iPhoto and Boy Scouting

I don't know about you, but I take plenty of pictures when I am on an outing with the Boy Scouts. It was not too bad when I used a 35mm camera. If I filled one roll of 24 pictures on an outing I considered that a lot of pictures. Now that I have a digital camera I have been know to take a LOT more pictures per outing. Hundreds more. The boys dread seeing me coming with the camera these days. Yet, they always enjoy seeing the pictures.

I use an Apple Mac Pro computer at home so I use iPhoto to store, label, and sort my digital photographs. And there is a lot to sort. I have nearly 9000 photos of Scout and events. That does not include any family photographs. I will usually label the photos right away by event and date to make them a bit easier to find, but it can still take awhile to find that one picture I may be looking for to use in a project.

This week Apple came out with their new version of the iPhoto software. It has a couple of features that I am looking forward to using. The first is called Faces. It is a program that will recognize the faces of people in the photos. After applying names to those faces the program will label other pictures in which it finds that person and create an album for that person's pictures. This feature could come in quite handy for preparing that Eagle court of honor presentation, or a family birthday or anniversary show.

The second new feature is called Locations. If you have a camera with a built in GPS feature (like some cel phones) information about the location of the place the photo was taken could be embedded in the photograph. The new Locations feature will group photographs taken at locations. Want to find all your pictures taken at Many Point Scout Camp or Philmont, just ask iPhoto to find them. I do not see myself using this feature as much as Faces, but it could come in handy.

I hope these new features work as well as Apple says they will. This could save me a lot of time when working on future projects. After all, it can be quite challenging finding that perfect picture when you have hundreds or thousands of pictures to scan through. My program arrived this week and I am looking forward to playing with it this weekend.

Another Scouting Podcast - Update

Those of you who follow this blog know that I produce a video podcast known as Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast (MSPP). I have recently been asked to produce an audio podcast based on the material found in those video podcasts. I really do not think transferring the four to seven minute video podcasts would make for a good audio podcast so I have been giving the matter some thought on how to expand it to a 15 to 30 minute audio podcast.

I do not want the new podcast to be about how to be a better Scout leader or how to improve your pack or troop program. There are already podcasts out there that do just that, including An Hour A Week, the Scoutmaster Minute, the Leader's Campfire, and the Commissioner's Corner. The MSPP video podcast was designed to be entertainment for Scouts and their families from the start. I think the new audio podcast should be the same.

Before I begin creating a new audio podcast, I wanted to have a format to follow from episode to episode. After a couple weeks of thinking about it I think I have come up with a plan:
a) Opening music and intro
b) Monologue
c) Buttons' Corner
d) Commercial (if anyone decides to sponsor the program.)
e) Around the Campfire
f) Buttons' Shout Out
g) Scout Leader Minute
h) Closing theme/music

The Opening Monologue would be a short discussion between Buttons and myself about what is featured in that episode. I have already played around with the monologue for the first episode and discovered Buttons can be a hard person to talk to. (I am beginning to feel like I have multiple personalities.)

Buttons' Corner would feature the audio from one of his videos, or his thoughts about Scouting in general. He could even answer a question or two sent in by a listener, which means I would have to set up an email address for him.

Around the Campfire would feature a song found in one of the videos, or maybe a campfire story. This part of the podcast could be as short as a couple minutes (if it is a song) or quite a bit longer (if it is a story). I have a few Scouting based novels from the 1910's through the 1920's that might make for a continuing storyline.

Buttons' Shout Out will be moment for Buttons to recognize Scouts, packs, or troops that write to him or send him something special. I have received a couple requests for something like this. I think it could keep the show a little more interactive with the listening audience.

The Scout Leader's Minute would end the episode with a short story or thought, similar to the Scoutmaster's Minute at the end of a troop meeting.

