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How to Embed A Google Map

By on March 31, 2010 in Blogging, Google, Programming/Coding

Easy as pie. When you go to Google Maps and plug in the address you want to share or you see one on a blog/web site that you want to share, here’s how you plug it into the site you’re editing.

At the top right corner of the map you will see three options, Print, Send and Link. Click on Link and it generates two sets of code. The first gives you the option to post a web link into an email or IM (text message). The second creates the HTML embed code you can add to your web site or to a particular blog post that you’re writing.


View Larger Map

Copy and paste the code and you’ll get a Google map like I have above. It will be fully functional with the usual capabilities to zoom in or out for greater or lesser surrounding geographic detail, the travel to or from address feature and the nearby search link.

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Use Cascading Style Sheets to Position Images In WordPress

By on January 15, 2010 in Blogging, Cascading Style Sheets, General Interest, Google, Programming/Coding, WordPress Tips

Google is just the most darned amazing tutorial service in human history. A few years ago when I adopted WordPress for my blogging platform the WordPress forums for getting questions answered were so convoluted I just wanted to scream in frustration. Thank goodness, Google has expanded it’s indexing to cover pretty much every subject. And fortunately more people are contributing helpful hints on all subjects especially those of us in the realms of blogging, web design, software engineering and animation.

I found a few great links that are helping me learn some quick Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) formatting tips using a few fundamental HTML commands. It’s been a good refresher as I now know how to center an image or shift it left or right, and how to wrap text around a picture. In these examples I’ll use the Blacks Gone Geek icon to illustrate the examples.

Here’s how it looks using straight HTML.

bgg.jpg

Using the old fashioned centering closed pair method

<center>Image file HTML goes here</center>

When I use the new CSS method that WordPress has incorporated I shouldn’t see any difference than when I use the traditional HTML method above.

bgg.jpg
Using the CSS centering method

<div class="cent">
<strong>Image file HTML goes here</strong>
</div>

Success! Of course more text between images always keeps things neatly spaced even when a style sheet is helping the alignment in the background.

bgg1.jpg

But what I really want to accomplish is lining up an image to the right or left as I please. To begin, here’s my effort to align an image to the right by adding the right alignment command. The picture has been repositioned to the right and the text now wraps around the left side of it. As I continue to type the text should wrap around the bottom of the picture and continue. So Let’s just see if that really is the case as I continue from this point to type nonsensical sentences just to fill up the space to test the programming technique behind the scenes in the WordPress editing panel. Ah, success again!

bgg1.jpg
So aligning an image to the left would be slightly different, merely changing the align command to left, rather than right. And as you might imagine if you were typing nonsenical gobbledygook (yes, that’s how it’s spelled) to test a programming concept you would allow your fingers to ramble across the keyboard just as I’m doing now. And were we succesful? Yes a third time.

So there’s a hint of what you can do with good CSS scripting. It’s literally custom made to control the layout design of your page and it applies to much more than the images you use. To learn more about it I also encourage you to read “HTML, XHTML, and CSS” by Rob Huddleston which I have found to be immensely helpful in getting me up to speed on all things CSS related. Hope you found this helpful and if so share the post with a friend.

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So What Are You Doing With Yourself Over the Thanksgiving Break, Martin?

By on December 3, 2009 in General Interest, Programming/Coding, YouTube

Dude! A ton. I’m catching up on some important technical reading involving 3D digital lighting technique that I’m sure we’ll be using more of next quarter. It involves inserting the right types of lights into a scene to illuminate the characters and the set appropriately. The book also explains how to cast shadows correctly. I’m reading a chapter a day of Jeremy Birn’s [digital] Lighting & Rendering. On chapter 6 today and should be done by the end of next week.

dlr2_cover_181.jpg

I’m also scheduling time to revise some of my projects from the just ended quarter with stuff like better lighting rigs (thus the need for Birn’s book), animating some of the still models we created in MAYA like masks and shoes and hopefully adding audio which I hear is difficult in MAYA. It may have to be imported into some other program for more post production editing to add sound. I’ll just have to research it.

I’ve also been adding audio to my animation final film this week and I’m considering editing the ending graphics while I’m tweaking it. In fact here’s the latest with audio tracks added in to complement the graphics. What do you think?

