{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "Cathie",
"url": "https://cathieleblanc.com/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://cathieleblanc.com/2019/05/19/assessment-conference-debrief/",
"published": "2019-05-19T18:16:03+00:00",
"content": {
"html": "<p>I went to the 3rd Annual <a href=\"https://www.nec.edu/higher-education-assessment-conference/\">Higher Education Assessment Conference</a> in Henniker last week. It\u2019s kind of an amazing conference because it is so cheap to attend\u2013$50 for the main day of the conference and $20 for each half-day workshop the day before the main conference. So I got two days of assessment professional development (which included continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks) for $90. That\u2019s amazing!</p>\n<p>I went to a half-day workshop by Dan Doerr from the University of Connecticut called Connecting Planning and Assessment. The overall question of the workshop was: how do we integrate assessment with strategic planning? The strategic plan should provide a framework of priorities that are dynamic and adaptable as well as action-driven. The strategic plan should explicitly state our mission, vision, and values. As we make decisions about our daily work, we want to be able to understand how those decisions support (or not) the mission, vision, and values. The strategic plan provides the intermediate structures to connect our daily decisions to the mission, vision, and values. In other words, the strategic plan helps us to align our daily work with what we\u2019re trying to achieve in the long run. Doerr then provided us with three frameworks for helping to provide the structures for this alignment and guided us through exercises that would help us to understand the frameworks. The three frameworks he used were logic models, fishbone diagrams, and performance measures. One of the the things that he said about all of the frameworks is that they don\u2019t automatically help an individual understand the alignment. That understanding can only happen with open and frequent dialog about the strategic plan. The frameworks simply provide the structure through which we can have those discussions.</p>\n<p>For the afternoon workshop on the first day, I went to another session with Dan Doerr but this time in partnership with his colleague Christine Wilson, also from UConn. The session was called Assessment Methods. They handed out information about a lot of tools and talked about those tools. But the main thing I took away from this session is that all assessment should start with a question or set of questions. What do we authentically want to know? Only then can we understand which tool is appropriate to use. They talked explicitly about many assessment activities actually being data collection activities, rather than assessment. They also talked about using the right sized assessment method. In other words, doing a ton of work to answer small questions is not a wise use of our time. I really liked that they talked about assessment as a disposition toward inquiry and curiosity. What you want to know about your program and how to improve it should be the motivation for assessment activities.</p>\n<p>The keynote on the main day of the conference was by Natasha Jankowski. She is from the <a href=\"http://www.learningoutcomesassessment.org/\">National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment</a> (NILOA). She was inspiring and funny, something I never thought I would say about someone speaking about assessment. She told us that local contexts matter for assessment so you will not find any (good) step by step lessons for how to do it at your institution. She also said that we should trust that our accountability to our outside accrediting agencies will be met if we work to answer our authentic questions about how we are doing. That was refreshing and reassuring. She talked about three schools of thought when it comes to assessment: measurement (concerned about reliability, validity, and objectivity with a drive to narrow the curriculum to things we can measure), compliance (get 100% of faculty to comply and get reports in on time but it isn\u2019t clear where the reports go and no one uses the results to actually change anything), and using evidence of student learning to improve higher education. You can imagine which one she advocated for. She co-authored a book called <a href=\"https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Using+Evidence+of+Student+Learning+to+Improve+Higher+Education-p-9781118903391\">Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education</a> which I bought immediately. She then talked about two assessment models: institutional or program improvement (look at students at the start and end of their time with us and use what learn about what they know to change the institution or program), learning improvement (again look at students at start and end but check on individual learning all along the way using course-embedded assignments so students know where they are and how they are doing). Again, you can probably guess which one she advocated for. To improve learning then requires us to be explicit with students about what we are trying to get them to learn. The thing that I liked best about her is that she talked about assessment as an exercise in evidentiary reasoning. We are providing evidence that what we are doing matters to student learning. She also talked quite a bit about telling evidence-based stories about the ways in which what we are doing matters to student learning.</p>\n<p>I spent the rest of the day at four sessions that provided several insights about the detail of assessment practices. But the insight that I would really like to make sure we\u2019re implementing at PSU came from the last session that I attended. It was presented by Gavin Henning from New England College. The session was about creating a learning organization, an organization that is interested in answering questions about itself and its processes and practices. He said that learning organizations share several characteristics: change is embraced, conflict is accepted and managed, there is a commitment to a cycle of continuous improvement, there is a feedback mechanism integrated into daily work, assessment results are not negatively judged and punished but instead are seen as opportunities for improvement, and failure is encouraged and celebrated because we can learn a lot from it. In order for all of this to be a part of the culture, people need to be held accountable for the process, not the results (unless someone just isn\u2019t doing their job). He also said we should examine our successes in as much detail as we examine our failures. We can learn a lot from both. PSU is not yet a learning organization but I hope that we can become one.</p>\n<p>Overall, this was an informative conference that left me with a lot to think about. It was definitely worth $90!</p>",
"text": "I went to the 3rd Annual Higher Education Assessment Conference in Henniker last week. It\u2019s kind of an amazing conference because it is so cheap to attend\u2013$50 for the main day of the conference and $20 for each half-day workshop the day before the main conference. So I got two days of assessment professional development (which included continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks) for $90. That\u2019s amazing!\nI went to a half-day workshop by Dan Doerr from the University of Connecticut called Connecting Planning and Assessment. The overall question of the workshop was: how do we integrate assessment with strategic planning? The strategic plan should provide a framework of priorities that are dynamic and adaptable as well as action-driven. The strategic plan should explicitly state our mission, vision, and values. As we make decisions about our daily work, we want to be able to understand how those decisions support (or not) the mission, vision, and values. The strategic plan provides the intermediate structures to connect our daily decisions to the mission, vision, and values. In other words, the strategic plan helps us to align our daily work with what we\u2019re trying to achieve in the long run. Doerr then provided us with three frameworks for helping to provide the structures for this alignment and guided us through exercises that would help us to understand the frameworks. The three frameworks he used were logic models, fishbone diagrams, and performance measures. One of the the things that he said about all of the frameworks is that they don\u2019t automatically help an individual understand the alignment. That understanding can only happen with open and frequent dialog about the strategic plan. The frameworks simply provide the structure through which we can have those discussions.\nFor the afternoon workshop on the first day, I went to another session with Dan Doerr but this time in partnership with his colleague Christine Wilson, also from UConn. The session was called Assessment Methods. They handed out information about a lot of tools and talked about those tools. But the main thing I took away from this session is that all assessment should start with a question or set of questions. What do we authentically want to know? Only then can we understand which tool is appropriate to use. They talked explicitly about many assessment activities actually being data collection activities, rather than assessment. They also talked about using the right sized assessment method. In other words, doing a ton of work to answer small questions is not a wise use of our time. I really liked that they talked about assessment as a disposition toward inquiry and curiosity. What you want to know about your program and how to improve it should be the motivation for assessment activities.\nThe keynote on the main day of the conference was by Natasha Jankowski. She is from the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA). She was inspiring and funny, something I never thought I would say about someone speaking about assessment. She told us that local contexts matter for assessment so you will not find any (good) step by step lessons for how to do it at your institution. She also said that we should trust that our accountability to our outside accrediting agencies will be met if we work to answer our authentic questions about how we are doing. That was refreshing and reassuring. She talked about three schools of thought when it comes to assessment: measurement (concerned about reliability, validity, and objectivity with a drive to narrow the curriculum to things we can measure), compliance (get 100% of faculty to comply and get reports in on time but it isn\u2019t clear where the reports go and no one uses the results to actually change anything), and using evidence of student learning to improve higher education. You can imagine which one she advocated for. She co-authored a book called Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education which I bought immediately. She then talked about two assessment models: institutional or program improvement (look at students at the start and end of their time with us and use what learn about what they know to change the institution or program), learning improvement (again look at students at start and end but check on individual learning all along the way using course-embedded assignments so students know where they are and how they are doing). Again, you can probably guess which one she advocated for. To improve learning then requires us to be explicit with students about what we are trying to get them to learn. The thing that I liked best about her is that she talked about assessment as an exercise in evidentiary reasoning. We are providing evidence that what we are doing matters to student learning. She also talked quite a bit about telling evidence-based stories about the ways in which what we are doing matters to student learning.\nI spent the rest of the day at four sessions that provided several insights about the detail of assessment practices. But the insight that I would really like to make sure we\u2019re implementing at PSU came from the last session that I attended. It was presented by Gavin Henning from New England College. The session was about creating a learning organization, an organization that is interested in answering questions about itself and its processes and practices. He said that learning organizations share several characteristics: change is embraced, conflict is accepted and managed, there is a commitment to a cycle of continuous improvement, there is a feedback mechanism integrated into daily work, assessment results are not negatively judged and punished but instead are seen as opportunities for improvement, and failure is encouraged and celebrated because we can learn a lot from it. In order for all of this to be a part of the culture, people need to be held accountable for the process, not the results (unless someone just isn\u2019t doing their job). He also said we should examine our successes in as much detail as we examine our failures. We can learn a lot from both. PSU is not yet a learning organization but I hope that we can become one.\nOverall, this was an informative conference that left me with a lot to think about. It was definitely worth $90!"
