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Some More Testing of the New Video Interviewing Service Called wetoku

This time I wrangled my sister, Tracy to do some tests on wetoku, the REALLY neat (did you hear that David?) new service, wetoku.  They were really nice enough to me to allow me to test some of the upcoming “Pro” features.  Tonight we tested the difference in quality of the video settings (Normal=16kbps, High=32kbps, and Higher=66kbps).  The first video is “Normal.”

If you notice, the video is pixelated.  Even when we are not moving, the picture is a bit pixelated.  When the video is seen in full screen mode, it’s almost like playing an old video game.  Give no mind to the silly wagging of our heads.  It’s just our way of testing motion!

The “High” setting is a lot better, in my opinion.  There is minimal pixelation and even when enlarging the video, the picture is still fine.

During the test of the “Higher” setting, we experienced some blurring instead of pixelation.  The video is still acceptable even for full screen.  Personally I like the “High” setting.  The minimal pixelation is not much of a trade off for the absence of the blurring.  Just my opinion.

As far as my overall opinion so far, I thoroughly enjoy using wetoku and I think they are heading in an awesome (did you hear that one too, Dave?) direction!  When I was told about some of the “pro” features coming out in private beta in October, it was plain to see that they are definitely listening to the public’s opinions.  I’ve heard people ask for better video and, WHAMO!  Better video!  People have been asking about video editing abilities, well, rumor has it there’s another WHAMO coming!  Also going to be tested is the ability to upload re-roll and post-roll video, custom watermark, and a customizable embeddable player.

There are a few things I’ve noticed so far that I think would be good to add, including multiple recordings per interview sitting (unless I missed something) and the ability to download the video for local safekeeping and for sharing on social video networks like YouTube.

They’re not done yet so keep cheering them on and keep giving them feedback!  Good job so far wetoku!

Create your own online magazine rack with Alltop.com

One of the interesting things about the Internet is the sheer amount of information out there.  Sure, there is probably a very small percentage of it that each person is even remotely interested in, or has time to absorb, OR is even a little edifying, but how does one filter out the other stuff?  Well, that is an ongoing issue for everyone, believe it or not.  Many people call it “information overload.”  Well, a man named Clay Shirky is quoted as saying “It’s not information overload. It’s filter failure.”

There are many solutions people are coming up with to filter information.  One method is subscription to RSS feeds with feed readers such as Google Reader.  This method is fairly successful.  I, however, often run into the issue of subscribing to too many feeds and, therefore, end up in the same situation.

I ran into a new service that helps to filter news and articles into topics that you’d want to read.  It attempts to create a personal online magazine rack for the individual.  It’s called Alltop.com.  From the horse’s mouth:

The purpose of Alltop is to help you answer the question, “What’s happening?” in “all the topics” that interest you.

Alltop’s purpose is to filter and assimilate topics that interest you in order to make it easy to absorb.  Basically, you can read what you want to read on the topics you enjoy without all of the other junk making it harder to find.

Alltop has some interesting features.  One of the first features I noticed is that while I was browsing, Alltop was remembering the topics I was reading, making a list for me in case I wanted to revisit something.  This was done before signing up for an account; I was just a visitor.

If you sign up for an account, you can save the news sources you like so you can peruse the most recent articles from each source.

All they want from you is a user name, password and an email for account confirmation.

Once you’ve signed up you can begin to search for topics you like.

You can also browse by topic or alphabetically.

I chose to peruse the tech section and I narrowed it down to “blogging.”

If you feel like subscribing to a news source or blog, just click the plus sign and it turns into a check mark.

Very cool service.  All you have to do is visit the MyAlltop page to get a gander of everything you’ve subscribed to.  I think the site is cool and it has a good start.  I would like to see the possibility of adding topics to the MyAlltops page to better organize my news sources.  I do enjoy how easy it is to browse for articles without the sign up process and MyAlltops page but I’m sure each of us are different.

Firefox Friday – 3 Pages of Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts

I ran across this cheat sheet the other day.  It was a PDF file and all it contained was plain text, Courier I believe.  There were no graphics, no fancy fonts, and no fancy introductions.  However, what it did contain will probably change the way you use Firefox, forever!

All it contained was 3 full pages of keyboard shortcuts for Firefox!  Memorize these and become a really amazing Firefox power user of sorts!  You’ll learn the quick way to do tasks such as opening, closing and navigating tabs; using bookmarks; and navigating the current page.  Amaze your family and friends with your new-found Firefox keyboarding genius!  All of this is made possible by my friends over at MakeUseOf.com!  They put it together and offer it as an incentive to subscribe to their feed (it’s worth it, I believe).  Once you’re subscribed to the feed, look for a message similar to this:

Check it out and see what you think!

Video Interview with Abelardo (first review of wetoku.com)

Tonight I finally was able to test a new web app by the name of Wetoku.com.  Wetoku.com is in the process of making video interviewing amazingly simple for the everyday blogger (like myself!).  They are still in private beta but I asked them nice and they gave me an invite!

