PortAudio Gives False Errors!
Recently I have been trying to build PortAudio, a cross-platform audio library, with MinGW and MSYS. Every time I tried, I got a few errors. After checking on some forums, I discovered that although PortAudio returns failure, it is built successfully. Surely enough, my build worked!
When I ran “make”, I got this error:
for dir in ; do make -C $dir all; done
/bin/sh.exe: -c: line 1: syntax error near unexpected token `;'
/bin/sh.exe: -c: line 1: `for dir in ; do make -C $dir all; done'
make: *** [all-recursive] Error 2
When I ran “make install”, I found:
make install-recursive
make[1]: Entering directory `/c/portaudio'
for dir in ; do make -C $dir install; done
/bin/sh.exe: -c: line 1: syntax error near unexpected token `;'
/bin/sh.exe: -c: line 1: `for dir in ; do make -C $dir install; done'
make[1]: *** [install-recursive] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/c/portaudio'
make: *** [install] Error 2
So just remember - if you ever have to compile something with PortAudio, these errors during the build process are normal!
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When Will YouTube Reach a Billion Video Views Per Day?
I'm a fan of all technologies that give greater voice to community members because I value the richness that a diversity of voices and creativity bring to the human experience. Along with being a fan of Blogger, I'm also a big fan of YouTube. You might have heard that YouTube is growing at an exponential rate. An interesting question to consider is when will YouTube reach the billion video views per day mark? Currently YouTube is in the range of 200 million video views per day (with about 200,000 new videos uploaded daily.) It's looking quite likely that the billion video views per day milestone will happen sometime in 2008. Here's a poll to gauge when you think that might happen.
As I was thinking about this rapidly approaching milestone, I wondered if there's any 3-second video on YouTube that people might want to watch 10 or 20 times. I work at a public library, so I rephrased my wondering into a self-directed reference question and went looking for that 3-second video. There are lots of short entertaining videos on YouTube, but perhaps none more so than this comical ski accident. In this video it looks like the ski jumper ploughs headfirst into a snow drift. (Let's hope nobody got injured.) But is this a real person in the video? It sure looks like one to me. Look at the way their arms are moving as they try to balance themselves in the jump.
You've probably heard of some of the most famous videos on YouTube, but it bears going over them. Evolution of Dance has received 66 million views -- heading towards the 100 million views mark. My all time favorite is Jake Shimabukuro playing While My Guitar Gently Weeps on his ukulele in New York's Central Park. Unbelievable doesn't begin to describe the quality of this musical performance. (See also the live concert rendition with better video quality.)
If you think that nobody can outdo Jake Shimabukuro, think again. Hannes Coetzee, in South Africa, is in the same musical legend league as Jake.
On lighter matters -- for a good giggle check out Elephant Jumping on Trampoline. This video hasn't received the amount of attention it deserves. This juggling video takes juggling to a place you never before imagined.
What's most beautiful about YouTube is ordinary people sharing extraordinary talents. This family gives you three generations singing the song The Rose. (Keep watching until grampa joins in with the harmonica.) You want to see the sign language version of this song? You can view it in both British Sign Language and American Sign Language. (Hey, how come sign language isn't offered as a foreign language option in every high school? I would have taken it.)
When I think of YouTube I think of populist culture -- the culture that musicians like Harry Belafonte, Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger brought into our lives. Woody Guthrie would have loved YouTube. His immensely talented son Arlo and family can be found right on YouTube thanks to Arlo's wife Jackie, a multimedia geek who keeps uploading great new video clips. Highway in the Wind is my favorite, and My Peace, co-written by Woody and Arlo (with music added by Arlo) sends shivers down my spine.
Jackie Guthrie explained to me yesterday that My Peace was one of the last songs Woody Guthrie wrote before he died. He's telling us something. Are we listening? Jackie also explained that it's perfectly fine for that concert footage to be uploaded to YouTube by someone else -- and that she plans on uploading a cleaner video version of the song sometime. If you have a YouTube account and you'd like to stay in the loop about her videos you can subscribe by clicking on the Subscribe button at the top left of her YouTube account.
Let's take YouTube up to a billion video views per day. Let's do it for Woody and Arlo and all the others who've taken a moment to share their lives with others. So here's your homework. (You didn't think you were going to get out of this blog posting without homework, did you?) During Christmas vacation I want you to show cousin Shira about Jake's ukulele playing, and show Aunt Louise the Elephant Jumping on the Trampoline, and show Uncle Fred the Evolution of Dance. You get the idea.
Our humanity is all we have to share with each other. We should be doing it a lot more than we do.
My friend Rich Jaeggi, in Silver Spring, Maryland, is good at that. A few years ago I interviewed him via iChat videoconferencing about the community work he's been doing. Last night Rich sent me an email that one of the youth he's been training on video skills, Kevin Crockett, sadly died from complications following surgery last weekend. Kevin is still with us, though. He's right there on YouTube, teaching us things, if only we had the time and interest to listen.
