Google Forms data are stored in forms now - a new option

Announcement from Google - Features launching on June 11th, 2013

"Google Forms: Users now have access to a new version of Google Forms. Just as with Docs, Sheets and Slides, you can now collaborate with others in real-time. Multiple users can work on the same form simultaneously. Unlike the previous version, forms are no longer tied to a specific spreadsheet. Responses are collected and stored only in the form. If owners prefer to see the data in a spreadsheet, they can specify a destination spreadsheet for the data at any time."

Check it out further from their blog.

Google's Gmail has a new Inbox feature- check it out here

http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-new-inbox-that-puts-you-back-in.html

Great blog to follow!

Oh No! Picasa Web Album is going away...

I just got redirected to the Google+ Photos when I tried to upload my new photo album of my trip to Picasa Web. Ah!! Google has a plan to retire Picasa and is auto syncing my past photo albums to Google+. Another change... some concerns have been expressed with people wanting to have an album for an organized group, which will not be possible anymore. Are you in that category? Read the two links below for more info: 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57572553-93/google-now-redirects-picasa-web-albums-to-google-photos/ 

http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/05/picasa-web-albums-are-officially-dead-now-redirect-to-google-photos/

WuFoo Online form with Payment Features

Here's a site I want to share with you to create an online interactive form - www.Wufoo.com. The interface allows you to design a form with text fields, paragraph fields, checkboxes, multiple choices, drop list, conditionals and even incorporating online payments. Free accounts are available for users with minimal needs for users, fields, and entries. You can always upgrade your subscription to get more storage, more users, unlimited forms, unlimited reports and entries.

iBooks Author update

If you have not been interested in the early version of iBooks Author, the latest version might lure you to take a second look at it.

There are newly-added Apple templates in the categories of crafts, cooking, photography and biographies. The new portrait-only templates, which are fixed width, allow navigation, table of content, and interaction as should be available to a landscape book in landscape orientation.

On top of the existing widgets where users can include photo galleries, interactive quizzes, 3D objects, keynote presentations, and movies, there are two new widgets for improved interactivity - Scrolling Sidebar and Pop-Over. Besides those, users can embed custom fonts and have better support for mathematical expressions using LaTeX and MathML notation now. Media are automatically optimized when embedded, and iBooks Author now supports all media and audio formats supported by Quicktime.

One can always preview your book on your iPad anytime, or submit published work to Apple Bookstore after an improved workflow of automatic sample book creation and pre-publish checking.

Adobe InDesign Tutorial on 'Liquid Layout'

Here is a very nice video on InDesign CS6 by Anne-Marie Concepcion on 'Working with Liquid Layout'. Enjoy!



Resource: Adobe TV

PS Clipping Mask basics

Here's a great tutorial by Eric Renno who has his own blog TipSquirrel.com.  He was a finalist in The Next Adobe Photoshop Evangelist and Deke’s Techniques Photoshop Challenge. 

How to OCR a PDF to Editable Text on Mac

Mac users needing to edit text from a scanned PDF, you will need to use a OCR converter.  Here's a suggested one for free download. (Source from www.alifesoft.com)

Free Mac PDF Converter Pro:
How to OCR a PDF to Editable Text on Mac

Great Video Intro to InDesign CS6 Liquid Layout

Here's a great video on InDesign CS6 Liquid layout from Adobe TV.  It's such a learning place for tutorials and resources.  Check out the subsequent set of videos on the same topic.



Link to this episode: http://adobe.ly/Jo3aGi

InDesign CS 6 new features from the expert

Here's another great tutorial on InDesign CS6 new features by Terry White, Engineer from Adobe.  He's specialized in Photoshop and InDesign.

Learn from Julieanne Kost, Principal Digital Imaging Evangelist, Adobe Systems, Inc.

Check this out!!  She is awesome. Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom tutorials.

Julieanne Kost. Principal Digital Imaging Evangelist, Adobe Systems, Inc. Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom tutorials.

Create your free forum on lefora.com

Lefora.com is a site to create free forums with no download or setup time.  It has no limits on the amount of posts or members participating in the forum.  You can run public or private forums as many as you like with no restrictions.  Storage is 10GB storage free, and you can add more storage by paying a monthly fee.

Using the Lefora editor, members can take the URL of the photo or youtube video and paste it into the post box to embed them into a topic. Posts are integrated with Facebook, Twitters and Myspace to allow members share a link to a topic on their own social network choices. Friends can easily invite others with 1-click via email.

