Locations of wishers

Through 2015, all record keeping and reporting was done on paper, and the competition culminated at midnight with a mad dash to get the reports in, at which point the organizers would verify records, tally up scores, and figure out the winners.

The solution

I quickly identified 3 major users-

• Competitors, who needed to quickly find and report a sighting, with proof as needed
• Organizers, who needed to monitor progress throughout the day, verify questionable sightings, and tally scores quickly
• General public, who needed live updating stats throughout the day

For competitors, I wanted to provide a way to submit sightings through their smart phones. Due to the quick turnaround, and wanting to make sure it was accessible to all competitors, I opted for an HTML 5 web app. I used the Framework 7 framework, which provided theming as well as some methods that allowed me to quickly build navigation and views.

Since competitors would be moving throughout the entire state, I implemented an HTML5 Offline web cache. I used WebSql for local storage.

Since the rest of the website was being built in WordPress, I decided to build the component for organizers on top of WordPress. The data from the web app needed to get to WordPress, so I used an open source library called WebSqlSync to implement a 1-way sync that used a custom API. There was a clear separation of species data that was coming from competitors and the approval data that was added by the organizers.

Through a Wordpress plugin, I built custom post types, added custom permissions, and implemented a custom API. I also added multiple custom tables using DataTables that showed organizers the information they needed. In order to allow them to quickly approve sightings, I added a modal overlay that allowed authorized users to perform actions from the front end.

For the general public, I created and themed a heads up display with key stats as well as a tag cloud display of the species reported so far.

Testing

Testing was a big concern for me- since this was a 1 day event, there wasn’t an easy way to replicate all the variables. I wrote unit tests to verify calculations, and also used a small group of beta testers to make sure the app worked on a variety of devices. I also provided extensive support on the day of the event to ensure that things ran smoothly.

Results

The event ran smoothly, with only minor glitches that were quickly fixed. Competitors found the app simple to use, and seemed to prefer it over the old method. Organizers were able to more quickly tabulate results, and were grateful to have an earlier night. The general public seemed eager to have live updates.

As part of O’Reilly Publishing’s Blogger Review program, I received a free e-copy of Learning iOS Programming, 2nd Edition, by Alasdair Allan.

I have been working on and off to learn Objective C for several years, and this book was the tipping point that pushed from frustration to understanding. I’m not sure if that’s due to the book or just that I was actually at a point where I had a strong enough base to understand.

This book assumes that you know a fair level about coding before getting started. Ideally, you would know more about Objective C than I started with, but the book does spend 2 chapters with the basics.

The book was updated for iOS 5, but at times that transition is incomplete and sloppy. Code was good the first time it is shown, but often it reverts in later rewritings. This actually worked well for me though, as I was able to learn quite a bit by fixing the code to make it work.

Overall, this book was very helpful in getting me started with native coding.

Learning iOS Programming

(Disclaimer- this post is part of the  O’Reilly Blogger Review program. My only compensation was a digital copy of the book.)

My first apps were Bird Codes and Band Codes, developed with my brother for bird watchers.

Today, Apple (finally) approved my third app which combines two of my hobbies- coding and homebrewing.

What To Brew simply gives suggestions on what to brew when you are out of ideas. It also provides a lot of info homebrewers want, with links to recipes and kits.

Click here for more info or go to iTunes to purchase What To Brew.

I’ve been working at People Productions quite a bit. It’s been a great mix of growing my skill set and refining what I already know. I’ve been able to do production work for the first time since college, which I have really enjoyed. I’ve also had some great projects to edit, including e-learning materials and promotional videos. I get some motion graphics work as well, including some of the sections in the 2012 Boulder International Film Fest Intro video.

People Productions also has a rapidly growing iPad/Web app that does mobile presentations called UpSync, so I have been able to learn some of the tricks for getting video assets to work well across many platforms.

I’ve also had the opportunity to do quite a bit of work for the East Cheyenne Gas Storage Project, including a project overview video. I’ve enjoyed learning the corporate side of video editing both with East Cheyenne as well as many of the clients I’ve worked with at People Productions.

I have a nice long bus ride some days to work, so I’ve been using that time to get some other things done. I recently collaborated with my birdwatching brother to develop 2 iOS apps for birders. I’m also working on some other apps that may be released in the near future.

What’s next? Check back and see.

