

Here's why nostalgia marketing works with Xers :

Xers, now ages 27-44, are experiencing their first quarter-life crisis. Nostalgia marketing recaptures the feelings of a simpler and happier time, when they weren’t paying off huge mortgages and balancing their careers while raising small children.


Gen X has been dubbed as the Family First Generation and their largest purchases revolve around their homes and their children. Xers like introducing their children to the icons and images of their youth and sharing that experience with them.


Generation X is the first generation to trust their peers more than anyone else. They are skeptical of advertising and marketing schemes and they aren’t brand-driven or trend-driven consumers. Xers make purchasing decisions on what they know and trust, which is why ‘80s nostalgia has resonated with them.

The Xer consumer is difficult to reach, but offers unprecedented opportunity for those businesses that can prove themselves relevant and meaningful to this generation.

Consider Wii, the video gaming system that’s selling out nationwide. Wii has been incredibly popular with Xers because it is family-friendly and simple to use, making it reminiscent of the Ataris they grew up with and also meeting their demands for family-friendly entertainment.

The purchasing power is shifting to a younger demographic. Does your business have what it takes to reach this elusive, emerging consumer market?

Time will tell.

Profiles of the New California featuring Dr. Scott Sailor

Click to Play

This is a promotional radio spot highlighting some faculty and programs at California State University, Fresno

Brian Regan - Emergency Room 2

This is too funny!

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Brian Regan - Emergency Room 1

Isn't this the truth?

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ROCK STARS INCORPORATED IS RELEASED

Sarah Sladek is an author and consultant regarding the Millenials. Here is some info about her new book. I love the title. I read her first book. It was very informative.

Book teaches Boomers how to recruit and retain X, Y employees

Working nine to five isn’t the only way they make a living. They would rather start a business than climb a corporate ladder. Salary is not their primary motivator. And they certainly aren’t going to work forty years at the same company for a gold watch at the retirement party.

Generations X and Y are changing the way our world works because what’s worked in the past isn’t working for them. In many ways, they are like rock stars: high performance, high maintenance, and in high demand.

This is the insight offered by author Sarah L. Sladek in her latest book,Rock Stars Incorporated: Hiring the High Performance, High Maintenance Hotshots Half Your Age. The book dispels the myths about the slacker, self-centered generations and provides valuable insight on how to manage, motivate, and market to these rising stars.

Sladek uses examples of famous rockers in her book as metaphors for what’s happening in the world of work. An Xer herself, she explains that like most rockers, Generations X and Y have been largely misunderstood and heavily criticized.

“We’re often labeled as high-maintenance troublemakers—whether being demeaned as anti-authority non-conformists, self-centered slackers, ego-centric know-it-alls, or generations of pierced and tattooed weirdos,” Sladek says.

Nevertheless, Xers and Ys are the highest performing generations of all time. “These intelligent, worldly, technology-savvy, multi-taskers have talent to offer, but we won’t waste our time working for a company that doesn’t provide us with ample opportunity, freedom, and respect.”

On average, young professionals spend 20 months on a job, making it difficult for companies to succession plan or establish a reliable workforce. Sladek’s book was written with the intention of helping Baby Boomer management attract, train, and retain Xers and Ys and lead their companies to success.

Focusing on new recruiting and retention strategies for a new generation, Rock Stars Incorporated features valuable tips and tools, including:

Best practices in hiring, managing, and marketing to Xers and Ys;
A formula to calculate your company’s talent gap, turnover rate, and employee tenure;
Strategies for succession planning, career pathing, and talent management; and
Numerous examples of innovative and successful X-Y work environments;
While Rock Stars Incorporated is presented as an entertaining, easy-to-read book of advice, the message eludes to serious ramifications for employers and economies. With talent shortages threatening the vitality of companies and industries worldwide, every company out there will want, and need, to recruit and retain young talent.

Sladek makes a strong case for understanding and responding to the generational shift that’s taking place. Her book explains the companies that keep Xers and Ys engaged, motivated, and productive, will realize distinct competitive advantages and prosper. In contrast, those companies that refuse change and ignore the generational shift will face considerable challenges.

“With the massive exodus of Boomers upon us, it has become increasingly obvious that the only succession plan a business has is its employees. It’s time to start focusing on the next generation of leaders and employees,” Sladek says.

“The arrival of Generations X and Y to the workforce has created a wave of unprecedented change and social impact. But the companies that are proactive in the battle for talent and focus their energies on recruiting and retaining Xers and Ys will win the favor of the latest and greatest talent and prosper in the years to come.”

Rock Stars Incorporated is available for purchase at www.limelightgenerations.com.

About the Author
Sarah L. Sladek is the president and CEO of Limelight Generations, a generational marketing company based in Minneapolis. Her first book, The New Recruit: What Your Association Needs to Know About X, Y, & Z, was one of the first books to address the generation gap in membership associations. She has published numerous articles and traveled extensively giving presentations and workshops on the topic of younger generations.