Prezi

Not too long ago, my awesome wife, Kara, forwarded on a cool website / presentation application to me. It is called Prezi.

Prezi provides a different take on presentation graphics. Instead of the standard linear approach that PowerPoint or Keynote slide presentations take, Prezi provides what can best be described as an infinitely large whiteboard. This whiteboard allows you to plop down text and images* easily so that you can arrange them in cool and creative ways. When presenting the material, you can interact with the canvas, zooming out to get the big picture or zooming in and around to individual pieces. And this is where the magic of prezi happens. Now, instead of bullet points to create contextual hierarchy, you can move the “camera” in creative ways to really emphasize the relationship between the pieces of subject matter.

For example, if you wanted to present that flour, sugar, eggs, butter, chocolate chips and baking soda are ingredients for your awesome chocolate chip cookies. In slide form you may have a heading of Cookies and a 6-bullet list of the items; in prezi, you might have the word “cookie” centered on the screen and, with one click, your camera zooms into the “c” to reveal “flour” in text that was previously too small to see; then smoothly animate over to the first (zoomed in) “o” to show the next ingredient; and so on.
Tough to describe verbally, but what happens is that you now have this subtle visualization of how those ingredients are contained within the cookie. if you start with jumping through the list of ingredients, then at the end, zoom out to reveal the word “cookie.”

I’m not gonna lie, the eye-candy quality of it all is really amazing as well. Because prezi is based in Flash, the author can create in vector-based imagery - this is what allows you to zoom in and out to extremes without the text and images* from getting fuzzy like you would normally see if you zoom in really tight on a digital photograph. I keep throwing in that dang asterik (*) after the word “images” because for this scaling effect to work perfectly, you need to have vector-based images. Granted, you can import photos and videos, but when you start scaling things in an extreme way, you are going to run into problems - but maybe we are getting a little too in-depth here.

Here is a project I worked on for Balihoo.com. They were interested in prezi, but didn’t really know how/where to start and I was able to help. The ultimate guidance was to turn an existing web page that  into a prezi presentation that could be embedded into their site. Here is the proposed version that I created. Please understand that the final piece may be a little different, but I am excited to share the piece I created. You can move around the canvas, but to get the full story, you just need to click through using the provided navigation arrows.

Balihoo Microsites [Proposed] on Prezi

Prezi has more than one million subscribers in business, education, and the arts. Headquartered in San Francisco and with an office in Budapest, Prezi, Inc., is backed by Sunstone Capital and The Sapling Group. For additional information about Prezi, visit www.prezi.com.

Creative Screenwriting Podcast

So, I hate to do another “podcast recommendation” post, but I have had a blog block (“blogock”?) lately with regard to subject matter. So, getting back to basics, I did a quick scan of what my daily routines include that might be worthy of sharing. This morning, I was inspired by a podcast that has become a favorite.

Now before I get into the details of today’s recommendation, I feel obligated to take a step back to give a general overview of what podcasts are all about. (If you are familiar with podcasts, then skip down and start reading after the “Creative Screenwriting” image.)

Technically, a podcast is a non-streamed webcast. A webcast is an audio or video broadcast that is accessed and transmitted via the internet. The non-streamed part means that these media files can be downloaded and listened to and/or viewed at your discretion.

In layman’s terms, a podcast is a free audio or video show that can be done by anyone that has a microphone, video camera (if necessary), a computer, and the ability to house the media files online somewhere. Due to this fact, you can find podcasts ranging from an extremely specific topic by some guy recording out of his home office to highly-produced podcasts by major companies and media outlets. You can listen to a podcast in a few ways. One of the most popular ways is to find a podcast you like in the iTunes Store (searching by subject), then download individual episodes OR ‘subscribe’, which means that when that podcast has a new episode, your iTunes will automatically download it to your computer. From there you can listen to the podcast on your computer or transfer it to your iPod, iPhone and iPad to be viewed or listened to when you want. Alternatives to iTunes are Podcast Alley, JuiceReceiver and Podcast.net - a simple online search should help you find more if needed.

Podcasts are not limited to Apple devices, though the “pod” in podcast may confuse some. Not being completely educated on the subject, I believe that the term may have originally been a nod to the iPod due to the fact that the media form was pushed forward by the environment that the iPod and iTunes provided. However, since other mobile devices and access via your personal computer (no matter what brand or operating system) are able to take advantage of the medium, it seemed a bit unfair that all of these ‘non-streamed webcasts” were inadvertently pro-Apple due to the term. (Not unlike how the name brand Kleenex® has taken over all forms of facial tissue.) Webcast is a synonymous term, but has never really had the momentum that podcast had, so the tech population compromised by saying “no, no, no, POD cast does not refer to the Apple iPod, it is short for “Personal On Demand broadCAST.” Regardless of this extremely controversial history (not really), I hope that this sheds some light for my friends and family that don’t know much about this medium. Now on to today’s recommended podcast, Creative Screenwriting Magazine’s podcast.

