Super Secret Surprise CALL Stuff II … JULY!!!

SUPER SECRET….
Surprise CALL STUFF II …..
It is now …. JULY !!!!

JULY IS HERE NOW! And I hinted at some Super Secret CALL Stuff in a previous post that are coming in July! Well IT IS NOW JULY!

The tech upgrades are the first upgrades that are … not disaster related! Well, okay, maybe a stretch as during Covid, and just as we were returning, CALL (& elsewhere too!) was upgraded with a bunch of new computers – both DELL and APPLE! But that was expected and … if COVID is not a disaster, then what is!

Okay, you might then argue that The Pods at the Front of CALL were another non-disaster upgrade, but …. the screen at the time had broken and well, why not upgrade the back computers to a kind of ‘If you build it, they will come‘ scenario for students. (Spoiler Alert – An ALL TIME FAVOURITE MOVIE of mine! And it worked … Covid started about 3 weeks later! AND CALL also got new furniture JUST BEFORE COVID! And believe me, the old furniture WAS a disaster! Whew!

CALL Facility Large Screens
       CALL Facility Large Screens

So THIS current upgrade is unique in that we are getting FAR SUPERIOR STUFF that we did not have before! And those things are …… well, you will just have to wait until the next Bog Blog post. For now, I will include more photos of lots of stuff that has happened in CALL, and the first of the Before and After photos too! And a few random ‘Favourite Bog Blog’ posts at the bottom too! 

And don’t forget about … The Great CALL Flood of 2015!

But for now, you will have to:

  • Monitor this OAC Blog!
  • Make a resolution to be ready for anything!
  • Station yourself at the ready!
  • Display your boxes of CALL hi-tech upgrades!
  • Project the future!
  • Measure up to … 55″ of PowerPoint slides in every direction!
  • And if not PP, then switch to a 55″ Keynote instead!
  • Don’t get drunk on screenshots!
  • Screen everyone who visits CALL!
  • Memorize how to spell HDMI!
  • Surf the Internet riding high on a CRESTRON .wav!
  • Get ready for one DELL of an upgrade!
  • No boots needed in case of a flood, only … re-boots!
  • Didn’t cost much either! We paid in cache!
  • CALL will be safe from monitor lizards, finally!
  • Monitor the upgrades ’cause it  … hertz so good!

See everyone in JULY!
Come on down to
THE CALL FACILITY
BE READY …..
After … July 13th!

READY!
                                                                          READY!

And … just to end on a
Shameless OAC
Bog Blog promotion …
Here are some random Bog Blog favourite OAC posts!

My Favourite ‘Favourites’ at OAC!
So … What’s Next for … 2022?

CALL Computer Refresh Deja Vu ….. All Over Again
A Walk Down Memory Lane .. or .. 1 Domegemegrottebyte Worth!
Favourite and Useful UVic Links
NEW CALL LAYOUT !
The CALL Facility & other UVic Mysteries
UVIC Social Media
Social Media at UVic or … LIKES and FOLLOWS
On Campus Photo Shoot
On Campus Photo Shoot Redux

And of course …. CHD Jeopardy Opus (all the Jeopardy pdfs!)
And a favourite topic is … UVic Recycling!
The ReCycling of CALL and … HSD!
Comparing Apples and Oranges III . . . The ReCycling

And one of my
ABSOLUTELY FAVOURITE
Bog Blog Posts …
Secret Gems of Clearihue!
SSShhhh . . . Clearihue’s Hidden Secrets . . . & GEMS

And  if  you  made  it  this  far
A SNEAK  PREVIEW
of  the NEXT CHD  Jeopardy!

 

A Walk Down Memory Lane .. or .. 1 Domegemegrottebyte Worth!

Let’s go for a walk down …
Memory Lane !
Of 1 Domegemegrottebyte Size !!!!

I hope you have been able to keep THIS BOG BLOG POST TOP SECRET!

If not, then go ahead and TELL EVERYONE! The secret CALL Upgrade with lots of new TECH TOYS is less than TWO WEEKS AWAY!!!

The CALL Facility will actually be closed the first two weeks of July (1-5 and 8-12) while the best technical crew on campus brings CALL to the height of upgrades! A long time coming and this will significantly change how CALL can and WILL be used for classes, demos, workshops, orientations, lectures, exams and even drop-in usage! And maybe even MORE uses as everyone discovers that CALL can now do ….. oops ……. almost let the cat out of the bag! You will have to wait or better yet, drop by and talk to me! CALL has had computer refreshes but this time .. is different. CALL did get new furniture and a newer version of The Pods, just before Covid, but this is going to be really cool!

Oh, and if you were wondering about what a Domegemegrottebyte is ….

  • Domegemegrottebyte (1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 Bytes) (or 1033 Bytes)

And for comparison, click HERE for some eye opening comparisons! I had never heard of The Byte Scale before! WOW!

