New Typing Game Makes Typing Fun in KeyBlaze

Everyone has a slightly different learning style, but learning by doing is one of the most effective ways to ingrain something in your memory. As the saying goes, "practice makes perfect," but there are some things that just aren't any fun to practice. Touch typing has the potential to be one of those tedious task, but we have been working to keep KeyBlaze typing tutor software out of the realm of typing tedium by making it a fun way to learn the vital skill of touch typing.

One of fun ways KeyBlaze does recognizes accomplishments is by awarding certificates as you test your typing speed and accuracy throughout the lesson structure. Another, that we recently added, is the addition of a typing game where words fall down the screen like rain drops. You have to type the words correctly to prevent them from hitting the pavement, bringing the competitive edge to touch typing practice by providing a challenge in the heat of the moment while you try to outdo your high score. So whether you have kids who need to learn to type or you want to improve your own typing skills, take a look at KeyBlaze for more than just typing lessons, but a fun way to practice and learn how to type.

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Star Trek Software and Technology

The blogosphere has been inundated lately with people talking about the Star Trek 45th anniversary, and I have to admit I have been intrigued with some of the coverage, like the Star Trek Gadgets That Are No Longer Fiction list that Mashable put out, which is what leads me to software. It is absolutely amazing to think of how far software and technology has taken us in its short lifetime. How much longer before all of our once wildest fantasies become possible?

The computer on the deck of the Enterprise that answers to voice commands always seemed so convenient. We are approaching this type of technology already with voice activation. We've already seen voice activation being used with programs like Express Dictate. And we certainly take our technology with us by loading apps to our cell phones and tablets (see our pocket software including WavePad audio editor for the iPhone and iPad), not to be confused with communicators, tricorders audio the pad of the star fleet. We might not have transporters or replicators just yet, but new hardware and software is being created every day, so I can't help but wonder how close to the mark we will make it by the time we really do reach the 24th century.

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Hamish and Andy use WavePad to detect lies

As I was relaxing one evening last week I was surprised to see a familiar face on the TV - WavePad!

Australian comedy duo Hamish and Andy have taken their antics to New York where they are causing general mayhem. In an attempt to determine if Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, was inviting them to a BBQ or simply making polite exit conversation, the boys visit a body language expert to help uncover the truth. There on his Macbook was none other our very own WavePad Audio Editor (with the classic theme selected) being used to analyse Mrs Clinton's voice patterns.

The result? A fifty dollar bet that they will NOT be attending a BBQ any time soon.

Watch the full episode of Hamish and Andy's Gapyear (episode three), WavePad makes its appearance starting at approximately 21 minutes and 30 seconds.

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Stop Motion Animation with Slideshow Software

I recently stumbled across another great use for PhotoStage Slideshow Software, combining sequential still photos into a stop motion video animation. That is exactly what a class of students did in the Napa Valley in a CyberMill Technology Center summer program as reported on by Howard Yune of the Napa Valley Register.

CyberMill is a Napa Valley nonprofit technology center, affiliated with the national Computers for Youth nonprofit organization. The CFY Network is committed to improving the home learning environment of low-income families by providing home computers and educational resources, helping students learn the technology skills they need to compete and thrive in the 21st Century. In this particular summer program Yune explains that

"For nearly four hours a day over five days, children at the animation camp work through all the phases of building a short video. Digital point-and-shoot cameras snap numerous photos — as many as 465 for each short — of box-size backdrops built by the children themselves, guided by scripts based on poems of their creation or choosing.

Instructors also guide students in using Photostage software to merge the stills into short movies, adding electronic titles and recording dialogue in an audio studio set inside a walk-in closet."

– Ever wanted to make a movie about a goldfish?

We were excited to learn about this project of making stop motion animated shorts with PhotoStage and applaud the programs of the CyberMill Technology Center for bringing technology to those who might not have as much exposure to this important piece of our world today, while keeping it fun at the same time.

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Now In 3D

One of the favorite comics here in the office is xkcd, a somewhat geeky webcomic with math, science and technology themes.

For April Fool’s Day the site went 3D (XK3D). Since this foray into the third dimension lined up so closely with NCH Software's own 3D addition, with the new stereoscopic 3D video content support that was added in the most recent release of VideoPad (version 2.30), I thought it was the perfect opportunity to introduce any of our readers who are not familiar with xkcd to its wonders.

Note: if you're new to xkcd, make sure you don't to miss the hover over text on each comic as you surf through their archives.

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Do More with Audio - Blog Carnival December 6, 2010

Audio is everywhere you look, or listen. Add a little time a dash of creativity and you will be surprised at what you can find out there to listen to. Take for example the discovery that you can get the Google translate tool to sound like a beat box. But be warned playing around with the different language combinations will suck away a chunk of your day before you know what happened.

