Mothers behind the medals

How To - Tricks for your iPhone 4!

I know that a lot of you have moved on to the iPhone 4s already, but I'm still using the iPhone 4 and I found this tutorial very helpful! Most of these also apply to the iPhone 4s anyway.

I enjoyed this video tutorial because I am always down to learn some new short cuts! I think everyone can appreciate that the guy is showing us how to get things done faster - who wants to waste time messing with that silly scroll bar?!? It's also fascinating to me that I've owned my iPhone 4 for about 6 months now and I'm STILL learning new things about it. Exciting. Gotta love Apple!

You can do that?

Throughout the history of mankind, fewer things have frustrated people more than trying to fold a fitted sheet. Many people have tried only to fail miserably, and usually end up bunching it into a ball and shoving it in the back of the closet. I myself have fallen victim to the 'Venus fly trap' of linens, sucks you in only to discard you after it has sucked the life out of you. 

The Beauty of Texas State

The Future of Education... And Cue Point Juggling

Few would argue against the fact that the internet is the single greatest collection of information ever invented by man (the distinction being made for all of you who would contend that the universe itself is the greatest source of information, being that that's all anything is). The implications of a connected planet range from easy access to music, to ensuring that all can be educated regardless of location or finances. I believe the transitions education systems all over the world are making to the digital sphere are essential to progress and equality. Despite the idealistic (and distinctly American) notion that you can always rise above your current situation and educate yourself, access to higher learning concepts are either actively being barred (I'm looking at you, Texas GOP) or are simply far too expensive to attain without driving yourself into tremendous debt. The only way to continually educate the masses in a fair manner is to move the lessons and content to a free space where anyone can reach it. MIT caught on long ago that the web is the perfect way to take educational content straight from the classroom and put it into people's homes; many more universities have followed suit. The idea is that everyone benefits from an educated society- why wouldn't we all do our part to ensure that comes to fruition?


All of that aside (I could go on for days and really should cut myself off), I'm a big fan of online learning, whether it be from a hobbyist standpoint or an educational one. The instructional videos I usually end up watching mainly center around musical techniques that I'd like to learn. My favorite resource for instructional videos is DJ TechTools, a digital DJ blog. Their videos are always extremely informative and offer great tips and step-by-step guides on how to do just about anything related to electronic music performance and recording (something not too common in the sometimes pretentious and secretive world of DJing). The video above is a great example of the intuitive and laid-back style with which Ean Golden always handles his tutorials, showing what's going on with both the equipment and onscreen. It couldn't be simpler to learn the basics of cue point juggling with this video, an awesome little trick for your next DJ set (which I'm sure is coming up soon).

Lost Passport?

I went on a trip to Florida back in October...I stupidly brought along my passport and when I returned from Florida it was nowhere to be found. My hope was that as I began to clean out/move out of my current apartment, I would find it hidden somewhere. But alas, it is gone. So I used the idea for this blog post and found a very helpful video on YouTube:

The video tells you exactly what you will need and the steps to take when you have lost your passport. Watching the video led me to this link, which has the form I need and the questions I must answer to receive a new passport. I feel learning online is something that is second nature to a lot of people. If someone wants to know how to do something, I'm almost positive there is a video on YouTube instructing you how to do so. I refreshed my memory on how to sew this past halloween as I was making me and my boyfriends halloween costumes. With help from YouTube, people can learn just about anything.

How to Make a Monkey Fist Knot

Not to long ago, during the spring semester, I discovered the knot of the monkey fist. Interested in making my own monkey fist key chain, I searched YouTube to find an instructional video to assist me. The video that I found was most helpful was the one I embedded above.
Seeing that I didn't have para-cord or a ball bearing, I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased some polyester decorative trim, normally used when making your own rugs, and a bag of marbles to use a glass marble as a substitute for the ball bearing, all together costing about $4. It took me about two hours to complete the entire thing, starting and stopping and starting all over again, seeing that I'm a perfectionist. The instructional video was very helpful, explaining step-by-step how to make your very own. If you want to make a new key chain that is cool then you should definitely give this a go.

