It’s that time of the year again!  W-2s have been mailed, interest statements are on their way, and people all across the country are crunching numbers to ensure they receive the biggest tax refund possible.  To top it all off, BestBuy.com recently introduced a new option to help make preparing your own taxes a breeze: digital downloads of the latest tax preparation software.

Looking for someone to double-check your tax return?  No worries!  Most of these titles will do so for you, as well as import data from your W-2, 1099 and last year’s return.  Some titles, like H&R Block At Home Basic, even include live agent support in the event of an audit.

Prefer having a physical copy of any software you buy?  Disc-based versions of each title are available too.

http://bbyurl.us/TaxSoftware

Hey,

If a picture is worth a thousand words; what is a video worth? I think the honest answer is that it really depends. I would have to say that sometimes a still image can have more of an emotional impact than a video of the same subject, but deciding on a media really depends on what you are trying to convey.

It is often the case that a video can pass along much more information to your audience, and will have far greater usefulness to them. Try teaching someone to ski with a photograph, or try enjoying that concert of your favorite band by looking at that one great shot of them live. It just wouldn’t have nearly the same effect that a well edited video would have.

In years past you had to invest in a dedicated camcorder to record video footage, and when it came to easily editing and sharing your footage it was anything but an easy endeavor. Luckily almost any camera or phone can now record video, editing software is easier than ever to use, and there are many sites that make it extremely easy to share your creations. Did you know that 48 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every single minute, and there are 3 billion views per day?

I have always been much more drawn to the still image, but I will admit to trying my hand at video creation from time-to-time. A few years ago I made the difficult decision of changing my camera system from Nikon to Canon. I ended up purchasing the Canon 7D DSLR as my main body, and one of the great features of the 7D was the well thought out integration of video capture. Being that I was just about to take a trip to Yellowstone I took this as a great opportunity to try my hand at video once again.

In the end I did get a ton of great footage, but I quickly realized there is much more to producing a great video than merely capturing the raw footage. I found out that my five year old computer really hated the 24fps 1080p .MOV files. As soon as the play button was pressed my five year old desktop decided it was just too much, and forced into the decision of staring at a frozen screen or forcing the computer to shut-down.

I also quickly found out that, even though the video editing program I was using was fairly user friendly, there was quite a bit of knowledge I was missing to truthfully convey my experience at Yellowstone. Due to my difficulties I ended up leaving this footage until I had the knowledge and tools to do this great American treasure the justice it deserves.

Well I am happy to report that this footage will not be forgotten for long. In order to provide our customer’s the tools needed, to produce the best possible videos, we recently developed a partnership with New York Video School (NYVS). I quickly signed up, and am well on my way to finally putting all my footage of Yellowstone into one cohesive experience.

The NYVS has video lessons ranging from how to get started in producing high quality videos, how to tell a story, how to capture great footage, instructions on all the major video editing software, and in my case how to choose the right computer for video editing. They provide a place for each member to share their videos with other members, live lectures, links to different video contests, to job opportunities in the industry, and much more.

As with any school it isn’t free. You can sign up for their Basic membership, which lets you preview some lessons, create a profile, and check out all the benefits of NYVS. Once you are ready to really start learning you will need to sign up for the Plus membership, which they do provide a 7-Day free trial. Once the trial period is over to continue to progress in your learning it will cost $9.95 per month, or $79.95 for a year of access.

I can recommend that anyone wanting to improve their videos try out NYVS. I definitely see their lessons helping any mother wanting to have the very best videos of their family, someone looking to share the hottest videos on YouTube, or a person looking to work in the video production industry.

Happy Shooting!

I’ve never been a fan of New Year’s resolutions.  To me, a resolution is simply a promise you fully intend to break when it’s convenient…or one you can’t guarantee you’ll be able to keep.  This year, however, I went against better judgment and agreed to a joint resolution with a friend: I would serve as a guide in his personal struggle to lose weight.

Now, this guidance has taken several forms since 2012 began.  I’ve helped him construct some basic workout routines, I’ve suggested a few new recipes, and I’ve introduced him to the pros and cons of both free weights and machine-based exercises.  I refused to be an ever-present taskmaster when we made this agreement though, so I’ve suggested a few devices over the past month that may help him meet his goals.

The first gadget I recommended was a heart rate monitor.  Maintaining a steady heart rate is an important part of maximizing cardio workouts, so even the simplest model provides invaluable information.  Some heart rate monitors include built-in alarms as well, automatically notifying you when you reach the preset upper and lower limits of your target heart range.

Next, I suggested a personal training assistant.  Available as both stand-alone devices and smart phone apps, these gizmos often feature workouts designed by professional athletes and medical professionals.  Some also include unlockable rewards for completing individual programs and interactive tools for tracking your progress.  The Biggest Loser SLIMCOACH, for example, includes a 1-year membership to the MYTRACK online health community and provides access to nutrition planning and monitoring tools.

Last, but not least, I encouraged him to pick up an MP3 player.  Listening to your favorite tunes while working out is a great way to stay focused, and having access to your own personal music library sure beats listening to the deafening whirr of treadmills and elliptical machines at the gym.  Some MP3 players, like the Motorola MotoActv, even feature many of the same functions as a traditional heart rate monitor or personal training assistant.

What tools do you use to reach your fitness goals?