Plenty of Paper Planes

The always entertaining Paper Forest web site has some great, detailed, printable paper airplanes. We were out a Lake Balboa yesterday and, along with the remote controlled sailing boats mentioned in a previous post, we were able to watch some people flying gliders and other "people-powered" airplanes.

These look to have everything needed for a great rainy day project for kids young and old.

Plenty of Paper Planes

This website showcases over 60 different and simple paper plane designs. Designs include fighter planes, antique planes, and even the concorde and space shuttles. The designs are intended to be weighted on the front end with Yen, but there are alternate methods listed on the site. The pdfs are easy to find by clicking on your choice of plane. You'll also get plenty of information on the planes you select. Once you are done creating your personal fleet, there is even a paper airplane launcher you can download and create to see them really take off.

(Via Paper Forest.)

Link: Previous mentions of papercrafts
Link: Books about paper airplanes

Technorati Tags: hobby, build, make, DIY, howto, how-to, paper, crafts, free, kids, children, airplanes, flight

Event/Video: Lake Balboa Model Yacht Club

We took a few minutes out of exceedingly busy weekend to visit Lake Balboa and check out the monthly meeting of the Lake Balboa Model Yacht Club.

I have always been interested in models and remote controlled devices including airplanes, so I was intrigued to see what the Yacht Club members used and how it operated.

I also took the opportunity to shoot some video and put together this short piece to give you a feel for the day.

Watch the Video
You can find more information about the Lake Balboa Model Yacht
From their web site...

Lake Balboa Model Yacht Club sails just north of Los Angeles, California 12 months a year. We are affiliated with the American Model Yachting Association (AMYA.org) and welcome other sailors and interested people. Our members build and race radio-controlled model sailboats in specific classes (types of sailboats); most being one meter long. Radio controlled Model Yacht Racing follows the racing rules of sailing and is remarkably similar to full size boat racing. If you want all the excitement, fun and commeraderie of sailboat racing, without seasickness and extraordinary expense, this is the hobby/sport for you.

Link: Lake Balboa Model Yacht Club
Link: Previous posts about Lake Balboa
Link: Books about model boats

Technorati Tags: hobby, california, build, make, outdoors, parks, events, losangeles, free, kids, children, video

Cool Laptop Sleeve from Maloo Products

I saw mention of this in Dwell Magazine. It is a felt laptop sleeve, available for a variety of Macintosh laptops (although they will probably fit others, as well) that offer protection while moving your laptop around the office or coffee house. It opens up into a nice workstation area and one of the flaps works nicely as a mouse pad.



Link: Maloo Products
Link: More Laptop Accessories from Amazon.com

Technorati Tags: technology, macintosh, computers, high-tech, product, protection

You as a Simpsons Character

A cute little timewaster, create yourself as a character from the Simpsons. Here is yours truly.

Simpsons-esque LiB

Following in the footsteps of my fellow bibliobloggers, here is LiB as a Simpson's character.' Go make your own.' The only all black outfit was rather, err, in questionable taste, so I had to draw myself my own outfit.

(Via LibrarianInBlack.)

Link: The SimpsonMaker
Link: Douglas as a South Park Character
Link: Books about the Simpsons

Technorati Tags: make, DIY, cool, free, fun

On hold at the library...

Here are a few of the books I have On Hold at the Los Angeles Public Library.

Inside the Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka, Marc Vassallo
First you build a cloud by K.C. Cole
Death by Meeting : A Leadership Fable...About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business by Patrick M. Lencioni

Link: Previous mentions of "What I'm Reading..."
Link: Browse books at Amazon.com

Technorati Tags: books, learning, history, toread, read, reading,library

Computer Tip: Don’t lose your CDs

Listen to the audio version of this tip

There is a chronic problem faced by many of my clients and I assume it effects nearly everyone who buys a computer. In our excitement to start using a new computer, we forget entirely about the disks and manuals that came with it.

When we open up the new computer, it looks so perfect, so complete. Like a new car, we don’t want to have think about oil changes, tire pressure or anything else. We just want to get in and drive. Unfortunately, in our joy, we often forget to put the owner’s manual in the glove box.

