The new site is far from done…but I have made great progress in understanding how WordPress works. I am thankful that I have friends who are so helpful and supportive in this endeavor. I am finally in the process of setting up pages and then I will need to cull through 20+ hard drives to find photo content and then find all the copy I need to get this thing off the ground. Right now I am just ecstatic that my son and I figured out the CSS coding to get rid of a funky background that I absolutely did NOT like. I was scared to mess with the coding and thankfully my son jumped right in to confirm what I was doing was right. He is pretty awesome. Sometimes you have to trust yourself. I think I need to do that more. Slowly… but surely… I will get this down. It takes a backseat to my life and my job search. Until then… don’t mind the dust…
Amy Jamieson Photography is finally back up and running… but just not as it was. I am so thankful for the help of a friend (and his family for not minding he took the time to help me) and his complete attention to entirely gut out my website information and trade up my hosting plans. There is no way I could have done this without him. I hope he knows it. Thank you, Johnny.
Now it is time for some hard work on my part. I have to learn how to drive this new site and cull through all my old hard drives and find images to fill out my content. In the meantime… you may find some broken links. My shopping cart is not working at all yet. I am not sure if we will get it back up and running. In the world of photography, it is important, but other things are more important.
Today I am definitely excited and scared to face the work that has to be done. But, I am horrified at the amount of work that is staring me in the face right now. I know I can do it but it is very daunting. I am adding my re-brand to my site now as well as my blog. The great thing is? My site will now work on smart phones and handheld devices. It is amazing to me to think that years ago when I set up the original site, flash was a thing. A HUGE thing. So ,please be patient with me. I should have done this years ago.
What is Augmented Reality? Augmented Reality (AR) is an indirect or direct live view of an existing real world environment. It is filled with amplified computer generated perceptual information. It is cutting edge technology that superimposes computer generated images into the real world view in order to provide a composite view. AR technology enhances many aspects of efficiency for the manufacturing industry. Aside from the increased technical opportunities, it can assist in maintenance and diagnostics, save human resources, reduce costs and physical risk while also providing a valuable tool for training and education.
(Photo courtesy of Atheerair.com)
TECHNICAL OPPORTUNITY:
With Augmented Reality, a facility can inspect and visualize technical upgrades and modifications without taking great financial risks and prolonged periods of down time. This can be an opportunity for the facility to upgrade equipment while still maintaining general operation.
MAINTENANCE AND DIAGNOSTICS:
AR allows companies to maintain, diagnose, and repair equipment without retaining facility specific or professional support staff while still receiving immersive and expert technical assistance. Technicians will no longer need to travel from one facility to another to assist with maintenance and repairs. They can collaborate across vast geographical distances to remotely assist and repair equipment. AR enables smaller companies to utilize expert technicians while not having them on staff and decreases the general cost of maintenance and repair to ultimately increase the efficiency of the facility.
Video example:
(Video courtesy of youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZP4rjjBqPw)
EDUCATION:
Technicians with extensive training are able to communicate with and remotely access or advise newer technicians with real time problems without the added costs of travel and time. AR enables the technicians to use real time information without relying on outdated manuals. This allows them to work more effectively and efficiently to repair and maintain equipment. Repairs and maintenance can be visualized in live view with hands on experience and training as if the expert is walking the technician through the process in person. It can assist technicians with complex assembly of manufactured goods in real time without the use of outdated static documents that are not easily or efficiently updated. This technology enables the technician to be up to date on changes or upgrades in the facility in addition to the particular item being manufactured.
(image courtesy of twnkls.com)
FUTURE OF AUGMENED REALITY: The future of Augmented Reality goes far beyond entertainment value. Millions of users experienced the basic idea of AR with the introduction of the application, Pokémon Go in July of 2016 by enabling anyone with a smart phone to download it free from Nintendo. This location based app utilized GPS to enable the user to locate, capture, battle and train the Pokémon characters virtually as if they were in the same real time and physical space as the player.
(Photo courtesy of AP, 2016)
As Augmented Reality continues to develop and become more accessible, the manufacturing industry will become more efficient and the capacity in which it functions will increase exponentially. Because AR gives people the ability to receive contextually relevant information almost immediately and automatically, the technology will continue to be in great demand in other industries as well.
Since it is Spring Break here in Tukee, the hubs and I took the week off to spend with the children. The boy is working more hours (don’t blame him) and we are spending time with the girls doing odds and ends. They grow up so fast. It is simply crazy.
After spending an amazing day with the girls… we came home and made some pretty awesome softball bows. We watched the movie Wonder Woman and then sent the girls to bed. Practice starts up again tomorrow. Time to get busy again.
Tomorrow is an exciting day. I get to get busy learning about some new things and finally putting my writing skills back to the test. I feel like without having the opportunity to market for my business like I used to, I have been becoming quite rusty… and it is time for a change.
