Program Notes and Reviews 2008
Picasa
3 - by Peter Hirsch
Nomination and election of 2009 officers
Year End Raffle
Mathematics education is failing. In this session, Nancy demonstrates how she is inspiring the young (elementary through high school students) and the young at heart (adults) to discover mathematical concepts through activities, games, and puzzles.
In 2006, Nancy founded Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival www.msri.org/specials/festival and last summer she created MathDelights.org.
Nancy is a lively and entertaining presenter who has spoken to the IBM PC Club in 2006 and 2007 about her online tutorial website Google Guide (www.GoogleGuide.com), making searching with Google even easier.
Every few years, or sometimes more frequently, a personal computer is replaced with another one. The new computer needs to be set up.
There are many techniques to transfer files, applications, and even operating systems from the old computer to the new computer. These methods range from simple critical file transfers using intermediate storage, the use of backup storage devices and software to facilitate the transfer, computer-to-computer software and direct cable connections to populate the new computer.
This meeting will be a discussion session where all can relate his or her experience - the successes, errors, and failures in migrating your computer. Ralph Bernstein will start the discussion in relating his recent transfer experience.
View Slideshow (PDF)
| For centuries, people did astronomy by looking into at the sky and observing the stars and planets. After Gallileo Galilei used the telescope in 1609, astronomy was done by astronomers and others using high-powered telescopes. In recent decades, people could learn about astronomy by also going to the planetarium or reading books. | |
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Today we have four new telescopes in orbit, the Hubble optical telescope, the Chandra X-ray telescope, the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory and Spitzer Infrared telescope. In addition we have probes on Mars, an International Space Station and many spacecrafts in space. On Earth, we have the computer and the Internet, which can provide vast resources of information about about astronomy to let anyone learn much more about the universe. |
| I will share with you some of the more interesting web sites, photos and tools one can use to explore the heavens from your comfortable home on Earth. From this knowledge, we can learn more about our planet, our solar system, our galaxy, our universe and ourselves. |  |
Adobe Photoshop Express 
By Scott Maiden
Fix, enhance, or distort your photos for fun or to improve them. Share your photos on-line with two Gigabytes of space on the web. All on-line and free!
Genealogy by Computer
2nd in a Series on Genealogy
Harwood G. Kolsky
Genealogy is one of America's favorite hobbies. Once you have been bitten by the genealogy bug you will probably feel his bite the rest of your life. Millions of people of all backgrounds, age groups, and economic situations have discovered the joys -- and the frustrations -- of family history research. Personal computers and the Internet have made serious research within the reach of everyone. This talk will describe some modern techniques available:
- Genealogy vs. Family History.
- Researching your family
- What is available to you.
- Example results.
Family Tree (view
the slide show, PDF)
Peter Hirsch
This is the first presentation of a two part series on Genealogy.
Peter will discuss using software tools like The Master Genealogy Program to create ones genealogy and show the results of my family tree.
We will also discuss the process steps that one should try to do to get information to create your own family tree.
Experience in Converting 8mm Home Movies to DVD
Peter Hirsch (view slide show, PowerPoint)
This is the second presentation of the two part series on digitizing videos and photos. Last month Alan Kolsky discussed "Digital Archiving of Videos and Photos".
This month Peter will present his experience in digitizing and editing 8mm family video films and creating DVDs using software tools like the Microsoft Windows Movie Maker and digitizing service of Digital Pickle.
If others would like to present on their experience in digitizing their videos or photos, please let Peter Hirsch, pmhirsch@earthlink.net, know in advance and we will make room on the agenda.
ALAN KOLSKY'S: DIGITAL ARCHIVING OF VIDEOS AND PHOTOS (view the presentation, DOC)
Alan Kolsky is
the owner of Digital
Video Dimensions, a company specializing in digitizing and
archiving all forms of visual media (films, videotapes, slides,
photos, & more) to DVDs, and producing custom video programs
for consumers and small businesses.
His interest in visual media began in high school where he joined the yearbook club as a photographer, and spent countless hours in darkrooms processing black & white photos. During his college years at UCLA, he was introduced to 8mm and 16mm film making. When VHS video cameras became available to the public in the mid-1980's, Alan began shooting video, and is still an avid videographer 20 years later. The recent digital revolution had an enormous impact on visual media and became the reason behind the creation of Alan's company.
Most families have a large accumulation of precious but obsolete forms of media. Old 8mm films rot away in dusty canisters, color slides sit and mold in carousel boxes and shoeboxes of photos and old photo albums gather dust in closets. Film and slide projectors no longer work, and old photo albums have become too tattered or cumbersome to have out on display. There can be a new life for all of these old media types in the digital age.
Alan is an expert in both digital editing and all aspects of DVD production. He will discuss how to digitally archive old media types using DVD technology and share tips and techniques on DVD production. Examples of his work will be shown.
Mona Lisa:
by Leonardo da Vinci;
Image Processing:
by Ralph Bernstein.
Ralph will be talking about Leonardo da Vinci's "La Gioconda", popularly known as the Mona Lisa, which was painted about 500 years ago on a wood base. It has suffered from many deleterious effects. The protective varnish over the painting oxidized and yellowed with age, and the painting also has extensive varnish cracking which interferes with seeing what was originally painted. In addition, there has been speculation whether da Vinci had originally painted a necklace on the painting -- his early portraits of women had some kind of neck ornament, later ones did not. Also, image processing showed evidence of attempts at restoration of the portrait since it was painted.
Ralph Bernstein applied digital image processing technologies
pioneered for NASA earth-observation and medical-imaging research
to correct the color of the image, remove the varnish cracking,
and bring out evidence of an over-painted necklace and restoration
attempts.
This work will be described in a slide presentation.
Location: Redwood City Senior Center
Adobe
has released version 6 of Photoshop Elements, improving ease
of use and featuring new tools such as Photomerge to combine
the best parts of several group shots. There is a new Quick Selection
tool and three edit modes aimed at different skill levels.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6
"Why it still leads."
by Scott Maiden
Location: IBM, 4400 North First St Street, San Jose
Presented by Mark Price's Team
at the
IBM Innovation Center for Business Partners
2929 Campus Dr Suite 350
San Mateo CA 94430
650-524-5240