How to Pipe a Rose with Frosting

On my lazier days, I love to watch Cupcake Wars on the Food Network and other baking shows. When I'm bored enough, I'll Google different recipes and videos of people making desserts or cakes. Over the weekend I saw a wedding cake on TV with buttercream roses on it. I was fascinated and knew there would be at least one video of someone making a demonstration on YouTube. I found this video of a baker carefully demonstrating the making of a buttercream rose. The video is extremely detailed and is over 10 minutes long because the baker is so precise  and detailed in her explanation of how to make these types of roses.

Although this video is a great how-to video, I believe this baker's instruction uses words and phrases only a baker would know and this particular DIY is not fit for those without the proper knowledge or previous instruction. It can get a little boring to watch this process go so slowly but I understand the care the baker is taking in this video. Overall, the details and information in this video are quite helpful, making it one of the better how-to videos I've seen on YouTube. 

The Fishtail Braid

 This past year or so, I noticed people talking about the "fishtail braid" in magazines, such as Lucky and Shape, and I had seen celebrities wearing it on TV. I thought this look might be fun to learn; since I don't usually care about what my hair looks like, I wanted something easy to do that could look good messy as well as neat. Blake Lively wears it well, below.

I sought a You Tube tutorial for the first time, literally ever. I was pleasantly surprised to find a tutorial by one of my style icons, Lauren Conrad. I felt this 'do was meant to be, and thoroughly enjoyed the tutorial. It's quick, with mostly music playing as you watch Conrad's hands moving through her hair. I like the clean, simple look of the video. It was obviously done by a professional, though there were other vloggers with tutorials on the same subject.

I found this video very helpful, especially since the cameras and lighting really helped me see what she was doing. Now I just need to get hair extensions to achieve the full effect of this braid. Lauren Conrad has a ridiculous amount of hair, of which I'm extremely jealous. Maybe next I can seek a video on installing fake hair.

YouTube Tutorials

I am constantly learning new things from YouTube.  If I'm ever curious as to how to do something (and it's always girly things like hair, make up and nails) Youtube is my go to site.  It's kind of one of my favorite past times. Seriously, the majority of things I know how to do is because of how to videos.  They're great resources, and they're free!  Why not take advantage of it?  The very first thing I looked up on YouTube was a tutorial video on how to do a certain hairstyle.  Ever since then, I was hooked!

Since the majority of our class is girls (sorry guys!) I decided to share this video.  It teaches you how to french braid your bangs.  It's super cute and really easy!  This is actually the exact video that I watched and learned how to french braid--so obviously it's really helpful too! Enjoy!

How to Ink & Color on Adobe Illustrator

I love YouTube when it comes to learning new things. You really can learn almost anything if you just look it up on either Google or YouTube. I mainly look up 'how-to' videos that help me draw or do digital work. Thanks to YouTube I've taught myself a lot of cool Adobe skills before even taking a class that teaches it to me. It just shows anyone can learn if they try hard enough.

The video above is showing people how to quickly 'ink' and 'color' their drawings using Adobe Illustrator in a timely manner. I like learning things fast so watching videos is much more preferred than reading, and it's great that I get to watch and pause the video when I try to copy what the person is performing.

I really enjoy this video and recommend it to anyone that is new to Illustrator and wants to try digitizatizing something they sketched up. He speaks clearly and uses a program that lets you watch what tool he uses and where he goes to achieve certain effects. This is a great video to have open and playing while doing your own drawing in the background, you'll learn quickly by matching what he does and you can restart the video endless times until you finally understand.

YouTube is a great source for learning all sorts of things. If you ever are curious about something or want to try something new look it up on YouTube. I'm happy there are so many people willing to help and post these videos for people learning like me!

Learning Online & How-To Videos

Using online how-to videos to learn how to do something can be as easy or difficult as you make it.  Sometimes it is as simple as just watching the first few minutes of a video to see if it is explained well and easy to follow and sometimes you need to "search smarter" with your key words.

This video is one I've used many times.  It shows how to embed a YouTube video into a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.  I've referenced it from my YouTube favorites multiple times to remember how to correctly embed a video in my school presentations.  (Anything to make PowerPoint more interesting right? I'm sure we've all dreaded it at some point.)

