pafa.net » gadgets

Google sky map

pollyalida — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:26:14 +0000

I’m having a great time playing with my new Verizon Droid phone and learning how to interact with a phone that is way smarter than me. My old phone was 6 years old, hip for it’s day, but that day is long gone!

My favorite app so far is Google Sky Map. My local astronomer immediately took it outside to test it against the real sky and gave it two thumbs up. The sky moves with you and zooms in to give you more detail of any section of the sky.

There are options to turn stars, constellations, grids and other sky features on and off. Type a planet or star into the search box and it helpfully suggests objects so you don’t have to type the whole name. Select an object to get a big circle and arrows that point you to that object. Look, I found Mars! I wonder if it will show the location of meteor showers?

My astronomer is now fearing redundancy. I promise that will never happen! Really.

p.s. There’s a web based version of Google Sky and a Sky feature in Google Earth too.

Vado video camera rivals the Flip Video

pollyalida — Mon, 26 May 2008 23:03:23 +0000

The new Vado pocket video camera from Creative Labs looks like a rival to the popular Flip video cam. Slightly lighter and thinner than the Flip, it also has a slightly larger LCD. The Vado has 2GB of memory, the same as the Flip Video Ultra, but at a list price of $99 it’s $50 cheaper. Check out this review at Digital Inspiration.

Studiyo – fun quiz creator

pollyalida — Wed, 21 May 2008 21:23:00 +0000

Making quizzes just keeps getting easier and more fun. studiyo has a great interface that lets you create multiple choice quizzes and easily embed them in your blog or other web page. Quizzes can include images, video, and text. Other options include: choice of layout, addition of your own logo, feedback from users, different endings depending on scores and the option to let users add their own questions.

Polly’s Test

Flip video camera rebate

pollyalida — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:16:50 +0000

Thinking about buying some of those terrific little Flip video cameras for your library? Then check out this rebate that Melissa Bergin from Niskayuna High School came across today:

If you go to Flip Video’s website there is a rebate of $15 each if you buy three or more cameras. If you go to “where to buy” at the top menu, then pull down to “educators”.

Thanks Melissa!

David Pogue loves the Flip video cam – so do I

pollyalida — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:46:04 +0000

In the NYT tech section today, David Pogue give the simple little Flip video cam a terrific review – Camcorder Brings Zen to the Shoot

I bought one about 4 months ago, lured by its ‘shiny new toy-ishness’. And it truly is a terrific little camera. Perfect for schools & libraries doing video projects with kids and teens (and adults). I’m thinking durable and easy to use. Is it the greatest video quality in the world? Not really. But is it good enough for fun youtube type videos? You bet!

This is the camera I’d throw in my beach bag or give to kids to use at a pool party. And I might just buy the waterproof case mentioned in the review. I think a snorkeling trip to Hawaii would be a good way to test that one out. Aloha.