Archive for the ‘ROX’ Category

« Older Entries

This That and the Other

Friday, March 19th, 2010

I haven’t had a chance to post anything for a while as my life has became quite full lately.

This week is spring break at Ivy Tech and IU.  It’s been a nice break from the organized chaos that has become my life.  So I thought I would write about the goings on lately.

Backup, Backup, Backup!

I finally got a stable backup file server going.  My original one died and I’m in the process of parting it out.  If you’re looking for some cheap computer parts you can find ‘em right here.  I finally gave up on linux and went with Windows Server 2003.  It’s essentially XP with additional goodies for server functions.  I only have one step left, and that is setting up the RAID configuration.  That’s for a safety net should a hard drive fail.

ROX Update

While I haven’t had much time to concentrate on ROX, I have started recording episodes that still play on CATS.  I have many of the episodes on VHS, but capturing them straight to a digital format makes things much easier.  Given the advanced development of my daughter I might be able to start working on ROX again and finally get season one released in a few months.

Amelia

Taylor & Amelia

She is growing and developing at an alarming rate!  She is now eating solid foods every night.  She is also starting to move around on her own, she isn’t crawling yet but very close.  She has learned that she has a voice and likes to use it often.  I would say her favorite activity is getting mommy and daddy wet when she’s taking a bath.  She’s a hoot and a very happy baby.  We couldn’t ask for more.

The Semester From Hell

This semester I’m taking a class I’ve failed before (MATH-111) and a class that interests me (CINS-102).  My math class is great, as the instructor does his best to ensure everyone in class understands the concepts and can do the work.  85% of the final grade in this class is based upon test scores, something I’ve never had to deal with before.  Right now I’m earning a solid B, which makes me very happy.  I plan on thanking him at the end of the semester for being such a good instructor, all teachers should be reminded how much they’re appreciated when they do a good job!  My other class is a completely different story however.  While I’m learning some much needed skills in this class (XHTML & CSS) the instructor seems to use the class has her way to release frustrations she has.  There aren’t many people in this class, and many don’t seem to have the skills required or aren’t putting forth the effort required.  The class has opened my eyes to the world of web programming, but it’s almost impossible to swallow her totalitarian attitude.

Give Me The Fiber

If you live in Indiana, you might have heard about what Smithville Telephone is doing.  All of their customers are receiving fiber to the home.  It’s exciting to say the least.  Last year I rewired the phone lines in my house and installed a LAN in anticipation.  This week we were “pre-wired” for it.  This consisted of them installing a new network interface on the outside of my home, installing a battery backup system in my home, and installing a data jack.  My area, called the “Fullerton Remote” should be completed by the last quarter of this year.  With this upgrade broadband Internet download  speeds are rising from 1.5mbps to 20!  They are also adding television services which beat all it’s competitors, but that’s my opinion.  This upgrade is amazing to say the least.  Do  you know anyone who has access to 100mbps download speeds at home?  That will be their fastest rate, and I’ve seen it work.  It’s almost like comparing a 14.4 modem to a 56k, a world of difference.

Spring is in the Air

Spring is upon us here in Indiana.  The grass is becoming green again, and the temperatures are rising.  That means the honey do list starts back up again.  I listed what we want to get done around the house in an earlier post.  Now it’s time to get into gear and get those items checked off the list!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in B-Town, Computer Frustrations, Education, Family, Home Improvement?, Links, Pix, ROX, The Amelia Files, Weather & Seasons | No Comments »

Like a Phoenix

Friday, November 6th, 2009

I am slowly but surely rising from the ashes of a dead hard drive.

About a month ago, my brand new 1.5 terabyte Seagate hard drive crashed.  I tried a few tricks to try to recover the data, but none of them worked.  I didn’t want to spend the $700 to $2700 I was quoted for data recovery, as I am a person of simple means.

Luckily I had old data from my old computer stored on 4 separate hard drives.  I used my “old” hard drive dedicated to video work and installed it, and then started transferring data.  Unfortunately my “backup” drive decided to crap out as soon as I got most of the data off of it.  That drive is the only other Seagate I have.  Their reputation isn’t doing so well with me.  I think I’m going to stick with Western Digital from now on.

I now have almost every episode from season one of ROX on my computer and edited.  There are a couple I’m having problems with, but this time around things have been much smoother than before.  It’s a shame because I spent 3 years working on that stuff.  The video is crisper, the audio is clearer – just a better product all around.  I think this disaster was actually a blessing in disguise.