The blogger has been working to bridge the digital divide for 20 years in the Washington DC-area. He loves Macs, adores Linux and likes Windows. Reader responses welcome in the comments below or at philshapiroblogger@gmail.com
Song - "I Want to Thank You Tim Berners-Lee"
Last week was Thanksgiving in the United States. Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a time when people give thanks for free and open source software, open standards, and very low-power-usage laptops that are waterproof, dustproof and can be dropped by children. In this regard, Thanksgiving was very traditional this year.
In thinking of who or what I should be grateful for this year, I couldn't help but think of the person who has given the world so much, Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web. Sure he's received a ton of formal recognitions, including knighthood from the Queen of England. But the Queen gives out knighthoods to just about anyone these days, including people convicted in a court of law. Formal recognitions are just not as meaningful as informal ones.
So here's a little song I composed to thank Tim Berners-Lee.
I'm distributing my version of the song with a Creative Commons license, so that it can be passed around, as long as you don't sell it. (Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States)
I've created two QuickTime versions of my recording that can be installed on refurbished computers that are being sold or given away. These videos are being distributed via the Internet Archive. One of the files plays on computers as far back as 1998. The other file is an MPEG4 file that plays well on more modern computers, including Linux systems.
A bunch of people doing computer refurbishing -- some as volunteers and some as their full-time job -- share questions, answers and discoveries on the Refurbishers email list on Google Groups. I'm proud to count myself among the people on this list.
Thanks, Tim. You've done good. Let's see how many others can follow suit.
The blogger has been working to bridge the digital divide for 20 years in the Washington DC-area. He loves Macs, adores Linux and likes Windows. Reader responses welcome in the comments below or at philshapiroblogger@gmail.com
Creating Music the Modern Way...With SoftSynths!
I love electronic music...almost every style! Synth pop, happy hardcore, house - you name it. That's why I wanted to create my own! So, after a whole load of research, I started on my journey to create electronic music.
Sure, you can buy synthesizers, hardware sequencers, and things that will empty your wallet, but in today's age of technology, who needs them? Yes, I did buy a Yamaha TX81z, and I do use it, but you do not need to buy hardware synthesizers. That's where the softsynth (software synthesizer) comes in.
A commonly used format for softsynth plugins is VST (Virtual Studio Technology). These plugins can then be read by a host (perhaps a DAW – Digital Audio Workstation) and used as if they were hardware synths, maybe be a MIDI-enabled keyboard controller. There are thousands of VSTs for download on the web, all with different sounds. Many are free. Some DAWs with VST functionality include Image Line Software's FL Studio (which I currently use – it is awesome), Steinberg's Cubase, and Ableton Live. All of these cost money, though!
What if you're cheap or have a tight budget? There area few alternatives. For example, if you have a hardware synthesizer with MIDI-in, and you have a computer midi interface, you can download Jazz++, a free MIDI software sequencer to control your synthesizer. (I currently cannot access the developer's website, but there are many clones all over the web!) It writes and reads MIDI files. However, I have found several glitches in the software when making a long song, and I've also found that when I export the MIDI file into a newer, more developed sequencer, the notes can be off. For example, a 1/16th note is really a 1/14th note, which shouldn't even exist. But if you don't have a hardware synthesizer, then this software is useless. (It is extremely hard to find a good free MIDI-enabled DAW with VST support for Windows, so it might be worth buying a hardware synth and MIDI interface!)
If you have Linux, there are many alternatives, like Ardour, and Rosegarden. Not all VSTs are supported on Linux, though, so be careful.
And now since you know about the free stuff, let me tell you about what you get for the money. I recently got a copy of FL Studio, a popular DAW with VST support, and it is unbelievable. It has everything you could possibly think of: built in samplers, tons of presets, and a pattern-based editor that's extremely simple to use! I figured out how to use the software in thirty minutes. I strongly suggest getting it if you are into making your own electronic music. However, it is not the cheapest thing in the world, so you better start saving up! Good luck!
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I'm in a low-end income (student at Tallahassee Community College), but do like to make music. I do prefer piano roll, where you can enter notes using a mouse. It's pretty slow, but you can copy groups of notes and move it to the next measure, and so on and so forth.
You Saw It Here First! Comodo Firewall Pro 3 Is Here
NEWS FLASH: The long-awaited Comodo Firewall Pro version 3 was officially released on November 20. (I do love a scoop!) Version 2 of Comodo Firewall was widely regarded as the best free firewall — some say simply the best firewall — and is my personal choice (ZoneAlarm runs a close second).