I would like to know what you think about this format for a new podcast. I also need ideas for a name for it. Right now I am thinking about simply calling it the Melrose Scouting Audio Podcast, but I am open to suggestions. You can email me at stevejb@yahoo.com
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MSPP #61: The Leaders of Scouting (Mike H)

Twenty years ago the volunteers at Mel-TV, our local cable access television station, filmed a program in which five men who were Scout leaders were interviewed about their Scouting experiences. I took that old vhs tape and transferred it to a dvd. I thought to myself as I was transferring the program that many of the things being said by those gentlemen still apply to Scouting today. I thought I would break this show down into parts for the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast, each part featuring one of the interviews.

This podcast video features the third interview from The Leaders of Scouting. Mike H. began his adult Scouting career as a Webelos den leader when his son joined the den. He moved to the Boy Scout committee when his son graduated into the troop. When the current committee chairman stepped down, Mike agreed to take the position for one year. That one year stretched into more then five years. During this interview Mike talked about being on the troop committee, going along on various troop outings, the values found in the Scouting program, and his pride in seeing his son earn the rank of Eagle Scout.

You are invited to leave a comment here using the link below, at the iTunes Music Store, or at the PTC Media forums. Or drop me an email at webmaster@melrosetroop68.org. It really is great to hear what you think about the podcast videos.

Click here to DOWNLOAD this Podcast
Subscribe to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast through iTunes.
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Check out other Scouting podcasts at PTC Media.

Murphy's Laws of Camping

We have all heard of Murphy's Law which states, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Mark W. at ScoutingManiac has recently blogged about a list of Murphy's Laws of Camping which he found at the Boy Scout Trail website. You have got to read these. A few of them really are too true. Here are a few of the forty laws listed on the site:

1. When reading the instructions of a pump-activated water filter, 'hour' should be substituted for 'minute' when reading the average quarts filtered per minute.
2. A backpack's weight load migrates up and back the longer it is in motion.
3. All tree branches in a forest grow outward from their respective trunks at exactly the height of your nose. If you are male, tree branches will also grow at groin height.
4. Swiss Army Knife toothpicks and tweezers evaporate open contact with air.
5. Rain happens.
6. Waterproof clothing isn't. (However, it is 100% effective at containing sweat).
7. Non-stick pans aren't.
8. Waterproof matches aren't.
9. One size fits all don't.
10. Anything bug-proof isn't.
11. A backpack's weight is not affected by the amount of food eaten out of it.
12. The minimum temperature rating for any sleeping bag raises as the external temperature lowers.
13. Ropes holding bear bags stretch.
14. The loudness of an animal at night grows as the size of the animal shrinks.

Links:
http://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/joke/murphys_laws_of_camping-1031.asp
http://scoutingmaniac.blogspot.com/2009/01/humor-dose-1.html

My Kids, The Boy Scouts

Twenty years ago, when I worked in a lumber yard in Melrose, a salesman came in to speak to one of the owners. I explained that she was busy at the moment but should be available in a minute or two. We started small talk and he began telling me about his kids and family. He asked me how many kids I had. Without hesitation I told him that I had twenty boys, and then walked away because the owner had arrived. After seeing the shocked look on his face she had to explain to him that I was single, had no children of my own, and that I was talking about the boys in my Boy Scout troop. It was a great moment.

Twenty years later, I am still single without any kids. Just like Lem Siddens in the movie Follow Me Boys I consider the Boy Scouts to be my boys. I like to joke with people that I have a great arrangement. "When I want some kids in the house I make a few phone calls. When I am tired of them I send them home."

Once in a while, I find myself talking to someone new. When they find out I am a scoutmaster they will usually ask me, "How old are your boys?" When I tell them I do not have any, they give me a look that seems to say, "Are you crazy? Why are you a scoutmaster if you do not have any boys in the program?"

Sometimes I ask myself that very question. The simple answer is that I believe in the program. I always have. After nearly three decades of being a Scout leader I can honestly say that I have seen the good that come from Scouting. I wish more boys would try Scouting. I think they would find that they would enjoy the program and actually have fun learning new skills.

I also think that more parents should consider Scouting as a program for their sons and family. Many parents do not understand the benefits of the program, which really is a shame. I think it is encouraging that the National Office plans to increase the promotion of the Scouting programs.

