saturday ukulele free form jam 5/20/17

first attempt of html video hd (and other) tags

It seems like there could be a way to make videos play hd or not hd using html5 video. I would like to add more controls that allow the viewer to switch from hd to normal definition and back again. I would also like to explore the idea of adding more controls in general.This is my first attempt at discovering whether I can accomplish this or not.This is an episode of Sherlock Holmes via the Internet Archive. It is in the public domain.

I seem to lack the knowledge to connect the buttons to the player. Hmm...that is a critical step I'm missing, but if I gain that ability, I'll come back to this post.Until then, I have removed the buttons, but left the video up for any who come upon it and care to watch this episode of Sherlock Holmes

inconsistencies are the norm between browsers and devices with html and embed

Inconsistencies seem to be the norm between browsers and devices. For instance, at least for a short while, I've decided to use a cursive style handwriting for the text of this blog. However, if my understanding is correct, it won't appear that way to someone on a tablet or other mobile device.

When it comes to html audio/video, and the various ways to embed audio/video, who knows what will work in each case. so far, it seems that the newer "embed" code works better in mobile than the older "iframe." But the reverse seems to be the case on a standard OS, especially using Firefox as a browser.

There is even apparently a great difference between browsers. Chrome seems to see every type of tag and code as far as I have been able to gather from my testing. Firefox does not do as well. As I don't use Windows, I have only been able to test IE in older versions on wine. That is hardly a fair way to test it.

It seems that Firefox on a standard OS would prefer the old fashioned "iframe" over the "embed" code, but even that could be something specific to the case. Also, it is hard for me to discern which audio file type plays best in Firefox. It is either ogg or mp3, so if one is able to use both in every attempt, there should be no problem getting it to work. however, it is much more practical to just use mp3, and if Firefox has trouble playing the file, then that is a problem more with Firefox rather than the file type.

Tablets and mobile devices are a whole other situation. For instance, so far from my testing, it seems that an android tablet likes the "embed" tag over the "iframe" tag, but maybe not in all cases. There was at least one case where the "iframe" tag seemed to work well. The problem is that this is the exact opposite of how things seem to work in Firefox.

It seems that the bottom line might be: use Google chrome and see the entire internet (with the exception of a slight problem with flash, which as I posted before is a technology that should be on the way out in the next few years).

Notes on what works with audio tag or embed, and what doesn't

Since I've been working with html audio and various sources for audio tag and embed, I think I've discovered what works and what doesn't. First of all, Chrome seems to be the best browser ofr this sort of thing. Firefox and Opera don't seem to always work, even after testing with Chrome and having it work.

That said, it seems that using the audio tag works better than an embed of audio in many cases. There are sites like bandcamp and others that seem to have worked out a way of getting audio to work all around, on any browser, but doing it yourself - it is likely best to use the audio tag rather than an embed code. Also, using Google Drive as a source only seems to work in the Google Chrome environment. As an aside, Chrome seems to look best on the web in general. What I mean by that is I had problems with the way a web page was designed and looked on Firefox and Opera, but it was fine in Chrome.

Of course, YouTube always seems to work in any browser, but that is mainly a video site that can be used for audio too, not strictly an embed of audio.

Conclusions so far? If one wants to do it the easiest way, use Youtube or Vimeo and create a simple video container for the audio. Or, just as well, use bandcamp. If one is like me, and wants to experiment a little and do it on one's own, then use a stable source like the internet archive, or perhaps if one is more adventurous, tindeck. I would however, avoid using an embed of Google Drive file. It simply doesn't work across all browsers. however, it is likely that browsers other than Chrome will sometimes have problems too. So, if one doesn't have Chrome, get it. The open source Chromium is good too. But the honest truth is, if one uses Windows instead of Linux, Chrome is easier to get and use.

Some notes on Linux distros

There are times when I really would like to have several desk top computers set up. I don't. Or, at least have two, one to use and one for experimentation with different Linux distros. I do have Virtual Box, but that is not the same as having a distro installed on a computer.

For stability, I have to say that I believe Linux Mint is the best. Or, perhaps I think that because it is easy to use. There is very little to do after installing Linux Mint, whereas other distros require a bit of work to set up after installation.

But, there certainly are times when I like the idea, perhaps a bit romanticized, of Debian. Debian is the polar opposite of Mint when it comes to ease of use and set up. There is a lot that has to be done after installation generally. I suppose it could be used as is upon installation, but there are things that one might want from an OS that have to be gotten after the installation process with Debian.

And then, because I am a person who like to attempt to create various types of art I suppose, whether being visual, video, or audio - there is one of my favorite distros, Ubuntu Studio. There is always something more that could be added from the repos, but the software is pretty much there to create art upon installation of Studio.

Of course, any distro (although I prefer Debian based ones) can be made to suit the needs of the individual user. It is just a matter of taking the time to set things up, and finding the right software in the repos.

