09.04.07
$10 for 24 hours of…
$10 for 24 hours of net access?!?! Am I back in 2000? Westin in Waltham… The staff is nice. But it feels very nickel and dime.
09.02.07
USL Live on Mac OS X – Fixing poor video streaming
The following was sent via the USL Live Contact Us form. I’m guessing they won’t get to this until after the season is over, but in case any one wants to know how to get great video from their service on the Mac, read on.
Dear USL Live,
There is a lack of information regarding the set up for Macs to get the best playback on your site and in your Help section. At this point, most of the people I’ve talked to think that it’s impossible to watch USL Live on a Mac. The problem is, they (and your web site) is missing a critical setting that makes USL Live work on a Mac.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE add a section to your FAQs on both of these pages:
You need to add a paragraph that says something like the following:
For the best viewing experience on Mac OS X using the Flip4Mac WMV plug-in, you will need to set the following option in the System Preference Panel.
- Click on the Apple Menu in the upper-left hand corner.
- Select the System Preferences from the Apple Menu.
- In the System Preferences, look for the Flip4Mac WMV icon at the bottom of the window, in the “Other” section. Click on that Flip4Mac WMV icon.
- Click on the “Player” tab at the top of the Flip4Mac preference pane.
- Make sure that there is a check in the checkbox next to “Create Streaming Movies”.
- Close the System Preferences. (No restart is necessary.)
This setting controls how the software treats streamed video (like USL Live). The default method (when the box is not checked) causes Flip4Mac to access the stream without a buffer and without adjusting the video playback to accommodate the speed of your connection.
With this setting activated, Flip4Mac will now perform like a champ, displaying even full screen video with quality on par to the playback on the PC side of things.
In fact, while watching the Portland Timbers (as they defeated the Carolina Railhawks to reclaim first place in the USL First Division) at Slabtown with a contingent of the Timbers Army, the 4 or 5 people gathered around my PowerBook at the back of the bar got to watch the game a full 60 seconds ahead of the other group watching it via a PC laptop.
The amount of buffering that the Mac was doing vs. the amount of buffering on the PC side is the only thing I can think of that would cause this variance. Not that I’m complaining mind you, but when Amy and I started celebrating the Bryan Jordan goal in the 80th minute, I think the rest of the Army was wondering what the hell was going on over in our corner. The goal 50 or 60 seconds later on their screen probably made our whoops and hollers seem like a spoiler. Sorry guys!
08.26.07
Going to^D^D with the Movies
Of late, I’ve finally started watching more of the movies I’ve got on DVD, because I’ve ripped them to my iPhone. (Please don’t tell the MPAA, kthx)
Office Space was a wish list gift from Amy last year and I finally got around to actually watching it again. It really holds up well even though it’s from 1999. The floppies and the hybrid MacOS menus with the Windows Hourglass wait-state cursor is still a little funky but it’s a fun show.
The latest version of HandBrake is the reason for the sudden interest here. Its latest revision now has automatic presets that work really well. It was only about 5 minutes to get used to the app and look through the windows and panes and preferences before just choosing the default iPhone settings and letting it rip… literally.
Now I’ve got Episodes IV, V, and VI ripped and waiting for the next sync. I think the The Work of Directors discs are next on the list. I devoured the first box set when we got it, but I’ve been slow to getting to the second set, even though it’s got Anton Corbijn’s disc.
So now when I’ve got a free moment at lunch or sitting, waiting, I’ve got a couple of full length feature films that I can watch for great lines and cultural appreciation.
One improvement to HandBrake that I’m hoping will make it in the next version or two is support for auto-ripping and ejecting. Having a whole DVD ripping work flow that works as well as iTunes’ would sure be nice. Drop a disc in, come back later and see and ejected disc and drop the next one in. Bang bang bang.
The last piece of the puzzle after the iPhone rips will be the Tivo rips. Our Tivo has the ability to pick up videos from my Mac, once the proper steps are taken. (Step One, Step 2) but I still need to find a simple way to again rip the DVDs to the proper file format.
Handbrake creates MPEG-4 files from DVDs. But Tivo wants MPEG-2 files:
| Resolution | 720 x 480, 704 x 480 (D1), 544 x 480 (3/4 D1), 480 x 480 (2/3 D1), and 352 x 480 (1/2 D1). The higher the resolution, the better the video quality and the larger the resulting file, which means longer transfer time and more disk usage on your PC and DVR. |
| Bit Rate | 1 – 8 Mbps. The higher the bit rate, the better the video quality and the larger the resulting file. 4 Mbps is recommended for high-quality video. |
| Frame Rate | 29.97 (standard NTSC). Do not try any different frame rates. |
| Aspect Ratio | 4:3 (recommended) or 16:9 |
| Audio | MPEG-1 Layer 2 for TiVo DVRs without DVD; AC/3 (Dolby) for TiVo DVRs with DVD. |
Just read an interesting post about this sort of thing. So it looks like Mac the Ripper + Visualhub will be the two step process I’ll need to go through to get this put together.
www.oeva.org home page moves closer…
http://www.oeva.org home page moves closer to table-less layout…
07.16.07
iThoughts on Phones
“J stood in line for the Friday release and bought us each one. I am suffering from buyer’s remorse and sticker shock…mine is still in the box on my desk. I’m contemplating returning it even though I think it’s super cool. There are just so many things that I can think of to buy with the $600! Talk me into it,” -M
Well, for an old-skool Apple Fanboy like myself, there was a built-in draw to the device, but even beyond that, this goes much further into the realm of ‘tech from the future’ than any device that I’ve had the dubious pleasure of using. Palms, WinCE/PocketPC, Psions, Nokias, Sony Ericsson… You name it, I’ve probably used it and read about it and wondered “wow, if only…” about it.
The iPhone is perfect for me: I do a lot of mail checking and use the web for reference-checking. I’ve got a decent library of music (now with covers) so it’s nice to have a slice of that around. The Phone works just fine, though the $60/month is a bit nerve wracking. Also, I’m in a metro area with really decent coverage by AT&T’s cell service, and though Edge connections are slow, the WiFi makes up for it in the 90% of the time I’m at a place that I’ve set up WiFi: Home and Work.
Let’s put it this way: It’s the first cell phone worth criticizing, to paraphrase Alan Kay on the Macintosh.
Another thought: Apple’s iPhone commercials simply show the phone being used and demoed. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a more realistic presentation of a product in television advertising.
07.15.07
HIV in Bodily Fluids
After a certain point, this just seems cruel:
Integrating modes of learning with the HIV prevention message (Abstract)
PROJECT: The three main styles of learning are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic/tactile. Reading the written words on the board allows the visual learner to process the information. Hearing the song allows the auditory learner to absorb the information. Singing a song provides an opportunity for the kinesthetic/tactile learner to get the body involved receive the information. The goal is to have students remember the four body fluids that transmit HIV from one person to another. To the tune of “Row, Row, Row, Your Boat”, use the following lyrics: THERE ARE FOUR FLUIDS THAT PASS THE AIDS VIRUS, BLOOD IS ONE, SEMEN IS TWO, MOTHER’S MILK AND VAGINAL FLUIDS. Repeat five times or until the whole group is familiar with the song. Then split the large group into smaller groups and perform it in rounds.
RESULTS: Student often come back to class the next day complaining that they cannot get the song out of their heads. Goal achieved: Vital information retained.