Am I a screenwriter? No.

Do I have desire to eventually one day write a screenplay? No.

So, why the interest in a podcast that what would seemingly be about a pretty specific subject?
In the past, I had come to appreciate podcasts that support the television shows I watch like Grey’s Anatomy, where the podcast did not necessarily recap the show, but interviewed the producers and writers to expand the viewers’ understanding of the show. Whether it be details that I may have missed or a stronger explanation of why the writers chose to do something the way that they did, I definitely came to appreciate the screenwriting process.

Creative Screenwriting takes these qualities that I enjoy so much and applies them to feature length movies (old and new) as well as some television shows - anything that has a screenwriter on staff is eligible.

The host, Jeff Goldsmith, is a really good interviewer in that he is always very well-informed; but more than that, you can easily feel his sincere enthusiasm. The standard format for a show is that an interview is performed with the writer(s)/actors/producers of a movie immediately after a screening of that movie. The interview usually includes some personal history of the interviewees, then the details of the specific movie. That is the basic format, but there are instances, like the podcast covering “Once” in which the musicians of the movie played some music live and had back stories about each song. Needless to say, this and other podcasts have entertained and educated me. But more importantly, I have a much greater respect for the process of writing movies and television shows.

I highly recommend this podcast - even if it is something you might not subscribe to - you can at least go to iTunes and look for some of your favorites movies and shows. Here is a link to the podcast within iTunes.

The Moth Podcast

One of these days, I will go over podcasts in a more general sense - with those who don’t really even understand the term “podcast” in mind.
For now, I want to highlight a podcast that I just recently got into. It is called The Moth Podcast, and it is the on-demand audio vehicle for the bigger not-for-profit storytelling organization, The Moth.

From their web site:
The Moth, a not-for-profit storytelling organization, was founded in New York in 1997 by poet and novelist George Dawes Green, who wanted to recreate in New York the feeling of sultry summer evenings on his native St. Simon's Island, Georgia, where he and a small circle of friends would gather to spin spellbinding tales on his friend Wanda's porch. After moving to New York, George missed the sense of connection he had felt sharing stories with his friends back home, and he decided to invite a few friends over to his New York apartment to tell and hear stories. Thus the first "Moth" evening took place in his living room. Word of these captivating story nights quickly spread, and The Moth moved to bigger venues in New York. Today, The Moth conducts eight ongoing programs and has brought more than 3,000 live stories to over 100,000 audience members.


Lately, due to the combination of what is going on with my work and the need for new things to listen to during my commute, I have been listening to audiobooks and podcasts dealing with screenwriting and storytelling. The Moth is a great example of one of these podcasts. When boiled down, it is a fascinating way to learn peoples’ stories as well as reflect upon how one would structure and present stories of his or her own life.

The most recent (8/2/2010) installment by Andrew Solomon was incredibly moving. I would summarize, but could not do justice to the story or the storytelling. Another thing I like about The Moth is that the stories are usually around 15 minutes long, so you do not need to commit a big chunk of time to listen and enjoy.

As mentioned at the top, I will go over podcasts in general sometime soon - for now, The Moth might be a great way to get introduced to how they work. One good thing about this is that podcasts are readily available for Mac and non-Mac users alike!

I hope you enjoy The Moth. If you have other suggestions, please leave them in the comments section.

1Password

I love recommending apps, tips and tricks with regard to Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV. I am also the kind of guy that worries about being reputable, so I am just as worried when I make recommendations because “what if they don’t like it as much as I do?! (gasp!)”

Today, I cast aside my worry. There is a chance that some may not need this or use it to the extent that I do, but this application is my longest-running favorite application for Mac (it has complimentary iPhone & iPad apps, as well). The application is 1Password for the Mac, by Agile Web Solutions.

There are a handful of other similar applications and the Mac even has built-in functionality with Keychain Access, but I got 1Password a couple of years ago and have never really tested the others out because it fit the bill and has evolved over time. I use 1Password (currently version 3.3.0) for 2 main things: secure passwords & secure data. I continue to use 1Password because of the ease it allows me to use the web, the ability to securely have my information available to me, the continued support that the software developer provides, and the peace of mind that all of these allow.

