ALIENWARE 14 Unboxing & Review

I'm a little late posting this video, since I've using the laptop for a couple of weeks now.  But the Alienware 14 still excites me!  After all, I've been wanting one of these for a while.

In the video, I show the unboxing and give a little review of what I've discovered about the machine so far.  There are some quirky things I've discovered along the way, but nothing earth-shattering.  If nothing else, it makes it more interesting and gives me new things to do.

So, I guess I'm satisfied with this laptop.  To be sure, it's one of the best I've owned.  It should be, considering the cost of the thing!  (O.o)

There's probably some points I forgot to make in the video.  Partly, this is because I hadn't yet realized how amazing the sound system is, particularly with headphones on, when I made the video.  I've also learned to navigate Windows 8.1 loads better and quite like some of its features.  No doubt, I'll come across more things to consider about this setup in the future.

In the meantime, enjoy the vid! (^.^)v  

What IS IT?! A Short and True Mystery

The other evening, Big Daughter sent a series of disturbing texts my way.

I laughed, but nervously.  There was truly a mystery in the trunk of her car.  We may never know what the thing was that she found, or how it came to be there.  It was an oddity, to be sure.

Someone knows.  (^.~)
Just not us.

This short video shows the thing in question.  I captured it on my phone (Galaxy S5), making jokes to lighten the mood.  The whole event was strange.  Join us in suspense!

Take care out there!  (^.^)v  

1000 Eyes in the Dark & Other Silly Things

Alrighty, let's get to it!

We got new phones.  Finally!  As much as I enjoyed the old iPhone 4 (when I first got it), its temperamental behavior and self-inflicted screen cracks had me a bit concerned.  Not to mention that pesky power button that only worked up until the warranty was out.  (cringe)

Now I'm the proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy S5.  It's screen is much larger than the iPhone 4, to be sure.  Funny thing, now that I've had it a while, it doesn't seem all that big!  haha!  Maybe I should've gone for the Mega!  Hmph...  Maybe next time.

So, what was the first thing I did with the GS5?  Well, make a video of course!
And here it is, the first vid taken with my phone.  Maybe someday I'll figure out all the features the phone has and make something truly grand.  (^.~)d

Enjoy~~

Time for Adventure--Back to Nature

Recent whirlwind events of late have created a need for escape.  You know what I mean.  The road trip type of escape.  Just a little adventure, an experience separate from the normal routine.  

Sadly, we weren't able to take a long road journey.  It's been a while since we could do such a thing.  Even so, we have skills.  Adventure creating skills.

Just around the corner we went, and visited Bob Woodruff Park in Plano, Texas.  

The two little kiddos tagged along, though they questioned the whole excursion.  After all, scary things could happen on that nature trail!  haha!  They're probably right, I suppose.  Danger could be lurking, after all.  But what fun would it be were we to fear that unknown around the bend?  

And do you know, those kiddos can't wait to go back!  

Enjoy the journey~~

      

  

Lost in Dallas & Over 1400 Grads

I'm attempting to write this post on a Samsung Galaxy S5, so please bear with me.  Ha!  Speaking of which, the Blogger app for Android is pretty much, well, horrendous.  Thus, I've gone straight to the Chrome browser.  We'll see how it goes.

On to the vid!

It wasn't too long ago (last Friday, to be exact) that we made a trip to the Big D.  We got lost en route to our final destination, of course, but what sort of adventure would it be without poor navigation on my part!  Just sayin'.

The purpose of our journey, to attend the high school graduation of our eldest daughter.  What a sight it was!  Probably one of the largest graduating classes of its kind in the state of Texas (or maybe anywhere).  The ceremony itself was indeed a long one, as each student's name was called. More than 1,400 of them.  Still, it was quite an honor to watch each of them walk.  What an amazing group of kiddos!  A memorable night, indeed.

When all was done, back to the road and to a path unknown.  Like I said, getting lost is just part of the fun! ;)

Congratulations, Class of 2014!
(^.^) v

FitVlog Update #13

Whirlwind week this has been!  Next week won't be much calmer!

And so, I thought it'd be a good idea to make a quick post about the fitness goings on, or lack thereof.

I've always told myself that fitness was a lifestyle--it has to be part of my life.  Even though I've been too busy to do the workout programs, I have managed to get some exercise in.  One thing being squats.  I can do them anytime I'm having to stand around waiting for something.  It doesn't sound like much, I know.  But have you done some squats, lately?  haha!

The big plan is to get through the craziness of next week's end-of-school parties and the big graduation ceremony.  And when I say big, I really mean it!  I think there are over 1,400 students in my daughter's graduating class.  It'll be pretty amazing, I'm sure!  I don't know when I'll get a decent amount of exercise with all the goings on, though I plan to get at least a bit.

Okee... The plan is to resume P90X3 and TurboFire.  Also, I want to introduce Insanity!!  I can't wait!