In the video you’ll find myself (the interviewer) and a long time geek-friend of mine Abelardo (the interviewee) talking about various topics.  You’ll also notice that my volume is way too low which I believe is my fault but bear with me and turn up the volume.  AND I noticed that the timing is off.  Other than that, let me know what you think of the interview, the discussion AND the technical quality, in the comments.

Some of the topics discussed:

1. Safety on the Internet (specifically for kids)
2. Wordpress and other blogging stuff
3. Social Networks (Facebook, Twitter, and hosted possibilities such as Drupal and BuddyPress)
4. Data backup (blog and otherwise)
5. Opera, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Safari (some more than others)
6. AND my blog design and a new css option

I believe the chat went well.  It usually does with a good friend, right?  There are a few options I’d like to see added to Wetoku like some editing abilites and the like, but all in all the service is a great idea!  Will I use it more?  Definitely!

Thanks, Abelardo, for the time and the chat!

MorgueFile’s Back With Lessons Learned

Hooray for MorgueFile!!!

After a bit of down time, they are finally back up running!  Check out this blog post explaining what it is that happened.  In the post, they outlined several lessons they learned from the experience and I think they are worth analyzing.  Let’s check them out:

1. Backing up is important. This is so important that I did a post on the subject awhile back outlining several options available for backing up.  The people at MorgueFile were also quick to suggest coming up with a recovery plan.  What good is a backup if you have no plan for how to retrieve the backup?
2. “Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of backup tapes.” This statement is interesting!  Basically, there are some pluses to having an off-site backup but there is also a minus: the use of bandwidth.  For MorgueFile, the amount of data they were attempting to recover remotely became a real issue.  When thinking of the type of backup you want, PLEASE consider the amount of data and bandwidth because you may end up chewing your fingernails for days or weeks waiting for the download!
3. The Internet’s community is a powerful thing. Apparently even competitors even stretched out their hands and offered assistance!  Now that’s good sportsmanship!  The principle to learn here is that people really will treat you the same way you treat them.  If you go around burning bridges, sooner or later your britches will get burned!  On the other hand, if you forge relationships that are symbiotic, you’ll be glad you did!

Good for MorgueFile, home of the greatest photography community and the greatest source of free photography on the internet (IMHO) for coming out of this with lessons learned!  Tribulation usually teaches something, if we are willing to listen!

What tribulation taught you lessons you were able to take with you?  Share in the comments!

Google Picasa Web Albums Helps You Find Familiar Faces

I’m kind of interested in the capabilities of Google Picasa Web Albums‘ to track people down in photos using facial recognition.  I tried it out with some good success while tagging people in my own albums.  I also did a review and how-to for MakeUseOf.com.  Today I was thinking of another way this technology can work to my benefit.

This week I go to camp with the teen group from my church (this post was actually written before leaving but I scheduled it to post while I’m away from the internet).  One thing the camp does is have photographers taking pictures all week so we can bring a CD home to enjoy (great idea, right?).  The only thing is that is is usually tedious finding the teens from our group for the slide show to show in church.

Well, what I think I will do is fallow this procedure:

1. Re-size the photos in order that they will take up less space so uploading them will be a snap.
2. Upload them to Google Picasa Web Album (keeping them private for safety reasons)
3. Use a group photo to grab familiar faces from
4. Hopefully tag just the teens we know
5. Note the name of the file (so I can go to the high-res photos on my HD and snag them)

What do you think, will it work?  I’ll let you know once I try it!

Cell Phone Towers are actually going Undercover?

I ran across this YouTube video and I got a kick out of it (and the lady’s hair).  Did you know that they actually disguise cell phone towers?

Funny, huh?  Especially the lighthouse miles from the shore!

Timmyjohnboy is Now Trying out Video Broadcasting on Ustream.tv

Hey, folks!  I’m trying out broadcasting on ustream.tv which is a service that allows you to stream a video stream in real time.  In this post I would like to walk you through signing up for an account if for no other reason than having a username when you’re checking my stream out.  In other words, when you log in to watch me… um… stream, you can chat with me via the little chat room next to the video AND you’ll have an actual username instead of “guest…”

First, visit ustream.tv.

Next, you want to register so click on “sign up” in the upper right corner of the page (It’ll bring you here)

After hitting submit, you’ll be brought to another form asking for some details for your profile (only fill in what you feel comfortable with keeping in mind people may read them)

Next you’re given the option to show some of your contacts and Twitter followers that you are signed up (not mandatory)

Now you’re good to head on over to ustream.tv/timmyjohnboy and check things out!

I don’t have a scheduled time each week that I’ll be on so follow me on Twitter (which also ends up on my Facebook profile) to be notified when I am online!

Child Safety is Important Off-Line Also

Here on Timmyjohnboy.com I’ve covered online safety before, including more specifically, child safety.  Today I came across this video that highlights another safety concern which has nothing to do with the internet or computers.  Here we have a seven year old who was able to take the family car for a ride:

Wow!  How WAS he able to see over the dash?  The incident brings up a few questions that I’m hoping some of you can help me with.  Is there a way this could have been avoided?  What could have been done?  Should parents alter the environment to make it safer for their children or should it fall on child training?  See if you can answer some of these in the comments!