Pull Up from The Myopic Grindstone

This a a nerd post. I'm venting. Okay, here it is the situation. I'm helping a friend install her old software to her new computer. I have my doubt about Norton Internet Security. The prior week it would not allow her to go enter certain web sites.

Couldn't see where to dial down the firewall. I looked every. I say frack it, next week I'm bringing AVG and be done with it. Backed up her system (it took a long time, old XP trooper that it was).

Finally got the stuff over. This week things are working, able to go to websites and get online mail.

Matilda* wants to re-install Eudora. I should mention that Qualcomm stopped developing and supporting Eudora. You can get the software from the site and the help info but there has been no work done on it since.

I wanted her to go to Thunderbird. On-going development. Spam protection. Better search. She was going for it until what ever blocked everything else last week blocked both Eudora and Thunderbird.

Today, Eudora is working. Thunderbird is not. 

No, I had nothing to do with it.

So, Matilda asked if she could import her contacts in Eudora. I had exported them out as a CSV file. The programs files were also backed up.

I was of a mind to grab a hunk of the old files and overwrite the new installation. Check with a few tech sites that gave the thumbs up. Checked with a few more that said don't do that, Windows 7 is less forgiving about allowing files to overwrite an existing installation.

If it isn't coming from a manufacture installation Windows 7 isn't that tolerant of being goosed.

Ok. Plan B - look for a CSV to LDIF converter.

There are some. Shareware for $49. Not doing that. There are some free ones, if you know a programing language or two.

There was one that might have worked, was free and gave it all. But Windows 7 is 64Bit OS and the software was old school 32Bit.

I even tried to download that 13 year old version Netscape Communicator because I think it had multiple export options. Not happening on Windows 7.


Ok Plan C - look for a PST to LDIF converter.

PST is the old Outlook mail file format. Eudora can read that file. If I could find a CSV to PST converter that might work.  My search ended. Nada.

What Is True Here?

I need to convert the CVS file to LDIF in order for Eudora to import it. Could Thunderbird do it? I know it can import CVS. Can it export LDIF?

Why yes. Yes it can.

I cleaned up the CSV file in Excel and then imported it. Three frigging minutes later I had that pesky file. Two minutes later I e-mail the time sucker file to Matilda.

Victory. Of sorts.

On the one hand, I spent three hours chasing down programs that don't exist or find vendors willing to provide a solution for a good chunk of change. Not saying the software wasn't worth it. I'm saying that there isn't a true repository you can go to find out your software options.

You have to find your person or beacon of information. Not a lot of modern folks writing about converting Address Book files.

The answer was in my face. I couldn't see it for hunting down the "software" I believed existed.

Once I let go of that search the answer came to me. Being methodical is one thing. A great thing. Being pig-headed about were the answer should be is truly putting your nose to the grindstone. It will hurt sooner or later.

Pull up, breath and let it come to you.

The techies will say I should have followed a specific process for file transfers. They are right.

The safety folks will say why did you allow her to download a obsolete program? It wasn't obsolete when she first started using it seven years ago. I installed maleware and system protection. I warned her of the risks. I can do no more than that.

The Thunderbird folks will say why didn't you call her ISP and ask for help.  I'm not in front of her computer. And that is something I did suggest. Or contact Norton.

I hope this is the end of it. I know it is not. I just have to hang on to hope.


*No, that isn't her name.  I'm not that sure she know what a blog is. She does go to parent sites, some of which are blogs. It is still a web site to her.  Let's just say I don't have coupons.

Let Your Freak Flag Fly on the Finally Friday Freakout

Yes, let your freak flag fly high on Friday, Saturday, Tuesday, or any dang day of the week. Shake it to the left, shake to the right, shake it all around, that what's it all about!

Take off that vestige of conformity; you are off the clock. If you have teenagers who have friends in the house your should especially fly your freak flag and embarrass your offspring.

Ok, maybe just have them groan in utmost shame or something.

To help you get in the mood this is the Laura Love Band plucking away on Let Your Freak Flag Fly.




Now if you observe the video as you are dancing you will notice that folks are a little old to normally be associated with freaking and making with the thumpety-thump.

This is a good thing. Defy expectations at all cost. Speaking of defying expectations, I got an e-mail from the South Coast Repertory Company of Costa Mesa, CA.

There is a theatrical play called "In The Next Room or the vibrator play" by Sarah Rule that is going to be in performance from September 26th to October 17th.

I'll let Jessica Neil take it from here:

It’s a dramatic comedy set in the Victorian era, just after the invention of an electric medical device for the treatment of “female hysteria.” The play focuses on Catherine Givings, the wife of a doctor who’s using the device on his patients in his office, located just off the family parlor. Catherine has just had her first child and is unable to breastfeed. She feels like a bad mother, and she feels distant from her husband. Intrigued by the noises she hears coming from the next room, she befriends her husband’s patients and begins investigating the device, with comical results.

That right. It about the humma humma buzz, buzz! Back in the days when doctors transition from manual manipulations to technological digitization. And I don't mean one and zeros either.