So, here the gist of it for those who are completely in the dark about what I am talking about. Maybe you have some sort of notebook, spreadsheet, napkin, whatever that you use to keep track of all of those logins, passwords, serial numbers, etc. Perhaps you just kind of use the same two or three moderately complex passwords for passwords every time you register on a web site; or maybe you step that up a little and use slight variations of those two or three standards. You are well aware of the security concerns with regard to your personal data - either you hear about it from work or in the media, or, if you are relatively computer-illiterate, then you have a built-in paranoia about putting anything on your computer, much less the internet. Underlying all of those concerns, just managing the passwords you do have can be frustrating (ie. paging through that notebook for the right one or not being sure if your spreadsheet is current.) Even though sites are able to help you if you forget your password, the process can be just a frustrating (but, for the sake of security, we kind of need it to be, right?)

1Password has helped me tremendously because I can have it create some crazy JEpd&@03jk0z!€{_ type of password for a banking site that I access, whether it be once a month or three times a day. It can create, store, auto-fill, and update the passwords for online sites as I need. Then, in case I am not on my Mac, I can have a secure vault on my iPhone, via the 1Password for iPhone app. Yes, I may have to type crazy password in now and again, but 1) I know it is safe and 2) I always have it available to me (note: even if I don’t have my phone, there are other, more in-depth ways of doing this). 1Password easily integrates itself into Safari and Firefox browsers, so much of my secure browsing and internet use can be done within 1 or 2 clicks
Outside of web browsing, there are numerous ways to use 1Password. I can keep personal data securely in one place. I am not great with remembering numbers, so whether I have bank account numbers that I need to use once in awhile or need my daughter’s social security number for whatever reason, I can have it all - even locked under a couple of passwords, depending on how secure it needs to be. I can keep track of software registration numbers (and even attach receipts to that file), personal notes, a home inventory in case of disaster, securely shop online and more. I just looked over the current web site and there are even more ways that I could leverage 1Password in my daily routines.

Agile Web Solutions has been very good concerning updates, whether they are adding functionality, continually ensuring that the software is as secure as it can be, or making sure the software works in concert with all of the updates to OS X. The updates are quick and simple when they do come, as well.

1Password is $39.95 for a single license / $69.95 for a family license(5 users). There is also a trial version as well. The accompanying iPhone app is currently $9.99.

Presentation Graphics

When a graphic design student is in school, s/he is usually trained in all of the Adobe Creative Suite applications (like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Dreamweaver and a handful of others) when dealing with digital media. Various schools go in o varying depths when teaching these tools. Underlying all of this are classes on 2D design, drawing, painting, sculpture and a few other fine arts.

Though I have had jobs that followed a more traditional path of what that training leads to, I am currently work as a graphic designer who’s primary job is developing presentation graphics. That may just seem like a fancy way to say that I make PowerPoint decks, but I would candidly say that what I help develop is at a level that is higher than the standard. Understanding how PowerPoint has historically been mis-used, measuring oneself as “higher than the standard” doesn’t really say a whole lot.

It is funny to think that, prior to working for my current company, I had NEVER opened up MS PowerPoint. Even when I took a required class in MS Office, we used Word, Excel, (and even Access), but no PPT - I have no idea why it was like this - it just was. As I had mentioned earlier, the graphic design / art curriculum doesn’t see PPT as a design tool, so I had no exposure there. Jobs prior to this one didn’t even have MS Office installed on the computers I work on. So it was a bit of a shock to move to a position where such a huge quantity of work is communicated through PPT slides. Daily / weekly / monthly meetings, org charts, office communications and protocol, were all passed around in PPT files. In this corporate world, I stepped in as a “graphics guy” and this meant something completely different to everyone there than it did to me. I needed to get spun up quickly, and in hindsight it wasn’t too difficult. Graphics tools are similar enough that one who is well-verse in one, can quickly see the similarities and work out the differences. But the use of these tools was different enough that it became the focus of my adaptation.

At the core of all of this, I came to the realization of something that gave me a completely new perspective on where my career could lead. I realized that designers are either not acclimated to applications like PPT or Keynote as foundational training or just look at this type of work to be “beneath them.“ The people that use PPT on a daily basis - salespeople, marketers, the military, etc. usually don’t have training in design. Bringing a designer’s perspective to the use of PPT (visual communications) allows this medium to be taken to a higher level. This is not rocket science here, nor is this brand new information. I am just explaining my observations - it was one of those things that, at the time, ”I didn’t know what I didn’t know.“ I have since found an incredible community that is made up of people like Nancy Duarte, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Garr Reynolds, Dave Gray, Dan Pink and others (many of who’s blogs are located in my ”Current Favorite Blogs“ over there on the right.)

I highly suggest that people take a look at what these communicators have to say. If you are a designer, you will find new ways of communicating. If you are not a designer, you will get an inside look at how some incredibly creative communicators come up with the stuff that they do. No matter who you are, if you look around enough you will be inspired either by the processes that these people use as well the content that they present.