The new version 3, a major rewrite, supports Windows Vista. Among its new features, it boasts HIPS (host-based intrusion prevention system), which is designed to identify malware by its behavior before it can do harm, and which usually requires a separate program.
Comodo has not even issued a press release yet, but the program is available now at Comodo's site. I have not yet had time to evaluate version 3, but the beta version has received favorable notices from other commentators. I plan to publish my review very soon on Jonathan's Tool Bar & Grill, so stay tuned.
Jonathan Plutchok, at various times a lawyer, financial columnist, marketing communicator, and technical writer, reviews and recommends utility software and Web sites at Jonathan’s Tool Bar & Grill.
Would you like to be a Community Voices blogger? If so, please send a letter of interest and a sample blog entry (what you would post here if you were already a blogger for us) to forums@pcworld.com. We'd love to hear your perspective.
Black Friday Is Nigh
That's not a dire prophesy, though — it's a cheery alert. "Black Friday" is the day after the Thanksgiving holiday, which in the consumerist culture of the US is the official start of the holiday shopping season. It's "black" because, historically, it's when merchants' balance sheets turn from red to black.
Stores traditionally kick off the holiday rush with big sales, and shoppers are accustomed to queuing up on Black Friday morning to grab the deals. Retailers publish their sales in the Thanksgiving newspapers, and jealously guard the secrecy of their sale circulars till then.
In the Internet age, however, nothing stays secret for long. Web sites dedicated to revealing the Black Friday buys at major retailers spring up in November like mushrooms after a rain. They don't reveal how they get their information, and naturally, they duplicate each other a lot.
If you want a sneak preview of the bargains awaiting you Friday morning — or to get a head start preparing your on-line shopping forays — here are some popular Black Friday sales sites to visit:
Deals Plus Black Friday
Black Friday Ads
Black Friday 2007
Black Friday@GottaDeal
TGI BlackFriday
Black Friday
Deal News
May all your buys be bargains, and may all your loved ones be delighted with their gifts!
Jonathan Plutchok, at various times a lawyer, financial columnist, marketing communicator, and technical writer, recommends the best utility software and Web sites at Jonathan’s Tool Bar & Grill.
Would you like to be a Community Voices blogger? If so, please send a letter of interest and a sample blog entry (what you would post here if you were already a blogger for us) to forums@pcworld.com. We'd love to hear your perspective.
What Will Be This Year's Technological Must-Have?
Every year there is something that everyone in a certain group of people, whether it be kids, hackers, adults, or computer geeks, want with all their heart. Some get their desire, and some don't, and the ones who don't only end up wanting the item more, as they hear how awesome it is from all their friends. Sometimes, though, it is good to wait so bugs can be fixed (like with the XBox 360).
But what I really wonder about is what is this year's item going to be? Last year, every gamer wanted a certain console: the XBox 360, PlayStation 3, or the Wii.
I haven't really seen anything this year (so far, at least) that could sell as much as the Tickle-Me-Elmo did! I don't think this year's must-have will be the iPhone, as too many people already have it, and many have been disappointed by it. I've seen a few extremely cheap computers, at Best Buy and Wal-Mart, but the majority of people shopping probably already have computers.
In my opinion, some video game companies should have waited to release their games. Halo 3 and Guitar Hero 3 would have sold out extremely fast if they were released a bit later than they actually were. If I were a video game company, I'd try to create as much hype for a certain video game as I could, but with my game-creating skills, I'd probably wind up bankrupt because my game would be the worst ever.
Super Mario Galaxy is already released (at the time that you're reading this). I have not yet played it, but if it is awesomely fun, then it definitely has some potential to be a must-have. Also, if every kid wants it, then the parents will also have to buy a Wii along with it, if they don't already have one, increasing Nintendo's profits! Let's see a bundle sometime in the future, Nintendo!
There's also a new Trauma Center game being released for the Wii soon. Maybe that will be another must-have. This just might be a good Christmas for Nintendo, but if they had put more work into Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and released it this winter, they could have created the game every kid wants!
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De-Googleize Your Search
"Google" has become a synonym for Web search. I have tremendous respect for the way Google revolutionized how we use the Internet, and for its numerous wonderful free products (many of which I use). But "Googling" is an unfortunate usage, because it blinds Web users to additional possibilites, and could prevent them from finding what they are looking for.
We tend to assume that all search engines are basically the same, but it's wrong. Research shows shockingly little overlap in the top search results among the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, Windows Live [formerly MSN], and Ask). No single search engine turns up all the links you might want. Even more often, their different ranking algorithms sort the results differently. Most of us rarely go past the first page of results, and almost never past the second or third page, so the ranking logic is crucial to finding what we search for.