},
"name": "Assessment Conference Debrief",
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "3903177",
"_source": "2782"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-19T11:04:57-07:00",
"summary": "It seems like the pro-MSG camp is really ramping up their Discourse again lately, and it\u2019s getting really frustrating.\nYes, it sucks that MSG sensitivity was labeled \u201cChinese restaurant syndrome.\u201d Yes, it is probably the case that a lot of supposed MSG sensitivity was psychosomatic and due specifically to that name. And yes, glutamic acid does exist in a lot of things naturally and does in fact contribute to the \u201cumami\u201d flavor. I don\u2019t disagree with any of those things.\nWhat I do disagree with, however, is the mischaracterization that everyone who has an MSG sensitivity is just faking it or being \u201cracist\u201d or whatever, with the same strawman \u201cgotchas\u201d like \u201cDid you know it\u2019s also in Pringles and Doritos?!\u201d (Yes, I do. It was Doritos which first gave me a reaction, for that matter. Long before I\u2019d ever heard of MSG or \u201cChinese restaurant syndrome.\u201d)\nIt turns out that there\u2019s a high correlation between MSG sensitivity and fibromyalgia. And like many things that cause fibro problems, it\u2019s not a single isolated incident that causes problems, but an accumulation of issues. If I have something with a low-ish amount of MSG on its own, I probably won\u2019t have a problem. But if I have something with a lot of it, or if I\u2019ve had it several times over the course of a week, I will have a problem and it will ruin the rest of my day.\nAnd yes, glutamic acid occurs in a lot of things, but not bound to sodium and not in the high quantities that it occurs in with processed foods!\nSeveral studies have shown MSG to be safe for the general population. And I do not doubt that it is. But these studies don\u2019t include people with nerve disorders like fibromyalgia or epilepsy, or with a general history of migraines or the like. MSG actively amplifies the action of the pleasure centers in the brain. Fibromyalgia\u2019s main issue is an inability to downregulate nerve receptors. Can you possibly see how this might cause a problem for some?\nThese fucking thinkpieces completely ignore the very real problems that a lot of people encounter, and also encourage people to actively put MSG into their food and not disclose it to be a \u201cgotcha\u201d for people with problems.\nIt\u2019s like putting gluten into the food of someone who has celiac disease because of the backlash against fad gluten-free diets.\nIt\u2019s like giving someone sugar-based Coke when they ask for diet, because they think it\u2019s funny. Or giving someone diet Coke when they ask for normal, because they think they should \u201close some weight.\u201d Both are disastrous for diabetics who have planned their glucose intake for the day. (And incidentally, artificial sweeteners are also a major migraine trigger for me.)\nIt\u2019s like \u201ctesting\u201d someone\u2019s stated food allergy by putting that thing in on purpose. Or not worrying about cross-contamination, or thinking, \u201cOh, it\u2019s only a little bit.\u201d Which can cause people to die or at least have a very bad time.\nDon\u2019t FUCKING do that.\nGenerally: if someone has a food sensitivity, believe them. Even if you think it\u2019s made up, there\u2019s no harm in believing them, while pretending you know better than them for their own issue can be incredibly harmful. Even fatal.",
"url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/693-The-ongoing-MSG-discourse",
"name": "The ongoing MSG discourse",
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "fluffy",
"url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/",
"photo": "https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/67f0e159262fa91b1915cde9588795b89a61ec8f/68747470733a2f2f6265657362757a7a2e62697a2f7374617469632f6865616473686f742e6a7067"
},
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "3903087",
"_source": "2778"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "Cathie",
"url": "https://cathieleblanc.com/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://cathieleblanc.com/2019/05/19/rsvp-to-indie-web-summit/",
"published": "2019-05-19T16:02:18+00:00",
"content": {
"html": "<p>RSVP yes, virtually<br />to <a href=\"https://2019.indieweb.org/summitL\">IndieWeb Summit</a></p>",
"text": "RSVP yes, virtually\nto IndieWeb Summit"
},
"name": "RSVP to Indie Web Summit",
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "3903178",
"_source": "2782"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": null,
"url": "http://tinysubversions.com/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://tinysubversions.com/notes/sunday-gravy/",
"published": "2019-05-19T00:00:00+00:00",
"content": {
"html": "<p>This is a recipe for Italian-American \"gravy\" (red sauce with meat). It is modified from another recipe I found online. This is mostly here so I can remember it forever. (<a href=\"https://tinysubversions.com/notes/sunday-gravy/\">full item here</a>)</p>",
"text": "This is a recipe for Italian-American \"gravy\" (red sauce with meat). It is modified from another recipe I found online. This is mostly here so I can remember it forever. (full item here)"
},
"name": "[Notes] Instant Pot Italian Sunday Gravy with Sausage",
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "3903017",
"_source": "2776"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-18T16:48:10-07:00",
"url": "https://boffosocko.com/2019/05/18/can-indie-social-media-save-us-new-yorker/",
"category": [
"indieweb",
"read",
"social-stream",
"facebook",
"mastodon",
"micro-blog",
"twitter"
],
"bookmark-of": [
"https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/can-indie-social-media-save-us"
],
"name": "\ud83d\udc53 Can \u201cIndie\u201d Social Media Save Us? | The New Yorker",
"content": {
"text": "Read Can \u201cIndie\u201d Social Media Save Us? by Cal Newport (The New Yorker)Alongside these official responses, a loose collective of developers and techno-utopians that calls itself the IndieWeb has been creating another alternative. The movement\u2019s affiliates are developing their own social-media platforms, which they say will preserve what\u2019s good about social media while jettisoning what\u2019s bad. They hope to rebuild social media according to principles that are less corporate and more humane.Excited to see that the IndieWeb \u201chobby\u201d I\u2019ve been spending a lot of my time on for the past few years has made it into The New Yorker!\n\nSyndicated copies to: \n Twitter icon",
"html": "<span>Read</span> <a href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/can-indie-social-media-save-us\" class=\"p-name u-url\">Can \u201cIndie\u201d Social Media Save Us?</a> by <span class=\"h-card p-author\">Cal Newport</span> <em>(<span class=\"p-publication\">The New Yorker</span>)</em><blockquote class=\"e-summary\">Alongside these official responses, a loose collective of developers and techno-utopians that calls itself the IndieWeb has been creating another alternative. The movement\u2019s affiliates are developing their own social-media platforms, which they say will preserve what\u2019s good about social media while jettisoning what\u2019s bad. They hope to rebuild social media according to principles that are less corporate and more humane.</blockquote><p>Excited to see that the IndieWeb \u201chobby\u201d I\u2019ve been spending a lot of my time on for the past few years has made it into <em>The New Yorker</em>!</p>\n\n<span>Syndicated copies to:</span><ul><li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://www.reading.am/p/5c72/https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/can-indie-social-media-save-us\"> </a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129927897035096064\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n</ul>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Chris Aldrich",
"url": "https://boffosocko.com/",
"photo": "https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/07a56dfeaeb22fa994a161bf21a4b2110aa17def/68747470733a2f2f7365637572652e67726176617461722e636f6d2f6176617461722f64356662346534393866653630396363323962303465356237616436383863343f733d343926643d6964656e7469636f6e26723d7067"
},
"post-type": "bookmark",
"refs": {
"https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/can-indie-social-media-save-us": {
"type": "entry",
"url": "https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/can-indie-social-media-save-us",
"name": "Can \u201cIndie\u201d Social Media Save Us?",
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Cal Newport",
"url": false,
"photo": null
},
"post-type": "article"
}
},
"_id": "3903309",
"_source": "2785"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-18T12:11:19-07:00",
"url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2019/05/18/7/perfect-meetup-recording-kit",
"category": [
"video",
"livestream",
"meetup",
"kit"
],
"name": "The Perfect Meetup Recording Kit",
"content": {
"text": "I've been helping Donut.js record their meetup talks for about 3 years now. It's been a fun way to experiment with various video recording setups, and the talks are always great so it's nice to have those recorded.\nI've always used a smaller kit compared to the rig I bring to large multi-day conferences. But lately I've had to hand off some camera gear to their volunteers since I've been out of town on work trips for most of the meetups this year.\nI've been looking for smaller and smaller gear to make this easy to transport, cut down on setup time, but also so that it can be operated by someone without a lot of experience with the gear. I've tried a few iterations of kits for them, but so far the most reliable way to record the meetup is using a camcorder, a separate device to capture the presenter's slides, and a separate audio recorder, then sync up everything in post.\nIn an ideal world, I'd be able to hand them a small box and a video camera, they could plug everything in, and it would record a single stream mixing in the presenter's slides, the video camera, and the audio. Here's a little diagram showing what I'd like in an ideal world.\nThe video camera and presenter's laptop connect to the \"magic box\" via HDMI. We use a PA in the venue, which has an XLR output, and that needs to connect to the magic box to get audio into the mix. Lastly, I want the presenter's laptop HDMI to pass through to an output so that we can feed the venue's projector from the box. The box should be able to record the video output to an SD card or hard drive. I don't need it to be able to livestream, but bonus points if it can.\nPart of the goal is also to cut down on post-production time. Right now I have to sync the audio and video (automatically) in Final Cut or Premiere, then line up the recording of the slides manually. It ultimately isn't that bad, but does mean the whole process takes around an hour for the three talks. Ideally I could record a mix of the video and slides already combined into a single video so that the only work is trimming the start and end, and adding the title slides. Here's a snapshot of the kind of layout I'd like to make.\nThis means scaling the slides and scaling and cropping the video. I would settle for a side-by-side layout like the below, where both are scaled but not cropped.\nMy last requirement, and one that rules out a few otherwise great devices, is that I need the device to be simple enough to operate to explain in a single page of instructions. I need it to be plug the HDMI and audio inputs in, then turn on the device, and hit record. Once I've set it up once, it can't require any configuration on site.\nSo far, I haven't been able to find a device that can do all of these things at the same time. Here's a list of all my requirements:\nTwo video inputs (camera and presenter's laptop)\n Presenter's laptop needs a scaler\n Pass-through from the presenter's laptop input to an output to feed the projector\n Audio input via XLR\n Can do side-by-side video from two inputs, or at least picture-in-picture\n Can record locally to an SD card or hard drive\n Simple enough to operate by someone not trained on the device with just a one-sheet of instructions\nHere are a few setups that I've tried or investigated.\nEpiphan Webcaster X2\nThis device is so close to being perfect. It has only one HDMI input, but you can also plug in a USB webcam as a second camera. While that's obviously not going to be as good quality as a real camera, I would consider it good enough for this use case. The Webcaster X2 is the device that made the screenshot above with the text \"My Great Presentation\", so you can see that it's able to scale both the HDMI input as well as the USB webcam. Here's where it fails:\nIt can't record locally at all, even though it has an SD card slot. It can only stream, and I'm not willing to risk the recording based on the venue's internet connection.\n It doesn't output audio over the HDMI out, so you can't even connect an external recorder to it.\n Audio input is limited to either the HDMI input or the USB webcam, no option to feed a separate audio source in. I would need to use an HDMI audio injector with it to accomplish the diagram above.