There have been nearly 250 boys in my extended family over the decades. There have been a lot of movies watched, pizzas eaten, and Dungeons and Dragons games played. I have been to dozens of graduation parties, and even several weddings. I have seen the boys grow up, begin lives of their own, get married, and start their own families.

Yep, the Boy Scouts are my boys. And in most cases, they are also great friends.

Thank You Everyone

Shortly after I started writing this blog I registered it with a site called Blog Patrol which had a nice little counter for the site and kept statistics for one week. It was fun watching the daily stats climb, but not so fun watching them drop. It was like watching a slow moving rollercoaster. Most days I would get around 150 visits or so. I smiled a little brighter each day I received over 200 visitors. It is nice when people find your blog something they enjoy reading.

This past week I have noticed more people coming to the blog. Today, something happened that has never happened before. This blog has received over 300 visitors! In one day! And the daily forecast shows that it could hit 340 visits. Wow.

Now I realize for many bloggers out there that this is no big deal. Some blogs receive thousands of hits per day, even tens of thousands. This is not one of those blogs. I realize that my blog topic fits a narrow range of people out there, and that is alright. I am not a writer for the Wallstreet Journal or anything like that. I just write about Scouting, something that has been a part of me for most of my life.

I just wanted to take a moment and thank you all for coming to this site and checking out the blog. I really do appreciate it.

MSPP #60: National Jamboree

It will soon be time for the 2010 National Jamboree. Boy Scouts have begun making their plans to attend, and save money to make those payments. Adult leaders are in training to become the scoutmasters and assistants for this huge event. Councils across the country are trying to get plans finalized and transportation arranged for nearly 40,000 participants. The National Office is planning to make this a special event to celebrate the 100th year of the Boy Scouts of America.

In 2001, I attended the National Jamboree as a scoutmaster of one of two troops the Central Minnesota Council sent to the event. Nine youth members and one young assistant scoutmaster from Troop 68 went along to Fort A.P. Hill. We had a great time. (To read more of the experience click HERE, HERE, and HERE.)

I took a lot of pictures with my 35mm camera. My first assistant scoutmaster, Randy, had a new digital camera, and he took even more pictures then I did. A few weeks after we arrived home I began planning the video of the Jamboree. Using the pictures Randy and I took, and narration done by two of my Boy Scouts who participated in the event, I put together a 21 minute video for everyone to view. This video was also shown on our local access television station. I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.

With thousands of Boy Scouts and leaders planning to attend the 2010 National Jamboree I thought this would be a great time to add this video to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast. I believe this is the longest video I have ever added to the podcast so give it a little time to download. I am sure you will find it worth the wait.

Click here to DOWNLOAD this Podcast
Subscribe to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast through iTunes.
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Check out other Scouting podcasts at PTC Media.

Twenty Years As Assistant Scoutmaster

Eymard Orth, assistant scoutmaster of Melrose Boy Scout Troop 68, recently was recognized by Troop 68 for his twenty years of service. Eymard become an assistant scoutmaster when his son, Peter, was a member of the troop in 1988. Since then, Eymard has attended hundreds of troop meetings and weekend activities. He has not missed a week of summer camp in twenty years. Steve Borgerding, the troop scoutmaster, presented the plaque during a court of honor held on December 15, 2008. (Local Newspaper)

Eymard is quite an individual. He was never a Boy Scout himself, but when his youngest son joined Boy Scouting and he was asked to help out as an assistant scoutmaster he stepped up to the plate and (almost) never looked back. Even though he celebrates his 82nd birthday this year he still looks forward to going camping with the boys, something that other people his age think is crazy. But Eymard truely enjoys working with the boys and finds it to be quite rewarding. He has been a great leader of the troop and we look forward to the next twenty years of his tenure.

In addition to Scouting, Eymard is also very active in his local church, the MCCL, and the local Republican party. He and his wife tend a large garden during the summer months. They enjoy family outings which tend to be quite large with their ten children, and numorous grandchildren. Eymard recently wrote an auotbiography which has been quite popular locally.

