We finally did it!

A number of us, vLoggers, were hoping that one day we will see more vLogs than Blogs.







Real Business Happen It Did! at 11:49am EST 3/24/07!

Oh huh, what have I done? This post would be counted as a blog, right? Eeps!

"VLogger Triple Portrait" -- Inspired by Norman Rockwell

I love Norman Rockwell's art work. His Triple Portrait inspired me to do my own version!


Triple Portraits and a "mirror"!

Additional Info on OSU Automated Captioning

After reading this DeafRead Link about new software that automates closed captioning developed by OSU, I asked my staff to contact them to find out more about the software. Here is their response (copied/pasted) . Names have been blotted out as I have not extended the courtesy of asking the person for permission to have this posted.

From: XXXX, XXXX
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 6:26 PM
Subject: RE: Automated Closed-Captioning software

Thanks for your interest. Unfortunately, the story in the OColly wasn’t completely accurate. (It think they might have been trying to pump OSU up a little higher that the complete truth.)

The truth is, I didn’t write all the software necessary for the full automation.

The full process actually takes three different software packages, mine is just one of them.

I am still writing and tweaking on the software and it will not be commercially available until I have had some time to write the help files, build a website for support, tweak in the installer a bit, etc. So, it might be 6 months or so before it’s really ready for prime time.

The three tools you will ultimately need to match OSU’s system are Autodesk Cleaner, BBN Avoke
STX (telephony version), and TransCapMedia AutoSpark.

The software I wrote is called AutoSpark. TransCapMedia is a company I am just now starting so
getting that company up and running might delay the process a little too.

Anyway, thanks for your interest, please give me a shout in six months or so and hopefully I will finally have it ready to go.

As far as sending you a copy to try, unfortunately having my part of the software won’t do you any good without at least having the software from BBN. Because, what really turns the audio into text, is the software from BBN. I just take their output and convert it into a caption. And, since I didn’t write their program, I unfortunately can’t give you a copy of it to try. And, I think the last I checked they wanted quite a bit of money for it. Sorry for the bad news.

I will try eventually try to work out a deal with BBN and Autodesk to see if I can create a server with everything already installed on it and ready to go that I could sell and use for demos and whatnot. So the good news is, down the road, I might eventually be able to help you out with a demo unit.

Thanks,

XXXXX
XXXXXX, Emerging Technology
Oklahoma State University Institute for Teaching and Learning Excellence

Sheer Luck!

Wind speed? Check!
Descent rate? Check!
Object targeted!
Scanning for safety…

I’ll get it! I’ll get it!

Circling at target
Adjusting for water reflection
Splash! Touchdown!

Taking off slowly
Flapping prize in front of my eyes!
My dinner!

Complicated?

Not When

I’m sitting on the beach watching…

The seagull hovering in the sky scanning the waters.
Suddenly it crashed into the water.
After some clumsy flapping around, it took off with a small fish in its bills.

What a sheer luck, I thought.

Written while on his Harley solo ride about

My Rider Education Article

A couple of years ago, I attended American Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE) motorcycle safety course. It was a good experience for me, so I decided to write to Indiana ABATE magazine, and it was published. Click on the two images below, which will enlarge them. For the first page, look to your right side under RiderEd MailBag. That column continues to the next page on its upper left side. Enjoy!

Life is good

In the scorching heat
Riding down a country route
Full of prairie
In South Dakota

Armed with water
Smeared with sun lotion
Full stomach
Full gas tank
Perfect

Approaching a biker group up front
That cruised at a leisure speed
Harley fellow riders
Wonderful

Wanting solitude
Opening gas throttle
Engine guns and passes them by
Riders grimace my roaring pipes
Good

Down the route
A large biker group
Approaching by in a zigzag format
They saluted
Fantastic

I noticed a stranded bike on shoulder
A gal looking down
Her frustrated boy on his knees
Fidgeting on the engine
Huh?

My crowd in front
The other crowd in my rear mirror
Not one noticed
Nor cared
Jeez!

