One drink too many and a joke gone too far.
A personal blog by writer and artist Jason Hodges.
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Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Finally. I figured out a way to get my latest little video up on YouTube and have the audio be in sync. This article, YouTube and the Flash video format, helped a bunch. I learned many things from the article. One that I wish I knew was the fact that YouTube converts everything to mono. I do not like that. I actually have some stereo effects in the new video. I shouldn't say "have". I "had" some.
From the article, I realized that the reason why the audio was going out of sync might have had something to do with having still images at the beginning of the video (It may have thrown the keyframes off, and YouTube may not even use keyframes.). My next step was to remove those still images and see what happens. But I tried one last video format. Windows Media. I hate Windows Media. But, it actually worked. The audio is in sync. Before that, I tried Divx, which I like only slightly more than Windows Media. Both are closed formats. It would be hard for me to use them and then offer them for downloading/streaming, but the end goal was a streaming flash video hosted elsewhere. And that's what I finally have.
Falls The Third Time. That's the new video. Click on Media on the menu (that thing to the left) and have a look. I found some paranormal investigation video on Archive.org and re-edited it. I then added some whisper and breath sounds from The Freesound Project. Also, I play a little guitar in the video. Originally, there was a lot of guitar in the video. But I ended up cutting 90% out opting for silence. Silence has an odd effect on people. It's usually more irritating than noise. The video is not four minutes of silence. There's more than a few sound effects in there. Anyhoo, go watch and let me know what you think.
From the article, I realized that the reason why the audio was going out of sync might have had something to do with having still images at the beginning of the video (It may have thrown the keyframes off, and YouTube may not even use keyframes.). My next step was to remove those still images and see what happens. But I tried one last video format. Windows Media. I hate Windows Media. But, it actually worked. The audio is in sync. Before that, I tried Divx, which I like only slightly more than Windows Media. Both are closed formats. It would be hard for me to use them and then offer them for downloading/streaming, but the end goal was a streaming flash video hosted elsewhere. And that's what I finally have.
Falls The Third Time. That's the new video. Click on Media on the menu (that thing to the left) and have a look. I found some paranormal investigation video on Archive.org and re-edited it. I then added some whisper and breath sounds from The Freesound Project. Also, I play a little guitar in the video. Originally, there was a lot of guitar in the video. But I ended up cutting 90% out opting for silence. Silence has an odd effect on people. It's usually more irritating than noise. The video is not four minutes of silence. There's more than a few sound effects in there. Anyhoo, go watch and let me know what you think.
Every time I turn around, there's a foot up my ass because life keeps on kicking.
I've been trying to upload a video to YouTube all day. The first attempt was a mov file with H.264 compression. It looked great when converted to flash by YouTube, but the audio was off. My second attempt was a flash video. YouTube, who uses flash, can't convert flash videos to flash. My third attempt was a mp4. Hours after uploading it, YouTube kept saying that it was processing. And then my internet connection went out for a few hours. When it came back on, at two in the morning, the mp4 was still processing. So, I uploaded it again. And then, because magic faeries exist and hate me, the first mp4 file shows up converted. And guess what? The audio is off on that one as well.
I did try to make a xvid file earlier Tuesday. It looked like crap. I'll try again with divx or xvid, probably overnight. Though, at this point, after so many hours of paddling upstream with this video, I'm starting to wonder if it's even worth putting up online.
Today, well Tuesday, I learned something about myself. I learned this before all the video stuff. I learned that I'm only as good as my last meal. For lunch, I had Chinese from Lin Garden, a local place. It was amazing, and I was in a good mood. Later in the day, I had a crappy dinner (pathetic ham sandwich), which put me in a bad mood. I think a combination of the pathetic ham sandwich and video/YouTube troubles gave me a headache so bad I had to take some Tylenol. I hate taking pain medicine for some reason. I don't want to get used to them or something like that.
Diggnation. A week or so ago, I went on a subscribing spree on iTunes and subscribed to a bunch of podcasts. Diggnation was one of them. I've seen clips over the years, but I've never sat down and watched an entire episode. Guess what? The episode I tried to watch while my connection was down (it had downloaded awhile ago), was one of the most annoying things I've ever seen. Alex and Kevin sat in front of a camera, drank, and talked ad nauseum about beer and kept interrupting themselves. I'm sure they were drinking before they started. I usually enjoy Kevin Rose on other podcasts. Maybe it's just Alex and the combination of the two that's annoying. Maybe I'm too old to get how this is supposed to be cool. It's just too unstructured for me. Maybe I'm just used to TWiT and CNET's Buzz Out Loud. I don't know.