Once I get these “trouble” episode problems resolved, which are:  Family Values Special, A Festival of Fools and Mom, Dad, I’m Getting Married.  I can start on DVD menu authoring which is a tedious process.  The more time I spend on it, the better the end product will be though.  I want this season to be the standard, not the example.

Season One will be made up of two volumes of 4 discs each.  This is mainly due to quality concerns.  In the set will be all 25 episodes!  Also included will be special commentary on episode 31, A Toast to Poverty by the shows’ producers – J and Editor B.  Plus a few surprising extras.  It should be a hit for all!

I finally have a backup plan so this shouldn’t happen again.  With some help I have purchased a backup hard drive for ROX and I will have my server up and going soon.  With those two options, I hope I have enough redundancy for this not to happen again.

I hope to have season one finalized within a few months, so be on the lookout!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Computer Frustrations, Links, ROX, The Vid Biz | 2 Comments »

Crash and Freeze?

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Over the past couple of weekends I’ve been working hard at getting ROX season one to the production phase.  I’ve authored all the DVD menus and have done most of the design of the case inserts.  I had all the episodes ready.  It was just a matter of rendering all of the discs and making sure I had all of the extras we wanted before it would be finished.

All of that work took an extreme turn for the worse the other day.  I had been having troubles rendering video.  I thought it was a Sony Vegas or Quick Timeissue, so I removed and reinstalled.  I then went on to think it was a codec issue, so I removed every media codec I had (quite a few), still didn’t fix it.  I had given up for the night out of pure frustration as to why my 2 month old computer wasn’t working properly.

The next day I woke to something I’ve never seen before.  A black screen with a message:  Cannot read disk on SATA 0 and Cannot read disc on SATA 3.  WTF!

I restarted the machine to hear a distinct “clicking” noise.  One of the hard drives was toast, so I removed the secondary one (the one with all the important data on it) and the computer would then boot into safe mode.  Apparently, my virus software which I get from Indiana University somehow became corrupt and became “Incompatible with my version of windows.”  So I wiped it and am still installing my programs.

My 1.5tb drive which has all of my personal, business and ROX data was clicking.  What do I do?  I could not initialize the disk.  My first thought was disk recovery, so I called the only computer service place I trust and they referred me to Drive Savers.  They gave me a code that cuts 10% off the price and gives you a no data – no cost guarantee.  I called them up and the estimate was quite shocking, $700 to $2700.  Anybody want a large Seagate drive on the cheap?

Is the data worth that?  It contains 3 years of blood, sweat and tears on this project.  I conferred with my partner in crime, Editor B.  He said he would help, which was a relief.  My homeowners insurance policy will cover anything over $1000.  After much thought and searching my other hard drives for data, I’ve decided to try something a little ‘home brewed’ to alleviate my situation.  Freezing the drive.

Not like this picture though.  The moisture from the ice will ruin it.  I scoured the interwebs looking for “freezer trick hard drive” and came across many posts about how this can help you retrieve the data you need.  Sometimes it works for just a few minutes and sometimes it works for a few hours.  There is no definitive amount of time, I think it’s limited to just how damaged the hard drive is.

I put my hard drive in the freezer last night about 6pm and I plan on taking out about the same time tonight.  I wrapped it with some paper towels and placed it in a vacuum bag.  This will help with any moisture issues that could result.  I plan on keeping the hard drive in the bag and placing it in a larger bag with ice.  When I connect the drive the computer, this will help keep it cooler longer.

I have about 500 gigs of data that I would like to get off of this drive.  But I have prioritized what I am retrieving.

Wish me luck.

UPDATE: This did not work in my circumstance.  However I’ve been told it does.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Computer Frustrations, Deep Thoughts, Links, Pix, ROX, The Vid Biz | 1 Comment »

Season One

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

I started working on ROX because of a passion.  This show is one of the few things that let me get away from the craziness and feel free from the uncertainty that was my life.

When I “rediscovered” the show in my late teens, I began going to the MCPL and getting my hands on as many episodes as possible.  VHS tapes were extremely cheap at the time, and I thought I would eventually do something with that collection.  While I’m unsure of how many episodes I currently have, it has to total more than 50.  Little did I know that an infamous hurricane would run me into a crash course with the shows’ producers.

I had just built an amazing computer at the time, and I wanted to condense all of those VHS tapes taking up space in our apartment.  So I made a DVD set of the first 6 episodes for the shows’ creators.  This would start an ongoing collaboration to stabilize the archives of this show.