Fast forward a year. Your computer is acting a bit strange, maybe you have been infected with some spyware or perhaps, horror of horrors, your hard drive has failed. It happens. Fixing these issues is probably going to require the recovery disks that came with your computer...but where are they now?!

Without the physical CD’s that came with your computer, you are in for a very nasty surprise. You are going to have to work with your computer manufacturer to get a replacement disk or go out and buy a brand new copy of Windows. Ouch! Even worse, your computer may have come with a disk of drivers and applications. This software is often needed to allow your modem, network card, screen, CD Burner or other devices work with Windows. If this disk is missing, you will have to find some way to download the drivers from the web, but the bundled applications are probably gone forever.

So, how do you prevent this problem, even years after you buy your computer? The answer is actually quite simple. Look around your house, find a nice sturdy box and designate it the “computer box.” This will hold every disk, every manual, every extra cable that enters your house. With my clients, I often use the keyboard box that came with the computer. It is a decent size and usually has a lid that can be closed. It doesn’t really matter what you use though, as long as you have 1 box, 1 place to look for items when you need them. It could be a file box, plastic tub, whatever you have on hand. Now, instead of having to search everywhere for disks or manuals, you have one place to turn for all your needs.

There is no need to worry about categorizing or filing the information in the box. I find that the simple chronological arrangement of “new stuff goes on the top” works just fine. You probably won’t remember the date you bought some piece of equipment, but you can usually remember that it was before the camcorder and after the cordless phone.

Save yourself time, money and frustration. Create a computer box today, use it to stash all your computer related items and then put it somewhere accessible so you can find it when you need it. This simple action can go a long way towards improving your experience with all of the technology that enters your home.

Do you have a question or comment on this or other computer questions? Email them to myword@welchwrite.com or post them as comments using the Comments link below.

Link: Previous computer tip
Link: Previous items on training at WelchWrite.com
Link: Computer Training Resources from Amazon.com
Link: Subscribe to My Word using iTunes
Link: Subscribe to My Word using other podcasting programs

Technorati Tags: DIY, howto, how-to, podcast, podcasting, tutorial, technology, software, computers, tips, training

AOL Dialup now as expensive as broadband (i.e. DSL or cable modem)

As this TechDirt article points out, AOL seems to think its users are silly enough to pay the same amount for their slow and unreliable dial-up connection as they could spend to get a nice high-speed (yet, sometimes unreliable) connection to the Internet.

The time has come, dear AOL users, to vote with your wallets. I know that at least one of you simply can't receive any sort of of broadband access at their home, but almost all of the rest of you can.

There are 2 ways to reduce your AOL costs, by the way. First, if you already have high-speed access, you should make sure that your AOL account is a "bring your own access" account. This is significantly cheaper than the normal dial-up account.

Second, and an even better idea, abandon AOL entirely. Get a broadband connection and start using the email program and web browser of your choice. If you aren't making use of some specific AOL service that cannot be duplicated elsewhere, do yourself a favor and break free. You have nothing to lose but your AOL email addresses.

AOL Tries To Prove That Its Dialup Customers Really Are Suckers

For years, AOL has struggled to transform itself out of a "dial-up" service provider. Every few months the company would announce some great new strategy to get people to sign up for AOL's broadband, rather than ditching AOL completely for some much cheaper broadband offering. This has involved story after story after story after story after story about how AOL was finally going to work with its sister broadband provider, Time Warner Cable/Roadrunner. Instead, not much happened. [Continued]

(Via Techdirt.)

When is "Ad-friendlier UI" an end-user feature?

I got an email from GotVoice.com today. This is a service that polls your voice mail and then forwards them via email or download so you can store them for later reference. I don't use the service much, but I thought I would try it out.

In today's announcement (excerpt below) the first, new feature mentioned is "Ad-friendlier UI." Now, as an end-user I certainly couldn't care less about their Ad UI and would scarcely consider it one of the top new features they could offer. Perhaps they should have moved #2, New and improved user interface, to the top?

