August, 2013 | The Angel Forever

Monthly Archives August 2013

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Videos on the Go with the Nokia Lumia 928

Posted on August 26, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I hate to admit the number of times that I have forgotten to bring our small video camera with us to events. I am not good at remembering it. In a pinch, I usually have my point and shoot camera that will also record video. While it does a decent job outside in natural lighting, inside will typically look yellow and the audio is not very good. This can be frustrating, though it is better than having nothing. Of course, there have been times when I just attempt to use my smartphone to capture the moment in a longer video than Vine or Instagram. Enter my testing of the Nokia Lumia that I recently received as a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers.

While the boys and I were out the other day, we stopped by the Museum of Innovation and Science in Schenectady, NY. As members, we have been there a lot and I have documented our visits with my phone, Instagram video, and other resources. While the boys were reading some new items, I decided to record video of two of the dinosaur displays. I never told the kids what I was doing, so you will actually hear me whispering to them during the filming. My face was not near the phone, but it picked it up very clear. In addition to this, the museum lighting is very low. Even with this going against it, the Lumia 928 proved why people are always talking about the camera and video capabilities. I used Windows Live Movie Maker to put two pictures and two videos together into this for YouTube.

For a comparison, I thought I would use Patrick the cockatiel as a test subject. Patrick is now living with my parents after my aunt and uncle moved to Israel. I thought it would be nice to send a quick video to them to see how well he is adjusting. What you will notice is the clarity of the video and audio. Not only can you hear Patrick chatting to himself in the mirror (he’s in love with mirrors), you can hear the big mouth cockatoo in another room letting everyone know that she is jealous.

Once again, I did nothing with the video, I simply put it onto YouTube. Knowing the quality of the video from these examples and a few others, I know that if I was caught at school, or an event without something else that I could capture moments on the go.

Do you use your smartphones for longer video or stick to the shorter versions with apps to share on social media?

It's Me

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I receive different devices to check out in my life. There is no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

Categories:
family Technology video

Summer Themes

Posted on August 23, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

While many children across the United States have gone back to school, my kids do not head back until the week after Labor Day. We typically go the week of Labor Day, but the holidays made that week hectic enough that they pushed it back. Thanks to this, we are still filling the days with summer fun. It made me wonder if there was a theme to our 2013 summer. Last year, Harry Potter and Magic Tree House books claimed a lot of our attention, along with LEGO fun. So what would I say our theme was this year? Most likely it would be Doctor, more LEGO fun, and a major dose of dinosaurs and general science fun.

Several of these silly photos were set up my the boys, others done while participating in the #SummerADay Instagram fun that A Frugal Friend and Simple Sojourns have been running all summer. Either way, I have had fun documenting the fun while on the go with my phone and sharing it with family and friends.

Why yes, our theme would probably have a lot to do with dinosaurs and science thanks to out miSci membership. Of course, even Doctor Who has had his run-ins with these topics and more.

So my question to you this week: If you had to come up with a theme to describe your 2013 summer at this point, what would it be and why?

It's Me

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this Friday fun. These days, Pamela at A Renaissance Woman is reviving the fun Friday Meme. Head over there to link up and join in the fun.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An Island Life

Aloha #251

Categories:
Aloha Friday summer

Israel Bound and Making Aliyah

Posted on August 22, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

When I was little, I loved spending time with all of my aunts and uncles. I have a lot of memories of special times with each of my parent’s siblings. My mother’s brother showed me how to swim and dive at my Nana and Papa’s pool. My mother’s sister lives in California, so time with her was more about seeing my cousins and playing with them since they were older than us. My father is the oldest of his siblings, this meant that my brother and I were the only grandchildren for some time. This allowed us even more moments that I can remember before my younger cousins came into the world. My father’s sister introduced me to the VCR, concert watching, crafting, and a lot of other things. Dad’s brother and his wife would come to visit and take me out alone. When my little brother was little, I recall them taking me to a pizza place, teaching me to play Pac-Man, and introducing me to The Polk Street School books.

