Jan 23 2007

Why are people investing in stupid Web 2.0 companies?

It seems all you need these days to get 4 million euro funding is to copy somebody else’s idea, have a good graphic designer and buy a cheap dedicated server.

… on that note I’m off to build dating4bikers.com

http://www.techcrunch.com/


Jan 23 2007

Best FREE tools for ripping DVDs to iPod, Sansa, Archos or other media players

I personally use the following tools to convert my DVD collection to smaller compressed version for media players. Personally I own a Sandisk Sansa e270, Orange C600 smartphone and Sony PSP.

All of the above devices only play videos encoded in certain ways.

I recommend the following tools:

  • AutoGK (Gordian Knot)
  • DVDFab Decrypter
  • Video9 (for Sony PSP only)
  • It bugs me that people spend $25 on some shady tool sold online that does a worse job than the tools above. Worst of all, the tools are mostly repackaged versions of open source tools! Arrrgh!

    Tutorials on how to use the tools will follow shortly.


    Jan 22 2007

    Great collection of password decoders

    Found this site via google whilst looking for a password decoder for Filezilla. It has a huge collection of apps that will help you retrieve a lost password.

    http://aluigi.altervista.org/

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    Jan 20 2007

    Selling your own stock footage

    Lee Stranahan got me thinking the other day about selling stock footage online. I’ve been keen to explore the options available on the Internet for a while.

    It all started when I created some IDs for One World Week at Warwick University. Specifically I created some funky intros to One World Week TV which Warren, Tom and I produced. It was the first time Warwick University had a TV show!!!

    The kind of things that are hot at the moment are 720p and 1080p high definition footage for DVDs and corporate videos. Loops for backdrops are also sought after.

    How to create your own stock footage? Tools you you need are as follows:

  • Compositing package such as After Effects or DFusion, an open source alternative is Jahshaka
  • A fast computer (sorry Keith yours won’t cut it!)
  • Plenty of disk space to render the project to HD resolutions
  • Finally a creative side helps…
  • (Optional) A digital stills camera or a video camera
  • Your options are to sell simple film/video footage, stills or something you’ve created with the help of any combination of the above tools.

    Currently I’ve found the following site which allows you to sell your material easily:

  • Revostock.com
  • I’ll post some examples once I’ve had a chance to get creative. :)


    Jan 19 2007

    Presetcentral.com in the good old days

    Here is a video on my close friend Tom Carter working hard on the first version of Presetcentral.com. It was recorded at our student digs in Coventry… ooh how I miss it!

    [flv:/video/tompsc.flv 320 240]

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    Jan 16 2007

    Drupal 5.0 released

    The good guys at drupal.org have released version 5.0 of this amazing php/mysql CMS.

    Drupal.org

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    Jan 16 2007

    DRM is not about preventing Piracy

    I found this excellent article on ArsTechnica earlier today. It talks about how DRM isn’t about preventing piracy, but rather about minimising your rights as a consumer and maximising and creating new revenue streams for the publishers.

    www.arstechnica.com

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    Jan 14 2007

    Screw you Apple, screw you!

    As they say in South Park… Screw you Apple, screw you!

    Some technology loving guys over at Modaco create a nice little theme for Windows Smartphones that looks like the iPhone interface. Innocent right? Well not in the eyes of Apple Inc. They’ve sent the guys a cease and desist letter and asked them to kill the downloads and screenshots.

    Why am I blogging about this? Because it sucks. Apple’s stance on these kind of things just don’t make sense, even from a business point of view. So unless people blog about Apple’s shitty attitude and behaviour they’ll simply get away with it!

    The original story from TechCrunch.com

    Update: Ok, so I kind of missed the point here… the key point is that Apple are pursuing bloggers that are linking to the Smartphone theme and even the screenshot.

    If I can find it I will link to it myself.


    Jan 14 2007

    Pirates 1 – Hollywood 0, Serenity HD-DVD rip download now available

    The day has finally come. We knew it was just a question of time. Afterall there are very few copy protection schemes out there that have remained unbroken.

    The first rip of a protected HD-DVD (other rips of HD-DVD have been out for a while, but they weren’t protected in the first place) has made its way onto Bit Torrent and other P2P sites. It does beg the question why Hollywood even bother ;) Some more thoughtful comments to follow…

    http://torrentfreak.com/


    Jan 14 2007

    Your dream child