Create MPEG Picture Slideshow in Ubuntu 8.10

Intro: I was surprised to discover just how difficult it was to successfully make a video slideshow in Ubuntu. This is really just a matter of package dependencies not being made explicit.

1. In your terminal, type:
sudo apt-get install imagemagick mjpegtools music123 ffmpeg digikam

Or, if you prefer, install the 5 packages in Synaptic.


(1.5 If you only install digiKam, it will not be able to encode the movie. This is the problem I ran into. digiKam requires music123 and mjpegtools to successfully perform the operations.)

2. Open digiKam (under Applications -> Graphics -> digiKam)

3. Go to Tools -> Create MPEG Slideshow

4. Add any images you want, set the order, etc. You need to specify what you want to save the file as (output file). You can also render audio into the movie.

5. Select "Encode". When you're done, you show see the .mpg file you sent the output to.

Create New Google Document in Offline Mode

This may sound silly, but I was initially disappointed that Google Documents didn't let you create new documents while using offline mode. It's been said that this feature will eventually be implemented, but there's a really obvious fix in the meantime:
Simply create one or more "blank" documents ahead of time. When you want to create a new document in offline mode, just edit one of these documents and when you have internet access it will sync your edits as with any other case. At that point you can rename the file anything you like.

Easy MP3 Streaming with Attachments in phpBB3

I wanted my forum users to be able to upload mp3's and have a little flash player show up so that other users could stream them directly from the site (see screenshot).



After a few hours of scouring forums and googling, it seemed that nobody had the solution I wanted (just a bunch of less appealing alternatives). So, even though I don't know javascript or php, I managed to put together this little hack and to my surprise it gets the job done! When it's finished, you'll be able to upload an mp3, and when you click the "place inline" button, it will embed mp3's in our flash player BBCode tag.Note: If you are using something other than the default prosilver style, you will need to edit the files that are in those style folders.

Part 1: Install Flash Player
I use the Dewplayer Multi BBCode. If you want to install a different flash player, you just need to make sure you install that one and replace all appropriate references to the BBCode. Get the files and original instructions here.

1. First thing is to download the attachment in the link, unzip it, and upload the contents to your forum root (ie: /home/yourusername/public_html/phpBB3/ on a default install on a linux server running apache).

2. Next go to the Admin Control Panel >> Select "Posting" Tab >> Select "BBCodes" from left menu

3. Select "Add a new BBCode"

4. Enter the following into the boxes:

BBCode Usage
[dewmultimp3]{URL}[/dewmultimp3]

HTML Replacement
<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="dewplayer-multi.swf?mp3={URL}&showtime=1" width="240" height="20"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="movie" value="dewplayer-multi.swf?mp3={URL}&showtime=1"></object>

Helpline
DEWMULTIMP3: [dewmultimp3]MP3 urls separated with a | [/dewmultimp3]

Then select the box that says "Display on Posting Page" if you want it there for convenience to your forum users.

Part 2: The Coding Hack

There are three files that each need one small edit. I highly recommend making a backup copy of each file, something like filename_backup, in case something goes wrong and your forum becomes dysfunctional.

First file: "forum_root/cache/tpl_prosilver_posting_editor.html.php"

Edit line 121
Change from this:
<?php if ($this->_rootref['S_INLINE_ATTACHMENT_OPTIONS']) { ?><input type="button" value="">_rootref['L_PLACE_INLINE'])) ? $this->_rootref['L_PLACE_INLINE'] : ((isset($user->lang['PLACE_INLINE'])) ? $user->lang['PLACE_INLINE'] : '{ PLACE_INLINE }')); ?>" onclick="attach_inline(<?php echo $_attach_row_val['ASSOC_INDEX']; ?>, '<?php echo $_attach_row_val['A_FILENAME']; ?>');" class="button2" /> <?php } ?>
To this (Ctrl+A to select All):
<?php if ($this->_rootref['S_INLINE_ATTACHMENT_OPTIONS']) { ?><input type="button" value="">_rootref['L_PLACE_INLINE'])) ? $this->_rootref['L_PLACE_INLINE'] : ((isset($user->lang['PLACE_INLINE'])) ? $user->lang['PLACE_INLINE'] : '{ PLACE_INLINE }')); ?>" onclick="attach_inline(<?php echo $_attach_row_val['ASSOC_INDEX']; ?>, '<?php echo $_attach_row_val['A_FILENAME']; ?>', '<?php echo $_attach_row_val['ATTACH_ID']; ?>');" class="button2" /> <?php } ?>

