Improve your Memory

Well, we improved ours, anyway. In response to user requests, we've doubled the amount of memory in all of the Macs here in the lab. Each machine now has 4GB of RAM, and the performance improvement should be immediately apparent to anyone who has used the lab before. As I write this, we still have one machine left to upgrade, but we expect that to be done by the end of the week. Keep those suggestions coming!

Stay Up Late

So now, not only are we getting up early to make the donuts *yawn* but we're also staying open a little later each night. Starting today, we'll be open until 10pm every night of the week (update: except Friday and Saturday: til 9pm). Please thank all of the lab consultants, who clearly have nothing better to do at night than hang out here.

Newest Lab Consultants - Ariela and Ned

Please welcome the newest members of the Vitale Digital Media Lab family, Ariela Nurko and Ned Eisenberg (you'll have to figure out which one is which from the photos below). You'll be seeing plenty of them here in the lab during the coming months, so make sure you say hi to them when you see them.

Yawn... Time to make the Donuts...

9am. We're now opening at 9am. So we have to get here at 9am. Yeah, I know, it's a perfectly normal time for most people to start work, but we'd gotten so comfortable sleeping in, having enough time in the morning to enjoy a lazy cup of coffee at La Colombe, and opening the lab at 10am. But because we're so dedicated to you, and because the lab has doubled in popularity over the last 12 months, we're opening an hour earlier on weekdays.

iMovie and Photoshop Workshops, Spring 2008

We're offering more workshops on how to use iMovie and how to use Photoshop. The workshops are very introductory and assume no prior knowledge of the software. Be sure to sign up for a spot online, or see our other workshops HERE!

Creating and editing movies with iMovie

• Wednesday, January 23, 2008 , 2 PM to 4 PM
• Thursday, February 21, 2008 , 10 AM to 12 PM
• Tuesday, March 04, 2008 , 10 AM to 12 PM
  
• Thursday, April 24, 2008 , 10 AM to 12 PM

This class will provide an hands-on introduction to using Apple's iMovie software, which is available for Penn students, faculty, and staff in the Vitale Digital Media Lab. You will learn how to capture video from a DVD, VHS tape, or from your own video camera. You will learn to organize or delete video clips, add a new soundtrack, add subtitles, and create special effects. All sessions are identical and will be held in the Digital Media Lab.

PhotoShop I

• Wednesday, January 30, 2008 , 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM
• Wednesday, February 20, 2008 , 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM
• Wednesday, March 19, 2008 , 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM
  
• Wednesday, April 23, 2008 , 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM

A basic introduction to this powerful image editing software. Learn how to open image files, use the toolbox and palettes, convert formats and manage multiple layers. All sessions are identical. (note: Photoshop classes are now held in the Seminar room, just down the hall from the Digital Media Lab)

Farewell Alex!

Please wish a fond farewell to Alex Meyer. Alex has been helping things run smoothly here as a lab consultant here for quite a while, but he's decided to move on to bigger and better things (ie. a real job in the real world.) We'll miss him. *sniff* i promised myself i wouldn't cry! *sniff*