Mogulus and the N95

I just bought a N95, its time to play with it.

I’ll let you know how it goes… I plan on installing qik and using a go phone sim card to accomplish this. If any of you would like to give me some pointers, please feel free to comment.

Someone’s full of hot air…and I’m not talking about mother earth

When Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth” won best documentary feature in February 2007, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research brought up an inconvenient truth of its own; the fact that Al Gore used 20 times more energy in his home than the average American household.  Not wanting to be embarrassed, Mr. Gore went ahead and installed myriad energy saving devices, such as solar panels, in order to abolish his hypocrite status and save face.  Fast forward to June 2008, and T.C.P.R. has again snooped into Gore’s electricity bills to find he has actually increased his energy use by 10% since installing said energy saving devices.  According to T.C.P.R., the amount of energy Gore uses is enough to power 232 homes for a month!  So does that mean Gore really doesn’t care about Global Warming, or that these so called “energy saving devices” don’t do much?  Either way, between global warming investments and speaking fees related to the subject, he has managed to bring in an estimated $100 million since becoming the poster child for Global Warming hysteria.  And it’s not just his energy consumption that has caused this charlatan criticism; according to Samuel Thernstrom from the American Enterprise Institute, the Kyotol protocol (which was negotiated for the U.S. by Gore himself) has done tremendous harm to efforts of fighting climate change since it has “stopped us from pursuing more realistic alternatives“.  Thernstrom believes that if Kyoto didn’t come to pass there would still be people hard at work to discover realistic goals for curbing climate change.  Not only that, but he mentions the fact that no country has yet to come close to reaching their Kyoto targets, including Canada who says it has no chance of meeting it’s specified goals.  The reason Kyoto is so unrealistic is that it will do tremendous amounts of damage economically, in order to accomplish very little.  Thernstrom recommends going back to the drawing board to come up with new clean energy and transportation technologies-including the creation of affordable cars run by hydrogen fuel cells.  He also suggests following France’s lead in utilizing nuclear energy. 

Lastly, Marlo Lewis who is a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute explains that while there is still an estimated 1.6 billion people who do not have access to electricity, and another 2.4 billion who lack efficient means of cooking and heating their homes, an “energy diet” is not conducive to improving their health and/or life span.  And can we really expect a growing China and India to stop their economic growth and move backwards from where they have come?  Lewis also brings up the fact that if we were to implement the Kyoto targets here in the U.S., already increasing energy prices would rise even higher, affecting millions of families. 

If Al Gore really and truly cared about saving the world, wouldn’t he have thought of these things?

Free Trade is *gasp* GOOD!

Who-da-thunk-it?  Drew Carey is the celebrity face of libertarianism these days (sorry John Stossel).  I dig these videos a lot.  Especially this one.

I wrote a paper that talked about this in college.  It was called, “An economic case for open immigration.”  Yeah, it was controversial.

 

 

A moment of VLC ZEN

Quicktime live streaming video set up, with windows media support.  Using a 256 kbit video stream (mp4v) and a 64 kbit audio stream (mp4a), using quick time broadcaster to stream to quicktime streaming server (open source) on the same local computer.   Once that is set up, the local QTSS relays to a dedicated server running Darwin Streaming Server (DSS) on FreeBSD.  The settings at the local computer accomplish the relay.

The relay settings receive a stream from the local non public IP address and then send that stream via relay to the dedicated server.  

Once on the dedicated server the client using quicktime can connect. You can embed the quicktime video into a webpage, but it requires the end user to have apple’s quicktime installed or if your using something like Linux a QT open source alternative.  Although quicktime has taken off with the success of the iPod, windows media is still installed on all modern MS systems.  So… why not just offer windows media as well.  Its possible… I’ve done it the hard, but cheap way using VLC. 

VLC is used to receive an rtsp connection from the (now local) dedicated server, transcodes the rtsp stream from quicktime into Microsoft Media Services (MMS), with ASFH to port 8080.   Heres the code…

vlc -vvv --intf dummy rtsp:yourDS.ip.goes.here/out.sdp --sout '#transcode{vcodec=DIV3,acodec=mp3,vb=300,ab=128,deinterlace}:standard{access=mmsh,mux=asfh,dst=your.tanscode.ip.here:8080}' 


Why include the first relay? The final product is an embedded quicktime / MMS stream available with an interactive chat.  At the point of low bandwidth, local computers my need to access the stream.  They will need to access the streams via the local DSS server, with VLC…. maybe. If these local computers attempted to receive the stream from the dedicated server, outside the local network, the stream to the dedicated server might crash.  