The only reason I decided to write about this is, even with my limited PR knowledge, I can tell this has no place in a customer-focused mailing. It is such an egregious PR failure that it truly stuck out. I guess you can learn about PR both from the good examples and the bad, though. I'll certainly keep this email in mind when writing up my own press releases.

"GotVoice update summary:

* Ad-friendlier UI – Remember that it is our ad-sponsors who enable GotVoice to be available FREE at absolutely no cost to you. We hope that you enjoy our service, and the ads we serve. ?
* New and improved user interface – Our updated look and feel makes it easier than ever to use GotVoice and enjoy all the cool features we offer."

Video - Sepulveda Wildlife Area Bird Walk

We had a fun, if a bit wet, bird walk at the Sepulveda Wildlife Area yesterday afternoon. We saw many different species and hundreds of birds of all types. Click on the photo to view a short video of our walk.

I will be putting together an audio podcast of our adventure, with more detail and an interview with our leader, Keri, in the next week or so.

You can join Keri on similar birdwalks in the next few weeks. Visit this post for more information.

Link: Sepulveda Wildlife Area Bird Walk Video
Link: Upcoming Bird Walks with Keri
Link: Great Backyard Birdcount Web Site
Link: Related info on birds from WelchWrite.com
Link: Books on Birdwatching

Technorati Tags: california, howto, how-to, outdoors, hiking, parks, events, losangeles, free, kids, children, animals, urban, wildlife, birds, birding, birdwatching, podcast, podcasting, video

Family Class - Family Playhouse: Family Charms @ Autry

Family Class - Family Playhouse: Family Charms

Celebrate your family history by making a unique charm bracelet. Each charm can be a remembrance of a special event in your life or an important family member.

Type: Family Activities
When: Sunday, February 26, 2006, 1 - 2:30 pm
Location: Museum of the American West, Griffith Park

Autry National Center

Technorati Tags: california, make, events, losangeles, crafts, kids, children

Event: It's (almost) Cherry Blossom Time Again!

I did a quick reconnaissance run over to Lake Balboa today to check out the Japanese Cherry Trees that surround the man-made lake. Most of the trees were showing big, fat buds, but as I left the park on the west side I noticed one tiny tree with blossoms already out. My calendar shows that the trees were in full bloom last year on February 27, so things should start happening pretty quickly. Lake Balboa also sports a dazzling wisteria bloom around the same time each year.

As I was looking for web links for Lake Balboa in preparing this post, I came across the Lake Balboa Model Yacht Club, which just happens to be holding their monthly regatta this Sunday, February 26, 2006 at 11 am. This sounds like a fun time, even if the cherry trees aren't in full bloom.

Link: Photo Gallery from 2003 Bloom
Link: Lake Balboa Information
Link: Lake Balboa Model Yacht Club

Technorati Tags: garden, gardening, hobby, california, grow, outdoors, parks, events, losangeles, cool, free, kids, children, trees

Career Opportunities: The High-Tech Career Handbook Joins Newstex as Content Provider

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 16, 2006 -- Career Opportunities: The High-Tech Career Handbook -- a print column, weblog and podcast focusing on the unique challenges of a high-tech career -- is now available via Newstex, the Content On Demand(TM) company. Newstex (http://newstex.com) delivers real-time newsfeeds and blog content to enterprise customers around the world. The revolutionary Newstex Blogs On Demand product delivers value-added full-text blog content, automatically tagged with key data such as company names, stock tickers, key executives and government officials, and detailed topical categories to ensure greater exposure and reach for bloggers.

Career Opportunities is about to enter its 10th year as a weekly print column for ComputorEdge magazine in San Diego, California and the podcast version of Career Opportunities celebrated its 100th episode and 1 year anniversary in September 2005. The podcasts are produced twice-weekly. and are available via the iTunes Podcast Directory where they regularly appear in the list of Top 100 Business Podcasts.

