David Glover Archive
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The Big Brother logo. Again.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Last year's logo was themed on MPEG noise and had secret words in it.
We have yet to see the intro sequence this year but here's the logo:
It's obviously produced by the same designer, someone who has a fetish for TV technology because this one is clearly based on the Philips PM5544 test card, using some kind of polar projection:
Exactly the same colours.
We have yet to see the intro sequence this year but here's the logo:
It's obviously produced by the same designer, someone who has a fetish for TV technology because this one is clearly based on the Philips PM5544 test card, using some kind of polar projection:
Exactly the same colours.
Labels: commentary, tech
Old Mac Restoration
Friday, May 18, 2007
A Macintosh SE/30 with 8MB of RAM (soon to be 128MB) running the System 7.5.3 installer off the attached AppleCD 200 drive, sitting on top. (1x speed - and it uses caddies!)Inside the HD has been upgraded from the original 40MB (yes, that's MB, not GB - it will soon have more RAM than it originally had disk space) to a new 4GB drive, partitioned into two 2GB volumes to avoid the 2GB bug.
Inside is a colour graphics card but I don't have a monitor to connect it to due to the custom connector - I have a VGA adapter but it doesn't seem to work. Around the back is a 10Base2 ethernet card waiting to be connected to the internet.
Labels: tech
DIY Slingbox
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Yesterday from a dusty shelf I discovered my Sony DV camera. And after playing with it for a while I discovered (or possibly re-discovered, as I might have just forgotten) that it has analogue video inputs that it will digitise and then spit out of the DV port.
So this gave me an idea - this is essentially what the Slingbox does, except the Slingbox outputs a network stream rather than DV video. But I have a Mac Mini sitting underneath my TV downstairs, and that has a DV port on it...
So, after a lot of bodging and hacking and plugging of cables... I have this:
Patricia Hewitt in a window! Or, more accurately, the output of my Sky box being converted to DV, fed into my Mac Mini, transcoded, and then multicasted (yeah baby) across my house LAN.
And here's how I did it.
My camera came with a video cable ostensibly for spitting out video to your TV - but it works backwards too, so I connect it to the back of my Sky box.
(Dusty, yuck.)
The other end connects to my camera, and another cable feeds DV out from my camera and into the back of my Mac Mini.
On the Mac Mini I download and install QuickTime Broadcaster, which is free. Setting it up, I start with the "LAN" presets for both Video and Audio, then hit "Show details" and do a few modifications. The Audio settings work unchanged except for choosing "DV Audio - first two channels" for the Source. Video settings look like this:
Things I changed are:
Size: 512x288.
288 is half the vertical lines of PAL. If I wanted full resolution I would have chosen 576 lines but the CPU in my Mac Mini isn't capable of encoding that at 25fps. Halving the vertical resolution also has a handy side-effect of deinterlacing the video. 512 pixels wide results in a 16:9 display, for non-widescreen programs I would choose 384, but 99% of all UK TV is widescreen, so I'll never need to change this. NTSC users might choose 427x240 or 320x240.
Quality: High
Frames per second: 25 (30 if my source was NTSC.)
Key frame every: 50 (60 if my source was NTSC.)
Limit data rate: Off (No point on a LAN.)
Network settings:
Things I changed are:
Transmission: Multicast
Then just hit "Generate IP Address" and you're done.
Save the settings as an SDP file and then hit "Broadcast". From another Mac (or PC), load up the SDP file and voila! DIY Slingbox.
Advantages over a Slingbox:
* No extra hardware to buy. (If you already own a DV camera and Mac server of course. You could also use a dedicated DV bridge if you have one.)
* More than one person can watch.
* Better video and audio quality.
Disadvantages over a Slingbox:
* No remote control functionality. (Which I'm doing by using an TV Link and existing RF cabling. Not ideal.)
* Harder to setup.
* Doesn't work over the internet. (Though it could do, if have access to QuickTime Streaming Server or can VPN into your LAN. (Does multicast work over VPN? Not sure. Should do.))
So this gave me an idea - this is essentially what the Slingbox does, except the Slingbox outputs a network stream rather than DV video. But I have a Mac Mini sitting underneath my TV downstairs, and that has a DV port on it...
So, after a lot of bodging and hacking and plugging of cables... I have this:
Patricia Hewitt in a window! Or, more accurately, the output of my Sky box being converted to DV, fed into my Mac Mini, transcoded, and then multicasted (yeah baby) across my house LAN.