And people think history is dull. As if! If you would like more info about the play visit the South Coast Repertory Theater site.

Now sure there is more to life than the boogie boogie. I'll get back to you on what that is as soon as I remember. I have to find my glasses first.



In the meantime, here is a bit more or Laura Love doing her rendition of Come As You Are.

A Moment In Time - I'm Older Than I Think

I was researching the new Apple Nano Video camera feature. I click on a video at YouTube where this young man was trying to explain new features in iTunes, iTouch and the Nano. He is doing a screencast of the Apple page.

God bless him. iPhoneHelper786 is unintentionally cracking me up. I'm not making fun of him. He is trying to communicate to his community about what is happening with the new products. I'm not hating on him.

There is a new feature in iTunes called iTunes LP. Spirit did not know what an LP was. He thinks it is a new menu system where you can get info about the artist, song lyrics, notes and other stuff.

He is right, it is a menu system. I never thought about it that way.

When I studied LP album covers as a kid I was moving through a menu system. It was a static one but yes, sometimes there were photos, notes and song lyrics. He also makes the distinction between legal and cracked music.

Those of us that created our own cassette tapes from our or other acquired albums need to hush up and render no judgment.

Then it hit me - dang, I've seen items this person has never witness. His parents may have only seen music CDs. His experience base is totally different from the one that I had.

Whoa. I forget that I'm not who I use to be. This is not a bad thing.

But still, dang.

On With The Show - Previewing & Distributing Your Web PSA's

(May 2009 update - you can upload .avi videos to Blip.tv, YouTube and most video hosting services. Try to keep the file size down below 100MBs. There are newer tools and options but this is what I knew in 2005. Consider this an historical post but check out my new stuff for current options.)

Wow! Almost finished. You gonna want to preview your PSA a few more time just to knock the bugs out. Better still have a trusted friend or a little kid peep over your shoulder. They might catch a bugaboo that you might have missed.

Time to share your PSA with the world. Here are your options:

The first order of business is to save your project. This will have the Dubit.dub file extension. Next, move to the file menu and select "Create Movie."

If you plan to post your PSA on your web site or blog Dubit can save files in the traditional Real Player format. Anyone with any version of the Real Player or Real Alternative who has a modern browser will be able to see your PSA.

The downside? Not everyone has a modern browser. Not everyone can or wants to use Real Player formatted files.

You can also save as a Windows .avi file. AVI files can be large but the advantage is that every media player can display this format. And although it is listed in the drop down menu, you can't save in the Windows .asf format. You wouldn't want to anyway.

If you have QuickTime Pro ($30) you can import the .avi file into QuickTime Pro and save it in the QuickTime format - .mov However, you run into the same issues as before. Not everyone is using a modern browser or they don't have the free version of QuickTime installed. Bummer.

Now you can't please all of the people all of the time but I think I have a solution for the masses. Swish Video ($50 from Swishzone) allows you to convert Windows Media (.avi and .wmv) and QuickTime media files into the Flash Animation format. It is quick, easy and most important the .swf file format has become the universal format for sharing media files. It is a very easy program to use and by dingy it works. You can download a free 15 day trial copy at Swishzone.

There you have it. And the good thing about it is that once you get the hang of it, you can apply what you have learned with other audio and video programs. But I wanted to use old technology to help good people reconnect with the ability to do good. Or do better. I'm not sure anymore. I need a nap.

Go forth, do good work and keep in touch.

And Nursing A Part - Adding Music To Your PSA

If you decide to have music in your PSA you have to be cautious. Because your are posting them to your web site or blog you have to make sure you have the legal right to use any music you plan to use in your PSA. Noble purpose or intent is not a legal defense. Remember how the RIAA went after Jib-Jab? You don't want to know what they could do to you.

There are safe places to obtain music. It is vital that you make sure you understand you can and cannot do with the music you are using for your PSA (or any other purpose). Here are a few starting places:

Flashkit has hundreds of music loops and sound effects that are free, free for non-commercial use, or free provided you inform the author of the work how and where the musical loop is to be used. You can preview the music loop before you download it. http://www.flashkit.com

Videomaker Magazine has a download page that links to companies offering free music and musical loops.

Yahoo has a Creative Commons Search for music that can be used, modified or even used for commercial purposes (read the fine print first!) You can type in the kind of music that you are looking for and received a boatload of suggestions. At this time, the search was still in Beta form. Some of my searches pulled up non-CCS type music or education pages that mentioned music but has none for download.

But I did two good places to check out; Royalty Free Music Piano Solos and Fonogeno, which has a page of electronic music such as beats, percussion, and synthetic bass.

If your music is in a format other than .wav you will need to convert it into the correct format. Dubit can only import .wav files.

Audacity is a free and non-adware/spyware audio conversion program. All that means is that you can use it to convert MP3 into .wav sound files. You can also download a copy from Download.com http://www.download.com.

Once you have your sound file in a .wav format, you can insert it into your PSA.