Friends in Tech

Career Opportunities is also a member of Friends in Tech (http://friendsintech.com). Friends in Tech is an alliance of technology podcasters. Members are regular guests on other member’s podcasts, bringing their unique knowledge, talent and insights to a new audience of listeners. Members also join together to create exclusive content for the Friends In Tech website, including FiT Tips, a collection of short audio hints to help ease listener’s computer life, Retro-FiT, a regular podcast review of all Friends In Tech podcasts and, on-going specials, creating a bit of light-hearted, technology-based, fun.

Newstex, the Content On Demand(TM) company

Newstex offers Content On Demand, including tailored, real-time news and commentary from thousands of branded newswires, newspapers, magazines, financial and business sources, official government feeds and weblogs. Newstex collects full-text digital news and commentary feeds, standardizes the content format, adds stock ticker symbols, people tickers and categories, and instantly delivers the result as easy-to-integrate XML or RSS newsfeeds.

The revolutionary Newstex Blogs On Demand product delivers value-added full-text blog content. Newstex processes blogs in real-time through its NewsRouter technology to automatically tag each blog post with key data such as company names, stock tickers, key executives and government officials, and detailed topical categories for distribution to downstream enterprise customers to ensure greater exposure and reach for this valuable content.

February 2006 is Podcast Month at PRWeb. This press release distributed by PRWeb, the Online Visibility Company.

###

Press Contact: Douglas E. Welch
Company Name: THE WELCHWRITE COMPANY, INC
Phone: 818-781-6955
Website: http://welchwrite.com/career/

More Information: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/2/prweb343808.htm

Push to Walk

Push to Walk
Originally uploaded by dewelch.

I have started carrying a camera with me wherever I go these days. Several professional photographers have mentioned this in interviews and articles and I am beginning to see why it is important. You never know when something is going to catch your eye. We were walking back from lunch when this caught my eye. I don't know why, it just did. A few seconds later and I captured this picture.

The (expensive) Sounds of the Natural History Museum

Pacific Drift, KPCC's weekly show on arts and culture highlighted a new feature of the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum -- soundtracks for the permanent Galleries. You can find the Pacific Drift story on their web site or via their podcast (which is how I listen to the show).

I was planning on linking to the show, the museum and all until I realized upon visiting the museum's web site that, in order to enjoy the experience of the soundtracks on my own iPod, I would have to pony up $9.99 ( or $3 to rent the in-house audio tour) first. WTF?

Instead of using the music as an added attraction to draw me into the museum, they're trying to turn it into yet another revenue source. Of course, whatever pittance is made on the iTunes purchase, I assume very little, if any, goes to the museum itself. This is reserved for the artist. It seems to me, though, that perhaps the artists should have donated their works to the museum so that patrons could have enjoyed the experience for free while increasing visitation to the museum, a much more worthy goal.

Does the NHM receive tax funds for its operations? If it does, then all of us already paid to commission these works. Why should we have to pay for them a second time?

The concept sounded cool and had me ready to got to the musuem again. I was going to suggest that you go to the exhibit, too, but now I feel scammed and even less inclined to visit. I don't think this was quite what the museum intended. Too bad.

Am I wrong about this?

Can someone clue me in on how this helps to fulfill the goals of the NHM? Leave your comments below.

Podcast delivered...

Why yes....yes, they are, right here at My Word!

A new season...

Shadows on the wall
Originally uploaded by dewelch.

A new seasons of Little League started last night. There is something timeless about the entire baseball experience.

I was never a baseball player, or sportsman of any kind really, but my son seems to enjoy, and actually do fairly well at sports. He loves to rollerblade, is starting to skateboard and is also involved in hockey lessons at the moment. Who would have thought it possible from sports-deprived parents like us?

You can find 4 pictures on my Flckr.com account in this set or view them as a slideshow.

Learn Out Loud features Career Opportunities

Learn Out Loud (http://learnoutloud.com), "...your one-stop destination for audio and video learning", has added Career Opportunities as a Featured Podcast.

Thanks to Seth and all the others at Learn Out Loud! Check them out for a great directory of educational podcasts. Seth and his brother, Nathan also host their own podcast, Hear me now, brother.

* Learn Out Loud is also a fellow member of LA Podcasters.