Okay, now for some fun stuff! There are vintage photos of The CALL Facility and even the notorious and infamous …. Lab ‘B’ that I have found. AND some Great Flood photos and even Classic CALL photos. Below are a bunch of mini-galleries, each with a mini-them! Some are so old, that colour had not been invented yet! All this in comparison to various upgrades and the UPGRADE TO COME IN JULY! I will do a blog about that, when complete and we have a Fully Functioning  DEATHSTAR  CALL Facility! Check them out below in a bunch of Galleries!

The CALL Facility will be completed on schedule
                           The CALL Facility will be completed on schedule
You must feel The Pun around you
                                             You must feel The Pun around you

THE LEGENDARY LAB ‘B’
the night before it was … DISASSEMBLED!
 

Classic CALL Facility Photos – Pre-Flood!

The Great Flood of 2015!

Vintage & Old Photos of CALL 1989!

CALL During Flood Renovations

Behind the Scenes CLTE Renovations!

CALL FUN FAIR – Meet the Team

Meet the Team in The CALL Facility
                                                             Meet the Team in The CALL Facility

 

And some more cool links from previous Bog Blogs about upgrades and new tech and toys through the years! And don’t forget to recycle boxes, hardware and even food and paper! JUST DO IT!

NEW! The CALL Facility Furniture HAS ARRIVED! NEW!
CALL Computer Refresh Deja Vu ….. All Over Again
SSShhh or Clearihue’s Hidden Secrets .. or CLEARIHUE’S HIDDEN GEMS!!!!
The CALL Facility Original Ad for Employment September 1989
1989 to 2019 30th Anniversary of The CALL Facility!
Meet the Team Systems Open House
The CALL Facility Original Ad for Employment September 1989
CALL Towering Tech Arrivals
The Recycling of CALL and … HSD! (Upgrades need recycling!)
Recycling Never Gets Old at UVic!

See everyone in JULY!
Come on down to
THE CALL FACILITY!

And … just to end on yet another shameless OAC Bog Blog promotion, yet another Post ending with yet another previous blog on …. PUNS! Please be kind! And if you can’t be kind, then I will just have to make more puns! The choice … is yours!!! The Pun is strong in this one ……

 

 

 

Super Secret Surprise CALL Stuff … coming in July!

SUPER SECRET….
Surprise CALL STUFF …..
Coming in JULY !!!!

CAN you keep a secret? You better be able to! There just might be some VERY interesting stuff coming to your local CALL Facility, scheduled for the first two weeks of JULY!  Just before that though, will be DHSI for the first two weeks of JUNE!

What is DHSI? Well, I will write another post closer to June, but another Super Secret CALL Scenario is ….. click here to see what DHSI is!

But for now, you will have to:

  • Monitor this OAC Blog!
  • Make a resolution to be ready for anything!
  • Station yourself at the ready!
  • Display your boxes of CALL hi-tech upgrades!
  • Project the future!
  • Measure up to … 55″ of PowerPoint slides in every direction!
  • And if not PP, then switch to a 55″ Keynote instead!
  • Don’t get drunk on screenshots!
  • Screen everyone who visits CALL!
  • Memorize how to spell HDMI!
  • Surf the Internet riding high on a CRESTRON .wav!
  • Get ready for one DELL of an upgrade!
  • No boots needed in case of a flood, only … re-boots!
  • Didn’t cost much either! We paid in cache!
  • CALL will be safe from monitor lizards, finally!
  • Monitor the upgrades ’cause it  … hertz so good!

And maybe, just maybe, the photo below in a Super Secret location, safe from prying eyes … will have some clues!

And just have to end on a serious note ….. NOT!

See everyone in JULY!
Come on down to
THE CALL FACILITY!

And … just to end on a shameless OAC Bog Blog promotion, I did a whole post on puns and jokes during early Covid in 2020 …….

 

 

 

 

ON VACATION! Back on AUGUST 28!!

I AM NOW ON VACATION!

FINALLY August is here!

And I am going to go absolutely nowhere! Well, maybe Cobble Hill for coffee and ratatouille in the forest! Or walks on the beach! Or a longshot is Tofino or Alberta! But anywhere I do go, will be very random and very spur of the moment!

I did scale back my OAC posts this past year (September ’22 to August ’23) but still managed some fun posts and pages, as well as some updates and brand new random posts! And I plan on a few more when I get back in September!   Who knows how busy September 2023 will be but .. it WILL be busy! I am already taking bookings for JANUARY OF 2024!!! YAY BOOKINGS!

You can always check out all my CHD Jeopardy training files here including my most recent Jeopardy Double Trouble in .pdf format. AND a YouTube video of Double Jeopardy it here! ENJOY!

