Making Memories with our Apple TV

Last year we purchased an Apple TV. My original reason for purchasing it was to eliminate all the CDs from our family room and to fiddle with putting videos on it to see how far we could get toward eliminating all the DVDs too. Little did I know that one of the features that I least cared about would be the one that made me fall in love, photos.

Shortly after bringing the Apple TV home and hooking it up I had achieved my goal. I packed up all the CDs, got rid of all the old and broken jewel cases, packed them in sleeves and relegated them to a storage box. My next order of business was to demonstrate the Apple TV for the boys. They thought it was cool to flip through the music and see the album covers, but I was stunned to see what happened next. I chose one of their favorite albums and started it up. After about a half minute of listening to a favorite song the album art faded to black to be replaced by our family photos floating upward across the screen.

To my surprise the boys were mesmerized. They were still listening to the music but they were also transfixed by the photos and started commenting on them: “I remember that”, “That’s when we …”, “Look it’s me and grandpa”, etc. I thought their reaction was cool but probably just a passing fancy with the photo screen saver.

I was wrong. Nearly a year later they still watch and comment on the photos every time we turn on some music. It was no passing fancy. It has become the way that we experience the family photo album, and I think it is better than the way I experienced family photos when I was a kid.

There are two reasons that I think it’s better, the first is frequency. Because we always use the Apple TV to listen to music the boys view and discuss our family photos far more than I ever did when I was little. I think this helps them build memories of their childhood that are far more rich and visual than mine.

The second reason is the randomness of the experience. When I was leafing through a family photo album with my parents it was always a sequential, page-by-page experience. In contrast, the photo screen saver on Apple TV selects photos randomly and displays them in larger and smaller sizes as they stream across the tv screen. I’ve seen the boys make connections between people and events of their childhood that I think were a result of seeing photos from different times and places streaming by at the same time.

I was definitely convinced that consolidating my CD collection on the Apple TV would be a great reason to buy it. Little did I know that the photo screen saver would provide such value for my family. It is our digital equivalent to sitting on the couch flipping through family albums, but even better. For us, making memories is the killer app on the Apple TV and we are tremendously pleased with the purchase a year later.

Filed under: Articles , apple tv, digital family album, images, photos

Master Craftsman: Bill Scheffler – Pure Prairie Organics

For various reasons over the past two days I’ve been thinking more about true craftsmanship, what it is, why it is important, and why people don’t appreciate it as much as they should. As I was considering these questions I started thinking about examples of craftsmen that I personally know and/or admire and I thought it would be fun to periodically highlight those whom I see as true masters. (BTW – in the absence of a better gender-neutral word I’ll continue to use craftsman/craftsmen in reference to both men and women that I highlight.)

I have known Bill Scheffler for a year or two now. Bill owns a company in Wheaton, Illinois called Pure Prairie Organics. A year or so ago I enlisted Bill to take care of my lawn. He’s not a mower, he doesn’t trim the bushes or spray the trees. He’s a lawn doctor, a good one.

When I first tried to contact him about getting a quote we had a hard time connecting. We played a little phone tag, but Bill made it clear in his messages that he would be out of the office, so to speak, for the next two weeks. He was attending an organic gardening/farming convention in Wisconsin. It was the first indication I had that he really took his business/his craft seriously.

After I finally received his quote and signed up for a year of his service I started seeing more examples of his craftsmanship. Within a short time I think I recall receiving a welcome note and newsletter. Bill produces newsletters a few times a year and drops them off each time he comes to the house, and they are remarkable. As an example, in his latest newsletter (a 4 or 5 pager if I recall correctly) Bill discussed: expected local weather trends, his approach to organic lawn care, unfortunate upward trends in cost on some of his raw materials and some of the possible economic drivers, mowing recommendations, organic weed control, aeration, growing grass under trees, grubs, soil testing, etc. It’s like a short course in organic lawn care, and though I never imagined I would ever find such a topic interesting, Bill’s writing style and passion consistently make me want to learn more.

I am also lucky to have met Bill on a couple of occasions when he was visiting my home. On each occasion he took the time to talk with me about what he found in my yard, any changes he recommended, and any tips on taking care of my shrubs and bushes. He didn’t seem anxious to run off to another house and I think he would have given me a personal half-hour class on organic lawn care and gardening had I asked. Again, Bill’s enthusiasm, passion, and depth of knowledge came through and it made me very confident that I had chosen someone who would really keep my lawn looking great and educate me in the process.

Bill is a true master craftsman. Take a look around you. Do you know any master craftsmen? Write about them and tell your friends. More importantly, let them inspire you to be a master craftsman in your field. Bill definitely inspires me.

Filed under: Articles , local craftsman, organic lawn care, craftsmanship, customer service