Back Roads Spain is a book published by DK Eyewitness Travel. I’ve used their travel books many times, especially when planning my trips to the Iberian Peninsula. The “back roads” collection is designed to take the traveller a little deeper in-country, something that is right up my alley. Here’s a brief video review of the book:
Let me emphasize the photographs and illustrations in this book. The street maps show a walking tour with sites of interest highlighted. Sometimes there are three dimensional renderings of a cathedral or winery, which prove irresistible. You want to see the real thing after peering into such well-presented images. The driving routes definitely take you into the countryside, which, having driven extensively in Spain, can be frustrating. However, with a decent guide and fair warning of what to expect, you’re sure to enjoy yourself.
A video review of the Allen & Heath ZED 10FX mixer follows this paragraph of blather. Please allow me to introduce a new category to The Bent Page, and that category is BLOG CASTING. Soon I’ll be posting video blogs here on WordPress and YouTube. A separate streaming channel is also in the works but not finalized. Let’s look at that video review first. Another paragraph of explanation follows.
Over the past several months, I’ve been doing my homework in preparation for putting together a video blog casting studio. (The first order of business was to clean out my old office, which was chock full of nothing useful.) Naturally, the computers were updated. Next comes the audio component. To mix and feed audio into the digital recorder in my computer, I chose the Allen & Heath ZED 10FX mixer. At first glance it may seem like a bit of overkill, but my requirements and consultation with friends in the music world led me to this unit. I needed at least 3 microphone inputs with power supplies. The ZED 10FX has 4. I also wanted the ability to plug in some musical instruments because a few of those friends from the music world will (at least they said they would) participate in some of the productions coming out of here. Instead of having them lug all their gear, they can plug into this unit. There is also the ability to have studio monitors (speakers) connected through the ZED, a separate headphone output with the ability to isolate the feed to the phones. The onboard effects were less important but for the price, why not? Without going crazy on the technical side, each channel has the ability to be sent to the “RECORD” bus separately, so if those pals are playing away and I want to record each channel independently, this can be done. In other words lots of flexibility.
Now that the audio is piped into the system, I’ll be tweaking the video in a few different ways. Most import are the lights, which are on the way. More on this issue soon.
The Flying Fishbone is a venerable restaurant to be found in Saventa, Aruba, DWI. More than that, it offers a romantic setting with tables on the beach and even in the Caribbean sea if that is your choice. Here you can watch the sunset while enjoying a fine dining experience. Having been here several times, I can say it’s worth it. Hence, I made a video showing the restaurant as well as how to drive there from the main highway. It’s easy. Take a look:
Keep the Flying Fishbone in mind for a special evening out or a fantastic gathering with family and friends. Don’t forget to check when the sunsets and arrive about half an hour earlier. Bring the camera!
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