I cannot wait. I hope you all really enjoy spring break with your children… we certainly are!
I am sitting here typing this feeling exhausted. When I get started on a project, I try to see it through quickly and efficiently. I worked and pushed myself through all of the (thousands) softball photos and am now quite tired because of the hours I spent editing. My back and neck have held up surprisingly well. A lot of hours in excess in front of the computer…can be deadly. Rest is near! Volleyball season is over and I have a feeling that even though Andi is an awesome volleyball player, this was our last season. She really wants to focus on her viola and theater next year in high school, and I know that is where her passion is.
I delivered the last of the volleyball photos today and with the end near for distribution of the softball photos, I feel like I should be doing something else… like cleaning my house. Instead, today, I decided to take a long nap. I can always clean tomorrow. Although I miss the studio for all the wonderful things I can do with my camera and in my computer, I do not miss the hours I have kept over the years balancing my studio, school and (most importantly) my family. I love what I do… I just cannot continue to work the crazy hours and 0300 bedtimes.
I hope you all have been getting some rest and find peace in your day. I am going to try to enjoy spring break at home with my kiddos… and maybe get them to help clean!
It is pretty funny that I have spent so many years playing tennis and not shooting it as much as I have shot softball. But, I LOVE it. Twice I have been blessed enough to visit Xavier High School (one a freshman game with Annie last year and a varsity game with her this year…) and it is amazing to shoot there. The lighting has been perfect on both days and I have had the luck of the weather. I love these girls. They have so much heart and so much talent. I pray for them every game.
Ann had called me during the day and told me that she was so excited because she offered to catch for the Frosh and JV team games yesterday. She was so excited to play with both teams in back to back games! As I was starting to leave to go to the home game, I got a phone call from her again as she was picked up off the JV field and rushed to the locker room on the back of a golf cart to get a Varsity jersey so she could make the bus for their away game at Xavier. Ann did not really understand what was going on. But, in true Ann fashion, she was onboard and would do anything for the team.
As I am chimping during the game, I am thinking that I cannot wait to get home and cull through these images. Ann was blessed to be able to ride along and play with the varsity team today and it was a great experience and opportunity to learn. I am so proud of her and how she handled the stress. I am proud of her and the girls. I am also so proud of the integrity of our coaches. When a situation turned negative our coaches kept their cool and did not respond in kind. They showed our girls that responses can be made without being derogatory and unkind.
And of course I have to share one photo of my middle…
change the corporate image of (a company or organization).
So, I am sitting here thinking about what I want to do with my future. The climate in photography has changed considerably over the past decade. It has been a great ride. With the decrease in cost of technology and increase of interest in the industry we have really had an influx of photographers in the field. I believe in the dream and am happy for others…but being able to run a successful and profitable business legally and ethically has really become more and more difficult.
I am excited that I have finally started the search for a career. I am not interested in a job. I have helped build a family and a life. I have built a successful business from the ground up. I went back to school and worked hard. I graduated with honors from one of the best schools in the country. I cannot simply settle for a “job”. It is time for a career.
I am so excited about what my future holds for myself and my family. I will not stop shooting. I will not stop creating. I absolutely cannot. It is in my soul. I am hoping I can use my skills in my career and life for the long term.
In the meantime… I am rebranding my blog and my website. I originally went with the colors and design I did to reflect the area I lived in and client base I built. Now, I want to rebrand for my business to reflect my personality. So many of our favorites have rebranded over the years. Times change… and so do people. Now it is my time to change.
I hate to say that it is Wednesday and that I feel like my week has been a total loss so far, but when you hear the news I have this week, it is not surprising.
We really have a teen suicide issue in this country. We have a significant problem with pressuring our children and making them feel less than loved, supported, or even appreciated when we push them too much. A scholarship loss is NOT ever a reason to harm yourself. There is so much more to live for in life than money. Are our children not aware that it is final? Or is it too late after making that impetuous decision to pull the trigger? It is never too late (or too early!) to talk to your children about suicide.
I won’t drag this post on and depress you all the way I have been this week. Please. Hug your children. Tell them that no matter WHAT they do in life (good or bad… and yes… even REALLY bad) you will love them to the moon and back. You are ALWAYS their mother or father. Teach their siblings to love and support each other.
So I try to spend the day studying yesterday, but of course I had one child home and she had a friend over to play video games… and this means I can’t study! So instead, I decided to make some chicken soup.
I fill my small crockpot about three quarters of the way with water and added some chicken flavor cubes with two frozen chicken breasts.
I let that cook on low overnight and then removed the excess fat off of the top of the water, and added my vegetables, some cumin, a bay leaf, some pepper, and some more water.
I let that cook on high for 3-4 hours and then added the noodles in the last 20-30 minutes.
It turned out delish and I can’t wait for lunch today. Nom
Slowly… but surely… I will get this down. It takes a backseat to my life and my job search. Until then… don’t mind the dust…
