We were docked in Apia, Samoa for 3 days but we didn't even get off the ship 😜 Port days where we have no tourist stuff planned are the only time we get to catch up on our work! Sea days have so many shipboard activities planned that it's hard to get anything else done. This is our life, and we are learning to adjust to the fact that we won't see everything, we have other stuff we want to do besides being tourists. We call it 'work' but we actually enjoy doing our Geeks on Tour stuff, so we make time for it.
To create a YouTube 'Studio" Jim uses magnets to hang a green screen from the ceiling. Then he sets up an extension to his desk so I can sit beside him and do my part. Other than the work to set it up and tear it down, this works great.
While we were in Apia, we did our Geeks on Tour YouTube show, Episode 313 of What Does this Button Do? Our topic was Google Photos 2025 Updates. We even did it live! As we've been sailing east, our time zone is not that much different from the US. I really like doing our show at 2pm - I've gotten hardwired to be ready at that hour - but if I upped it just a few hours to 11am, that made it 5pm on the east coast. Very doable. It was a great show, if I do say so myself. Not even one hiccup with our Internet connections. There are some jaw-dropping new features in Google Photos - my favorite is "Help me Edit" and I came up with some practical examples that do a great job of showing off the feature. If you don't want to watch the whole show, just click this link to take you straight to what I think is the very best part.
Clicking 'Play" on this video will take you straight to my favorite part. You can always scroll back to the beginning and watch the whole thing.
Sunday is a workday for us. When we do a live YouTube show, it's on Sunday at 2pm. We've been doing this for over 6 years and it's become quite a routine. It has become a blueprint my creative process.
I think about the lesson plan throughout the week, usually I have an idea of what topic I want to teach by Wednesday.
On Friday or Saturday Jim creates the YouTube show and I get serious about it.
I start creating the slides, I learn the details about the topic and start playing with it, coming up with demonstrations.
Often I write the review questions first. I think of the specific people who are learning from us and I think, "what do I want them to learn this week?" I write the questions that I want them to answer then I back up and create the lessons and the demonstrations that will help them answer those questions. "Begin with the end in mind" is my methodology.
Learn more about the topic myself - watching lots of YouTube, and reading help articles
Have an outline by Saturday night
Use Sunday morning to put finishing touches on.
HandWrite my "script" with timing notes as 2pm is coming close and piling on the pressure
Ready at 2
In the process I learn so much, which is really the main goal. I love to teach, but the underlying passion is learning. The best and most thorough way to learn is to teach someone else.
This week's topic had been decided at our last show - Episode 188: 3/29/20. In that episode we taught about how to get old 35mm slides into Google Photos and at the end of the show I promised that our next episode would be how to get pictures from old family photo albums into Google Photos. In the time in between, during this #StayHome time, I was noticing how much I enjoyed having our pictures showing on the big screen TV. We have it set up like a screen saver. So the TV is never off. When we're not watching some show on TV, it is playing our photos. It brings us so much joy. In addition to the living room TV, photos are displayed on the kitchen TV and several smart screens throughout the house as well.
Memories of our travels permeate the house.
That's what I want people to know about! So, I decided on teaching a double topic this week. Getting old family photo albums into Google Photos, AND displaying them on big screen TV with Chromecast. Yes!
Our living room TV is always playing our photos. A picture from 3 years ago when our RV broke down - not all memories are good.
This picture of the Grand Canyon was taken just 2 days after the breakdown. One of our favorite memories!
So, I started getting out my own old albums and going thru the process. I rewatched episode 134 of our show where we taught Google PhotoScan for the first time, so I could remember the finer points. I also rewatched episode 108 where we taught Chromecast a couple years ago. I had to reacquaint myself with how that is set up, because you only do that once, and Jim set it up several years ago. But, really, what I wanted people to know is just that - you only set it up once. From then on all you do is turn the TV on, leave it on the HDMI port and there are your pictures, playing all day long.
By Saturday night I try to have the outline and the review questions done. Then, it's in my brain and I "finish" the plan in my sleep. Honest, I do. It's so important to have the pressure of that LIVE show on Sunday at 2, for me to get it done. This Saturday night, I didn't have the questions done - but I woke up in the middle of the night with the questions in my head and wrote them down using my phone and Google Keep note-taker. Then, if I get up about 8, I still have about 5 hours to put the lesson plan together. The combination of the pressure, and the timing works so well. We may not do a show every week now, but when we do, it's on Sunday at 2. I'm wired for it!
Episode 189 - Review Questions
T/F To take pictures of pictures in albums, you need expensive lights.
