tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72105345943124327042010-03-27T10:24:53.130-07:00Renewing the VoiceAndy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-3476239560935976712010-03-27T10:24:00.001-07:002010-03-27T10:24:53.180-07:00This blog has moved<br /> This blog is now located at http://renewingthevoice.blogspot.com/.<br /> You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click <a href='http://renewingthevoice.blogspot.com/'>here</a>.<br /><br /> For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to<br /> http://renewingthevoice.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.<br /> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-347623956093597671?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-71104169625472802972010-03-26T13:44:00.000-07:002010-03-26T14:04:50.340-07:00Hatboro station now streaming LIVE @Monty<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/Screen-shot-2010-03-26-at-4.43.48-PM-764134.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 368px; height: 226px;" src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/Screen-shot-2010-03-26-at-4.43.48-PM-764132.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div>It's true! We are now streaming <a href="http://wrdv.com/index.html">89.3 WRDV-FM</a> live from our Web site. We spoke with the guys at WRDV earlier this month about the idea and they were happy to get on board.</div><div><br /></div><div>WRDV broadcasts Jazz Age classics, big band era, early blues, rock and country during the weekdays. On weekends, the station moves toward "roots of rocks and rhythm, doo wop and rare oldies tunes. </div><div><br /></div><div>What really caught my ear were the local business advertisements. Around 4:52 p.m. Friday, I heard about a local pancake eating event in Warminster. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wrdv.com/index.html"><b>Click here to LISTEN LIVE to 89.3 WRDV-FM</b></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-7110416962547280297?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-55706723361117533022010-03-03T21:33:00.000-08:002010-03-03T22:18:00.410-08:00New community blogs launch<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://montgomerynews.com/articles/2010/03/03/souderton_independent/news/doc4b8eb7145d7ea899902434.txt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Read this at the </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Souderton Independent</span></span></b></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Montgomery Media, parent company of the </span></span><a href="http://www.montgomerynews.com/souderton_independent/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Souderton Independent</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> has launched two new local blogs this week.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The first, the </span></span><a href="http://www.tentsforhaitiproject.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Tents for Haiti Project blog</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">, documents the 30-year relationship between volunteer groups in the Souderton area and the village of Côtes-de-Fer in Haiti along with ongoing efforts to provide relief and support to that village.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The second blog, </span></span><a href="http://www.secondstringthoughts.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Second String Thoughts</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">, is for sports fanatics in the local area and features writings from Kevin McGuire, a Souderton resident who will blog on local sports issues in the Souderton and Pennridge area, as well as hot topics for Philadelphia’s major sports teams and Penn State sports.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The Souderton Independent and </span></span><a href="http://www.montgomerynews.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Montgomery Media</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> are aiming to expand local opinion coverage on the web through its blog center. If you have a blog idea you’d like us to consider, e-mail Souderton Independent editor Emily Morris at emorris@montgomerynews.com or our Video and Web editor Andy Stettler at astettler@montgomerynews.com.</span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', serif;"></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-5570672336111753302?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-35031942836923449192010-03-01T17:00:00.000-08:002010-03-03T21:58:56.475-08:00Overshare, under-square<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/Screen-shot-2010-03-01-at-9.03.03-PM-717481.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 183px; height: 190px;" src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/Screen-shot-2010-03-01-at-9.03.03-PM-717479.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">I guess Monday wasn't the best day to push </span><a href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/2010/02/mobile-test-can-foursquars-mobile-app.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Foursquare's mobile app</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> to the limits but I did happen to stumble upon some interesting finds. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://squarepik.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">SquarePik</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">, an iPhone app that allows Foursquare players to add photos and videos to their check-ins is a great way for local businesses to use social networking to promote themselves. This is kind of a break through for Foursquare but the network itself hasn't seemed to understand SquarePik's advantages.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The point of Foursquare is to talk about the places users have checked-into, to provide tips about what's good, what's bad and if the place is even worth the visit. If Foursquare were to incorporate visual forms of media, going beyond text, the app would enter a whole new world of usefulness.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Imagine having to make a decision between the </span><a href="http://www.broadaxetavern.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Broad Axe Tavern</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> and </span><a href="http://www.thephilstavern.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Phil's Tavern</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> with only Foursquare as a reference. The two are so similar at a glance that the decision could really go either way. But if Foursquare used photos and video, users could compare the Broad Axe's upgraded, visually appealing sports bar area to Phil's classic pub style bar and make a much more informed decision about the two Blue Bell taverns.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">I would imagine this could cause competition between businesses via Foursquare which would then bring more businesses into the network's business deal program.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/Screen-shot-2010-02-28-at-10.24.41-PM-782052.png" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 189px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">On a completely different note, </span><a href="http://foursquare.com/user/andystettler"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">I received the "Overshare" badge</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> last night after making "10+ check-ins in 12 hours."</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-3503194283692344919?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-72407974540649003402010-02-28T11:28:00.000-08:002010-03-03T21:59:20.228-08:00The Mobile Test: Can Foursquare's mobile app meet other networks' standards?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/FourSquareScreen-787053.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 278px; height: 400px;" src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/FourSquareScreen-787017.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Last November, </span><a href="http://mashable.