~jg3

Looping a section of a DVD

October 4th, 2008

My contribution to ACF is small this year, but practical:

Play the DVD from which you wish to create a loop using DVD Player application in OS X.
At the starting point of your loop, select Controls > New Video Clip (Fig. 1)
This action opens the New Video Clip dialogue with the starting point you selected marked as the beginning; the video is paused (Fig. 2)
Set the clip name and press play (Fig. 3)
When the endpoint of your loop arrives, click the Set button to mark the end of your loop (Fig. 4)
Now be sure to click save or your effort will be wasted (Fig. 5)
Now select Go > Video Clips (Fig. 6)
Double clicking your clip from the Video Clips menu starts playing the given clip (Fig. 7)
To make it loop select Go > Video Clips > Repeat Clip (Fig. 8)
Enjoy chilled or over ice.

Filed under: documentation, mac, Workstation

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Google Chrome

September 2nd, 2008

Today Google is launching Chrome, their take on the web browser. That’s pretty cool all by itself so I’ll just let that sink in for a moment.

The Google just made a browser.

Remember what they did to email? And searching? Yeah, this is pretty cool.

Well, anyway, they announced and described it with a comic book that their mailroom accidentally shipped out a bit early (oops). The comic, adapted by Scott McCloud is berry cute and does a damn fine job of conveying some pretty thick computer programming concepts visually such that practically anyone can understand ‘em.

So, if you want to understand what the hype is all about check out the comic. And when you’re done with that, check out the browser. Note: the browser is only available for the Windows platform, currently.

Filed under: The Internet, webcomic, Workstation

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PC-BSD is off the shelf!

January 22nd, 2008

PC-BSD directory icon Wow! My UN*X desktop operating system of choice, PC-BSD is now sold at MicroCenter! I feel so … mainstream (almost).

Filed under: Computers, FreeBSD, Workstation

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Screencapture while playing a DVD

April 22nd, 2007

For some reason or other, Apple made the Grab screen capturing disabled when the DVD player application is open. That’s not to say that you can’t use another DVD player or screen capture application, but really why should external software be necessary? Thanks to the tip off by Random Tech I learned that there is a command-line function to execute a screencapture that will work even with the DVD player open.

usage: screencapture [-icmwsWx] [files] -i capture screen interactively, by selection or window control key - causes screen shot to go to clipboard space key - toggle between mouse selection and window selection modes escape key - cancels interactive screen shot -c force screen capture to go to the clipboard -m only capture the main monitor, undefined if -i is set -w only allow window selection mode -s only allow mouse selection mode -W start interaction in window selection mode -x do not play sounds -S in window capture mode, capture the screen not the window -C capture the cursor as well as the screen. only in non-interactive modes -t [format] image format to create, default is png files where to save the screen capture, 1 file per screen [droplet:~] earlax% screencapture -S ~/Desktop/GFL-rock.png

Of course, that requires a crop to trim off the rest of the screen or the window decoration, but it works well!

That’s Ione Skye from Gas, Food Lodging

Filed under: documentation, images, Movies, Workstation

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/etc/ntp.conf

March 8th, 2007

I don’t exactly know why it was so hard to get right, but I’m glad it is finally done. For the last couple of days I’ve knocked against a frustrating problem getting my network time protocol (ntp) server and clients to work together. I had worked it all out once before and that config carried me for something like six years. Now that I’ve done it again I want to save these notes and hopefully save someone, maybe me, some time (no pun intended) in the future. What follows are my quick notes on what works and maybe a pointer or two and maybe a bit about what doesn’t work.
Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: documentation, FreeBSD, Workstation

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Mac OS X as an NFS (star)

November 4th, 2006

Wow, this really shouldn’t be so difficult. All I want to do is export (or “share” in Mac parlance) a directory so that network machines can dump files there. Then I want to make use of my new FreeNAS box in a simple, straightforward, and familiar fashion.

So after much searching, I found the MacTechNotes weblog by some guy in Colorado named Bryan. He as obviously gone to a lot of effort in his Notes. Especially with all the cropped screenshots. Thanks, Dude.

Mac OS X as an NFS Server

And if that doesn’t get you all hot, read this one:

Mac OS X as an NFS Client

Filed under: Computers, Workstation

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N

September 29th, 2006

N : Puzzle-Platformer with Physics and Style

N is a little game in which you are a ninja (yes!) running around collecting gold (yes! yes!) and flying through the air (cool!). Sounds like something you’ve heard of before? (yes…) Well this time it has physics modelling incorporated into the gameplay which makes it a lot more fun, and your ninja has a super-high metabolism (kind of like me) so you have to get the job done in 89.999 seconds or, well … the end in this game is really, really cool.

This game is dedicated to the brave ninjas everywhere who risk their lives daily opposing robots in the name of liberty, justice, and gold.

Filed under: The Internet, Workstation

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Computer, Virus

July 3rd, 2006

I know you run antivirus software on your computer, but don’t forget about the other kind of virus your computer can transmit, the dreaded Keyboard Cooties.

Of course, you can get the same stuff from doorknobs, payphones, money, shopping carts, and anything else you touch, so either

a) keep the Purell handy

b) keep your body’s natural defenses in tip-top shape so these kinds of germies are fended off when they do enter your system

The canonical argument against hand sanitizers is that they create supergerms that eat Purell for breakfast and grow so venomous that they present an excessive threat tot he population. This doesn’t seem to be true, at least according to Pfizer. It does, however kill off the kinds of “germs” that are beneficial to you, which can be considered a problem. My biggest problem with them, however is simply that my body’s natural defense system does’t get exercised, therefore making me more vulnerable than I should be to the junk in my environment. Sure, there may be occasions where I feel a little extra caution is in order and I generally don’t eat food that has landed on the floor (for more than five seconds), but generally these hand sanitizers scare me.

Maybe I’m starting to sound like an old codger who can’t accept the change that comes with new technology developed during my lifetime. Maybe not all progress is forward movement.

Filed under: Computers, Real Life, Workstation

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