Technorati Tags: career, job, jobs, work, workplace, podcast, podcasting, losangeles, kids, children, learning, education

Book Review: Radical Careering by Sally Hogshead

Listen to the Audio Podcast of this Review
Some books offer a careful presentation of facts and figures leading up to the dramatic conclusions of the final chapters. Others are the literary equivalent of "A Whack on the Side of the Head," to quote author, Roger van Oech. Radical Careering: 100 truths to jumpstart your job, your career and your life falls firmly into the latter camp. It is a breath of fresh air in the sometimes stale atmosphere of career books.

People who have been "there and back again" are often the best source of frank and useful information, and author, Sally Hogshead has delivered the wealth of her experience in a straightforward and extremely useful fashion.

Radical Careering is divided into "100 truths", each 1-2 small pages in length. While some might take issue with the "truth" of each item, I found myself nodding in agreement on almost every page. Hogshead has distilled the essence of each topic down to small, useful nuggets that really jumpstart your thinking.

This is not a book of exercises, prescriptions and marching orders. This is a collection of career "koans" -- stories and questions that spur, if not require, further thought. Several times as I was reading, I would catch myself staring off into space, lost in thought, the book open in my lap.

I was very interested in absorbing this book as a whole, so I read it very traditionally, front to back. That said, the book works equally as well as a sort of career "magic 8-ball", spurring your thinking whenever you need a boost. Simply open a page at random and begin.

Of all the "truths", some spoke to me more loudly than others. At the top of the list was this one, "Being in a crap job isn't your fault. Staying in a crap job is." You can't be any clearer, or more truthful than that and I wholeheartedly agree. Others include "Own your career or it will own you.," "Don't work for someone you don't respect," and "Power is the option to say no!"

Whatever your career, Radical Careering provides a welcome "kick in the seat of the pants" and might help you take your career to the next level. Read it in one sitting or return to it again and again. Either way you will enjoy it and your career will benefit.

For more information on Radical Careering, visit their web site at radicalcareering.com

Technorati Tags: career, job, jobs, work, workplace, podcast, podcasting, books

Event: Los Encinos Living History Day

February 19, 2006

Los Encinos Living History Day

1-3 PM. Music, blacksmith, children's activities from 1870s Southern California. Los Encinos State Historic Park.

Link: Los Encinos State Historic Park
Link: Lively Arts History Association
Link: Related posts about Los Encinos
Link: Books about California History

Technorati Tags: california, outdoors, parks, events, losangeles, free, kids, children

Microsoft Anti-Spyware Removes Norton Anti-Virus

It seems the MS AntiSpyware has developed a problem with Norton Anti-Virus and attempts to remove it, according to this Salshdot story and discussion. For now, if Microsoft Antispyware asks you to remove Norton products, answer "No". That said, read below for some more advice.

I have become less and less happy with Norton's products over the last 2 years as they have been causing several issues with users who have disabled their entire Internet connection, outgoing email and more.

(See this previous post, Norton Internet Security Problems and its associated reader comments - Douglas)

Symantec software is suffering from tremendous software bloat and is becoming increasing invasive and annoying. Where I might have recommended users upgrade their Norton Anti-Virus products when they expire, lately I am encouraging them to use a free solution called Clam Win.

Microsoft Anti-Spyware Removes Norton Anti-Virus An anonymous reader writes "According to a story over at Washingtonpost.com, the latest definitions file for Microsoft's Anti-Spyware beta flags Symantec's Norton Antivirus products as a password-stealing trojan and prompts users to delete portions of the program. Users who follow the instructions hose their installation of Norton, requiring delicate Windows registry edits and a complete removal/reinstall of Norton. Microsoft's support forum is quickly filling up with complaints about this problem, many from businesses that have been pretty hard hit. This should be a cautionary tale about deploying beta products in production environments."

(Via Slashdot.)