Next week I want to make one or two more short films just to get more comfortable with the Photoshop and After Effects packages. There are some really cool tutorials on YouTube and other sites that teach advanced special effects techniques in After Effects. It is a really impressive package. I want to put some time in with Illustrator as well. I heard about this one a few times during the quarter so I want to get my feet wet with the program over the next couple of weeks. I’ll brainstorm a couple of ideas and see where it all lands before the Christmas holiday kicks in.

So, what are you guys doing with yourselves over the end of year holiday breaks?

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So Your Kid Wants To Be An Animator?

By on October 29, 2009 in General Interest, Programming/Coding

So your kid claims to want to be the world’s next great digital animator? Here are a few good packages they can practice with. These will give them a breadth of exposure to basic programming, game design and web applications.

Alice is a cinematic package custom designed for youngsters to get their feet wet with animation. It’s also used as a beginning programming course in computer science departments on college campuses around the country. Alice has pre-made characters, structures and backgrounds and allows you to make short films. You can practice with perspective, camera positions and lighting. The program allows you to move action segments around to get the desired sequence of motion. You can lift the hood and see the Java language styled programming methods that make it all happen and customize the commands in greater detail.

RoboCode is a fun gaming design package also designed on a Java platform. It gives you good practice with gaming logic presenting different scenarios that you can customize with your own programmed battle tank. Actually a kid can design a bunch of tanks and orchestrate his own battle game.

Adobe’s famed Flash is used by graphic designers and animators alike. You may see a Flash app as part of web site or a one fully designed in Flash. There’s a good chance you’ll see animated graphics used in commercial advertising. It’s more pricey as a professional package but as your child develops their skills it’s really easy to pick up on.

Another respected Adobe product is DreamWeaver, a dedicated web design package. If your youngster already has a penchant for web design and have a basic knowledge of HTML and Cascading Style Sheets they should be to adapt to DreamWeaver relatively easily. Try the free trail version and see how they like it before buying.

And speaking of web sites, now is a good time for your kids to begin working a web site to show their talents. Not only will this develop into a portfolio for entrance into a college program it will serve as great advertising for consulting. And who’s to say he or she won’t pay their way through college and graduate into their own business?

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Edutopia Supports Digital Age Kids

By on September 3, 2009 in Blogging, Programming/Coding

Just heard a commercial for Edutopia on NPR this morning and decided to look them up. It’s the cool informal title of The George Lucas Educational Foundation.

The site addresses technology in public education and has many good links for parents, teachers, and students. Many of them are informational videos. Others relate to technology in schools. Still others expound on how the current generation of youngsters uses modern technology.

Whether you’re an educator, educational administrator or parent this site is a great source of ideas for innovation in the classroom. Be an actionist, check out the site and put together some ideas to present to your next staff meeting or parent meeting.

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Who Wants to Develop a Cool Facebook Application?

By on May 20, 2009 in facebook, Programming/Coding

If you know some basic scripting and database coding you’re well on your way to creating your own social networking game craze. The next time you’re on facebook go to the bottom of the screen and click on the Developers link, then under the Get Started heading click on How to Build an App for the step by step tutorial.

The background says you’ll need to know PHP or some other scripting language that has a client library for the facebook API. You also should be familiar with the workings of the internet as well as SSH for secure encryption, MySQL for database control and the Unix operating system.

There’s the usual wiki and blog to share helpful hints, inspiration etc. If any of you have developed one of these cool apps how about sharing your story with the rest of us? And if any of my facebook friends reply back to me on that network I’ll comment here as well. Sound like a plan? Great. Now, let’s hear what you’re into.

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DePaul University 2009 Cinema and Interactive Media Summer Academy

By on April 18, 2009 in Programming/Coding

DePaul has a great summer program for Chicago area high school students interested in the art of computer science. The intensive one week long program is set for Monday July 27 to Friday, July 31, 2009 on the Loop campus downtown.

They will get a chance to work with some of the industry standard graphic software used in game development, digital cinema and animation. If you live in the area read the links on registration, costs and deadlines. All the relevant forms are printable PDF files that can be printed, signed and mailed in.

If your son or daughter has an interest here’s a chance for them to show their budding talents in a high tech professional lab environment. Sign them up now and see what comes from those creative juices.

