Putting an end to a great evening spent with friends, here are some photos in Flickr from Big Yuyu’s Trio performing at the Porto Sóller Hotel in Mallorca, Spain.

Big thanks to Pau Bori for hosting us at the hotel and to Jaime Izquierdo for letting us know about this hidden gem on the island.

Big Yuyu Blues Band Web: www.bigyuyu.net, and their page on Facebook.

You can find this Trio playing every tuesday night at Porto Sóller Hotel.

It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.  Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.  ~Ernest Hemingway

Most people that know me personally have heard me speak about cycling in some way or another.  Whether it was about some grueling hills ride I discovered during the weekend, or in relation to my other business venture Orange Velo, at some point or another always end up boring my friends with what cycling means to me and what I’ve learned from it.

Every year I pick a couple of cycling races to cover as a sports photographer for either printed or online publishing companies, and ever since I’ve lived in Mallorca, I’ve done the Mallorca Challenge, a 5-day tour over the entire island that marks the start of the European professional cycling season.  This year was no different, and I’d like to share some of the images taken during the race, while covering the event for CyclingNews.com.

Why I these races?  I found myself asking the very same question at the beginning of the year when I was asked to do it by the media.  Besides the obvious reason that it helps me to add content to my business in OrangeVelo.com, I believe the real reasons have more to do with how cleansing, clarifying and sharpening the whole experience can be.  Imagine going down a mountain descent at 90km/h and from the back of a motorcycle photographing the action that the cycling peloton plays out as it nears the finish line.  Seeing up close the palette of colors streaking by some of the most beautiful and historic towns in Europe.

No matter how busy things get, I hope to continue adding a couple of these experiences every year.  And if you haven’t had a chance to see a cycling race up close, I strongly suggest you give it a go.  It will surprise you how entertaining the chess match played by the cyclists and their teams can be.  Here are some of the photos from all 5 stages from the Mallorca Challenge this year:

I just received a letter from the Google Apps team on how their suite of applications will phasing out support for older browsers like Internet Explorer 6 in the coming months.

I made the switch to Google Apps a few years ago, and even though it’s still missing a few “power-user” features I became used to with Microsoft Outlook and the Office Suite, I’ve never looked back. I’ve even helped and supported many of my corporate clients to make the switch as well, and have yet to come across anyone within their quarters who missed Outlook enough to switch back. On the contrary, most comments I hear are about praise to the efficiency and mobility they gained in their work.

What caught my attention about this letter is how well thought out is their approach. First there was an official Blog post about it, and now this letter (I included the full version below) stating clearly why they are doing it, when it’s happening and which Applications are being affected. I also like the fact that they are providing a note within their apps for users of these older browsers, so that they are reminded of the change.

As we move forward with innovation in the Web industry (and we do it fast!), most of us will be faced with similar situations, and as much as we believe in the innovation, it is still important that we take our users and customers into consideration. Not every one is as fast at keeping up with the pace for multiple reasons, and we need to ease them into change and show them how to do it. This way we avoid facing rejection or losing customers.

Here’s the full letter in case you’d like to read it:

Dear Google Apps admin,​

In order to continue to improve our products and deliver more sophisticated features and performance, we are harnessing some of the latest improvements in web browser technology. This includes faster JavaScript processing and new standards like HTML5. As a result, over the course of 2010, we will be phasing out support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as other older browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers.

We plan to begin phasing out support of these older browsers on the Google Docs suite and the Google Sites editor on March 1, 2010. After that point, certain functionality within these applications may have higher latency and may not work correctly in these older browsers. Later in 2010, we will start to phase out support for these browsers for Google Mail and Google Calendar.

Google Apps will continue to support Internet Explorer 7.0 and above, Firefox 3.0 and above, Google Chrome 4.0 and above, and Safari 3.0 and above.

Starting this week, users on these older browsers will see a message in Google Docs and the Google Sites editor explaining this change and asking them to upgrade their browser. We will also alert you again closer to March 1 to remind you of this change.

In 2009, the Google Apps team delivered more than 100 improvements to enhance your product experience. We are aiming to beat that in 2010 and continue to deliver the best and most innovative collaboration products for businesses.

Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,

The Google Apps team
Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

Have you “gone Google”? What do you think of their approach?

Every year in late January the city of Palma de Mallorca, celebrates its official saint “San Sebastian” in the most unique tradition I’ve ever seen, with Correfocs.  People from the entire island descend to fill the streets of Palma and dance along with the devils on a procesion that leads to the foot of the Cathedral and ends with a beautiful display of Fireworks (Atiar Foc).

This year I brought along my camera to try to catch a glimpse into the emotion and excitement found in these Fiestas de San Sebastian.  I hope you enjoy it.

Watch it in HD in YouTube and in Vimeo.

Special thanks to the people of Palma de Mallorca who organize and participate in these fiestas.

Let me know what you think in the comments!

-Franklin

Every day I share online the most interesting stuff I come across on business, technology, new media and design that can be helpful to others.

Here’s a quick and useful compilation of the best articles that I found this past week.

