Category: media-and-expression

Its been a long time since I've done anything on Mpeg4 now, I havent even been keeping up with the latest mpeg4 encoders.
Its not a real problem though because others are doing good research into mpeg4. Mpeg4 codec feature comparission and the fall out on a forum afterwards..
Will look forward to the review on RM9, WMV9, H.264, and several wavelet/proprietary codecs in the near future.

I pose the question knowing the answer already but its quite something to see projects coming together.
In my college there were courselets which I developed along with others, but they were the idea of my guru of a boss Miles (sure he'd hate to be refered to as a boss). Anyhow courselets are basicly question and answers packaged in xml complete with metadata in the form of dublin core elements. They are transformed via xsl into webpages for students to read. Makes sense.

And that would be fine in a normal college, but this a design and communication college and students demand something visually rich. So my work friend Adam setup video resources which are basicly streaming video tutorials which everyone in college can watch. Now moving forward from where he was before, he's now deploying along the lines of about 200 video resources for everything from word to how to write xsl.

The link is perfect because video has little metadata and by xlinking courselets to videos, we can supply not only content rich but also visually rich resources. How does smil fit into all this? Well the question and answer nature can be multiplied to make a complete short course. Smil can join together video and can be generated from the xml by me pulling out the xlink href for the video with xsl. In the first stage it would be easier to pre make the smil and dynamicly generate it later on when students are using the resource fully.

Theres something different about the matrix, something almost non hollywood. I know it isnt but we all like to think it is. Mmmm its a tempting one to talk about in depth specially with the whole thing sitting on my hard drive and cinema tickets booked for the first day it hits the uk (wednesday). God knows why i dont just spend tonight watching it?
Anyhow its raising some unexpected coverage on the net due to the research the brothers did.

First it started with this…
From my friend daves blog
Now its everywhere like this
Or was it the other way around?

Interesting stuff, maybe the command line is due for a renanssance?

I'm still on a super high after watching one of the most perfect films ever. Matrix reloaded!
Its 3am and i've started watching it again due to the fact i was so blown away by the film. All those people slating it must be off there heads. I mean this film has everything, serious everything and its raised the bar so high I dont think I can watch another film between this and revolutions.

Also just watched the revolutions teaser trailer and man I had to watch it about 5 times to take it all in. And its the same with reloaded, I need to watch it again and again to take the whole thing in.
Obviolulsy I wont spoil it for anyone, but you need to watch this movie. Let me repeat that again you need to watch matrix reloaded!!!

There are somethings which change the way you think about things and matrix did this, and reloaded has done it again. The brothers did themselves proud.
To my students I'm teaching tomorrow, expect me in late! I cant sleep…