Phones

One about how people won't go anywhere without their phones.

Song: Organ Grind Blues

Another from the bandcamp album, Propagandistic Media. 

song: propagandistic media

Since this is the blog that I have tended to post this format and type of audio, I'll post this one here now. This is actually an older song that I realized never got recorded. So, since I still remembered how to play it, I made a version of it using nylon string guitar and vocals.

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

Flower Power Audio

Here is some music created with lmms that I used as a soundtrack for a short animation. Since this is the blog where I experiment with html and things, I thought I'd attempt to play with the design a little. Perhaps, it will be noticeable, but maybe not.

flowerpoweraudio

❀

The text/special characters

I've decide to go with a simple font in the hopes of being read more.

☺

 Arial seems the most standard. Ha, I learned a new trick with html/css. The hardest part was changing the size. Here is a list of special characters to use. Here is a way of changing the size of the character. As far as what browser will do what with it, that is something I'll have to test out.

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).

Firefox Browser not what it used to be?

Well at this point, I would have to wonder if Firefox has gone downhill? No offense to them, but code and embeds that work on Chrome, simply will not work on Firefox. It could be that the version is in need of an update, or it could be a problem specific to Linux, I don't know. But my recent experience has been that Chrome (with the possible exception of flash, which should be a technology on the way out, but isn't- which is another blog post) works far better than Firefox currently.

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.

Song:Trouble in district 13

This is from a while back, but I still think it came out well enough. Steel String acoustic guitar and vocals, with overdub lead acoustic guitar as well. So far, I believe this way of doing it only works using Google Chrome.

audio, video, and html code - too many choices

Now that I know several ways of posting audio or video, using html audio or video tag, or various ways to embed either audio or video, I can't really decide how it should be done. I suppose I could use various sources, doing a little of each method at different times. Is it best just to use YouTube or Vimeo to embed video? Should i always use html audio or video tag to do it? should I use an embed code? Which source am I most comfortable using?

These are all questions to be answered to if I wish to continue posting, but likely I'll still use this blog to practice whichever way is hardest for me to accomplish, and do what is easier on other blog spaces.

Out of curiosity, a video attempt the same way

Since it has been so long since I've tried to embed or share a Google Drive video, I'll attempt to re-learn the process here. From what I remember, Google made that quite easy to do, unless something has changed. It is especially easy on a Google sites, if not as easy on blogger. It might be as simple as having the link. One thing to keep in mind is that the links have to be set to share on Drive itself. this can be done in the Google Drive settings. Let's see...



So far, it appears to work. It was harder than just having the link. The embed code is still needed.This one of my songs called, "Little Bird Fly Away." Sorry for being at all commercial on this blog, but I feel like I have to use my own music mostly because of copyright issues.

Another test of different source for embed code

This is yet another test. I have been interested in what will work as a source for html audio, or in this case, even just an embed. I've been interested to see (as of yet it only works for a time, then stops) if Google Drive can be used as a sufficient host for an audio (I know it works in various scenarios with video) when used as html directly, or an embed. So, I'll yet again make an attempt.




So far, this seems to work. I can't take credit for figuring this out. I got it from here. the song is mine, done with uke and vocals. Called, "Dusty uke." Update: hmm...after a certain period of time, it seems to stop working just as the audio tag with this source does. Still works when brought up as a "pop up" player. Update 2: It seems to work again once refreshed, or more perhaps it is a random problem.Update 3: Doesn't seem to work in Firefox, or perhaps it is an authentication problem, I don't know.

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.

Many blogs or one

It is an old question among bloggers. For now, I think I'll stick to maintaining my several blogs. Here are a few that I will link in this post: Jymediablog    johnyorks blog  soundblogbyjy

Image post attempt from tablet

Third time is a charm? Would not work from google drive. Of course, I don't know if it would from a computer either. As of yet untitled. Maybe, "stormy blue sky." Or, I'll come up with something better. 

Test of re-learning embed of YouTube

This is just another one of my tests, as it seems that I've forgotten how to embed video myself when it comes from YouTube. Maybe what works changes over time slightly. I don't know.

Oh, right.../embed. Ha, that's what I forget.

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?

test of dictating blogger from tablet

how this might work No I said this might work.desk no I said this is how well which is pretty goodvoice recognition to blogger work I said the word no I said work with an apps No s right.

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.