\nI'm also not a huge fan of the fact that it's actually an Android device, but it is pretty well done anyway, and mostly you can ignore that fact while using it.\nTotal cost: $300 for the Webcaster, but this doesn't really apply because it can't record locally at all so it's not really an option.\nDIY Box\nAt a recent conference I recorded, I hacked together a DIY version of the box using a few components.\nAtomos Ninja Blade HDMI recorder\n Decimator MD-HX Scaler\n Decimator DMON-QUAD multiviewer\n Decimator MD-LX HDMI/SDI Cross-Converter\nThe inputs are connected with short HDMI extenders to expose them to the outside of the box.\nThis makes setup super easy, since you just plug in the three HDMI connectors and you're good to go. In this conference we were using a lav mic that fed into the camera, so the audio was coming in via that HDMI.\nThe scaler handles taking whatever resolution peoples' laptops throw at it and convert it to 1080p, plus outputs that back out for the projector. The multiviewer then takes the scaled computer output and the HDMI camera and creates an image with two smaller windows of each video. It's also able to select which one to use audio from. The output of the multiviewer goes into the Atomos recorder to record the final output.\nThis worked well, but is kind of a clunky solution, plus wouldn't work for Donut.js where the audio needs to get fed in separately from an XLR cable. That'd require a few more pieces of hardware such as an HDMI audio injector or such.\nTotal cost: $300 scaler, $300 multiviewer, $100 cross-converter, $500 HDMI recorder: $1200 plus some cables and maybe also an audio injector.\nRoland VR-1HD\nI haven't actually used this device yet, but it comes very very close to being a perfect solution based on all the videos and reviews I've seen.\nIt has three HDMI inputs, and one pass-through port which is perfect for feeding the projector.\nIt even has an XLR input on the side which we can use to input the feed from the PA.\nBut here's what it's missing:\nIt can do picture-in-picture, but one source will be full screen and the second will be small. This means the camera would always overlap the slides rather than be side by side.\n It has no built-in recording capability, so it would require connecting an external HDMI recorder to capture the program out, or connect it to a computer and use that to record.\nSwitching between picture-in-picture and one of the HDMI sources can be done with the physical buttons on top, and would be easy enough to instruct people how to do.\nI suppose I could live with picture-in-picture instead of side by side, but I would feel better about that if it also had built-in recording to an SD card.\nBy the time you add an external recorder, you're spending $1500 on the VR-1HD and $500 on the recorder, for a total of $2000.\u00a0\nTricaster Mini\nThe Tricaster is definitely an all-in-one solution, but I'm ruling it out immediately since it requires quite a lot of configuration to get running and isn't something I would consider handing off to a volunteer. It's also quite expensive at a baseline price of $6000.\nBlackmagic ATEM Television Studio\nThe Blackmagic ATEM is my goto for larger events, and I do really like it. However, it's still a bit too complicated to hand off to someone to use. It doesn't have built-in recording, so you have to pair it with an external recorder. It also doesn't have a built-in scaler so you need that for the slides too.\u00a0\nIt also can only do picture-in-picture, not side by side video. In order to do that you need to step up to the much larger and more expensive devices.\nI haven't actually put together a complete parts list for what it would cost for this option because I don't think it's viable at all. The ATEM TVS is $1000, the recorder is $600, and the scaler is $300, so the base cost before all the other accessories you'd need is $1900.\nComputer with OBS\nI'm including this option in the list just so people don't tell me I forgot it. It turns out this isn't actually a very good solution, because it won't be an all-in-one box, and also is kind of complicated to operate, requiring a monitor and keyboard and mouse.\u00a0\nTrying to do this on a laptop isn't really feasible since it requires two HDMI capture cards plus a USB audio interface. I wouldn't trust Windows to do this since it's very easy for a Windows computer to accidentally start running auto-updates at inopportune times. Running Linux is an option, but would then likely require more explanation to people using it.\u00a0\nI would want to be able to configure the computer to launch OBS on boot and restore a saved configuration, so that there is no fiddling with software to get it running.\nOverall I feel like there are too many moving parts and different ways this can fail, and also would require a lot of plugging wires in so the setup time would actually be pretty long.\nSlingStudio\nI've actually used the SlingStudio at Donut.js quite a bit myself, and it is again almost perfect.\u00a0\nGood: It can record to an SD card as well as stream live.\u00a0\n Okay: It has only one HDMI input, but the cameras connect wirelessly from a transmitter.\u00a0\n Okay: It has an 1/8\" audio input, so you need something to convert the XLR input to 1/8\", which is annoying but acceptable.\n Bad: Like most products, it can do picture-in-picture but not side-by-side video.\n Bad: The iPad controller is decent, but is not quite simple enough to hand off to someone else without a bit of training. Mainly the awkwardness comes from toggling into picture-in-picture mode.\nThe total cost of this setup is:\n$1000 for the SlingStudio\n $300 for an HDMI transmitter\n ~$100 for something to convert the XLR to 1/8\" audio\n $300 for an iPad to control it\n Total: ~$1700\u00a0\nEpiphan Pearl Mini\nThe Epiphan Pearl Mini sure looks like a fantastic device. I haven't tried it out myself, but I've looked at a bunch of reviews of it. It actually seems like it's the only thing that actually ticks all of the feature boxes.\nIt can do side-by-side layouts from two inputs\n It has an XLR input for audio\n It can record to an SD card\n It can be operated from the touch screen, where you tap on the layout you want to switch to\n The HDMI output can be configured to pass through one of the inputs, so that I could feed the projector\n You can even add images and text graphics would would be perfect for producing the final layout in the device\nThe only thing I am not clear on is what happens when you first boot it up. I am hoping that it would restore the last used configuration and be ready to go immediately.\nReally the only downside to this is the cost. It's a $3500 device, which is good for what it can do, but also still quite a lot of money. After this much research though, I'm coming around to the idea that maybe it's worth it.\nSo I think out of all of these options, the best is the Pearl Mini ($3500), and second best is the Roland VR-1HD with external recorder ($2000).\nI'd be curious to hear your thoughts on this! Did I forget about any options? Is there a new device that's come out that I don't know about yet?\nWrite a blog post response or ping me on Twitter\u00a0to get in touch!\nIf I ever do find the perfect solution, I will be sure to post a review video on my YouTube channel!",
"html": "<p>I've been helping Donut.js record their meetup talks for about 3 years now. It's been a fun way to experiment with various video recording setups, and the talks are always great so it's nice to have those recorded.</p>\n<p>I've always used a smaller kit compared to the rig I bring to <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epKA84wK9ls&list=PLRyLn6THA5wNL1jYaabM105ta5Fepx5sa&index=10&t=0s\">large multi-day conferences</a>. But lately I've had to hand off some camera gear to their volunteers since I've been out of town on work trips for most of the meetups this year.</p>\n<p>I've been looking for smaller and smaller gear to make this easy to transport, cut down on setup time, but also so that it can be operated by someone without a lot of experience with the gear. I've tried a few iterations of kits for them, but so far the most reliable way to record the meetup is using a camcorder, a separate device to capture the presenter's slides, and a separate audio recorder, then sync up everything in post.</p>\n<p>In an ideal world, I'd be able to hand them a small box and a video camera, they could plug everything in, and it would record a single stream mixing in the presenter's slides, the video camera, and the audio. Here's a little diagram showing what I'd like in an ideal world.</p>\n<img src=\"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/61cc5a5625f1c5696e56216504b454ee15dcc6bceb22f6005e93a33586139d58.png\" alt=\"\" /><p>The video camera and presenter's laptop connect to the \"magic box\" via HDMI. We use a PA in the venue, which has an XLR output, and that needs to connect to the magic box to get audio into the mix. Lastly, I want the presenter's laptop HDMI to pass through to an output so that we can feed the venue's projector from the box. The box should be able to record the video output to an SD card or hard drive. I don't <i>need </i>it to be able to livestream, but bonus points if it can.</p>\n<p>Part of the goal is also to cut down on post-production time. Right now I have to sync the audio and video (automatically) in Final Cut or Premiere, then line up the recording of the slides manually. It ultimately isn't <i>that </i>bad, but does mean the whole process takes around an hour for the three talks. Ideally I could record a mix of the video and slides already combined into a single video so that the only work is trimming the start and end, and adding the title slides. Here's a snapshot of the kind of layout I'd like to make.</p>\n<img src=\"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/058209174ffa4210f22670b9bca1114f024cf7bf42fd7a7846d28b48d2894ffc.jpg\" alt=\"\" /><p>This means scaling the slides and scaling and cropping the video. I would settle for a side-by-side layout like the below, where both are scaled but not cropped.</p>\n<img src=\"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/ace9f3b79fb7fb33320f1a8bf0f3ee81435806352c9c52f391ed0b54c92bd93b.jpg\" alt=\"\" /><p>My last requirement, and one that rules out a few otherwise great devices, is that I need the device to be simple enough to operate to explain in a single page of instructions. I need it to be plug the HDMI and audio inputs in, then turn on the device, and hit record. Once I've set it up once, it can't require any configuration on site.</p>\n<p>So far, I haven't been able to find a device that can do all of these things at the same time. Here's a list of all my requirements:</p>\n<ul><li>Two video inputs (camera and presenter's laptop)</li>\n <li>Presenter's laptop needs a scaler</li>\n <li>Pass-through from the presenter's laptop input to an output to feed the projector</li>\n <li>Audio input via XLR</li>\n <li>Can do side-by-side video from two inputs, or at least picture-in-picture</li>\n <li>Can record locally to an SD card or hard drive</li>\n <li>Simple enough to operate by someone not trained on the device with just a one-sheet of instructions</li>\n</ul><p>Here are a few setups that I've tried or investigated.</p>\n<h2>Epiphan Webcaster X2</h2>\n<img src=\"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/6e3087a09fdb4fb913df3ee23804c517b201d85296c258a43fd678396a68659d.jpg\" alt=\"\" /><p>This device is <i>so close </i>to being perfect. It has only one HDMI input, but you can also plug in a USB webcam as a second camera. While that's obviously not going to be as good quality as a real camera, I would consider it good enough for this use case. The Webcaster X2 is the device that made the screenshot above with the text \"My Great Presentation\", so you can see that it's able to scale both the HDMI input as well as the USB webcam. Here's where it fails:</p>\n<ul><li>It can't record locally at all, even though it has an SD card slot. It can only stream, and I'm not willing to risk the recording based on the venue's internet connection.</li>\n <li>It doesn't output audio over the HDMI out, so you can't even connect an external recorder to it.</li>\n <li>Audio input is limited to either the HDMI input or the USB webcam, no option to feed a separate audio source in. I would need to use an HDMI audio injector with it to accomplish the diagram above.</li>\n</ul><p>I'm also not a huge fan of the fact that it's actually an Android device, but it is pretty well done anyway, and mostly you can ignore that fact while using it.</p>\n<p>Total cost: $300 for the Webcaster, but this doesn't really apply because it can't record locally at all so it's not really an option.</p>\n<h2>DIY Box</h2>\n<p>At a recent conference I recorded, I hacked together a DIY version of the box using a few components.</p>\n<img src=\"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/9b9c598685347ee9e16ea591789de6edd35338b0fecd5d332b34477f0b15a3c9.jpg\" alt=\"\" /><ul><li>Atomos Ninja Blade HDMI recorder</li>\n <li>Decimator MD-HX Scaler</li>\n <li>Decimator DMON-QUAD multiviewer</li>\n <li>Decimator MD-LX HDMI/SDI Cross-Converter</li>\n</ul><img src=\"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/791c55e85a47515d13ec416e9bde9d2fee4bd86aea63366e55aef68000fd5409.jpg\" alt=\"\" /><p>The inputs are connected with short HDMI extenders to expose them to the outside of the box.