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Mashable</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> creator Pete Cashmore </span><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/11/19/cashmore.foursquare/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">anticipated the rise of FourSquare</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> in 2010. He said, "you may wonder which social-media service will become tech's poster boy in 2010. Among the Web’s early adopter set, the answer is nearly unanimous: </span><a href="http://foursquare.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Foursquare</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">."</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Well, it's 2010 and Foursquare is my latest digital obsession. Cashmore was right when he said that Foursquare, like Twitter has an addictive nature, but I would like to see if Foursquare can keep up with social networks giants like Facebook and Twitter.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">This week, I'm going to experiment with Foursquare to update my Facebook and Twitter via mobile device rather than Tweetie or Facebook Mobile. I want to see what Foursquare is missing and what it is capable of. Then, I will post another blog entry, here, at the end of the week about what I found and whether or not I think I could completely replace other social media mobile apps with the FourSquare app. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Why Foursquare could be the next big network </span></b></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Unlike Twitter, Foursquare is a game. Users check in to restaurants, theaters, gas stations and even </span><a href="http://foursquare.com/venue/1072801"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">workplaces</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> to earn points which are then added to a weekly score board measuring the user’s points against those of their Foursquare friends.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The game aspect of Foursquare is key to drawing both Twitter users and Facebook users who haven’t fallen for the Twitter phenomenon. This network doesn't force users to gain a following or get out. Instead, users can simply check-in, win the mayor's crown and earn badges among a small network of friends. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">However, the network provides a fix for the Twitter-feins too. Users can sync their Facebook status and a Twitter account so that they can "shout" (the Foursquare equivalent of a tweet) from Foursquare while updating the other two networks.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">These two aspects are what I would like to test in the coming week.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">You can find me on </span><a href="http://foursquare.com/user/andystettler"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Foursquare</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> and Twitter </span><a href="http://foursquare.com/user/andystettler"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">@AndyStettler</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">. Follow me and send me a comment.</span></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:12px;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-7240797454064900340?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-28217248283816176452010-02-21T12:00:00.000-08:002010-03-03T22:00:00.701-08:00The Equipment Shed, Issue 2: The MinoHD Flip Cam<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/flip1-770492.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 257px;" src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/flip1-770482.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></span></span><meta charset="utf-8" id="webkit-interchange-charset"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As Journal Register Company newsrooms across the country move forward with new </span></span><a href="http://www.journalregister.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=332&Itemid=1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">CEO John Paton’s initiative</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> to cover more stories using multimedia, Montgomery Media wants to be ahead of the curve.
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<br />In fact, we began using video coverage as an added aspect of our news coverage back in May 2009, however, now the entire Monty newsroom is pushing to cover stories with video more frequently and preferably in HD.
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<br />That’s where the </span></span><a href="http://www.theflip.com/en-us/Products/mino.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">MinoHD Flip Cam</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> came in.
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<br />The MinoHD Flip Cam shoots in 1280 x 720 pixels and holds 8GB of video, thats nearly 120 minutes of footage. Below is a list of this Flip’s pros and cons.
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<br /></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Pros:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">
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<br /></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Durability-</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /> During the snow storms earlier this month, I was able to walk the neighborhoods of </span></span><a href="http://montgomerynews.com/video/video-news/?media=10126296"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Plymouth Meeting shooting HD footage</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> even as the snow continued to fall. No other camera (at least that I own) would be able to withstand the wet and icy cold climate of this month’s snow storm without suffering some kind of defect due to moisture.
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<br /></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Compact Size-</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /> Since the size of this Flip is no larger than an iPod, I can carry it in my pocket as if it were a cell phone. So whereas my </span></span><a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=19208"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Canon SX20 IS</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> would be a hassle to carry around all day (often times, my camera bag is mistaken for a purse...), I barely even notice that I have the Flip with me.
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<br /></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Easy to Use and Dummy Proof-</span></span></b><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Flips are the definition of a "point-and-shoot" camera. Any writer, editor, even the receptionist can learn to use a Flip. You simply press the red "record" button and action! I've also heard of some users who are a little worried about deleting their footage since the trashcan button is right there on the touch-sensitive device. Actually, users have to press the trash button a number of times to actually get the camera to delete your footage and therefore the MinoHD Flip Cam is practically dummy proof.
<br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Cons:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">
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<br /></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Zoom- </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /> The zoom on this Flip is very weak. The Flip’s creators say it has a “smooth multi-step 2x digital” zoom but the last thing I would call this zoom is smooth. Users will never get that cool zoom-action shot they get from any other video camera. Instead, they will have to suffer from the camera’s spastic pulse zoom which looks incredibly unprofessional, especially in a news video.
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<br />In addition, do not expect to go to an event and cover a speaker from your seat. Try to catch as many one-on-one interviews as you can before the speaker takes the podium so that you do not have to rely on the bad quality zoom and it’s pixelated recording.
