Alfred C. Chen's Weblog

I thought that technology is suppose to make life easier?  I won't deny that the iPhone (my latest toy) has provided me with conveniences that a couple years ago would have required that I carry along a mobile phone, digital camera, MP3 player, and laptop computer.  While I love my iPhone, I still use my MacBook Pro, iPod Nano, Canon HD camcorder, and Canon DSLR regularly, depending on the occasion.  With 3 devices that can take pictures and 2 that can capture videos, I'm having a hard time keeping track of everything.  What I really need is a simple and cost effective solution for organizing, editing, sharing, and archiving all my photos and videos.

In this blog, I'm kicking off my efforts (a personal project) to define and implement a single system for managing my digital library, one that I hope will make my life easier.    As with any IT like project, before embarking on the design, it's important to understand the requirements.  It this case, it's a matter of articulating my own needs upfront, so I can be sure that I'm successful and happy with the outcome.  I anticipate that each key requirement will require additional analysis (topics for future blogs) before I can fully define and settle on the priorities (must-haves and nice-to-haves) for this system.  For now, I just want to capture the high level requirements.

I need a system that can grow (scalable) with my needs.  Although I don't foresee buying any new devices in the near-term, it's important that this system can easily accommodate additional data sources.  For example, if my wife gets an iPhone, I will need a way to easily import and manage all her photos and videos as well.  As technology is constantly evolving, I will need a digital library solution that can withstand the test of time.  I anticipate there will be new medias (e.g. Blue-ray) or social platforms where I would like to publish or store my pictures.  It would be great if the system does not lock me in to a particular social platform or external media type.

I enjoy taking pictures and videos, and I have seen my digital library grow exponentially in recent years.  However, I prefer not to invest the equivalent increment in time to manage my digital library.  I need a system that will make it easy to organize and edit my photos and videos.  I'm not a professional, so I do not need a fancy editing tool.  Nor do I want to spend a lot of time on editorial tasks.  Generally, I'm quite content with the "I'm Feeling Lucky" touch-ups provided in tools like Picasa.  While I have typically organized my photos and videos by dates or events, I would like to evaluate and assess the benefits of organizing by other means such as geo tags or facial recognition.

One of the great joy of taking pictures and videos is sharing them with my family and friends.  Currently, I share my pictures with my friends through social media Web sites such as FaceBook.  I also keep my photos from the past year online in my Picasa Web album.  While I have uploaded a couple video clips on YouTube,  I have largely deferred the editing  of my HD videos from the past year.  That will change, as I'm motivated by this project.  For my family (who are less technology savvy), I need this system to also facilitate with the creation of slide shows and home movies for re-play on the home theater or distribution via DVDs.   Occasionally, I do printouts as well.

I currently have my pictures and videos scattered across my Mac and PC, with back-ups on an external hard drive, CDs and DVDs.  One of the key driver for doing this project is my constant fear that one day my PC or Mac will crap out, or that my external hard drive will fail, or that the CDs where I back up my picture are no longer readable by new hardware.  What I need is a fault tolerant solution for backing up and preserving my digital library.  Since my PC is dated and I work largely on my Mac now, I would like to build my digital library around the software and services available on the Mac.  This means I will need a way to migrate and import the pictures and videos from my PC.

Well, I think this is a pretty good start on the requirements for building a system for managing my digital library.  I have identified my needs for organizing, editing, sharing, and archiving all my photos and videos.  Now, I just need a solution.  Any suggestions?

If you have seen a Dolphin show at SeaWorld or similar venues, you would recognize that Dolphins have tremendous acrobatic skills.  Apparently, some of these acrobatic skills are not enhanced version of the natural behaviors exhibited by Dolphins in the wild.  I recently read in the news (Australia's Daily Telegraph, BBC Science/Nature) that tail-walking is one such skill that is learned (from human trainers?) by Dolphins in captivity. 

Why am I surprised, and why am I blogging about this topic you ask?  Well, I recently wrote a blog about my encounter with Dolphins in the Monterey Bay.  In the pictures that I shared in my previous blog, you will see that Dolphins are playful and acrobatic animals.  Their natural showmanship skills is especially elevated by their curiosity around humans.  In one the pictures (on this blog), I believe I happen to captured a wild Dolphin doing the tail-walking.  Perhaps this isn't a coincidence. 

Due to more human and Dolphin interactions in the wild, I believe Dolphin's behaviors are evolving.  Dolphins are intelligent animals.  I believe they are trying to learn from us, just as we try to learn more about them.  If we humans (e.g. Michael Phelps) can learn and use the Dolphin kick to our advantage, why can't Dolphins learn to walk?  I agree it's not obvious (the benefits) what they gain by tail-walking, except more fanfare.  Nonetheless, we will soon see more Dolphins tail-walking in their natural habitat, one that they are having to share more and more with their two legged friends.

If you have observed similar behaviors, please feel free to share your experience in the comments field below.

I bet you didn't know that Dolphins live in the Monterey Bay.  Actually, it's quite common to spot Dolphins, Whales and other marine mammals, if you spend enough time on the Bay or if you go on a Whale watching tour boat.  What made our recent Dolphin encounter so special is that we weren't seeking them out.  We were visiting Monterey for the day. We stopped by the Breakwater to admire the SCUBA divers, as we have done on every Monterey trip since we stopped diving.  Amazingly, this is the first time that I have spotted Dolphins so close to the shore, only about 150 feet away.  They hung around for a while, and provided lots of entertainment for the Kayakers, the people on the beach and the tourists on the glass bottom boat (typically not a great way to spot wildlife, just divers).  It was a very unexpected and unforgettable experience.

Press Play to start the slide show.

Over the July 4th weekend, my wife and I went for a short hike at Rancho San Antonio, an open space preserve that borders Los Altos, Cupertino and I-280.  Rancho is one of my favorite outdoor playgrounds, since it's conveniently located in the heart of Silicon Valley.  It's where I first discovered trail running and where I trained (PG&E Trail) for my hike up to Half Dome at Yosemite.  It's also where I return year after year to find a new generation of lambs, goats and piglets at the Deer Hollow Farm.

I have also had my share of wildlife encounters at Rancho San Antonio:  Bobcats, Rattlesnakes, Blacktail Deers, Wild Turkeys, Quails, Rabbits, Owls, Acorn Woodpeckers, etc.  Each time, I always said to myself "If only I had brought my camera."  Well, I finally brought my camera this past weekend, and I was not disappointed.  I'm sharing my pictures in this Blog (Press Play on Slideshow below), out of complete respect for the wildlife and their home.  In shooting these photos, I kept my distance, tried to blend in with nature, and captured the close-ups through a zoom lense.

In a world of global warming and diminishing natural habitats, I think it's great that open space preserves such as Rancho San Antonio is able to sustain an ecosystem that is thriving despite being in the shadows of encroaching home developments, congested freeways and high-tech business parks.  As a parent, I often wonder if such wonderful places will still exist when my daughter is old enough to appreciate it.  As a nature lover, I'm quite hopeful (based on my observations) that I will find a new generation of thriving wildlife at Rancho this time next year, the following year, and for the foreseeable future.

BTW in case you are wondering, I have not had a Mountain Lion encounter.  They are elusive, solitary animals that hunt mostly during the wee hours when the parks are closed.  By chance if I'm lucky enough to spot one, I will be sure to Blog about the experience.  Stay tuned!