http://www.webupd8.org/2011/09/openshot-video-editor-reaches-version.html

OpenShot Video Editor Reaches Version 1.4, Gets New Effects, Transitions And More

Canonical Releases Windows Version of Ubuntu One

http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/30/canonical-releases-windows-version-of-ubuntu-one/

 | TechCrunch

Canonical, the commercial backer behind theUbuntu Linux distribution, have been hosting a file synchronization service called Ubuntu Onefor a couple years now. A free account gets you 5GB of storage, and the client side controls have been baked into the last couple of releases of the Ubuntu distribution. It works pretty much like Dropbox or similar services, but has been — until today — Linux-only.

In an announcement late last night, Canonical has revealed that there is now a Windows client for Ubuntu One, allowing you to access all your files from either Linux or Windows computers.

We have long received feedback from Ubuntu users regarding their evolving needs to manage all their content from a single, secure place across multiple platforms and devices. We've looked at many use cases, the most common being the Ubuntu user who is using more than one device or OS. Many people have to work in Windows or Mac environments, even if they prefer to use Ubuntu as their home desktop or OS of choice. Another case is enabling more opportunities for sharing across platforms. For example families using different operating systems in one household can use Ubuntu One as their central place to store all their music, documents, photos and share them easily with each other and friends.

Ubuntu One also offers a nifty music streaming service. For $4 per month, you get 20 GB of storage and the ability to stream music files from your account to your mobile device. The Ubuntu One app is available for iOS and Android, and Android devices get the added benefit of a controllable offline cache, allowing you to listen to your cloud-stored music without requiring a network connection. Neat stuff.

Tags: android, ios, Ubuntu, canonical, ubuntu one

Creating realistic HDRs

http://www.pixiq.com/article/creating-realistic-hdrs

 | Pixiq

Multiple exposures is what can help in such situations: I usually take multiple exposures shifting 2Ev step for each, capturing the darkest areas (going + on Ev compensation) to a brightest ( + Ev compensation). Then the sequence of the image can be combined into a single file using special software like Photomatix or a "regular" Photoshop CS will do a job.

Few words about how I shoot HDR:

In most cases I shoot in manual mode, this allows me to do as many Ev bracketing shots as needed: 3, 5 or even 7. What I am getting is a ultra wide dynamic range of 14Ev or more.

An example of such 14Ev DR shot is below. Deep shadows and bright noon sun required such wide DR to get the image I like: 

14Ev, 7 RAW exposures HDR. Canon 14mm F2.8L lens

Bossie Awards 2011: The best open source software of the year

http://www.infoworld.com/print/171567

For a healthy sampling of open source success, just follow the links below to profiles of InfoWorld's 2011 Bossie Award winners:
Bossie Awards 2011: The best open source applications [5]
Bossie Awards 2011: The best open source desktop and mobile software [6]
Bossie Awards 2011: The best open source application development software [7]
Bossie Awards 2011: The best open source data center and cloud software [8]

Audio: What Will School Look Like in 10 Years?

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/03/what-will-school-look-like-in-10-years/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2

 - NYTimes.com

By JOSHUA BRUSTEIN

Computers, electronic whiteboards and other interactive technologies arefundamentally changing American education . That's the view of the experts whom The Times spoke with about what the classroom will look like ten years from now. Listen to excerpts from their predictions below, and share your own thoughts in the comments section.

美国教育: 高科技设备

http://www.usa101.cn/edu/edu004.asp

克赖姆斯 华盛顿报导

维吉尼亚州阿灵顿县跟美国首都华盛顿仅一河之隔，这个地处维州郊区的社区面积不大，但是人口稠密。该县公立学校学生人数超过1万8千人，学生来自127个国家，讲100多种语言。 阿灵顿县公立学校大约三分之一的学生来自低收入家庭，他们享受学校的免费或者减价午餐，但同时阿灵顿县又是非常富有，他们刚刚斥资9500万美元建造了一所现代化高中。 这所学校里有不少电脑，这并不稀奇，让人感到意外的是，学校用一种高科技、多用途的显示装置代替了每间教室的传统黑板。 华盛顿-李高中科技协调人桑迪·芒内尔说："这种产品叫做智能板，是一种交互式白板。老师站在白板前面，通过触摸控制电脑。老师可以用这种奇妙的办法跟全班同学共用一台电脑。" 芒内尔讲解智能板各种功能时颇费了一些工夫，因为它能做的事情可真不少。智能板看上去跟墙上的普通白墙没什么两样，但是它的表面是触摸式的，在智能板的顶部，探出一根操纵杆，外端装有一台视频投影机。 学校小型电视演播室播出的早间通知可以通过教室的智能板让学生看到。你可以在万维网上浏览，用一种特制的电子笔把网页的某个部分重点画出来。这种特制电子笔外加一个书写识别软件之后，还可以跟粉笔一样写字。 生物老师杰森·布罗多夫斯基借助智能板向学生讲述如何使用显微镜。 布罗多夫斯基说："只需把显微镜跟数码照相机连接上，就能在智能板上显示，这样全班就能看到显微镜工作的全部过程。这样一旦我把图像聚焦之后，学生们就会说，噢，我知道你刚才讲得是什么了。接着，他们可以操作自己的显微镜，亲自做试验。这样就有趣多了。" 华盛顿-李高中有差不多600台电脑供学生们使用，相当于每三个学生至少有一台电脑。整个教学楼有好几个电脑机房，宽敞、明亮的图书馆不仅有图书，还配备了电脑。 华盛顿-李高中订阅在线参考书，这些参考书频繁更新。学生们在校外也可以上网使用这些网上参考书。 互联网上有大量有价值的资料，但是也有不少内容不适宜青少年。因此，学校安装了软件，专门封锁以色情等内容为特色的网站。不过，图书管理员林内特·康斯坦丁内兹认为，阿灵顿县公立学校学生的多元化，使得学校难以保护青少年免受互联网不良影响。 康斯坦丁内兹说："学校可能有学生来自蒙古，不错，阿灵顿这个地方来自蒙古的人口虽然不多，但是却不容忽视。来自中东的移民也属于这种情况。我们在他们后面，看着他们登上他们母语的网站，但是根本不知道他们在干些什么。" 那么，学校的网络过滤器能否过滤乌尔都语或者普什图语吗？ 康斯坦丁内兹说，"不能。即使是过滤英语网站过滤器也不特别管用。" 华盛顿-李高中图书馆放学后还要继续开放两、三个小时。来自伊朗移民家庭的学生萨翰德·米纳耶正利用这几个小时，在图书馆的电脑上网。 他说："我在为吉他班在网上找乐谱。我想为吉他班找到几首乐谱，为我们在网络咖啡馆演奏做准备。我们在所有的网站上搜索，尽量多搜集些古典音乐、民间音乐和现代音乐。" 楼下的网络咖啡馆有28台电脑，那里舒适、诱人，但不卖咖啡。科技协调人桑迪·芒内尔说，开设这个网吧主要是方便学生，特别是家里没有电脑的学生使用电脑。 他说："阿灵顿县对这个网吧投入了大量资金，尽可能让它舒适，因为我们知道，信息技术带来了经济鸿沟，我们要缩小这个差距。在学生正常上课时间，整个教学楼有许多电脑可供使用，可是放学后学生们上网的机会就没有那么多了。" 芒内尔说，即使他们使用了所有的最新科技，仍然不能保证这个新的现代化教学楼不会过时。华盛顿-李高中目前大容量的线缆还可以再使用几年，但是未来几代学生很可能会无线上网。