So, I wrote a script that would take an STL, and split each line of text into 2 lines, as close to the middle as possible. To get started, download subtitleSplit.py and unzip.

To use subtitleSplit.py, open up Terminal on a Mac, and run the following command-

python /path/to/subtitleSplit.py -f /path/to/original.stl

This will split each line and spit it out into Terminal. To save this, you can either use the “>” trick, or specify an output file.

python /path/to/subtitleSplit.py -f /path/to/original.stl -o /path/to/new.stl

The default maximum characters per line is 35, but you may need to change that, depending on your text size and font. You can set that with the -m flag.

python /path/to/subtitleSplit.py -f /path/to/original.stl -o /path/to/new.stl -m 45

For coders, this file contains a class called SubtitleSplit, which contains more options than are available through the command line.

Let me know if you run into any problems.

A new window would be available in the NLE, called Variables. There, you would create a new variable with the following attributes:

• Type (number, text, file, boolean)
• Scope (Project, Sequence)
• Default value (This would be where you set the values of project variables, and set what sequence variables would display before they are set on the sequence.)

Then, if you want to use a variable, you simply drag that variable from the Variable Window to where ever you want to use them. Variables would need to be built in to the NLE at a very root level, so that variables would be accessible by default from anywhere, including third party plugins.

Sequence variables would be set from within Sequence Settings. A pane would display all the variables in the sequence, and you could set them easily.

Example 1: you need to take the same commercial and make 4 different versions, each with a different phone number that comes up in 2 places.

1. Make a sequence that is completely ready to go, except the phone number.
2. Make a new text sequence variable called PhoneNumber, with the default to (555) 555-5555.
3. Add a text generator to your sequence, and drag the PhoneNumber variable to it. Format the phone number how you want it.
4. Repeat for the second place the phone number comes up.
5. Duplicate the master sequence 4 times.
6. In each one, change the PhoneNumber variable to the correct phone number.
7. Output.

Example 2: You need to output 2 versions of your show- one with titles, one without.

1. Make a new number sequence variable called TitlesVisible with a default of 100.
2. Add the TitlesVisible variable to the Opacity of each of the titles in the sequence.
3. When everything is done, duplicate the sequence, and set the TitlesVisible variable for that sequence to 0.
4. Output each.

Using variables would take a bit of planning and foresight, but could save a lot of time in the long run. It would have to be integrated very well to be useful.

I see this as being very easy to use, yet very flexible. It should allow for variables in variables (so, a text variable could be used inside of a file path).

Would you find this useful? How would you use it?

I “Mark In” at the end of a good soundbite I want to keep, “Mark Out” at the start of the next clip, and “Extract” to get rid of what I don’t want. I then back up the playhead, and preview the edit. If it’s not perfect, I have to undo, tweak the edit points, extract, and preview again.

After doing this dozens of times, I realized I need a new playback method.

We are already used to “play to out” and “play in to out”, but I’m suggesting “play to in, play from out.” In effect, this would be previewing what would happen if you extract from in to out, skipping over the video between the in and out points.

This would use the same preroll and postroll settings as “play around” does, allowing you to easily preview an edit before actually making it.

And while we’re at it, a “Play to In” function would be useful as well.

Try it out

To try out the Waveform Art filter, download it here, and then copy it to /Library/Application Support/Final Cut Pro System Support/Plugins. It will appear in the Waveform Art folder in your Video Effects.

What it does

Here’s the normal waveform for the built in Circle generator-

And here is the same circle, with the Waveform Art filter applied-

This works best with large text and simple shapes. Complex images don’t translate well, as it is a black and white image, and has rather poor resolution (only 256 horizontal lines). Also, you may want to bring up the display brightness to better see the image.

Threshold

You can also change the Threshold parameter to tweak the image. Here’s a picture of me with the threshold at 60, 90, 120, and 150.

Randomize

There is also a “Randomize” parameter, that attempts to distort the image in the canvas, while leaving an image in the waveform monitor. Due to the constraints of how the waveform works, it can’t be nearly as distorted as I would like. I was hoping to have a jumble of noise that reveals a secret image in the waveform monitor, but I don’t think it’s actually possible. The final image also suffers some quality loss. Here’s the circle with Randomize checked.

Let me know if you actually find a use for it!

The Empixx Awards may not be the Emmys, but I’m still proud to be recognized by other professionals.