Video Your Vote

This year's election has been trying for everyone. Admittedly, there have been some quite humorous moments. However, voters are exhausted. Volunteers are fatigued. And, we have yet to reach our climax. Take heart, we are closing in on November 4th and Technically Speaking Radio is right there with you; so, we close in on it together.

Good news, we are not alone. Video the Vote wants to join us for the final days of our journey. Video the Vote is helping us monitor our democracy. This is a nationwide initiative. If you are interested in citizen journalism, you can provide a video record of election issues in real time. Video the Vote will then distribute footage to media outlets. If you do not have a camera, but would like to participate, you can sign-up as a dispatcher. Partners for this initiative include NAACP, YouTube and PBS. So, Video Your Vote !

Regarding filming your vote, please fee free to review the laws in your respective state. http://citmedia.org/blog/2006/11/06/state-laws-vary-on-polling-place-photography/

Free computer class: Using Blogs

For Immediate Release

Free computer class: Using Blogs

Philadelphia, PA, --- Promoting an organization's agenda in the 21st century takes an internet presence. But, how does an organization or individual on a shoestring budget convey information via the internet? With the ongoing Internet evolution, community members have more tools at their fingertips than ever before to accomplish this required self-promotion.

On Saturday, November 15, 2008, Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation will host a free computer workshop class called, "Using Blogs" to teach individuals and organizations how to use the internet as an excellent resource for hunting, gathering of resources and promoting their agendas.

This workshop is an excellent opportunity for grass roots organizations and community members to learn more about a wide range of e-topics, including some fantastic how-to content for social networks and other tools.

During this 3 hour hands-on workshop, participants will learn: What is a blog? Why do I/my organization need one? How can I build and maintain a blog for free? How can I promote my blog? How can I use a blog to generate revenue?

You will also have the ability to participate from the comfort of your own home via the live webcast for this event, via http://technically-speaking-radio.blogspot.com, the Technically Speaking Radio, “Taking Tech to the Streets” web page, http://technically-speaking-radio.blogspot.com/2008/08/taking-tech-to-streets-event.html

Pre-requisites: Proficiency in using Microsoft Word and internet navigation savvy.


Event details
Date: Saturday, November 15, 2008
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location: Northwest Regional Library,
68 West Chelten Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144-2795
(Greene St. & Chelten Ave.)
Meter parking available in the rear

Cost: Free

Participants must RSVP before November 1, 2008 via http://free-phila-computer-training.eventbrite.com. Space is limited.

This class will be facilitated by JC Lamkin, CNA, PMP, President of Gypsy Lane Technologies. As Philadelphia’s renowned tech expert, Ms. Lamkin was an invited panelist during the Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference on Internet Security; the Spotlight Speaker at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Governor's Advisory Commission on African American Affairs Business Exchange Breakfast; the 2007 Technology Council Gala Nominee for Educator of the Year; recipient of the Business Award from the Philadelphia Women's Opportunity Resource Center; and voted “Philadelphia's Most influential Young Socialite” by readers of the Philly blogspot, Destination Philadelphia. Ms. Lamkin will also be available to sign copies of her book, “Fabulous & Tech-filled.com, Volume 1”.

About Liberation Fellowship CDC
Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation (LFCDC) is a federally tax-exempt charitable organization under section 501 (c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. It was created in March, 2006 by members of Liberation Fellowship Church of Jesus, Inc. in Philadelphia, PA as a separate, stand-alone outreach and community development expression of the church's commitment to progressive personal and societal change.

We are focusing our activities on the leadership development of youth and adults. Consequently, our initial programs include the following: 1) youth and adult training programs that focus on three core leadership values and time-management skills; 2) a ten-week adult drawing basics course; 3) a ten-session environmental leadership training course that focuses on developing sustainable community organizations committed to solving environmental problems; 4) a four-hour course on website design that teaches individuals how to plan, organize and create a website from start to finish. 5) job-readiness training that prepares participants for job interviews, conflict resolution at work, and job-to-career strategies and methodologies.

