Books-O-Matic

I experimented with Apple's iBooks Author this morning.

I'm not totally sold. It's all about canned templates, and me sitting there saying "How do I change this? Is it even possible?" Then I seem to spend a long time clicking around trying to do something that is pretty easy to do in InDesign.

What is interesting, though, is you preview your iBook on an iPad that you hook up to your computer. That was cool, though it also made me frustrated as I wanted to know how to change it to single page view instead of fluid scrolling. I think the answer to that might be to make it a PDF and what the hell, just do it in InDesign.

I exported a PDF so you can view it on a computer, and not have to buy an iPad and go through Apple's store just to check it out. Be kind—this isn't edited or designed, and I couldn't figure out how to do most basic things in iBooks Author. I dragged the first two chapters of MariesWorldTour.com 2001 into it, the original Marie-leave-New York posts.

Download here. Right-click to view it in Acrobat and not the web browser, where it doesn't work right. 

Proof

Swell.

High Above the Meadowlands

I meant to write on Sunday night, but I'd gone to a lecture on the Pulaski Skyway in Hoboken during the day, and that inspired me to cut together this instead.

I'd gone to IKEA early on a Sunday morning a few years ago, and on the way back, stuck my camera up on my car's dashboard for the three-mile run over the Pulaski Skyway.

The Skyway is the last remaining section of the United States first superhighway project ("Route 1 Extension"), which went high above the Meadowlands and Jersey City, connecting the Holland Tunnel to the wider world beyond the Newport Mall. Which, now that I think about it, wasn't built in 1932.

Meadowlandsosauruses

Canoeing last Saturday was fun, but equally intriguing was this sign by the parking area.

My 1990 Ford Taurus and I tried not to take offense.

"Should we go see the dinosaurs?" We'd just finished canoeing, a lethal-looking insect was sucking blood out of my canoeing partner's upper arm, and I was covered in sweat and sunscreen, but we were right there, where there were obviously dinosaurs.

"Okay." My canoeing partner, EJS (according to his Frogger high-score entry), looked a bit uncertain about this whole endeavor.

Newark Scenes

Denise took Roberta and me on an excursion to Newark today. We were going to see an exhibit of art by Romare Bearden at the Newark Museum, but we're all big fans of Newark, so we also went to a cafe, a fabric store, passed a glassblowing studio, and visited an Asian collectibles shop. 

The top is a grand old building near the glassblowing studio, and the painting? It's in the window of a barber shop. 

Meadowlands Canoeing Yet Again

Sweltering heat came to town along with the first day of summer. And yeah, it's hot. But we're really a bunch of heat-wimps here. It's not Kuwait or Egypt, just hot enough that everyone cowers in air conditioned homes and offices.

Not me (yet). I haven't turned mine on. But then, I have gone to the movies (spaghetti westerns at Film Forum) and found a lot of reasons to spend time in my office by Penn Station. So I'm tainted by A/C like everyone else, just pretending I'm tough. 

I'm glad it wasn't hot last weekend. I did my annual canoeing trip in the Meadowlands, for fifteen bucks with the NJ Meadowlands Commission. In the past, I've dragged along Roberta, Helen, Michael Kraiger, and Kraiger's kid, but this time, I asked Eric to come along because he's new to town (or rather, moved back after donkey's years out west), and he's not yet immune to my wacky suggestions like most people I know are.

Life's Tough When You're from Another Planet

One of my smartass friends sent me this. I don't know why.

Easter Island Video

I put together some of my Easter Island (Rapa Nui) photos into a sort-of slideshow. See what you think. 

Whatever You Do, Don't Turn Around

Found Object

I was wandering around Hamilton Park with Denise on Saturday, and after we'd won the raffle and talked to every mom we happened across (Denise knows them all), we stopped at a junk sale table to check out some children's books.

And turned up this gem.