I've been trying to upload a video to YouTube all day. The first attempt was a mov file with H.264 compression. It looked great when converted to flash by YouTube, but the audio was off. My second attempt was a flash video. YouTube, who uses flash, can't convert flash videos to flash. My third attempt was a mp4. Hours after uploading it, YouTube kept saying that it was processing. And then my internet connection went out for a few hours. When it came back on, at two in the morning, the mp4 was still processing. So, I uploaded it again. And then, because magic faeries exist and hate me, the first mp4 file shows up converted. And guess what? The audio is off on that one as well.
I did try to make a xvid file earlier Tuesday. It looked like crap. I'll try again with divx or xvid, probably overnight. Though, at this point, after so many hours of paddling upstream with this video, I'm starting to wonder if it's even worth putting up online.
Today, well Tuesday, I learned something about myself. I learned this before all the video stuff. I learned that I'm only as good as my last meal. For lunch, I had Chinese from Lin Garden, a local place. It was amazing, and I was in a good mood. Later in the day, I had a crappy dinner (pathetic ham sandwich), which put me in a bad mood. I think a combination of the pathetic ham sandwich and video/YouTube troubles gave me a headache so bad I had to take some Tylenol. I hate taking pain medicine for some reason. I don't want to get used to them or something like that.
Diggnation. A week or so ago, I went on a subscribing spree on iTunes and subscribed to a bunch of podcasts. Diggnation was one of them. I've seen clips over the years, but I've never sat down and watched an entire episode. Guess what? The episode I tried to watch while my connection was down (it had downloaded awhile ago), was one of the most annoying things I've ever seen. Alex and Kevin sat in front of a camera, drank, and talked ad nauseum about beer and kept interrupting themselves. I'm sure they were drinking before they started. I usually enjoy Kevin Rose on other podcasts. Maybe it's just Alex and the combination of the two that's annoying. Maybe I'm too old to get how this is supposed to be cool. It's just too unstructured for me. Maybe I'm just used to TWiT and CNET's Buzz Out Loud. I don't know.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
James Kim found deceased.
From CNET:
From CNET:
JUST IN: The body of missing CNET editor James Kim has been located, authorities announced Wednesday.
Arrangements are being made to transport Kim to an undisclosed location, according to police. Kim had been missing in the remote southwestern Oregon wilderness for 11 days. The Kim family has asked not to be contacted at this time.
"They have been true champions throughout this whole ordeal," Josephine County Undersheriff Brian Anderson said of the family at a press conference. "We just want them to know our prayers have been with them from day one."
After being rescued in good condition Monday, Kim's 30-year-old wife, Kati, and daughters Penelope (4 years) and Sabine (7 months) have been reunited with family members. Kati Kim suffered frostbite on two toes, but will not lose those toes, according to a close family friend. James Kim, 35, left the stranded family car Saturday morning to search for help.
James Kim, Kati, Penelope and Sabine left their home in San Francisco two weeks ago on a Thanksgiving road trip to the Pacific Northwest. They had been last seen on the Saturday after the holiday in Portland and later at a Denny's restaurant in Roseburg, according to a San Francisco Police Department missing persons report.
The family was expected to return to San Francisco on November 27. When both James and Kati failed to show up for appointments on November 28, co-workers began to worry for their safety. The Kims are known for keeping in touch daily with their friends and co-workers, either by phone or e-mail.
Throughout the Kims' ordeal, messages of support and concern have continued to pour in by the hundreds to CNET, as well as to a Web site set up by family and friends. The site was available only intermittedly following release of the news Wednesday.
James Kim was a senior editor covering digital audio who also co-hosted a weekly video podcast for the Crave gadgets blog. He had been writing a book on Microsoft's Zune MP3 player. Formerly, he was an on-air personality on the now-defunct cable television network TechTV.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Wife, daughters of missing CNET editor found alive.
From CNET:
From CNET:
UPDATE: The wife and daughters of missing CNET senior editor James Kim have been found alive and airlifted to a local hospital, authorities announced at a press conference in Merlin, Ore., Monday afternoon.
James Kim left the car on foot two days ago to seek help and has not been found, the official said. The search for him continues.
James Kim
Seen James Kim?
Contact the SFPD at 415-558-5508 during normal business hours and at 415-553-1071 after-hours. The Pacific Northwest call center for the case can be reached at 1-800-452-7888.
According to the official speaking at the news conference, the conditions of Kati, Penelope and Sabine are not yet known. More details are expected at a press conference at 5 p.m. PST, which CNET will stream live.
