Recently I had an AWESOME opportunity to attend a free all-day event in Denver literally called AWSome Day hosted by Amazon. During this event I learned a ton that is too much to share in a single blog post so you are better off just attending the event yourself if you have the opportunity (It’s free so don’t make any more excuses!). Instead, allow me at least talk about the highlights and the core of what I got out of it.
AWS stands for “Amazon Web Services” which offers a myriad of tools that dynamically or elastically shift to meet the changing demand of any given user experience. A really good example of this was that of a University which for the duration of a semester may see a small trickle of interest in enrollment which does not need a whole lot of resources so AWS automatically adjusts itself to only give what the users and servers need to meet that level of demand. But come time for open enrollment and there is an immediate surge of applications and interest that floods the servers. One can even schedule AWS ahead of time to rev up and be 100% ready for that kind of surge. AWS takes changing behavior and intuitively adjusts itself so that resources and costs are well-regulated saving time and money. This is a big deal for not just large corporations but small ones to.
What makes AWS Day truly awesome is that it’s free. That’s right, Amazon believes their web services is so important they are offering an entire day’s worth of an opportunity to tell you exactly how great it is and answer your questions and concerns. For the most part, at least in Denver, a single AWS trained professional spoke on the many facets that exist in AWS from EC2 Cloud Computing, to S3 Cloud Storage, to Analytics, to Delivery. AWS really can handle just about anything. In between sessions there were also an entire group of AWS evangelists and gurus standing by to answer specific questions about what AWS can do for any person, company, or project.
What I was able to get out of AWS Day personally was a better understanding of how to carry out cloud computing and cloud storage. Along with a fresh outlook on web services, I was given a broad scope of what AWS is specifically capable of while gaining a profound appreciation of “The Cloud”. Of course, I could expound on these discoveries in great detail, but honestly you’re not going to gain the same experience unless you attend the event. I’m certainly no expect because of my own attendance, but I learned a lot about the lingo, general work flow, and a few best practices when it comes to managing a web service such as the Principle of Least Privilege or PoLP. I also learned that S3 Cloud storage can be implemented with MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and Amazon has a very powerful querying tool know as Athena which is an Interactive SQL service that is serverless. It can process unstructured, semi-structured, and structured data sets using ANSI SQL.
So what’s next? There might be a strong temptation to go off and become AWS certified, but until I can get more of my hands on the products and services that AWS can offer, I may hold off on that venture. On May 1st again in Denver AWS will start an Initiate Series which is the next step after attending AWS Day. What if you and myself can’t make it? Amazon does have lots of online resources if one is not able to attend these kinds of free events. Additionally there is an AWS Public Sector Summit taking place in Washington DC.
Attending AWS Day really was like drinking from a fire hydrant, but sometimes it takes a flood of knowledge to clear the mind and inspire great ideas. With the power of AWS I hope to take those ideas and not just conceptualize but also carry them out towards being truly awesome.
Rob Brayton setting up for Christmas Shoot with Santa
Today I had the pleasure to work with once again my mentor, teacher, and friend, Rob Brayton. We were both immensely pleased to have the opportunity to bless the senior citizens of Grace Care center with photographs of Santa Claus. Each of them will be getting a copy just in time for Christmas to share amongst their families and care takers.
Rob working with the Nikon D7000
Rob Brayton is an experienced 2nd generation photographer with decades of study in digital engineering and the arts; his vision is to enrich the lives of people and business through visual storytelling in still and moving life portraiture—as is mine. He has taught me everything I know about film and photography and it is always an honor to work with him.
Rob with Santa
And of course the big guy himself, Santa Claus was a real treat to work with as well. He was able to bring so much joy to the citizens as they posed with the man of jolly and cheer making Christmas this year for the Grace Care center and its members a happy one indeed.
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. I actually thought my Summer would be more full of activity but lately it’s been mostly a time of waiting, patience, and spending most of my time with my family. In less than 24 hours I will be making my departure for Colorado Springs and hope to document my adventure every step of the way as I make pursuit in my much anticipated internship at Summit Ministries.
I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted any pictures too. The reality of that is I actually have been posting a lot of photographs. . . I just managed to overlook posting my best and favorite experiences on the website. To some avail, I hope that my beloved followers can still watch for my work on my Flickr profile and now you can start following a new experience of mine called 500px. Of course, I still intend to post much of my best work on the website, but I will also be posting a lot of my recent and best work on a very ingenious web-based portfolio by which you can start viewing at the following link.
In the mean time, I’ve also been working on my first Theatrical gig with Applause Theatre Company and hope to be posting some screen shots of my editing work along with a preview of the production itself. Plenty more details to come!
I was required to write a biographical sketch as a part of my application to Summit Ministries. This was required, of course, because I’m hoping to be accepted as a video production intern for the entirety of this upcoming summer. I’d like to share a little bit of what I wrote because writing has little worth if only seen by a few eyes in my opinion and I rather not have any of my writing go unpublished. I hope you can take from this as much as I hoped to put into it–a vignette, if you will, of merely part of my life’s work.
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I came into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ when I was eight years old. At the time I described to my father my fear of dying and losing loved ones. I was terrified of the fact of death because I didn’t understand fully what happens and the thought of never being able to live again was unbearable. This was all due to a recent funeral my family attended of a distant family member and I had lots of questions that needed answers. Of course, I was privileged to have grown up in a Christian home; and that night, with tears in my eyes, I called out to my earthly father who then shared with me the story of Christ and how much my Heavenly father loved me so much that he humbled himself as a man and died on a cross for my transgressions. None of it really made that much sense before until that night. From then on I looked at life from an entirely different angle; I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. The stories I heard in early Sunday school were not just stories anymore—they were chronicles of an epic journey made by incredible people. The Bible is full of history and fulfilled prophecies ultimately revealing God’s handy work in all of creation and His perfect plan for redemption by conquering death and freeing us from our sin.