Four years later, I seemed to be at an impasse.  After buying a home, going to school and having a child on the way, I didn’t seem to have any free time to even relax – let alone work on a “hobby.”  In that time, we had re-worked my original creation into a product that many fans have purchased and enjoy to this day.  I had also done hundreds of hours of work to try to make some damaged episodes of the show up to par.

I have begun work on authoring the DVDs that will become the season one set.  Preliminary results show it will be an 8 disc set.  Due to packaging constraints, it will be split into two volumes; sold as one.  I’m not sure on the price  yet, but I expect it to be in the $30 range.  With 25 episodes, and a few extras – this was a much larger undertaking than the 7 episodes of season zero.

With season zero, I was wet behind the ears.  For season one, I’ve sharpened my skills.

I hope to have all of the preliminary work done within a few weeks.  I’m sure editor b will make some announcement when the time is right.

A special thanks goes out to “roxfan” who sent me a few episodes on DVD.  Without the kind generosity of people like him, this project would still be stalled.  You will be the first to receive a set.  I just need to find your address.  If you read this, leave me a comment and I will get back with you.

These sets are a completely non-profit project.  All charges are for cases, discs, ink, inserts and all other associated costs.  The biggest of the costs being ink.  We might setup a bartering system, to help eliminate costs.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Links, Pix, ROX, The Vid Biz | No Comments »

Dying Update

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

I was filling an order for ROX season zero and upon testing the DVDs for playability, they would only play on my computers DVD player.  Not standalone units. I think it’s time for a new PC.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Computer Frustrations, ROX, The Vid Biz | 1 Comment »

Cutting Costs

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

This market has been bad on my personal and professional life.  My business has run out of money and I am being forced to cut all costs where possible.

I have been on the fence about this, but I think I am going to end hosting my website online.  At $60 a year, it isn’t that bad really for what I get.  I would rather pay for it out of my own personal money to keep it going, but I need to really start separating my business and personal expenses.

I have only really found 1 client due to my website.  While that client was a large one, with almost 50 transfers, but it hasn’t really been a big income maker in the long run.

Since I am going back to school and trying to focus on other projects more, I don’t think it’s completely necessary to have a website.  Most of my clients are referred by word of mouth.  It will just feel weird to not have a @lmlvideoservices.com email address anymore.  I try to be as “official” as possible, and I think that in itself gives me a touch of professionalism.

I think once I have a better website designed, and enough money in the bank I will re-start lmlvideoservices.com.  It just doesn’t seem feasible at this moment to keep it.

I want to make it clear that I am not “giving up,” I am just closing my website.  I will still be working on ROX, and transferring all kinds of media to current (and future) formats.  I will probably list updates on this blog from now on.

In an odd note, I got a job copying DVDs for a faculty member here at the Kelley School of Business.  He came to the TS department to have DVDs copied, but he needed more than our policy allows.  With permission from my boss, I was able to offer my services – as long as I offered an alternative, such as another department within IU.

He accepted my offer, and I should be finished tomorrow.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Links, ROX, The Vid Biz | 2 Comments »

Good Drinkx, Good Conversation

Friday, September 5th, 2008

After 3 years of e-mailing, sending packages and working on what has become a major project in my life, Editor B and I finally met.

He and his family evacuated from hurricane Gustav.  When their respective schools decided to close until Monday, they decided to head back to Btown.

He sent a twitter update inviting all to Upland at 8pm, also sending me an email asking I attend.  I had a busy day, but I wouldn’t miss this for anything in the world.  I didn’t want to miss this chance.  The last time we tried to meet, tornado warnings and a worried wife kept us from meeting.  B was heading back to New Orleans the next morning, on the long road home to rebuild their home and New Orleans after Katrina.

When I first arrived on the scene, I was almost too afraid to enter.  Upland was severely crowded, something I had never seen before.  People were parking up and down the entire block.  I was lucky and got a parking spot right next to the door.

After waiting a while in the standing room only crowd, I introduced myself.  H-T columnist Mike Leonard and his wife were there as well, then the interesting Paul Smedberg arrived.  We finally got a table a few minutes later.  Paul reminds me of a comic, but I can’t remember his name at the moment.

It was nice to meet Mike, as I’ve emailed him a few times and I’m sure he thought I was some local crazy of some sort.