Screeched to a stop
Made an U-turn
Guy looks up and waves 'go on'
But gal pleads with her eyes
Hmm.

Guy thumbs 'all is cool'
But gal gives out a 'gimme-a-ride' look
Dismounting from my horse
Gave her a bottle of cool water
Caring

Guy thumbs up 'thanks'
Gal waves 'thanks'
Treated them with a thunder
From my straight pipes
Take care!

Continuing on my way
Catching up with life
That waited for me
Life is good.

During a Harley ride-about north of Sturgis, South Dakota

Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts -- 2007 World Champions!

Journeys

Somewhere in Michigan…

An old June 25, 1990 Indianapolis Star Section C page floated on a light breeze somewhere in the upper Michigan peninsula.

It landed at an intersection when the breeze dies out. A lady in an old Chevrolet zoomed by, drawing the Section C into its vacuum. Section C wrapped itself on the leaf spring underneath the vehicle by the force of the wind.

In a while, the Chevy lady pulled up by a local diner. Section C, without the wind to help keep it in place under the car, floated down and away toward the middle of the parking lot.

A trucker walked up, all full and wide-awake from his hearty breakfast at the diner, toward his truck, and fired the diesel up. As the truck turned into the highway, Section C got windswept into the cavity between the truck and its trailer.

Somewhere in Indiana…

The trucker pulled into a rest area to relieve himself of all the coffee he drank the last eight hours. Section C freed itself and floated away onto the ground.

The gas attendant, collecting trash around the gas station, picked up Section C and placed it along with another discarded paper items into a paper-recycling bin by the curb.

An upcoming storm was blowing strong winds, and some of its currents blew all papers and Section C out of the recycling bin, pushing them southward.

Finally Section C swirled out and slid onto the open road. It then got caught in a tailwind of a blue Harley and slid further a quarter of mile before it got stuck into a cow fence by the road side.

“C!”, “C!” screams a June 25 1990 Indianapolis Star Section A front page wrapped around the same cow fence post. “Oh my poor baby C, where have you been?!?” “I have been waiting for you for the last three years since you left me.” “Oh C, nevermind, I am so happy you are home with me now!”

“Yes ma!” “I know!” “I have missed ya, ma, too!” said Section C

Morale: Anything, small or big, that moves in front of you may have its own journey!

Written while on Harley solo rideabout

Life

Life is a struggle....
.....but struggle is life

There's no...

Denying it
Avoiding it
Hiding it

Just...
Embrace it
Learn from it
Manage it

Thus life grows enriched!

Inspired during a Harley ride-about somewhere around Lake Michigan

Maps

Got ‘em at the continent view
Still we lose our way
Got ‘em at the regional view
Still we lose our way
Got ‘em at the state view
Still we lose our way
Got ‘em at the county view
Still we lose our way
Got ‘em at the town view
Still we lose our way
Got ‘em at the street view
Still we lose our way

Birds, animals, insects, and all creatures of nature
Got no maps

Still they never lose their way!

You

You.

Is everything in Life dual?

Goodness and evil.
Life and death.
Future and past.

But you exist.

Everything in Life is a trio!

Goodness, you, and evil.
Life, you, and death.
Future, you and past.

You.

In goodness, in evil, only you decide.
Given life and taken by death, only you live.
Will be in the future, been in the past, only you can be.

Running

There I stand on the driveway. Stretching my legs while leaning against the car trunk. I thought, what a great day for a run. November. Trees snowing bright yellow leaves. Crisp air sucked in deeply. Yeah, I think I will run my usual route around the neighborhood and push myself to complete nearly 4 miles.

Resetting my pedometer to zero, tightening my hat and gloves, I started to run. My breathing feels fresh. I feel my muscles waking up and getting warm.

As I approach my first right turn, I thought, here I go again, running. But I wanted to run. I know it always felt good afterwards. But don’t I feel slight cramp creeping up my calf? Hey, I have run this route entirely often so I know I can do it.

