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We currently use Keynote on Mac-Minis and use Apple Remote Desktop to
access them and load/change slides from a central location. The slides
are PDFs generated with InDesign. this avoids any font or graphic
issues with slide content. If you insert graphics and text normally,
things tend to shift around mysteriously. After the slides are
generated they are inserted into the Keynote presentation. The
presentation for weekdays is different than the weekends.
We have the Minis set to turn themselves on about a half hour before
iCal automatically launches the days slide show (the name of the
keynote file has to be the same for each day and in the same directory
so that iCal recognizes it). At the end of the day, the computers are
set to shut themselves down which also sleeps the monitors.
As a backup, we installed a little piece of software called Remote
Buddy (http://www.iospirit.com)which allows the little white remotes
that come with the Minis to restart the machine, and launch
applications. This way you don't need to have a keyboard and mouse at
each location (in our case this was impossible b/c there was not
enough space--we just strapped the minis to the wall brackets behind
the monitors, 46" LCDs). If there is a problem then one of the
admissions folks can go to the display and restart the machine or the
program or the keynote file. This has worked reasonably well so far.
It is a far cry from digital signage, but it fit into a piece of money
the state gave us for that purpose. We investigated a number of other
system, but until the economy comes back we have no plans to change
this. The people who configure this need to know a little about how to
run and configure these applications (mainly iCal, Remote Deskop,
Keynote, and Remote Buddy). The most important thing to keep in mind
for such a setup is that there is an inverse relationships between
reliability and how complicated you get with the presentations. The
minute you start getting fancy with adding animation, changing more
than once a day (which we successfully did for a little while using an
automator script, but eventually, it goes kaflooey as soon as some
little parameter changes or you do software updates etc.), then you
will see freezes, presentations not launching, errors, and general
weirdness. Remember this hardware and software was never designed to
do this. You are essentially asking a grapefruit to be a water melon.
Finally, when you do software updates, you must test everything since
setting often change.
Good luck.
Stephen Miles Uzzo
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street
Flushing Meadows Corona Park, NY 11368
USA
V +1.718.699.0005 x377
F +1.718.699.1341
On Jul 16, 2009, at 9:59 AM, Diederick, Laura wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
>
> Hello! We are looking into revamping our current digital signage
> (i.e.
> - out with the old, in with the new) and would love to hear
> suggestions
> or words of caution regarding specific manufacturers and models your
> facilities have used. At this point we're not looking at anything
> fancy
> - no touch screens, etc - just something to run a series of
> slideshow-type signage.
>
>
>
> Many thanks!
>
>
>
> Laura Diederick
>
> Education Specialist
>
> Smithsonian Marine Station
>
> Fort Pierce, Florida
>
>
>
> 772.465.3271 phone
>
> 772.465.3237 fax
>
>
>
> www.sms.si.edu/SMEE <http://www.sms.si.edu/SMEE>
>
>
>
>
> ***********************************************************************
> For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
>
> Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org
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For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.
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