AND ANNOUNCING THAT I HAVE FINISHED 99.99% of the NEWEST CHD JEOARDY –HALLOWEEN the 13th!!! In October and for all our new and returning COOPS 

Good luck! And even MORE prizes (Chocolate! Gummy Bears and maybe SURPRISE PACKAGES TOO!) to win and new TYPES of questions too!

CHD Jeopardy Greg's Playlist IIAnd I might also have a new shorter version of my CALL Orientation which will be only about 2 minutes long and less than a dozen slides! Okay, that was hard to do, to keep it THAT short, but I will still keep some Star Trek  and Easter Egg elements in there … the usual for this Bog Blog! For a quick sneak peek, but only the working/BETA version, you can download it here in PDF format, or watch it at YouTube in video format! I even kept it shorter than the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds trailer ! But it will still probably change and be even better than it is right now! YAY!

Thanks for all the support and reading all my fun Bog Blog posts and pages at UVic! More to come in September! WOOT!

Everyone stay safe and healthy today, tomorrow and for the rest of the year!

Not to worry . . .

Back on August 28th to prep for
. . . Septem . . . PURR !!!!

I will bring Empire Donuts when I return to UVic!

~~Bogman~~


 

Pandemic

 

ON VACATION! Back on AUGUST 29!!

I AM NOW ON VACATION!

FINALLY August is here!

And I am going to go absolutely nowhere! Well, maybe Cobble Hill for coffee and ratatouille in the forest! Or walks on the beach! Or a longshot is Tofino or Alberta! But anywhere I do go, will be very random and very spur of the moment!

I did scale back my OAC posts this past year (September ’21 to July ’22) but still managed some fun posts and pages, as well as some updates and brand new random posts – you know the kind- COVID kind of interfered with daily updates as we had TWO years of students coming back to UVIC! The regular ‘1st Years’ and the ‘then’ the current ‘2nd Years’ … who never did set foot on campus during COVID! September 2021 was THE busiest I have ever seen on campus! Who knows how busy September 2022 will be but .. it WILL be busy!

Jeopardy XI Greg's Playlist
                               Jeopardy XI Greg’s Playlist

BONUS – we were able to do IN  PERSON TRAINING FOR OUR NEW CHD STAFF FOR THE FIRST TIME in almost 3 years!! You can always check out all my CHD Jeopardy training files here including my most recent Jeopardy Greg’s Playlist!

CHD Jeopardy Greg's Playlist II
           CHD Jeopardy Greg’s Playlist II

AND ANNOUNCING THAT I HAVE FINISHED 99.99% of the NEWEST CHD JEOARDY – GREG’S PLAYLIST II in September and for all our new and returning COOPS! Good luck! And even MORE prizes (Chocolate!) to win and new TYPES of questions too!

And I will also have a new shorter version of my CALL Orientation which will be only about 2 minutes long and less than a dozen slides! Okay, that was hard to do, to keep it THAT short, but I will still keep some Star Trek  and Easter Egg elements in there … the usual for this Bog Blog! For a quick sneak peek, but only the working/BETA version, you can download it here in PDF format, or watch it at YouTube in video format! I even kept it shorter than the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds trailer ! But it will still probably change and be even better than it is right now! YAY!

Thanks for all the support and reading all my fun Bog Blog posts and pages at UVic! More to come in September! WOOT!

Everyone stay safe and healthy today, tomorrow and for the rest of the year!

Not to worry . . .

Back on August 29th to prep for
. . . Septem . . . PURR !!!!

I will bring Empire Donuts when I return to UVic!

~~Bogman~~


 

Pandemic

 

The CALL Facility … and other Mysteries of UVIC – Updated July 2022

DEJA CALL … all over again!

So, what exactly IS
The CALL Facility at UVic?
Well, here goes!
Including new ‘BETA‘ content
for September 2022 !

I have a NEW PDF (and PDF-video!) for a NEW version of The CALL Facility Orientation for September 2022!

  ⬇️ September 2022 ⬇️
NEW BETA VERSION
The CALL Facility Orientation
  ⬇️ Click Below to download ⬇️

And just below is my “Director’s Cut” YouTube version, converted from PowerPoint – and less than 2 minutes in length (1:59! LOL!) I will definitely have some updates and upgrades between now and then as I ‘Field Test’ this new approach to showing everyone The CALL Facility and preparing for September 2022.

Previous versions (Page) of my CALL intro had MANY slides of all the available resources for each  language/course/Department that used CALL for homework, assignments, WICKET, etc. That has totally changed due to Covid and I wanted a very quick, very informative slide show that ANYONE could quickly see (and show!) and not be resource or ‘click heavy’. I hope I have accomplished that!