Here is a cool example of something I found inspiring. It is not PPT or Keynote, but it is definitely clearly communicated information. The visualization came after the spoken content, but it adds value in my opinion.

Inspiration

One of my inspirations to start doing this blog was one specific podcast of MacBreak Weekly. Near the end of the show, all of the participants get a chance to recommend something that they like or use that is applicable to the Mac / iPhone / iPad / tech worlds. On episode 205, Rich Siegel was on as a guest, and not being a regular on the show, he was concerned about recommending something that was not new enough or has already been recommended on a previous show. The host, Leo Laporte, was quick to explain that Rich should not worry - that we are just interested in what he uses and how he uses it.

With this blog, I started and stopped a few times because I questioned the relevance of what I could say. Not being a self-made expert on any of the subject I could write about, I know that much of what I could say here would be a regurgitation of what I gather from others - hopefully with my own interpretation. Realistically, I understand that some information doesn’t get the “Jake version” because I either don’t know enough about it or due to the type of information it is.

But what I learned from this short exchange on a podcast I listen to every week is that

1. what I write about or recommend or whatever has the potential to be relevant because (even if I think it is redundant) you never can tell who will read this or when he/she will read this; and
2. I don’t need to view this as wholly original and inspirational stuff - when I write here, my role is more of keeping information flowing as opposed to uncovering revelatory thoughts and discoveries.

I am not famous or well connected (yet!), but if I help get useful information to someone who may not have been anywhere near it before, then that is alright by me!

BTW, Rich’s recommendations were: Lacrosse Battery Charger , Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid Drive

Andy Ihnatko had a pretty cool recommendation with the iPad app Flipboard which looks to combine your social media and RSS feeds and packages them into your own personal digital magazine.

Neat ideas for iPad

I came across a neat tutorial concerning use of the iPad.
On YouTube, Alex Lindsay was showing of some crazy technical stuff (uploading at 4K resolution), so I thought I would see what it looked like. Of course, it was cool, but it was the content that really pulled me in.
Ultimately, his guest, Sid Soghoian, was walking through a process to use a supplied Automator function with a collection of photos, video, audio and text files.

• The Automator packages all of the pieces up into a folder (think “self-contained web site) that you upload to the web.
• Once uploaded, you can send that link to an iPad.
• The iPad will open the link up in Safari, so it seems kind of goofy at first. But if you then turn that mini site into a web app on your home screen, it becomes it’s own iPad app.

The walk through tutorials are on padilicious.com
There are other processes shown that look like they could come in really handy - making your own multimedia EPUB book that can be viewed in iBooks looks to be really cool.

Apple / Mac OS X basics & Getting answers

So those who know me personally know that I am an Apple brand advocate. (That is an attempt to say "I am a fan, but try not to be a jerk about it.")
I feel that I am unbiased in that (whether we are talking about computers or absolutely anything) I understand that there is no one right way for everyone.
Mac users are quickly labeled (usually "snobby," "placing style over substance," and any other descriptor you feel like coming up with), and I understand that.
Going on about the validity of these labels will be saved for a different time or forum.

Today I want to cover some basics about Mac OS X [Operating System 10, for the uninitiated]. Since I am “one of those Apple guys” I tend to get asked a lot of questions as friends and family either switch to a Mac or get an iPhone. I am happy to help, but since I only have answers from being a Mac user (as opposed to having formal training) I usually have to help by trial-and-error or looking up the answers from somewhere else.

Perhaps under-utilized, Apple’s web site has some great information for new Mac users at Mac 101 that would be useful to current Mac users of varying levels as well as non Mac users who are interested in seeing what all the hype is about.

Switch 101 is a great resource for those who just got a new Mac because everyone was saying how great it was, but now what? - but the information there is still relevant to me because I can’t know absolutely everything about the Mac .... yet! I kid.

Honestly, I learn what I need to learn - I get good at the things I do repetitively. Having resources like these sites is invaluable because I know where to go if I hit a stumbling block or get to a spot where "I know I should be able to do ______, but how?"
I take this for granted - this way of getting answers. Sometimes coworkers, friends, family, etc. ask me "how do I do this?" If I know, then no biggie. But if I don’t know, I search online. No joke - I type in the gist of what they need help with (search engine of choice) and see what it says. I don't say this in that I think I am on to some big secret - it is just fascinating to me that not everyone thinks this way.  There are times, however, when I will amaze you with the trivial stuff I just know.

You may or may not be interested in OS X - I will be covering all kinds of stuff in the future. I try to keep my blogs relatively short and provide links so that there is some relevance other than me talking to space. If you have comments or related links/information, please participate.