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<br /></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">White Balance and Light Sensitivity-</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /> During the recent snow storms, I enjoyed taking walks at night when the snow reduced to flurries. What I found was that I could capture almost everything in the dark landscape without having to find a streetlight for help.
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<br />However, go to any concert venue with stage lighting and forget it. The white balance and light sensitivity is completely automatic. I once had a friend tape a concert I played at World Cafe Live and the entire recording went in my trash bin because even with color correction, my skin was so bright that the definition was lost and so came the distorted pixelation.
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<br /></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lack of Image Stabilization-</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /> My intern showed me his method of holding the Flip so that users don’t get the “Blair Witch” effect but even with his method, the Flip’s shaky nature can get kind of ridiculous. Be sure to tell newsroom Flip users about the lack of image stabilization so they can prepare themselves to stay as stable as possible.
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<br /></span></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Flip does have a a standard thread for tripod use but the whole point of the camera is that it is a hand-held device for users who are not interested in carrying a heavy camera bag or in this case, a bulky tripod.</span></span></div></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-2821724828381617645?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-9104511489047063232010-02-15T15:30:00.000-08:002010-03-03T22:00:18.161-08:00"The Fort" on FourSquare<hr /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/Picture-5-756469.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 346px;" src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/Picture-5-756463.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><hr /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /><br />Just some quick news to our readers whom follow our social networks; you can now check-in to “The Fort” on </span><a href="http://foursquare.com/venue/1072801"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">FourSquare</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">.<br /><br />Okay, so maybe it isn’t the most revolutionary news but for now on, if you happen to stop by our Fort Washington offices, be sure to check in. We love to know who is in the office or who has stopped by.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Montgomery Media Social Networks:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://twitter.com/montgomerymedia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Twitter- @MontgomeryMedia</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Montgomery-Media/259803256843?ref=ss#%21/pages/Montgomery-Media/259803256843?v=box_3&ref=ss"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br />Facebook- Montgomery Media</span></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-910451148904706323?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-30539607261594887982010-01-31T10:02:00.000-08:002010-03-03T22:00:36.484-08:00Friday Night's Perigee Moon<hr /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/perigee1-739886.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/perigee1-739821.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><hr /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br />Anyone whom happened to see the moon Friday night, may have caught themselves taking a second glance at the illumined man in the sky, the reason being that Friday's moon was colossal.<br /><br />Due to its oblong lunar orbit which brings the moon more than 250,000 miles closer to Earth, the moon appears 14 percent bigger than any full moon this year.<br /><br />I was on my way to dinner when I saw the moon at Jolly Road and Timberfare Circle in Plymouth Meeting. I had to pull over, much to the delight of my girlfriend, so that I could take a photo of the titanic moon as it shown over the creek that runs between Beacon Hill Circle and Timberfare Lane.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-3053960726159488798?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-23256453612849902352010-01-31T09:22:00.000-08:002010-03-03T22:00:57.934-08:00Flooding causing problems in Whitemarsh TownshipI<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> was driving around Monday, between rain storms, looking for a few photos for a slide show when I drove past Mathers Lane in Whitemarsh. Unbelievable! The entire road was flooded and even a FedEx truck had stopped, seeming confused, wondering how best to make the delivery to one of the homes under the muddy Wissahickon water.<br /><br />I ended up driving a few feet down the street (the feet which were dry) and found Gino Ciavarelli of Whitemarsh watching the water recede from his home. He said the first floor was a foot deep in water earlier in the day. As you will hear in this video, flooding from the Wissahickon has caused much worse.<br /><br /></span><hr /><div class="jrcv-embed"><object id="player_swf_embed" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="458" height="291" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab"><param name="movie" value="http://cdn-akm.vmixcore.com/core-flash/UnifiedVideoPlayer/UnifiedVideoPlayer.swf?player_id=9ca5aa2879a3e23567f0f621bc3ee53b"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="flashVars" value="player_id=9ca5aa2879a3e23567f0f621bc3ee53b&token=1a19b5559cc9933c9f6a0761669a98b2 "><embed name="player_swf" src="http://cdn-akm.vmixcore.com/core-flash/UnifiedVideoPlayer/UnifiedVideoPlayer.swf?player_id=9ca5aa2879a3e23567f0f621bc3ee53b" width="458" height="291" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="player_id=9ca5aa2879a3e23567f0f621bc3ee53b&token=1a19b5559cc9933c9f6a0761669a98b2&event_handler=jrcvVidTrack" swliveconnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object></div><hr /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-2325645361284990235?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-286577034653715362010-01-13T13:02:00.000-08:002010-02-03T10:10:34.203-08:00The Equipment Shed, Issue 1- The Photo/Video Camera<p><i>Welcome to the Equipment Shed,</i>a continuous monthly item that will appear on this blog aimed to tell both readers and journalists the secrets behind <a href="http://www.montgomerynews.com/">Montgomery Media'</a>s multimedia pieces. </p><br /><p>I've always felt that newsroom photographers and writers should always carry a digital camera that shoots both video and photos. Video recording capabilities are always a must because at the very least you can take a still frame image from your video clips and use them in your photo spaces.