I was amazed at the subjects of conversation, ranging from books to the lack of economic prosperity in this town.  We went on to talk about how children change your life (not in a bad way B), to the founding ideas of the Green party (which I didn’t really understand until last night).

Back to the subject at hand, It was a pleasure to finally meet you B.  You’re everything and more that I had expected you to be.  Most conversations I have are intellectually lacking, last night was a much needed shot to the brain.

Hopefully I can make the trip down to New Orleans sometime soon. 

Tags: , ,
Posted in B-Town, Deep Thoughts, Friends, Geeky, ROX | 1 Comment »

Final Diagnosis

Sunday, August 24th, 2008

While diagnosing my computer last night, the real problem revealed itself.  My motherboard is cracked, or broken in some way.

I was testing my 4 RAM chips individually, to ensure my RAM was the problem when something happened.  The computer just quit.  It wouldn’t turn on, nothing.

Since I’ve had many power supply failures, I thought it was worth a shot to test it.  I found a thread on how to test a power supply by running a jumper between the green and a black wire on a power supply.  If it is good, the power supply will turn on, if it is bad, it won’t.  My power supply came on.

Since I know my processor is good, and I have tested most of my RAM, it’s just a matter of deduction from there.

Finding parts for a computer built 3 years ago is surprisingly hard.  Newegg only has 2 motherboards available, but both seem very cheap.  Looking around the internet, I found many suppliers but most of them were out of stock.  So I went to the “last resort,” eBay.

We found a OEM model that includes 8x AGP.  The auction ended in 10 hours, but I decided to “buy it now.”  Hopefully this thing will be as good as the reviews I’ve seen for it.

I also purchased a new IEEE 1394/Firewire card and 3 new 80mm cooling fans.

Now it’s just a matter of delivery and assembly.  I wanted to dis-assemble everything to prepare, but Rachel wants me to relax tonight as we have a early start tomorrow.

We are now discussing purchasing, dare I say it, a Dell for our normal “personal” computer.  This way we can separate everything physically.  I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, but finances have dictated otherwise.

This wouldn’t be possible without the help of Editor B.  I want you to know that I will always feel in your debt for the things you have done for me.

I hope to keep on track for Holiday season availability for ROX season one.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Computer Frustrations, Links, ROX, Rachel | No Comments »

Harvest for All

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

Over the weekend my in-laws came up for a get together to celebrate my daughters’ upcoming 9th birthday.  They also had fun picking apples from our apple tree.

My mother-in-law took 2 five gallon buckets that were almost halfway full.  My niece Sabrina got a nice amount in a box.  After the festivities were over I wanted to go pick some, not for me but for my ROX family.

This is what I could reach.  It may not look like much, but believe me it’s a grab.  I do not fertilize or spray my tree, so these are completely natural treats the entire family can love.  There is still this many or more near the top of the tree, but they are not ready for harvest yet.  When they are I will be ready.

I couldn’t keep my mouth shut about what I was going to do, so I posted about this earlier.  The only problem is that the apples weren’t ready yet.  They are now.

This is what you will be receiving in the mail (in 2-4 days).  A sheet with greetings and instructions on what we think would be a good use of the apples, a mason jar containing apple crisp mix, nutmeg and apples,  there is also extra apples in each box.

We divided the apples in the big box pictured above into 4 equal parts.

B:  If you want to find out what variety of apple these are, please do!  I’d like to know for myself.

I don’t feel it’s appropriate to let this great natural resource of mine go to waste.  You have all been like a family to me in one way or another.  This is just one of many ways for me to say thanks.

P.S. MF and Kelly:  You’ll be receiving another “surprise” gift once I get a shipment in the mail.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Family, Links, Pix, ROX, Rachel | 1 Comment »

Makin’ ROX Look Better

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

I’ve restarted this adventure I started over 3 years ago, by working full force on season 1 of ROX again.  I was working on 2 seasons and I believe I got way over my head.  There were just too many problems to handle at once.

I started over the weekend by transferring what I only had on VHS onto my computer.  I then worked several hours on the first episode of season 1, Special Mish-Mosh Episode.

One of the reasons I had abruptly quit working on the series was the amount of heat damage (i believe) associated with many of the episodes.  I tried to correct this issue using Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Sony Vegas, but only came  up with juvenile results.  I started posting questions and viewing others’ questions on a forum that specializes in just these sorts of things, videohelp.com.  It has helped tremendously.

