Cool Max
Hey, check out Max’s new outfit? Cool, eh? She’s a supermodel in the making!
Papa’s presentation on Slideshare.net
Hey, a quick note to say that I finally finished putting an audio version of my Web 2.0 presentation up on Slideshare.net, a big “YouTube-style” social networking site focused on presentations. People can upload their PowerPoint or Keynote presentations and watch those of others. It’s really an interesting place to hang out- I’ve really learned a lot. Each day they feature a few presentations they believe stand out. Guess who is being featured today?
It’s doing wonders for my page view statistics. So far nearly 800 people have watched it! I’ve gotten some very kind comments, such as these:
Thank you for this very valuable presentation!
thanks, this is a VERY well crafted slidecast…
Wow, I can tell this must have taken hours and hours of time to put together. It is very well organized and helps to present the concepts and ideas related to Web 2.0 in a way that’s easy for anyone to understand.
I wonder if a tool like Camtasia Studio would make the process of creating a slidecast easier for you? I purchased it a few months back and have used it to create a few technical screencasts. I’ve found the learning curve to be small. Of course, I haven’t experimented with adding wonderful background sounds as you did.
A big thanks for your efforts making this slidecast. Again, very well done.
This is an amazing presentation. I just discovered you in a slideshare group-I am thrilled that I did! Great work. I am excited to learn more!
Wow. This is turning into a very fine experience!
Here is the slidecast, in case you haven’t seen it yet:
Starbucks comes to Toyama City!!!
Well, there’s a lot going on in Japan these days; Let’s see… what do we have here?
The prime minister resigned because his political opponent wouldn’t meet with him…
A new leader is being elected this weekend, and the talking heads on TV news shows are in rare form…
Typhoons are blowing through and around the country on a weekly basis…
Zzzzzzzz… snore… zzzzzzzz…
Politics? Extreme weather? Meh…
You know what big story is really rocking our world here in Toyama?
Da da da da da da DA!
Starbucks coming to Toyama City for the first time!!!!!
Yes, who cares about national elections or extreme weather when I can walk outside of my office at work and in 5 minutes be drinking a Grande Carmel Macchiato?
I know, I know what you must be thinking: “Starbucks: big whoop! They have those every 15 feet where I live!”
Well, here in Japan, Starbucks is THE place to hang out and be seen! The cool of the cool, la creme de la creme. Up til now, we’ve had to drive 40 minutes to get our coffee fix, to a big shopping mall on the other side of the prefecture. Now, set in this brand new shopping mall I CAN SEE FROM MY OFFICE (see slideshow below), we have all the lattes, frappachinos, and sweet sweet snacks we can consume!
Whoo hooo!!
This new shopping center just opened up today, and during my lunch hour I wandered over and took these photos with my cell-phone camera. Check ‘em out!
Probably this weekend I’ll be coming down here with the family. I hope to bring a video camera with me, and I’ll be able to give you the grand tour! I know you can hardly wait!
Oh, to see bigger versions of the photos, click here.
Hello! My name is Gerald Talandis Jr, and I'm the webmaster of this blog. I'm using it as a tool for staying in touch with family in friends around the world. I've been in Japan since 1993 and currently teach English at 
This is my wife, Shinobu. She's originally from 
Luke was born on July 29th, 2001. He is now an elementary school student and loves sports, like his mama. Each week, Luke swims, plays soccer, and goes to a gymnastics class. He is also studying English and dreams of visiting the USA someday and becoming an Olympic swimmer, like his hero Michael Phelps.
Our daughter Max was born on March 7th, 2007. She is currently attending nursery school and is learning to walk, talk, and eat by herself without making a mess. She is growing by leaps and bounds, and loves Micky Mouse, Hello Kitty, and Anpanman.