</p>\n<img src=\"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/452e9bab5b32d1fcb62d199ae3346e728bc9896c0425b1ddb13cb27665cb416f.jpg\" alt=\"\" /><p>This makes setup super easy, since you just plug in the three HDMI connectors and you're good to go. In this conference we were using a lav mic that fed into the camera, so the audio was coming in via that HDMI.</p>\n<p>The scaler handles taking whatever resolution peoples' laptops throw at it and convert it to 1080p, plus outputs that back out for the projector. The multiviewer then takes the scaled computer output and the HDMI camera and creates an image with two smaller windows of each video. It's also able to select which one to use audio from. The output of the multiviewer goes into the Atomos recorder to record the final output.</p>\n<p>This worked well, but is kind of a clunky solution, plus wouldn't work for Donut.js where the audio needs to get fed in separately from an XLR cable. That'd require a few more pieces of hardware such as an HDMI audio injector or such.</p>\n<p>Total cost: $300 scaler, $300 multiviewer, $100 cross-converter, $500 HDMI recorder: <b>$1200 </b>plus some cables and maybe also an audio injector.</p>\n<h2>Roland VR-1HD</h2>\n<p>I haven't actually used this device yet, but it comes very very close to being a perfect solution based on all the videos and reviews I've seen.</p>\n<img src=\"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/38a605956c3f9957ead4f40c54c1060fb1d1e79f2c754cedc38eac48b136507b.jpg\" alt=\"\" /><p>It has three HDMI inputs, and one pass-through port which is perfect for feeding the projector.</p>\n<img src=\"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/3e6453f22c888cb2d32172ab40455f749bf0ac92f94942481226cff75fc038db.jpg\" alt=\"\" /><p>It even has an XLR input on the side which we can use to input the feed from the PA.</p>\n<img src=\"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/cb4d9542d67e541d0d3453518f45f44ce96323f7be9d9d43f26e3529a9fd5985.jpg\" alt=\"\" /><p>But here's what it's missing:</p>\n<ul><li>It can do picture-in-picture, but one source will be full screen and the second will be small. This means the camera would always overlap the slides rather than be side by side.</li>\n <li>It has no built-in recording capability, so it would require connecting an external HDMI recorder to capture the program out, or connect it to a computer and use that to record.</li>\n</ul><p>Switching between picture-in-picture and one of the HDMI sources can be done with the physical buttons on top, and would be easy enough to instruct people how to do.</p>\n<p>I suppose I could live with picture-in-picture instead of side by side, but I would feel better about that if it also had built-in recording to an SD card.</p>\n<p>By the time you add an external recorder, you're spending $1500 on the VR-1HD and $500 on the recorder, for a total of <b>$2000</b>.\u00a0</p>\n<h2>Tricaster Mini</h2>\n<p>The Tricaster is definitely an all-in-one solution, but I'm ruling it out immediately since it requires quite a lot of configuration to get running and isn't something I would consider handing off to a volunteer. It's also quite expensive at a baseline price of <b>$6000</b>.</p>\n<h2>Blackmagic ATEM Television Studio</h2>\n<p>The Blackmagic ATEM is my goto for larger events, and I do really like it. However, it's still a bit too complicated to hand off to someone to use. It doesn't have built-in recording, so you have to pair it with an external recorder. It also doesn't have a built-in scaler so you need that for the slides too.\u00a0</p>\n<p>It also can only do picture-in-picture, not side by side video. In order to do that you need to step up to the much larger and more expensive devices.</p>\n<p>I haven't actually put together a complete parts list for what it would cost for this option because I don't think it's viable at all. The ATEM TVS is $1000, the recorder is $600, and the scaler is $300, so the base cost before all the other accessories you'd need is <b>$1900</b>.</p>\n<h2>Computer with OBS</h2>\n<p>I'm including this option in the list just so people don't tell me I forgot it. It turns out this isn't actually a very good solution, because it won't be an all-in-one box, and also is kind of complicated to operate, requiring a monitor and keyboard and mouse.\u00a0</p>\n<p>Trying to do this on a laptop isn't really feasible since it requires two HDMI capture cards plus a USB audio interface. I wouldn't trust Windows to do this since it's very easy for a Windows computer to accidentally start running auto-updates at inopportune times. Running Linux is an option, but would then likely require more explanation to people using it.\u00a0</p>\n<p>I would want to be able to configure the computer to launch OBS on boot and restore a saved configuration, so that there is no fiddling with software to get it running.</p>\n<p>Overall I feel like there are too many moving parts and different ways this can fail, and also would require a lot of plugging wires in so the setup time would actually be pretty long.</p>\n<h2>SlingStudio</h2>\n<p>I've actually used the <a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/2018/10/15/4/portable-wireless-live-video\">SlingStudio </a>at Donut.js quite a bit myself, and it is again <i>almost </i>perfect.\u00a0</p>\n<ul><li>Good: It can record to an SD card as well as stream live.\u00a0</li>\n <li>Okay: It has only one HDMI input, but the cameras connect wirelessly from a transmitter.\u00a0</li>\n <li>Okay: It has an 1/8\" audio input, so you need something to convert the XLR input to 1/8\", which is annoying but acceptable.</li>\n <li>Bad: Like most products, it can do picture-in-picture but not side-by-side video.</li>\n <li>Bad: The iPad controller is decent, but is not quite simple enough to hand off to someone else without a bit of training. Mainly the awkwardness comes from toggling into picture-in-picture mode.</li>\n</ul><p>The total cost of this setup is:</p>\n<ul><li>$1000 for the SlingStudio</li>\n <li>$300 for an HDMI transmitter</li>\n <li>~$100 for something to convert the XLR to 1/8\" audio</li>\n <li>$300 for an iPad to control it</li>\n <li>Total: <b>~$1700</b>\u00a0</li>\n</ul><h2>Epiphan Pearl Mini</h2>\n<p>The Epiphan Pearl Mini sure looks like a fantastic device. I haven't tried it out myself, but I've looked at a bunch of reviews of it. It actually seems like it's the only thing that actually ticks all of the feature boxes.</p>\n<img src=\"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/b87976d59424872934cb69209f88c94c389a082b4875e98b69f709dfb6e7de57.jpg\" alt=\"\" /><ul><li>It can do side-by-side layouts from two inputs</li>\n <li>It has an XLR input for audio</li>\n <li>It can record to an SD card</li>\n <li>It can be operated from the touch screen, where you tap on the layout you want to switch to</li>\n <li>The HDMI output can be configured to pass through one of the inputs, so that I could feed the projector</li>\n <li>You can even add images and text graphics would would be perfect for producing the final layout in the device</li>\n</ul><img src=\"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/aab85ba65c3a9a092fe2d32d98f753a4aa1dca302dcaf455653a6ba8412145dc.jpg\" alt=\"\" /><p>The only thing I am not clear on is what happens when you first boot it up. I am hoping that it would restore the last used configuration and be ready to go immediately.</p>\n<p>Really the only downside to this is the cost. It's a <b>$3500 </b>device, which is good for what it can do, but also still quite a lot of money. After this much research though, I'm coming around to the idea that maybe it's worth it.</p>\n<p>So I think out of all of these options, the best is the Pearl Mini (<b>$3500</b>), and second best is the Roland VR-1HD with external recorder (<b>$2000</b>).</p>\n<p>I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on this! Did I forget about any options? Is there a new device that's come out that I don't know about yet?</p>\n<p>Write a blog post response or ping me <a href=\"https://twitter.com/aaronpk\">on Twitter</a>\u00a0to get in touch!</p>\n<p>If I ever do find the perfect solution, I will be sure to post a review video on my <a href=\"https://youtube.com/TheAaronpk\">YouTube channel</a>!</p>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Aaron Parecki",
"url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
"photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
},
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "3524046",
"_source": "16"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-18T18:43:56+00:00",
"url": "https://cleverdevil.io/2019/together-looks-great-as-a-pwa-on-the-ipad-pro",
"photo": [
"https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/12d530e68bb21369b6effcf86e24dc85a1f7ab59/68747470733a2f2f636c65766572646576696c2e696f2f66696c652f33656366373832356138396137623634666331633431653762323935636631362f7468756d622e706e67"
],
"syndication": [
"https://twitter.com/cleverdevil/status/1129819938858917889",
"https://mastodon.social/@cleverdevil/102118525929255081"
],
"name": "Together looks great as a PWA on the iPad Pro",
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Jonathan LaCour",
"url": "https://cleverdevil.io/profile/cleverdevil",
"photo": "https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/77e5d6e5871324c43aebf2e3e7a5553e14578f66/68747470733a2f2f636c65766572646576696c2e696f2f66696c652f66646263373639366135663733383634656131316138323863383631653133382f7468756d622e6a7067"
},
"post-type": "photo",
"_id": "3526405",
"_source": "10"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-17T17:22:40-07:00",
"url": "https://boffosocko.com/2019/05/17/an-invitation-to-indieweb-summit-2019/",
"category": [
"oer",
"edtech",
"education",
"events",
"indieweb",
"technology",
"digital-pedagogy",
"domainofonesown",
"dooo",
"indieweb-summit",
"indieweb-summit-2019",
"indiewebcamp"
],
"name": "An Invitation to IndieWeb Summit 2019",
"content": {
"text": "Fellow educators, teachers, specialists, instructional designers, web designers, Domains proponents, programmers, developers, students, web tinkerers, etc.,\nWant to expand the capabilities of what your own domain is capable of?\n Interested in improving the #OER tools available on the open web? \nWant to help make simpler, ethical digital pedagogy a reality in a way that students and teachers can implement themselves without relying on predatory third-party platforms? \nAre you looking to use your online commonplace book as an active hub for your research, writing, and scholarship? \nBring your ideas and passions to help us all brainstorm, ruminate, and then with help actually design and build the version of the web we all want and need\u2013one that reflects our values and desires for the future.\nI\u2019d like to invite you all to the 9th Annual IndieWeb Summit in Portland, Oregon, USA on June 29-30, 2019. It follows a traditional BarCamp style format, so the conference is only as good as the attendees and the ideas they bring with them, and since everyone is encouraged to actively participate, it also means that everyone is sure to get something interesting and valuable out of the experience.\nWe need more educators, thinkers, and tinkerers to begin designing and building the ethical #edtech, #OER, and interactive pedagogy systems we all want.\nCome and propose a session on a topic you\u2019re interested in exploring and building toward with a group of like-minded people.\nWhile on-site attendance can be exciting and invigorating for those who can come in person, streaming video and online tools should be available to make useful and worthwhile virtual attendance of all the talks, sessions, and even collaborative build time a real possibility as well. I\u2019ll also note that travel assistance is also available for the Summit if you\u2019d like to apply for it, or you\u2019re able to donate funds to help others.\nI hope you can all attend, and I encourage you to invite along friends, students, and colleagues.\u00a0\u00a0\nI heartily encourage those who don\u2019t yet have a domain of their own to join in the fun. You\u2019ll find lots of help and encouragement at camp and within the IndieWeb community so that even if you currently think you don\u2019t have any skills, you can put together the resources to get something up and working before the Summit\u2019s weekend is over. We\u2019re also around nearly 24/7 in online chat to continue that support and encouragement both before and after the event so you can continue iterating on things you\u2019d like to have working on your personal website.\nNever been to an IndieWebCamp? Click through for some details about what to expect. Still not sure? feel free to touch base in any way that feels comfortable for you.\u00a0\nRegister today: https://2019.indieweb.org/summit#register\n\ud83d\udc64 @kfitz @holden @btopro @actualham @Downes @bali_maha @timmmmyboy @dr_jdean @cogdog @xolotl @cathieleblanc @BryanAlexander @hibbittsdesign @greeneterry @judell @CathyNDavidson @krisshaffer\u00a0@readywriting @dancohen @wiobyrne @brumface @MorrisPelzel @econproph @mburtis @floatingtim @ralphbeliveau @ltaub @laurapasquini @amichaelberman @ken_bauer @TaylorJadin @courosa @nlafferty @KayOddone @OnlineCrsLady @opencontent @davecormier @edtechfactotum @daveymoloney @remikalir @jgmac1106 @MiaZamoraPhD @digpedlab @catherinecronin @HybridPed @jimgroom @rboren @cplong @anarchivist @edublogs @jasonpriem @meredithfierro @Autumm @grantpotter @daniellynds @sundilu @OERConf @fncll @jbj @Jessifer @AneliseHShrout @karencang @kmapesy @harmonygritz @slzemke @KeeganSLW @researchremix @JohnStewartPhD @villaronrubia @kreshleman @raynamharris @jessreingold @mattmaldre\n\nSyndicated copies to: WordPress\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon\n Twitter icon",