This compensates for the low bandwidth at the point of the local network.  If you want to offer both quicktime and windows media, you can without needing to support multiple streams. 

I’m currently working on a transcoding method for rtsp to rtmp. I’m exploring a few different open source libraries for inspiration. I’ve been working with ffmpeg with VLC, RED5 and ming.

I’ll keep everyone informed on what I learn.

Fixing Education: Is more money the answer?

Whenever something that is government-run fails, people always want to fix the problem by throwing more money at it. This is often the case with public education here in the United States. Although it is true that our students are not nearly as educated as they could or should be, more money is not always the answer to everything-especially not education. A survey done by University of Chicago’s William Howell and Brown University’s Martin R. West shows that most people underestimate the amount we spend per pupil in the first place. I recommend reading the results of this survey; but before you do, come up with the number you think we spend, as well as what you think we should be spending.

Most of the people surveyed guessed far below the true amount, which means we already spend much more than many think, and it clearly hasn’t solved the problem. Besides the fact that most people grossly underestimate the amount we spend per student, it has already been proven in the Kansas City experiment that money cannot solve our education woes. When a federal judge ordered the Kansas City school district to spend whatever amount was necessary to raise test scores and promote integration, the results were disheartning. After more than ten years of spending to their hearts content, test scores did not rise and the schools were even less integrated than they were to begin with. This is not to say that our students are unable to learn, or that nothing can be done. As the Evergreen Freedom Foundation points out in their movie flunked, school choice may be one way to combat the one-size-fits-all system we have in place today. Competition amongst schools can foster this, along with less interference from bureacrats.

Extreme Frustration

There seems to be some angst in Colorado about the upcoming elections. I received a few emails today concerning the rift inside the Republican party. I parted direction with the Republicans back in 2005, although I still have many friends who are Republican activists, I’ve become an activist of my own political persuasion. I grew tired of hearing rhetoric from Republican politicians about the benefits of the free market economy, only to later learn that the same politician employed command and control economic strategies to solve a “crisis”.

I admit, I was tricked. It won’t happen again.

But, alas I still pay attention to the politics, albeit much less. I find Colorado to be in a very interesting political period. The state has become increasingly more socialist and invasive. I don’t believe that represents Colorado becoming more democratic and less republican. I think there has been a general movement towards increased levels of state involvement in the individual’s life and thus my life. I don’t like it.

In my younger and more naive years, I’d probably pick up a picket sign and go protest this interference into my life. If I did that today where would I turn? Could I go down to the Republican headquarters? No, actions of Colorado republicans over the last few years has left me skeptical of the rhetoric I hear. I accept the principles of limited government, low taxes and individual freedom. I once thought the Colorado Republican party represented these values but I no longer believe that.

So what about the libertarians? Well, I do like those guys. If you put me in a room full of these cats I could talk all night about the virtues of free-market capitalism. In the early hours of the morning I’m sure I’d be involved in an argument with someone regarding whether or not we should privatize the police force. That’s where I snap back to reality. Although most libertarians I know have a wealth of knowledge, and in philosophic terms, are probably correct. But most people will not spend all night debating minarchy vs. anarchy. Where I do agree with my libertarian friends, they have not been able to establish a coherent message that resonates with the general population and thus impact policy.

So what about the Democrats? I have actually dreamed about going to some Democrat conference and convincing them to accept a view of limited federal and state government, with local governments dealing with much of the service needs of their locality. Then, after convincing them of this decentralized governance concept, slowly persuading them to start shifting the local tax burden to the private market. But, this is where the dream turns into a nightmare. As soon as I mention the word private, someone yells “get’em” and I later wake up in a field, tar and feathered.

Ok, so then what? I figure I belong in the realm of individual activists. People who take up their own cause and those of their friends and family. As an individual you can fight the influx of tyranny into your own life. This requires only a computer and an internet connection. If you want to communicate your message even better, buy a DV cam. Progressivism requires the perception of a common good. It requires the use of “we” and “us” statements to break down the individuals decision making process. Americans generally root for the underdog and there isn’t a better under dog than that of one guy vs. a giant bureaucratic machine.

I believe that people can be informed more effectively though communications from one to another. I believe that the mass communication one individual can access using YouTube or blogs greatly enhances ones ability to stand up to progressive programs that violate individual liberty. Here’s an idea. The next time you go to the DMV, bring a video camera. If things don’t go well, post the video on youtube, that way other individuals who need to visit the DMV can plan for their visit.  If the bureaucrat thinks that at any given time they could be held accountable to the general population, their perception will change. In the past, newspaper journalists and tv reporters wielded this power, today its you.