Note that this is only a very small selection of the links I shared online and the best way to keep track of all of them is simply to follow me on Twitter: @franklintello

What’s next in Web Design

The Maturation of Social Media ROI

HD Timelapse tour of Vancouver City

How to Better Engage Facebook Fan Page ‘Fans’

Google Is Changing And It Will Affect Your Site

First Impressions of the New Apple iPad

Creating a Web App from scratch

No More Websites. Only Publishers

50+ Beautiful Websites with Great Colour Schemes

Tour of Madrid in 3D with Google Earth

Want to see more interesting links? No problem! Keep track of what I share online by following me at @franklintello

It’s been 24 hours since Steve Jobs first announced the new iPad as:

Our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.

I’ve been reading and following the reactions from the technology, new media and the publishing industry, and have been exchanging brief impressions with close friends from different cities like Toronto, San Francisco, New York, Madrid, Barcelona and my current home in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

And after these 24 hours, I must say I’m very excited about the opportunities the introduction of this new device brings.

That’s not to say that I don’t agree with most of the points being made around the world about what the iPad is missing. Excellent and valid points like the ones being made by the editorial team at Engadget or the guys at MacLife on some of the key features that would have made this a killer product right off the bat.  I can’t help but agree with some of Stan Schroeder’s comments in Mashable, on what Apple announced hidden between the lines. But perhaps we need to dig a little deeper, right through the false expectations and hype we created over the last few months, to truly appreciate the potential and the significance of the new iPad.

As much as I too would have loved to see some key features that reputable and knowledgeable people in our industry are mentioning the iPad is missing, none of these features, of lack thereof, can lessen the excitement I feel for the new opportunities it just opened for all of us.

For one many writers and the whole publishing industry are without a doubt very excited to count on a new device that is sure to inspire and bring a great deal of creativity and attention to it, and it is certain that most of the innovation it inspires will trickle down to other devices, both current and new.

There are also people in the sales and marketing industries thinking up of ways to take advantage of such a device.

And that’s just the thing, I firmly believe that it is up to us to make something great out of this device.  Apple has just done half the work by bringing this new device out, at an affordable price point.  It is up to us to build exciting content that pops out of its screen and takes full advantage of the features that ARE there, so much that we forget what’s missing.

Take for example my passion for cycling.  I am re-reading Lance Armstrong’s book “It’s not about the bike.” It’s a great read on the subject of cancer, and what the sport of cycling is all about, and as I flip through the pages and read about the cancer treatments, the creation of the Livestrong Foundation, the sacrifices in training for the Tour de France, and highs and lows of his career, I can’t help but wonder how amazing it would be to watch interviews and videos from the racing, see photos illustrating his feelings and amplifying every detail of his story.  The potential is there and it is up to us to enrich the user experience with this device.

Let’s build something truly exciting with it!

-Franklin

The history of Christmas Markets goes back to the late Middle Ages. They first started in German speaking parts of Europe, and slowly many other cities around the world have incorporated one into their main plazas.

My first experience with one of the traditional Christmas Markets of Europe was in Stuttgart. It was a cold december night, but between all the people walking by looking at the hand made toys and decorations, and the Glühwein (mulled wine), it was impossible to feel anything but warm.

This Christmas I had the chance to visit Munich and Nuremberg during a business trip to Germany, and it was the perfect time to go out at night and catch some of the action that goes on in their Christmas Markets. I hope you like this film.

Filmed with a Canon DSLR 7D, a 50mm lens, and a LCD ViewFinder. Edit in Final Cut Pro.

Music by Holly Cole, “Christmas time is here.”

Special thanks to the warm people of Munich and Nuremberg, and to the people who make Christmas Markets around the world possible every year.

-Franklin

I love Timelapse Photography. I especially enjoy looking for the patterns that show up when time appears to be moving faster than usual.

I first felt in love with it when I watched the films “Baraka” and “Koyaanisqatsi: Life out of Balance“, where it is used heavily to show everyday life from a different perspective.

For some time I wanted to create a Timelapse of Palma de Mallorca’s Bay, in Spain.  There’s magic in this Bay and after 24 hours and 4320 photographs, (and a little help from the weather gods!) here’s what came out.

Filmed with a Canon DSLR 7D, and a 17-40mm lens. One photo taken every 20 seconds remotely with a intervalometer. Put together in Quicktime Pro, and final edit in Final Cut Pro.

Music is Hymn by Moby.

Special thanks to Andreu Llabrés for letting us film from the balcony of his Hotel Horizonte overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

-Franklin

Christmas Eve is a very special time of the year for many families all over the world. I’ve spent mine with my family for many years, and some of our warmest memories came from those times.

This year since I couldn’t make the trip to visit them in Toronto, Canada, I was invited by my good friend Carlos Bon to spend it with his loving family on the island of Mallorca in Spain.

This video captures some of the warmth felt in the air.

Special thanks to the Bon family for being so kind and welcoming me for a special night.

Filmed on a Canon DSLR 7D, using both a Canon 50mm and a Tamron 10-24mm (for Timelapse) lens, and a LCD ViewFinder to hold focus.

-Franklin

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I sincerely hope you enjoy your holidays with your family and friends, and that 2010 becomes your best year yet!

Here’s my wishes in a little dance:

Thank you for visiting this space in 2009 and I look forward to seeing you again in 2010!

-Franklin