For multi-media uses, one could argue that Windows is superior, but I don't think I would like to go back to Windows anymore. I prefer Linux instead.

Public DNS servers

To Expand on my post where I discovered there are other DNS servers besides the one your internet ISP provider sets up for you, I have found out that there are actually many public, free to use, DNS servers besides Google Public DNS which I covered in a previous post.

The reasons why a person might want a different DNS server than the one provided by the ISP internet provider vary. Perhaps, it is simply a matter of speed. In many cases, the standard resolver is too slow. Others might believe the internet is too insecure, and wish to prevent harmful sites from infecting their computer. Others might want to avoid the more adult oriented sites, as they want a family friendly experience.

It all depends on what you are looking for, partly based on your world view. For instance, DNS watch is a smaller free DNS that purports to be for those who value freedom and privacy. For the security minded there are many, such as Comodo DNS.  And those are just a few. There are at least several more that can be easily found online.

Some are more like a service on top of being a dns, like Open DNS.  This company offers more of a internet security service, along with other tools. They have a free plan and a paid one. Again, it all depends on what you want and how you see the world.

It isn't hard to do, depending on your system. It is simply a case of learning how to point your internet connection to the proper address, or to simplify, the right numbers that signify a certain server. Many of these sites explain the procedure to set up a device to use the particular DNS server.

Of course, if one is happy with the DNS they have, there is no reason to change it.

html, flash, and the tablets.

Most tablets, as far as I can tell, seem as if they are being designed not for use with Flash. Sometimes, there may be a special "app" that works to provide Flash, but generally the idea seems to be to get away from that, and perhaps use html audio and video. In fact, it looks as though some of the sites that might use Flash to present videos on a computer, are using an "app" to present it on a tablet.

So why do these same sites insist on using Flash for video on a computer screen? One would think Flash is a technology that is on the way out, yet there are some sites that rely on it, and do not even have separate apps for tablets and phones.

Flash uses too much resources, and often doesn't work well when used on a tablet, or sometimes even a computer. Html is lighter on resources, and works effortlessly (except when it doesn't load properly or a browser doesn't have the capability to play it).

Is it a commercial reason? Would it be harder to place ads with html in video? I don't know. I do know that Android is becoming a very popular operating system, not to mention Apple. I'm told Apple is very much opposed to using Flash on devices. So, the question remains, why isn't everyone using html?

Where next ?

Well, I'm sure more coding or tech stuff will occur to me, but right now I haven't come across anything that catches my curiosity.  Every now and then, I feel the need to play around with a new Linux distribution. Maybe, I'll post something about that here. I don't know. Probably, I'll put up more of my media using html instead. I might include media from other places too. In other words, continue on, but with less focus on the different ways of designing the audio/video players, and more focus on content.

If I discover new things, I'll post here about that as well....

Really? Check your page and connection?

Update:  (See after the jump for what this update refers to.) Oh, my bad. Really, it might not have to do with Google at all. It might be a problem with the ISP if this ever happens to you. At least I learned some more stuff from this (likely stuff many others already knew quite well). There are options for getting around an ISP anyway, which I don't know if I'll do it. Although, both of these options claim to make the internet faster, but one seems more difficult than the other. One is run by Cisco, and is called, Open DSS.  The other is Google public DNS. This actually seems harder to set up. Google also offers something called, Cloud DNS. The information is on the same page as Google Public DNS. I don't know if I am technologically capable enough to venture into either one of these projects, but when I get DNS error messages, I'm inclined to do it.



People wonder why I am sometimes overly paranoid about security and avoiding malware on the internet. When I get a message telling me that I can't visit my own page because of DNS connection or some such thing......and being signed in too. Really Google? This happens even still with the Google in charge? Now, I'll be keeping track of things way too carefully just because Google is not as all mighty as one might think. Is it blogger? Is it all of Google? Is it really the internet in my location? Who knows.

And now, "An error occured while trying to save...." Really? Come on Google.

Test of IA book embed

This is mainly a test of writing my own embed code (rather than iframe) to embed a digital book from Internet Archive. Hope it works. From the preview, it doesn't seem to work the way I imagined.

test of bluefish editor

This is just a test of using "BlueFish" editor for html and transfer to blog or site.

Here is some more text in a paragraph tag

This audio is wav format, and might not play in all players

ok

Il Fait Du Soleil audio attempt

Now, I'm going to attempt to use two different sources for a file. This is because chrome and firefox use one type, while opera seems to use another. Update 11/4/15: It seems that in some cases, the audio and/or video want to ignore the length and width settings, especially with audio. This seems to be a new problem on blogger.

Html5 video/audio: Some ramblings based on the little I may have learned so far.