The PhotoScan app improves upon a snapshot of an old photo how? A. Eliminating Glare B. Straightening tilt C. Cropping to the edge of photo D. All of the above
With PhotoScan, eliminating glare requires extra steps, you can turn off anti-glare feature by tapping the _________ icon.
When your TV or smart screen is displaying random photos from selected Google Photos albums, that’s called: ⬜ Photo Frames ⬜Screensavers ⬜Ambient mode ⬜Slideshow
When your TV or smart screen is displaying random photos you control which albums show by using what app? ⬜Chromecast ⬜Google Home ⬜ Google Photos Android app
Your smart TV may already have Chromecast built in. If not, you can buy a $35 Chromecast device and plug it in to an _________ port.
Same thing for Jim. He plays with the technology all week - the sound mixing and the different video streams. This week, I wanted a camera focused on the TV in the living room and to bring that into the show, so that, after I show which buttons to press on your phone, our audience can see the effect on the TV. It's Jim's job to make that happen. So, he practices on Friday and Saturday, then freaks out on Sunday. (Sunday morning is not a good time to visit us - we're both in freak-out mode) He's added another tool to his toolbox, called Voicemeter for mixing sound. It's getting really complicated, like he's a juggler with 6 or 7 balls in the air.
I think the show came out pretty good, except for one spot where Jim dropped a ball on sound for a minute, but at least it was at a point where we were just chatting, nothing important. He was able to edit it out after the fact without losing any content.
Bad news
Covid-19 cases in the US: 560,402 Deaths: 22,105
Good news
The emergency of this pandemic is obliterating the competitive barriers that normally exist in the scientific and technology worlds. Scientists don't care who gets the credit, as long as they find a vaccine/cure, and Apple and Google are working together!?!?!?
Science collaboration: Scientists around the world are pooling their knowledge and resources to determine whether gene variations make people more susceptible to serious Covid-19 infection, hoping to learn why some patients’ coronavirus symptoms are quite mild while others’ are severe.
It was 2 weeks ago today that we went out to Denny's for our Earlybird Toastmasters club and ended up bringing 2 people back to our house. Since that day it's been just Jim and me and occasionally Jim's son Devon would come over.
The alarm rang at 6:15 this morning to wake is up for our toastmasters meeting ... Online this time. We love our Earlybird toastmasters group. It's been going for over 30 years and Jim and I have been members for well over 20 of those. We always look forward to seeing each other while enjoying breakfast, and we are thrilled with how well they've all made the transition to the online world, using Zoom
We meet for an hour and a half. 3 people give prepared speeches. Several people give short, impromptu speeches and we all fill the room with camaraderie. In some ways it's better than meeting in person. For example, Pam moved away some time ago and we've missed her terribly. She was there this morning. Aleta was a member 30 years ago and has maintained her membership over all those years even though she lives in Pennsylvania. Jose is Ana's brother and he lives in Spain. He has visited our club whenever he is in town visiting his sister, but now he can be with us every week.
I don't like getting up at 6:15, but I love meeting with these people.
Ana always writes up a "recap" of the meeting and, if you haven't decided this is a great group after reading my paragraphs above, you will after reading her recap:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Members and Guests,
TopicMaster Carmine zoomed us off with kitchen utensils. It became real clear, real quick, that female members of EarlyBirds don’t even know where their kitchen is located in the home – let alone their kitchen utensils! Besides that, we learned that…
• DTM Mary Helen wistfullymissesthe good oledays when instead of a fancy silicone baster, she resorted to used paintbrushes stored in her garage for basting the turkey. As a result, her children developed second-to-none immune systems. This comes in handy today…
• Returning TM Mildred praised the versatility of the kitchen spoon, which included effective disciplinary action used against unruly children when she was growing up.• Former EarlyBird member Victoria lauded the multi-tasking features of the slotted spoon – doubling up as a toilet plunger and subsequently becoming a garden dirt mover (the virtual room virtually sighed with relief that it didn’t go back to hanging with the other kitchen utensils)…. Pfiuuuu….
• TM BeckyJo vividly described wildly waving a wooden fork during a passionate self-righteous argument with a spouse and breaking off its prongs, slowly, slowly and one-at- a-time for emphasis. It truly gets your point across – try it! She Won Best Table Topics Award.
• Returning TM Lisa, for lack of the word “spatula” in her culinary vocabulary, kept calling the utensil a “cake batter spoon”. Everyone is invited to her home for a cake-battered-spoon cake when sequestration is over.And then wezoomed on to the prepared speeches….
• TM Tom recounted his virgin Court appearance representing a client who called her husband by her boyfriend’s name “in the spur of the moment” – or shall we say “in the sperm of the moment”? He Won Most Improved Speaker Award.