Nearly two years ago, Eymard was interviewed by Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, during one of the troop's outings. You can view that interview by clicking this THIS LINK.

UPDATE: The local papers have also picked up this story. The article in the Melrose Beacon can be seen HERE.

Tennis Baseball Anyone?

It was game time during the troop meeting and the Boy Scouts were ready to play. It was a beautiful evening in the city park. The Scouts needed to burn off some calories. Unfortunately, the boys in charge of the game forgot to bring the gear needed to play it. One requirement of being a scoutmaster (though it really not listed anywhere) is the ability to think fast and create a plan B on the spot. That trait was about to come in handy.

The troop meets at the city's Jaycee Park during the summer months. We would gather in the back of the park near the outdoor hockey rink. The tall pine trees provided us with shade. A small clearing gave us a spot to play various games.

I walked to the back of my car and opened the trunk looking for something that could be used by a couple dozen boys to play a game. There was not much to chose from, just a tennis racket, some tennis balls, and a few frisbees. As I stood there and looked at the hockey rink I had a moment of inspiration. I grabbed the racket, a tennis ball, and the frisbees. An idea was forming in my head. It was time to play Tennis Baseball.

The game would be played inside the hockey rink with its four foot tall wooden sidewalls. The frisbees became the four bases, with home plate located toward one end of the rink, and second base near the center. The rink would serve as our ball field. The tennis racket would be our bat. The tennis ball would be our baseball.

The game would be based on the rules of one-pitch softball, a game our Boy Scouts were already familiar with playing, but there would be a couple of rules changes. First, the ball had to stay inside of the hockey rink. If a player hit the ball hard enough to fly or bounce out of the rink before a field player touched it, then the batter would be out. Second, the ball was in play anywhere within the rink. There would not be any foul balls. If the ball hit a hitter's teammate standing on the sidelines then the batter would be out.

The Scouts loved playing the game and it was added to the list of games to be played when we met in the park. Ten years later the boys would still be playing Tennis Baseball. Amazing what a little quick thinking and inginuity can do, isn't it?

Another Scouting Podcast?

Cubmaster Chris and I were talking about the PTC Media podcasts the other night when he brought up an interesting idea. He thought I should take some of the Melrose Scouting Productions videos, convert them to mp3 files, and begin an audio podcast. Of course, not every video would make a good audio podcast. For example, most of the videos which feature the Boy Scouts doing a skit would not transfer well because they are too visual, you need to see what the boys are doing. The songs and interviews may transfer pretty well with just a small amount of editing. Many of the videos featuring Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, would make for decent audio files.

Unlike the other PTC Media audio podcasts which are anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes long each, the Melrose Scouting Productions Audio Podcasts (that is a long name, isn't it?) would be pretty short, probably about 3-10 minutes each. My guess right now is that only 30 of the current videos would be able to become an audio show.

Chris made the point that an audio podcast would provide another way to present different topics to an audience without having to create video footage to go along with it. Maybe even create a "radio program" featuring Buttons or the Boy Scouts.

The biggest advantage to doing an audio podcast is that an mp3 file is much easier to take with you away from your computer. There are many ways to make an audio file portable. They can be burned to a cd, or placed an a portable mp3 player, like an iPod. An audio file can be listened to at any time; while you are walking, or driving, or excercising. You do not need a monitor carried with you, like you would if you wanted to watch a video podcast.

So, here is the question. Is there an audience for this type of podcast? Would it be something that you, a reading of this blog, would subscribe to? Would this be a worthwhile project, or would I be wasting my time? I do not want to create something for which there would be only twelve subscribers. Leave a comment here, or drop me an email at stevejb68@yahoo.com.

Got Knots?

A fellow Scouting friend of mine, Jeff Cummings, writes a blog called The Trainer's Corner. It is one of the many Scouting blogs I visit and read. Recently he wrote an article about the reasons we as adult Scouters of the BSA should earn our knots. You know, those little patches we can wear on our uniforms over our left pocket. They are the awards that we as adults can still earn. Our merit badges or ranks, if you think about it.