I have uploaded 1 minute segments of episode 8, so you can see the differences made.  This episode had a vast array of problems, from over saturation, to needing color correction in the worst of ways and needing some sharpening.  All of these fixes added together make for a “better end product” I believe.  I still have some work to do on the audio, as I want to normalize the volume and filter it to remove tape hiss, etc.

I’ll leave that up to you though, please let me know what you think.

Before:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lml_dvd/2755801226/in/photostream/

After:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lml_dvd/2754979589/in/photostream

If anyone has any recommendations, please make them in the comments section, as I would love to hear them!
 

Tags: , ,
Posted in B-Town, Embed Media, Geeky, Links, ROX, The Vid Biz | 2 Comments »

The Cat is Out

Friday, August 8th, 2008

Last week I sent an email to the entire ROX blogging crew, asking if they liked apples.

I was very surprised as to the response I got.

B is very curious about what my plans are, and even told me about a particular type of apple he enjoys.

MF told me that she isn’t particularly an apple person, but I have another idea which she might enjoy just as much.

J and Kelly both told me that they love apples and can’t wait to see what they shall receive.

I can’t hold this little secret any longer, so the cat is out of the bag folks’.

This is my apple tree.  When we first moved into our home, it looked like an overgrown bush.  With much trimming, I’ve turned it into a “happy tree” as I like to call it.  We’ve only had one harvest due to an ice storm last February.  My mother-in-law came and took all of those apples, which I didn’t mind.

We’ve been checking the apples every week to see if they are ripe.  They aren’t yet, but once they are your packages will be in the mail.

This year is a different story, as I want my ROX family to enjoy the fruits of my trees’ labor as well.  All of you have been like a family to me, in one way or another.  This is the least I can do to thank yall.

I don’t know the type of apple that grows from this particular apple tree.  They are green, medium to small sized, and quite tart.  They are best used for baking purposes.  My thought, send everyone a “apple crisp in a box kit!”

I also plan on sending Kelly and MF ROX Season Zero sets as well.

It bothers me that my search for help with this heat damage problem has led me nowhere.  Sometimes you have to find your own solution to problems, which is what I’m working on.  With the help of Photoshop for Video, I have learned a few things.  I hope to soon have the skills to correct this damage, and continue on my way of saving this beloved show for generations to come.

This show enlightened me in those key teen years.  It wasn’t about the drinkx, or the drugz, it was about keeping your mind open to new and unusual things.  Something that is still lacking in society today.  If I hadn’t stumbled upon J&B on the ROX playing on BCAT oh so many years ago, I very well could be in prison or dead by now.  Many who know me well, know that my life has been nothing but a story of hardship and overcoming seemingly impossible hurdles.  It will all be in my book.

I know I’m repeating myself, but this is the least I can do to thank everyone who participated in the show, whether as an active participant, or as a passive person who was just there when the camera was rolling.

I came into this as merely a fan, but I’m treated as if I’m a family member.  Words cannot describe how amazing that feels.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in B-Town, Deep Thoughts, Family, Links, Pix, ROX | 4 Comments »

Spread Thin

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

Progress on projects I have undertaken has come very slow.

Here is a list of things I am currently working or trying to work on:
1. Redesign my website.
2. Redesign all electronic menus for DVDs and packaging for my products.
3. Look for permanent position with ANY company.
4. House fixes and updates.
5. Work with Kelley School of Business on plan to strategically market my business services to other local businesses.
6. Always workin’ on ROX

I do have to say that I have made some progress on the house.  A couple of weeks ago I had a day off and started a surprise for my wife.  She doesn’t like it when I do things that she has no knowledge of.  I painted our hallway.

The color doesn’t come out well in these pictures, but it’s called “Grand Stand Tan.”  It dried a lot darker than we expected, but we still like it.  I was very surprised when I went to purchase the paint, it was on sale!  So after Rachel was surprised, we bought a few more gallons to have enough to finish our living room and entry.

I also must say that all the hard work I put into the hallway definitely paid off.  Our “red” wall has a lot of character due to the texture in the wall.  That texture is there because I didn’t work on it like I did the hallway.  Besides a paint streak here and there, it’s smooth as a baby’s butt.

I have slowed way down on the redesign of my website. All the content is there, I just haven’t found a good way to add PayPal buttons on a Joomla site yet.

The redesign of my menus and packaging are going good, too good to be exact!  I have been working with my logo and have a “translucent design” working right now.  My only problem right now is that it doesn’t look good at smaller sizes.