Link: Clam Win Antivirus
Link: Previous posts related to viruses

Technorati Tags: technology, windows, virus, spyware, microsoft, software, computers, high-tech, freeware, free, protection

Book Review: A History of the World in 6 Glasses

A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage
2005, Walker & Company, New York

Listen to the Audio Podcast of this review

When I saw this book, by the author of The Victorian Internet and The Turk, at the library I had to check it out. I enjoyed both of these earlier books so much that I regularly recommend them to others. Standage has a way of making history come alive by focusing on one particular aspect. A History of the World in 6 Glasses follows much the same design.

This time Standage explores history using 6 different drinks that have effected civilization in dramatic ways. He begins with beer, discovered in ancient times, but improved repeatedly, becoming safer to drink than the polluted water supplies that surrounded ancient, and not so ancient cities.

Once global shipping improved, Greek wines could begin traveling around the Mediterranean and the world, moving from an expensive drink for royalty to daily ration for everyone in society. Wine developed into a liquid currency that could be easily “spent” and divided, but unlike modern paper money, it could even be consumed when necessary.

Distilled spirits started as a miracle cure, eau de vie or literally “water of life”. They were rediscovered by Europeans, from Arabic sources, as the Dark Ages ebbed. Spirits like Rum created entire economies, eventually acting as one trigger for American Independence.

Then came coffee, “The Great Soberer” and the coffeehouse environment that fomented intellectual growth, great thinking and many of the revolutions that would shake the 18th Century.

Tea, with Britain as its powerhouse and largest consumer forever altered the civilizations of China and other Eastern countries, leading to hundreds of years of foreign control continuing even until this century.

Finally, Standage ends with the effects of Coca-Cola and how it forever changed the global economy.

Throughout “6 Glasses”, I found new information, new incites, new documentation that I had never seen before. While I was familiar with the basic concepts behind these drinks and how they effected society, bringing it all together in one book makes for an engaging and enlightening read.

Pick up “6 Glasses” or any other of Standage’s books and you are sure to enjoy yourself as well as learn something you might never have known.

Other books by Tom Standage



Technorati Tags: podcast, podcasting, books

Douglas presents a "FiT Tip" on SME Server

My latest FiT Tip, which are short podcasts for Friends in Tech, appears today on the Friends in Tech web site.

SME Server is a Linux distribution that installs a complete LAMP (Linux, Apache, mySQL, php) environment on older computers so you can use them as file servers, web servers and more.

Listen to the podcast via FriendsInTech.com

Technorati Tags: build, make, DIY, howto, how-to, podcast, podcasting, software, computers, high-tech, freeware, free, hints, tips, linux, lamp, apache, php, mysql, friendsintech

Exxon CEO: How about we prove him wrong?

The hulking conflict of interest here should be self-evident. How about we prove him wrong....and soon! Somehow I question the validity of the argument when it is presented by those with the most to gain from its failure.

"The United States will rely on foreign imports of oil for the foreseeable future to feed its energy needs and should stop trying to become energy independent, a top Exxon Mobil Corp. executive said Tuesday.

"Realistically, it is simply not feasible in any time period relevant to our discussion today," Exxon Mobil Senior Vice President Stuart McGill said, referring to what he called the "misperception" that the United States can achieve energy independence."

From CNN Story: Exxon: Bush's energy goal 'not feasible'

(Via CNN)

Small Sketches #6

I did these sketches with a Fine Uniball pen and then added the red shading with a colored pencil.

Link: Previous sketches and posts about sketching
Link: Freehand Sketching by Paul Laseau
Link: Books about sketching

Technorati Tags: hobby, DIY, creativity, losangeles, crafts, sketch, art, drawing, pencil, pen

Three Sisters 1

Three Sisters 1
Originally uploaded by dewelch.

More daffodil pictures from my garden this afternoon. They are putting on quite a show this year and simply luxuriating in the unseasonably warm and sunny weather.

Click the photo for a complete collection of pictures on Flicker.com

For more gardening information and my gardening podcast, visit A Gardener's Notebook

Stellarium: A (free) planetarium on your PC

Stellarium might just be the thing that gets me back out into the cold evenings to look a the night sky. I used to have a program like this, called SkyGlobe, back in the day, but this is an amazing upgrade.

