Make your slideshow interactive with page links November 5, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Didactic.add a comment
A slideshow is typically a one-dimensional presentation tool — a series of images that the presenter advances while she talks. But what if a slideshow could be more like a website — an interactive, multi-dimensional tool for exploring complex or layered information? It turns out that it’s not hard to add page links and other interactive elements. I’ll show how to use Adobe InDesign CS3 to create an interactive PDF, although similar effects are possible in PowerPoint.
The background: here at the GCCDS, we wanted to create a slideshow that would display a ‘matrix’ of ideas: three aspects of our practice as they apply to five different groups involved in our work. We also wanted the presenter or another viewer to be able to explore the relationships within the matrix in a non-linear fashion. Our first thought was a web site, but that didn’t fit our requirements. We needed some way to link between pages in a PDF. You’ve seen presentations where the presenter could click on a URL and have a web page open in a separate window. But we found that the same tool can be used for more subtle effects: linking to another page in the same presentation, for instance.
Moby Dick November 2, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Arts, Writing.1 comment so far
I’ve done it! I’ve finished the Great American Novel!
Well–
Ok, I’ve finished reading the Great American Novel. Writing the Great American Novel is still a work in progress. But finishing Moby Dick feels like an accomplishment. Never mind that it’s 822 pages long; during high school I could have read that in a week. For some reason, large portions of reading have been difficult lately. Maybe it’s because I mostly try to read late at night, and promptly fall asleep.
Nobody needs a review of Moby Dick, but it’s worth saying that I found it very enjoyable. It’s very humorous, particularly in the first half, when the voice of the narrator, Ishmael, is most prominent. It’s also very generous with its descriptions of the whale fishery of the 1800’s, which, while somewhat dry, are quite enlightening.
What’s next? Maybe studying some Spanish, maybe reading Cloud Atlas (a book Nadene lent me), maybe something else.
What are you reading?
Lorena’s Dedication October 22, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Non-profits, Residential Design.add a comment
This morning, IRD held a ceremony to dedicate Lorena’s house, which is now finished thanks to the hard work of Training U, Pathfinder Mission, and YouthBuild. The house looks great; this YouthBuild class has learned a lot and done a great job.
Lorena's favorite part of the house is its cozy screened porch.
IRD's YouthBuild students gather on the side porch. The class will graduate later today.
Tykia, one of the YouthBuild students, presents Lorena with a wreath for her new home.
Lorena receives her Certificate of Occupancy and key.
Bad Movie of the Week: Circle of Iron October 20, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Bad Movies, Martial Arts.Tags: bruce lee, david carradine
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It’s the Bad Movie of the Week! In the world of bad movies, David Carradine is a high priest (though he has been known to star in good movies as well). But this isn’t just any David Carradine movie. Its production began in 1970, when Bruce Lee co-wrote a script for a new movie called The Silent Flute through which he intended introduce Eastern philosophy and martial arts to Western audiences. Due to a number of conflicts, the project did not go forward. After Lee’s death in 1973, the project was revived with David Carradine in Lee’s roles, as well as a new script with more “comedic scenes” and a new, meaningless title:
Circle of Iron (1978)
Plot: Young, brash Cord is a martial artist competing to be chosen for the dangerous task of seeking the mysterious wizard Zetan and the Book of Enlightenment. Losing the competition, he decides to go anyway, and sets out alone. Along the way, he attempts to befriend a blind wanderer who turns out to be a talented, but frustratingly enigmatic, martial artist. At times, the wanderer leaves Cord alone, and Cord is forced to face a series of trials armed only with his strength and the wisdom he has acquired. Finally, he reaches Zetan, but what he finds is not what he expected.
Read on for the final rating:
Biloxi’s draft Comprehensive Plan October 9, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Community Planning.Tags: biloxi
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This week, the City of Biloxi held a series of public meetings to solicit community input into the draft of the city’s new Comprehensive Plan (see an online version of the plan here). The plan, produced by Wallace Roberts & Todd, is nicely put together; but at 232 pages, it’s more than casual reading. The draft plan:
- Focuses on the next 20-25 years.
