Monthly Archives: January 2011

Leo

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Nick Matthews

I certainly haven’t been a lifelong Leonardo DiCaprio fan. Apparently he played a role on the TV show Growing Pains. The first role I can recall him playing was Titanic, which I grew to hate as my sister watched it … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged inception, leonardo dicaprio | 1 Comment

Choosing Electronic or Print Books for Academic Research

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Nick Matthews

As someone with 200 books within arms reach of my desk, without counting those in the bookshelf behind me, I obviously have a fondness for the written word. When reading a particular text closely however, what advantages are there to … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Reading | Tagged academic, amazon, citation, ebook, edition, etext, homer, james joyce, kindle, library journal, odyssey, print, robert fagles, scholarly, ulysses | Leave a comment

Canadian Newspapers on the iPad

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Nick Matthews

With the media writing course I’m taking this semester, I’ve been reading more newspapers, instead of just relying on Google News to present me with stories of interest. When I realized that a number of newspapers have iPad apps, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged app store, calgary herald, edmonton journal, globe and mail, ipad, montreal gazette, national post, newspapers, ottawa citizen, postaday, postmedia networks, regina leader-post, saskatoon starphoenix, toronto star, vancouver province, vancouver sun, victoria times colonist, windsor star | Leave a comment

The Human Costs of Space Exploration

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Nick Matthews

25 years ago today, the Challenger shuttle exploded on takeoff, 73 seconds into flight, killing all seven crew. 25 years ago today, Francis “Dick” Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Sharon Christa McAuliffe, and Gregory Jarvis … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged apollo 1, challenger, Christa McAuliffe, columbia, David Brown, Edward H. White II, Ellison Onizuka, Francis Scobee, Gregory Jarvis, Ilan Ramon, Judith Resnik, Kaplana Chawla, Laurel Clark, memorial, Michael Anderson, Michael Smith, Rick Husband, Roger Chaffee, Ronald McNair, shuttle, spaceflight, sts-107, sts-51-l, Virgil Grissom, William McCool | Leave a comment

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Nick Matthews

Ray Bradbury’s classic tale of firemen who burn books has become an emblem for those who oppose censorship. I was quite intrigued when I saw the graphic novel adaptation of Fahrenheit 451, illustrated by Tim Hamilton. Like George Orwell’s Nineteen … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading | Tagged 1984, brave new world, censor, censorship, fahrenheit 451, graphic novel, nineteen eighty-four, postaday, postaday2011, ray bradbury, the authorized adaptation, tim hamilton | 1 Comment

The Sweet Scent of Wood Smoke

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Nick Matthews

While driving to work this week I was stopped at a red light, where the sweet aroma of wood smoke arrived. This got me thinking about the different forms of heating, and what they mean to me. The idea of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged coal, fireplace, gas, memory, postaday, postaday2011, scent, smell, smoke, wood | 2 Comments

Why Isn’t This Available In Canada?

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Nick Matthews

I was browsing some free, public domain science fiction ebooks on Amazon. While I don’t have a Kindle ereader, the Kindle app is available for the Mac, the iPad, and the BlackBerry. To my surprise, a number of these titles … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading | Tagged amazon, canada, copyright, ebook, edgar rice burroughs, gutenberg, hg wells, jules verne, kindle, postaday, postaday2011, public domain | 1 Comment

Weekend Reading and Gardening

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Nick Matthews

I haven’t had nearly as much time to read as I would like to this weekend. I finally finished up the last chapter of Harperland, so I could return it to the library. Again, if you’re interested in politics, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged batty and cain, canadian gardening, donna griffith, gardening, harperland, homer, magazines, media writing, odysseus, odyssey, postaday, postaday2011, reading, seasons, seasons of love, yvonne cunnington | Leave a comment

Photo Management Surprises

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Nick Matthews

Well, my 1TB external drive filled up over the weekend. Apple’s Time Machine software promptly cleared out some old backups, which was fine by me. I took it as a sign that I should perhaps clear out some of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged disk space, photo management, photography, postaday, postaday2011, raw | Leave a comment

Keeping Your Audience Awake With Powerful Presentations

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Nick Matthews

While I have great respect for the written word, there are places where they are inappropriate. One great example is in presentation slides. I’ve seen some horrible presentations in the past. Thankfully, I haven’t inflicted many on others. The presentations … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged al gore, an inconvenient truth, garr reynolds, keynote, nancy duarte, postaday, postaday2011, powerpoint, presentation, presentation zen, slide:ology | 2 Comments