Ah, the long straightway. Time to feel free. All parts of my body are pumping rhythmically. My mind starts to wander, watching thoughts racing by like falling stars. I surf my thoughts as if I thumb on my TV remote. Looking for something interesting.

My left toes interrupted. I feel the edges of my socks. I cannot run with that bothering me. But do I want to stop and disturb my peace? My toes reported they will no longer protest and wishes me be on my way.

There I make my right turn. That part of the road may not give me harmony, but it will continue my peace. I breathe harder. I feel great. Perfect blue skies above. I feel little kink on my side as I have to keep an eye on rushing cars. I needed to cross the road, and leave my worries behind.

I am in another world. This part of road snakes through pristine neighborhood. Everything is in perfection. Manicured grass. Well behaved dogs. Expensive multiple cars on each driveway.

Thoughts came. Some stayed. Some went. I realize somebody has been throwing my thoughts at me. Actually I feel them coming from two separate objects. My mind’s eye looks to the left, and sees Goodness. Happiness. Harmony. Courage. Confidence. The eye turned to the right and sees Sadness. Despair. Fear. Doubt. Chaos.

I call the left Left. I call the right Right.

Left says “Ain’t life grand? The run is doing me great!” Right says “Isn’t your calf cramping, or aren’t you losing your toes?” Hey, this is going to be fun. I continue my pace through this road until I reach a spiritual corner. There. A church. I detour through its parking lot thinking about the church’s people who come to this place, their sacred place, probably once a week. Probably came to try find their peace. But hey, I am having my own peace right here out in Nature (okay, here in the parking lot!). I smile. Peace is everywhere in front of you. You choose to see it or not.

I leave the parking lot and turned right again. I realize that my Left and Right are still talking whatever nonsense “behind me”. Hey, I realize I am actually not sure where they are, but I feel their presence close to my shoulders behind me, but never in my vision. I do not feel their weight. I do not know if they are sitting on me, following me, or inside me.

Left says “Feel the pain. Stretch your lungs. Feel the muscle work. Feel yourself grow strong”. Right says “Hey isn’t this cold? Am I hurting my lungs? Maybe I should stop and walk a bit. Nobody will care if you did not finish this route. Actually, nobody has to know”

I do not care. I bend my head a bit forward to get out of the way between Left and Right. I leave them close behind me bickering with each other. I think I will run faster at my last quarter mile.

Left says “Right on man! I will feel accomplishment. I will be proud of myself”. Right says “What the heck! Why run more? Am I trying to prove something to somebody?”

I feel grand. I am in total control of my body. I do a full systems check. Toes: check. Calves: check. Thighs: check. Groin: oh, that’s a big check. Chest: go for it! Arms: no sweat! Neck: green light! Mind: all engines forward, course straight ahead!

I feel Left. I become Left. Left becomes myself. I feel Goodness. Happiness. Harmony. Courage. Confidence. Peace! I no longer see my road. My mind and my body are in ultimate harmony. My mind trusts my body. My mind roams free, far away from seeing the remaining turns and their surrounding life pains.

I smile at Right straight in the eye. Well, not literally as I actually never saw Right, but it sure felt like I am staring at Right. There! I see my driveway, which indicates the end of my route.

I say to Right…

“That’s why I run…”

Peace.


During my long jogging spell that I stopped, but gotta start again...

Be Still

Parking at a park
By the river
By a bridge
Sitting on a bench
Zero minutes...

Bridge with car crossing seldomly
River current is moving calmly
Trees silent
Houses with yard a short distance
Harley panting and cooling off behind me
Slight freshening breeze
Thirty minutes...

Ducks swimming idly under bridge
Starks in the tree minding
Swimming spiders creating ripples
Occasional splashes on surface
River fish grabbing their meals
Sixty minutes...

Life is everywhere
But more life exists when you sit down
And be still!


During a solo Harley rideabout around Lake Michigan