Electrics

Meanwhile, over at Tenon's Projects...

Software blues on XP machine

I have been uploading sight-singing videos to Youtube.  I have been using Windows Movie Maker to jazz them up a bit.

During the last few days I decided to try some screen video capture software but it didn't work as well as I wanted.  I had, some time ago, installed a trial copy of Debut from NCH and the trial was up so I paid to register it.  I captured the screen video with no bother [although I am still in email contact with them about the issues regarding recording the sound at the same time].  As my trial had been up I'd downloaded the software onto my Windows 7 laptop to give it another go before I paid for it on my XP machine, although it reckoned my laptop is so slow it set the software to 1 frame per second!

The above image is a screen shot of moving green line I wanted to show in my tutorial.  I was quite pleased with the results so I went ahead and imported it into Windows Movie Maker (WMM).  Unfortunately the result was squashed.  For some bizarre reason I cannot take a screen shot of the squashed image - Gadwin Print Screen and Windows Media Player do not get on (I've tried others too)


After MUCH - and I do mean MUCH - investigation of Debut, trying all the codecs, setting and what have you, I decided the problem was in WMM.  I Googled and found a place where I could download another copy; I did check which version I had and the one I downloaded said it was newer and it was for XP.

Well it did install but I do wish I hadn't done it.  Nevertheless I started to use NCH's Video Pad Editor which will run 'free' with some restrictions and I completed the video.

During all this I tried out a piece of software from BSR. It was slightly more expensive but very simple to use.  It come with 2 other programs which allow some video editing.

My video is here -at least it is for the moment - the quality seems to have suffered between me and Youtube.* Don't feel you have to watch. The moving bit is at 1.57 or so. [The width is wrong on here but OK on Youtube]

*PS I looked at it on my laptop and it is as fine as it is going to be. I think my PC - having been on all day - needed a reboot.

Old computer parts

This is what you do with them:

School photo

Over at Bloggertropolis, Steve has put up a picture on which he does not appear.  Here is one on which I do appear but I am not front row, 3rd from the right in case you wondered. (Sorry Mike).  I didn't scan this photo, I found it on Friends reunited!

Nice try

This appeared in my Yahoo spam box.  I wonder how many people they caught out.

Decisions

Freegle again!

Daughter #1 - who is now reading for a PhD - replaced her laptop in the summer as it had had 4 years of hammer.  Well, I replaced it for her as she was rather penniless at the time and I asked if could have the old one.  I thought I had a use for it but it boots up very slowly despite my having removed all the software I could see, cleaned the HDD and run Temp Cleaner, CCleaner, generally defragged and burnt incense over it.

I offered it on Freegle because I am such an altruistic guy. I ended my advert with "Please form an orderly e-mail queue" and I duly had about 60 replies.  This caused a problem.  Who would win the item?

I decided to rule out anybody who had replied within an hour of seeing the advert as some people stay on the site all day looking for goods to resell (I reckon) and, if they could do that they jolly well do not need another laptop.

Next I decided to rule out all those people whose messages ended "Sent from my Blackberry". I cannot afford a bloody Blackberry so they are too well heeled.

Also removed from the list were parents who wanted it for a child younger than 9 - what's wrong with Monopoly for Christmas?

I had several parents, brothers and aunts after it for a family member who was about to start A levels or GCSEs.  Hang on!  It's December.  'A' level and GCSE courses begin in September.  Porky pies?

Out went careless people - I've trodden on my son's laptop and cannot afford to get it replaced.

I finally picked a lady who said she did not have a laptop unless she went on the bus to Corby (some 14 miles away) to use her mother's. Sadly, all my e-mails bounced back so her settings are clearly wrong.

I then decided to select somebody who had not told me a sob story, did not want it for somebody else and and who had replied quite late (suggesting that they access the Internet in a library or friend's house).  Long story short, she has not got back in touch after saying she would phone me 'tomorrow', in an email timed at 00:27 on Monday; that's Sunday to me (just before bed time for some) and it is now Tuesday evening.

I have picked somebody else.

I wish I hadn't started.  The responsibility is too great.

Bank Genie Pro

Some time ago I decided my copy of Quicken was not running correctly and I discovered that there is not much support for the software. Well it did come with my first PC and the only upgrade I've had was when they sent the Year 2000 Solution.

I have now been running Bank Genie Pro for a couple of months although it isn't as colourful and I am still getting used to it.  However, I have been able to reconcile all my statements which is more than I could do in Quicken of late.  I also managed to export data from Quicken and Import to BGP to set it all up.

The developer is only an email away and he has helped me address a few issues whilst I have reported some minor bugs.

If you need such software I can recommend it.

Christmas Competition

Tenon is now on holiday.  Last Tuesday we had our Carol Service and for 2 weeks before that we were all struggling to write our reports and upload them to the school system from whence they are generated into printable files which the Head then reads. We used to have to print our reports onto paper by writing them in a Word template.  We would hand them back to colleagues for correction if we found mistakes.  These days we can go in and edit small errors made by colleagues (typos and so on) but subject terminology has to be checked with the teacher concerned.

The office staff stay on after the end of term to produce the reports and post them out to parents; the Head proof reads EVERY report and then writes his own.

Now, I admit that when I write reports I use my friends CTRL-C and CTRL-V if a phrase is needed again.  If one make an error this is duplicated! I had an email yesterday from the secretary saying that a report had been sent back to her and could I explain what I meant.  I checked all the reports for that class and found ten which had the same typo.  How many of my colleagues had actually read my report on the children in question, let alone understood what I was saying or thought to question it? NONE.

COMPETITION

Find the mistake in the following report.

This term we have been exploring the way composers use texture. In one session pupils composed a melody against a drone note.  John's piece was very dissonant because his melody was in one key whilst his drone note (when it eventually appeared) was totally foreign to the key.  In a group composition task pupils had to compose and produce the score of a piece which had three stands of sound, with a single rhythm to each part.  Given that he and his colleagues only wrote five bars and included another three bars of rest in the middle of the piece I have to say this was disappointing especially as only two bars used more than a single strand of sound.  John obtained 64% in a recent listening test about texture.  He needs to absorb musical vocabulary when he encounters it and to avoid errors such as failing to circle one of four options in a multiple choice question.

Sorry, there is not a prize but I should like to know how this was not picked up until it reached the Head.
 

Reports

It is school report season.

"Peter has had some issues with grammar concepts..." I have read from both the English and French departments.

It struck me that they should have put 'grammatical concepts' but when I Googled it there were plenty of hits for their version.  Am I just old-fashioned?
 

I cannot afford it

I cannot afford my union fee.

I hope it is a typo!

Cloud 9

I am very busy at the moment and absolutely exhausted (more later).

To get an email from the Head saying "Thanks for sorting all that out...You are a star..." doesn't half help.