Blog Has Moved

I have moved this blog to another domain. See ya there! Posts will continue to be updated here as well.

Web Site Additions

I found a couple web site additions I thought were worth telling you about. These are simple enough to use with little or no web design knowledge but are robust enough to satisfy most job demands.

The first is Webpad, read what their site has to say:

webpad is a web-based text editor which gives you access to files from any of the following locations;

• Your own computer (via file upload)
• The server that webpad is installed on (via direct file manipulation)
• Any FTP server (via FTP file operations)
• Any website (via remote file requests)
• Popular blogging tools (Blogger.com, MovableType, TypePad, LiveJournal, blosxom, WordPress)
• Other data sources via a flexible plugin system

It features a simple interface and includes a collection of powerful HTML tools for working with web pages.

webpad is written entirely in PHP (HTML, CSS and JS), and operates in your browser without any need for cumbersome plugins or extra downloads.

This is one of the easiest web editors that I have seen you should check them out if you need an online editor.

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Next Podcast Generator, here is what their site has to say about it:

Podcast Generator is a free web based podcast publishing script written in PHP: upload media files (audio-video) via a web form along with episode information and automatically create podcast w3c-compliant feed including iTunes specific tags. It also features a comprehensive web administration.

This is an easy to use solution to distribute podcasts. I simply FTP my audio file to my site and then click one link on the PodGen admin page to updadte my XML page. Then modify the episode information and I'm done.

...I'm a page designer..Who Knew?

Recently I started going to a new church in town. They are just getting started and were already looking for a web designer. I offered my services to "help out" with who ever they found. UMMM... turns out they found me. I work with hardware not so much with the software side of things, so when I realized what they had in mind I started playing around with some ideas. Turns out that they liked it and I am having a ball. There is not much verbage there yet but we are working on it.

If I am going to do it, I figured this will be the perfect time to find some really good Open Source web tools that are also portable (no install). So far I have used nothing but free programs to create this site. Below is what I have been using:

• KompoZer: A HTML editor that replaced NUV. So far the only thing I had trouble with was making the frames page (easy enough with a text editor though)
• GIMP: A wonderfully powerful image editor.
• FileZilla: A great FTP client.
• Audacity: For my audio editing needs.
  
• XAMPP: Local web server to test my pages.
• NotePad2: One of the best text editor replacements I have found.
• FireFox: The greatest browser on the planet! (ever notice it takes you 3Xs longer to a make page look as good in IE as it does in FF?)
  

Also, I would be a fool not to mention the wonderful folks at Dynamic Drive for all the cool scripts and stuff

I will try to keep you posted on the more interesting stuff.

Too Much Stuff...

I have been overloaded with stuff to do. It seems that every time I turn a round I have forgotten to do something that I promised someone that I would do. I just couldn't keep up with every thing. That is until I found this little template. This is a 'pocketmod' -ish style print out that can be edited with Word and folded into an eight page book that will fit in almost any pocket. This thing is great for those of us that require a little low tech every now and then.

I couldn't see spending money on a day planner that I would be locked into for ever or worse stop using after a while - and I enjoy the idea of doing it myself. I took the basic layout of this template and designed my own to fit my needs. It was easy, cheap, and I learned a few things as well. Now I am ready to join the masses that have decided to "Get Things Done".

Here is a copy of what I came up with... ToDoTemplatenopic.doc

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHAAAAAAHHH!!!

So I get to the office this morning and we have NO INTERNET!! (First sign of a bad day) Between answering calls asking me if I knew we had lost our internet connection and actually working on the problem, I'm informed that Embarq is here and is ready to up grade our phones... AND that the phone system will be down for "a while." I have to take this as "We have the updated system installed but why is it not coming back up?"

OK, Current state of affairs:
Internet connection: up
Phones: MIA
Phone Techs: @ Lunch

Training Videos

If you are like me, you probably have a few hundred people trying to get your attention at the same time, and all of them are thinking that their problem is the one you need to work on first. Fortunately, some of these users have the same problem or it is a problem that you have seen before. In these cases you may be well server to create a training video distribution system. Training videos are very easy to create, convert and distribute if you have the right software.

Here is a list of the software that I use to make my video files. You may know of better ones, if so, let know! These are all OpenSource and FREE to use:

CamStudio
This the main video capture program that I use. It does a great job recording what is on your screen. It can do voice overs while recording, pop-up info clouds, and highlight your mouse for high visibility. If you would rather not have to deal with an AVI file, it can also record to Flash.

SUPER
Is a program that handles video conversion of the .avi files from CamStudio to .mov files so I can use them in iTunes. I am sure it can do more but that is all I need it to do at the moment. It has "drag and drop" file importing and will take an AVI created with the Microsoft1 Video codec that is 857MB and convert it to an 8.61MB MOV file encoded with DivX. (Real numbers!)

PodProducer
Is an audio mixing program that can handle multiple audio inputs such as MP3s, and WAVs and combine them with your voice via the microphone. It has queuing capabilities, audio level control, and instant play buttons that you can configure as well and the ability to
upload it strait from the program interface.

Basically, if you can see it on screen or have to tell someone howto do it, it can be captured with these programs and distributed to your users. I am getting rather long here, so I will save that for later missives...

It's Been A While...

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I hope to rectify this in the coming weeks. I have a few new (To me!) topics that may be of interest to those that work at school districts:

Creating tutorial videos for employees and how to distribute them for FREE.

Creating a podcast entry in iTunes for a LOCALLY created and used podcast.

An interesting use for iPods in schools.

Other truly useful Freeware programs.

That's about it for now...