because nothing is easy

We learned today that the deadline for final grades here at University of Kentucky is now midnight on Monday, May 5 (rather than 4pm that day). As a result, the Blackboard server downtime for the upgrade to Bb 8.0 also will be postponed. The Blackboard servers’ unavailability has been shifted to 12:15am on Tuesday, May 6, [...]

Bb changes

This corrects a previous post, which I have deleted. The change is in the last bulleted item.
Changes are a-comin’ for University of Kentucky Blackboard next week, and here’s what you need to know if you are a faculty member or an instructor:

The upgrade is to Bb 8.0, which University of Kentucky contributed significantly to in [...]

brittanica online for bloggers

Encyclopaedia Brittanica offers online subscriptions, now including a freebie for approved bloggers (Brittanica’s approval process, I mean). Here’s a Chronicle article with details. As print publications find a way onto the web, here’s one that offers itself as a resource while (I’m guessing) battling the use of Wikipedia. Bloggers can link to articles that normally would [...]

steampunk ‘puter

Okay, wow. It’s a Steampunk Victorian Computer. Seriously, ya’ll. Look. The Steampunk Workshop site has photos and video detailing the making of this masterpiece. (I had flashbacks to This Old House when I watched the video of him using the table saw on his 24-inch LCD. Uh-huh, you read that right. Even more reason to “measure twice, cut [...]

converting your tube

Here’s an article of interest if you are thinking about purchasing a digital converter for your analog television: Digital Converters Keep the Old Tube TV Usable. It discusses a couple of brands and what happens to your picture when you use the converter. If you need help understanding the change from analog to digital in [...]

flat world: free textbooks

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports this morning that Flat World Knowledge will, beginning next year, “offer online, peer-reviewed, interactive, user-editable textbooks, free of charge.” Read the article by clicking here. Great news for students, whose textbook costs are inching up toward the $1000-mark, according to the article. Of course, this is an opportunity to truly [...]

mixed media

The Kentucky Kernel now has a site featuring “mixed media” – slideshows and video. Check out Kernel Mixed Media at http://www.kernelmixedmedia.com/. You can add your own videos at the related Facebook page.

get educated at media college

Media College is another tutorial site I really like. You can learn about AV equipment (and find manuals!), find tutorials on players and viewers, learn about lighting, work through tutorials on collecting and editing video and photographs, and much more. There are forums to discuss your experiences and questions, as well. It’s free, and it’s [...]

try it with Tryit Editor

Whenever I forget the HTML code that allows me to make a word or phrase into a link (and I forget every time because I don’t use advanced HTML very often), I go to this site called Tryit Editor, where I can copy and paste code, making adjustments where necessary with my own text. The [...]

roadshow roadie for a day

This is so not about technology, but it’s Friday Fluff time, and so I am repeating an item from my personal blog, which actually wastes away from inattention. Watch Antiques Roadshow (multiple parts, starting April 21) on KET and maybe you’ll see me buzz by in the background.
My husband and I volunteered last [...]