</p><br /><p>This past Tuesday, while covering the grand opening of <a href="http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2010/01/13/colonial_news/news/doc4b4cba5e8e815237539238.txt">Whole Foods Market</a> in Plymouth Meeting for <a href="http://www.colonialnews.com/">The Colonial</a>, I came upon further evidence proving my theory.</p><br /><p>I noticed customers aiming their mobile devices at the <a href="http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2010/01/13/colonial_news/news/doc4b4cba5e8e815237539238.txt">bread breaking ceremony</a> while photographers were standing on produce displays in order to snap their photos for the next day's front page. Strangely enough, the customers were the only people (besides myself) in the room shooting video.</p><p><br /></p><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8723168&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=59a5d1&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8723168&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=59a5d1&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p></p><p>Mind you, I was not carrying a bulky $10,000 Philadelphia news station camera. Instead I was shooting 720p high definition video using my new <a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=19208#ModelFeaturesAct">Canon PowerShot SX20 IS</a>. Canon has done something remarkable with this addition to the Canon PowerShot camera line. They have offered a photo camera that shoots great quality photos at up to 4,000 pixels in width that also shoots incredible HD video all for a price of under $700.</p><p></p><p><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6554304&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6554304&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object></p><p></p><br /><p></p><p>Further, this camera features an image stabilizer for minimal motion blur and a 20x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom.</p><p>Considering the price, image quality and HD video quality, I hereby add the Canon Powershot SX20 IS to the Equipment Shed.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-28657703465371536?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-8255488158079657992010-01-05T08:46:00.000-08:002010-03-03T22:01:12.763-08:00Weather via #MontyWeather<hr /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/Snowman-765190.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/Snowman-765166.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><hr /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span><a href="http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/12/23/montgomery_life/doc4b3212bd895eb693204834.txt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Winter weather</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> is a big issue this season. We had a rather cold summer and now as we blow through the colder seasons we here in the newsroom feel that </span><a href="http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2010/01/05/montgomery_life/doc4b43450761907718224770.txt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">daily weather reports</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> are essential to our Web site. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Each morning we will post the weather report accompanied by a </span><a href="http://www.myfoxphilly.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">MyFoxPhilly</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> video report of the days weather so that while your sitting in traffic, waiting at the bus stop or merely planning your day, you can be prepared.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">For all of our Twitter followers, follow the </span><a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23montyweather"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">#MontyWeather</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> hash tag for a quick, easy and accessible weather report. </span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-825548815807965799?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-47554164378226879892009-12-19T07:44:00.000-08:002009-12-19T10:51:30.742-08:00Winter Weather Live CamI'm using <a href="http://www.ustream.tv/channel/http://www.ustream.tv/channel/montgomerymedia">UStream</a> on my <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3gs/">iPhone</a> to stream the snow storm from my house. If you are streaming from your home email me at AStettler@Montgomerynews.com and I'll add your video here. <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="400" height="320" id="utv344303"><param name="flashvars" value="autoplay=false&brand=embed&cid=2326296"/><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="movie" value="http://www.ustream.tv/flash/live/1/2326296"/><embed flashvars="autoplay=false&brand=embed&cid=2326296" width="400" height="320" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" id="utv344303" name="utv_n_848316" src="http://www.ustream.tv/flash/live/1/2326296" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" /></object><a href="http://www.ustream.tv/live" style="padding: 2px 0px 4px; width: 400px; background: #ffffff; display: block; color: #000000; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Live TV : Ustream</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-4755416437822687989?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-36321018379088883612009-12-14T13:18:00.000-08:002009-12-14T14:04:53.344-08:00Q&A: The new Holiday Multimedia page<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/Screen-shot-2009-12-14-at-4.55.25-PM-764449.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 350px;" src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/Screen-shot-2009-12-14-at-4.55.25-PM-764437.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What to know about our </span><a href="http://montgomerynews.com/holiday/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Holiday Multimedia</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> page?<br /></span></b><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In celebration of the holiday season, we launched our </span></span><a href="http://montgomerynews.com/holiday/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Holiday Multimedia</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> page today. The page has </span></span><a href="http://montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/12/14/holiday/doc4b268e916cf2b584474328.txt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">video</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, </span></span><a href="http://montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/12/14/holiday/doc4b2692264b3fc747837429.txt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">slide shows</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, </span></span><a href="http://montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/12/14/holiday/doc4b268e916cf2b584474328.txt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">sounds slides</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and </span></span><a href="http://montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/12/14/holiday/doc4b269f097032c331223458.txt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">print</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> stories and more will be added as we get closer to New Years Day.