Challenge response: Reconnect banner ad

Here is an animated banner I made for the website (www.spencerhouse.ca) to link to the movie preview:

Copy this code to embed it in your site or blog: <img border="0" height="0" src="http://c.gigcount.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.11NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyOTkwOTA5MjUwNzMmcHQ9MTI5OTA5MDkzMTM*NSZwPTQ1NTkzMiZkPSZnPTEmb2Y9MA==.gif" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" /><object data="http://files.bannersnack.net/app/swf2/EmbedPlayerV2.swf?hash_id=bc4388c3c345d9e70a336192b1833308&amp;watermark=1&amp;clickTag=null" height="250" id="embededBannersnackFlash_bc4388c3c345d9e70a336192b1833308" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://files.bannersnack.net/app/swf2/EmbedPlayerV2.swf?hash_id=bc4388c3c345d9e70a336192b1833308&watermark=1&clickTag=null"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></object>

Challenge response: Photoshop tutorial

Hi all,

I have just uploaded by tutorial to YouTube as  a part of last weeks challenge. It is a super-quick and painless tutorial of photoshop that briefly explains working with layers and masks. I made it with "Snapz Pro X" and then edited it in iMovie. In the future, I would like to use Adobe Captivate, which is a free program specifically designed for these types of video tutorials, but it is only compatible with really up-to-date versions of Mac/Windows.

I do not know why a small part of the top of the screen cut off when I converted it to imovie, still trying to figure that out.

EDIT: I have figured out why the screen cut off and have uploaded it now, so it should be easier to follow.

New graphing technology

Now that Google has scanned over 10% of books ever published, you can graph the occurrence of difference words of your choice from 1400 to present day. It's called the Ngram Viewer (ngrams.googlelabs.com). It shows some really interesting relationships between words.

Here's one that shows an inverse relationship between science and art throughout history, up until now, where science and art seemed to have stopped becoming so mutually exclusive. Here's a funny one comparing jesus and google (for better or for worse!). It lets you see the raw data too.

Spencer House Sketchup

Hey! Not sure if this is A+ material, but I played around with it and here's what I came up with. For now, it does not like quite so realistic because although I was able to grab the photo texture for the roof, I could not do it for the pale building walls because there was a tree in front of it! Nonetheless, here it is:

I am still going to work a few kinks out before I add it as a location for google maps. 

For example, the side here is triangular, and I don't know why!

Google Analytics

Hi all,

I started using Google Analytics on the Spencer House website last month, and it's pretty useless at first, but now that there is a longer timeline, it is starting to show some interesting patterns.

For example, almost all the hits that our website gets is on weekdays. I am pretty sure it is because most of the hits come from the C@P site, and it's closed on weekends. This goes to show how inter-reliant the C@P site and seniors centre are. Sometimes there will be 15 hits on Friday, then none at all on Saturday. The graph is unique hits only. Here it is below -- the yellow dots = weekends.

Glossary of Computer Terms (Beginners Manual)

I've been working on a glossary of computer terms I've compiled for C@P site users, edited from different sites online (including my favourite, urbandictionary). I'd like to add on to it but I had to upload it to a PDF so it won't take edits. :( Comments are appreciated nonetheless.

Here is the link: (9 page PDF) https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B5LZejoHGP7gNWExOWNkMDItYWNkYy00NDI0LWE4MGEtMGE1ODllNTczNDc0&hl=en

It explains the following terms:
INTERNET TERMS 404 Error Address Bar Banner Ad Bounce BCC Blog CC Broadband Dial-up Domain Name Download E-mail Emoticons Facebook Firewall Flash Google Home page Hyperlink Hypertext IM IP Address Listserv MySpace Mirror Netiquette Outbox Search Engine Social Networking Spam Streaming VoIP Web 2.0 Web Host Web Page Web Master Wiki	HARDWARE TERMS CPU DVD Flash Drive Hard Drive Laser Printer Media Operating System Shift Key Smartphone System Requirements USB Web Cam FILE  FORMATS BMP GIF JPEG MP3 PDF RTF ZIP	TECHNICAL TERMS Analog Bluetooth Boolean Burn Caps Lock CMYK Podcast Refresh Right click Multimedia Recycle Bin Undo Word Processor FUN STUFF Internest Smatphone Shuffle Paper GPS Cyber Hoarding

This is where all the action happens

The Spencer House C@P site is located in the back of the Seniors' Centre.

Here we have the bulletin board, a computer, and even a paper shredder

There are 5 of these Dell computers (with laser pointer mice)

And one mac. I am trying to avoid being a mac salesperson, 

but this computer has everything you'll ever need...

Challenge 2.3 New Year's Resolution - Outreach

One area I'd like to work on is outreach.

I'd like to double the usage of our C@P Site. It's still a bit of a hidden gem here. I have been thinking of planning events that might draw people to the site for the first time. I am thinking of ways to make it more accessible to people who aren't familiar with using a computer.

I would like to design some flashy materials with good pitches to the right audiences. I have been brainstorming a list of places where I could advertise the C@P site: The local branch library, The Wired Monk coffee shop nearby, the local computer repair store, the busy Second Cup, the magazine store.

If anyone else has any ideas on how I could make our centre more visible, let me know.

Shona

Challenge 2.2 response - Capturing C@P

Hi Everyone, here's the poster I put up on the bulletin board for the Capturing C@P project. I made a link that was shorter so now it's up on our website too. I went to the site and shared my own story. Now to work on getting other people to share theirs...

Introducing...

Hi! My name is Shona Bracken and I am the new Youth Intern for the C@P Site at the Spencer House Seniors Centre in Halifax. You can check out our website here: www.spencerhousehalifax.blogspot.com

I just finished a degree in Sociology at York University and I'm now in a Communications program at Athabasca University (That's an online program) ... Yep, seems everything is online these days! It's great though - I study on my laptop and can go anywhere. I can Skype my tutor almost anytime and bombard them with questions about the course.

Speaking of going anywhere, I love to travel. I have been to all sorts of places in Latin America. Most recently, I did an internship at San Salvador, El Salvador, which is a beautiful, tiny country. I worked on a website for an NGO there. I have also been to Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Honduras. I also had the chance to tour the free internet cafes that they are introducing in Venezuela! This was very exciting for me.

I have a black belt in taekwondo, and consequently prefer ninjas over pirates. I also love dogs and am afraid of cats, but occasionally admire them from afar. My best friend is a black lab-greyhound. I like to ride my bike and I don't think I will ever get a driver's license because I am very loyal to my bike and I have never had to buy gas or insurance for it.

I am originally from Toronto, but consider myself an adopted Haligonian. Here is a picture of me waving to you from my mac photo booth!

P.S. I will be at the C@P Atlantic Digital Citizenship Conference next week in Cape Breton, so hopefully I will see some of you folks there!

Looking Forward to Senior Moments

This week, in the midst of chasing down some paperwork around the HRM, lots of e-mailing, getting updates on Interns (some places still haven't hired yet!), something really great happened!

On top of my coordinator duties, this Summer I will be spending a day or two a week working with Seniors in both Halifax (Spencer House CAP) and my hometown of Beaver Bank (the BBKSA Keeners).

I will be doing computer training, geocaching, and website maintenance with both groups. I am really excited, because my best times in my past two Summers with CAP were spent with seniors!