"html": "<p>Fellow educators, teachers, specialists, instructional designers, web designers, Domains proponents, programmers, developers, students, web tinkerers, etc.,</p>\n<ul><li><em>Want to expand the capabilities of what your own domain is capable of?</em></li>\n<li><em> Interested in improving the <a href=\"https://boffosocko.com/tag/oer/\">#OER</a> tools available on the open web? </em></li>\n<li><em>Want to help make simpler, ethical digital pedagogy a reality in a way that students and teachers can implement themselves without relying on predatory third-party platforms? </em></li>\n<li><em>Are you looking to use your online commonplace book as an active hub for your research, writing, and scholarship? </em></li>\n</ul><p>Bring your ideas and passions to help us all brainstorm, ruminate, and then with help <em>actually design and build</em> the version of the web we all want and need\u2013one that reflects our values and desires for the future.</p>\n<p>I\u2019d like to invite you all to the <a href=\"https://2019.indieweb.org/summit\">9th Annual IndieWeb Summit</a> in Portland, Oregon, USA on June 29-30, 2019. It follows a traditional <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/IndieWebCamps/Attendance#Session_Scheduling\">BarCamp style format</a>, so the conference is only as good as the attendees and the ideas they bring with them, and since everyone is encouraged to actively participate, it also means that everyone is sure to get something interesting and valuable out of the experience.</p>\n<p>We need more <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/Indieweb_for_Education\">educators</a>, thinkers, and tinkerers to begin designing and building the ethical <a href=\"https://boffosocko.com/tag/edtech/\">#edtech</a>, <a href=\"https://boffosocko.com/tag/oer/\">#OER</a>, and interactive pedagogy systems we all want.</p>\n<p>Come and propose a session on a topic you\u2019re interested in exploring and building toward with a group of like-minded people.</p>\n<p>While on-site attendance can be exciting and invigorating for those who can come in person, streaming video and <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/IndieWebCamps/Attendance#Technology\">online tools</a> should be available to make useful and worthwhile virtual attendance of all the talks, sessions, and even collaborative build time a real possibility as well. I\u2019ll also note that <a href=\"https://2019.indieweb.org/summit#travel-assistance\">travel assistance</a> is also available for the Summit if you\u2019d like to apply for it, or you\u2019re able to donate funds to help others.</p>\n<p>I hope you can all attend, and I encourage you to invite along friends, students, and colleagues.\u00a0\u00a0</p>\n<p>I heartily encourage those who don\u2019t yet have a domain of their own to join in the fun. You\u2019ll find lots of help and encouragement at camp and within the IndieWeb community so that even if you currently think you don\u2019t have any skills, you can put together the resources to get something up and working before the Summit\u2019s weekend is over. We\u2019re also around nearly 24/7 in <a href=\"https://chat.indieweb.org/indieweb/\">online chat</a> to continue that support and encouragement both before and after the event so you can continue iterating on things you\u2019d like to have working on your personal website.</p>\n<p>Never been to an IndieWebCamp? Click through for some details about <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/IndieWebCamps/Attendance\">what to expect</a>. Still not sure? feel free to touch base in any way that feels comfortable for you.\u00a0</p>\n<p>Register today: <a href=\"https://2019.indieweb.org/summit#register\">https://2019.indieweb.org/summit#register</a></p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc64 @kfitz @holden @btopro @actualham @Downes @bali_maha @timmmmyboy @dr_jdean @cogdog @xolotl @cathieleblanc @BryanAlexander @hibbittsdesign @greeneterry @judell @CathyNDavidson @krisshaffer\u00a0@readywriting @dancohen @wiobyrne @brumface @MorrisPelzel @econproph @mburtis @floatingtim @ralphbeliveau @ltaub @laurapasquini @amichaelberman @ken_bauer @TaylorJadin @courosa @nlafferty @KayOddone @OnlineCrsLady @opencontent @davecormier @edtechfactotum @daveymoloney @remikalir @jgmac1106 @MiaZamoraPhD @digpedlab @catherinecronin @HybridPed @jimgroom @rboren @cplong @anarchivist @edublogs @jasonpriem @meredithfierro @Autumm @grantpotter @daniellynds @sundilu @OERConf @fncll @jbj @Jessifer @AneliseHShrout @karencang @kmapesy @harmonygritz @slzemke @KeeganSLW @researchremix @JohnStewartPhD @villaronrubia @kreshleman @raynamharris @jessreingold @mattmaldre</p>\n\n<span>Syndicated copies to:</span><ul><li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://chrisaldrich.wordpress.com/?p=55685301\"> WordPress</a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544472931385344\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544475309531136\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544477222195201\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544479579418625\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544481739403269\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544488160976896\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544491369525249\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544493043077120\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544494255230976\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544495651930112\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544497337999360\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544499154128896\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544501217726464\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544502136283136\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544504212463616\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n<li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/ChrisAldrich/status/1129544506007703552\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li>\n</ul>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Chris Aldrich",
"url": "https://boffosocko.com/",
"photo": "https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/07a56dfeaeb22fa994a161bf21a4b2110aa17def/68747470733a2f2f7365637572652e67726176617461722e636f6d2f6176617461722f64356662346534393866653630396363323962303465356237616436383863343f733d343926643d6964656e7469636f6e26723d7067"
},
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "3903310",
"_source": "2785"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "Cathie",
"url": "https://cathieleblanc.com/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://cathieleblanc.com/2019/05/17/how-humans-learn-curiosity/",
"published": "2019-05-17T19:22:21+00:00",
"content": {
"html": "<p>I have found that the first chapter of Joshua Eyler\u2019s book <a href=\"https://wvupressonline.com/node/758\"><em>How Humans Learn</em></a> connects nicely with what we\u2019re trying to do with <em>Tackling a Wicked Problem</em>. The chapter is about the role of curiosity in learning. He writes: \u201cIn order to learn something, we must first wonder about it.\u201d (p. 18). He goes on to say that we should use inquiry as a design principle for our classes. This means asking questions that will lead to deep understanding. I was especially drawn to his use of class discussions to model the kind of questioning we want students to engage in. He says the best discussions come from asking open-ended questions that aren\u2019t too open-ended. \u201cWhy\u201d questions are particularly suited to good discussion, he writes. He quotes Dewey when he tells us that we must do what we can to avoid \u201cthe impression that everything important is already settled and nothing remains to be found out.\u201d (p. 49)</p>\n<p>The Question Formulation Technique that he discusses reminds me of Design Thinking, which many of us used in First Year Seminar to guide students in their project design and development. The Question Formulation Technique asks students to choose a focus for the question and then \u201cproceed through stages of refining, revising, reflecting on, and prioritizing the questions. This technique \u2026 is effective because it combines authentic practice (students formulate their own questions and choose the most viable from among those that are generated) with the metacognitive reflection that allows them to improve.\u201d (p. 49-50) The metacognition part of this statement ties this Question Formulation Technique to the Habits of Mind (in particular, Self-Regulated Learning) that represent the learning outcomes for the Gen Ed program.</p>\n<p>I am going to focus my section of the Tackling the Wicked Problem course around the question \u201cWhat do we know about climate change and how do we know it?\u201d Although it isn\u2019t a \u201cWhy\u201d question, I think it\u2019s open-ended but not too open-ended. I will start with students exploring what they personally know about climate change and how they know that information. We can then explore what they don\u2019t know about climate change, how they can find it, and how the sources they find \u201cknow\u201d the information. Of course, this allows us to practice information literacy skills. I\u2019m going to engage them in a project of contributing to the <a href=\"https://www.digipo.io/wiki/commons/index.htm\">Digital Polarization Initiative</a>, a student-created Snopes-like web site that presents research about claims on the Internet. Of course, my students will investigate climate change claims. My goal is to get students to wonder authentically about the various claims they encounter and then contribute their research to this national initiative as a way to share their work with an external audience.</p>",
"text": "I have found that the first chapter of Joshua Eyler\u2019s book How Humans Learn connects nicely with what we\u2019re trying to do with Tackling a Wicked Problem. The chapter is about the role of curiosity in learning. He writes: \u201cIn order to learn something, we must first wonder about it.\u201d (p. 18). He goes on to say that we should use inquiry as a design principle for our classes. This means asking questions that will lead to deep understanding. I was especially drawn to his use of class discussions to model the kind of questioning we want students to engage in. He says the best discussions come from asking open-ended questions that aren\u2019t too open-ended. \u201cWhy\u201d questions are particularly suited to good discussion, he writes. He quotes Dewey when he tells us that we must do what we can to avoid \u201cthe impression that everything important is already settled and nothing remains to be found out.\u201d (p. 49)\nThe Question Formulation Technique that he discusses reminds me of Design Thinking, which many of us used in First Year Seminar to guide students in their project design and development. The Question Formulation Technique asks students to choose a focus for the question and then \u201cproceed through stages of refining, revising, reflecting on, and prioritizing the questions. This technique \u2026 is effective because it combines authentic practice (students formulate their own questions and choose the most viable from among those that are generated) with the metacognitive reflection that allows them to improve.\u201d (p. 49-50) The metacognition part of this statement ties this Question Formulation Technique to the Habits of Mind (in particular, Self-Regulated Learning) that represent the learning outcomes for the Gen Ed program.\nI am going to focus my section of the Tackling the Wicked Problem course around the question \u201cWhat do we know about climate change and how do we know it?\u201d Although it isn\u2019t a \u201cWhy\u201d question, I think it\u2019s open-ended but not too open-ended. I will start with students exploring what they personally know about climate change and how they know that information. We can then explore what they don\u2019t know about climate change, how they can find it, and how the sources they find \u201cknow\u201d the information. Of course, this allows us to practice information literacy skills. I\u2019m going to engage them in a project of contributing to the Digital Polarization Initiative, a student-created Snopes-like web site that presents research about claims on the Internet. Of course, my students will investigate climate change claims. My goal is to get students to wonder authentically about the various claims they encounter and then contribute their research to this national initiative as a way to share their work with an external audience."