I found it to be easy to follow with clear instructions.  With the convenience of technology at our fingertips, we really have become an impatient society with regards to some things.  I'm definitely guilty of not wanting to watch a 19 minute video when a different one teaches the same thing in less than five minutes.  I'm also guilty of looking at how long the video is before I take the time to start watching it.

Just as we have been learning to "figure things out for ourselves" in this course on Web Design, I've been known to go hunting online to figure out how to do something with software I may not have advanced skills in.  Videos that have a narrator explaining what they're doing over filming of their computer screen are helpful versus videos that only have a music soundtrack in the background while the person demonstrating moves quickly through the tutorial without saying anything.   That is one of the primary reasons I like this video.  The YouTube video selected to demonstrate embedding may be a bit silly, but the instructions are clear and I can pause it while I go to the next step.

The only difficulty I have found (even with the ubiquitous presence of Microsoft Office products) is that after I test the links at home, play the entire presentation, and then test it on another computer, it will still manage to malfunction and not work right in the middle of a presentation.  So, in the case of PowerPoint and YouTube videos, I just make sure I add the regular link below the embedded video so I can click on it if necessary. 

How to grip the baseball

As a big fan of baseball games, I have interest in gripping the baseball. When I watch baseball games on television, casters always say about grips of pitchers. I think that knowing about the grips might make baseball fans can get more fun. Therefore, I would like to search how to make the grips baseball on YouTube. There are many videos for it, and I want to introduce some awesome videos.

The first point for a good instructional video is that the video should make viewers focus on contents for simple backgrounds. Messy background might interrupt viewers with concentration on contents of videos.

The second point is that the explanations should be easy to understand because most of viewers might be the beginners just like me. For example, in the second video above, the instructor explains grips very slowly.

Also the length might be important in making instructional videos. If a video would be so long for watching, it might bore viewers. Of course, if we can make captions to help people's understanding, it would be a better way for videos.

Learning something on YouTube has many advantages. For example, we can learn whatever when I want to do, and it is free, of course. If I want to learn advanced level, maybe I would be better learn it at offline academy, but before that, I can have a chance to learn the basic level online.

How to make a textured painting

The good news about making textured painting is that you don't need to draw perfectly. As you can see in the following picture, the texture of the painting isn't perfect:

About textured techniques, I found this video very useful. Even though it is in Spanish, you can easily learn about textured painting step by step. You may need to look for the right materials on the interntet, but everything else is shown on the video.

Also, I found this video well done. The music, the author's logo, the transition between each step and the performance of the zoom in and out helped to reach the purpose of the video: teaching.

How to interview someone

In preparation for our final project, I wanted to get some ideas and tips on how to interview someone and make it a good experience for the person being interviewed. The first video I came across was quite a disappointment--just a slide show with a handful of tips:

 

However, a few of the tips were helpful and made sense like having a conversation, not sticking strictly to the list of questions, and having fun.

The second video on the same topic was a little better, however, Chris Pirillo was getting off topic a lot, he was too informal, and "all over the place". It seemed to me that what took him about nine minutes to describe could be said in five.

Finally, I found exactly what I was looking for: an interview with a professional journalist with a lot of experience in interviewing people. In five minutes, Katie Couric delivered just what I was expecting: basic information on how to make interviewing a good experience for the person interviewed and get the best material for the audience.

This is what I took from the video:

• be warm and welcoming and try to get the other person relaxed
• don't just read the questions, have a conversation
• be a good listener and explore additional topics if the opportunity comes up
• do your research and learn as much as you can about the topic
• be empathetic
• don't use "yes" or no "questions"
• remember who you are serving--your audience

I also looked up a few more tips about how to conduct a good interview on the web.

How to via YouTube

I have never been able to get on the band wagon of YouTube. I never have the spare time to spend looking up information or videos on the internet. The only reason I may have seen a funny video is because my little brother insists I look it up. Being assigned to look up some how to videos was a first for me. I found this task to be hilarious! You can learn to do anything from videos! The first one I watches was this man making "towel heart swans." I couldn't take him seriously because he's just an awkward person! If you watch it, you'll know exactly what I mean!