About Gypsy Lane Technologies

Gypsy Lane Technologies (GLT), is a professional Internet solutions company based in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. We specialize in best-in-class social media, webcasting, online marketing, Flash multimedia, corporate identity and search engine optimization. GLT features an integrated team of web consultants, creative designers, writers, coders and marketing professionals that know how to get online results. Our business-driven approach separates us from typical web design companies. Gypsy Lane Technologies (GLT) sponsors the innovative community development radio show, Technically Speaking Radio, Fabulous & Techfilled.com, http://technically-speaking-radio.blogspot.com/

###

Ruby on Rails and lijit networks

Tiffani Bell
Ruby Developer
http://the.commentari.at/

What is Ruby on Rails?
How can you get started using this open source web framework for programmers?


Tara Anderson
Community Catalyst
lijit networks, inc.

How can you use search stats to improve content targeting and uncover reader intent?




During our September 26, 2008 program, we will discuss Ruby on Rails and lijit networks. Open source web framework for programmers and confidence in searches this week during the Technically Speaking Radio program.

Today's "Two Tech Thumbs-down" Award goes to CAPTCHAs that Blind You with Science

Invented in the year 2000, a CAPTCHA is supposed to be a sort of security measure against computer robots that would like to mascaraed as humans. "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart" (CAPTCHA) gives the user a challenge response news test to see if the user can identify or calculate a set of characters.

Using CAPTCHA technology minimizes spam traffic through a given site. There is only one draw back, however. The CAPTCHA also often minimizes a user's patience. One of the most frequently used CAPTCHAs is the distorted characters CAPTCHA. Because the characters are generally hyper-distorted, sometimes even humans can not decipher the characters.

I occasionally teach computer workshops. At times during the workshop, I might instruct the students to register for a particular service. Subsequently, we may spend the next 20 minutes attempting to decipher the CAPTCHA on each others' screens. Some users become so frustrated that they want to give up before they ever get started.

While the CAPTCHA is helpful, we will need to create a better way to distinguish human computer users from robots. Until then, today's "Two TechCrusader Thumbs Down" award goes to CAPTCHAs that blind us with science.

Using the Animation Features in PowerPoint

Image via Wikipedia

Animation of text and objects is a popular PowerPoint feature. Many presenters find it exciting news to add a special visual or sound effect to text or an object. For example, you can have your text bullet points fly in from the left, one word at a time, or hear the sound of applause when a picture is uncovered.

There are several considerations when planning your animation effect.

Animate text by letter, word, or paragraph
Animate the text you want with an entrance, emphasis, exit, or motion path effect.
Add an entrance, emphasis, or exit animation

To add effects to your presentation follow the steps below and view the attached video for illustration.

Open the presentation you want to add animation to and do one or both of the following:

Apply a preset animation scheme

If you only want to apply the animation scheme to a few slides, click the Slides tab, and select the slides you want.
On the Slide Show menu, click Animation Schemes.
In the Slide Design task pane, under Apply to selected slides, click an animation scheme in the list.
If you want to apply the scheme to all slides, click the Apply to All Slides.

Apply a custom animation

1. In normal view, display the slide that has the text or objects you want to animate.
2. Select the object you want to animate.
3. On the Slide Show menu, click Custom Animation.
4. In the Custom Animation task pane, click , and do one or more of the following:
5. If you want to make the text or object enter the slide show presentation with an effect, point to Entrance and then click an effect.
6. If you want to add an effect to text or an object that is on the slide, point to Emphasis and then click an effect.
7. If you want to add an effect to text or an object that makes it leave the slide at some point, point to Exit and then click an effect.
8. Note The effects appear in the Custom Animation list, top to bottom, in the order you apply them. The animated items are noted on the slide by a non-printing numbered tag that correlates to the effects in the list. This tag does not show up in the slide show view.

Tip

If you preview animations for a slide using the Play button on the Custom Animation task pane, you do not need to click to trigger any animation sequences. To preview how triggered animations work, click the Slide Show button instead.

Add a motion path
In normal view, display the slide that has the text or objects you want to create a motion path for.
Select the text item or object you want to animate.
For text items, you can select a placeholder or paragraph (including a bullet).

If the Custom Animation task pane is not displayed, on the Slide Show menu, click Custom Animation.
In the Custom Animation task pane, click , point to Motion Paths, and do one of the following:
Apply a preset motion path

Click a preset path or click More Motion Paths to choose from more options.

Create a custom motion path

Point to Draw Custom Path and then do one of the following:

1. Click Freeform to draw a path with both curved and straight segments. Drag to draw freehand shapes; click and move the mouse to draw straight lines.
2. Click Scribble and drag to draw a path that looks more like it was drawn with a pen or to create smooth curves.