},
"name": "How Humans Learn: Curiosity",
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "3903179",
"_source": "2782"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-17T16:21:40+10:00",
"url": "https://unicyclic.com/mal/2019-05-17-Nice_place_to_spend_the_weekend_earthship",
"photo": [
"https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/70dcce0b21cc84aa515f0ce8950ce93091820bf9/68747470733a2f2f756e696379636c69632e636f6d2f6d616c2f7075626c69632f32303139303531375f3135333830372e6a70673f757064617465643d31353538303733393336",
"https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/958f87bbc851856eb5bc30f0bbc52ae779266a87/68747470733a2f2f756e696379636c69632e636f6d2f6d616c2f7075626c69632f32303139303531375f3135323433372e6a7067",
"https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/ea3f2c9f8d816723c98c2fec3bc81bdb24a3d36d/68747470733a2f2f756e696379636c69632e636f6d2f6d616c2f7075626c69632f32303139303531375f3135323531362e6a70673f757064617465643d31353538303733393739",
"https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/724c6a684fb981a68749e85bbc477a57e6718c0d/68747470733a2f2f756e696379636c69632e636f6d2f6d616c2f7075626c69632f32303139303531375f3135323633362e6a70673f757064617465643d31353538303733393936",
"https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/a23631fa0fce2144efa9e021a823535c974ba805/68747470733a2f2f756e696379636c69632e636f6d2f6d616c2f7075626c69632f32303139303531375f3135323631332e6a70673f757064617465643d31353538303734303038",
"https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/72ddf86d965f99c2d1263f2152391f1fdc0a20ec/68747470733a2f2f756e696379636c69632e636f6d2f6d616c2f7075626c69632f32303139303531375f3135323731322e6a70673f757064617465643d31353538303734303332",
"https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/9ee9bcbc7f0a8d1cbb475bf9e80216e27afeea66/68747470733a2f2f756e696379636c69632e636f6d2f6d616c2f7075626c69632f32303139303531375f3135323832332e6a70673f757064617465643d31353538303734303436"
],
"syndication": [
"https://twitter.com/malcolmblaney/status/1129270799100260352"
],
"content": {
"text": "Nice place to spend the weekend! #earthship",
"html": "Nice place to spend the weekend! #earthship<a href=\"https://brid.gy/publish/twitter?bridgy_omit_link=true\"></a><a href=\"https://twitter.com/malcolmblaney/status/1129270799100260352\" class=\"u-syndication\"></a>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Malcolm Blaney",
"url": "https://unicyclic.com/mal",
"photo": "https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/4f46272c0027449ced0d7cf8de31ea1bec37210e/68747470733a2f2f756e696379636c69632e636f6d2f6d616c2f7075626c69632f70726f66696c655f736d616c6c5f7468756d622e706e67"
},
"post-type": "photo",
"_id": "3501732",
"_source": "243"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-17T02:54:57+00:00",
"url": "https://cleverdevil.io/2019/ipad-pro-impressions",
"syndication": [
"https://twitter.com/cleverdevil/status/1129219310310875137",
"https://mastodon.social/@cleverdevil/102109141819950318"
],
"name": "iPad Pro Impressions",
"content": {
"text": "This past weekend, I took the plunge and purchased myself an iPad Pro, including an Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio. Amazon had the iPad Pro on sale for 16% off of list price, which is an uncommonly large discount that I couldn\u2019t pass up. I also had saved up quite a bit of Amazon rewards credit, so my out of pocket cost was quite low. I\u2019ve had my eye on an iPad Pro for quite some time, and now that I have one, its time to share my impressions.Which iPad Pro?I chose to purchase the smaller 11\" iPad Pro in Space Gray with 256GB of storage. Why? Well, the 12.9\" iPad Pro was very tempting, but my primary use case for this device is to be a highly portable alternative to my MacBook Pro. What do I plan to use it for? Ideally:Productivity\nEmail\nDocuments\nTask Management\nNote-taking, as an alternative to my trusty paper notebooks\n\nDevelopment\nSSH\u2019ing into my various Linux environments\nLocal development, preferably using Python\n\nWriting / Blogging\nPublishing to my website\n\nMedia\nStreaming from my Plex server\nHulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc.\n\nReading\nBooks\nNews\nComics\nWeb\nMy Social Reader\n\n\nGiven my constraints and desire to have something more portable than my MacBook Pro, I opted for the smaller size iPad Pro and Apple\u2019s very slim keyboard case, with the Apple Pencil to help me replace my paper notebooks. I chose the 256 GB storage option because the base model only offers 64 GB, which is just not enough for my needs.The Good: HardwareSo, what\u2019s the good news? Well, there\u2019s a lot to like. First off, the hardware itself is simply stunning. Its light, thin, fast, and beautiful. The screen is bright and crisp, and the bezel-less design is reminiscent of Dieter Rams' greatest hits. The last hardware design that I loved this much was the iPhone 5s.The accessories are similarly well designed. The Smart Keyboard Folio attaches to the iPad Pro with ease thanks to an array of powerful magnets, and the Smart Connector means that I never have to worry about charging or pairing the keyboard. It just works. The Apple Pencil is similarly impressive, with an ingenious magnetic attachment to the side of the iPad Pro, and wireless charging that is effortless.The Good: SoftwareiOS has come a long way in the past few years, adding rudimentary file management in the Files app, early multi-tasking capabilities, and iPad-specific features that enhance the overall experience. That said, there\u2019s a long, long way to go from an OS-level to truly make the iPad Pro a professional tool. I\u2019ll touch on that more later.Now, there are some truly amazing apps that I have been enjoying to help me with my target use cases. They\u2019re not all perfect, but I am encouraged by the vibrant and growing ecosystem of truly professional apps for iPad. These give me a great deal of hope for the future of the Mac as these apps begin to show up via Marzipan. Below is a list of apps I am using or experimenting with so far:Productivity\n\nEmail \u2013 Apple Mail. I am a heavy email user, and try out email clients often. For now, I am sticking with the built-in option, which is adequate.\n\nDocuments \u2013 Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and Drafts for personal projects. For work, we use GSuite, so I have installed Google\u2019s Drive, Slides, Sheets, and Docs apps.\n\nTask-Management \u2013 I use Things on my Mac and iPhone, and now I am using it on my iPad Pro.\n\nNote-taking \u2013 This is an area where I am spending a lot of time experimenting. I have very much enjoyed note-taking in Drafts with my Smart Keyboard Folio attached, but am also trying out note-taking apps that are more Apple Pencil driven, including Notability and Nebo.\n\nDevelopment\n\nSSH \u2013 Panic\u2019s Prompt and the emerging iSH, which adds an emulated Linux environment to iOS.\n\nLocal Development \u2013 The aforementioned iSH has been a revelation, enabling me to do local development in a very similar way to how I would on macOS, with vim, Python 3.7, git, virtualenv, and other common terminal-based tools. I\u2019m also experimenting with Pythonista and have my eye on a few other editors to play with (Textastic, Buffer, etc.).\n\nWriting / Blogging\n\nBlogging \u2013 Drafts with a custom Micropub action for publishing to my website.\n\nMicroblogging \u2013 Directly on my website, through Indigenous, or via the Micro.blog app.\n\nMedia\n\nStreaming \u2013 Plex, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc.\n\nLocal Video \u2013 Infuse, VLC, and Plex. To get video into Infuse and VLC, I tend to use youtube-dl inside of iSH.\n\nReading\n\nBooks \u2013 Apple\u2019s Books app works great for ePub content.\n\nNews \u2013 Apple\u2019s News app is decent, but mostly I use Safari with my favorite news sites, or more likely I use my feed reader.\n\nComics \u2013 Chunky Reader is pretty solid, though I wish this entire category was more like Plex, with rich metadata indexing and organization on the server, with clients for reading.\n\nWeb \u2013 Safari.\n\nFeeds \u2013 I have installed Together as a Progressive Web App on my home screen and it works well.\n\nWhile none of the above apps are perfect, I have been quite impressed with them as a whole.The Bad: HardwareWhile the iPad Pro and its accessories are truly impressive hardware, they\u2019re not free of issues. Because the bezels are so small on the iPad Pro, it can be a little uncomfortable to hold in portrait layout while reading. In the lap, the whole Smart Keyboard Folio and iPad Pro setup is a bit top-heavy, making it slightly unstable. Other than these minor nits, overall I think the hardware is top-notch.The Bad: SoftwareWhile the app ecosystem is amazing, and iOS has made great strides, there are still some fundamental missing pieces that prevent me from viewing iOS as a true alternative to macOS:\nKeyboard \u2013 While the Smart Keyboard Folio is generally great to type on, in spite of its small size and low key travel, it is greatly hampered by software limitations in iOS. There is no ability to re-map keys in iOS, so I am stuck with a system-wide Caps Lock key, and no ESC key. Some apps, such as iSH, allow you to map Caps Lock to ESC, but this should really be handled system-wide. In addition, the Smart Keyboard Folio has a \u201cglobe\u201d button in the bottom left corner which is infuriating. Pressing it pops up the Emoji keyboard on screen, and its right next to the control key, which I use heavily.\n\nFonts \u2013\u00a0iOS comes with a small set of fonts, and there is no standard, built-in way to install additional fonts. I have been able to use an app called AnyFont to install fonts, including my preferred programming font, Dank Mono, but because the system itself doesn\u2019t have support for font management, most apps don\u2019t surface font customization. Kudos to Drafts, though, for allowing users to pick from any font available to the system, including ones installed through AnyFont.\n\nFile Management \u2013 Apple added the Files app to iOS, and its a good start, but has so far to go to truly make it a pro-level file management tool. In addition, there isn\u2019t any ability to plug in external storage to my iPad Pro, in spite of the fact that it has a USB-C port.\n\nMulti-Tasking \u2013 iOS has a very rudimentary multi-tasking system, which allows you to place multiple apps onto the screen at the same time, in floating panels, and in split views. It works, but is fiddly to use, with delicate gestures required to bring up the dock, drag apps over each other, and position them. In addition, there is no way to have multiple \u201cwindows\u201d of an app used in different multi-tasking sessions. I think Apple is definitely innovating here, looking for new ways to approach multi-tasking than traditional window management. In many ways, iOS multi-tasking reminds me of tiling window managers, just\u2026 not as good. I\u2019m hoping for good news on this front at WWDC.\n\nWeb Browsing \u2013 Safari is an awesome browser. But, on the iPad, too often websites give you the mobile version of their site, rather than serving up the \u201cfull size\u201d website. In addition, there isn\u2019t any sort of download manager, or support for extensions other than content blockers.\n\niSH \u2013 I have heaped praise on iSH above, and it really is pretty incredible. Its also an open source project, and is rapidly improving\u2026 but its not there yet. Things I\u2019d love to see added to iSH that would greatly improve my experience: custom font selection, better performance, compatibility with additional software, tabbed sessions, and a choice of a different base operating system than Alpine Linux.\nConclusionsOverall, I am thrilled with my iPad Pro, and really excited to see where Apple is headed with iOS for \u201cpro\u201d users. There is so much to like, and massive potential for improvement. While I don\u2019t see the iPad Pro displacing my laptop anytime soon, I think it will become an important part of my workflow.",