An investigation in 2005 (summarized in Search Engine Watch) revealed that in a keyword search on the four leading search engines, 84.9% of the first-page results were unique to one engine. Only 11.4% of the hits appeared on the first pages of two engines, and a scant 2.6% appeared on three first pages. Looked at another way, 66.4% of the Google first-page results were unique to Google; 70.8% of MSN hits were unique to MSN; 71.2% for Yahoo. You can find additional statistics here, and a very recent confirmation of the differences among search engines here.
If I had to choose only one search engine, I would choose Google. But I don't have to choose! Enter the metasearch engine — a search engine that believes two heads are better than one, and three or four or more are better still. A metasearch engine carries out your search on a number of other search engines, and shows you all the results.
My current favorite in metasearch is Dogpile, which seems to poll the widest selection of search engines. (Dogpile sponsored the research summarized above, and offers the full white paper in PDF format, but I don't believe that compromises the actual data.) Other good metasearch engines include Info and Jux2. Some others, such as SurfWax and Ixquick, failed the cut only because they don't include Google. (In researching this blog, I discovered to my disappointment that my previous favorite, Copernic, apparently has outsourced its Web search function to another metasearcher, Mamma, which excludes Google.)
You can search the Web from a metasearch engine's site, or download a browser tool bar for your favorite metasearch engine. I dislike tool bar proliferation, so I simply added a couple of metasearch engines to my search provider drop-down lists in Firefox and Internet Explorer 7.
Try out a few searches in Dogpile or Jux2. These two name the search engines that returned each result (Jux2 also shows you the original rank of each result), and you'll be surprised at how many results came from one and not another search engine. Happy surfing!
Jonathan Plutchok, at various times a lawyer, financial columnist, marketing communicator, and technical writer, reviews and recommends utility software and Web sites at Jonathan’s Tool Bar & Grill.
Would you like to be a Community Voices blogger? If so, please send a letter of interest and a sample blog entry (what you would post here if you were already a blogger for us) to forums@pcworld.com. We'd love to hear your perspective.
At AltSearchEngines.com, we feature Zuula plus 99 others in our monthly Top 100 Alternative Search Engines list.
In all we cover well over 1,000 search engines on a daily basis.
I invite all PCW readers to stop by and take a scroll through ASE!
Charles Knight, editor
AltSearchEngines.com
Read/WriteWeb network
Thanks very much for pointing Zuula out to me, Simkovich. It has an unusual approach to metasearch, which I think misses the main point. Zuula still requires you to flip among pages (tabs) to find results, and hits can be duplicated on different tabs. I find it more useful to get all my results in one list, with duplicates merged. And Zuula doesn't suggest alternative search terms. So I'll stick with Dogpile for now. But perhaps other readers will like Zuula, and I really appreciate your taking the trouble to comment.
Thanks for your reply to my comment, Jonathan ... and my apologies for not writing back sooner myself. I missed your reply.
It's definitely true that some people want a metasearch tool that combines sources from a variety of different search engines. And, if that what you want, Zuula won't fit the bill.
However, almost all the popular metasearch tools that combine results also inject advertising into the results in ways that make it not-so-easy to distinguish between paid and "organic" results. In addition, some people feel comfortable with the results from one particular engine, but like to have quick access to other engine results "when the searching gets tough". That's why I think there's still a place for Zuula.
Plus, if you haven't checked Zuula out recently, you should see how it's expanded its image search section. And, frankly, image search is an area where different engines really do return very different results.
Good luck, Jonathan!
You're Switching My Apartment to Comcast? I'm Moving Out
Last week the apartment complex I live in near Greenbelt, Maryland, sent a letter stating that starting January 1, 2008, Comcast will be the only Internet service available for residents. That's reason enough for me to move.
You might have heard that Comcast's customer service is so low that the publishers of dictionaries are trying to think up new words to describe it. Abysmal is too kindhearted a way to describe it.
Yes, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) here in the United States recently outlawed apartment complexes entering into single source contracts like this -- which force a particular vendor on apartment residents. But I don't hold out much hope that the FCC is going to come to my rescue.
Which is why I'm looking to form a Verizon FIOS household (or apartment) with a few other community activists and MAKERS. I've sent out emails to various tech-related email lists I'm on in the Washington DC and Baltimore areas.
More and more of my livelihood is shifting to the Internet, so it only makes sense to run away screaming from Comcast. That way I won't have to take a hammer down to their office or wait around while a Comcast technician falls asleep on a service call.
People, companies will continue treating us poorly until we say stop it. I won't put up with Comcast. I draw the line here.
I love my current apartment and would much rather not move. The letter forcing me to switch to Comcast is tantamount to an eviction notice.
The managers of this apartment complex are otherwise excellent. I have no complaints against them. That they would treat me so poorly as to switch me to Comcast, though? For shame.
