OK, while the cat is gone the mice will play

Date is 0700GMT June 23, 2009! Where did time go? Where was Real Person? Cat, your Real Person has been busy trying to get a handle on HDTV options. Comcast, Verizon, Tivo, package plans, lowering bill and other Real Life things.

So here is a JUNE post to keep the Cat happy. And for anyone who stops by check this out;
http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/streaming_media/090512/

More on that later. Bye.

SENATE HEARING ON THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM

CSPAN site http://tinyurl.com/pv2ujl

A Senate Commerce Subcmte. holds a hearing to examine the future of journalism and challenges facing the print newspaper industry. Newspapers & online news representatives will testify. Recently, several large city newspapers announced that they will cease print publication and only report stories online. Washington, DC : 2 hr. 48 min.

I will offer an opinion when I get done laughing.

Live TV on G1 Phone via Stickam Viewer

Introduction:

Some times it is all about the TV. I watch TV on the old iMac G4 Flat Panel more than the big set with all the channels Comcast (Comcast.net) can deliver and I wish to pay for. Why? The simple answer is Twit Live. Created by Leo Laporte it is a buffet of  tech and not so tech that streams 24 hours day. A niche that Big Content Providers let slide from their grasp to benefit of us viewers. So, how does one get the show when away from the desk bound computer? One way is the trusty laptop. Maybe that is not possible because you are 2nd seat in the car or you just standing on the corner waiting for a ride.

The mobile phone is always with you, with luck or planning it is a G1 phone (or iPhone/iPod or Nokia). Until now the lack of Adobe Flash on the G1 left us users without a way to watch TWiT Live although the audio track could be heard via  StreamFurious. Thankfully Stickam has done the heavy lifting and supplied a viewer for G1 users. It works quite well and I am happy to show a few rough examples of the viewer running.

Setup and Video of G1 Running Stickam Viewer:

Just so there is no misunderstanding; I have never tried to record the G1 playing video. It is trickier than I thought because the touch screen and LCD display interference pattern. See Moire' and DSLR Auto Focus at Komar for more on that. I used the HP ps 733 3.2 MP that has AVI recording as a the recorder. Set the G1 on a tripod using a Frankenstien's monster looking setup of straps, forceps, popsicle sticks and Duct Tape (A.K.A. gaffers or duck). On the 2nd tripod (OSN MX2000) the camera with quick release platform was positioned so there was little moire' pattern cluttering up the shot.  As you can see it is not pretty but it works; the Bandaid (tm) does not leave goo on the phone like duck tape will. 

Video Attempts:

This first attempt at recording. Focus? Forgot the half press on button to focus it! Also, and this applies to all video here; audio is from phone adapter to Altec Lansing AVS300 or FX 3020 SoundBar I use as monitors. Some audio got +0.5 dB boost in post processing with MPEG StreamClip. The audio track even at full phone volume is too low. That it a source problem and I heard it is at the top of Leo's FixIt list.

Color looks good but thegizwiz looks odd. .. The blink while playing is buffering. I believe that is Stickam's doing because my WiFi connection through an Airport Extreme is plenty fast and my internet connection averages 6 to 8 Mbits/sec down.

NOTE: This try at recording is better but the audio needed a boost therefore the hiss.

I kept this test run for two reasons. Number one; that blink seems to sync audio with video as well as buffering. It is a bit hard to see here in this compress-for-web but the uncompressed source (230MBytes) shows it. Just a theory. Number two; it is a nice reality check speech on windows/Intel by Mr. Gibson. I spent my time writing assembler for both consumer products and process control -- I agree and have felt the pain generated by VB monkeys.

Conclusion and Opinion

I think Stickam did a good job. I am a little confused about the blink while playing even when a high speed connection is used. Stickam Viewer needs to work on Edge, 3G and WiFi so I will wait and see how much better the viewer will get.