"html": "<p>This past weekend, I took the plunge and purchased myself an <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2QeZazn\">iPad Pro</a>, including an <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2VG0bGh\">Apple Pencil</a> and <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2E6Ii91\">Smart Keyboard Folio</a>. Amazon had the iPad Pro on sale for 16% off of list price, which is an uncommonly large discount that I couldn\u2019t pass up. I also had saved up quite a bit of Amazon rewards credit, so my out of pocket cost was quite low. I\u2019ve had my eye on an iPad Pro for quite some time, and now that I have one, its time to share my impressions.</p><h2>Which iPad Pro?</h2><p>I chose to purchase the smaller 11\" iPad Pro in Space Gray with 256GB of storage. Why? Well, the 12.9\" iPad Pro was very tempting, but my primary use case for this device is to be a highly portable alternative to my MacBook Pro. What do I plan to use it for? Ideally:</p><ul><li>Productivity\n<ul><li>Email</li>\n<li>Documents</li>\n<li>Task Management</li>\n<li>Note-taking, as an alternative to my trusty paper notebooks</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Development\n<ul><li>SSH\u2019ing into my various Linux environments</li>\n<li>Local development, preferably using Python</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Writing / Blogging\n<ul><li>Publishing to my website</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Media\n<ul><li>Streaming from my <a href=\"https://plex.tv\">Plex</a> server</li>\n<li>Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc.</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Reading\n<ul><li>Books</li>\n<li>News</li>\n<li>Comics</li>\n<li>Web</li>\n<li>My <a href=\"https://github.com/cleverdevil/together\">Social Reader</a>\n</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul><p>Given my constraints and desire to have something more portable than my MacBook Pro, I opted for the smaller size iPad Pro and Apple\u2019s very slim keyboard case, with the Apple Pencil to help me replace my paper notebooks. I chose the 256 GB storage option because the base model only offers 64 GB, which is just not enough for my needs.</p><h2>The Good: Hardware</h2><p>So, what\u2019s the good news? Well, there\u2019s a lot to like. First off, the hardware itself is simply stunning. Its light, thin, fast, and beautiful. The screen is bright and crisp, and the bezel-less design is reminiscent of <a href=\"http://www.oobject.com/category/15-dieter-rams-classics/\">Dieter Rams' greatest hits</a>. The last hardware design that I loved this much was the <a href=\"https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_5S\">iPhone 5s</a>.</p><p>The accessories are similarly well designed. The Smart Keyboard Folio attaches to the iPad Pro with ease thanks to an array of powerful magnets, and the Smart Connector means that I never have to worry about charging or pairing the keyboard. It just works. The Apple Pencil is similarly impressive, with an ingenious magnetic attachment to the side of the iPad Pro, and wireless charging that is effortless.</p><h2>The Good: Software</h2><p>iOS has come a long way in the past few years, adding rudimentary file management in the Files app, early multi-tasking capabilities, and iPad-specific features that enhance the overall experience. That said, there\u2019s a long, long way to go from an OS-level to truly make the iPad Pro a <em>professional</em> tool. I\u2019ll touch on that more later.</p><p>Now, there are some truly amazing apps that I have been enjoying to help me with my target use cases. They\u2019re not all perfect, but I am encouraged by the vibrant and growing ecosystem of truly professional apps for iPad. These give me a great deal of hope for the future of the Mac as these apps begin to show up via Marzipan. Below is a list of apps I am using or experimenting with so far:</p><ul><li>Productivity\n<ul><li>\n<strong>Email</strong> \u2013 Apple Mail. I am a heavy email user, and try out email clients often. For now, I am sticking with the built-in option, which is adequate.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>Documents</strong> \u2013 Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and <a href=\"https://getdrafts.com\">Drafts</a> for personal projects. For work, we use GSuite, so I have installed Google\u2019s Drive, Slides, Sheets, and Docs apps.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>Task-Management</strong> \u2013 I use <a href=\"https://culturedcode.com/things/\">Things</a> on my Mac and iPhone, and now I am using it on my iPad Pro.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>Note-taking</strong> \u2013 This is an area where I am spending a lot of time experimenting. I have very much enjoyed note-taking in Drafts with my Smart Keyboard Folio attached, but am also trying out note-taking apps that are more Apple Pencil driven, including <a href=\"https://www.gingerlabs.com\">Notability</a> and <a href=\"https://www.myscript.com/nebo\">Nebo</a>.</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Development\n<ul><li>\n<strong>SSH</strong> \u2013 <a href=\"https://www.panic.com/prompt/\">Panic\u2019s Prompt</a> and the emerging <a href=\"http://ish.app\">iSH</a>, which adds an emulated Linux environment to iOS.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>Local Development</strong> \u2013 The aforementioned iSH has been a revelation, enabling me to do local development in a very similar way to how I would on macOS, with vim, Python 3.7, git, virtualenv, and other common terminal-based tools. I\u2019m also experimenting with <a href=\"https://omz-software.com/pythonista/\">Pythonista</a> and have my eye on a few other editors to play with (<a href=\"http://textasticapp.com\">Textastic</a>, <a href=\"https://buffereditor.com/\">Buffer</a>, etc.).</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Writing / Blogging\n<ul><li>\n<strong>Blogging</strong> \u2013 Drafts with a custom Micropub action for publishing to my website.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>Microblogging</strong> \u2013 Directly on my website, through <a href=\"https://indigenous.abode.pub\">Indigenous</a>, or via the <a href=\"https://micro.blog\">Micro.blog</a> app.</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Media\n<ul><li>\n<strong>Streaming</strong> \u2013 <a href=\"https://plex.tv\">Plex</a>, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>Local Video</strong> \u2013 <a href=\"https://firecore.com/infuse\">Infuse</a>, <a href=\"http://www.videolan.org\">VLC</a>, and Plex. To get video into Infuse and VLC, I tend to use <a href=\"https://youtube-dl.org/\">youtube-dl</a> inside of iSH.</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Reading\n<ul><li>\n<strong>Books</strong> \u2013 Apple\u2019s Books app works great for ePub content.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>News</strong> \u2013 Apple\u2019s News app is decent, but mostly I use Safari with my favorite news sites, or more likely I use my feed reader.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>Comics</strong> \u2013 <a href=\"http://chunkyreader.com\">Chunky Reader</a> is pretty solid, though I wish this entire category was more like Plex, with rich metadata indexing and organization on the server, with clients for reading.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>Web</strong> \u2013 Safari.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>Feeds</strong> \u2013 I have installed <a href=\"https://github.com/cleverdevil/together\">Together</a> as a <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Web_Apps\">Progressive Web App</a> on my home screen and it works well.</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul><p>While none of the above apps are <em>perfect</em>, I have been quite impressed with them as a whole.</p><h2>The Bad: Hardware</h2><p>While the iPad Pro and its accessories are truly impressive hardware, they\u2019re not free of issues. Because the bezels are so small on the iPad Pro, it can be a little uncomfortable to hold in portrait layout while reading. In the lap, the whole Smart Keyboard Folio and iPad Pro setup is a bit top-heavy, making it slightly unstable. Other than these minor nits, overall I think the hardware is top-notch.</p><h2>The Bad: Software</h2><p>While the app ecosystem is amazing, and iOS has made great strides, there are still some fundamental missing pieces that prevent me from viewing iOS as a true alternative to macOS:</p><ul><li>\n<strong>Keyboard</strong> \u2013 While the Smart Keyboard Folio is generally great to type on, in spite of its small size and low key travel, it is greatly hampered by software limitations in iOS. There is no ability to re-map keys in iOS, so I am stuck with a system-wide Caps Lock key, and no ESC key. Some apps, such as iSH, allow you to map Caps Lock to ESC, but this should really be handled system-wide. In addition, the Smart Keyboard Folio has a \u201cglobe\u201d button in the bottom left corner which is infuriating. Pressing it pops up the Emoji keyboard on screen, and its right next to the control key, which I use heavily.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>Fonts</strong> \u2013\u00a0iOS comes with a small set of fonts, and there is no standard, built-in way to install additional fonts. I have been able to use an app called <a href=\"https://anyfont.app/\">AnyFont</a> to install fonts, including my preferred programming font, <a href=\"https://dank.sh\">Dank Mono</a>, but because the system itself doesn\u2019t have support for font management, most apps don\u2019t surface font customization. Kudos to Drafts, though, for allowing users to pick from any font available to the system, including ones installed through AnyFont.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>File Management</strong> \u2013 Apple added the Files app to iOS, and its a good start, but has so far to go to truly make it a pro-level file management tool. In addition, there isn\u2019t any ability to plug in external storage to my iPad Pro, in spite of the fact that it has a USB-C port.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>Multi-Tasking</strong> \u2013 iOS has a very rudimentary multi-tasking system, which allows you to place multiple apps onto the screen at the same time, in floating panels, and in split views. It works, but is fiddly to use, with delicate gestures required to bring up the dock, drag apps over each other, and position them. In addition, there is no way to have multiple \u201cwindows\u201d of an app used in different multi-tasking sessions. I think Apple is definitely innovating here, looking for new ways to approach multi-tasking than traditional window management. In many ways, iOS multi-tasking reminds me of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiling_window_manager\">tiling window managers</a>, just\u2026 not as good. I\u2019m hoping for good news on this front at WWDC.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>Web Browsing</strong> \u2013 Safari is an awesome browser. But, on the iPad, too often websites give you the mobile version of their site, rather than serving up the \u201cfull size\u201d website. In addition, there isn\u2019t any sort of download manager, or support for extensions other than content blockers.</li>\n<li>\n<strong>iSH</strong> \u2013 I have heaped praise on iSH above, and it really is pretty incredible. Its also an open source project, and is rapidly improving\u2026 but its not there yet. Things I\u2019d love to see added to iSH that would greatly improve my experience: custom font selection, better performance, compatibility with additional software, tabbed sessions, and a choice of a different base operating system than Alpine Linux.</li>\n</ul><h2>Conclusions</h2><p>Overall, I am thrilled with my iPad Pro, and really excited to see where Apple is headed with iOS for \u201cpro\u201d users. There is so much to like, and massive potential for improvement. While I don\u2019t see the iPad Pro displacing my laptop anytime soon, I think it will become an important part of my workflow.</p>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Jonathan LaCour",
"url": "https://cleverdevil.io/profile/cleverdevil",
"photo": "https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/77e5d6e5871324c43aebf2e3e7a5553e14578f66/68747470733a2f2f636c65766572646576696c2e696f2f66696c652f66646263373639366135663733383634656131316138323863383631653133382f7468756d622e6a7067"
},
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "3500037",
"_source": "10"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "<span class='p-author h-card'>Miriam Avery</span>",
"url": "https://myravery.me/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://myravery.me/2019/05/16/global-accessibility-awareness-day-2019/",
"published": "2019-05-16T15:37:02-07:00",
"content": {
"html": "It\u2019s a thing! An important thing. Learn about it <a href=\"https://globalaccessibilityawarenessday.org/\">HERE</a>.\n<p>My firsthand experimentation with accessibility features started with migraines. When screens mean twisting pain and nausea, a screen-free existence is brilliant. Slow, full of compromises and barriers, but brilliant.</p>\n<p>Let\u2019s all take some time today, and everyday, to bringing down the barriers.</p>\n<p>This was that time for me. I\u2019m trapped in <a href=\"https://giphy.com/gifs/brooklyn-nine-b99edit-womensweek-qgvASZ5K7WAMM\">a gif of Rosa D\u00edaz being sick.</a></p>",
"text": "It\u2019s a thing! An important thing. Learn about it HERE.\nMy firsthand experimentation with accessibility features started with migraines. When screens mean twisting pain and nausea, a screen-free existence is brilliant. Slow, full of compromises and barriers, but brilliant.\nLet\u2019s all take some time today, and everyday, to bringing down the barriers.\nThis was that time for me. I\u2019m trapped in a gif of Rosa D\u00edaz being sick."