Jeff wrote about four good reasons that we should consider earning the knots: quality, consistency, recognition, and roundtables. All are good reasons. I would encourage you to go to his blog and read them. You can find it at http://tinyurl.com/74u92s

After reading Jeff's blog I pulled out my uniform and looked at my knots. I have six of them. The first two I earned were training awards: The Scouter's Key and the Scout Leader's Training Award. The next one I received was the Scoutmaster Award of Merit. Those were earned during my first decade as a scoutmaster. Since then I have added the Distinguished Commissioner Service Award, the District Award of Merit, and the Silver Beaver Award. They add a little color to my uniform.

To tell the truth, I doubt that I will be earning any more knots and that is all right by me. I have pretty much done all I can in the current position of scoutmaster, and I do not plan to accept any other positions in the foreseeable future.

Now, here is a quick quiz for you. The six knots pictures with this blog post are the knots I have earned. Can you put the right names to the right knots?

MSPP #59: The Buttons and Randall Show #3

It has been over three months since we have last seen them on the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast, but they are finally back. Buttons, and his friends Randall and Bones, return for what is the last of the trilogy of bad jokes. That's right, no more bad jokes to be told by Buttons to his laid back friend, Randall.

With each of the three shows, I have tried to find something for Randall to be doing as he gets interrupted by Buttons. In the first video Randall was reading a book. In the second he was listening to his music. In this new video Randall has a new puppy that he has named Dragon. We had a lot of fun filming Randall with the puppy (yeah, it is a stuffed toy dog.) For some reason we kept falling into fits of laughter. Randall looked too real as he was petting the dog. I think the video footage looks pretty good, but I would like to hear what you think.

As the new year gets underway, plans are for Buttons to return doing more Scouting themed videos. I want like him to go back to the Scout Oath and Law and explain what the different points mean in his own unique manner. I would also like to find a few more people for Buttons to interview. It might be fun to film him with a group of Cub Scouts.

Click here to DOWNLOAD this Podcast
Subscribe to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast through iTunes.
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Check out other Scouting podcasts at PTC Media.

Please leave a comment using the link below, at the iTunes Music Store (were we could really use some more reviews), or at the PTC Media forums. Drop me an email at webmaster@melrosetroop68.org. It is great to hear what you think about these podcast videos.

The Online Forms

There has been a lot of talk in a few of the Scouting forums about some new online forms that can be found on the scouting.org site. I would like to write about two of them today - the tour permit and the medical form.

The new Tour Permit is actually a writable pdf document in which you can fill in the blanks on your computer. I have downloaded to my computer and have used it for a couple of troop activities. It is pretty much the same information as the old forms, but since it is digital there are a few advantages. The first is that the committee chair, the council, and I can email it to each other, thus making it quicker to use. The other thing I like about it is that we can use digital signatures, which we discovered are very easy to set up and use. It has saved us time in trying to track each other down for those signatures.

Our council has posted this digital tour permit to its website and can be found at http://www.bsacmc.org/34426_Tour_Permit_App_2008.pdf . I am sure it can also be found on the national website, but I did not look for it there.

After looking at the new yearly Medical Form, I will admit that I like it. It is simple to follow and easy to understand. Best of all, this new form will replace the three current forms that are being used (Class 1, 2, and 3). It looks like the new form will be used by both adults and Scouts, and will even be used for high adventure bases.

This new form is broken down into three parts. Part A is the general medical information which is provided by the parents, similar to the old Class 1 form. It lists basic information including address and insurance stuff, plus has a section to list up to six perscription drugs. This part is for one day or weekend activities.

Part B of the form is for long term and strenuous camps and activities, like high adventure bases and summer camps. This is the part that needs to be filled out by a doctor or licensed health-care provider. A height and weight chart is also featured on this page.