Here are this edition's entries to Do More with Audio:


Corinne Reidy presents 10 Signs You’re an Insufferable Music Snob posted at Web Design Schools Guide.

Nils J. Sandback presents Piano Humour: A Victor Borge Tribute posted at Piano Street's Classical Piano Blog, saying, "A tribute to the Danish pianist and humorist Victor Borge."

Bart Bryars presents First Time Success Making A Music Video, saying, "This is my first video, and the opening number the musical, Joey, that my wife and I have been working on."

Corinne Reidy presents Top 10 Dance Videos on YouTube posted at Web Design Schools Guide.

Gregg Fine presents Getting Started in Advertising Music-The Video Reel Pt. 1 posted at Hidden Tiger Music Blog, saying, "This blog focuses on the art and craft of making music for advertising and television commercials. Additional topics include mixing, recording, audio engineering, composing, arranging."

You might also be interested in:

• Boost Audio Quality for Radio and Podcast Production
  
• Make your own haunting halloween soundtrack
  
• More awards for NCH Software including a new award for the audio editing favorite WavePad
  
• Showing that Good Things Do Come in Small Packages since the last edition we announced the WavePad Audio Editing iPhone App, and have had a stellar user review
  

That concludes this edition of "Do more with audio." Be sure to Submit your audio article, story or success to the next edition.

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The Lego Principle: How building from blocks, sets and platforms applies to software

Do you remember playing with Legos when you were a kid? I was thinking about my surplus of Legos the other day, and it got me thinking about software…

When I was a kid, I literally had tens-of-thousands of Lego blocks. It didn't start this way. I grew my collection from the first few space sets I could afford into a massive armada of ships and bases. With each set I added something new to the foundation of what I could already create with my current Lego supply.

Software developers do much the same thing, starting out with a few basic pieces. By learning and accumulating more interesting bits of code overtime, more designs and possibilities begin to emerge. Eventually developers collect a whole range of different building blocks that they can use and the number of possibilities skyrocket, which we refer to as exponential growth.

This phenomenon also occurs on a more local level at NCH Software. Our products are based upon blocks which can be built into a powerful conglomeration of tools. With so many software products, we often use blocks of code, or functions, from our library in multiple products and stack them together to add to the features.

One of the more banal examples of using these building blocks is in our dialog windows. Using the same code ensures that our software products will have a similar look and feel throughout. You wouldn’t want to build a castle with a mixture of Legos and Lincoln logs, would you? A more interesting example is our sound effect library, which is available in WavePad, VideoPad, and MixPad. Think of each of those applications as an already-constructed Lego spaceship, and the sound library is a fancy laser gun we’ve added to all three to make them that much more effective at what they do.

Yet another example is the weblet. In some programs, the weblet is where you go to run your business when you are away from home. In others, it’s where you configure the settings for your phone system, or where you test the video streams you are going to put on your website. The weblet is a foundation we lay down and build on top of to suit the needs of the individual program.

Lego has the right ideas – expandable and always interoperable. At NCH Software, we have the same ideas so that all of our products fit our users' needs. By making core features in our library, we gain a lot of dynamic power to make future products more robust, making our entire development team more powerful. And you can never have too much power.

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Make your own Glee Music Mash-up

It isn't very often that I get caught up in popular mainstream televisions shows, but I have to admit that I have been completely hooked by Glee. I have really enjoyed watching this weekly musical. Waiting for the next season is going to leave a gap in my weekly entertainment that I can only hope the reruns will satisfy, but with no new episodes, maybe I will take a little time and attempt to put together my own music mash-up and mix two songs together with MixPad audio mixing software. I'm under no delusions that it will be as easy to make one seamless song out of two as they make it appear on the TV show--but with a whole summer of waiting for season two ahead, I think it might be a fun project for when the storm clouds come out. Even if the rainy days are few and far between, there should be plenty of time to get the hang of mixing two songs together.

Here are a few tips to get you started after you have chosen the songs that you want to use in your mash-up:

• It can be helpful to have the vocals separated from the instrumental music. Try searching for a cappella versions of your songs. If you can't find a cappella versions, try using WavePad to help you extract the voice, but note this can be a time consuming step to get it right.
  
• Load all of your clips in MixPad. MixPad can import audio from a wide range of formats and even extract audio from video files, so you don't need to worry about converting your audio files first.
  
• You may need to adjust the pitch of one of your two songs to get them into the same key.
  
• Adjust the tempo of one of your songs to match the other for a common beat throughout your arrangement.
  
• Use a drum sample of one of the songs to make a tempo grid marking the beat for your mix and help you place samples of your two songs.
  

If any of you have put together your own musical mash-ups I'd love to hear the tracks you have put together. And if you have any tips on mixing tracks together, please share what you have learned.

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