My first infographic

Update: here is a link to some great free tools to make Infographics.

I created this infographic with LibreOffice Impress (the free equivalent to Powerpoint), LibreOffice Calc (the free equivalent to Excel) and the vector graphic program Inkscape.  Note that there is a portable version of Inkscape that can be run off a flash drive (and LibreOffice too)! I was using LibreOffice because my personal laptop at home doesn't have a license for Microsoft Office (MS only lets staff buy ONE license for home for $11). This is still rather rough, but could be used in the Saskatchewan grade 09 Space Exploration unit.  You could use it as a way to concisely summarise the costs and benefits of space exploration by highlighting important milestones of each advancing technology as well as key aspects of each technology throughout the years.  Along the way, I found some interesting links:

• Space Encylopedia that had the costs of piloted US Space Programs
• The above author's critical analysis of space programs
• Summary of the Cassini mission to Saturn including costs 

How it was made:

1. I created a presentation and made a slide for each technology / point in history.  For each slide, I did an advanced Google search to look for images that were labelled for reuse.  I couldn't find one of a ray diagram for a reflector telescope, so I made one in LibreOffice Draw and touched it up in Paint.  Note that images from NASA or other US government agencies are automatically freely usable.  I actually hyperlinked each image in the Impress presentation to the source of the image (can't do that on the infographic though).
2. I exported each LibreOffice Impress slide to a PNG file.
3. I created a spreadsheet bar chart in LibreOffice Calc that compared costs for space programs and copied the chart into Inkscape (see below).
4. I created a 100 cm by 100 cm drawing document in Inkscape.  I made 3 layers.  The first layer was for a background (I used this image from the Hubble telescope - changed the opacity to about 30%).  The second layer contained the chart from step 3.  I then imported each of the slides from step 2 into the 3rd layer of Inkscape.
5. I then exported the entire page from Inkscape to the PNG shown above.

Some tips on making these is given here.  For examples of Infographics, visit
http://www.coolinfographics.com/
http://dailyinfographic.com/

A great source of ideas and how-to is here.

Using the idea that images from NASA are free to use, I modified my search to "how a telescope works nasa" and found this

Note the copyright free notice on the Hubble site.  So, the space unit or anything that uses US government material would be ideal for students to recreate their own understandings.

My telescope image may be freely used:

This one (drawn with Inkscape, touched up in Paint) is better as it doesn't put the plane mirror at the focal point of the concave mirror!  The vector SVG file may also be freely used.

Reflecting Telescope by L Ruo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at 3.bp.blogspot.com.

For SPSD employees, the complete files are located here.  You will need your username and password to access it.

How to draw the telescope in Inkscape Part 1 of 6 (wmv video)
How to draw the telescope in Inkscape Part 2 of 6 (wmv video)
How to draw the telescope in Inkscape Part 3 of 6 (wmv video)
How to draw the telescope in Inkscape Part 4 of 6 (wmv video)
How to draw the telescope in Inkscape Part 5 of 6 (wmv video)
How to draw the telescope in Inkscape Part 6 of 6 (wmv video)

Inkscape Basic Tutorial: http://inkscape.org/doc/basic/tutorial-basic.html

Getting started with Inkscape: http://ostatic.com/blog/getting-started-with-the-powerful-inkscape-graphics-app

Sources of data: http://blog.visual.ly/data-sources/

Oh what joy! Murray Perahia plays Mozart Piano Concerti

Guess what arrived from UPS?  The bargain box of Mozart piano concerti played by Murray Perahia.  I listened to KV 503 first and then part of KV 537 (CD 11).  Then I took out CD 7 with KV 453 and KV 456 - wow!  I love the music and the great pianist playing this familiar music (for me).  I've always wanted to get Murray Perahia's set, but it was more than I wanted to pay.  I have Géza Anda's set on 12 LPs, Daniel Barenboim's Berlin Philharmonic set on CD, Ashkenazy's Philharmonia set on CD, but it was Perahia's that would complete my wishes.  Now, I'm listening to KV 271 (Jeunehomme).  I heard Maria João Pires play KV 271 with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in the late 1980s when I was a student at U of T.  What a bargain!  I walked down to Roy Thompson Hall to get my same day $10 student ticket.  How stupid that I didn't do that more often while I was an undergrad at U of T!  The second movement has a depth of expression unmatched and unlike anything before it (I think).  I have Clara Haskil's recordings of the Jeunehomme concerto too.  What a master she is.  Thank you Sony for reissuing these recordings at a bargain price!  I much prefer Murray Perahia to the likes of Lang Lang - this is from his website - note the classy reponse to Lang Lang's brashness:

Q: The calm, collected appearance you project on stage -- no matter what fears may be bubbling inside -- couldn't be further removed from the showy gesticulations of the Chinese piano superstar Lang Lang who once suggested pianists over 60 -- like yourself -- no longer have what it takes. Any comment?


A: "He's charming but he wants to appeal to the public and after a point you have to do the work for yourself, not for the public."


Before retiring for the night, I listen to the Larghtetto of KV 595 - the last of Mozart's piano concertos.  The end was near and you can hear it in the music.  For all the unspeakable pleasures this music has given me, Mozart is one of my favorite three composers along with Schumann and Brahms.  Music I have enjoyed for over 30 years now.

Beethoven Late Piano Sonatas

I have been listening to the late Beethoven piano sonatas a lot recently.  I've bought Christoph Eschenbach's set, Maurizio Pollini's set and I also have some played by Stephen Kovacevich.  Wilhelm Kempff's complete set has been on my shelf for decades, but I tended to only listen to the Hammerklavier Sonata.  The last three sonatas are played quite frequently at our home these past few weeks.  I still love Op 109 the most.  I finally found something in Beethoven that struck deep in my heart like Schumann's Opus 17, Brahms' Opus 118 Nr 2, and the most poingnant moments of Mozart piano concerti (KV 595 2nd movement, KV 503 final movement when everything just stops and the double bass, oboe and flute come in).  Leonard Bernstein places Beethoven's music above everything else.  I kind of realised that was probably the case, but it wasn't until I really listened to Opus 109 that a nerve was struck that awakened a deep love for his music (not that the Choral Symphony isn't loved by our family).