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Three Must-Learn Computer Languages

By on August 20, 2008 in Programming/Coding

In my odyssey through computer science school I’ve learned that there are two foundational languages that are must haves. If you already know them walking into the collegiate computer lab from high school you will have a major leg up on your freshman class mates. If you are a high schooler or coding hobbyist learn these two now.

Find a good basic C++ book and a good Java book and learn them in that order. C++ gives you more guts and behind the scenes gory details like pointers and other concepts that provide a solid foundation for you. Then you can go into Java which has more of those complex principles hidden from you which makes it easier to learn. Finally teach yourself C# on the .NET platform. It’s good for learning web applications and Microsoft’s .NET platform is fast becoming an industry favorite.

I bought SAM’s Teach Yourself C++ in 24 Hours to get myself ready for a class called Software Construction this semester. It’s basically the C++ class at Auburn. I did a couple of chapters a day between the summer to fall break so that it’s not completely foreign to me when my professor starts teaching out of his book of choice. I’m just a little more than halfway through it so I’ll be able to stay ahead of him as he introduces new concepts in class. Still waiting for my online order of his book to come in the mail since our campus bookstore didn’t order it (LOL). But the new semester has started and I’m ready.

I’ve already taken Java in school but since I like the format of the SAM’s books I’m going to recommend that you also purchase their 24 hour version of self taught Java after you get C++ down. You’ll begin to pick up on the differences in syntax and semantics but since the format of the too is similar you probably won’t have a problem picking up on it quickly.

After I’m done with C++ it’s on to Visual C# .NET and, you guessed it, there’s a 24 Hour instruction book. Microsoft’s .NET platform has been growing in popularity for it’s ease of use. I have a few classmates who use it regularly, even for C++ (I’m sure there’s a SAM’s 24 hour book with that combination) so I can’t wait to dig into it between the the fall and spring break at the end of this semester.

To get started just click on my Amazon link to the left share your wealth with Marty (self serving plug) while you learn.

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Embed YouTube Videos Into Your E-mails

By on June 11, 2008 in General Interest, Programming/Coding, Toastmasters International

I figured out a new trick! I feel like such a smart guy. Guess what? Did you know you could embed YouTube clips into your e-mails the same way you do on a blog? It’s just a code copy-and-paste. When you send the e-mail, your recipients will see the middle of the bracketed “object” embed link hi-lited.

When they click on that hi-lited part of the embed link, it will open a browser window. The recipient just clicks on the play button in the center of the video just like they would on your site. And voila!!! Instant movie. In case you’ve never played around with YouTube and you don’t have a blog or website to embed video clips into, just test it out in an email to yourself. I sent this one and another in an e-mail to my Toastmasters club yesterday. Look at the grey section next to the video clip. The computer code under the “Embed” title is the part you copy and paste.

Send yourself a link and click on it to verify it works correctly. Then share your favorite stuff with all your e-mail buddies. You should still sign up for a YouTube account so you can create your own personal library of music and movie shorts of all sorts. Then you can become true YouTube junkies like the rest of us.

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Another Quick YouTube Hint

By on January 30, 2008 in Blogging, Business, Faith, Music, Programming/Coding, Society

If you see a video on somebody’s blog that you want to copy to your own, here’s an easy way to do it. Just click on the “menu” button at the bottm right corner of the video player. You’ll see a section on the next screen on the right side that reads “<> embed”. Just highlight that code, copy it and paste it into your post.

You should still go to YouTube though and create an account so you can build your own video play list. You can do this for yourself or your group, then archive whatever interests you. They have everything, music, commercials, personal short movies, church sermons, organizations like my fellow Toastmasters who tape their meetings…you name it, it’s probably there.

If you do a daily or weekly Funk and Roll entry on your blog like I do, just pick your favorite songs from your list and add them in. Do you want to share your favorite silly commercials with the world. O.K. do that. I’m sure dozens of copies of the new Super Bowl adds will be up during the game on Sunday. It you and some friends want to be the next Spike Speilberg pull out your digital recorder and put your own material out there for the world to see. It’s definitely the easy way for churches to archive their sermons and share the word of God with the world on your church web sites each Sunday. And if you want prospective members to get a feel for your organization send them to your group’s web site or blog and tell them to check the video of our last meeting.

So check out this feature on the next YouTube clip that catches your eye or ear and take your multimedia skills up a notch.

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