Written by
Larry Golden posted on April 29, 2012 17:57
Wow! Ian Coristine’s new eBook for the iPad, One in a Thousand, is an amazing interactive look at a place I’ve always considered to be one of the best finds in my life, the Thousand Islands. From its stunning cover, to the exhilarating opening video, and through the wonderful pages of Ian’s story of his discovery of Raleigh Island, this highly interactive multimedia experience is filled with hundreds of incredible photographs, wonderful videos, and a story that brings the Thousand Islands to life.
One In A Thousand takes the experience of reading to a whole new level. As a techie at heart, I found it fascinating and self-intuitive. A simple swipe to the side moved you from page to page. The ability to bring to full screen the magnificent photos that accompanied the story was as simple as a double tap of the screen. And some chapters included a gallery of additional relevant photos accessible by a simple tap of a “gallery icon”. The interactive table of contents, as well as the ability to bring up a top of the screen browsing menu made it easy to go from one fascinating part of the story to another. When I wondered where a photo was taken, a simple tap of an icon filled the screen with a map pinpointing the location. The “bonus” videos and slide shows, with delightful musical background of the Great Lakes Swimmers, only expanded the experience.
I particularly liked the ability to listen to the beginning of each chapter in Ian’s voice, making the experience even more personal.
For those less familiar with the new technology, a short video tutorial has you up and running in a matter of minutes, making this experience available to everyone. Newbies need not be afraid.
The story itself is personal and well written. Ian and writer Donna Walsh Inglehart have done a wonderful job collaborating to carry us through Ian’s experience of discovering the Thousand Islands, finding Raleigh Island, his one in a thousand, and making it his home. The story reveals facts and history of the region that will be enlightening even to those of us who have made the St. Lawrence our home or second home for much of our lives.
And kudos to McLellan Interactive Publishing, who took Ian’s magnificent photographs and videos, and his story, and wove them together into a magically interactive experience for all of us to treasure.
I have always considered Ian to be the premier photographer of the Thousand Islands. In the introductory video of One in a Thousand, he sets the stage by telling us that, as a pilot, he’s seen the world from a perspective most people never see, calling it the “privileged view.”
For years, his books (and Thousand Islands Life Magazine online), filled with stunning and brilliant photographs, have provided all of us who love the region with a “privileged view” of the Thousand Islands. This unique eBook takes that experience to a whole new dimension.
The one shortcoming is perhaps this: many of us have always considered the Thousand Islands to be one of the country’s best kept secrets. With One in a Thousand, the secret will soon be out!
By Larry Golden
Larry Golden has had a love for the River since the early 1950's when his family stayed in cabins on Spicer Bay while his Dad was at summer training at Camp Drum (now Fort Drum). In 1991, He bought a home in Wellesley Island East, where he and his wife and children and grandchildren spend their weekends and much of their summer. Larry has been a practicing attorney in the Utica area for 40 years, and was President of the Oneida County Bar Association in 2008. He is a graduate of Cornell University and Buffalo Law School. His love for exploring new technology led to his discovery of the Flipboard app and its ability to turn RSS feeds into true "magazines” which he wrote in Do you have an iPad?… July 2011.