The blogger has been working to bridge the digital divide for 20 years in the Washington DC-area. He loves Macs, adores Linux and likes Windows. Reader responses welcome in the comments below or at philshapiroblogger@gmail.com
During the past 15 years of using Comcast I have had only two complaints and that was during a three month period when they were training new people on how to update the data base for their name server in my area. It seemed that on the 13th of those three months that the service would drop for an hour in the middle of the day and then become intermittent the rest of the daylight hours. Everything would be fine at night but drop again the next day. Three consecutive days on three consecutive months. After numerous complaints I finally got a local rep to describe what was really going on. This was last year and it hasn't happened since. I really understand the problems in starting service or relocating service as the reps in most cases aren't even in this country and know very little about local geography.
You folks are all missing the point. Honestly, it isn't about whether Comcast is good or bad, although I would not be too happy about Comcast either.
It is about CHOICE folks. Why should the apartment building you live in dictate what ISP you can use?
Should your choice of building force you to use a Mac or PC? Buy Sony or Panasonic? Buy hamburger or steak?
Choice is being taken away, and that should not sit well with anyone.
Have you investigates DSL from the local phone company? I'm afraid that would be your only other choice and you could get that without having to deal with Comcat. In most areas you are confined to three choices because of the hard lines involved and the franchises that need to be paid by other companies to use those cables/phone lines. Satelite would be another choice, but only a partial cure as it would be a satelite downlink but a pnone line uplink unless you pay big bucks for satelite two way link. Until some kind of agreement is reached and the owners of the lines on the pole receive their due compensation for their usage you will be stuck with what's available.
Designing/Programming a Window Manager
Recently I started learning what makes Linux work, meaning the core of the whole system. One of the most complex things to understand was the X Window System, or X11 (because the current version is Version 11). In case you don't know, X11 is the part of Linux that actually makes everything graphical and runs windowed programs, and not run programs through a command line interface.s
You might think that this would be a very simple part of the system, but believe me, it's not. The kernel and X11 might just be the most complicated structures.
A Linux system does not require having X11 installed, but if you're going to use graphical programs, like web browsers and word processors, then you're probably going to want to.
Before I go further, I just want to explain that in order to display applications in windows, the Linux system must have X11 installed, and if the user wants to have toolbars, shortcuts, a desktop, and more, then there also must be a window manager present. A window manager is a program built on top of X11 that places designs around windows (like help buttons, minimize buttons, and exit buttons) and can place toolbars on the screen.
There are so many different window managers, that I could not possibly list them all without missing at least fifty, but some of the major ones are GNOME, KDE, and Xfce. There are also several others small ones, called minimalists, like Blackbox, but the best way to learn about something is to actually create it, and when it came to creating my own minimalist window manager, I had very little information on how to. Finally, after hours of research, I now share my findings with you.
First of all, you're going to need to know C or C++. There's no doubt about that. You're also going to want to have experience with a widget toolkit for Linux, like GTK+ or Motif, at least if you're going to place buttons around a window, or create toolbars at the bottom of the screen.
Then you need to buy the book XLIB Programming Manual. Try Amazon Zshops, they're really cheap there. It is also available online for free, but believe me, it's better to have a book.
Xlib is an X11 protocol client library for C or C++, and is the lowest level of interacting with X11. It basically does everything, from raising and resizing a window, to manage the keyboard and mouse focus. Xlib will become your best friend, because all window managers are written in some, if not 100%, Xlib.
I read the book from cover to cover, but if you don't feel like it, you might just read the first few chapters, the ones about keyboard and mouse focus, and the one on window management.
You might also want to download another window manager as a reference. I suggest a small one, like Blackbox or aewm. These can be helpful when you are trying to find out how to perform a certain task.
Once you've downloaded another window manager and read the book, you can start programming your window manager. There's a few things to remember when doing this. Remember that not all programs start in the size that they appear. For example, say I start up Konqueror (a Linux web browser). The program will be created as a window that is 100 by 100 pixels wide, but will then jump to 100 by 50 pixels wide. The reason you must remember this is because you will need to change the size of your toolbars around the windows (if you have any) when this happens!
The aggravating thing about testing out a window manager you've written is that it is more time efficient to not have X11 running when programming, but just use the command line interface, and a text editor like Vi. This is because you constantly have to change and recompile your code, and start up X to test your changes!
Also, remember that “startx” starts a new X11 session, and you have to edit your user's “.xinitrc” script to run your new window manager. Also, if you're ever stuck in an X11 session with no way out, press Ctrl-Alt-Backspace to exit.
I hope I've helped if you are going to create your own window manager. I've successfully created the core of mine, but there are still some bugs I have to fix. Good luck!
Would you like to be a Community Voices blogger? If so, please send a letter of interest and a sample blog entry (what you would post here if you were already a blogger for us) to forums@pcworld.com. We'd love to hear your perspective.
