Jun 27 2005
Well, today I was treated with the pleasant surprise of google video adding fully functional video playing support to their google video service. People have gradually been uploading their videos to google and various television stations have submitted their shows with search able closed captions. Until now this was the extent of the video service, you could see when a show aired, search its script, seen when new shows were going to air and see a simple screen shot taken so far in. All this being pretty useless to someone living in the United Kingdom (although still very cool, I hope for some BBC integration soon). Now however, google video provides video. Google results that have a playable video show up with a little play icon next to them. Upon opening the page there are options to start the video from various 30 second increments, upon clicking, the video plays right there and then in the browser. Now, most in browser video players are fairly bulky, consume considerable resources, load the browser with unneeded hindrances, provide annoying applet controls and require buffering times. However, google video is based upon the popular and utterly fantastic open source “videolan player” open source setup. VLC generally plays all standard codecs with ease and has highly functional streaming options, subtitles, multiple video and audio stream capabilities and much much more (including the option to view a video in ASCII). This google video viewer loads seamlessly, has no nasty button interfaces, does not load the browser or cause over the top cpu usage and has a once click full-screen option (i.e. click the video for fullscreen). The video requires very little buffering time and is of suitable quality and resolution for fullscreen and television playback. I really do love it and I have been playing for the last hour or so.
“The clips play right in the page using the brand new Google Video Viewer, which was created by our engineer Aaron Lee using code from the open source Videolan project. It works great in both Firefox and IE, and we’ve designed it not to fight with any other video plugins you might have. We’re releasing the Windows version first, with Mac coming soon.”
Now all this needs is some content, currently the majority of videos are not playable, a nice option would be to search for playable videos only. As this resource grows it should become extremely valuable. Currently only a few providers such as gamespot and greenpeace have running videos on the search, but as more and more videos appear, the ability to search video descriptions and closed captions combined with the 30 second / full video playback options will take precedence over other current Internet services.
“A feature we’re especially pleased with is search within a video, which means you will get a result pointing to the precise spot in the video that matches your query. Try looking for sergey brin and you’ll see what I mean. There are even more people getting creative with video here. So have fun watching, or shoot your own videos — and keep sending them in!”
Jun 24 2005
In a sudden bout of enthusiasm for my blog, I decided to create another journal entry. Yes, once again I am going to talk about my life. Over the past week or so I have gradually included all the old cute-news posts I made from 2003 to the end of last year, in doing so I got quite sentimental, reading about the annoying lady on the bus, the pineapple squash adventure and the start of university. I was also sad that I hadn’t kept up my writing and written more about my time at university.
Well, as mentioned in a previous post, I have successfully finished my exams and consequentially my second year at Warwick University. The year started off rather slow, I was learning some basic modules that were overly simple and all things I’d done before, i.e. c++ programming and how a diode works. My lectures were dull; I really had no exciting labs and most of the time I was at my Leamington home playing on Xbox live. I’d travel in for a “starting a business” module and travel home an hour later, a round bus trip lasting 3 hours. As winter approached, some half modules ended and my timetable became even less busy, it really did take the piss how little work I had to do that term.
Side NTL rant:
A lot of my spare time was spent sorting out the Xbox live setup my internet service provider had set me up with (NTL). Essentially, I and my housemate had opted for the Xbox live option at a cost of an extra £2 per month. However, come October and there was no sign of what we were actually purchasing, what was this £2 buying? There was also a £50 setup charge on the first bill pertaining to a console related service. What exactly this was we had no idea. Following a good few hours on the phone and no one at their customer service desk knowing what the fuck, we were still confused. The confusion deepened as an Xbox arrived at the door. NTL sent us an Xbox. Why, we have no idea, we already had an Xbox and only wanted some sort of live package. Back on the phone for another few hours, talking to more people who didn’t even know what an Xbox was. I initially said I wanted to send this Xbox back and not pay the £50 for it, so the payment was put into dispute until they received the console back. Then I changed my mind, £50 for an Xbox is a very good deal I thought. So I ring back, and continue asking what this live deal should be offering me, telling them to take the money for the Xbox and various other things I don’t particularly remember 9 months on. Well, they then send me a long Ethernet cable, a 3 month magazine subscription and a 12 month Xbox live deal; a deal that I should have originally been given according to an outdated page of their website. In sorting this out I tried contacting their console contact line, the initial press one to go here automated service worked, but the redirects went to unknown numbers and a dead end. In trying to explain this to the standard customer services I was greeted with “it’s working, I hear the voice” and other stupid responses that proved these people were obviously not listening to exactly what I was trying to tell them. Needless to say, everyone was getting frustrated. Well, now I am coming to the end of my 9 month NTL contract and despite ringing them 4 times and telling them to take my money, they still haven’t and the amount is still apparently in dispute. I don’t know, their service is a pile of wank and they cap users to 1.5 GB download per day. But other than that we’ve had no problems. I wish I could have Blue-yonder in my region.
Well, as Christmas approached, the days got shorter and colder. Our old Victorian seven birth house does not fair particularly well in cold conditions. In fact, at times you could see your breath when breathing inside. We needed radiators on permanently and additional electric heaters just to melt the ice blocks that were our feet. The land-lord had also painted the downstairs bathroom with a non-bathroom paint directly onto the walls. This meant that mould began growing. Not all that delightful and it took the cake when there was a lovely little mushroom sticking out of the corner of the room. This was my house in winter, mouldy, cold and draughty. We gave the land-lord a list of needed fixes for the house over the Christmas period and hoped they would get done, luckily they were and our house was much more pleasant and liveable during the second term.
The first term saw a lot of drama in the house, two housemates split up with their boyfriends from long term relationships, there were family illnesses and it was all very taxing, but we stuck together and carried ourselves through all the problems. Things perked up towards the end and we were happy at our Christmas dinner where, once again, Sam delighted us all with a fantastic meal that was far too large for our tiny wobbly kitchen table. Other noteworthy events were Sam’s birthday party in which we crammed into a small Mexican restaurant and ate burritos, our lovely anniversary trip around Leamington park and meal at Thai restaurant.
Well, moving on into term 2, it remained cold and our heaters stayed on constantly. My course introduced me to a new set of modules for the following ten weeks; finally I would be doing some work and something interesting. I also had a few timetabled labs to attend in which I played with microprocessors, breadboards and wrote some simple c++ code for a simple c++ project. My birthday came and went and I turned 20. We all packed together and played ultraviolet ten pin bowling and enjoyed the luxuries of Frankie and Benny’s menu. I opted for the steak and also finished off other people’s meals while bullying a helium balloon. Sadly my day was cut short when I had to take Sam home via taxi, she’d become violently ill and it was extremely distressing, particularly as there was no obvious reason for it. It was made up for by the prestigious gifts and candlelit meal she prepared for me. We also went bowling and had pizza for Steven’s birthday and all was relatively merry in the Tachbrook camp.
Sam’s just called me so I’m going to have to cut this blog short. I’ll probably carry it on when I next have some free time. This shouldn’t be too long away.
Jun 24 2005
MIT News Office: “CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — MIT scientists have brought a supercool end to a heated race among physicists: They have become the first to create a new type of matter, a gas of atoms that shows high-temperature superfluidity.”
“In superfluids, as well as in superconductors, particles move in lockstep. They form one big quantum-mechanical wave,” explained Ketterle. “Such a movement allows superconductors to carry electrical currents without resistance.”
For those who know not of superfluidity:
Answers.com: Superfluidity is a phase of matter characterised by the complete absence of viscosity. Thus superfluids, placed in a closed loop, can flow endlessly without friction.
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