VLC Chaos… Not for the weak of heart.

It is possible to use quicktime broadcaster to send a RTSP stream to a relay server using VLC to receive rtsp and transcode that stream into MMS / ASF.

This means one can broadcast a live video / audio stream from a quicktime broadcaster to a server located in a high bandwidth location (some data center), change the stream into a video format that windows media player will accept while still offering rtsp to people wanting to use quicktime. I’ve set the outgoing MMS media to another public port running on port 80 to get around some of the firewall issues facing video streaming.


vlc --no-ipv6 -vvv --intf dummy rtsp:172.56.123.17/testing.sdp :sout #transcode{vcodec=DIV3,vb=512,scale=1}:duplicate{dst=std{access=mmsh,mux=asfh,dst=10.76.85.227:6215}}

 vlc --no-ipv6 -vvv --intf dummy rtsp:172.56.123.17/mystream.sdp :sout #transcode{vcodec=DIV3,vb=512,scale=1}

standard{access=udp,mux=ts,dst=239.255.1.3,sap,name="TranscodedStream"}"}'

vlc --no-ipv6 -vvv --intf dummy rtsp:172.56.123.17/mystream.sdp #transscode{vcodec=DIV3,fps=15,acodec=mp3,ab=64,channels=2}:std{access=mmsh,mux=asfh,dst=172.56.123.17:8080}

vlc -vvv --intf dummy rtsp:172.56.123.17/live.sdp --sout '#transcode{vcodec=DIV3,acodec=mp3,vb=300,ab=128,deinterlace}:standard{access=mmsh,mux=asfh,dst=172.56.123.17:8080}'

vlc -vvv --intf dummy /hidden/video.ivoices.org/qtit1324.hinted.mov --sout '#transcode{vcodec=FLV1,acodec=mp3,vb=300,ab=64,deinterlace}:standard{access=http,mux=flv,dst=172.56.123.17:8081}'

vlc -vvv --intf dummy /hidden/video.ivoices.org/qtit1324.hinted.mov --sout "#transcode{vcodec=FLV1,acodec=mp3,samplerate=11025}:std{access=http{mime=video/x-flv},mux=ffmpeg{mux=flv},dst=0.0.0.0:8081/stream.flv}"

vlc -vvv --intf dummy rtsp:10.0.1.206/mystream.sdp --sout '#transcode{vcodec=DIV3,acodec=mp3,vb=300,ab=64,deinterlace}:standard{access=mmsh,mux=asfh,dst=10.0.1.206:8080}'

'#transcode{vcodec=mp4v,acodec=mpga,vb=800,ab=128,deinterlace}:


You can’t have it both ways

The Wall Street Journal Online has an article today that describes the current labor-business climate here in Colorado.  Unions are pushing some severe anti-business measures (duh, what else do they do?), but there is one in particular that made me say, “??”

From the Journal, “One measure would make Colorado only the second state in the union, after Montana, to require that employers prove every layoff is for a “just cause.”

Ok, aside from the problematic wording of ‘just cause…’ (this is like when lefties say ‘just wage.’  Who’s definition of ‘just’ are we supposed to be using.  There is no objective, standardized definition of just.  What I consider ‘just’ is an action predicated on voluntary human action).  Anyway, my bigger quip is the logical inconsistency of the measure.  If employers have to prove every layoff is ‘just,’ doesn’t that mean, to be logically consistent, that every worker must prove his or her leaving is ‘just?’  You can’t have your cake and eat it too.  That’s the beauty of right to work.  Both the employer and the employee can pull out of the relationship at any moment for any reason (within the contractual obligations of course).  I like knowing that I can quit at any moment for any reason.  Likewise, I’m sure my employer(s) like that they can get rid of me at any moment for any reason.  This is only ‘fair.’  If one side has that ability and the other doesn’t, that is unfair.  And if I were your average lefty, I’d whine and complain about that unfairness.  Which is what I’m doing now!

Gas: The problem with price controls

Here we go again. With gas prices going up it didn’t take long for many of my lefty friends to start calling for price controls. We can’t let those greedy oil companies make all this money while consumers suffer, they cry. The biggest problem with this “problem solver” is that it is not one at all, and will in fact worsen the situation. Thomas Sowell describes why this is in his article, An Ancient Fallacy: Price Controls.