This second video I found insane! I would never think to do this, and this girl has some talent! I find it a little creepy to be honest! 

Website design I like

Three websites I like the design of are mainly because they are easy to ready and also easy to navigate. If I can't find what I'm looking for, I will usually browse elsewhere.  (I like reading news sites a lot.)

I really like CNN, News 8 Austin and Belly Dance by Stacey Lizette because they are neatly arranged, not cluttered, and organized appealing to the eye.   

1.  CNN

2. News 8 Austin / YNN Austin

3. Belly dance by Stacey Lizette (Since I am a belly dancer I browse dance information online a lot.)

Download: True Story of the Internet

Commentary by Liz

I totally agree with one of the comments made by the host John Heilemann:  communication is the number one thing in hot demand by people around the world, and the internet is increasing how fast we communicate at lightening speed on a daily basis.  The is of course zero question that companies like Google and Yahoo changed the world, but a hot topic question that persists today is individual privacy rights amidst all that communication.  I think the public is still playing catch up to technology and will continue to do so for a very long time. 

Another theme I'm reminded of by this documentary and others like it is the astonishing pattern that a number of millionaires and billionaires created by these amazing technological inventions were college dropouts.  I agree with what Vera mentioned in her blog post:  a substantial amount of middle class privilege contributed to their ability to create these amazing inventions.

However, I am also reminded of a comment by Bob Metcalfe in his Texas State presentation last year: these pioneers, including him, didn't create these things just because it was interesting.  It was purely out of necessity. What they needed did not exist yet.  The same goes for the founders of Yahoo when they were trying to beat a basketball betting pool.  And as for regulations on the internet, this is a hot topic that will not fade away soon.  Napster certainly had an example made out of it and bills like the Stop Online Piracy Act have led to related pieces of legislation floating around Congress.  Creativity should not be stifled and these bills are often far too over reaching, but who decides that? This is a question future generations will be deciding.

Well-Designed Websites

Uncrate is a shopping blog centered around manly man items for men. Its clean, simple design lends well to the upscale feel of the website, also bolstered by its mostly luxury items. It only takes a quick glance to glean that this is a website for the modern man with money, everything coalesces nicely to exude a distinctly rich and modern feel (even when they're just featuring bacon-flavored something-or-other).

Reddit is a social news hub where the content is all user-contributed (ideally; I'm looking at you, marketing teams trying to figure us out). The best thing about the design and layout of Reddit is its absurd simplicity. It's essentially just a list of links, sometimes accompanied by a small thumbnail. That's it. But really, what else does one need?

eBay is the world's most famous auction site, one I'm sure you're all beyond familiar with. My favorite thing about eBay's design is that it's constantly evolving. The design team is always gathering information on how users use the site and what the site is lacking. Feedback is not only welcomed at eBay, it's begged for; they want to know how to make your experience better in every way possible, rolling out new features and site-wide revamps often, based on their user's suggestions. There is no site more in-tune with the needs of their user base and that is something to be admired and respected in a company.

I'd like to use these sites to influence Project 3 by incorporating an extremely simple interface focused on visuals and interactivity (as any good site should). I'll also concentrate on user feedback, asking friends and classmates what they feel they need from a site like mine to be not only useful, but intuitive and fun (for lack of a better word). I'm thinking I'll make the site reflect either local politics or philosophy, but I still haven't decided for sure. Perhaps a bit of both? The two topics do share a lot of important focuses, so joining them together somehow wouldn't be too much of a task.

Nice websites

1. Wellington

This is a light, colorful and easy to navigate site. Even though, it is about tourism, the concept can be applied to any field. It has a lot of information but it is well organized; the layout and colors also help to organize and find the information you are looking for.

2. Beyond the Rack

What I like about this website is the easy way to buy and how the new brands and products are posted every day.  The design is very simple, maybe too simple, but it makes the product to be the protagonists of the site.

3. Hulu

This site has a light, simple and friendly user design. They have a good use of the white as a background that makes a light home page while having many elements at the same time. Also, the combination of color is great.