Next - Previewing, File Formats and Distribution Options

No More Rehearsing – Assembling Images For Web PSA's

Sorry for the delay – the realities of my life and a bad case of the flu caught up with me. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Now that you have your images saved at either 320 x 240 or 160 x 120, you now can start to assemble your images into Dubit's slide show feature.

I'm not going to go into detail about that because Dubit has a good description in the Quick Help Menu. There is also solid information to be found in the Context and Index menu.

You have two choices. Let Dubit match the timing to your music or narration. There will not be an edit option available.

Or you can custom time your slides. It is really just a matter of finding the location of your photos, bringing them into Dubit, placing the slides in order. This is the time to edit a slide or move forward or backwards in your presentation. You can also edit a slide to adjust the transition time or change the slide order.

The "eyeball" opens your media player to a preview version of your PSA.

If you have not already done so, please save your project. This will allow you to return to your project to make adjustments to your PSA at a later date. The project is saved with a .dub file extension. You need to do this before you create your distribution copy.

Keep in mind that Dubit is not Microsoft Photo Story. This is a simple program that can run on almost any Windows system from Windows 95 on up. You can add images, music in .WAV format or voice narration. You can also select the slide transition time. That is the extent of Dubit's capabilities.

Next, adding music.

The Night Of Nights - Preparing Images For Web PSA's

You have your plan or storyboard. You've downloaded and installed Dubit. You have got your photos or image sources converted to jpeg/jpg image format. The next thing to do is to format them for use in your project.

The first step is important. Never, ever work from your original scans or digital camera images. Make a copy. If you goof it up you can always return to the master image file.

Second, you want to create one location where all of your files, sounds, and project documents will be kept. It makes it easier to find stuff when you are ready to assemble the project.

All the images in your PSA need to be the same size. In this case, you'll want to resize it 320 x 240 for a web based PSA movie or 160 x 120 for transmission by e-mail. Dubit also allows you to set the image size but I have found that the compression is a little rough on images and type.

You'll need a photo editing or photo illustration program to adjust the images. You can use one of the following free programs:

• Microsoft Paint - installed on all Windows based computers. Windows Paint XP is a wee more helpful however, it is a basic and limited program.
• IrfanView - allows you to easily convert and resize images http://www.irfanview.com
• Picassa - free image catalog software that has some photo editing and image adjustment features - http://www.picassa.com
• The Gimp (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a full powered photo-imaging program. The Gimp is not for newbies, there is an installation and learning curve - http://www.gimp.org
  

The next step? Assembling your PSA into Dubit.

Curtains, Lights - Planning Your Own PSA's

I have an appreciation for Alfred Hitchcock movies. Even the old ones he filmed in England. Hitchcock planned every shot, movement and camera angle. Alfred did this before one frame of film was exposed. In film, television and game production this is called making a storyboard.

You do not have to be as precise as Mr. Hitchcock. Storyboarding does help to pre-visualize your slide show so that the PSA delivers your message. It does not have to be complicated. Pen and paper will do just fine. For example, you could just do the following:

Scene 1
Video: A shot of an abandoned couch
Audio: Musical loop
Duration: 2 seconds

Scene 2
Video: Title Card - Don't
Audio: Musical loop
Duration: 2 seconds

And continue until you have your project storyboard finished.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with pen and paper I do have a free software option. Atomic Learning has a free download of Storyboard Pro. It is a program that lets you enter the type of shot you want and helps you keep track of the length of the project. And as a plus the program gives tips on good film making techniques.

It is available in both Windows and Macintosh versions - http://www.atomiclearning.com/storyboardpro
Once you have your outline or storyboard set up you can gather your shots.

Overture - Create Your Own Web PSA's

I want to share how to create a simple web or email friendly public service announcement (PSA) slide show. You can create a PSA slide show with software you probably have on your computer. If you don't have the software I'll point the way to free and open source software or an inexpensive alternative.

The PSA is going to be very simple. Even if you have an old Windows 98 clunker you can create a web based PSA. So simple that I will set up a few arbitrary limitations just to make sure that you can complete the project:

• Length: less than 20 seconds
• Size: 320 by 240 for a web posting or 160 x 120 to send by email
• Audio: No narration, optional music
• Software: Dubit - you can download a free copy from http://www.techsmith.com/products/dubit/default.asp
• Photo Editing software, your choice, M$ Paint, IrfanView, The Gimp or whatever you have on your computer.

First a little history. In the back half of the 20th century most Americans only had three and a half broadcast television channels (if you lived in a big city). In the daytime hours local channels ran old movies, games shows and soaps operas. The commercials, if there were any, came from local merchants with an occasional national advertising spot.

Local store owners could only afford to buy a certain amount of commercials. To fill in the time, TV stations used freely supplied public service announcements. If the movie was a real turkey there would air nothing but PSA's. If you are curious, you can visit the Advertising Council's at http://www.adcouncil.org/campaigns/historic_campaigns to view classic PSA's of the past 50 years.

You might have doubts that you can tell a story with just photos and a bit of music. NorthWest Cable News has a selection of Quick Time and Flash animations photo essays you can view to get inspired - http://www.nwcn.com/s/dws/spe/2003/minute30