To educate, inform, inspire

After Effects Animated Gif

February 19, 2014 - Adobe , Technology - by Mark - 25 Comments

At our February Web Professionals and Adobe User Group meeting, someone asked about the fundamentals of working with Adobe After Effects. I thought it might be appropriate to create a simple animated gif (perhaps a snowstorm – since we have had so much snow this winter). I wanted to put […]

Kali Linux

February 12, 2014 - ICC , Technology , Web - by Mark - No Comments

Each spring semester, I teach the CMWEB 270 class on web application security. Although we review a number of tools in that class, I also recommend students investigate packages of tools. One such tool is Kali Linux. This is a newer version of the venerable Backtrack Linux (which has been […]

Wifi Connections

February 5, 2014 - ICC , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

Periodically, students complain about the speed of wifi on our guest network at school. I thought I would take a few moments and document my observations. The tool I used was the Network Speedtest app on my Windows RT Surface (hey, I have to find some use for it these […]

GoPro Camera

January 15, 2014 - Adobe , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

My wife, Jeri, bought me a GoPro camera for the holidays. Many thanks dear. This is a rugged little camera which can be used in a number of different places. The great part about it is that you can set it to take photos, time lapse photos or video, activate […]

Chromebook

December 25, 2013 - Learning , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

Knowing this post will be visible on Christmas Day, I thought it might be appropriate to discuss the latest device I have obtained – my Acer C720 Chromebook. One of my grandsons is using Chromebooks in school and it seemed appropriate to get one in case he ever needed to […]

MarkDown

December 18, 2013 - ICC , Technology , Web - by Mark - No Comments

As we conclude the fall, 2013 semester, I thought it was appropriate to focus several weblog posts on some “fundamentals” that students in various classes have been exposed to. As a start, I thought it appropriate to focus on Markdown syntax. At the start of the year, I also covered […]

Story Me

December 11, 2013 - Mobile Apps , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

Periodically, I come across various apps that I find very interesting. Story Me is one of those apps. Unfortunately, it only works with iOS – specifically the iPad (I really wish there was also an Android version). Essentially, this app allows you to create a personalized comic strip from your […]

MUSE Presentation Widget

December 2, 2013 - Adobe , Technology , Web - by Mark - 1 Comment

I was recently asked by a reader of this weblog how to modify the assets associated with the presentation widget in Adobe MUSE. I put together this short video describing how to modify these assets. For those who wish to view a larger version, I provide a link to the […]

Intel XDK

November 27, 2013 - Technology , Web - by Mark - 6 Comments

I recently tried out the Intel XDK application. Many thanks to Joseph Labrecque for making me aware of this tool. This is a free tool which allows you to leverage your knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build mobile apps. It works with both Windows (I tested on Windows […]

My son’s family and Washington tornado

November 20, 2013 - Technology - by Mark - No Comments

Around mid-day on Sunday, November 17, a powerful storm and tornado passed through Washington, Illinois. My son and his family lived in a house just north of town. We were watching the grandsons for the weekend and they decided to come and visit as the storm started. We are so […]

CakePHP Fundamentals

November 13, 2013 - Technology , Web - by Mark - 4 Comments

At our monthly Central Illinois Web Professionals and Adobe User Group meetings, I have been holding a series of discussions on the fundamentals of working with PHP. I started with the basics of server side scripting, PHP variables, syntax and related topics. Larry Ball then provided a session on debugging […]

Tagged: PHP

My first MOOC

November 6, 2013 - Adobe , Learning , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

I recently completed my first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). This was created by Adobe and titled their Train the Trainer course. It ran from July 21 through October 21. By successfully completing this course, I have earned the designation Adobe Education Trainer. I have included that badge in the […]

OS X Mavericks

October 30, 2013 - Apple , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

I recently upgraded my MacBook Pro to OS X Mavericks. Given that others are also doing this, I thought I would share my experiences after the upgrade. For the most part, everything is similar (with more enhancements). I believe Apple indicated more than 200 new features. I noticed that my […]

October Technology Unconference

October 23, 2013 - ICC , Technology - by Mark - No Comments

Our October Technology Unconference featured Anton Peck of One Fire Media. He gave a great overview of augmented reality. I put together this short summary video for those unable to attend in person.

Windows 8.1 and VirtualBox

October 23, 2013 - Apple , Technology , Windows - by Mark - No Comments

I recently encountered some issues when trying to upgrade to Windows 8.1 in my virtual environments (using VirtualBox). I was running Windows 8 and decided to use the Windows Store to upgrade to Windows 8.1. I had done this on my physical tablet/ computers so it should have also worked […]