alphaxion.com
Tech, Gaming and Bile!
verticalslice.tv – we can rebuild her!
0As mentioned in my mini-post recently, I am currently rebuilding the verticalslice.tv website with a view to converting it into an Internet TV portal, rather than the single show, blog-style it is currently sporting.
This gives me the chance to really play with CSS, PHP and (attempt) SQL in ways that I never have before. It’s not gonna be pretty and I may still end up in a huff at not being able to get the job done >.<
During the arduous task of designing and building the new site, I will be recording a sort of comedy diary-type affair titled “We Can Rebuild Her”, where I will chronicle my hap-hazard attempts to put the site together with almost no knowledge on what I’m doing! I plan on dragging you guys into the hell-hole nightmare fun with me!
After a bunch of screaming at the monitor as if I were lost in a creative tundra, I now have the basics of a layout for the index page… it needs a few items adding to it, such as the itunes, youtube and plex (yeah, I’m going to be publishing to plex once this is off the ground) logos to the blurb under the highlights carousel and the Latest section needs filling in.
I think it’s getting there as a design, still needs a bit doing to it but it’s certainly workable as a landing page. Eventually I’ll be carving out the show pages and getting the backend working… but this will do for now. I worry at the SQL component needed for that *shudder*
To turn the layout into HTML, I have built up a map using the <DIV> tag. Doing it this way allows me to see just where I can split the page up into logical units and where I can push certain aspects into being includes. It also means I’m not staring blankly at the layout crafted in Photoshop, confused as to where I need to start.
That’s everything for this short update, as I build up the HTML it is being uploaded to http://www.verticalslice.tv/revamp and, after some tweaks to the layout, I will be recording episode one of We Can Rebuild Her… the fun has begun 
itunes stopped working in a virtual machine?
0Trying to sync my iPad with the iTunes library I have running in a VirtualBox virtual machine kept failing. I’d get spurious “error -5000″ messages or simply that it had failed to start. Further investigation brought to light the strange fact that I couldn’t even play any files and podcasts would download but fail to be added to the library. Trying to play the files using the built in network sharing to other iTunes clients would fail too.
What could be causing it?
End tasking and even a reboot didn’t cure things. I began to wonder if it was a change in iTunes itself, maybe Apple had disabled the use of a mapped drive for your library. Can’t be, things stopped working some days after I had updated iTunes. I then thought about the fact that the drive mapping was via the shared folders within VirtualBox rather than a straight up CIFS mapping. More recently, I had updated VirtualBox itself, maybe I forgot to update the virtual tools too? Could that be causing it?
One install and reboot later and iTunes is behaving itself! So, if you have the same problem I’d recommend ensuring your version of the virtual tools installed in the guest OS matches the version of VirtualBox you are powering it with.
Problem solved, podcasts synced and a smile brought back to my face 
Videos from the archive – Press To Continue 2
0Video number 2 in the Press To Continue series, if you want me to restart production of them just let me know @alphaxion.
Videos from the archive – Press To Continue
0I thought I’d repost some of the various videos I have created over the years. This one got me an honorable mention in the 2010 Escapist Film Festival. Still think it should have won me a contract to produce them!
A little something planned
0I have a project coming up, something I’ve been putting off for a while now – only this time I plan on producing a series of podcasts covering said project.
What am I planning? The migration of my old win2k3 AD and Exchange 2k3 server with win7 based TVPC’s to a linux based solution running as virtual machines for the servers and physical linux desktops for the media PC’s.
Win2k3 and its exchange server are getting long in the tooth, technologies are passing it by and I’m no-longer a windows only household since I added a virtual Ubuntu machine, macbook and an iphone into the mix. I’d like to be able to sync mail and calendar natively without having to bodge support into my current servers.
The hope is to end up with a server infrastructure that can be migrated between physical machines without needing to reconfigure/reinstall all the time – and to be easier to introduce future technologies or replacement services while making good use of the computing power.