And here's how I did it.
My camera came with a video cable ostensibly for spitting out video to your TV - but it works backwards too, so I connect it to the back of my Sky box.
(Dusty, yuck.)
The other end connects to my camera, and another cable feeds DV out from my camera and into the back of my Mac Mini.
On the Mac Mini I download and install QuickTime Broadcaster, which is free. Setting it up, I start with the "LAN" presets for both Video and Audio, then hit "Show details" and do a few modifications. The Audio settings work unchanged except for choosing "DV Audio - first two channels" for the Source. Video settings look like this:
Things I changed are:
Size: 512x288.
288 is half the vertical lines of PAL. If I wanted full resolution I would have chosen 576 lines but the CPU in my Mac Mini isn't capable of encoding that at 25fps. Halving the vertical resolution also has a handy side-effect of deinterlacing the video. 512 pixels wide results in a 16:9 display, for non-widescreen programs I would choose 384, but 99% of all UK TV is widescreen, so I'll never need to change this. NTSC users might choose 427x240 or 320x240.
Quality: High
Frames per second: 25 (30 if my source was NTSC.)
Key frame every: 50 (60 if my source was NTSC.)
Limit data rate: Off (No point on a LAN.)
Network settings:
Things I changed are:
Transmission: Multicast
Then just hit "Generate IP Address" and you're done.
Save the settings as an SDP file and then hit "Broadcast". From another Mac (or PC), load up the SDP file and voila! DIY Slingbox.
Advantages over a Slingbox:
* No extra hardware to buy. (If you already own a DV camera and Mac server of course. You could also use a dedicated DV bridge if you have one.)
* More than one person can watch.
* Better video and audio quality.
Disadvantages over a Slingbox:
* No remote control functionality. (Which I'm doing by using an TV Link and existing RF cabling. Not ideal.)
* Harder to setup.
* Doesn't work over the internet. (Though it could do, if have access to QuickTime Streaming Server or can VPN into your LAN. (Does multicast work over VPN? Not sure. Should do.))
Labels: tech
Wii Weather
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Nintendo enabled the "weather channel" on the Wii console today - here is its five-day prediction for Oxford in the UK:
Now I can tell you now that this is completely rubbish. Without even looking at another forecast I can tell you that it's going to be cold, cloudy, and foggy. Let's see what the Met Office says, shall we?
Told you so.
This is the one thing that bugs me the most about weather forecasting software - whether it's for your games console or for your mobile phone, they're only as good as the data source used, and invariably they go for the lowest bidder, which makes the whole thing completely pointless as the forecasts are simply wrong!
Now I can tell you now that this is completely rubbish. Without even looking at another forecast I can tell you that it's going to be cold, cloudy, and foggy. Let's see what the Met Office says, shall we?
Told you so.
This is the one thing that bugs me the most about weather forecasting software - whether it's for your games console or for your mobile phone, they're only as good as the data source used, and invariably they go for the lowest bidder, which makes the whole thing completely pointless as the forecasts are simply wrong!
Labels: tech
Wii would like to play
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Amazon UK "...sold out of reserve orders for Nintendo's new games console ... in just seven minutes. Amazon.co.uk said a rush of buyers for the Wii made it the site's fastest selling pre-order item."
Update 9:52 PM: This has really made the news!
I knew this would happen.They were supposed to start selling them at 9am - the plan was that I would get up, order one at 9, and then go to work.
So at 9:30am they're still not on sale. Disaster - I have to go to work! So, a very geeky solution. While Ed drives, I sit with my laptop living up to its name, connected to the internet through my mobile phone.
At 9:40, half way to work, the "Add to basket" button finally lights up! And after frantic clicking... I got one! Despite my internet connection not exactly being terribly fast or reliable, I obviously managed it in less than seven minutes. Sometimes being a geek pays off.
That's probably the first time I've ever bought something while actually in a moving car.
I am slightly concerned that I never received the promised e-mail from Amazon telling me that they were finally on sale - I wonder how many people missed out because they were waiting for the e-mail?
Update 9:52 PM: This has really made the news!
I knew this would happen.They were supposed to start selling them at 9am - the plan was that I would get up, order one at 9, and then go to work.
So at 9:30am they're still not on sale. Disaster - I have to go to work! So, a very geeky solution. While Ed drives, I sit with my laptop living up to its name, connected to the internet through my mobile phone.
