Da Vinci definitely was a genius

Last night, I visited the Da Vinci Exhibit with a few friends. It was a completely random, last minute adventure, but I had been dying to visit it for months. I’ve made a point of attending every exhibit that is showcased there, and so far, they all have been fantastic.

The Da Vinci Exhibit was no exception. I knew that he had been both painter and inventor, but to what extent is incredible. In addition to creating prototypes for hang gliders and parachutes, Da Vinci was the man behind the tank, the life preserver, the light box, scuba diving gear and the submarine. He developed pulleys and hydraulic systems, as well as tools for warfare, including cannon transportation devices and ladders to scale buildings.

A replica of the tank Da Vinci created...

He was also interested in human anatomy, and is rumoured to have dissected over 30 cadavers throughout his life. This I found to be slightly creepy – especially when faced with a wall of his drawings of human parts – but it was the only way to learn about the human form at the time.

This all came from the man who painted both the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper – two of the most famous paintings in the world today.

The Mona Lisa - the real painting is tiny, but that doesn't stop millions of people from travelling to the Louvre in Paris to see it every year...

Da Vinci kept a collection of detailed journals throughout his life (five of which are featured in the exhibit). He was also always drawing, and making notes on the pages. Any time he would write, Da Vinci would write backwards. By using a mirror, one could read his text properly.

Some people believe he was dyslexic; others believe he was paranoid, and didn’t want his words to be easily read by competition. Either way, the backwards style of writing is uniquely Da Vinci, and adds yet another level of mystery and intrigue to an already interesting man.

I guess a person can create many, many things throughout his or her lifetime when they lack modern amenities such as television, the Internet and the radio…

Check out the exhibit soon, because it’s only in Winnipeg for a few more weeks!

Leonardo da Vinci:

- Born April 15, 1452, near Florence, Italy

- Died May 2, 1519, at Clos Lucé, France

Today in history: "Iceberg, right ahead!"

I’m sure that most people are aware of the significance of April 14th. It was on this day – 99 years ago – that the world’s most famous ocean liner struck an iceberg.

I have been a Titanic-lover since I was a little girl. Even before the movie was released in 1997, I wanted to learn everything possible about the disaster. I would watch every single documentary I could get my hands on, and take notes as I learned new facts. By the time I moved away from my Titanic addiction, I had filled three binders with information.

Below, I have included a few Titanic facts that I find interesting. They are from the collection of information I accumulated over the years*, and I hope you find them interesting…

• The Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912.
• It took 2 hours and 40 minutes to completely sink.
• There were roughly 2,200 people on board the Titanic. Only 705 survived.
• One of the first boats to leave the Titanic carried only 28 people. They were designed to hold over 60.
• There were six iceberg warnings received by the Titanic on the day of the sinking.
• The ship could have stayed afloat if four of the watertight compartments flooded. Unfortunately, five flooded.
• The watertight compartments were actually not watertight at all. They were open at the top, which caused a wave to flood over each compartment as the ship sank.
• The cost to build the ship was $7.5 million and it took 3,000 men two years.

*The information included in the above statistics comes from many different sources.

iBooks by Apple Inc.

(Photo courtesy of iBooks web page.)

I love to read. There is something special about books, newspapers, and magazines that simply can’t be compared to watching television or roaming the Internet. I also love to read for free, and am thoroughly excited about the iBooks application (“app”) I discovered on the iTunes website.

As an assignment for public relations class, we were instructed to find an app that is both free and useful. After carefully searching through a laundry list of games, screen savers, and weight management calculators, I found iBooks.

This app has a number of great features, which are as follows:

• It provides users with a complimentary copy of the illustrated Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne (which I would actually read again if I owned a copy).
• It allows users to read free samples of any book on the iBookstore roster before purchasing the full text.
• It’s easy for users to personalize. Screen brightness, font sizes, backgrounds, text layouts, typography, bookmarks and individual notes are just some of the features that iBooks has included for users to play with.
• Favourite passages can be highlighted, and notes can be added to the margins. This is especially appealing to me, because I write all over my books.
• PDF documents can be added to iBooks. This is especially helpful for students who want to study notes or a textbook on the bus or in a restaurant, but don’t want to open their cumbersome binders.
• It also has the ability to speak the words on any given page. While this may not appeal to my age group specifically, I’m sure my grandma would love having a story read aloud to her.