As my OS of choice, I’ll be using Ubuntu server 10.0.4 LTS for the virtual machine host and guests, with VMWare server providing the virtualisation. This means I’ll have a stable server environment until 2015. For the desktops, I’ll stick with Ubuntu desktop.
So, initially, the core services I hope to produce are:
- LDAP (to replace Active Directory’s user control)
- DHCP and DNS (Because I prefer the control of running my own, plus I find consumer routers tend to lock up if you give them DHCP duties)
- Email (Zimbra to allow the syncing of mail and calendars)
- PXE OS deployment (Currently use WDS to install all my windows machines, can get rid of burning CD’s and juggling ISO’s)
- Internal Patch Management (WSUS handles updates in windows fantastically, no more grabbing them all from the net)
- Dedicated web server to migrate this very site to (Various issues with its current deployment)
I’m contemplating throwing my own voip server into the mix, however my use of Skype has dropped to near nil anyway. We’ll see how things go. Also coming under the heading of “we’ll see” would be running my own network monitoring software and a house intranet, something I keep loving the thought of but never bothering to use once I deploy one >.<
As I mentioned, this project is something I plan on recording and releasing as a video podcast since I think the subject would be interesting to others.
Keep your eyes open for future developments!
A little help for you
0For those who know, my 30th is rolling ever closer like a London Underground train with no power, mercilessly bearing down on the hapless souls in its path.
For the inevitable “what do you want?” questions, I decided to put together a list of items – a sort of wish-list, if you will – instead of my usual “just surprise me”. So here goes:
- New SDHC cards for my camcorder – these are dirt cheap on the likes of ebuyer or amazon, 8Gb and 16Gb appear to be the sweet spots right now.
- A new HDD – 1Tb, 7200RPM along the lines of this.
-
These - Whatever their real name beyond "clips" are, a little bag of them would help a lot with my greenscreen.
- Clothes – TShirts, cheap combats etc… Tho, if you get me slippers, socks and a “smoking gown” I’ll have a sense of humour malfunction, not to be confused with a wardrobe malfunction ;P
- DVB-S tuner card, either USB or internal. Not sure what I mean? This. But remember, DVB-S (Freesat) not DVB-T (freeview, since we’re in the valley of TV signal death and can’t get any).
- A job. Seriously, this unemployed lark is getting annoying now.
- DVD’s – Movies or TV shows, due to my transitioning from 20′s to 30′s I am, predictibly, in an 80′s kick with the occasional flirtation with “classics” such as Singin’ In The Rain. However, as you know I have a rather extensive collection and you’d be advised to double check with Kim as to whether I already have it.
- Elixer of youth – Alcohol. Never hurts (until the day after).
If I think of anything else, I’ll add it to this post.
App review: TVCatchup
2
App review: TVCatchup.com
OK, so this isn’t an app, per say… it’s a website. But a damn fine site with an iphone and ipad version you can pin to your main page – so you don’t need to bother with the app store for it – and use whether you’re on 3G or wifi. None of that “You must be on wifi to use this service” crap, though with all the network providers switching to metered bandwidth it could be an expensive habit!
So what does it do? In a nutshell, it allows you to stream live Freeview (UK free to air digital) TV channels across the net on your PC or mobile. While there’s no mention of geographic restrictions, I’m guessing this one is a UK only affair. Sorry, but at least you Americans have Hulu!
There’s also no subscription, just sign up for a free login account and often you have to endure a preroll ad after selecting the channel you wish to view, regardless of whether the show is currently playing or not.
And those are the only caveats, really.
The standard web layout is refreshingly uncluttered and simplistic – minimal cruft! Just choose between the EPG if you are looking for something specific or a list of channels if you don’t need to know anything more than the channel name.
EPG View
Channel View
It’s even cleaner on your iphone and ipad, presenting you with just the channel list and no option to see an EPG, though the ipad version shows you the program name currently showing.
