February 10, 2010

Jerry Smith, our anticipated guest speaker, was unavailable today so we improvised with a fun-filled session about Google Earth. We googled Palm Creek RV Resort and toured the surrounding area with Street Scape. Then we "flew" to some home towns of a couple of our members so they could see the house or yard where they used to live. From there we "flew" off to Buckingham Palace and learned how to view photos that other people have uploaded to the Earth site. Download at: www.earth.google.com

With a click on the clock icon, Google Earth has some historical photos to explore. Clicking on the sun icon shows us how darkness falls upon the earth as our world rotates.

At a sister site called www.vpike.com we could closely examine our home towns and take virtual photo tours down the street to check on the neighborhood. Many realtors use this site to show or examine the area around a particular address.

Jerry McDonald (notice your name is spelled correctly this time, Jerry) demonstrated the miniature video camera that he and some of his fellow RC airplane comrades mount on their planes for an aerial view. The camera is about the size of your thumb but has 8gig capacity and takes both still shots and video. It's hard to believe that the camera only costs $59 at a hobby shop. We've come a long way since the days of the heavy and cumbersome shoulder mount cameras. Thank you, Jerry, for entertaining us with your camera AND by reading the complicated instructions that accompany it. This camera is available from: www.horizonhobby.com

Since we were on the topic of "gadgets", Ray Valentine demonstrated a writing pen and stylus pad that he uses instead of a regular mouse. The use of the pen helps Ray when he is fine tuning some of the photography programs he uses. As a professional photographer and avid user of PhotoShop Elements, Ray demonstrated the use of the pen vs a mouse and how he could more closely define an area of a photograph. We also watched as he magically changed colors in a photo with just a touch of his pen (and knowing which buttons to click in the software).

After the regular meeting, quite a few members stayed longer to watch video tutorials from Geeks on Tour. Anyone who wants to join the Geeks on Tour can purchase a membership through their website at http://www.geeksontour.com/.

I (Sue Hepler) normally post minutes of our meetings at this blog each week. In the event of my absence, Bill Murr graciously volunteered to fill in for me....right Bill??

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