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Okay, so it's kind of like the </span><a href="http://montgomerynews.com/seasonal/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Halloween multimedia</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> page?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sort of, but unfortunately we won't have </span></span><a href="http://montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/12/14/seasonal/doc4accff0ab9e21987458777.txt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">resident's podcasting their experiences with the supernatural</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. Instead, we're aiming for community engagement! We will hold </span></span><a href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/2009/12/live-chat-of-peddlers-village-christmas.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">live chats</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> this month about issues like "shopping local," and other holiday related topics.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In addition, we will be asking you, the readers, to take part in the celebration. Throughout the month we will be gathering photos of you and buy you and posting them to the </span></span><a href="http://montgomerynews.com/holiday/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Holiday page</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. One week we will gather Christmas tree photos, the next week we may gather </span></span><a href="http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/12/05/ambler_gazette/doc4b19a51df0a46079484213.txt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">photos of your decorated homes.</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What makes this feature different than Haunted (the Halloween multimedia feature) is community engagement. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Can I find updated stories if I follow you on </span><a href="http://twitter.com/montgomerymedia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Twitter</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> or </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=100000051574419&ref=ts"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Facebook</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Absolutely! Just we like we always have, we will be posting stories via our </span></span><a href="http://twitter.com/montgomerymedia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Twitter</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and </span></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=100000051574419&ref=ts"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Facebook</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. That includes holiday multimedia stories. Also, Twitter followers can look at the stories we have tweeted by following the <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23montyxmas">#MontyXmas</a> hash tag on Twitter.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Leave us a comment and let us know what you think of the new </span></span><a href="http://www.montgomerynews.com/holiday"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Holiday Multimedia</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> page</span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-3632101837908888361?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-52926509309324554172009-12-11T14:26:00.000-08:002009-12-11T15:07:44.801-08:00What's drawing the Twitterverse?<span style="font-weight: bold;">Attention all Twitterverse readers! We want to know what you read <a href="http://twitter.com/montgomerymedia">when we tweet,</a> so answer the following poll and let us know what kind of stories we should tweet more often. Thanks! </span><br /><br />Andy Stettler<br />Web and Video Editor<br />Montgomery Media<br /><br /><img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyNjA1NzIyNjUwMzAmcHQ9MTI2MDU3MjI4MDIzMSZwPTU3NzU*MiZkPSZnPTEmbz*2ODMzMDdkNzIxMDM*ODVhOWQ2OGFhZTFhNjJkMThlYSZvZj*w.gif" border="0" width="0" height="0" /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" align="middle" width="425" height="417"><param name="movie" value="http://www.pollsb.com/fw/pollsb.swf?pollId=2149194&morePolls=0"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.pollsb.com/fw/pollsb.swf?pollId=2149194&morePolls=0" wmode="transparent" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="middle" width="425" height="417"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-5292650930932455417?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-55715233249092516972009-12-05T04:54:00.000-08:002009-12-05T05:01:55.406-08:00LIVE chat of the Peddler's Village Christmas Festival<span style="font-weight:bold;">LIVE chat of the Peddler's Village Christmas Festival will begin at 12 p.m. EST.</span> Chat here or follow the <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23pedparade">#PedParade</a> tag on Twitter.<div><br /><iframe src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=f0b8000d90/height=550/width=470" scrolling="no" height="550px" width="470px" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"><a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=f0b8000d90">LIVE chat of the Peddler's Village Christmas Festival</a></iframe></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-5571523324909251697?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-66196493919728810062009-11-16T13:05:00.000-08:002009-11-16T13:26:30.135-08:00Westbrook may be out for season<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id="video" width="380" height="325" data="http://www.myfoxphilly.com/video/videoplayer.swf?dppversion=3758"><param value="http://www.myfoxphilly.com/video/videoplayer.swf?dppversion=3758" name="movie"><param value="&skin=MP1ExternalAll-MFL.swf&embed=true&adSrc=http%3A%2F%2Fad%2Edoubleclick%2Enet%2Fadx%2Ftsg%2Ewtxf%2Fsports%2Fsports%5Fteam%2Fdetail%3Bdcmt%3Dtext%2Fxml%3Bpos%3D%3Btile%3D2%3Bfname%3Ddr%2E%5Fmike%253A%5Fwestbrook%5Fshould%5Fquit%5Fnfl%3Bloc%3Dsite%3Bsz%3D320x240%3Bord%3D637922605317510800%3Frand%3D0%2E8125002563893372&flv=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emyfoxphilly%2Ecom%2Ffeeds%2FoutboundFeed%3FobfType%3DVIDEO%5FPLAYER%5FSMIL%5FFEED%26componentId%3D131018696&img=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia2%2Emyfoxphilly%2Ecom%2F%2Fphoto%2F2009%2F11%2F16%2F1116drwmikewestbrook%5Ftmb0000%5F20091116080919%5F640%5F480%2EJPG&story=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emyfoxphilly%2Ecom%2Fdpp%2Fsports%2Feagles%2Fdr%2E%5Fmike%253A%5Fwestbrook%5Fshould%5Fquit%5Fnfl" name="FlashVars"><param value="all" name="allowNetworking"><param value="always" name="allowScriptAccess"></object><div>I think it was <a href="http://whyy.org/">WHYY</a> that significantly ruined football for me when they invited a sports writer into their studios to talk about the life-long effects of playing the American past time. What ruined the game for me was when this sports writer recalled what he saw at a Hall of Fame convention. He said that every hall of famer who came through the door was either in a wheel chair or leaned on a cane. The video above is yet another example of this.