What was a major headache getting this done? Top of the list is batteries. The  AC to DC power adapter was missing in action.  The count of discharged AA = 22.  Second to that is the lack of experience using the HP 733 in AVI mode. However, obi one Maxwell, you are my savior because of the show on moire reminded me about angles and patterns.  Or was that a dream.

I am done here. Thanks Mr. Laporte and Stckam for everything.

Dutch

Update:

Links to TWiT Live casts used here.

Security Now: Security now 192 at twit.tv  Dvorak Cage Match post

The Daily GizWiz 

TechMonk Church Service - Visiting Preacher Series

The "Visiting Preacher Series": An Idea cooked up after an JPL email. Never mind. ....

Engineers.

STS-119 SpaceWalk Briefing

This is a 40 minute NASA post spacewalk briefing. Updated: NASA video via youtube.

Video courtesy NASA, www.nasa.gov for more information.

No Agenda added with Browser Whining Included

Did I ever say I hate Flash. The statement usually follows the comment that cross browser rendering is painful because of it. Not always is it Flash mucking up things, sometimes other components of a browser will too. If viewing this blog in Safari 3 with Flash 10 it renders fine. If viewing in Firefox 3 with Flash 10 the sidebar widget No Agenda is a mess. Maybe it is not Flash's doing but I am max'd-out on it's other problems and I don't care if it is innocent or not. Try Safari until the problem is fixed.

STS-119 Post Launch News Conference

Video Courtesy NASA / NASA-TV
The complete 40 minute conference with:
Bill Gerstenmaier; Associate Administrator for Space Operations
Yukihide Hayashi; JAXA Vice President
Mike Moss; Chair, Mission Management Team
Mike Leinbach; Shuttle Launch Director
and the gang of reporters. Japanese / English translator is with Mr. Hayashi.

note: I may replace this with a different compression if quality is less than expected.
[end]

STS-119 Post Launch Reporter's Questions - Obama Bats

Reporter's questions about a hitchhiking bat (external tank) and President Obama's statement about NASA.

Video Courtesy NASA / NASA-TV

UPDATE Mar 18,2009 [07:41 Z]:

Bat Hung onto Shuttle During Liftoff
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts119/launchbat.html


A bat that was clinging to space shuttle Discovery’s external fuel tank during the countdown to launch the STS-119 mission remained with the spacecraft as it cleared the tower, analysts at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center concluded. Photo Credit: NASA

Why backing up your Purchased Movie DVD is a must

This is what happens when a cheap settop DVD player design allows a simple fall to the floor, upside down. The cover rammed the spindle into the disk. The cheap tray allowed disk to flex and crack.

If there was no backup the replacement would have to be purchased at full retail price. That does not benefit me or you. Backup your investment. No political speech just common sense.

DMCA does not allow fairuse, however, other copyright laws are not excluding the making of a backup. This kind of event, an accident, is not the same as making copies for all you friends. That would be immoral and could make for legal problems.

RIAA, why New Zealand? Last Soft Target Maybe?

Point the finger at the accused and they shall be vanquished! Well, we have come a long way from the day that foolishness ruled the general publics behavior. Not really. The RIAA finds it has lost the search and destroy battle in the US of A. So switching to another front that is beyond the messy "confront your accuser in a court of law" that US law requires is a win-win for them. Nibble away at laws in other WIPO members home country and maybe Capital Hill will accept the copyright law of those countries. Of course the courts will be jammed with cases fighting back. But if the RIAA is slow and applies steady force they will win. Money from Hollywood is the grease that silences the squeaky politician.

Let us not forget who RIAA's puppet is:

"... Section 92 has no punishment for false accuser, leaving this law ripe for abuse. RIANZ the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand) are pushing for this to be done in the name of protecting creativity and the arts, but we don't believe this fairly represents artist's values"

http://creativefreedom.org.nz/s92.html

Sad. I am embarrassed by this interference in another country's lawmaking by the RIAA. If I do not stop writing now I may write something that Homeland Security can declare a "terrifying act". Don't think that cannot happen.