When You've Got to Tell the World About a Book You Like
I work in a public library and a few times each week people come up to me to tell me about a book they really like. I've been looking for the right way to capture such enthusiasm so that everyone can hear and learn from everyone else. When I noticed that SightSpeed PLUS videoconferencing software lets you record your videoconferences to later share on the web, I realized that this is one way to capture such enthusiasms.
While surfing the Digg.com web site, I came across the very thoughtful blog of Steve Borsch, who lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Right on his blog he describes why he loves the book: Now, Discover Your Strengths.
So I asked Steve if he might share his thoughts about this book -- and related topics -- via a SightSpeed videoconference. Steve graciously agreed. As we recorded the videoconference, I got to wondering whether this video could be made viewable on iPods, iPhones and other portable media devices. I knew I could host the video for free on the Internet Archive, which provides free web hosting for media files.
SightSpeed records video in its own format and then allows you to export to several other video formats including Flash and MPEG1. I chose to export our videoconference to MPEG1, because I suspected that would have the best audio and video quality. MPEG1 was a popular video format in the 1990's and usually MPEG1 files play well on Linux computers, as well as Macs and Windows.
For some reason the MPEG1 video file from SightSpeed did not play well on the Linux computers at my work. No big deal. I could find a way to convert this MPEG1 file to H.264, the new and very popular video format, which would surely play well on Linux.
Interestingly enough, QuickTime Pro was unable to perform this task. But a very nice free program called MPEG StreamClip (for Mac and Windows) performed this task like a champ.
The MPEG1 file from this 23-minute videoconference is about 200 megabytes in file size. MPEG StreamClip compressed this video down to about 100 megabytes, using the H.264 video codec. I chose audio quality of 192 kbps for this compression.
To my ear, the audio in this H.264 file sounds a bit too compressed. Perhaps I should have chosen a higher bit rate for the audio.
All in all, this videoconferencing project turned out far better than I expected. Steve Borsch has many interesting things to say. And now I'm not the only one who is benefitting from his words. Now everyone else can benefit, too.
If you'd like to take this 23-minute videoconference with you on the road to view while waiting for a doctor, or while riding the bus, or while waiting for your daughter's soccer game to begin, download the H.264 version of the file and drag it into your iTunes library. The next time you sync your iPhone (or video-enable iPod), you can carry this recorded videoconference with you.
A heartfelt thanks to all the people who created SightSpeed. Your software takes personal media creation in a whole new direction. If any readers of this blog create videoconferenced videos discussing books, do send me a link to your file on the Internet Archive. I'll be linking to some of those in future postings on this blog.
I ought to take a moment to explain how to view the different versions of this video file that are found on the Internet Archive.
Using my PowerMac at work I uploaded three versions of this videoconference. The MPEG1 version, the H.264 version (created using MPEG StreamClip) and a zipped version of the H.264 file. I created the zipped version by selecting the H.264 video file and choosing Create Archive from the File menu in Mac OS X.
I used CyberDuck to upload these files to the Internet Archive, following the directions the Internet Archive gives for uploading files using any of several FTP programs.
The Internet Archive automatically created the Flash version version of this video -- while at the same time allowing people to view the other versions. The zipped version of the video lets anyone download this video for viewing on their computer or portable media device.
It's useful to note that H.264 video plays best on G4 (or faster) Macs -- or on Windows computers from 2003 on forward. (H.264 is a video codec that does an excellent job compressing video, but it requires a fast processor to play back the video.)
To download the zipped file, click on the word FTP on the left side of the Internet Archive screen for this videoconference. You'll see the zipped file as the third file from the bottom.
Isn't it thoughtful for the Internet Archive to automatically include a dial-up version of this video? Sure the sound and video quality are much reduced, but there may well be someone wanting to view this video that doesn't have a high speed Internet connection.
It's time to turn off the television and spend more time listening to what each of us has to teach and explain to one another. SightStream and the Internet Archive pair well to help us do that.
The blogger has been working to bridge the digital divide for 20 years in the Washington DC-area. He loves Macs, adores Linux and likes Windows. Reader responses welcome in the comments below or at philshapiroblogger@gmail.com
Pirates of The Caribbean Online
Yo Ho! Cast off for adventure on the high seas along side your favorite characters from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean in there newly released Pirates of the Caribbean Online MMORPG. You'll be able to create your own pirate, sail your own ship, start your own pirate crew, and battle with swords guns and voodoo magic. This quest based adventure will take you across the seas or spend your time in PVP, and you can always take a break betting against other players in side games like blackjack and poker.
Originally slated for a release alongside Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End. The long awaited MMORPG has finally arrived. I have beta tested this game no less then a month ago, the graphics aren't as spectacular as you may find in other games, but it also does not take up your entire screen or all of your resources to play it. Its a fun game to have on the side and play when you get bored. Considering that they are offering limited access for free and unlimited for a small fee compared to other MMORPGS I won't be complaining any time soon.
