Tag: Vimeo

Web Accessibility in Higher Education

I had an amazing time being on Seth Odell’s Higher Ed Live weekly web show. I was asked to talk about higher education and web accessibility. We just barely scratched the surface of what it means to have an accessible web. However, I think that this was a great conversation starter and I look forward to coming on the show to talk about accessibility in 2011.

The back channel conversation provided a lot of questions and insight. It was great to see so many higher education professionals engaging in a conversation on web accessibility and higher education.

Seth and I put together a terrific list of accessibility resources for folks to peruse over at his website. Like I said last night: We all go together or we don’t go at all. Accessibility is an ethical mandate. Accessibility might not be the sexy topic du jour (eg: social media), but it is necessary.

Orientation video for incoming students

I shot about thirty minutes of video during commencement morning at OSU. It was a cloudy day (so unexpected here in Oregon!) so I amped up the color in iMovie. I asked our graduates if they had any advice for incoming students…”things they wish they had known as first-year students” ;-)

I had a lot of fun interviewing our students…I may make it an annual activity. We show the video at the completion of our college’s orientation session on day 1:

The hi-res version looks great on an auditorium screen.

Made with a Canon HF10, AZDEN Wireless Mics, and iMovie.

Snow in the Quad at OSU

OSU Snow in the Quad
The annual “Snow in the Quad” event occurred last week at OSU. It’s always interesting to see a giant pile of snow in the middle of the Memorial Union Quad in May.


Time lapse video courtesy of the web cam on the roof of Milam Hall.
Music is Tamacun by Rodrigo y Gabriela.

OSU Snow in the Quad

There be whales here!

Well, at least one whale anyway. The SMILE Program at OSU with the assistance of some high school students from Oregon created a gigantic inflatable whale and placed it in the Memorial Union Quad last Friday. The web cam on the roof of Milam Hall recorded this timelapse video. I made it a little more dramatic with the addition of the theme from Jaws:

Kite flying in the Quad

Experimenting with a Canon HF10… I was in a meeting when we noticed this guy flying a kite on Friday afternoon in the Memorial Union Quad at Oregon State University. I had been demoing the video camera and editing video for most of the day. I ran outside and shot this clip. I imported it into iMovie and messed around with the color saturation. The grass is very green and the sky is very blue! I uploaded the finished product to my brand new Vimeo Plus account. The quality is quite good.

Epic Galapagos video

Sometimes I stumble across something that is just so magnificent that I have to post it on my blog. This underwater high-def footage from the Galapagos is awe inspiring. Visit Vimeo for the full HD experience and turn your speakers on…the music is from the Dark Knight. It’s a perfect match for the footage. Spectacular!


Galapagos from Darek Sepiolo on Vimeo.

WALL-E + wonderful + video

WALL-E
Watched WALL-E. It was wonderful! I think it’s my new favorite Pixar film. WALL-E is loaded with social commentary. I highly recommend it to anyone who is waiting in line on Friday to see The Dark Knight. Trust me, you’re going to need a backup movie because Batman is going to sell-out faster than you can say Joker.

Here’s a real life, home video version of WALL-E:

Screen Reader + Website Accessibility

I remember the first time I closed my eyes, put on a pair of headphones and browsed the web using a screen reader. It was extremely challenging. Images without ALT attributes, Flash objects, and poorly coded websites left me feeling extremely frustrated and gave me even more empathy for web users with visual impairments. I think all website designers/coders should experience what it’s like to browse the web using a screen reader. This video shows Aaron Cannon, blind since birth, browsing a website using a screen reader.

Cleanup begins at Mother Mosque of America


Cleanup up from flood damage at the Cedar Rapids Mother Mosque from Richard Pratt.

Volunteer crews lent a hand Saturday, June 21, 2008, to clean up flood damage at the Mother Mosque of America in northwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Numerous books and artifacts at the mosque were destroyed when the Cedar River left its banks earlier this month. The Cedar Rapids center is the oldest mosque in the United States.