At 9:40, half way to work, the "Add to basket" button finally lights up! And after frantic clicking... I got one! Despite my internet connection not exactly being terribly fast or reliable, I obviously managed it in less than seven minutes. Sometimes being a geek pays off.
That's probably the first time I've ever bought something while actually in a moving car.
I am slightly concerned that I never received the promised e-mail from Amazon telling me that they were finally on sale - I wonder how many people missed out because they were waiting for the e-mail?
Things for sale on eBay
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Zune
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
So Microsoft has released it's Zune player. As an Apple fanboy, I am of course bound by law to criticize it and explain why it's so crap.
Perhaps surprisingly, this is going to be really easy.
Things the Zune doesn't have:
* Games
* Clock or stopwatch
* Password-protection
* Volume limiter
* Equalizer
* Calendar
* Address book
* Notes
OK, so, fair enough - it's a music player and not a PDA, but the iPod gets a lot of flak for lacking in features - and it does all of the above!
The "music sharing" feature that has been so heavily promoted turns out to completely suck. Music beamed to another Zune can only be played three times (even playing a tiny bit of a track counts as one "play"), and even then it will get wiped after three days even if you don't play it. This applies to all music, even that which might be freely distributable. No distinction is made.
The PC-side software seems to be pretty awful. You can't subscribe to podcasts, you can't use Windows Media Player, you can't play "PlaysForSure" music (haha, ironic), you have to have a "Live ID" and some kind of Zune account, and you may not even be able to get the damn thing installed! Oh, and it's not Mac compatible. It's not even world-compatible, for now, it's only available in the USA.
This is actually all quite annoying, even for me. All competition is good, I don't want Apple to get lazy.
And finally, the Zune's "slogan" (plastered all over the packaging and the web site) is: "Welcome to the social."
The social... what?! Someone tell Microsoft that "social" is an adjective, not a noun.
Update: I just learned that they're not compatible with Vista, either. Brilliant.
Update 2: The bad news just keeps coming. You can't use it as an external hard disk, and despite the long list of supported video formats on the box, all video is transcoded to WMV when copied to the Zune, which is in fact the only format video it supports. Blegh.
Perhaps surprisingly, this is going to be really easy.
Things the Zune doesn't have:
* Games
* Clock or stopwatch
* Password-protection
* Volume limiter
* Equalizer
* Calendar
* Address book
* Notes
OK, so, fair enough - it's a music player and not a PDA, but the iPod gets a lot of flak for lacking in features - and it does all of the above!
The "music sharing" feature that has been so heavily promoted turns out to completely suck. Music beamed to another Zune can only be played three times (even playing a tiny bit of a track counts as one "play"), and even then it will get wiped after three days even if you don't play it. This applies to all music, even that which might be freely distributable. No distinction is made.
The PC-side software seems to be pretty awful. You can't subscribe to podcasts, you can't use Windows Media Player, you can't play "PlaysForSure" music (haha, ironic), you have to have a "Live ID" and some kind of Zune account, and you may not even be able to get the damn thing installed! Oh, and it's not Mac compatible. It's not even world-compatible, for now, it's only available in the USA.
This is actually all quite annoying, even for me. All competition is good, I don't want Apple to get lazy.
And finally, the Zune's "slogan" (plastered all over the packaging and the web site) is: "Welcome to the social."
The social... what?! Someone tell Microsoft that "social" is an adjective, not a noun.
Update: I just learned that they're not compatible with Vista, either. Brilliant.
Update 2: The bad news just keeps coming. You can't use it as an external hard disk, and despite the long list of supported video formats on the box, all video is transcoded to WMV when copied to the Zune, which is in fact the only format video it supports. Blegh.
Labels: commentary, news, tech
Game On!
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Yesterday I visited to the Game On exhibition, a history of video games, at the Science Museum in London. You can see me playing Galaga and Star Wars, and my friend Ed playing Xevious.
Here are some photos.
Here are some photos.
Dear Apple
Friday, September 15, 2006
I hate you.
Date iMac ordered: Sep 6
Availability before checkout: "7 days"
Shipping date after checkout: Sep 15
Delivery date after checkout: Sep 19
...
Shipping date on Sep 15: Sep 21
Delivery date on Sep 15: Sep 25
WTF? :(
Date iMac ordered: Sep 6
Availability before checkout: "7 days"
Shipping date after checkout: Sep 15
Delivery date after checkout: Sep 19
...
Shipping date on Sep 15: Sep 21
Delivery date on Sep 15: Sep 25
WTF? :(
Labels: tech
Finally!