Part C is a new addition to the form. It includes a "Hold Harmless/Release Agreement" and a talent release form for the parents or gaurdian to sign. To tell the truth, in today's digital age, I think this is an excellent thing to add to the form. This new medical form can be found at
http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34605_Letter.pdf

I plan to hand out the new medical form to all the Scout families this month, even though it looks like they will not be required until next year. I want to get a headstart on this. I also plan to email the digital version of the form to parents in case they would like to fill out the personal information on their computer before printing it off.

I think these two forms are an excellent step to making things a little easier for troops, crews, and packs. Now the councils and districts just have to get these units to begin using them. I would not think it should be too hard to get that done.

Out With The Old

As the new year begins I cannot help but think of A Scoutmaster's Blog and the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast. I have been writing posts to the blog for over two and one half years already. (Wow, time flies fast.) This is the 374th post to the blog. If I would have know in high school how much time I would be spending on a thing called a computer, I think I would have taken a typing class.

The MSPP podcast currently has 58 videos, with another to be posted later today if I find the time. I have enjoyed putting the videos together. I hope you have enjoyed watching them. I also hope I can keep finding new material to post to the podcast. It is getting harder finding material for videos designed to entertain Scouts, leaders, and parents. I guess Buttons may have to start making more videos each year.

When I started the podcast I had the help of Mr. Bob of the Akela's Adventure podcast. He was able to steer me in the right direction on how to write the xml pages and prepare the videos. Last summer, Cubmaster Chris and I made a few changes to the tech side of things and created a new feed so that I could get better statistics of the visitors to the site. We left the old feed up and running for people to continue finding the podcast and make the switch to the new feed.

It has been over six months since the new feed was created, and from the looks of the stats, nearly everyone has switched over to the new feed, so today I have taken the old feed offline. If you have not switched yet, the new/current feed is found at:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
If you prefer to follow the podcast through iTunes you can find it at
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=251187870

The old feeds that will no longer work or be updated are the following:
http://melrosetroop68.org/podcast/podcast.xml and
http://feeds.feedburner.com/MelroseScoutingProductionsPodcast
If you are still linked to one of these feeds please switch to one of the current ones.

By the way, you can also find the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast as a part of the PTC Media family of Scouting podcasts. The link for that site is http://www.ptcmedia.net/

Once again, I would like to thank you for reading the blog and watching the podcast. I invite you to leave comments and let me know what you think about them. I also challange you to invite two or three more people to check out the blog and podcast. The higher the numbers of viewers become, the more excited I get about keeping things going. And to tell the truth, I could use more viewers.

Cub Scout Polar Plunge

I do not consider myself crazy (although their are some who think you need to be crazy to be a scoutmaster). For example, they are a number of people each year who decide they need to take a quick dip in a hole cut through the ice of a frozen lake in Minnesota. Would I do that? No way! I am not crazy.

But this year in Lake Minnetonka near Minneapolis, Minnesota, hundreds of people decided to bring in the new year by getting nice and cold in the icy water. Crazy, huh? Well, what caught my attention this year is that a group of Cub Scouts decided to join in the festivities. Here is the article from the KARE 11 website:

They came from all over the globe, just to say they did it. Hundreds of thrill seekers leaped into Lake Minnetonka New Year's morning, for the 19th annual Polar Plunge. Organizers say 388 people registered to take the plunge this year, far above last year's record of 298. Hundreds more showed up and registered Thursday morning. In all, 908 people jumped into frigid Lake Minnetonka to welcome 2009.

Among them, Cub Scout Pack 116 from Princeton, Minnesota. The boys recently learned their assistant cub master, Dar Durant, had been diagnosed with cancer, so they took pledges, collected money, and jumped into the lake. The money raised will go to help the family.

Plunge organizers say people from Canada, England, Iran, and Jamaica registered to take the annual dip this year.

I have to give those Cub Scouts and their leaders the credit that is due them. They did a great job of putting others first and helping someone in need. I am sure this is one plunge they will never forget.

By the way, the link to the KARE 11 website also has a couple videos showing the Cub Scouts taking their Polar Plunge. I am not sure how long the video will be available so check it out quickly.