Here's a comparison chart of lefora.com with other free forum options.

http://www.lefora.com/features/comparison/

Take a ride- forums made easy!! Visit lefora.com

How to publish an iBooks using Apple's iBook Author

Here's a very nicely done video on the last steps on publishing your iBooks after you are done with iBooks Author.  It details out the steps in depth and even shows you a web site to buy a ISBN number, which can cost a lot from what Apple suggests.  The website it suggests is epubbud.com where you can get an ISBN for $5.

As mentioned in the video, please do take time to read the Apple contract and license agreement carefully. Your iBook will be selling on Apple's bookstore for free or for a price ranging from $.99- $39.99.  Even if  you are giving your book away free, you still will be required to go through the entire procedure as if you were selling your book for a fee.

How to insert Audio into a WordPress.com blog

I have been researching how to insert audio into a WordPress.com blog I have, and realized that I need to Upgrade Space in order to be able to upload audio files from my computer.  Otherwise, the only way of playing audio on the blog is to use the default player and use a shortcode for linking to the audio file hosted somewhere on the internet.

Take a look at this very useful guide I found on this.

http://en.support.wordpress.com/audio/

Guides to the use of Kindle Fire

I just purchased the Kindle Fire and is wondering how to transfer files from my computer to it - files such as music, documents, eBooks etc.  I found out that you will need to have a mini USB to a USB port cable to connect between the computer and the Fire.  This cable does not come with the Fire.  Another option, you can use the Amazon Cloud Drive, and upload your files to it, then when you tap on the CLOUD option on the device, it should automatically see the files on the Cloud Drive.

If you have a epub, I also found an application called Calibre (download) to easily convert it into a .mobi format to be read on the Fire. Another thing to remember, sign in to the same account you use for the Cloud Drive and the Kindle Fire.  To turn on Flash Player on your Kindle, which is not by default, tap on WEB, and choose the Option icon at the bottom of the screen, and click Settings (this is different from the Kindle Setting on the top right corner). Then you will scroll to find Enable Flash and turn it on.

Lots of nice discoveries as I am exploring the way into using  my new Kindle.  I love it!

This CNET link has a thorough guide for How to use the Kindle Fire -

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57341517-285/your-complete-guide-to-the-kindle-fire/

Check out the supported files for the Kindle Fire.  Not all formats are supported.

Scanning - Understanding image resolution

Here's an in-depth article on scanning.  It clearly explains what image resolution is and how do you calculate for different screen sizes.

http://www.scantips.com/basics1c.html

Article: Digital Trends » Google Maps boosts photo integration with 3D tours of famous landmarks

Now I can sit back in my couch and visit my travel destinations in my imaginary land.  Google Maps bring to you photos of places all over the globe in 3D simulated format and even video.

Cool stuff!!  I am the kind of person that never really likes to travel, but I like to read about picture books of places and share my friends' travel albums.  With Google Maps, perhaps I will fall in love with a place, then I will consider a trip next.  Take a ride!

Digital Trends » Google Maps boosts photo integration with 3D tours of famous landmarks
http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/google-maps-boosts-photo-integration-with-3d-tours-of-famous-landmarks/#share-absolute-div

(Sent from Flipboard)

--

Eileen Lai 

Web Designer

Center for Instruction & Technology

415.422.2876

Flipboard - a Social Magazine

Good Stuff- All in One Place

This application is named one of TIME's Top 50 innovations.  It is a social magazine with personalized content in an attractive page layout.  It connects with your social networks such as Facebook and Twitter and displays feeds, photos, messages, and what your friends want to share.  When you friends update, your Flipboard automatically updates too.  Besides that, you can also handpick from Flipboard's own collections from the web.

iPad App - Photoshop Touch Review

This is such as nice in-depth review - http://tmo.to/ejhL

Adobe Photoshop Touch

This image editing is newly released just end of February. It can be looked at as a light version of Photoshop on a computer, which has all the core tools designed for a portable environment.

Intended to be more than just applying effects, Photoshop Touch give users more control by having tools and layers panels, menus with filters and effects, color adjustments and auto masking. Users can also share their finished photos on Facebook and more.

Although the interface is designed to be touch-friendly for the iPad, a stylus might still be a helpful tool for applying effects. Check out Adobe tutorials for using the app.

Compatible with iPad 2, iPad 3
IOS 5.0 +
$9.99

iBooks on iPad

Here's how iBooks are being used in the classroom.  I am amazed with how interactive textbooks can become.  Enjoy, and watch out for the next step Apple undertakes to make iBook publishing easy with their own gadgets.  I can't wait...