• TM Aleta – loyal member in good standing rejoining us for the first time since she left Florida in the 80s- told us about her lucky breaks in life, where she currently gardens a multi-acre property in Paradise and works as a Labor Mediator, a profession she absolutely adores. As TM Marie said, all these years (to some of us) you were only an enigmatic name in the Club Roster!! And paradoxically, now you are virtually real!!
• Former EarlyBird TM and lasting friend – my brother Jose– delighted us with a speech about his 60th birthday party – celebrated twice, in Madrid and also in Fort Lauderdale. Picture slides from the occasion brought us all hope for good parties still to come. He Won Best Speaker AwardAs for evaluations…
• TM Lisa applauded TM Tom for his engaging speech which had humor, the element of surprise, and a good reminder that cheating doesn’t pay if you can’t gettheirnames straight.
• TM Joe applauded TM Aleta for her uplifting speech which exuded optimism and positivity in a spirit of gratitude.
• TM Jeff praised Jose for his charisma and his ability to use technology to make his speech more vivid and descriptive. He Won Best Evaluator Award.
The Word of the Day wasSEQUESTER, noun1. Isolate or hide away2. General cut in government spending
We had a delightfully varied attendance made up of former EarlyBirds who arefreed fromthe rigors of commutingin traffic, friends of Jose, family of Jose, fans of Jose. Let’s keep it going! Guests, keep comingback, we love having you!NextThursday, same time, same Zoom id. And, once again, thank you to our Tech Wizards for making it all possible.Virtually yours,Ana
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After our Toastmaster meeting, Jim and I ate our breakfast apple and went back to our computers with a last cup of coffee to answer emails and do a little browsing. When it came time for a break we took off our clothes and jumped in the hot tub ... aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh
Ok, back to work.
I am way behind on my computer work. The most pressing thing on my agenda is to finish the show notes for last Sunday's Episode 188 of our YouTube show "What Does This Button Do?" It takes me several hours to complete this task. Sometimes I breeze thru it and sometimes it's like pulling teeth. Today was somewhere in between, but I got it done. Episode 188 - How to get your slides into Google Photos The notes are only available to our premium members.
Jim made me lunch - a tuna melt sandwich. He is the sandwich king! And I love toasted sandwiches.
OK, now I need to get the notes into .pdf format and send an email blast to all our members that it is ready. But first ... hey, we're sequestered right? We have lots of time on our hands right? We can binge watch any number of shows on Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, or HBO. I've been watching Homeland and I think I deserve a break to watch a couple episodes this afternoon. Damn that show is intense!
Jim spent a little time with Devon today. He showed him the newly rearranged studio room and how it is now ready for carpeting. Maybe they can get some carpeting, watch a few YouTube how-to videos and we'd pay Devon to do the work. That would be great since Devon's work has all been cancelled for the foreseeable future.
Now Jim is looking up recipes for Chicken Marsala and my mouth is starting to water. I think I'll get that email blast to our members done and call it a day.
The bad news
Covid-19 cases today in the US: 240.120 Deaths: 5,794
The good news
People are walking and playing tennis! We have a wonderful circular walk around our neighborhood. At just over 1 mile, it's short enough to be easy and long enough to get some exercise. It was a spectacularly gorgeous day. We went for a walk just after an early dinner.
We have never seen anyone using these tennis courts before. This evening there were not one, but two, tennis games in process!
GeeksOnTourTV is an active YouTube channel. We have a video podcast called What Does This Button Do? We call it a weekly show. We don't always do a new show every week, but at least twice each month we produce a 45 minute educational show. It includes live video, screenshare and closeups on phones.
When we're on the road, we produce the show from the back of our Van. Our "Van" is a fully equipped Roadtrek 210 RV. It's 21 feet long and the back is normally our bedroom. To convert it into our YouTube studio, we need to:
This was the last of our Arizona rallies, and it was great. Smaller than the other ones, about 120 RVs were registered. We really like this size, it's big enough to have lots of energy in the seminars, but small enough to allow time for one-on-ones during the rally.
This is what I (Chris) really like to do. Sit down with someone who has questions about their smartphone and work with them and their phone, one on one. We print up a sign-up sheet for 30 minute time slots for free. Sometimes two people get together, but we're still talking personal attention and their phones in their hands. Hands-on. That's the way you really learn.
And, we learn too! We had a couple of people who had forgotten the passwords to their main account - the one that is necessary in order to get new Apps, or make major changes to your settings. One was on an iPhone and the other an Android. Neither Jim nor I have ever had to go thru this on our own phones, so helping others taught us a lot. We ended up thinking it was such an important thing to know that we made our next "What Does This Button Do" show about it:
They also had some great fun at this rally. Jim got out the drone to capture the golf cart rodeo. Sweet!