Once you select a channel, it’ll begin streaming and the quality isn’t bad at all.
Right now you’re limited to bandwidth saving “low quality” and the default “standard quality”, with “high quality” versions of BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Five in beta and restricted to certain ISP’s. No word on when the rest of us will be able to pick up the high quality streams.
Still, video quality we can access is perfectly fine in full screen for standard screen sizes and comparable to other sources such as standard def iplayer, 4oD et al. You can even change the aspect ratio to get the best looking picture for your screen.
It may lack the flexibility of watching past episodes on your time frame and no HD streams for now, but as a means of watching live TV on the go via your iphone, in a secluded room with your laptop or ipad or a cheap alternative to a tuner for your HTPC, this site takes some beating. Especially if you’re in an area with poor TV signal quality (like me) or you just don’t want to pay for an expensive satellite/cable subscription, proving once and for all that your net connection is king!
Verdict: If you’re UK based, why aren’t you using this service already? It’s a must!
How Apple should respond to Iphone reception problems
01 year ago
By now I’m sure you’ve heard of the problems facing owners of Apple’s latest and greatest phone – for those who need a reminder, here’s a video put together by the folks at engadget…
As I tested this out for myself with the on display models (didn’t happen for me, tho I did notice an uncomfortable tingle) one fully fledged member of the Cult of Jobs expounded “Just buy the bumper, the problem goes away” (not to mention one of the more decidedly PC fixes).
But hold on there, why should you have to buy an overpriced bit of rubber just to work around what is a glaring design flaw? This kinda thing gets lambasted in other companies, why should Apple be excused? Especially when said company is supposed to place you, the consumer, at the centre of the universe.
So, what should Apple do? Recall every unit with the flaw with a redesigned one that doesn’t have the cockup?
I doubt they would do that, so how about they take a leaf from another mega-corp who showed a lot more class when faced with such a problem and potential backlash?
Cast your minds back to the tech jurassic age – 2006. The ipod was dominating the pocket and the PS2 was just about to get a major contender for the front room – The Wii.
Basking in the glow of their all conquering DS and a return on the home console scene, Nintendo’s smugness started to slip more and more as reports of sweaty palms, thin strap strings and resulting airborne Wiimotes spread from rumour, to news to internet meme.
In response to a potential PR disaster, Nintendo offered free silicon grips to those who had already bought their Wii’s and began shipping them with every new Wii and seperate Wii controller. The complaints about the bodily and property damage by flying controllers simply faded away as a result.
Jumping right back to now, why is it that Apple – with an obvious design flaw – are greeting their problems with “You’re holding it wrong” or “Just buy a bumper“? That’s hardly the actions of a company who places their customer as their number one priority. Instead is smacks of arrogance and caring only about the customers wallet!
Would the Apple of even 5 years ago respond like this? I remember when you got all sorts of extras in your ipod box – covers, docks, power bricks… Now, they’re all separate purchases to maximise the amount of money they extract from you.
The right thing for Apple would be to say “OK, some users are having major problems with signal quality. If you’re one of them, pop into the Apple store and we’ll give you a free Bumper (Limited to one per phone, of course) and from now on, every new iphone4 will come with a bundled bumper.”.
So, what will it be Apple? Greed? Or a return to the customer service of old, you know the one that set you apart from the rest in the first place?
A touch too soon?
Small update
0Quite a few changes since my last post.
Lets see…
I have also spent a bit of time plotting and scheming about how to turn verticalslice.tv into an Internet TV network. I’m sketching out a new site design and coming up with a collection of shows to record and put up. Press To Continue will be one of them, there will be a new tech show and an internet/current events news show.
Then there’s an idea for a show where people will submit movie scenes and I will try to re-enact them. It sounds a bit lame with just that small description, but I’ll be doing it while showing how I did the re-enactment plus I hope to inject a little strangeness into them too.