My son is always asking me about this star or that and I am often at a loss to tell him. Now I can fire up the laptop again and give him some correct answers and explore the planets and stars better than ever before.

Also, exposing one of the joys of the Open Software movement, there are versions of Stellarium available for almost any operating system including Windows, Mac and Linux. Yea!

Download of the Day: Stellarium
Cross-platform open source program Stellarium brings the sky to your computer's monitor, letting you know exactly what you're seeing in the night sky.

Stellarium is an open source desktop planetarium for Linux/Unix, Windows and MacOSX. It renders the skies in realtime using OpenGL, which means the skies will look exactly like what you see with your eyes, binoculars, or a small telescope. Stellarium is very simple to use, which is one of its biggest advantages: it can easily be used by beginners.

Stellarium Astronomy Software [Sourceforge]

(Via Lifehacker.)

Link: Related posts on Astronomy
Link: Astronomy Books from Amazon.com

Technorati Tags: howto, how-to, outdoors, technology, windows, macintosh, software, computers, space, astronomy, cool, freeware, free, kids, children

FIRST Robotics Competition in the Valley - Feb 19

What: 2006 AIM HIGH PreShip Scrimmage
When: Sunday, February 19, 2006 - 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Where: HighTechHigh-LA/Birmingham HS gyms, 17111 Victory Blvd. Lake Balboa, CA 91406

Contact: Event Director: Wendy Wooten, Team 4
ms.wooten@hthla.org or wwooten@lausd.k12.ca.us
(818)267-4589 (cell) (818)341-2837 late evenings

---

What is the FIRST Robotics Competition

The FIRST Robotics Competition is an exciting, multinational competition that teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way. The program is a life-changing, career-molding experience—and a lot of fun. In 2006, the competition will reach over 28,000 high-school-aged young people on over 1,125 teams in 33 regional events. Our teams came from Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Israel, Mexico, the U.K., and almost every U.S. state. The competitions are high-tech spectator sporting events, the result of lots of focused brainstorming, real-world teamwork, dedicated mentoring, project timelines, and deadlines.

Colleges, universities, corporations, businesses, and individuals provide scholarships to our participants. Involved engineers experience again many of the reasons they chose engineering as a profession, and the companies they work for contribute to the community while they prepare and create their future workforce. The competition shows students that the technological fields hold many opportunities and that the basic concepts of science, math, engineering, and invention are exciting and interesting.

Link: First Robotics Web Site
Link: Related Posts on Robots
Link: Photos of FIRST Competitions
Link: Books on Building Robots

Technorati Tags: hobby, california, build, make, DIY, howto, how-to, losangeles, technology, robot, robots, high-tech, kids, children

Event: Let's Make History! - Be My Valentine

Let's Make History! - Be My Valentine

Let's Make History lets families with children ages 5 to 12 journey through the museum’s galleries with educators and create exciting take-home projects.

Say it with a card you make yourself. We’ll have everything you need - feathers, colors, beads, etc. - to make it extra special for that extra special someone.

Free with regular museum admission

Type: Family Activities
When: Saturday, February 11, 2006, 1—2:30 pm
Location: Museum of the American West, Griffith Park

Autry National Center

Link: Valentine's Gifts from Amazon.com

Technorati Tags: california, events, losangeles, kids, children

Papercraft Saturn V rocket

For those of you looking for a BIG project to do with the kids, here is a papercraft version of a Saturn V rocket, just like the ones that took the astronauts to the Moon. Once again, BoingBoing.net provides a link to an excellent project. I highly recommend you subscribe to their RSS feeds so you can see all the link goodness they have to offer.

Papercraft Saturn V rocket

Geogrif points us to "downloadable PDF files for printing, cutting, and assembling into a 1:48 scale model of the Apollo V rocket. From the Lower Hudson Valley Paper Model Club's gift shop. They have more models, including a Werner Von Braun (et al.) Mars rocket design from the 1950s."

(Via Boing Boing.)

Link: Related posts on Papercrafts
Link: Books on Papercrafts

Technorati Tags: hobby, make, DIY, howto, how-to, paper, crafts