Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Wandering Images


Back to this space

I've neglected this space for quite some time, but no more. I hope to use this spce for quick photos from iPhone. There's always something interesting tosee out there and I'm going to use this space to share. Hence the name change to Wandering Images. As my eye wanders, I hope to share it here. 

A new reason to love New Balance

I've worn New Balance tennis shoes since I began my journey to healthiness 6 years ago. I've enjoyed the stability, comfort, and stylish look of them. Yesterday, I found out a new reason to love them! They are one of very few companies that still produce a portion of their products in the United States. New Balance has a factory in Skowhegan, Maine with 300 employees. Those employees can put out a complete shoe in as little as three hours today whereas it took eight days to do so in 2004. That's progress! 

Unfortunately, there's a looming trade agreement which may cause some problems for New Balance. The agreement may allow for additional import of athletic shoes made in the Far East with little to no import tax. That means, cheaper athletic shoes on the market. The shoes imported will cost a lot less which means New Balance would have to lower their prices to compete or better yet, move production out of the United States. 

Based on the news story I saw yesterday, New Balance is committed to production in the States. For that reason, I'm sticking with New Balance. They are my go to shoe for all of my workouts, I have a pair of rain shoes, and casual tennis. 

Good Morning

Those two words go a long way in making a person's day. An early morning clerk could have just dealt with the worst customer and your good morning could change their perspective. Those two words could be the difference between paying additional dollars for an overweight bag at the airport or a better seat at a sporting event.

Why is it that some don't realize how much of an impact those two words can have?

Good Morning!

Using Tech to Communicate quickly

This past week I had the pleasure of meeting 22 of Louisiana's top educators. Overall, ther are 24 persons vying for the role of 2012 Louisiana Teacher of the Year. Due to an already planned trip I met 1 of the 24 about 2 weeks ago. The ohter one I didn't meet this week had an unexpected family emergency. The commitee, however, understood and we quickly came up with a plan for them to conduct the same type of evaluation virturally. 

Due to some quick research by the technology people from the candidate's school district we had a plan by the end of the day on Friday. Several phone calls and e-mail messages between the candidate and I we got everything done between Saturday and Sunday.

We used the following tools:

  • Dropbox - so that I could receive a really large powerpoint file with voice over naration
  • Skpye - so we could conduct an interview
  • Callburner* - so the interview could be recorded for later playback
  • Audacity - so the intervew could be edited
  • YouTube - a place to host his video teaching segment
  • PBWiki - a place to upload all of the files for the selection committee

I'm thankful for all of those tools and the knowledge I have of each of them. In a few short hours this afternoon, I created the wiki page and sent directions to the selection committee. In turn, they will review the materials and e-mail me their evaluation. 

Tech is grand when you know how to use it!

*I started with Vodburner, but realized I didn't need at as I wasn't recording video.

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