<div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-6619649391972881006?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-11459418987496547172009-11-08T16:59:00.000-08:002009-11-08T18:34:08.349-08:00Floating on Cloud Google<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/google-cloud-computing-753233.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 166px;" src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/google-cloud-computing-753231.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I recently purchased the </span></span><a href="http://bit.ly/xg4tl"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">new iMac</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> to use at my office in Fort Washington. I was then forced to make the decision that has plagued we who follow the technology industry. I needed to pick a word processor. The choices: Google's </span></span><a href="http://bit.ly/1MbsxI"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Google Docs</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, Microsoft's </span></span><a href="http://bit.ly/3x1xXB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Microsoft Office</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> or Apple's </span></span><a href="http://bit.ly/3wpdIK"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">iWork</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As a consistent user of Google's email service, </span></span><a href="http://bit.ly/1KKGAd"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Gmail</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the answer was obvious. I would use Google's Google Docs. One obvious reason for this decision was the price difference. Apple's iWork, at a whopping $80, isn't exactly worth the cash when you consider that Google Docs offers everything that both iWork and Microsoft Office ($149) have including a word, presentation (Power Point) and spread sheet documents. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The second reason to chose Google Docs over the others was that Google Docs runs on a cloud server. Meaning I can access my Google Documents from any Web browser. In comparison, iWork and Microsoft Office can only be accessed via the individual desktop. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All three companies have fully mobilized (not like cell phones) in response to what the </span></span><a href="http://bit.ly/4tjINs"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Economist</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, among other publications, are calling the cloud wars. Microsoft's release of Windows 7 was supposed to be the technology giant's response to Google and Apple's cloud servers but so far, I haven't heard much in the way of Microsoft using the cloud to its advantage.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Apple has tried catching up to Google with the MobileMe service but I've found trouble with looking through large folders of photos on the Apple cloud. I can never preview photos without downloading them off of the Apple cloud and onto my desktop. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I would really like to hear what others are thinking in terms of the cloud wars. I invite readers to send me a message or comment which explains their experiences with either of the three technology companies (Google, Apple, Microsoft) and their thoughts on how these companies are using the clouds. Check back soon.</span></span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-1145941898749654717?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-75926867733340301832009-11-07T06:28:00.000-08:002009-11-07T11:14:50.479-08:00Catching the Google Wave<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/Screen-shot-2009-11-07-at-1.02.19-PM-748967.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 209px;" src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/Screen-shot-2009-11-07-at-1.02.19-PM-748957.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When I first received my Google Wave invitation, I immediately searched the blogosphere for opinions, tutorials, etc. It only took a few minutes until I came across <a href="http://www.brucecooper.net/2009/10/using-google-wave-for-workflow-tasks.html">Bruce's Blog</a>.<br /><br />Under his post "Using Google Wave for Work flow tasks," Bruce outlines when Google Wave can be used most efficiently. He comments on a blog post by Daniel Tenner who says, primarily, Google Wave will be used when employees collaborate in the work place.<br /><br />He said, on average, when two employees are collaborating with a document, every time that document is updated each collaborator receives an email that the document has been modified. However, in Google Wave, Bruce said, notifications are already sent via pings to both collaborators each time a document is modified.<br /><br /><b>Updated: 9:30 a.m.</b><br /><br />Just used this URL (http://www.twittergadget.com/gadget_gmail.xml )to add Twitter to my Google Wave.<div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Updated 1:47 p.m.</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Unfortunately, Gmail and other emails cant be synced yet because Wave is still in preview mode. I think this would be an obvious feature when the real version comes out. </span></div><div><b><div class="editor"><div spellcheck="false" class="document wave-editor-off" editabledocmarker="true" contenteditable="false"><div><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Once you have the Twitter Gadget up and running, go to your settings button (top right) and then advanced settings.<br /></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This is where you can change the length of your Twitter gadget so that you can see more tweets.<br /></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In addition, you can change the colors and theme of your Twitter gadget. Be sure to pick colors that will not make the links and user names hard to see. </span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Updated 1:54 p.m.