Click Line and drag to draw a straight path.
Click Curve and click where you want the curved path to start, and then continue to move the mouse and click wherever you want to add a curve.
Do one of the following:
If you want to end the freeform or curved path and leave it open, double-click at any time.
If you want to end a line or scribbled path, let go of the mouse button.
If you want to close a shape, click at its starting point.

Tip

To make the path mimic an exit effect, set effect options to fade or hide the item after the animation plays, or draw the motion path off the slide.
In the Custom Animation task pane, in the Custom Animation list, click the animated text item that you want.
Click the arrow, click Effect Options, and then do one or more of the following:
If you want to animate by letter, on the Effect tab, in the Animate text list, click By letter.
If you want to animate by word, on the Effect tab, in the Animate text list, click By word.
If you want to animate by paragraph level or bullet, on the Text Animation tab, in the Group Text list, click an option.
Note If you want a delay in action between letter, word, or paragraph animations, on the Timing tab, enter a number in the Delay box.

Tip

To animate the text all at once, on the Effect tab, in the Animate text list, click As one object.

City of Philadelphia, CIO, Allan Frank joins us

Allan Frank
Chief Information Officer
Division of Technology
City of Philadelphia

During program for Saturday, September 20, 2008, we will review the insights and perspectives on the issues that matter most to the chief information officer (CIO) of the City of Philadelphia, including the most important one of all—aligning IT with overall goals with economic constraints. With 50% information and 50% inspiration, the CIO's journey through a city's challenges could propel that city to new heights.

From staffing to program development, a Chief Information Officer is consider the general of a city's tech army.

Allan Frank brings 35 years of knowledge in technology and business leadership to his position as Chief Information Officer for the City of Philadelphia. His background includes co-founder of a publicly-traded Consulting and Research company, Senior Partner in a Global Professional Services Firm, and extensive experience in setting strategy, implementing and operating core business processes, product development, marketing, internal IT management, software development and all facets of building a world-class technology/services organization. He is also a recognized as an expert in the areas of information delivery, decision support and knowledge management. Mr. Frank holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Computer Science, and Master of Business Administration in Finance from Lehigh University and he is also a non-practicing Certified Public Accountant.

Related articles by Zemanta

• The future CIO may be a non-geek
• BREAKING: Philadelphia Weekly Grabs New CEO From The Voice In Apparent Effort To Stop Years-Long, Almost Cosmic Levels Of Suckage

Twitter's New Layout

Image via CrunchBase
The news and votes are in! Most of the estimated 1 million Twitter.com users like the new site design. In the new Twitter display, Tweet'amis will notice that following/followers/update status is located high on the page. Making this information more prominent allows users ease of access.

Fortunately, Twitter has a link to the "Notice something different?" blog post which details that changes which include customizations and speed improvements.

Overall, this change will most like not shock most Twitter users. Instead the change will be met with appreciation.

If you haven't yet, give it a try. You will be pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to view your replies, direct messages, favorites, and followers.

Most users experience a split second delay while Twitter tech made the change over to the new design. That alone is admirable. For most, a change over causes user anxiety and a subsequent lose of confidence in the platform. Certainly, many other providers could learn something from Twitter. I suspect that the Twitter staff was a flurry of high-fives after the change over. Well, allow us to high five also. Well done, Twitter.com. Well done.

Target's Field Trip Grants

Image via Wikipedia Have you ever considered taking your students to a nearby tech company so that they can talk to the company's staff members and find out the great news and services that the company offers?

Well, now you can do just that because Target will award 5,000 Field Trip Grants of up to $800 each during the 2008-2009 school year. Now young people can expand their horizons and find out all of the tools that are available to positively enhance their lives by taking the show on the road and experiencing learning locations beyond the classroom.

Read more about the Field Trip Grant from Target and apply.

How to Set-up Your Linksys Wireless Router

If you have a more than one computer in your home or office, you may want to share an internet connection. Sharing an internet connection is a great way to save money and encourage efficiency. The new news in networking is that most Linksys wireless routers are up to 9 times faster than Wireless-G. Follow the steps in the video below to set-up a wireless router in your facility.

Autism and Children's Fears

During our special back-to-school radio program on September 13, 2008, we will speak with the rockstars in medicine and human services to uncover some of the treatments for autism, and anxiety in children.

Uplift from Autism Inc.

