harryc

EXPERIMENT, HAVE FUN !!!!!!!

On my previous post under 'Technorati Please Note ' I included a file which demonstrated a standard piece of Microsoft software called 'Sound Recorder' with voice narration over the top of a music background.

Since then I looked at a similar piece of software under 'Accessories' called 'Windows Moviemaker' and played around with that.

In looking around for images and material to use I ' borrowed ' the very impressive presentation 'Viennese Twirl' by TomLR on his blog Raymond. (I hope you don't mind Tom - otherwise I'm sure we can reach some reasonable out of court settlement ! )

The result below is the first cut as a demo.

Download toms_viennese_twir_2l.MSWMM

I have included a music track throughout and was trying to dub Tom's script over the top - but you can't do both. The music track can be removed and substituted by voiceover which can be synchronised with the images. I didn't attempt that because of the voice requirements for the various characters ( I have not had Rada training !! )

The software comes with the basic rations and is easy to use . You can present your favourite photos or postcards with a commentary or your favourite music as a background.

Go on give it a go !!!!!!!!

TECHNOLOGY BUG

This is it - 'Mission Control' - the nerve centre of my IT activities.

To the 'techies' I know it will look a bit dated - no super-slim flat screen or the smooth good looks of an 'Apple' .

But it does for me - and as they say "if it ain't broke............!

Before this I had a very old Toshiba portable with a dial-up Internet connection courtesy of Freeserve. Everything was painfully slow but I loved the challenge. The family took pity and gave me my current set-up one Christmas about seven years ago. Then I got broadband and .... absolute bliss !!

Freeserve morphed into Wanadoo who then became Orange who I'm afraid have not performed too well.

I think that computers and technology generally hold a fascination for "silver surfers" like myself. In the course of my liftime there has been a blizzard of invention and development the pace of which has been staggering. I remember Slide Rules, Sumlock Comtometers, Hollerith Punch Card Machines and this little baby - which was the forerunner to the Electronic Calculator :

It is an Odhner mechanical calculator and was heavy, cumbersome and noisy. I used it extensively to prepare company budgets - it managed the calculations, but documents still had to be handwritten. You also had to have a 'feel' for where the decimal point should be !! At one point a Chinese civil engineer I shared a flat with taught me how to use an abacus.

The speed of change has meant, I suppose, that we never quite catch up with the market. There is always something faster and better.

But my old PC gives me everything I need - I'm happy - but I'll keep an eye on the market.