What is for lunch?

What Journalism Students are Having for Lunch
In my class today we did a fun assignment. I wanted the students to be able to tell a story on the Internet using video. So I came up with an assignment where they do a short video talking about that they had for lunch, and post it to the class blog. It ended up being a lot of fun and the answers are pretty interesting I think. They did a great job!

Technorati Tags: San Jose State University, SJSU, CSU, California State University, San Jose, ssloansjca, j-school

Spirit of Washington Dinner Train

Part 3 of 3
I am a die hard train buff. This is the last of my three part coverage of the Spirit of Washington on June 8, 2007. This is the train on its former route between Renton and Woodinville, Washington. This provides an overview of all three short videos with special coverage of the return of the day's lunch charter and the dinner train on the spectacular trestle near Bellevue. This also features the Oriskany Strings song, The Train Don't Run Here Anymore.

[This video also available here on YouTube]

Fourth of July with Friends

Fourth of July 2007 Party
Yesterday we went to our friends Tyler and Mary's house where we had wine and great food with them and other friends [photos.] That was a lot of fun. After the movie we went to a nearby park and saw an impressive fireworks show. I shot video of the fireworks and edited it into the film you see here. This film is also posted on YouTube.

Technorati Tags: ssloansjca, Santa Clara, Fourth of July, Fireworks

Spirit of Washington, Part Deux

Spirit of Washington Train, Part Two
On June 8, 2007 I shot video of the Spirit of Washington, a dinner train, that runs from Renton to Woodinville, Washington. It uses rare locomotives called F-units. The track it runs on is due to be removed for a highway project and it only has about a month left to run. They ran two Spirit trains on June 8, including a lunch charter train for employees of T-mobile. The Quicktime movie above is the train after it left Renton. This video focuses on the train in Woodinville, Washington. This follows part one, previously released.

Update:
This video is now available here on YouTube.

Spirit of Washington

I am in Yakima, which looks amazingly like Barstow
Except, it does not have as many trains as Barstow. Yesterday I had a great day of train chasing. I shot the Spirit of Washington, a dinner train, that runs from Renton to Woodinville, Washington. It uses rare locomotives called F-units. The track it runs on is due to be removed for a highway project and it only has about a month left to run. They ran two Spirit trains yesterday, including a lunch charter train for employees of T-mobile. The Quicktime movie above is the train leaving Renton, followed by the also soon to be retired freight train.

UPDATE
This video is, or soon will be, available here on YouTube

Train Meet at Mott, May 31, 2007

Meet at Mott, May 31, 2007
These two Northbound Union Pacific freights met today at Mott siding. Mott is on the former SP Shasta line, near Dunsmuir. As the trains met clouds rolled in from an approaching thunder storm. I am heading north and this seven minute Track Warrants video is the first for this trip. I am on the road! This was Quicktime Video shot less than five hours ago and edited in a campground near Ashland on my laptop and posted using a nearby open wireless network.

This video should soon be available here on YouTube.

Friends and Family on iTunes

My Family On iTunes
If you go in the Apple Store in iTunes and search on my name "Steve Sloan" you will find this. It is a Sloan Family Video Blog podcast! Here you go, family video on demand!

Hodson and Dedman on Video Blogging

Ryanne Hodson and Jay Dedman at SJSU
On April 25, 2007 Hodson and Dedman came to SJSU. They spoke to Professor Cynthia McCune's Journalism 163 class about videoblogging. Devon Thames, from my class, was there and she shot a video of their presentation. It is being made available here in multiple parts. Here is part one of their presentation.

Santa Fe Train 1983

Santa Fe, Near Collier, CA, 1983
In the summer of 1983 I borrowed a VHS tape deck and a camera and went out and shot some video. It was the first video I ever shot and the beginning of the end of my film making for about 20 years. After sitting around about 24 years this early tape is in pretty bad shape. But, here is one clip that is barely salvaged. This is the face of railroading not so long ago.

Technorati Tags: Trains, Railroads, Railroading, ATSF, BNSF, train video, trackwarrants, Track Warrants, ssloansjca

The Greatest Moment

Vlog: The Best Moment of Your Entire Life
When I assigned this to my class I told them I would also do the assignment. So, here is my video. It was actually not an easy assignment and I put a lot of thought into it.

UPDATE - If the video shown above does not play for you!
This movie is posted in other places that may work better for you:

• It is here on Blip.tv in flash format
  
• Also, it is here on YouTube.

Technorati Tags: Madison Sloan, Sloan Family, Blogging, vlogging, vlogs, ssloansjca

Vlogging Presentation

Presentation at CATS 2007
At the recent Community of Academic Technology Staff (CATS) conference in Fullerton I did a presentation on video blogging (aka vlogging.) I recorded the presentation and a copy of that is here in MP3 format. Sadly a problematic mic caused a lot of hiss in the recording and I did my best to filter that out. (Note to self: never trust untested equipment.)

The PowerPoint from the session is here. I had a lot of videos in the PowerPoint. I have removed those from this web version of the PowerPoint and replaced them with hyperlinks to the vlog posts. I will be presenting this presentation at this evenings Journalism 163 class. I am including direct links below for reference.

List of video blog posts from presentation:

• STEM Post - Slide 8
• Story of the Swami - Slide 11
• Train vlog entry - Slide 14
• FreeVlog Sample - Slide 16
• Education Vlogger - Slide 18
• SJSU Journalism 163 Post - Slide 19

Technorati Tags: San Jose State University, SJSU, CSU, CATS, CATS2007, Fullerton, CSU Fullerton, California State University, San Jose, Vlogging, Video Blogging, Podcasting, Blogging, ssloansjca

Josh Leo, vlogger

Josh Leo's Vlogiversary Video
Josh Leo is a wonderfully gifted filmaker, story teller and vlogger. Here is his two year anniversary vlog post. Prepare to be inspired, I am!

Technorati Tags: Josh Leo, JoshLeo, Blogging, vlogging, vlogs, ssloansjca

Train action - Union Pacific

UP Train at Bealville
I did not get a suitable video today so here is my Video Blog entry, featuring another train I shot yesterday. This was shot from a hill I have been photographing from for probably 30 years. It has great light and I love the way the shadows stretch out in the afternoon behind the train. I especially love the green grass and how it blows in the wind. The clicking sound you hear is the lens cap flapping in the wind. Yes, I learned to secure it better. Listen especially for the birds in this video. They are loving the Spring too!

Today, I shot around Mojave in the morning and in the afternoon I drove over to Cajon Pass. Then, I dropped down to Brea. I am now at the Embassy Suites in Brea for the a work related conference.

Technorati Tags: Trains, Railroads, Railroading, Tehachapi, UP, train video, ssloansjca

Fun with trains and light

Train approaching Tunnel Two in Tehachapis
March 25 7:34am -- I am in the Tehachapi Mountains on my way to Fullerton going to a conference. I have been coming to the Tehachapi Mountains to photograph trains for many years. This video was shot in a location I have been trying to catch a train in for awhile. It requires just the right light, a train at just the right time and is best this time of year when the hills are green. Saturday evening, March 24, 2007 the timing was right on! I shot it on Kodachrome 25 film (yes I found another roll) and on video. I edited the video at my room in the Mojave Motel 6 as other trains rolled by. I asked for, and got, this motel room in their little used wing facing tracks. I even opened the window so you can hear the trains really well. It sounds like they are running right through the room. Too cool! This is my favorite motel!

Technorati Tags: Trains, Railroads, Railroading, Tehachapi, BNSF, train video, ssloansjca