Capitalogix

Uncle Jay's Musical Re-cap of 2008.

Funny!

Here is the direct link to video on Uncle Jay's site..

The Onion Reports That Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Just what I needed. Watch the video.

Very clever reporting from The Onion.

The Year in Pictures

Browse through some of the best pictures from 2008.  A picture is worth a thousand words; some that come to mind are beautiful, shocking, and surprising ...

It took me way too long to put this list together.  Why?  Because I started browsing and enjoying myself.  Hope you do too.

Here are some Best Photos-of-the-Year sites worth looking at as we close out 2008.

• Boston Globe's Big Picture Series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
• Stunning Pictures and Photos (Smashing Magazine)
• LATimes Best of Photo 2008 Series.
• A Year in Pictures (MSNBC, Agency France, and DocStoc)
• Pixeteria (Best of 2008 Galleries, People's Choice, Editor's Choice, Weather)
• Reuters has lots of great graphic content (100 Best of 2008 & Different Best of Slideshow)
• National Geographic (Editor's Choice, Best Animal Pics, DCP)

Here are some that are just for fun.

• A collection of "weird" people (Chive)
• A collection of "funny kid" pics (Chive)
• A collection of "perfectly timed" photos (Chive)

Here are some others that are from "artier" sources.

• Flickr's Hivemind
• Some Flickr High Dynamic Range Photos (Set 1 and Set 2)
• Photo.net Picture Finder Filter (Photo.net)
• 10 Picture worth a look. (XciteFun.net)
• Interesting photo hosting site (Pixdaus)

In 2008, many traders felt "over their heads" ...

It was scary for much of the year ...

Still, here is what I'll leave you with ... Winter always comes before Spring.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year.

Luck is Pretty Good Too

Luck is underrated. Here is a fun video montage where the hand of fate wasn't so fickle.

Here is a direct link to the YouTube video.

What you focus on determines your life.  It has been said many times, in many ways.

It is easy to focus on what is wrong, what is missing, or what you want to change.  On the other hand, it probably serves us better to feel confident, grateful and loved.  So as we begin 2009, think of how many things went right, how much opportunity is in front of you ... and how even "terrible things" serve to put you back on the right track or start on a better path.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Photology - A New Way To Find What You're Looking For

Overwhelmed by too many photos?  Too busy to sort and tag them?  Try this.

Photology helps you navigate the flood of digital photos on your computer by finding photos using simple and intuitive filters like faces, sky, color, location, and time of day ... automatically.

Can't find the photo of you in that pink silk jacket from the 4th of July party on the beach a few years ago? No problem, even with seemingly endless folders of random photos.  You know the expression, "finding a needle in a haystack," right? Thanks to Photology, haystacks of photos will get a lot smaller, making it much easier to find the "needle" you're looking for – even if that needle is an a pink jacket.

How do you do it?  Well, like this.

First stop questioning why you own a pink silk jacket.  Then start remembering what you can.  It was a few years ago (probably 2006).  The photo was of faces.  It was outside.  You were wearing pink.  And It was sunset. 

You can also combine, mix, and match any or all of these tidbits from your memory to find your photo.  It is fast, fun, and very easy to use.

Try it yourself with this online demo.  After the demo launches, try the filter options on the left.

I paid this software - and it was worth it.  Now it is free; an even better value proposition.  I'm still going to use Photoshop Elements for the heavier lifting ... Still, Photology has its place in the toolbox.

So click here to download the software.

Happy Holiday Season Wishes

I put together a short photo album and holiday card.  I hope you'll click this to watch.

Make a Smilebox photobook

Best wishes for a happy holiday season and a terrific 2009.

This Holiday Season ... Beware of the Doghouse

A funny reminder of what not to do this holiday season.

When I asked what she wanted for a holiday present, my wife asked me to buy her an Apron.  Really.  She also wants a saw to cut wood, and a steam cleaner for the carpets.

I might have been born at night. But it wasn't last night.

Yes my wife claims to want certain things ... But I've been trained better than to buy them as gifts.  I give them to her the day before ... "just because". 

Here's why.

Direct link to YouTube video.  Also, here is their website.

Extra: Click Here for "Things You Don't Say to Your Wife" video.

Can A Beautiful Mind Create a Beautiful Face?

A team of scientists recently developed software that, using a carefully tested and proven understanding of facial proportion, greatly improves the attractiveness of your face without damaging your defining features or whether people will recognize that the picture is of you.

Ever seen a picture of yourself that was a little too good? You’re still you, just a tiny bit better than the real-life you. That’s what this software supposedly does. 

The inventor says this technology could become a product or web service where people upload their photographs and have them enhanced or beautified by the software. 

So, if there was an “optimize portrait” button on Facebook, would a lot of people use it? Probably.

Here is a short video.

Here is a direct link to the video.

Related Articles:

• Examples of Digital Beautification.
• Reuters Article.
• Is Face Improvement Ethical?
• Researchers Promise to Make a More Attractive You.

"Stand By Me" Music Video from the Playing for Change: Peace Through Music Project

I saw this and thought it was worth sharing.  It is a video of different musicians, around the globe, combining their talents to create a worthwhile version of of the classic "Stand By Me". 

Here is the direct link to the video.

"Playing for Change: Peace Through Music" isn't really a documentary as much as a global concert film, recorded on the streets of New Orleans, Barcelona, South Africa, Tibet and elsewhere.  The filmmakers (Mark Johnson and Jonathan Walls) traveled across the globe, finding musicians to record versions of "Stand By Me" and Bob Marley's "One World" by themselves, and without any of the individual musicians ever having met each other. The finished project combines these performances to create an a "music video" of these artists playing together on these inspirational songs, as well as playing their own music.

The purpose of the project is to help impoverished people in the areas visited, and to show how music brings people together regardless of their cultural differences.  Find out more at Playing For Change.

Turn Talking Into Typing, Automatically

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 gets it right.  Finally speech recognition that is surprisingly accurate, even with little or no training.  Here is a 20-second video of me talking - and it typing.

I wrote about using dictation before.  This is different, because it gets smarter as you use it. There are easy ways to edit results, and the program learns from each correction.

For me, I know it works because I find myself using it to create drafts of many things.  And if it wasn't easier and more convenient than typing ... I wouldn't use it.  Instead, I often wait to create the draft at the computer with Dragon NaturallySpeaking.  The writing ends-up sounding more natural if the first draft was spoken.

This program has matured nicely.  Earlier versions were temperamental and took a long time to train.  This one worked out-of-the-box.  I use it with a simple usb microphone (not even the noise-canceling headset they include). It also works with my handheld Olympus voice recorder.

Give it a try.