I had a lot of fun doing this episode of Simply Science.

Digital Photography Basics Workshop

Want to learn how to use your camera to its full potential? Need a new camera (or even a first camera) and don’t know what to get? Spend two and a half hours learning the basics of digital photography from photographer and experienced technology educator Adam Weiss.

Adam will teach you how a digital camera works, what makes one camera better than another, and how your camera’s features can help you take better pictures — or when they can get in the way. Learn how to use your camera’s modes, when to turn the flash off, and how to overcome its limitations in tricky situations. Once you understand your camera, you’ll learn how to take more interesting photos with tips professionals use to take beautiful pictures.

Bring your camera to try things out as you learn (not required), and be prepared to ask lots of questions. This workshop will be highly interactive, with plenty of time for discussion.

Saturday, April 10 from 10:00-12:30, including a 15 min. break. Workshop followed by informal question time until 1:00 pm.

Cost is $35 per person. Limit 20 participants.

Sign up for Digital Photography Basics Workshop

Taking Better Pictures Hands-on Workshop

Do you want to take your photography to the next level? Wish you could get feedback on your photos to improve more quickly? Bring your camera to a hands-on workshop that will get you outside taking pictures and teach you how to improve your shots.

Photographer and experienced technology educator Adam Weiss will provide a brief overview of camera functions and photo composition tips, then you’ll move outside to practice for an hour before heading back inside to review actual photos taken during the workshop. By discussing photos taken by your fellow participants, you’ll learn how to improve composition and choose better camera settings — as well as seeing how others like to photograph the world.

The outdoor section of the workshop will give you the opportunity to experiment while getting help and guidance from the instructor (if you want it). A few volunteer participants will then have the opportunity to have their photos critiqued by Adam and the rest of the class, giving everyone ideas for how to make their shots better.

Saturday, April 10 from 2:00-5:00, including 1 hour of picture-taking time (weather permitting). Bring your camera’s USB cable if it is a non-standard type.Cost is $35 per person. Limit 15 participants.

Sign up for Taking Better Pictures Hands-on Workshop

Attend Both Workshops for Just $50 (Use the second option when signing up for the second workshop)

Blog Post: Bogart at the Gym

Fifteen movies in Harvard Square for $2 each! Why did I hesitate on that Groupon?

The Brattle Theatre’s offer of a year-long membership for just $35 was so popular that they called Groupon after just a few hours to plead “Please shut it off!” Even still, 1250 people got tickets to 15 films, discounted popcorn, and the satisfaction of supporting a 120-year-old cultural center. They would have kept it going, but they’d increased their membership rolls by 25% in less than a day, and they didn’t want to be buried under a mountain of paperwork for months to come.

Of course, I saw this Groupon just minutes before it sold out. Before I clicked “Buy,” I paused to tell a few friends — when I went back, it was gone. Luckily, I didn’t let my disappointment stop me from dropping in on the Brattle’s Creative Director this week. Ned Hinkle has been at the Brattle Theatre for over a decade (he actually built their first website by hand), and he graciously invited me to climb up into the balcony with him for a chat.

The theater started out as Brattle Hall back in 1890, and it’s been in pretty much continuous operation ever since. It started out as a social club and live theater, and had stints as a ballet school and even a police gymnasium along the way. It was retrofitted for movies in 1953, and has spent the almost six decades since then showing art films, classics, and cult favorites. It’s also started a couple of cult traditions, including one that lures Harvard students away from studying for finals to watch Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca or The Maltese Falcon — a tradition that Hinkle said made Bogart the classic icon he is today.

Brattle Hall also houses a great cafe and restaurant, making it a one-stop night on the town, right in the heart of Harvard Square. Even if you missed out on the Groupon, the Brattle is a great place to experience films you’ll never get to see on the big screen — whether they’re classics or current contenders for festival honors.

Visit:
Brattle Theatre
40 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-876-6837

Video: Interview at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA

Video: “Live Off Groupon” Contest Introduction Video

This first video is of Joselin Mane, the organizer of the MegaTweetup.  This recording was made in a large, hard-walled room near the end of the event, with probably 30 people talking around us. I was standing about 3 feet from the subject, putting the camera and microphone about 2 feet away. The background sound level was similar to what you’d have in a shopping mall common area on a normal weekday evening.

This video is of Rebecca Corliss, whose a capella group performed at the MegaTweetup.  This recording was made in a large, hard-walled room near the end of the event, with probably 30 people talking around us. I was standing about 3 feet from the subject, putting the camera and microphone about 2 feet away. This time, the background was extremely noisy, similar to a crowed bar with no music playing. It was a situation where you had to speak very loudly to be heard over the crowd.

Overall, I think the microphone performed quite well. I’ll be keeping it, and using it with my 7D quite often.

I made this app demo using my new setup, which eliminates all of the shadows I had to deal with when I made the GV Mobile demo. Of course, that video was a fun favor, and this was work for a client, so I needed it to look good.

Here’s the demo video itself:

Right, except that it asked me to vote tomorrow, not today.

I don’t know if this is a case of computer/operator error or a legitimate case of electoral fraud through misinformation, but I was asked to record and share it by a number of people on Twitter, so here it is.

Because it was left today, I could not figure out how to get the voicemail system to say the actual date it was left. If I wait, I can get a properly timestamped version, but that will take a few days. In the meantime, I’ve included a screenshot of my iPhone voicemail screen taken at 2:41 today. I don’t think iPhone screenshots have EXIF data, but it’s the best I can do.

Did anyone else receive one of these calls?

For the record, I didn’t campaign for or support either mayoral candidate this year, so this isn’t an attack on anyone. I just found it curious and thought it was worth sharing.

Click the play button below to play the message.

This has got to be one of my most-used apps.