Categories
affiliations professional activities professional experience references research interests teaching experience technology

John LeMasney on Pinterest and Google Plus, BCUG, October, 2012

Hey, Pinterest, please let me know who follows me back - lemasney.com
Hey, Pinterest, please let me know who follows me back – lemasney.com

“Google strikes again! Pin what!?  Just when you thought you had it down. Gmail, Maps, Google search, iGoogle home page, gadgets, even games and utilities. Then Google comes up with Google + (plus) and it gets even more involved. Hangouts, Photos, a news feed, Circles! What can we make of all this?  Pinterest has been appearing more and more as something to consider if you like graphics and sharing your likes online with others. Ever notice the tiny little “P” shaped logo on websites and wonder why and if you would ever “pin” something? Even though I’ve been “pinning” for a while, I am curious how much more I can do and how I can personalize this to make it more interesting. We at BCUG are certainly curious about its usefulness and how much fun it can be.  So the question for October’s speaker is – What do I make of these web-based services, and how and why would I use them? Where do I start to integrate these into my online experience?  Enter John LeMasney, our featured speaker. At our general meeting this month, John will update us on two new services that have emerged and that are free and, yes, somewhat useful. We have all heard him talk on various interesting topics including his year-long creative 365 project as well as enjoyed his expertise in applications like Sketchup, Gimp, Inkscape. In addition, John has been a regular and exciting speaker at our Graphics Workshop, where he has instructed and introduced us to programs that work with video, graphics, and online freebies. This writer can attribute many explorations into artwork and free games and apps to John, who is overly generous with his time and talent. He is supportive of BCUG and we are grateful for his participation in our programs through the year.  He’sthe Manager of Educational Technology Training and Outreach at Princeton University where he is responsible for training and presenting to faculty and students about the effective use of technology for communication, work, teaching and learning.  John has a BFA with honors from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He is extremely creative and always has good ideas to convey. He also holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (communication) with honors from Rider University.  Let’s make a date to be at our general meeting on October 19 to greet John and learn about two new useful web-based activities – Google Plus and the new popular Pinterest. You will come away with a clearer idea and new knowledge about Google + and Pinterest and how they can be used.  Not only will we be ready to join Circles and participate in a hangout, we will honestly be able to say Happy Pinning!” (http://www.bcug.com/speakers/2012-10-spkr.html)

 

Categories
affiliations professional activities professional experience references research interests teaching experience technology

John LeMasney: Android vs. iOS Smackdown at PPL, October 2012

20121123: Easel computing by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #cc #design #tablets
20121123: Easel computing by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #cc #design #tablets

DATE/TIME:  Oct 23 2012 – 7:00pm – 9:00pm

LOCATION:  Community Room, Princeton Public Library

Technologists John LeMasney and Khürt Williams will debate the merits of Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS mobile device operating systems, respectively. Trying to decide between a Droid-powered phone/tablet or an iPhone/iPad running iOS5? After what promises to be a spirited discussion between these two experts, the pros and cons of each operating system should be clearer. Community Room

)

 

Categories
affiliations professional activities professional experience references research interests teaching experience technology

John LeMasney: Introduction to WordPress at PPL, October 2012

 

FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out - lemasney.com
FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out – lemasney.com

DATE/TIME:

Part 1: Monday October 15 from 6:30 to 8:30
Part 2: Monday October 22 from 6:30 to 8:30

LOCATION:  Technology Center, Princeton Public Library

Interested in creating your own blog? In this two-part course, social media and technology expert John LeMasney will teach how to start and manage a blog for free through WordPress. Prior web design experience is not needed. Skill Level: Basic Seating will be held for students who attended Session 1.

)

Categories
insights photography

On exercising both body and mind

So, I’ve gone through a rough time lately. I’m doing very well in most areas of my life, including my nutrition and mental health, but lots of changes are floating about and only time will tell where things will land. In the mean time, I keep counting calories, exercising, and repeating. One thing that has helped me to stay focused is my exercise.

I only do one thing, really: I walk. I try to do 10,000 steps a day, or about 5 miles of walking a day. I don’t meet this goal every day, and some days I do more than 10k, and it all balances out. There are many benefits to walking as exercise:

  • It’s low impact and it’s unlikely I’ll get hurt while walking.
  • It’s passive, as I have to walk from place to place, and exercise “just happens”
  • I don’t have a set time I have to set aside for exercise, nor a membership with a gym, special equipment, or other costs.
  •  I get a chance to think while I walk, and walk while I think.
  • I see my progress easily, and track my progress easily with a Fitbit Ultra Tracker.
  • I get to see some beautiful sights while I exercise, like woodland paths, open spaces, and Princeton University’s beautiful campus.

I’ve also just begun learning to meditate, and walking meditation is an easy to adopt practice.

I’m always a bit amazed at how some people so easily dismiss walking as proper exercise, as though one needed to struggle or suffer to exercise ‘properly’. I’ve achieved my 50+ pound loss (so far) exclusively by casual, non-intense walking.

And today, for instance, I spent my time walking and talking with my boys, and so, they were exercising too. We walked for part of the day in Ewing on a preserved space path. We stopped a few times, sat and laughed and talked, and even did some trailblazing. All in all, a very good day.

Categories
professional activities professional experience references research interests teaching experience technology

John LeMasney at PPL: Photo-Sharing with Picasa

 

Swinging with David in the sunshine - lemasney.com
Swinging with David in the sunshine – lemasney.com

 

DATE/TIME: Aug 7 2012 – 6:30pm – 8:30pm
LOCATION:  Technology Center

Spread the joy of your summer vacation by sharing memorable moments with family and friends. Technology Instructor John LeMasney will cover how to upload, organize, and edit your digital photos using Google’s Picasa. Learn how to resize, tag, add captions, create collages, and add special effects. We recommend that students bring a flash drive containing digital photos for use in class. Skill Level: Intermediate

quoted from which you can visit to sign up for this free session.

Categories
affiliations professional activities professional experience references research interests teaching experience

PPCUG: Miro, VLC and related tools

Media room schematic
Media room schematic

On June 26th, 2012, John LeMasney will be speaking to the Princeton PC Users Group (PPCUG) about two open source media management tools, Miro, and VLC, and their related projects, VLC editor and Miro Video Transcoder.

With these free (free as in freedom as well as free as in free pizza) tools, you’ll be able to manage, enjoy, and share the media free of proprietary restrictions you might find in other media managers and players.

John will also talk about online media managers, including Google music and Spotify.

John LeMasney is a father who lives and works in and around central New Jersey. He is the Manager of Educational Technology Training and Outreach at Princeton University since 2011. He had worked from 1998-2011 at Rider University as the Manager of Technology Training. He was recently awarded a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership with honors from Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture with honors from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA.

He is a designer, artist, writer, poet, technologist, consultant, open web advocate and open source evangelist. He is most interested in helping people to use technology to make their lives, work, and world better.