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A video tutorial to Google Wave-</span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/p6pgxLaDdQw&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/p6pgxLaDdQw&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span></p></div></div></div></b></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-7592686773334030183?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-66146058226767997032009-10-13T08:43:00.000-07:002009-10-13T08:46:07.097-07:00Eastern Montgomery County Emergency Management Group ExerciseI received this via email this morning:<br /><br />Dear Citizen:<br /> <br />Please excuse cross postings.<br /> <br />This letter is to advise you that a comprehensive regional drill is being conducted throughout Eastern Montgomery County on the morning of Sunday, October 18, 2009. As part of this regional drill, two simulated incidences will be in Upper Dublin Township. One is a simulated hazardous material incident located in the office park and the second is a simulated problem with the Loch Alsh Reservoir Dam. We emphasize that the purpose of this drill is to familiarize responders of how to communicate and operate together and to provide logistical challenges to our "First Responders" and "Township Staff'. We do not expect to be closing any roadways or entering onto private property, but you will see emergency vehicles and people in response gear moving about the Township. This is only a drill and, again, an opportunity for our teams to work together.<br /><br />If you have any questions regarding the drill or if your neighbors are not aware of this notice and express concern, they can contact the Fire Services Administrator, Greg Breyer at (215) 643-1600 x3272 or at gbreyer@upperdublin.net for information.<br /><br />Very truly yours,<br /><br />Paul A. Leonard<br />Township Manager<br />Emergency Management Coordinator<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-6614605822676799703?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-49174311203187708202009-10-09T19:29:00.000-07:002009-10-09T19:30:53.803-07:00MUFON convention abducts MCCC until SaturdayJust a quick video preview to the MUFON convention. Tomorrow's convention beings at 11 a.m and runs through to the evening. <br /><br /><embed src="http://www.montgomerynews.com/shared-content/flowplayer/FlowPlayer.swf?config=%7Bembedded%3Atrue%2CbaseURL%3A%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emontgomerynews%2Ecom%2Fshared%2Dcontent%2Fflowplayer%27%2CplayList%3A%5B%7BcontrolEnabled%3Atrue%2Ctype%3A%27jpg%27%2Curl%3A%27%2Fshared%2Dcontent%2Fnewsys%2Fcommon%2Fvideo%5Fpreview%2Ephp%3Fvideo%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emontgomerynews%2Ecom%2F%2Fcontent%2Farticles%2F2009%2F10%2F09%2Fmontgomery%5Flife%2Fdoc4acff0d0c5e1808783723350%2Eflv%27%2CoverlayId%3A%27play%27%7D%2C%7BcontrolEnabled%3Atrue%2Ctype%3A%27flv%27%2Curl%3A%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emontgomerynews%2Ecom%2F%2Fcontent%2Farticles%2F2009%2F10%2F09%2Fmontgomery%5Flife%2Fdoc4acff0d0c5e1808783723350%2Eflv%27%7D%5D%2CmenuItems%3A%5Btrue%2Ctrue%2Ctrue%2Ctrue%2Ctrue%2Ctrue%2Cfalse%5D%2CautoBuffering%3Afalse%2CautoPlay%3Afalse%2CautoRewind%3Atrue%2CuseNativeFullScreen%3Atrue%2CshowPlayListButtons%3Afalse%2CshowLoopButton%3Afalse%2Cloop%3Afalse%7D" width="350" height="513" scale="noscale" bgcolor="111111" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-4917431120318770820?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-72048427776173435232009-10-06T13:39:00.001-07:002009-10-06T13:53:45.186-07:00A Sad Yet Understandable Change to the King of Weeklies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/100_0909-766935.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/100_0909-766608.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif;">I was saddened this afternoon to receive an email from Economist.com announcing it's new limited access Web platform.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>"Dear Reader,<br /><br />I'd like to inform you about important changes at Economist.com.<br /><br />Beginning October 13th, we will be limiting access to certain sections of our site to subscribers only. Over the past few years, Economist.com has become a hub for intelligent discussion, with news commentary, blogs and an award-winning debate series. We will continue to encourage both subscribers and non-subscribers to participate in those conversations. We will also enhance the experience we offer our most loyal readers by expanding our subscribers-only features.<br /><br />Currently, all content published within the last year is free of charge. Soon, this access will be limited to articles published within the last 90 days. The print edition contents page, which offers a convenient way to browse articles and features from the latest issue of </b></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>The Economist</b></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>, will also be limited to subscribers only.<br /><br />Through these complementary aspects of Economist.com, we will continue to foster intelligent discussion and debate, while enhancing the value we bring to our community of subscribers.<br /><br />I hope you'll continue to visit the site and enjoy all it has to offer.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>Ben Edwards</b></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b><br />Ben Edwards, Publisher<br />Economist.com"</b></span></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-7204842777617343523?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-88938032072565662532009-10-05T13:52:00.000-07:002009-10-05T15:10:23.434-07:00A visit to Grey Towers Castle and the death of a few batteries<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/GreyTowers-771132.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/GreyTowers-771095.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I think it was <a href="http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/10/05/seasonal/doc4ac279efa5203705187421.txt">George Bruno of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Perkasie</span></a> who told me, maybe even while walking through the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Perkasie</span> train tunnel, that once a person hears a house is haunted, they are much more likely to feel as though they have experienced some sort of supernatural occurrence within that home.<br /><br />That's what keeps me from wanting to believe that whatever happened to my camera this afternoon at the Grey Towers Castle on Arcadia University's campus was the result of some supernatural experience.<br /><br />I was walking through Grey Towers Castle, at around 1 p.m. today, with Media Communications Manager at Arcadia University, Donna <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Whitlock</span>, who was showing me several areas in the 19<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> century Castle which had been mentioned in Arcadia's ghost story folklore. She had shown me the steps where a little girl, as the story goes, accidentally hung herself when her scarf got caught on the banister. Donna also showed me the "Red Room" where Mrs. Harrison, the former owner's wife, had conceivably murdered one of her husband's mistresses.