I will continue to tweak it and after a few live CALL orientations, I will update these resources! Of course, I retain the right to .. include my brand of humour throughout! Oh, by the way, without a doubt, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is THE BEST STAR TREK SERIES OF ALL TIME! And … Spoiler Alert – this could actually pop up as a Jeopardy Questions in the new September CHD Training Day! You .. never … know!

The CALL Facility is STILL one of the Hidden Gems of Clearihue! Enjoy!

I will  have future Bog Blog posts about “Heading Back to UVic“,  “Oldest Computers in the World“, “On Vacation“, “Welcome Back to UVic” in September, and even some updated Pages and more totally random stuff that I seem to … maybe … specialize in! LOL!

CHD Jeopardy Greg's Playlist II
   CHD Jeopardy Greg’s Playlist II

And … another SPOILER ALERT a brand new CHD Jeopardy Greg’s Playlist II for September CHD Training too! YAY JEOPARDY!

Thanks to EVERYONE at CHD for participating and your support too! I can’t make CALL Orientations or CHD Jeopardy without all of you and your assistance, support and … rolling eyes!! Thank you!

TTFN!

 

Adding Text to GIFs … Jeopardy GIF/MEME Version!

Adding Text to GIFs
or
JEOPARDY  MEMESRUS

This post has TWO purposes! First is a post on how to add  Text to GIFs! And secondly … to announce the next Jeopardy  version MEMES ‘R US is ready for training, sometime in May!

It took me a bit of expermenting with a site called EZGIF.com to come up with easy ways to include formatted and positioned text, in any GIF. I chose to work with GIFs that had NO text, as … I wanted my own text!

How to turn this         ….             into THIS!

Click for colourful GIF iMacs!

Click for BIG NAMED colourful GIF iMacs!

 

 

 

 

The original GIF, whether you found it or created it yourself, will not be modified at all, just a copy, so you can try all kinds of things with a copy. And worst case, you can just start all over, upload the original GIF and keep on trying new features!

Okay, so the original GIF was a flashing iMac of all 13 of the different iMacs made by Apple. So this is a very simple upgrade, the sequence is below.

  1. Go to EZGIF.com and click on Add Text. (I have edited out ads)
  2. Click on ‘Choose File’, locate the GIF you want to edit, then click the blue Upload! button. I am using the iMac GIF above as an example.
  3. The GIF will load, start to play, and beneath, all the frames will be displayed in the order they play.
  4. EACH FRAME needs to be edited (for THIS GIF) to have the colour in the frame. So I typed EACH ‘colour’ into EACH text box i.e. “BONDI” in the first box and THEN CLICKED SET! That will edit the default settings and put the word ‘BONDI’ IN the frame, with the default settings. Each time you edit each frame, you must click SET! I will change ‘BLUEBERRY’ to a different font, position, colour and size to show the differences you can edit, as shown below:

This particular GIF needs edited text in EACH FRAME. Other GIFs, that have more animation, will  be a ‘best guess’ as to the timing of the text. But each frame shows a frame, OF the GIF, so actually not that hard. But any text you enter, you must hit the SET for each frame!

When done, at the very bottom of the page, which might be longer, depending on how long your GIF is, will  be a blue button to Create GIF!

Click  it and in a few seconds, your GIF will be created and run! If it is not quite right, go back and edit those frames you want to change! Then … Create GIF! again! 

When done, click on the icon of a floppy disk called ‘save‘ and the site will  export your newly ‘Textified‘ GIF to your downloads folder! It is THAT SIMPLE! The … more artistic part comes when you have more frames, more text, a message at the top, followed by a message at the bottom, making text disappear half-way through … etc. AND that is only THIS SECTION of EZGIF.com.

So, crazy question – what IS the  difference between Bondi and Blueberry! LOL! Maybe, in  person, there is a noticeable difference

Totally free, easy to use and many more features. With this iMac GIF, I had to use the resize feature as the original GIF was HUGE! I resized it to about 25% (trial and error) and then it was perfect for legibility and running in OAC. The bigger the GIF, the greater the chances it might not actually display in OAC. So … just resize it first!

I have also used Video to GIF as sometimes, you have a .. video clip, and this will convert it to GIF and then .. ALL the controls are there for your new GIF.

I have MANY MANY new MEMES/GIFS for our upcoming CHD Training, and I will put a few below, for fun:

COOL Play Around with Websites

  1. EZGIF.com
  2. 10 Best Gif sites to get Great Memes in 2021
  3. 9 Websites to Visit for Amazing GIFs
  4. Top 10 Websites for Finding Perfect GIFs & Memes
  5. Top 25 Gif Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2021
  6. The best GIF-maker apps and websites for 2020
  7. Explore websites GIFs

How to Create Gifs
In 3 Easy Ways

How to Make a GIF from a Video
(‘Video to GIF’ Tutorial!)

How to Create a Gif in Canva

BE SAFE EVERYONE!

Pandemic