Second file: "forum_root/styles/prosilver/template/posting_editor.html"
Line in file: 168

Replace:
<input type="button" value="{L_PLACE_INLINE}" onclick="attach_inline({attach_row.ASSOC_INDEX}, '{attach_row.A_FILENAME}');" class="button2"> <!-- ENDIF -->

With this:
<input type="button" value="{L_PLACE_INLINE}" onclick="attach_inline({attach_row.ASSOC_INDEX}, '{attach_row.A_FILENAME}', '{attach_row.ATTACH_ID}');" class="button2"> <!-- ENDIF -->

Last file: "forum_root/styles/prosilver/template/editor.js"
Function starting on line: 189

Replace this:
function attach_inline(index, filename){ insert_text('[attachment=' + index + ']' + filename + '[/attachment]'); document.forms[form_name].elements[text_name].focus();}

With this:
function attach_inline(index, filename, attach_id){ if (filename.match(".mp3")) { insert_text('[dewmultimp3]' +'http:/secondbasement.comphpBB3/download/file.php?id=' + attach_id +'[/dewmultimp3]'+' ' + filename); document.forms[form_name].elements[text_name].focus();<br /> } else { insert_text('[attachment=' + index + ']' + filename + '[/attachment]'); document.forms[form_name].elements[text_name].focus(); }}

That should do it, you're all done! Now when you upload an mp3 file and click "Place Inline," it should wrap the appropriate URL in the dewplayer tag. Hope you find this helpful!

Mountain Goats: Over 7500 Diggs!

New Google Services

Gmail, Gdocs, Maps, Gcal, Youtube, Groups, Picasa, and many, many more. With the list of web services offered by Google growing every day, it seems appropriate to take a(n entirely satirical) look at the untouched realms Google has yet to tap into.



Having a bad day? Select "Grouchy" from the drop down menu and everyone will know to stay clear. GTalk will make your status into a "stay away" message, while GMail optionally bounces emails from preset filters. Don't have many friends? Google will send SMS's with messages like "Cheer Up," and "Don't worry, be happy!" Plus, GFeelings will allow you to catalog your emotions in one easy to reference database. Imagine, being able to reference exactly how you felt after that conversation with your mother-in law two years ago.



















Google Socks, a new addition to Google Search, allows you to index and search for all of your household items. Lost your keys? No worries, just type it into the search bar and you're greeted with a the helpful "Room View", pointing you in the right direction.

Not satisfied putting your schedule, private emails, personal documents, and medical records all into one integrated service? Want the same company that controls all of your information to control your assets to? Become a member of Google Bank! Needless to say, there is excellent integration with Google Checkout.




Another addition to search, Google is continuing to improve their natural language processing by indexing all the conversations you have with your loved one. With technology similar to GAudi, now being used to index speech in Youtube videos, GBicker records all of the "conversations" you have and indexes them. You will be able to scan the transcript by time or keyword. Now you can find out exactly what they said and prove you were right once and for all.








Much like the past couple generations have been raised on television, Google now offers today's modern family a chance to pass the buck on the responsibilities of child rearing. Just sit your kid down in front the household computer and start them off at http://parenting.google.com/. The page automatically starts incessantly jamming useful benign information into the child's mind. Right now it's only available for ages up until ten or eleven, but development has begun for an "adolescent" package.