I feel like there was something else to mention... I just can't remember.  haha!  It's been that kinda week.  (^.~)

Oh, and since this is a short FitVlog, I thought it would be fun to mess around with the vid editor.  It makes me look bald and a lil strange.  Which is fine.  I've always been a tad odd!  hahaha!  I'm using Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 12 to create the, shall we say, "ambiance", by the way.

More later~~
Take care!
 (^.^)v

Lightning Show

A few days ago, a nice little thunderstorm rolled past our town, just to the south.  In it, there was plenty of lightning to give us a good show.  Just the lights, no sound.  So in silence, I filmed the event with the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition.  I had to zoom in using the video editor, which may have affected the quality, but still.  I also had a difficult time knowing when to stop filming.  The thunderstorm was slow moving, making the light show last!  

Note to self:  I may need to use the Canon Vixia for future lightning shows.  The Vixia can do the zooming for me and the vid quality might be a bit better in low light.  We'll see.

There's not much else to say about the vid.  Well, except I love watching it!  haha!  Somehow, the music seems to just fit.  It's a long-ish video, but I didn't dare speed it up in the editor.  It's fun to see how active the atmosphere was all on its own.

Enjoy! (^.^)v

 

Spring Storm & Driving

Yesterday, we had what was probably our first big storm of the season.  So I thought it might be neat to capture the storm's arrival, via the GoPro, whilst I drove around town picking people up, and whatnot.  I know I enjoy watching videos of others driving around either by car or by bike.  I don't know why, exactly.  Perhaps, I feel as though I'm living through those who travel roads unfamiliar to me.  Maybe people might enjoy seeing my driving video for the same reason.  So here it is~~  

Other towns in our area had tornadoes and rather large hail (the size of baseballs).  Our town's storm was mild in comparison.  Still, it looked creepy enough and storm sirens did sound at one point.  Which is what ended my video taking of the event.  I wasn't sure if we were due for a tornado ourselves!  Younglings had to be rounded up and sheltered, just in case.

Yep.  This is just the beginning of spring weather events.  I hope to capture more video of future storms, though I know I'll need to be more careful.  I've a tendency to become enthralled with watching the sky twist and turn.  Lightning fascinates me, too!  Surely driving around in such weather isn't all that wise.  haha!  Still, I just like it so much!

As for other goings on, there will be a FitVlog soon-ish!  I need to record more video of the workouts.  I skipped a week or so of recording because the workouts were repeating, and I don't think we'd improved all that much in those couple o' weeks.  I'm currently piecing together video of the last week's workouts.  They are repeat workouts, but I think I'm noticing some improvements! Maybe, I think.  (^.~)

More to come!  Stay tuned!
(^.^)v  



  

Nothing But a Thing

Today's post is brought to you by Increasingly Annoyed.  Ha!

I wasn't going to do this, but it's probably worth documenting the events.  It may happen that I delete the post in the future.  Who knows?

Alrighty, let's get to the crux of the situation.

In my last post, I shared my latest YouTube video.  I spent a little time putting that together, as I do all of my videos.  I also take extra care to make sure all elements of my videos are legal to use.  Which is why I'm a bit perplexed and becoming increasingly annoyed. :)

The problem started when I used a piece of royalty free music in my video.  It was immediately hit with three copyright claims made by companies that I later found are somehow linked.  Zimbalam, Audiam, and Believe.  Zimbalam and Audiam released their claim on the music, but Believe has yet to do so.  Strange, isn't it?  Particularly strange since the music in question is not even the same as the songs those companies claim it to be!

Here's my theory, the original artist put their music up for royalty free use on the site Pond5.com .  Other artists grabbed it, mashed it, mixed it and twisted it for their own use, including for monetary gain.  Those artists then claimed their mix as their very own creation and put it in the catalog.  You know, that catalog that YouTube's magical algorithms tap into right before you get hit with a copyright notice~~even an erroneous one. (^.~)

I'm going to own my naivety and say, it isn't the fault of the artists, or the record labels, or any of the companies I named above.  I'd like to think the problem is in the system that's set up to protect the interests of the original and legitimate copyright holders.  Yeah, that's it.  We'll blame the magical program for being a little, tad bit faulty.  (sigh)

Still, there's this tiny needle pricking my brain telling me there is something a touch more sinister going on.  I've continually come across several comments regarding at least one of the above-mentioned companies in YouTube forums and even on the company's Facebook page about their making false copyright claims on music and video.  I've also heard whisperings (and out-right vulgar shoutings) about other entities intentionally making false claims on videos solely for the purpose of making money off of them.  This concerns me, of course, because if they can get away with this, they can either earn revenue off of my videos or they can affect my good standing with YouTube.