Evelyn Hawkins is the President of Uplift from Autism Inc., a corporation dedicated to helping parents with Autistic children. Evelyn experienced many trials and tribulations and even some upsets as a
parent of a child with Autism. Evelyn's dedication to helping her autistic son, Isaiah for the past six years lead to the development of a breakthrough educational system that increased her child's social, motor, and emotional skills.

What Role Does The Media Play In Children's Fears?
From information on hurricanes, terrorist attacks, and the war in Iraq, children are constantly being exposed to frightful and gruesome images on television daily. More and more studies are showing young children are suffering from high anxiety with parents reporting that they wake up from nightmares. Doctors are prescribing medications for these anxieties. Is this an answer? What can parents do if their child is frightened by something they saw on television? What can children do if they are scared? How can parents know the difference between fear and anxiety? Able to discuss this and more is Jason Edwards. Edwards wrote his first book, Will Allen and the Great Monster Detective to help his own daughter deal with painful anxieties. Edwards is also a schoolteacher and has a B.S. degree in psychology. With over 20 years of experience helping children he has seen first hand the toll that anxiety can have on them. He can offer tips for parents and children on dealing with fear. Jason Edwards is a schoolteacher, and has a B.S. degree in psychology. He is also the author of Will Allen and the Great Monster Detective, which he wrote to help children deal with fear and anxiety.

Using Microsoft Word to Update Your Website

Great News. Image via Wikipedia Did you know that you can use Microsoft Word to update your website? Please note, in order to complete the following instructions, you MUST:

1. Know your website login information. (Please check with your website storage provider if you do not have this information.)
2. Back-up your site first.

STEP 1 - ACCESSING YOUR WEBSITE WITH MS WORD

1. Open Word.
2. Click File->Open
3. Type in http://YourDomain.com.
4. Enter the username and password (Please check with your website storage provider if you do not have this information)
5. You will see a list of files and folders. Double click the page you would like to edit to open it.
6. Edit the page.
7. Click Save to save it back to the webserver.
8. Using your web browser, navigate to http://YourDomain.com to see the changes

NOTE:
a. Files must end in either .htm or .html.
b. File names are Case Sensitive.
c. Do not use spaces in file names.


STEP 2 - ADDING A HYPERLINK

To add a hyper link form one page to another ---

1. Select the text you want to be a hyperlink.
2. Right click the text. Select Hyperlink
3. A box appears with all the files on your site. Double click the file you want it to link to. Done.

Finding Readers for Your Blog

Image by Getty Images via Daylife It is easy to write about a topic that is of interest to me. I find it difficult to write about a topic that I am not interested in. The same holds true for reading blogs. I find that blogs that hold my attention the most are blogs about technology, business, finance and community organizing. I realize that those subjects are vastly different from one another, but my interests are diverse, also. That is why it is important for a blogger to capture my attention in the first paragraph by either asking or answering a question that he knows many people in his genre would ask. By doing this, the writer will immediately connect with me and I am more likely to continue reading.

Most often I visit the blogs of people I already know. I like to read their perspective on a recent news item. I read blogs that my friends and family members have created. I especially frequent blogs written by people who have attended classes that I've taught. Former students are my key readers, also. I often suggest to bloggers who are attempting to gain new readers that they volunteer to teach a class on their favorite subject at their local community center. Instructors who are an opinion leaders in their respective fields are hard to find. Subsequently, many students would be happy to read the blog of such an instructor.

It is also a great idea to link-to or reference your peers' blogs. Not only does that increase their exposure, but it boosts your exposure, also.

Generally speaking, whether your are a blog writer or reader, it is a great idea to spread the word about blogs that you find to be interesting.

News: Chris Richardson of American Idol Discusses Technology

Chris Richardson and American Idol. Hearing those words, most people think of the harmony, talent, singing and adoring fans. When hearing the words, “Chris Richardson and American Idol” the last thing a person thinks of is technology. But, ya know, I AM the Tech Crusader. So, I imagined that people want to know what one of the most popular names in entertainment, Chris Richardson, has to say about technology.

That’s why we sent the field reporters from the Technically Speaking Radio show, Ken Houston and Jerome Rogers to get the scoop on the American Idols Live! tour at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA featuring the Season Six Top 10 Idols.

Chris Richardson’s favorite tech device is his camera. He loves to capture what’s going on. He agrees that technology is great!

But, see/hear him for yourself:

Click the Play button to view video