},
"name": "Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2019",
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "4159145",
"_source": "2932"
}
New haircut, who dis?
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-16 15:35-0700",
"url": "https://gregorlove.com/2019/05/new-haircut-who-dis/",
"photo": [
"https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/ac6d3b268995558d70f83351c116cde186b04ea6/68747470733a2f2f677265676f726c6f76652e636f6d2f736974652f6173736574732f66696c65732f353434302f6e65772d686169726375742d77686f2d6469732e3130303078302d69732e6a7067"
],
"syndication": [
"https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxil-JFlvpE/"
],
"content": {
"text": "New haircut, who dis?",
"html": "<p>New haircut, who dis?</p>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "gRegor Morrill",
"url": "https://gregorlove.com/",
"photo": "https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/929c8777d059069a2a16a064d96f4c29b65548f8/68747470733a2f2f677265676f726c6f76652e636f6d2f736974652f6173736574732f66696c65732f333437332f70726f66696c652d323031362d6d65642e6a7067"
},
"post-type": "photo",
"_id": "3495856",
"_source": "95"
}
Just pushed a new release of Yarns Microsub Server, which I’m very happy with. Significantly better UI for managing feeds, greatly improved endpoint code (contributed by https://david.shanske.com/ @dshanske). Still some work to go, but this marks a big step forward.
Also on:
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-16T17:23:49-04:00",
"url": "https://jackjamieson.net/5522-2/",
"syndication": [
"https://twitter.com/jackjamieson/status/1129135477792096258"
],
"content": {
"text": "Just pushed a new release of Yarns Microsub Server, which I\u2019m very happy with.\u00a0 Significantly better UI for managing feeds, greatly improved endpoint code (contributed by https://david.shanske.com/ @dshanske).\u00a0 Still some work to go, but this marks a big step forward.\n\u00a0\n\u00a0\n\nAlso on: Twitter icon",
"html": "<p>Just pushed a new release of <a href=\"https://github.com/jackjamieson2/yarns-microsub-server/releases/tag/v0.1.6-beta\">Yarns Microsub Server</a>, which I\u2019m very happy with.\u00a0 Significantly better UI for managing feeds, greatly improved endpoint code (contributed by https://david.shanske.com/ @dshanske).\u00a0 Still some work to go, but this marks a big step forward.</p>\n<p>\u00a0</p>\n<p>\u00a0</p>\n\n<span>Also on:</span><ul><li><a class=\"u-syndication\" href=\"https://twitter.com/jackjamieson/status/1129135477792096258\"> <span style=\"max-width:1rem;margin:2px;\" title=\"twitter\">Twitter icon</span></a></li></ul>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Jack Jamieson",
"url": "https://jackjamieson.net/author/jackjamieson/",
"photo": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c850ec9240a04bd1ebf02540e4f57b73?s=40&d=https://jackjamieson.net/wp-content/plugins/semantic-linkbacks/img/mm.jpg&r=g"
},
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "3902982",
"_source": "2775"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-16T13:41:36-07:00",
"url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2019/05/16/31/",
"syndication": [
"https://www.swarmapp.com/user/59164/checkin/5cddcb00ba57b4002c638a0d"
],
"content": {
"text": "No checked bags and Global Entry means 3 minutes from landing to being thru customs \ud83d\udec3",
"html": "No checked bags and Global Entry means 3 minutes from landing to being thru customs <a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/emoji/%F0%9F%9B%83\">\ud83d\udec3</a>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Aaron Parecki",
"url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
"photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
},
"checkin": {
"type": "card",
"name": "US Customs Border Patrol",
"latitude": "45.591446",
"longitude": "-122.596131",
"url": "https://foursquare.com/v/4e809458f7904e1866778b90"
},
"post-type": "checkin",
"_id": "3492986",
"_source": "16"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-16T13:35:20-07:00",
"url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2019/05/16/30/",
"photo": [
"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/48ddf6bd016aff944b2b754585baa0b1e763671442c1ef41626b1cbdff25b504.jpg"
],
"syndication": [
"https://www.swarmapp.com/user/59164/checkin/5cddc9889d7468002cdfa5f3"
],
"content": {
"text": "Back in Portland!"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Aaron Parecki",
"url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
"photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
},
"checkin": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Portland International Airport (PDX)",
"latitude": "45.588991",
"longitude": "-122.59404",
"url": "https://foursquare.com/v/45f412e6f964a520f6431fe3"
},
"post-type": "checkin",
"_id": "3492987",
"_source": "16"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-16T10:50:59+02:00",
"url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2019/05/16/28/",
"category": [
"IndieWebCamp",
"BTConf",
"a11yClub",
"OAuth",
"condor",
"lufthansa",
"longhaulflight",
"frankfurtairport",
"indiewebcamp",
"btconf",
"a11yclub",
"oauth",
"travel",
"https://beyondtellerrand.com/",
"https://indieweb.org/"
],
"photo": [
"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/be26466da28708e59696a1b57356a09cd02d69a6fa1eb39de98f03e93df77908.jpg"
],
"syndication": [
"https://www.instagram.com/p/BxhHCSyh7cQ/"
],
"content": {
"text": "Ready to head home after a fun week of #IndieWebCamp, #BTConf, #a11yClub, and teaching two #OAuth workshops. \u2063 \n\u2063Thanks so much to everyone who helped make all of that happen! \n\u2063 \n\u2063Had a great time back in D\u00fcsseldorf and looking forward to coming back next year! \u2063 \n\u2063#travel #condor #lufthansa #longhaulflight #frankfurtairport",
"html": "Ready to head home after a fun week of <a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/tag/indiewebcamp\">#<span class=\"p-category\">IndieWebCamp</span></a>, <a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/tag/btconf\">#<span class=\"p-category\">BTConf</span></a>, <a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/tag/a11yclub\">#<span class=\"p-category\">a11yClub</span></a>, and teaching two <a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/tag/oauth\">#<span class=\"p-category\">OAuth</span></a> workshops. \u2063 <br />\u2063Thanks so much to everyone who helped make all of that happen! <br />\u2063 <br />\u2063Had a great time back in D\u00fcsseldorf and looking forward to coming back next year! \u2063 <br />\u2063#travel <a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/tag/condor\">#<span class=\"p-category\">condor</span></a> <a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/tag/lufthansa\">#<span class=\"p-category\">lufthansa</span></a> <a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/tag/longhaulflight\">#<span class=\"p-category\">longhaulflight</span></a> <a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/tag/frankfurtairport\">#<span class=\"p-category\">frankfurtairport</span></a>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Aaron Parecki",
"url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
"photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
},
"post-type": "photo",
"_id": "3484891",
"_source": "16"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-16T06:26:21+02:00",
"url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2019/05/16/25/",
"syndication": [
"https://www.swarmapp.com/user/59164/checkin/5cdce66d9cadd9002c11c7f0"
],
"content": {
"text": "Going thru the short security line for B gates to get to A gates"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Aaron Parecki",
"url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
"photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
},
"checkin": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Security Check (Sicherheitskontrolle)",
"latitude": "51.280092",
"longitude": "6.766505",
"url": "https://foursquare.com/v/4d8f4669fa943704d06316c6"
},
"post-type": "checkin",
"_id": "3482105",
"_source": "16"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-16T05:38:11+02:00",
"url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2019/05/16/10/",
"photo": [
"https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/506fc06bda0dfd006a1728dbf0968556011e09b8a2d93f3cb067aa8e8d2d7182.jpg"
],
"syndication": [
"https://www.swarmapp.com/user/59164/checkin/5cdcdb23610f0400396b9d1f"
],
"name": "at U Oberbilker Markt/Warschauer Stra\u00dfe",
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Aaron Parecki",
"url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
"photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
},
"checkin": {
"type": "card",
"name": "U Oberbilker Markt/Warschauer Stra\u00dfe",
"latitude": "51.216659",
"longitude": "6.803324",
"url": "https://foursquare.com/v/4ec61add5c5ce271bbe68624"
},
"post-type": "checkin",
"_id": "3480229",
"_source": "16"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2019-05-16T13:35:06+10:00",
"url": "https://unicyclic.com/mal/2019-05-16-Lastly_I_would_say_to_any_tech_person_trying_to",
"syndication": [
"https://twitter.com/malcolmblaney/status/1128866483201859584"
],
"quotation-of": "https://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/1128857953937907714",
"content": {
"text": "\u2764\n\nLastly I would say to any tech person trying to change the world\u2014we already changed it quite a bit. Maybe take your foot off the gas and look around first. The tech startups that came up in the 1990s and 2000s had really excellent intentions and pure motives. It's not enough.\nhttps://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/1128857953937907714",
"html": "\u2764<br /><br />Lastly I would say to any tech person trying to change the world\u2014we already changed it quite a bit. Maybe take your foot off the gas and look around first. The tech startups that came up in the 1990s and 2000s had really excellent intentions and pure motives. It's not enough.<br /><a class=\"u-url\" href=\"https://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/1128857953937907714\">https://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/1128857953937907714</a><a href=\"https://brid.gy/publish/twitter?bridgy_omit_link=true\"></a><a href=\"https://twitter.com/malcolmblaney/status/1128866483201859584\" class=\"u-syndication\"></a>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Malcolm Blaney",
"url": "https://unicyclic.com/mal",
"photo": "https://aperture-proxy.p3k.io/4f46272c0027449ced0d7cf8de31ea1bec37210e/68747470733a2f2f756e696379636c69632e636f6d2f6d616c2f7075626c69632f70726f66696c655f736d616c6c5f7468756d622e706e67"
},
"post-type": "note",
"refs": {
"https://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/1128857953937907714": {
"type": "entry",
"url": "https://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/1128857953937907714",
"name": "Lastly I would say to any tech person trying to change the world\u2014we already changed it quite a bit. Maybe take your foot off the gas and look around first. The tech startups that came up in the 1990s and 2000s had really excellent intentions and pure motives. It's not enough.\nhttps://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/1128857953937907714",
"post-type": "article"
}
},
"_id": "3480826",
"_source": "243"
}