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Of all the cool new things that Apple announced today, new iPods, movies, etc, there's one tiny feature they didn't even mention that is the best thing ever.
Thank you Apple!
Thank you Apple!
Labels: commentary, tech
Nintendo DS friend codes
Saturday, June 24, 2006
This post will be kept up to date.
Tetris DS
358342
247111
Mario Kart DS
412390
032586
42 all-time classics
1375 3605 3314
Labels: tech
Eurovision CD Shenanigans
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
When you get iTunes to play or import an audio CD, it gets the track names from a database on the internet called the CDDB. If the CD you have isn't on the database, you are given the opportunity to enter the track names yourself, and then publish them to the server, so that anyone else with the same CD won't have to type them in.
So I was amused when, putting in my Eurovision 2006 CD, the track name for the Spanish song wasn't quite right. It's supposed to be called "Bloody Mary", but this is what I saw:
Haha.
So I was amused when, putting in my Eurovision 2006 CD, the track name for the Spanish song wasn't quite right. It's supposed to be called "Bloody Mary", but this is what I saw:
Haha.
Labels: tech
Dear Movie Industry: You Are All Idiots
Sunday, May 14, 2006
So I sat down on the sofa, popped in a new DVD, and prepared to enjoy.
But oh no. Hold on there, citizen. First you must be exposed to the state-sponsored propaganda!
"You wouldn't steal a car! So don't steal a movie! PIRACY IS THEFT!"
I am angry about this for so many reasons, I have to make a list:
Way to go, Movie Industry. Why are you all morons?
But oh no. Hold on there, citizen. First you must be exposed to the state-sponsored propaganda!
"You wouldn't steal a car! So don't steal a movie! PIRACY IS THEFT!"
I am angry about this for so many reasons, I have to make a list:
- First of all, it's not piracy. Piracy is: "an act of robbery on the high seas; also : an act resembling such robbery". Am I in a boat? No. So shut up and learn English.
- If I steal your car in the middle of the night, in the morning, you don't have a car any more. That's theft. But if I download a movie without paying for it, nothing has gone missing, anywhere. I might not have even bought the movie if I couldn't download it. So no-one has lost out: this is not theft. At worst, it's copyright infringement, something that happens every time you sing "Happy Birthday".
- Finally, and most ridiculously, you can't skip this stupid video. You are forced to watch it before you can watch the movie, and the controls of your DVD player are locked out. But if I were to download a copy instead, there would be no such restrictions. The illegal version is better!
Way to go, Movie Industry. Why are you all morons?
Labels: commentary, tech
Welcome to the future
Saturday, May 06, 2006
I decided that my next mobile phone will be the Nokia N93. It's not out just yet, but it's a 3G phone, and thus requires a 3G SIM card.
Now my SIM card is only a lowly 2G one on Orange, and Orange won't sell me a 3G card without also buying a 3G phone.
So, I've taken the opportunity to switch to T-Mobile, on one of their new Flext tariffs including "Web'n'walk", which gives me unlimited access to the internet on my phone. T-Mobile also provided a very cheap Nokia N70, which uses the same operating system as the N93 will do. When the N93 is finally released I'll simply put my new SIM card in it.
The combination of Series 60 (the operating system these phones run) and unlimited wireless internet access allows for some pretty funky things, like accessing the web, using e-mail, even blogging and uploading photos on the move. There's even a portable version of Google Maps, which is quite frankly amazing.
The future's bright. It's just not orange anymore.
PS: I find it amusing that Blogger's spell-checker doesn't know the word "blogging". D'oh!
Now my SIM card is only a lowly 2G one on Orange, and Orange won't sell me a 3G card without also buying a 3G phone.
So, I've taken the opportunity to switch to T-Mobile, on one of their new Flext tariffs including "Web'n'walk", which gives me unlimited access to the internet on my phone. T-Mobile also provided a very cheap Nokia N70, which uses the same operating system as the N93 will do. When the N93 is finally released I'll simply put my new SIM card in it.
The combination of Series 60 (the operating system these phones run) and unlimited wireless internet access allows for some pretty funky things, like accessing the web, using e-mail, even blogging and uploading photos on the move. There's even a portable version of Google Maps, which is quite frankly amazing.
The future's bright. It's just not orange anymore.
PS: I find it amusing that Blogger's spell-checker doesn't know the word "blogging". D'oh!
Labels: tech