So far, I would have to believe that the best browser for html5 video/audio is, hands down, Chrome. Firefox is a close second, and perhaps it is a tie. I have, with some difficulty, been able to create html5 code that will create an audio/video player that works most of the time (unless/until it stops working, which happened once) in both of those browsers. Opera is third. Does Opera not support mp3? I don't know, but there is some reason my one file in mp3 format doesn't play in Opera. Internet Explorer is too hard to know. Perhaps the newest version will play some of my audio/video creations. Maybe not though.

Song: Tired and Worn Down, attempt from different source

Trying to see if I can use a different source for the html5 audio file. I also am continuing to work on getting these to play in Internet Explorer. So Far these attempts work using Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. I would guess Safari would work, but don't know for sure. So, if you do not see the audio player, your browser does not support my best attempts so far at html5 video and audio. The source is bandcamp.Update: This one doesn't seem to play using Opera. It would seem now that the best source I've used for the file, the one that plays in the most browsers, is Internet Archive. Update 2:Well, I'm going to have to work on this one. Hmmm..it worked the other day.Update 3: As of August 9th, this worked using Chrome and Firefox, but not Opera.I think that may be because the file is mp3. Opera only works with free format? I don't know. The source is now Internet Archive, which seems to work best so far.

HTML5: If it works in IE, It might not in Firefox

It seems, as best as this humble novice html code writer can discover, that if you use mp4 video as the source, Internet Explorer might play the video. Then, all of a sudden, Firefox might not. Chrome seems to play all the formats. It all has to do with the format surely now. So, three browsers will play OGV and WebM, while IE needs it to be in mp4 format. And a lot of people still use IE. Tomorrow, I'll try to sort this out so my videos and audios play on all browsers.

Html5 Video and Audio attempts so far

So far, I've managed (as far as I can tell) to get both html5 simple audio and video player working for Chrome, Firefox (at least with the html5 extension), and Opera. The audio seems to play in some tablets and phones, but perhaps not others. The video will not work on a tablet or phone. Nothing works on Internet Explorer thus far.

I believe, especially in the case of IE, it is a matter of finding sort of the right codec, like maybe mp3/mp4 rather than anything else. I will be testing that theory within the next few days. And if I am wrong, I guess it is back to figuring out the problem with IE. But I'm pretty sure it is the file type.

Either way, even if only for Firefox, Chrome, and Opera users - I would like to get most of my audio and video creations up on this blog using this method. If only for the fun of it. I also have some ideas about using html5 for other things, but I'm far from being able to accomplish any of these more complex projects yet. Hopefully, I will at least be moving forward from here. See previous posts for what I've been able to accomplish so far. It isn't much, but I humbly submit my very simple attempts for those who may have an interest.

html5 audio written the hard way test 1

Now, I'll test audio element in html5. This is my song by the way, but the player looks the same as one that could have been used as provided by the Internet Archive. No difference.Update: Actually, now that I looked at both more closely, the IA one is different.Seems to work on Chrome and Firefox with the html5 extension. Works on some tablets and phones. Doesn't work in IE.

html5 writing and video attempt

I am trying to learn how to code in html5 adding the video element. However, it is difficult to find a source that will actually play.This one that I think now works comes from the Internet Archive, and is under the Creative Copyright listed for this video. Attribution: Coffeehouse_tch_142 by Mark Cohen.Seems to work in Chrome. Works in Firefox with html5 extension. Might work on some tablets and phones. Doesn't work in IE. Appropriate links to give credit: https://archive.org/details/coffeehouse_tch_142 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ Sometimes,I don't know why, this post craps out. Just refresh the browser until it plays.

Some Times Thoreau's Words

I think of what Thoreau said about simplifying. Too many platforms, and then one tends to get too caught up in technical details, and never may get to the thing that mattered - which was the various attempts at art. No decisions have been made, other than the next novella has to be finished. It actually is finished, but all in cursive on loose leaf paper. I did have another micro story written in that way, but somehow it never got put up on this blog.

There may come a point where I have to organize my scribbling and music better under one roof, but for now, I'm leaving things as they are. This blog is still out here, and the idea, of course, is to keep updating with new material - lest it become a void of some sort (or perhaps worse). I intend to do this. I intend to do that. I flutter about. I don't believe in Astrology, but when I finally read about my sign, the Gemini, I even agreed with bad things they were saying about me.

I've spoken about time and the lack of it before. That still seems to be the case. But, in between the rest of it, I might look around for that micro-story that never made it to here. Or, it is possible that I could write something else.

Incidentally, I've now become aware of the idea of speech recognition voice to text programs. It still doesn't quite work well enough to replace a keyboard. Then, I thought, how backwards it seems to still be typing away in this day and age. We all should have microphones that take dictation while we continue on with our stories. It can almost work, if you do a little at a time, and aren't copying from an old fashioned pen and ink text you've just scribbled out to use as the framework for your story.

I seem to remember, but could be mistaken, that Henry James, in his later years dictated some of his stories. Of course, that wouldn't be quite the same as speaking directly into a computer.