So what does this mean to PR?

We are living in a technology-driven society, and new inventions such as the iPad, iPhone, and BlackBerry are making it increasingly easy for consumers to access whatever they want whenever they want. Checking a bank account balance can be done in seconds (using the TD Bank app), and a destination can be found with the touch of a few buttons (with the Google Maps app). Technology is only going to advance in the future, so it’s very important for everyone involved in the communications industry to understand exactly how to use it to their benefit.

Public relations professionals are responsible for the big picture. They must follow the trends, know what is in, and know how to reach audiences across many different channels. Not everyone in the world currently use apps. Not everyone currently owns an iPod, iPhone, or BlackBerry. But, the technological climate is shifting in that direction, and PR professionals must be prepared to utilize apps – and any other form of technology, for that matter – to get their message out.

Why does this app work?

iBooks is free to download, which will appeal to anyone who is interested in reading on their handheld device. It also offers a host of complimentary add-ons, which will only increase its allure. This app isn’t for everyone - because not all people are bookworms like me – but those who download it enjoy books enough to want to have the freedom to read whenever, wherever, and however they please.

Users do have to purchase some books, but there are many available for free. As I searched through the website, I discovered that the Guinness Book of World Records is free to download. So is Alice in Wonderland. Maybe not the books you were thinking of reading, but this is a clever marketing strategy. Offer something for free, and many people will go back to purchase more.

Well... I’m sold.

I plan to download the iBooks app immediately after finishing this post. My plan is to get as many free books as possible, and then I will start looking at the ones that are for purchase.
Maybe I’ll have my book available for purchase on iBooks one day. It’s a clever marketing strategy, and I bet writers who are featured on the site have increased success and publicity.

Commandeering iPad browser space at the Apple Store

I want to start by saying that I am not the most technologically-inclined person around. To me, getting a BlackBerry six months ago was a monumental milestone. I was joining the illustrious ranks of business professionals with high-tech communication tools, and it felt good.

Now, half a year later, I’m behind the times again. I feel like I am the kid sitting in the back of the room straining to hear what the teacher is saying. Everyone has an iPod Touch, an iPhone, and iPad, or all of the above. I thought my BlackBerry was cool. I must be missing something.

In an effort to get “with the times,” both my friend Ashton and I decided to purchase an iPod Touch. We went to Future Shop, bought all the fancy accessories, and left the store feeling both elated and highly intelligent. Before calling it a night, we opted to check out the Apple Store in Polo Park Shopping Centre.

The store was absolutely packed – which makes sense, I guess – and we shimmied our way through the mass of humanity with a sense of awe. iWhatever’s are definitely the most popular products on the market today, which only added to my sense of accomplishment regarding my brand new iPod Touch.

I found myself at one of the large table displays devoted to iPad’s, and picked one up with hesitation. I went to Chicago this past May, but avoided the Apple Store like the plague. The iPad had just come out at that time, and people couldn’t wait to get their hands on one. It honestly seemed like useless technology to me (not to mention the fact that I was annoyed by the name), and I wanted to have no part in its success.

But, for some reason, I found myself drawn to the iPad. Maybe it was because I had just purchased an Apple product, or maybe it was because they are so pretty. Either way, I was navigating through the applications and typing in URL’s before I realized what I was doing.

Ashton disappeared to survey the rest of the store, but I remained with my new best friend. I typed in the URL for my blog, and suddenly the banner for The Hope Files was displayed across the streamline screen. I really, really hate to admit it, but my blog looked fantastic on an iPad. Better than on a laptop, and certainly better than on the screen of a BlackBerry. In fact, my blog looked so good on an iPad that I opened the Internet and typed in the URL on every single iPad in the store. There’s nothing wrong with a little shameless self-promotion, right?

The moral of the story is that I want an iPad. I never thought I would jump on that particular bandwagon, but it actually has many practical uses. I still love my BlackBerry – and that won’t change – but I’ll concede that Apple products are more useful than I’ve credited them with being in the past.

Check out the Apple Store if you find yourself at Polo Park. If you go, be sure to check out how my blog looks on the screen of every single iPad on display.

Not just on one... every single one.