Watch trailers download and play at Pirates of the Caribbean Online
System Requirements
PC:
Windows 2000, XP, Vista
800 MHz or faster processor
512 MB RAM
32 MB 3D graphics card
DirectX 9 or better
700 MB free disk space
Broadband connection
Mac:
OS 10.4.6 (Tiger)
PowerPC G4 or any Mac with any Intel processor
512 MB RAM
700 MB free disk space
Broadband connection
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When All Else Fails, Go to the DeLi!
Sure, I might be a very technical person, but when it comes to setting up things that other people have created (like operating systems) I'm the worst of the worst.
Microsoft Windows is relatively easy to setup, and often gives you a descriptive error message when necessary. But Linux, having so many different distributions, is different.
You see, the computer I was trying to install Linux on was a very old Windows 95 Compaq computer. I had not used it in years, so I decided to install Linux on it. But I got some problems.
First I started with Ubuntu. Then Xubuntu. Then Puppy Linux. And finally I was ready to give up. Each time, I received a “Kernel Panic,” or something near it. I did a little research, and found it that it might be the RAM in my system. So, I went on eBay and bought 512 MB of SDRAM. When I popped open the system case, gently placed the new RAM inside, and turned on the computer, it did not read my new RAM as 512 MB, but only 16 MB! I have two theories as to why:
1.The guy ripped me off and sold me the wrong RAM.
2.Since the computer is so old, the CPU cannot handle the speed of the SDRAM.
It could be number one, or number two. I'm not sure. But frankly, I don't care anymore. Why? Because I found a solution.
After doing a bit more research, I came across DeLi Linux, a Linux distribution that claimed it could run on extremely old computers, even ones that had Windows 3.1! I had to check it out.
I burned the .ISO image onto a CD, and booted the computer from the CD drive. Surely enough, it worked. This time, no kernel panic errors. The setup was pretty smooth, asking what keyboard language I wanted to use, if I wanted to install additional packages, and some questions about the boot manager (LILO on DeLi Linux). Extremely simple!
So I restarted after the installation was complete, and up came the UNIX shell. Success! Now to test out X Windows. Before using X, you will need to setup an X server, which is also relatively easy. DeLi is very helpful when doing this.
DeLi comes with the choice of IceWM or FluxBox as window managers. FluxBox would not run on my system, so I was left with IceWM, which really isn't that bad. DeLi contains a ton of other software, too, like BeavR, Elvis, XMail, Konq-E, and Perl. It will be harder to setup your own software on DeLi, as there is no package manager, so DeLi is more suited to people who will be programming all their own apps, or compiling others, like me!
DeLi is a great way to re-use those old computers being stored in the attic. It can even be installed from floppy disks! So if you ever need Linux, or a new programming computer, think of using DeLi!
(I just wanted to say that I have never used the internet on DeLi Linux, but it claims to have drivers that support most PCI ethernet and modem cards, and the default web browser is Konq-E, but Firefox 1 can be downloaded from DeLi's website, if you have a relatively fast computer.)
Would you like to be a Community Voices blogger? If so, please send a letter of interest and a sample blog entry (what you would post here if you were already a blogger for us) to forums@pcworld.com. We'd love to hear your perspective.
Book Review - Google SketchUp for Dummies
Google SketchUp for Dummies
Chopra, Aidan, Wiley Publishing, Hoboken, NJ, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-470-13744-4
$25 (list price)
$16.50 (street price)
Remember when your high school English teacher explained that every word in the sentences you write needs to carry some meaning? While the rest of us missed that point, Aidan Chopra was paying attention. Google Sketchup for Dummies is a tightly written, fun to read book that gives a lot of byte for your buck. Aidan Chopra works at Google as the product evangelist for Google SketchUp and he's the editor of the monthly SketchUpdate email newsletter. He knows SketchUp inside and out and uses plain English to show you the ropes.
Google SketchUp is a 3D drawing program that defies easy description. It's fun, playful and at the same time very powerful. The free version of the program is very feature rich. The $495 version of the program is popular with architects. SketchUp's special charm is that the program seems to know what you want to do next in your drawing. Using inference points and inference lines -- and drawing tools found in no other drawing program -- it guides you to create the structures and objects you want to design.
When the free version of SketchUp was announced in the summer of 2006, I downloaded the program to check it out. I can tell you honestly I have little talent at creating computer graphics, but Google SketchUp grabbed my interest. Within15 minutes I was creating simple 3D models -- and having fun in the process. I found myself giggling the first time I used the program because of its low learning curve.
I showed Google SketchUp to some middle school students and they caught on even faster. I was intrigued to watch them explore the program -- and wished that I had a guidebook that could help me guide them. Google SketchUp for Dummies is that guidebook. Unlike other Dummies series books, this book goes beyond beginner level topics. "Comprehensive" is perhaps the best ways to describe this book.
