VLC comes to the iPhone and iPod Touch (iPad too)

Finally, our favorite plays-it-all media player comes to the iPhone and the iPod Touch, following it's recent introduction to the iPad. We haven't tested it yet ourselves, but if it's anything like the Mac and Windows versions, VLC should be a great tool when you need to play a wide variety of audio and video file formats.

VLC Media Player Now Available for iPhone and iPod touch [Lifehacker]

Play YouTube videos automatically in a list (even looping them!)

Here's how to put together a list of YouTube videos that plays automatically one to the next (or even in a continuous loop): http://screencast.com/t/Y2U2N2M2

From the Official Google Blog: Grandmother’s guide to video chat

Think video chat is too complicated to try? Think again. Even your grandmother can do it! Visit google.com/chat/grandma/ for an easy introduction.

Here's the office blog post from Google: Official Google Blog: Grandmother’s guide to video chat

Recovering gracefully from presentation glitches

Those of us who use technology during any type of presentation in front of a group (classroom teaching, projects, pitches, etc.), know that glitches are inevitable, whether it's a memory slip, a technology issue, or a disruptive participant. What matters is how you recover. Visit this blog post to see how one of the masters of presentation technique recovered from glitches during a recent big deal event: Steve Jobs' Strategies for Overcoming Presentation Glitches.

Kodak Zi6 drops in price

New pocket video cameras keep coming out, which means the prices on the older models keep coming down. The Kodak Zi6 has now dropped to about $85 on Amazon, so if you were thinking of purchasing one, now might be a good time: http://bit.ly/aHXdlf ...yes, this price is for the pink-colored one, but why not let your camera have a little flair?

Quickly cut out a section of an mp3

Need to take a short clip out of a longer mp3 file to use in your teaching or in a class project? This website lets you do so without downloading any software! http://mp3cut.net/

Thanks, Lifehacker, for another great tip.

Getting started with the Canon HF10

One of the camcorders available for borrowing from Media Services is the Canon HF10, an easy-to-use yet powerful high-definition camcorder. Below is a short video we made to help users get started with the HF10. To borrow an HF10, submit an Equipment and Help Request (ahead of time) on our website.

If you'd like more information about the HF10, visit our website at www.su.edu/library/media and click on "Online Help." Then, click the "Canon HF10" tab.

New Suggestions for Screencasting

I've added links to some new tools for screencasting ("screencasting" means making videos of what is happening on your computer screen) to the Media Services Online Help page. Screencasting is a great instructional tool for distance learning, especially if you find often find yourself describing over the phone how to do something on a computer. Wouldn't it be much easier to just show the person rather than trying to describe it in words? To learn more, visit www.su.edu/library/media and clicking on "Online Help." Then, click on the "FREE STUFF!" tab.

Classrooms Tab

Are you teaching (or taking a class) in a classroom in which you have not had a class in the past? Making a presentation in a conference room with which you are not familiar? Wondering what audio-visual equipment is available in a particular room at SU?

Wonder no more. The answers are now together in one place: the new "Classrooms" tab on the Media Services Online Help page. You can access our Online Help page by visiting www.su.edu/library/media and clicking on "Online Help." Then, click on the "Classrooms" tab. There you will find:

• A table listing which equipment is available in which rooms (in plain English; no complicated tech-speak)
• Links to web-viewable and printable instruction sheets for each classroom

What if the equipment you want/need is not in a particular room? No problem. Simply visit www.su.edu/library/media and click on "Equipment and Help Request" to fill out a request for AV equipment, or call the Library Circulation Desk at (540) 665-5424 if you need to reserve a laptop computer.

The "Classrooms" tab is still a work in progress, but we hope to have every classroom and meeting room listed within the next couple weeks, and more and more instruction sheets available as time goes on.

Have feedback or suggestions? Visit www.su.edu/library/media and click on Feedback.