As an instructor, you try to be as clear as possible when asking for files to be saved in a compatible format for grading. This task can sometimes stump the best of us. Fear not, my friends, for you’re in good company. Here’s what’s up:

Most browsers have the necessary powers to view the most common formats. For example, the MPEG format (Motion Pictures Expert Group),is a good choice for quality video. However, there are many options. The point is to be sure it’s compatible, and the necessary plugins are clearly available if not previously installed. If you’re going to be watching any video (which of course you are) on your computer, you should definitely be prepared to play/accept WMV, FLV, MP4, MOV and SWF. Confused? Check out the list below for brief definitions:

• .3gp – the most common video format for mobile phones
• .asf – (ASF is a shell, which enables any form of compression to be used; MPEG-4 is common. Video in ASF-containers is also called Windows Media Video (WMV))
• .avi – Audio Video Interleave – a shell that enables any form of compression to be used; MPEG-1 and a variant of MPEG-4 are common)
• .flv – Flash video played through a .swf file.
• .m2v – MPEG-2 Video file
• .mov – Quicktime video; enables any form of compression to be used; Sorenson codec is the most common.
• .mp3 – MPEG layer 3 audio;
• .mp4 – MPEG-4 Part 14. Most commonly used to store digital video and digital audio streams
• .mpeg, .mpg, .mpe – Moving Picture Experts Group
• .ra – Real Audio

Even if you haven‘t figured it all out yet, lighten up. You can actually upload almost any video, as long as it’s in a compatible format. Many players will accept multiple file formats, so you can use one app for all video. But no one expects you to know everything at anytime. Just what’s best for that particular file. Do your homework.

Now that I’ve completely confused the crap out of you, don’t sweat it. Have a cookie. The oracle says as soon as you leave this post, you’ll feel right as rain. But just in case you got a stale cookie, this will surely lift your spirits. Have a better one.

That’s right. Adobe’s at it again. It’s upgrade time! You may wanna rethink that Christmas list. Feel like screaming? You better scream! This is so wrong! It’s too soon! Most of us are still working the kinks outta CS4! Hell, I know a dozen people who are still learning CS3! Somebody should do something! We gotta stop these maniacs!!!

Wait..

This Photoshop CS5 video… its… so… COOOOOOOOL! Look at those FEATURES!!

April is too far away! I want it NOW! Where’s the Beta? WHERE IS IT?!!!

E.C. Segar, the man behind Popeye the Sailor, received an appropriately raucous birthday message from Google Tuesday. Its home page features the husky hero smacking around Google’s logo and about to swallow a quick serving of his favorite meal, canned spinach.

Today marks what would be the American cartoonist’s 115th birthday.

Elzie Crisler Segar was born and raised in Chester, Illinois, a small town near the Mississippi River. The son of a handyman, his earliest work experiences included assisting his father in house painting and paper hanging. Skilled at playing drums, he also provided musical accompaniment to films and vaudeville acts in the local theater, where he was eventually given the job of film projectionist. At age 18, he decided to become a cartoonist. He took a correspondence course in cartooning from W.L. Evans of Cleveland, Ohio. He said that after work he “lit up the oil lamps about midnight and worked on the course until 3am.”

Segar moved to Chicago where he met Richard F. Outcault, creator of The Yellow Kid and Buster Brown. Outcault encouraged him and introduced him at the Chicago Herald. On March 12, 1916, the Herald published Segar’s first comic, Charlie Chaplin’s Comedy Capers, which ran for a little over a year. In 1918, he moved on to William Randolph Hearst’s Chicago Evening American where he created Looping the Loop. Segar married Myrtle Johnson that year; they had two children.

Segar eventually created the Thimble Theatre cartoon strip in 1919. After nearly 10 years of Olive Oyl and others gracing its panels, the series introduced a new character – a balding sailor with an eye patch, anchor tattoos, preposterous forearms, and a curious vocabulary.

Popeye soon outgrew the Thimble Theatre, earning his own cartoon strip, animated series, and live-action movie starring Robin Williams.

After prolonged illness, Segar died in 1938 of liver disease at the age of 43. Segar’s longtime assistant, Bud Sagendorf, took over the strip and continued it for two years.

In 1971, the National Cartoonists Society created the Elzie Segar Award in his honor. According to the Society’s web site, the award “was presented to a person who has made a unique and outstanding contribution to the profession of cartooning.”

So Happy Birthday, Elzie. We’ll all be celebrating your life over a can of spinach tonight.

I’m not a big Powerpoint fan (Keynote is my app of choice) , but I’ve discovered that without design discipline, any product, including a PPT file, can be a recipe for disaster. Nothing kills a buzz like a poorly designed slide with too much crap in it. To help a fellow colleague, I’ve posted some info that may help “would-be speakers” avoid the common pitfalls of a slideshow that sucks. Here are a few scary examples of PowerPoint design gone awry:

And, finally, the man himself, Mr. Bill, wins my award for Worst PowerPoint Presentation EVER. Not very comforting from the company that actually invented the product! Check out THESE puppies:

Still holding down your lunch? Good for you! Now let’s get down to brass tacks. You need to recognize the problem before you get caught up in it. Watch this slideshow from Ham Diyon for the “DON’TS” of a Powerpoint prez. Hope it helps!