- Will be revised to address public comments and a final Comprehensive Plan will be adopted by City Council.
- Will be implemented through the Land Development Ordinance, zoning adjustments, and city projects (roads, sidewalks, key buildings).
So what does the new Comprehensive Plan have in store for the city and for East Biloxi in particular? Some of the main goals are:
- Establish architectural and site design standards for commercial & multi-family developments and possibly for houses in order to preserve Biloxi’s historic character.
- Focus on improving the visual appeal of Biloxi’s major corridors (I-110, Hwy 90, Caillavet Street, Pass Road, etc.)
- Preserve & support historic buildings, seafood industry, etc.
- Concentrate growth at the north of Biloxi (Woolmarket) around compact, mixed-use centers to preserve the surrounding low-density uses.
- Pursue road projects in the East Biloxi area, including the Pine Street extension (to connect Back Bay Blvd to Hwy 90) and the Bayview Avenue widening (between Caillavet and Lee Streets).
- Consider creating an East-West corridor adjacent to and parallel to the CSX railroad (long-term idea, few details are available).
- Connect the casinos with a streetcar loop along Caillavet Street, Bayview Avenue, Main Street, and Hwy 90.
- In East Biloxi, create new bike lanes, walk/bike paths, and a “Biloxi Peninsula Path” that connects to the Biloxi Bay Bridge and extends along Front Beach as well as along the Back Bay, ending at the IP Casino.
- Promote tourism focusing on arts, culture, history, and the seafood industry, including a ‘Museum District’ around the Ohr-O’Keefe site and a ‘Seafood Village’ on the Back Bay.
- Buy or restrict development of environmentally sensitive and flood prone land, such as low-lying and vacant parts of East Biloxi, to save as open space or for parks, urban agriculture, etc.
- Develop Point Cadet with pedestrian and visitor amenities.
- Market rate housing and rentals are recovering quickly; however, there is a need to provide affordable options for low-to-medium income families (something the Biloxi Housing Authority is deeply involved in).
- Attract retail and restaurant development to Downtown Biloxi.
- Provide docking space and support facilities on a long-term basis to maintain the Back Bay in East Biloxi as the center of Biloxi’s shrimp and seafood industry.
- Establish an ‘Innovation Center East Biloxi’ as a business incubator like the one on Popp’s Ferry.
- Promote Oak Street as an International/Mixed-Use District (few details given).
- Develop catalyst sites including a 10-acre city-owned parcel on Howard Avenue, the Harrison Court site, and properties on North Main Street.
- Focus workforce housing along Division Street.
Again, the full draft of the comprehensive plan is available here.
Labor Day pictures October 2, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Construction, Design/Build, Explorations, Photography.add a comment
Seth sent me some cool pictures from last Labor Day weekend’s work in New Orleans. As I described before, Seth and Emilie’s house is…
A historic “camelback” shotgun house on Louisiana Avenue, it’s surprisingly spacious and will be divided into two units; the primary apartment in the front and a rental unit in the two-story portion in the rear. A complete renovation is a huge undertaking for two people, but it will be an amazing house once it is finished. Seth and I spent the afternoon pulling up floorboards and adding new floor joists in the upstairs bedroom to create a second-story cantilevered porch.
Here are some more pictures, all taken by Emilie:
New house! September 30, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Mississippi.2 comments
All good things come to an end. My house in Biloxi has taken great care of me and my roommates, but now we need to move. Never fear, though, we’re not going far — in fact, we’re literally moving across the street. And, yes, we now have a pink flamingo for a mailbox.
With Alan moving to Korea in two weeks, the new house will be made up of myself, Doug, Will (newly returned from Boston), and Sam (moving from Bay St. Louis). It’s spacious and has a nice back deck and I think we’ll fit in well.
New living room.
The new house comes complete with matching pink bathrooms upstairs & downstairs. Lovely.