So you'd think, just don't use any music in your videos, right?  Oddly enough, some are getting hit with copyright notices from music labels even when their videos don't contain any music!  That's got to be frustrating.

Oh, I forgot to mention.  I may have to wait an entire month to see if they drop the claim on my video.  If they don't release it, my video could get pulled.  It puts a damper on things, to be sure.

Okay.  Time for a deep cleansing breath.  Gahhhh.... !   (O.o)

It's out of my system.  I'll be working on a new video soon, being super careful about its contents.
Haha!  It should be a fun one.  We have a new workout to try~~>P90X3!

If you are curious about the workouts we are doing, check us out on YouTube, also feel free to peruse my website at www.beachbodycoach.com/sdchan , or even send me a message on Facebook.   

Take care out there! (^.^)v

UPDATE:  After reviewing my message to them, the music company Believe has released the copyright claim on my video.  Yay!
Now back to our regularly scheduled program.  (^.~)  
    

            

How to Make Animated GIFs From Video

The other day, a viewer requested a tutorial on making animated GIFs from video, using Photoshop Elements.  I've been wanting to do a video about this for a while, now seems like a pretty good time!
So here is what I've come up with using the older Photoshop Elements 7.0, as well as, a handy little free program called CamStudio.  I hope you like it!

Create Animated GIFs With Fading Images Using GIMP! FREE!

Recently, a viewer wondered how to use Gimp (a free image editing software) to create animated GIFs with fading images.  In a previous tutorial, I had shown how to create one using Photoshop Elements 7.0.  The steps involved are somewhat similar, no matter which software is used.

The video above is my newest fading animated GIF tutorial, using one of the best pieces of free image editing software, GIMP!

Enjoy! (^.^)v  

My FitVlog Day 1

And so it begins...
My journey to humility...
Enjoy!

To learn more about TurboFire and other workout programs I'll be using, please visit my website.
http://www.beachbodycoach.com/sdchan
As an Independent Beachbody Coach, I can answer any questions you may have about Beachbody products and help you find a program that fits your needs.  If you just need a little motivation, I'm here to help with that, too!    

Fitness and Things

Health and fitness have always important to me, though one wouldn't know it after seeing my recent habits.  I've got some work to do.  The plan is to document the journey in videos, to help me stay accountable.
And maybe others can find a bit of inspiration in them.
Hey!  Maybe we can motivate each other!  \(^.^)/

Now I just need to pick a day to start!

Stay tuned!  (^.^)v        

 

Cycling the Suburban Maze--Testing GoPro Hero3

Recently, we acquired the GoPro Hero3 black edition after winning the daily GoPro Everything We Make Sweepstakes.  If you're curious about GoPro, check out their website gopro.com.  There's a link to the contest info at the bottom of the page.

After sorting through all the wondrous things GoPro sent us, I felt it was time to test the little camera by taking it on my morning bike ride.  This video is the maiden voyage, as it were.  I'm sure I'll find other more fascinating things to do with the Hero3 in the future!

Enjoy~~ (^.^)v

Here It Is--My Short Little A-Kon24 Vid!

Finally!  After much face-squinching and nothing but trouble with the old editing software, I've finished the A-Kon video.  Of course, the new Vegas Movie Studio 12 helped a great deal!  That, and my decision to scrap most of the video I had of the convention.

Yes, what you see here is at least 2 times shorter than the original video I had put together.  Most of the footage was simply too shaky.  Not fun to watch at all.  And no amount of stabilizing in the editor helped.  I hope what's left is enough to get some idea of the big event in Dallas.

I mentioned before, we weren't supposed to be in Dallas that Saturday.  As luck would have it, a friend of the family had a spare hotel room and offered it to us.  We went, sans convention badges, planning only to roam the halls of the Hilton Anatole, which is the new venue for A-Kon.  I think we were lost the whole time!  Still, it was an adventure.

Enjoy!    
(^.^)v

How to Make a Simple Wire Wrapped Bead Ring

Not too long ago, I showed how to make a simple wire rose ring. In the vid, I showed an example of a similar ring with a bead in it. Some viewers were curious how to make one of those. So, here's the vid showing how to do it!
Enjoy! (^.^)v

The Goings On

All sorts of plans have been made to do stuff.  Sometimes, a well-placed virus or some such item of yuck slams the brakes en route to plan completion.  As it were.

So, to keep my YouTube subscribers up to date, and to thank them for sticking with me, I made a video.  

Yep, I'm still here and recently recovering from a variety of illnesses.  Again.  Haha!  I laugh, when not coughing my face off,  because it's completely ridiculous how frequently ill I've been.  But, it could be worse.

Here is said video...  

GIF With Fading Images Tutorial & Other Interesting Tidbits

Not too long ago, a viewer asked how to make a GIF with images that fade into one another.  I think I've addressed it in this video.  Though I'm sure there are a few more ways the same result can be achieved.  It's been a while since I've made a fading GIF, so I may be a tad rusty.  In any case, I hope someone finds this tutorial useful.