At approximately 1:45 p.m. PST, search-and-rescue officials were notified that a vehicle and a female waving an umbrella were spotted by a helicopter search crew near the Rogue River in the area of Bear Camp Viewpoint off Bear Camp Road, according to a statement from Oregon State Police. This location is near the Curry/Josephine County line in Josephine County.
The official speaking at the press conference said that the helicopter had been hired by family members.
After searches in Oregon's Curry and Douglas counties, new information on missing CNET senior editor James Kim and his family narrowed the search back to the Bear Camp area in Josephine County, according to reports Monday.
A cell phone tower received a signal from one of the family's cell phones at about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday near Glendale, but officials say the signal is only an indicator the family could have been within 26 miles of Glendale at that time, according to a report in The Oregonian.
Friday, December 01, 2006
CNET editor and TechTV Family Member James Kim is missing.
From TWiT:
From CNET:
The official Missing Persons Report can be found here on the San Fransisco Police Department website.
From TWiT:
CNET editor and former Fresh Gear contributor and Lab analyst James Kim has been missing since Saturday. ANY word, especially from people in the Oregon area is appreciated. The information is all below from the official investigation by the SFPD.
Missing Family Includes: James, Kati, Penelope (age 4.5) and Sabine (6 months). Last name is Kim
Overview: The Kim Family left San Francisco on November 17th on a road trip to the Pacific Northwest. They had Thanksgiving in Seattle with family and then drove to Portland. They were last seen by their friends in Portland whom they had brunch with on Saturday, November 25. According to their friends, their plans were to drive out to the town of Gold Beach on the Oregon Coast and then make their way back to San Francisco. James was expected back at work on Tuesday, November 28th. When no one had heard from him by Wednesday morning employees at the Kims' two stores and his colleagues at CNET began to make phone calls to his family and friends to inquire of his whereabouts. Presently, the SFPD is investigating the case."
If you know anything about James' whereabouts, you can contact the SFPD by calling 415-558-5508 during normal business hours and 415-553-1071 after hours.
From CNET:
CNET senior editor and Crave blogger James Kim and his family are missing.
The 35-year-old Kim, his wife Kati and daughters Penelope (4 years) and Sabine (7 months) left their home in San Francisco last week on a road trip to the Pacific Northwest. They were last seen on Saturday, November 25, in Portland, Ore., according to the San Francisco Police Department, which has opened a missing persons' investigation. They were driving a 2005 silver Saab station wagon with the personalized California license plate "DOESF."
Those with information about the Kim family's whereabouts are asked to contact San Francisco police immediately at 415-558-5508 during normal business hours and at 415-553-1071 after-hours. Portland police can be reached at 503-823-4000.
The official Missing Persons Report can be found here on the San Fransisco Police Department website.
Buy my book.
From a Hole in the Sky
13 Stories of Horror, Madness, and Religion make up this dark-kudzu collection. A city run by angels with demanding burial rites. A white van jostling with clowns and warnings about sleep. A weeping pastor with a dead man in a boat. Homicide, Suicide, Jesus, and The Devil. To join a family, you're going to need some stitches. Kids today on their way to cut grass and play cowboys and injuns'. A hole in the ground where poor John Henry met a foul ending. And unholy birthing machines with a chosen one. All this and more. Where do bad things come from? They come FROM A HOLE IN THE SKY.
The Alabama Weather Blog
A blog of the current forecasts, watches, and warnings for the state of Alabama. The posts are automatically generated from E-forecast and E-warn e-mails from my local ABC Network Affiliate, ABC 33/40. The images are from the National Weather Service. The site will refresh itself every ten minutes.
From a Hole in the Sky
13 Stories of Horror, Madness, and Religion make up this dark-kudzu collection. A city run by angels with demanding burial rites. A white van jostling with clowns and warnings about sleep. A weeping pastor with a dead man in a boat. Homicide, Suicide, Jesus, and The Devil. To join a family, you're going to need some stitches. Kids today on their way to cut grass and play cowboys and injuns'. A hole in the ground where poor John Henry met a foul ending. And unholy birthing machines with a chosen one. All this and more. Where do bad things come from? They come FROM A HOLE IN THE SKY.
The Alabama Weather Blog
A blog of the current forecasts, watches, and warnings for the state of Alabama. The posts are automatically generated from E-forecast and E-warn e-mails from my local ABC Network Affiliate, ABC 33/40. The images are from the National Weather Service. The site will refresh itself every ten minutes.
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