I remember seeing their wedding photos from England (Aunt A is British) and hearing stories about their times in what is now Russia. Even back then, everyone talked about them moving to Israel. It was never a question of if they would, more of a when it would happen. I remember when they moved back to the United States with their family and settled in Pennsylvania. We were able to see them a lot more and watch my cousins grow up. Then as I went into teaching, I would talk to Uncle J about things because he is an educator.

Years have passed and all of my cousins are grown up now and three of them are already living in Israel. In fact, one is getting married in under two weeks. About a year ago, Aunt A and Uncle J announced that they were indeed moving to Israel during the summer of 2013. This meant extra special family gatherings before they were on their way. Over Independence Day weekend, they came into town and we gathered at the lake. Just before they left for home, I got a picture of the boys with them. Though I know we will see them, it will not be as often and I wanted this photo for my kids.

NHL and JSL adore spending time with Aunt A and Uncle J. They have so much patience and understanding of children. Uncle J helped NHL in the pool over that weekend and he still talks about it to this day. JSL loved playing games on the floor with Aunt A.

I wanted to take this time to say Mazel Tov to them on making their dream a reality. This week, they flew to Israel and made Aliyah. Wishing the two of you the best as you get to know your new home. Please send our love to everyone and take lots of photos of H & M on their wedding day.

Categories:
family looking back

A Disney Ice Castle

Posted on August 21, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

When people think of iconic images from Disney Parks, there are a group that automatically come to mind. Each of the parks has what they call Disney Weenies. Imagineers refer to them by that name. So what are Disney Weenies? They are focal points within the lands of Disney Parks that you can see from a distance and make you want to walk a little bit closer. For Walt Disney World, Cinderella’s Castle just screams out as the magical image that most think of for the Orlando destination. While I have seen Cinderella’s Castle countless times, our most recently trip in December was even more magical. It was the first time I witnessed the ice castle lit up at night. There are no words, simply take in the beauty.

Be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic by clicking on the button above to join in the Disney magic this week.

Categories:
Disney travel vacation

Tuesday Tales – Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary

Posted on August 20, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It wasn’t long ago that TechyDad was the only Doctor Who fan in our house. Then, one day, I decided to try watching the new series with The Ninth Doctor. Before I knew it, I was hooked and quickly catching up with the series. By the time Father’s Day rolled around, I was practically caught up and I knew that TechyDad really wanted to get the boys involved in the show, but they had little or no interest. That is when I bought them a special gift to give to him for Father’s Day. Yes, my purchase of When’s The Doctor slowly hooked the boys into interest in all things related Doctor Who. Once the summer started, the kids finally began to watch the series. I think it is safe to say that we now have two younger Whovians in the family. Not only did JSL want his own sonic screwdriver, but NHL would beg to know more about everything as he waited to watch the next episode. When I stared to get a few things for NHL’s tenth birthday, I knew there had to be something related to Doctor Who.

NHL was in Doctor Who heaven. He kept racing through the book looking for people, places, and things that he has seen. Just days before he received the book, the boys had gotten a few episodes into the David Tennant years. Thanks to this, NHL knew what happened to the Ninth Doctor and how the Tenth Doctor came onto the show. Of course, if you look at the table of contents from this DK book you will see there is a lot within this dictionary.

My somewhat reluctant reader has already spent a lot of time diving into this book. The visual dictionary is nearly 150 pages long and filled with beautiful photos of some of the most memorable parts of Doctor Who. In addition to this, there are fantastic facts about the history of the show, characters, places they have traveled, and times they have visited. You can quickly read about the eleven Doctors that have already been a part of the history and see exactly what a sonic screwdriver is for.

Then my favorite part was looking at a character that was near and dear to me. For Doctor Who geeks, you will get my message below about Donna Noble and the shirt I purchased from TeeFury.

If I can get the book away from NHL long enough, I will take some time to read more. No doubt there were items that I missed while watching the show. Now, TechyDad and I are trying to stop him from reading spoilers.

Have you ever watched Doctor Who or read books about the show? As always, Tuesday Tales is all about sharing our love of books. Please let me know what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else.