Boot Camp Cruise Has Sailed

I have had a few e-mails lately asking me where I had been hiding. In a two week span I attended three trade shows (I'll cover those in another post) and then hosted the CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp Cruise as we sailed from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera.

We had a great group of ten students and their guests from as far away as Norway. Others came from Georgia, Texas, Alberta, Arizona and California. While the ship was in motion, we hunkered down in the ship's cinema to go over the ins and outs of CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. And when the ship docked in a port, we got off the ship and enjoyed the local sights and sounds.

Everyone was encouraged to take lots of pictures. All of those pictures were collected so that we could all share. Then on the last day of class, we found almost 100 of the best photos and applied minor repairs and color adjustments to them. That's right, we fixed 100 photos in less than two hours! That left us with another two hours to put them all into ProShow Producer and create a multimedia movie. You can download a copy of the movie so that you can experience just a little bit of the fun we had. Keep in mind that this movie was created live in class in a very short amount of time. We did encourage students to modify the movie and send us updated versions. So as I get new versions, I'll post them as well.

I've already been asked when and where the next Boot Camp Cruise will take place. At this point I haven't even looked for a time and place. But if you would be interested in joining us, feel free to leave a comment with your suggestion for where and when we should set sail.

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Boot Camp Cruise Deadline Extended

Have you considered joining Jeff Harrison and I on the CorelDRAW Boot Camp Cruise? This is your opportunity to take your CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT skills to a higher level while also enjoying a great vacation along the Mexican Riviera.

Our deadline for booking a space on the cruise was September 19th. That's right, the time has passed. I was able to convince the cruise line to extend the deadline until November 2nd. So you still can sign up for this amazing training experience. Now it is possible the ship will sell out before that date, so don't wait to book your space!

Want all the details in one compact file? Download the PDF flyer and you'll have the info you need. I'll give you a quick overview of how it all works.

First, there are two parts to the registration process. You can't be in the class if you aren't on the ship. So download the registration form for the cruise and reserve your space on the ship. We were able to negotiate some amazing prices. Some of you may be traveling alone. If so, our travel agent can try and match you up with someone else to help you save money on the cruise costs. Many of the people will be traveling with friends or family who will not be taking the class. They are definitely welcome to join us on the cruise.

The second part is the class. Only those who register for the class can be part of the training. You can register for the class online. At right you can see a photo of the room where the class will be held. It is the cinema on the ship complete with a huge screen and a great sound system. Each of the seats has a desk that pops up. Don't worry, we won't come close to filling every seat so every student will have a great view of everything taught.

All of the training sessions are held while the ship is sailing between ports and is spread out over the length of the cruise. We make sure to give you free time to enjoy the activities on the ship and we will not teach during the shore excursions so that you can get off and see the sights! Several of the students from our 2007 Caribbean Cruise have already signed up to join us on this cruise. Yes, they had a lot of fun on the first cruise. It was just as important that they increased their knowledge of CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. Come along on the cruise. Work on your tan. See the sights and take some great photos. Boost your productivity with CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. With your improved productivity, the cruise will pay for itself in no time!

For anyone in the apparel industry, you can combine the cruise with the ISS (Imprinted Sportswear Show) Show in Long Beach. Jeff and I are both planning to attend the show after the ship returns to port. While the show would mainly benefit those in the screen printing, garment printing and embroidery markets; it would also give other users a chance to learn more about these industries. You can get a free pass to the show from the ISS Web site.

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Thursday Tip: Right Triangle

Need to draw a rectangle in CorelDRAW? There are several tools you can use for this. The Polygon tool will draw a triangle if you select three sides on the Property Bar. But this is not a right triangle. The Bézier tool or Freehand tool could do it, but getting the nodes in the correct places could be tricky. The Smart Drawing tool allows you to quickly draw it freehand and have it converted into a triangle. This works, but accuracy is certainly an issue. There is definitely a right triangle in Perfect Shapes you can use.

My answer? I cheat! Draw a rectangle, convert it to curves (Ctrl + Q) and delete the corner node that you do not want. This leaves you with a right triangle. Sometimes you'll find the best tool for the job is the one that does not exist.

How would you like to get three straight days of tips like this? Come join me at our CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp and that's exactly what you'll get. Or join Jeff Harrison and I on the CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp Cruise and you can get tips from both of us throughout the seven days of the cruise. No matter which Boot Camp you choose, your productivity will soar from all the great new tips you learn!

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CorelDRAW Boot Camp Cruise Price Drops

I got an e-mail yesterday from someone asking about the CorelDRAW Boot Camp Cruise to be held in January, 2009. This person claimed that rates for the cruise on another Web site were $200 lower than what we offered. This just didn't sound right to me so I did some research on my own and also consulted with the travel agent who set up the cruise portion of the Boot Camp.

The discrepancy turned out to be a misunderstanding by the person who contacted me. The rates we list include all of the "extra" costs that cruise lines typically list in small print. Those include port taxes, government taxes and a fuel charge which total $240.23 per person. So it turned out that our fares were already cheaper when properly compared. That was good news to hear.

Today I got even better news. Our travel agent checked with the cruise line and there had been a reduction in prices. Even better, we can pass that reduction on to anyone who joins us on the CorelDRAW Boot Camp Cruise. Prices for balcony cabins have dropped $50 per person and outside and inside cabins are $100 less per person. That was great news to hear!

The CorelDRAW Boot Camp Cruise is your opportunity to have a great vacation while boosting your productivity with CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. Since it is a business trip, you may even be able to write off some or all of the travel costs on your taxes! Check with your tax adviser on this.

I look forward to seeing you on the cruise for some serious learning and some fun times on the Mexican Riviera.

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Learn CorelDRAW While Enjoying the Tropics

In January 2007, Jeff Harrison and I led a group of Corelians through the Eastern Caribbean while learning the hottest tips on CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. The CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp Cruise is back and this time we're visiting the Mexican Riviera in January 2009.

For those who aren't familiar with how the cruise works, I'll give you a brief description. We set our Boot Camp classroom on the Norwegian Star cruise ship and share our best tips on getting the most out of CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT while the ship is moving. When we dock in port, you are free to explore the port on your own or a group of us can explore together. We also make sure to give you plenty of free time to enjoy all the fun activities on the ship.

We worked really hard to find the exact itinerary that would give us plenty of teaching time and also gives us exciting ports to visit at a very affordable price. In fact, you might find it less expensive to spend a week on a cruise ship than to come to our land-based Boot Camps in Arizona. For those of you who suffer through cold winters, there is the perfect getaway. You get warm weather and even hotter CorelDRAW training! Make sure to get your reservations in early as the ship most likely will sell out. If you would like to invite friends and family, they can also take care of the great rates on the cruise.

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