Here is where I found the most value in the book. Chapter 16 of the book is titled: Ten SketchUp Traps and Their Work-arounds. Bingo. A jackpot of usetul tips.
Another very useful part of the book is on YouTube. YouTube? Yes, the book comes with a bunch of well-made screencasts that are freely available for anyone to view. These screencasts, created by the author of the book, make most sense when viewed in conjunction with the book. Here are some of the best screencasts.
Using infeferences to help you model
When all else fails, use the Line tool
The tricky case: Mapping photo textures to curved surfaces
The layout of the book is uncluttered. Visually appealing. As you turn the pages, you find yourself saying to yourself, "Lookee here. I wonder what's being explained here." You'll probably get the most from this book after having used Google SketchUp for a bit. I found the explanations cognitively meaningful because I've had some experience dabbling in Google SketchUp.
By now you might be wondering what the system requirements are for Google SketchUp. For Google SketchUp 6 you'll need a G4 Mac running at 1 GHz (or faster), or any Intel Mac. On the Windows side of things you can get by with Pentium III, 700 MHz, and Windows 2000. You do need to have a good quality graphics card, though, if you're using older Windows hardware.
Here in the United States there are many Pentium III and low-end Pentium IV computers entering the donation stream. I can think of nothing more fun that installing OpenOffice and Google SketchUp on these computers and passing them on to some youth or adult who has never owned a computer. I hope public libraries will have copies of this book on hand so people who get their first computer can dive into Google SketchUp at no cost.
Youth, in particular, might find it fun to explore the capabilities of Google SketchUp. The skills and confidence they develop in using this program could serve as a springboard for jumping into other graphics programs including Adobe PhotoShop, Macromedia Flash and Apple's Final Cut Pro. If I had to design a computer curriculum of free software for elementary and middle school students I'd include OpenOffice, Inkscape, and Google SketchUp. For one example of how to use OpenOffice Draw in conjunction with Google SketchUp, check out the screencasts in the Infinite Museum project I worked on shortly after the free version of Google SketchUp was released.
Since we dream in 3D, Google SketchUp is a tool for drawing our dreams. Wilbur Wright once wrote in a letter to his father, "My imagination pictures things more vividly than my eyes." (The Wright Way, page 177.) Wilbur Wright would have adored Google SketchUp.
I was raised in the creative ecosystem of Applesoft BASIC, HyperCard, and HyperStudio. Those were the creative tools my friends and I had the most fun using and teaching each other. Google SketchUp has emerged as an heir to these creative traditions.
The fact that Google gives away a free version of SketchUp is an excellent first step. The next step is to make sure the free version of Google SketchUp is bundled on all new computers. People won't find out about the program unless that happens. Had you heard about Google SktechUp before reading this book review?
The first time I started Google SketchUp I came to a screen that said: Welcome to SketchUp: Design a New World. Well, yes, thanks for the invitation. I'd like to do that.
Some Hesitations I Have About the Book
A complete book reviews needs to mention hestitations a reader has about a book. Although this book is exceedingly well done, it does feel as if it is missing something in the early chapters. With a program as rich as SketchUp, I would have liked to see more narrative about SketchUp basics -- including anecdotes about early adopters of SketchUp explaining about the projects they worked on -- showing that ordinary people can create wonderful 3D models in SketchUp. It was almost as if the editors of the book prevailed upon the author to "keep it as concise as possible." Yes, that's a worthy goal, but the author might have concised out some parts of the book that we really wanted to read.
This 400 page book would have been better as a 600 page book or an 800 page book. Perhaps a second edition of the book can head in that direction.
Luckily for me, I was able to fill in my knowledge of SketchUp by viewing the very professionally done (and entertaining) SketchUp Level 1 Training DVD created by Mike Tadros and Alex Oliver. In an ideal world, that training DVD would be bundled in with this book. If only there were some entity interested in organizing the world's information and making it universally accessible.
A Linux version of SketchUp would be nice, too, to future-proof the program.
(This book review may be freely redistributed for any nonprofit purpose, including use in computer user group newsletters. Kindly indicate the source of the review as http://blogs.pcworld.com/communityvoices)
The blogger has been working to bridge the digital divide for 20 years in the Washington DC-area. He loves Macs, adores Linux and likes Windows. Reader responses welcome in the comments below or at philshapiroblogger@gmail.com
This is great software, imagine you go kitchen shopping with yoru drawings and could simply get the cabinets on a CD and go home and build your dream Kitchen. Wow!
The DVD and the screencasts are very nice as well. You are right, they are professional grade.
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It looks like you're targeting technical C++ programmers who worked with PortAudio before.
For those who want to know what PortAudio is, here's the link:
http://www.portaudio.com/