<br /><br />But there was one room we entered, which Donna said was once the admissions office of the University, where upon entering the room, my camera's battery suddenly died. At first I thought nothing of it. Then I replaced the batteries in the camera with four I had recharged the night before.<br /><br />Those were dead too? "That's strange," I thought.<br /><br />Let me tell you something about myself. I always keep fresh batteries in my camera bag and I am absolutely obsessed with keeping rechargeable batteries charged. It's like my dad and his obsession with keeping the family cars clean, it's just this little tick I have.<br /><br />So when I pulled out the third set of batteries and the camera remained, well, dead, I began to wonder whether or not something in that room had wanted to let me know that they were there.<br />While researching for the "Haunted?" feature, I read "Do Dead People Watch You Shower," by Concetta <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Bertoldi</span>, a medium who consults regularly with the English Royal Family. This woman claims to have spoken with the dead her entire life and I must admit, it is one heck of a page-turner. But what she says is that some spirits just want you to know that they are there and both Concetta and Carol S., of last week's "Resident's Report Podcast" say that when you speak to spirits they do respond.<br /><br />With this in mind, before entering the castle I did say "whoever lives here, do not harm me but show yourself through this camera." This was merely a thought, like when you're at your child's sports game and you say to yourself, let my child play well today. It was so <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">subtle</span> and yet I don't want to push away the idea that my dead camera was a message from, as I said, someone who lives in the Grey Towers Castle.<br /><br />I'll be heading back to Arcadia tomorrow with another set of freshly charged batteries and hopefully, this time, I'll be able to get the footage I need for Wednesday's edition to the <a href="http://www.montgomerynews.com/seasonal">Haunted? multimedia section.</a> In the meantime, I'll be <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23montyOct">tweeting</a> more of my experiences and blogging here.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-8893803207256566253?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-73314688158488233672009-10-04T09:03:00.000-07:002009-10-04T09:05:32.654-07:00Photos from Wissahickon Valley Park<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="425" height="346" id="soundslider"><param name="movie" value="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/MontgomeryNews/valleygreen/soundslider.swf?size=2&format=xml"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"><embed src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/MontgomeryNews/valleygreen/soundslider.swf?size=2&format=xml" quality="high" bgcolor="#000000" width="425" height="346" menu="false" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-7331468815848823367?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-72748755116396556042009-09-13T18:39:00.000-07:002009-09-13T19:11:58.299-07:00Ghosts of Montgomery County<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/344237015_c455f5d8c8-732637.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/montgomery/voice/uploaded_images/344237015_c455f5d8c8-732616.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">As readers must know by now, I've been researching local area ghost stories non-stop over the past few months in order to prepare for our October Halloween feature. I've been interviewing residents in the area who have had a brush with the paranormal.<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I don't want to give too much away but I would like to say that I'm finding a few leads in this recurring idea that the longer a spirit has inhabited a home or followed a specific routine (more on that later), the more clearly an entity appears in physical form. Again, I don't want to give too much away so I'll leave it at that.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">However, I'd like to take this opportunity to advertise a local Facebook group that has caught my eye over the past week or two. </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=58885795336&ref=ts"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"Ghosts of Perkasie"</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> is a Facebook group created by George Bruno, local writer, blogger and entrepreneur. Check out the stories here. Some of them are shocking.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In the meantime, I'm still looking for stories! If you have a story, or know someone who does, send me an email at AndyStettler@gmail.com and type GHOST in the subject line. Upon request, sources will remain anonymous. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In the meantime, check out the preview to the upcoming feature and stay tuned.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span></div></div><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KiFWZ1vY8qU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KiFWZ1vY8qU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-7274875511639655604?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7210534594312432704.post-9502953732378546802009-09-05T09:44:00.000-07:002009-09-05T09:48:32.679-07:00Comments on the "Obama school speech snubbed"My response to the Times Herald article <a href="http://timesherald.com/articles/2009/09/05/news/doc4aa1eff36ccd7523086843.txt#blogcomments">"Obama school speech snubbed."</a><br />It seems that every four years we have to push our kids more and more to care about politics, to get out and vote. It is our schools' job to teach our children the importance of public decisions and how our nations works.<br /><br />For our county's schools to say that they will not show Obama's back to school address, to me, is just one more reason why our children can so easily care so little about politics.<br /><br />I'm very dissappointed to hear that my former high school, PWHS, will not show the adddress when eight years ago, a political science teacher stressed so strongly during the Bush vs. Kerry election that when students are engaged in current events today, they and their country have a leg up on tomorrow.<br /><br />I hope to see the Colonial School District and the other districts on Montgomery County change their minds. In the meantime, I remain disappointed.<br /><br />-Andy S. "<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7210534594312432704-950295373237854680?l=www3.allaroundphilly.com%2Fblogs%2Fmontgomery%2Fvoice%2Fblog.html' alt='' /></div>Andy Stettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01804346836221588710noreply@blogger.com0