Category: Lifestyle

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Upgrading to High Def: The Canon HV20 or HV30?

The Canon HV30

Last week Canon announced the Vixia HV30, the newest high def camcorder designed to replace older Canon HV20. I have been itching to make the jump to HD video for the past year. I held off largely because my standard definition Canon GL2 was still serving me well. In addition, the HD standards and industry trends were still in flux so I was kinda gun shy about making a major purchase during times of technological uncertainty. You have to understand that for me, nothing is as frustrating as having your new camcorder becoming obsolete the week after you purchase it. Continue reading “Upgrading to High Def: The Canon HV20 or HV30?”

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New Years Day: The Star Trek Experience

I went to Vegas and all I got was this nerdy picture

It is the first day of the New Year so so what could be better than a trip to the Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton? Since I don’t gamble at all, and the Bunny Ranch would probably get me shot by my wife, I had to find something to do in Vegas. This was gonna be my third time at the exhibit. However it was my first time with the kids. Believe it or not, Ski and I came here a few years back as we were on a belated Honeymoon. She enjoyed it, which is odd because she usually hates anything having to do with Sci-fi.

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Thoughts on ePortfolios

My feelings on ePortfolio continue to evolve and adapt as new technologies and instructional schools of thought are developed. I am very lucky in the sense that Eportfolio is heavily tied into all of the courses in the New Media Technology Program. Within the New Media Program students are encouraged to develop digital expressions of their learning throughout their time at LaGuardia. Since professional portfolios are a mainstay in the New Media field, the development of a student centered ePortfolio is a natural and progressive step.

The development of a ePortfolio helps my students to think more intensely about their career goals and aspirations. Since the field of New Media Technology is rapidly expanding and morphing almost monthly, students are, Continue reading “Thoughts on ePortfolios”

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Run….run like the wind!

Run girl run

I am so proud of my wife. She completed the NYC Marathon last Sunday in a little over 3 and a half hours. I have to give her a hand because she trained hard all summer to get into shape. Personally I don’t know how she did it. Running 26 miles at that pace would probably force me to sleep for a couple of weeks. However my girl ran the race and still got up the next morning and went off to work with a spring in her step. It was her second time running in the NYC marathon. The last time that she did it was 11 years and two kids ago. The amazing thing is that she ran a faster pace this time than she did 11 years earlier.

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Family Night Out: Knick Game!!!

Knicks vs. the Sixers
One of the benefits of having a cousin who has Knicks season tickets is that every once and awhile he can’t use them and is generous enough to pass them over to me. That is what happened this week. My cousin C called me up and asked me if I wanted to take the family to the Knicks game against the 76ers. Luckily none of the fam had any previous plans that evening so it was clear sailing. I had taken my son to his first couple of games earlier this year. Needless to say, he loved it. However this was the first time that the whole fam would Continue reading “Family Night Out: Knick Game!!!”

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MS Bike Tour: I thought I was in better shape

msbikerace1.jpg

I participated in the MS Bike tour yesterday and rode under the LaGuardia banner. I got to the start line a few minutes late so I didn’t get a chance to hook up with the rest of the team from LaGuardia. As a result I rode the whole length of the course by myself. I didn’t mind too much since I had the iPod loaded with Jay Z, Biggie, and some ole’ school Run/DMC. Still it wasn’t the same as the previous bike tour. You see, Ski and I did the race last year. We had a great time despite the fact that I had to bail out at the thirty mile mark because I was so outta shape. I figured that I wouldn’t have any problems this year since I had been Continue reading “MS Bike Tour: I thought I was in better shape”

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Used Macs: eBay to da’ rescue

Tita's emac

Since we got back from overseas the kids have been bugging me to get them new computers for their rooms. They still were using an old eMachines PC that I had given them back when they shared a room together. That unit had seen better days and the kids had recently taken to co-opting my desktop for their gaming and homework. I felt that I had to assert myself and put a stop to that practice since it was starting to seriously cut into my World of Warcraft time.

The kids had fallen in love with my MacBook Pro laptop, Winona, over the summer and kept hinting at me to get them Apples. Because they now had separate rooms, they of course wanted separate machines. Since the new iMacs and Macbooks start at about 1100 dollars, I decided that I was going to have to search around and buy them used or refurbished if the kids were gonna get their wish. Continue reading “Used Macs: eBay to da’ rescue”

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Halo 3 mania! WTF?

Halo 3 Launch

I was out riding my bike yesterday and rode past a Game Stop store on the night that Halo 3 was set to launch. I was out at about 9pm and was amazed at the number of people that were lined up at this little out of the way store. The line as down the block at 9pm. It was a good 3 hours before the game was set to go on sale and people were damn near around the block. There probably wasn’t a single person on the line under 25. Continue reading “Halo 3 mania! WTF?”

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The best part about my job!

picture with my students
One of the benefits of teaching at a large urban community college is that I get a chance to help a diverse group of young men and women chart the course of their professional lives. I am blessed to be able to watch them mature and grow as digital professionals. I bring this all up because today was graduation day and a number of my best students graduated today.

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Memories of 9/11:

The Towers

I can’t front. I haven’t felt right in my own city since that day. It is six years afterward and I still feel uneasy. I have lived in NYC for about 90% of my life. I lived in Harlem during the crack explosion of the 80’s. I was here in the early 90’s when we were averaging nearly 3000 murders per year. And despite that, I can’t remember EVER being tense walking around my city.

Have the terrorists really won or am I just in need of therapy? I am not really sure. I know that NYC, and America in general, feels radically different to me. I don’t like crowds anymore. I don’t like riding the trains or buses either. I know that being stuck in traffic on a bridge makes my heartbeat race.

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