Jason Thibeault's Blog: From My Pen, page 24

How K-12 Education is Failing Colleges

Posted in Tumblog

Another article, this time from the Washington post, about how high school education (because of the standardization of curriculum using No Kid Left Behind and Core) is so focused on testing that it has lost sight of preparing students with what they really need: critical thinking skills. Listen, if a kid with excellent analytical and critical thinking skills doesn’t know something…they will learn it! A rote-memorization kid who doesn’t know something doesn’t have the core sk...

How-To: Tips for Adjusting Photos in Photo Editing Software

Posted in Tumblog

Although the article below references Adobe Lightroom in particular, it applies to any photo-editing software (like Aperture 3, for example) that provides this kind of fine-grain modification:

http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/ten-photo-editing-tips-from-a-pro/

From the piece:

1. Boost blacks to +5 points or so (in the Basics panel, under Color). Deepening blacks will add richness to the image.

2. Add a vignette to the image (in the Effects panel, Post-Crop Vignettin...

Automated Space Travel

Posted in HumanScience

There is a romanticized image of human beings in space, standing on strange alien surfaces, establishing our presence throughout the galaxy. But the practicality of manned space flight is minimal at best. Given the time required to reach possible inhabited destinations would take hundreds of years even if we could travel at the speed of light. The alternative? Send robots:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seti-institute/robots-vs-humans-should-w_b_901575.html

Regardless of ho...

My Data: What’s It Worth To You?

Posted in BusinessHuman

Although there has been a back-lash about “personalization” software on websites and desktops, there is an obvious benefit to these technologies: you get advertisements that are more suited to your needs, tastes, and predilections. When I am looking at a website, I’d much rather see an add for Home Depot knowing that I’m in the market for a kitchen sink than I would for 1-800-flowers. The same goes for mobile. According to some recent research by JiWire, 53% of mobile c...

How the Front Facing Camera Might Change Content as You Know It

Posted in MarketingTechnology

Although mobile devices continue to evolve in computing power, memory, and size, there is a common element that connects them all together. The front-facing camera. It’s in your phone. On Nintendo DS. On your computer. On your iPad. As part of gaming systems like Microsoft Kinnect In fact, the Jellybean version of Android can even use it as a security mechanism (for unlocking the phone). You may not have even realized that front-facing cameras are becoming so perv...

Write Who You Know

Posted in Marketing

How many writers have heard a teacher or writer say these words:

“You need to write what you know.”

I want to spend this blog post on dissecting that phrase and helping writers understand that it’s not what they know but who they are connected with that matters more.[image error]First of all, the phrase is a bit misleading. Have you ever asked yourself what you really know? I would argue that we never really know anything, we only piece together experiences and knowledge so that we can re...

Content Delivery to All Devices: Can You Afford NOT To?

Posted in Business

Originally published on the Limelight Blog as part of my role as Sr. Director, Solutions Marketing (Digital Media) and Product Manager for Streaming.

I recently read anarticle on StreamingMedia.com titled “Streaming to All Devices: Is it Worth the Expense?” And although it was a good article, bringing in lots of information from people in the industry, it left me asking what I think is a more important question: “Streaming to All Devices: Can You Afford Not To?”

In today’s hyp...

Your Life Is Not Your Life

Posted in Videos

Okay, that title is a little melodramatic but so is this video. Only sometimes, melodrama is what’s needed to make a point especially about this: being careful when divulging information whether online or offline. Don’t give financial information or social security numbers or other personally-identifying information to just anyone. If you do? Well, you may end up with an evil twin.

On a different note, this video also demonstrates the power of story...

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Leadership Is More Than Just Managing People

Posted in BusinessCulture and Society

I often ask myself the question, “am I a leader?” because I have not managed anyone in five years. And this leads me to a bigger question of whether the term “leadership” is only reserved for those that lead people or does it mean something more? And am I being effective within the organization?

I think that in many modern businesses, leadership is synonymous with direct reports. Incremental responsibility is generally assumed to equate with incremental hea...

How Startup Valuation Works

Posted in Tumblog

This is a great infographic from Funders and Founders about how startup valuation is measured. The process of determining what a startup is worth has often been a black box for many entrepreneurs seeking external investment. But not understanding it is like geting suckered into a difference financing rate and an extended warranty in the F&I office of the local automotive dealer. Entrepreneurs must understand the valuation process. Click the infographic to see the full version...