An important thing that my friends don’t realize is why the prices have gone up in the first place. Supply and demand are the two things that dictate prices in a free-market economy. World consumption of oil continues to grow, raising the demand side of it. On top of that supply has been more restricted, with an unstable Middle East and a shortage of oil refineries here in the United States. Due to these factors, it really isn’t that strange that the cost to fill our tanks is rising. The question asked by Sterling T. Terrell from the Mises Institute is, why are gas prices not higher? As he explains in his article, when gas prices are adjusted for inflation, they are not that much higher than they were in the 1950’s. He also points out that there are industries that have an even higher profit margin than oil companies, including the water utility industry! Why aren’t those CEO’s on trial for price gouging?

So, knowing that supply and demand dictate prices, lets look at what prices are in the first place. Prices are indicators that signal how much of a product to supply. This is how a free-market economy escapes shortages that often exist in an economy controlled by government planners. The consequences of price contols put in place during the oil crisis of the 70’s is an example of what can happen. Long lines at the pump and the inability to buy gasoline on certain days were results of artificially lowering the price of oil. When prices go down, supply goes down. Vice versa, when prices go up, supply goes up. This is how we stop a shortage from happening again here in the U.S. So unless you want to wait for hours to fill your gas tank, leave the prices to the market.

Live Streaming Video: Techno Babble

This may seem very out of place on this type of blog.  I assure you it is not, but this may not be evident until later posts. Anyway… 

Over the past few years I’ve dabbled in streaming video. With very little funding, I used open source software to experiment with different ways to incorporate video into basic website and a few social networking sites. I’ve used VLC and Darwin Streaming Server 1 as my primary tools. I later added some AVATAR software into the mix. I was pleased. But all was not well…

I openly admit my propensity to deal with difficult software environments. So what I thought was cool, streaming video with a interactive avatar environment, did not translate into a workable GUI for normal people. OK normals, what seems to be the problem? I just spent 9 months screwing around in my off time and you’re telling me this is too hard?!?!.

However, this is reality. I spend too much time with computers. The big black line that should divide work and play, in my world is one solid shade of grey. Maybe that means I work too hard or I don’t get out enough.

So normals, you win… I need to figure out how to make this really cool techno babble understandable by people who do not spend 20 hours a day in front of a computer. So what then are the problems?

First, lets illustrate the current environment. Live video embedded inside of a single webpage with an interactive AJAX environment, check it out here.

Well, first off… its not flash… Yes, I will swallow my pro open source pride, plus my cheapskate ways and will admit Flash makes it much easier for the non-technical web video consumer to participate. There is really only one reason, Adobe uses simple method for installation of flash. It’s a plugin.

Next on the list… Connection speed. I’ve learned that my audience uses many different methods to connect to the internet. For the most part, my webstats reflect consumer internet services over more expensive business internet. One of the more interesting connection methods is consumer grade WiMAX. 

This might actually be causing problems in my usage of Darwin Streaming Server. Latency, the time required to send a packet of information from point a to point b and then get a response, seems to vary greatly.

Darwin Streaming Server uses RTSP (real time streaming protocol)… And in my testing of RTSP on a network with a high rate of packet loss, it doesn’t work well. Now, I didn’t use WiMAX in my test, but it seems reasonable. I tracked down a few users of consumer WiMAX in Colorado and heard stories of 1 to 3 second delays followed by typically quick load times. This makes me think RTSP and consumer WiMAX may not work well in less than optimal network situations.

How does one address these RTSP and low network quality with video… Well, it may not be possible. Live video depending on its bitrate (Quality) can seriously tax a slower DSL connection, and for that matter on a cable network that is in a period of high use. On networks with high levels of packet loss, RTSP may not work at all. 

But there is hope… I could offer multiple bit rates that the user could choose from. This assumes they know which to use. Or I could find a way to outsource the relay server to a company that offers a software solution that could adjust bitrate based on the consumers ability to receive higher quality video. Thus, Mr. or Mrs. Normal will not need to do anything, its done for them. Check these guys out, they’ve figured it out.

Ok, what else… Wouldn’t it make more sense to offer the live video at relevant times? Yes, and that is  complicated and expensive. I’ll cover that later. I’ll leave you with this sweet image. My next post will cover the amazingly interesting topic of business WiMAX. 

This is dedicated to Nicole… With out her influence I would not have written this down. This is just a start, there will be much more to come. Hopefully this techno babble can one day be converted into a non-geek manual.