As for the length of time it has taken me to post a video or to blog about anything at all . . .
Well, it's been one interesting start of a year, let's say!

I had high hopes this year.  With plans to start some new projects early on.  Sadly, illness and a few other surprises have put a kink in my scheme and knocked me off path.  (~.~)

No worries.  Back on track I go.

In the works are videos about the crazy workout I just started.  ~Oh my!~  Yes, I finished TurboFire and loved it.  I was on my 2nd or 3rd? round of it, when I decided to mix it up a bit.

The new workout is called Insanity.  Did I say this already?  Its name is quite fitting.  'Cause you pretty much have to be CRAZY to do this workout!  Which, I suppose, suits me fine. ha!  Now, if you think you're up for the challenge, you can find Insanity through my website:  www.beachbodycoach.com/SDCHAN
Browse my page, click on the Shop and find it there or just click this graphic!
      

Pretty much, I dare you!  hahaha!
Just kiddin'. I wouldn't want to be responsible for anyone getting hurt.  That being said, here's my Disclaimer:

If you should try any workout program that I recommend on this site, do so at your own risk!  I should probably add, see a doctor before doing the programs I mention on this site.  Make sure you can handle it.  Especially, Insanity.  Holy cow!  

More on this at a later date.

Okay, I'll move on.

I also hope to do more videos about the simple jewelry I've made.  It seems many of you are interested in how to make your own.  I'll be sure to put a few more jewelry tutorials out there.

Oh!  And animation tutorials!  I can't forget those, because they are some of my favorite.  Those videos are also the most time-consuming.  I'll do my best!

It's going to be a busy year.  Let's all make it a great one! \(^.^)/

Until next time~~^*^

 

 

How to Use Chroma Key in Vegas Movie Studio

For some reason, this short tutorial took days to complete!  That would be the reason you don't see many like it on my channel.  Still, I enjoy doing these kinds of videos and plan to do more in the future.

The tutorial shows how to use the chroma keyer plugin found in Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10.0.  At least, the way I use it.  Ha!

I don't have a chroma green backdrop, so I decided to create a simple animation and give it a green background.  Sort of a green screen simulation.

 I created the animation using Anime Studio Pro, which is a whole different tutorial in itself.  Yep, I've already made a tutorial for that one.

Here's the link to a 3-part series I did explaining switch layers, and whatnot, in Anime Studio Pro 6:
Switch Layer Tutorial

Okay, moving on to chroma keying.

Here's what it looks like after chroma keying.

This image contains 4 layers.  The girl animation, a photo of a tree, some clouds and a photo of the moon.  In that order.  The chroma key plugin was applied to the girl animation background, and then to the sky in the tree photo.  I could have used video in the layers instead of photos if I wanted.  Which would be pretty cool, too!  There are so many options.  I did manage to animate the moon using track motion.

My face in the sky was cut out with the Cookie Cutter plugin.  I changed the border of it to blue and chroma keyed that, too.  I was told the result was creepy ... not nearly as creepy as the junk that would have shown up in the background.  Haha!  Oh, the possibilities!

  

One thing to note, when applying any type of effect to media in Vegas, one needs to understand which option to choose between Media FX and Video Event FX.  My understanding is that selecting Media FX applies the chosen effect to the clip in every instance in which it appears, including in the Project Media bin.  If Video Event FX is chosen, only in that instance is the desired effect applied.  So, using Media FX  helps to save time if the media will be used repeatedly throughout the entire work.

I tried to keep the tutorial as simple as possible.  But, of course, there are a few slightly more complex elements I threw in toward the end.  I briefly brush over how to animate the moon, but didn't go into detail.  I may need to make another tutorial!

Until next time~~

 


  

Make a Wrapped Wire Ring!

We have a tradition of sorts around here.  Each of us owns and often wears a wire ring or two that I've made out of wire.  Something like these...

On occasion, I'm asked to make a few more for close friends of the family.  The simple wire rose ring has been dubbed, the "family ring".  

I'm not sure where I first found the design, though I'm certain it isn't uncommon.  So, I thought I'd share with everyone how they can make they're own.  Maybe start your own tradition! 

\(^.^)/

Here's a little video in which I show how to quickly make a wire rose ring.  If you have any questions, private message me, or leave a comment below.  And thanks for checking out the video!  

Enjoy!

Materials used:

• Artistic Wire--Gunmetal Color--20gauge
• Graduated Wooden Ring Mandrel (for ring sizing)
• Unmarked Wooden Ring Mandrel (for shaping)
• Jewelry Wire Cutters
• Flat-tipped Chain Nose Pliers
• Round-tipped Chain Nose Pliers 

These items can be found at craft stores, on Amazon.com and sometimes even at Walmart.