Geek-N-Out

Presented on Saturday.

http://www.cedarville.edu/event/eqrc/

Gspot codec identifier will tell you what codec is used by a video (regardless if you can play it) and if you have the codec installed. Nice for troubleshooting.

Scenario: I had an avi that would play in VLC but would not import into Movie Maker.  This told me about the DX50 that I needed, plugged it into google and downloaded it from the codec’s home page @ http://www.divx.com/divx/

Another codec identifier is http://avicodec.duby.info/  Haven’t tried it.

1. Find Music: -inurl:(htm|html|php) intitle:”index of” +”last modified” +”parent directory” +description +size +(wma|mp3) “Counting Crows”

2. Find Videos: -inurl:(htm|html|php) intitle:”index of” +”last modified” +”parent directory” +description +size +(mpg|wmv) “chapelle”

3. Find Ebooks: -inurl:(htm|html|php) intitle:”index of” +”last modified” +”parent directory” +description +size +(pdf|doc) “george orwell 1984″

I think I’m going to look into buying a new guitar amp. Main debate at the moment is to go with the 1×12 or the head and buy a 2×12 cabinet.  hmm….

So there I am, setting up a Wimba meeting for a group and it doesn’t connect properly.  Vas ist das? me thinks…  So I go to the java site and follow their download and install.  Java updates have been known to be a pain but I do it anyway.  It actually gives me a prompt stating that there is a website that will show me how to disable the automatic updates.  Is Sun playing nice?  So I go to the page for the fun of it and find that its only a search menu with no information on how to disable the updates. It doesn’t work.  So I start writing this post, get to the point where I’m going to insert the link for the page and it works!?! Crazy.  So I go through the requirements and it takes me to a tab that says “Java Last Updated on 5/19/09.”  I click on update (remember I just updated to get this whole ball rolling) and it says I have the latest version.  Silliness.  A virus or java is dumb.  I’m going with the latter.

So which of the conferencing solutions can I implement into Moodle?  I know a couple of them work but I’m pretty sure that I would need to have direct access to the actual installation directory.  I’d really like to see some of these LMS/CMS (which one are we calling it again?) stepped up a notch but it takes so much time.  People wonder why schools just take the easy route and purchase one system for everyone to use i.e. blackboard.

I have to admit, I was rather excited about the new iPad.  But there’s just one problem.  Its a ripoff.  Why?  No USB.  You would have to be blind as a bat or just another wanna be geek to waste your money on this.  NO USB!  Why?  Because with a USB port we don’t need to buy the upgraded version.  Lets see…whats the price differences

So let me get this straight, $200 dollars more for 48 GB of memory?  Are you serious? It’s pretty obvious why American kids are so far beyond the rest of the world.  Their parents and schools know NOTHING about manufacturing and are slaves to media marketing techniques.  Let me guess, you get great reception on that iPhone and it plays TV great too?  Don’t even get me started on the lousy quality of Hulu.  Hulu – Watch your favorites. Anytime. For free.   Free?  If having lousy quality is your definition of free then take it.  Oh, I have an upper-end creme-de-la-creme ATT U-Verse account so don’t try my internet stinks bit on me.  If you think it works just fine then you obviously have low standards and haven’t received proper HD TV at home.

Ok…back to reality, sorry about that!

So Macromedia Flash was the new kid on the block back in 1999.  Start the Flash revolution! I wish I could find the old flash video, it was really pretty good.  Now we have Silverlight by Microsoft! Just another download for you to install.  Let’s take a look at some of the products being created:

and Google Street View.  I don’t have to time to incorporate these tools into my website I’m afraid.  Going to have to take a simpler route most likely.

So I need a new cell phone but need to justify spending an extra 5-6 bucks a month.  What services are repetitive at the moment? An extra hosting account!  I’ll just run it at home & save 7 bucks a month which will be sent over to my cell phone bill =P

I haven’t done much work with Indesign in awhile so when given the assignment of creating a definition for the term Luddite, I thought it would be a good opportunity to refresh myself.  Below is a thumbnail that links to the pdf and a partial view of the project using Indesign.

Environmental advances in technology often come with added cost.  Laggards with their used cars do less harm than buying a new Prius.  I know, the Prius owners couldn’t stop themselves. *duck* Environmentalists are asking us to consider our eco-footprint and the impact that creating our products have on the environment.  Its not just the disposal of the product but its also the byproducts from the creation itself.  The Detroit Rouge Rive is a perfect example of the environmental damage from creating new products but you wouldn’t know it from this postcard! One of the plants from the complex is blow it.

But look at the new kid on the block!  A printer with reusable paper! Beware of sticker shock though.