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Like any Christian walk, everyday is a day to further one’s sanctification, I believe my faith grew the strongest during my teen years, for at that time I experienced many trials and temptations that challenged and overall enforced my walk with Christ and His influence over my life. One of my favorite books of the bible is the book of James. I once heard it described as “The proverbs of the New Testament” and it is there I turn to most for answers in trying and hard times. My life verse is James 1:2-4 …
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“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (NKJ)
Further on in this chapter, James goes on to talk of wisdom and that if any man lacks of it, that he should ask it of God who gives to all men freely. I know with all the knowledge and understanding the world has to offer I could never be fulfilled or truly happy without the Lords wisdom and guidance in my life. Other readings I have enjoyed and have had great impact in my life are “The Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyon, “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis along with his many other works, and “Understanding the Times” by David A. Noebel.
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The desire to work for Summit Ministries this summer is a strong one to say the least. I am always keeping my heart open to opportunities like this. It has been my dream to one day film and produce narratives and documentaries alike with the message of Christ in them. I’ve also had the passion and desire to teach what I know on both personal and technical levels. Being the eldest of six siblings has had a major impact in my own interest to raise and lead a family. As I am still young and unmarried, much of this desire has been fulfilled quite simply by being an older brother, helping and teaching my younger siblings with what it means to be a child of God and that with the capacity to read and learn all that which is in the will of the Lord can be achieved. I can see doing this at Summit but with an opportunity to grow and learn from others just as well.
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The most recent experience I have had with Christian service was a mission trip to the Rio Grande Bible Institute and producing a series of videos for the West Houston Pregnancy Help Center.
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Late in the summer of 2010, members of Katy Bible Church, one of my brothers, and myself traveled very near to the Mexico border to aid and assist the Rio Grande Bible Institute in various tasks including striping and re-waxing an auditorium floor; scraping linoleum tile, removing a cinder block wall, and installing sheet rock in one of the dorm rooms. This was all done for the returning students of the fall semester who have dedicated their lives in the theological study of God’s Word and sharing it on a multicultural level, especially to the Spanish speaking communities. One of the most interesting aspects of RGBI’s ministries was their radio station where they broadcast the good news of Christ on a frequent basis to not only the school and surrounding area but also clear across Mexico and as far as South America where in some countries it isn’t even legal to send the Gospel in such a manner. Although I didn’t feel like I was ministering specifically to people while physically there. I know the work we did will speak greatly to the students who eventual returned along with those yet to come and those they minister to. One of the great lessons I learned while on this trip was that with even the mundane of things, God can do marvelous and magnificent work. My brother and I also became very close to two of Katy Bible’s leading elders, Barry Hays and Danny Snyder. It was a privilege and a pleasure to work with these two men and I’m looking very much forward to an opportunity like this again.
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While all of this was going on, a very close friend of mine who is a very talented photographer had been coordinating and consulting with me concerning his Eagle project for the West Houston Pregnancy Help Center. His name is Stephen Herbert and he decided to produce a series of videos that would help train and recruit volunteers; inform and guide future and current clients; and with the hope of sharing the Gospel and saving the lives of the unborn at risk of abortion. Stephen did an amazing job directing the entire project, and I was privilege to have been a part of the production as a primary consultant and editor. Over the entirety of the summer, he and I spent several hours sifting through and editing footage of what eventually would become a series of videos made for online distribution and clips later authored to DVD. We used primarily Adobe products including Photoshop, Premier Pro, and Encore. Stephen and I learned so much from this project and I am pleased to report that his project was a major success in regards to both his career as a Boy Scout and the Pregnancy Help Center.
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All of what has been stated so far has a lot if not everything to do with how I view the World. The need of a critical and discerning mind is especially relevant in today’s society due to the rise and increase of accessible information. I believe the internet, mass media, and current political agendas are hefty evidence to the changing times and desire of global conformity. This postmodern era of likeminded thinking is a dangerous one, for there can only be one ultimate authority to the existence of the universe. I for one am thoroughly convinced of the Lord God, Yahweh/Jehovah, His most Holy Spirit, and the redeeming fellowship and blood of Jesus Christ. Through His word, the Logos, all of this is revealed, and by only His word can truth be found. It’s easy to have one’s faith pushed aside, judged, and compared to lesser thinking. The culture we live in—as citizens of not just the United States but also the entire world—is a conglomerate of thinking in desperate need of sifting. Furthermore, having a better grasp of not only one’s own worldview thinking but also that of others can help us understand where our fellow man is coming from. We must not only know what our brethren believe, but whom they believe in and why. Only then can we effectively reach out and ultimately reveal the truth. Of course, I also believe that although our efforts can be highly influential to society, there is no change without the work of the Spirit; wherefore, it is even more necessary to have the capacity to pray. I believe to change a man’s mind is impossible; to influence his mind is essential. By living as godly examples, by living pure and undefiled lives, and by loving one another with an agape love we can make a difference.
Recently I had an AWESOME opportunity to attend a free all-day event in Denver literally called AWSome Day hosted by Amazon. During this event I learned a ton that is too much to share in a single blog post so you are better off just attending the event yourself if you have the opportunity (It’s free so don’t make any more excuses!). Instead, allow me at least talk about the highlights and the core of what I got out of it.
Oak Tree Meadow Pro Media 