My work situation is a weird one.  Yes I have a job, and I’m thankful for that.  But I am not a full time employee with IU, I’m an hourly employee.  I do not get paid for holidays, or time off.  Also my position is mostly an “academic-year” position.  Meaning when schools out, I’m out.  I have been applying for positions that seem to suit me, only when they come around.  I’ve had a couple of interviews, but nothing has panned out thus far.  I was really excited about a position I interviewed for last week, but as each day passes I wonder.  I don’t think this economy helps either.  I know it’s sick, but it’s times like these that I really miss my job at Baxter.

I am trying to focus on direct business sales this year.  I think if I start a working relationship with other businesses in this area, it will help my business become more successful and profitable.  I’m no marketing major, so my wife has used some of her contacts in the Kelley School of Business (where she used to work).  I have been in contact with the deans’ wife.  She teaches marketing, and is trying to help.  The only problem is communication right now.  I work when she’s in her office, and I can’t really talk on the phone.  Right now I’m not even near a computer either.  I hope this pans out, with the right plan I could make LML Video Services something bigger this year.

I’m still transferring what I have of ROX onto DVDs for storage.  Some episodes will have to be, dare I say it, repaired.  They just have too much heat damage.  I’m waiting to finish a job for a aunt to get some money.  Once that is done, B will have about 50 odd DVD’s for homework.

Plus we discovered a clog in our sewer line.  Everytime our washer drans, water comes out from under our toilet in a hurry.  My ex-contractor neighbor Bill is going to help me try to fix this problem Saturday.  I got his Wi-Fi going, he’s returning the favor.  He has some specialty tools to help.  I hope we can get this clog gone.

I have finally got my hands on a basketball goal as well.  We have a “post” that appears to be designed to have a basketball goal on it.  I have wanted one for a long time.  The prices for a bracket to attach to the post and a goal add up to a cool $100.  I have been offered one on freecycle for free.  There’s only one kicker, I have to dig this one out.  That’s my plan for Sunday – pray for me.  The strange thing?  I have never been good or even really liked basketball.  I just want the goal!

That’s all I’ve got for right now.  I’d like to write more often, but it’s hard when you have things such as this on your hands day in and day out.

Posted in Career Hunt, Deep Thoughts, Home Improvement?, Life, Neighbors, Pix, ROX, Rachel, The Vid Biz | 1 Comment »

Time For a Little Something “On The ROX”

Tuesday, October 16th, 2007

I am now with no constant clients for my business, so I’m starting the daunting task of saving my favorite little show from B-town from dust.

I have a new game plan now which I think will be better for the long run, but I still need YOUR help.  Yes I mean you!

Many episode masters have heat damage, and I can do no better than getting a copy of the already damaged master.  If you have ANY episodes of ROX, formerly J&B on the ROX email me, I’m begging you.  It doesn’t matter if you only have half of an episode, please send it!

Without help from the public, I will need to start looking into alternatives to possibly restore these damaged episodes.  The only drawback is that restoration costs money.  If I have to go this route, donations to ROX would be most helpful.

Another way to help is to buy Season Zero which has been available on DVD for over a year now!

The new plan is to burn each episode to DVD once it is to a good standard.  This will save space on my hard drives and save my work.  Once I have a season completed, it will be released to DVD for the world to consume.

Forgetting the past is just like destroying the future, so help me save ROX’s history!

Posted in B-Town, ROX, The Vid Biz | 1 Comment »

Bloomingpedia

Wednesday, September 19th, 2007

Bloomington has it’s own “pedia.”  It’s basically a clone of wilkipedia, but everything is related to my hometown.

There are many interesting articles about what Bloomington is and what this town used to be.

My wife is constantly trying to find ways to promote my business, which I appreciate greatly.  She added it, and I did a little revising.

Then I looked up ROX, and came up with nothing.  Always being grateful for all the nice things the guys have done for me, I made an article on it about ROX. 

I only hope that people who watched the show in it’s hayday will append to what I’ve started.

This town has a vast, rich history and I think this is a perfect way to try to remember those things that don’t make the history books. 

Check it out:  http://www.bloomingpedia.org

Posted in B-Town, ROX, Rachel, The Vid Biz | No Comments »

Pardon Moi?

Saturday, December 9th, 2006

I recieved an email yesterday from a person visiting the ROX website.¬† They were viewing “my” page, which has answers to particular questions about me.¬† The unsettling thing is what the emails theme and tone are stating.¬† Here it is, for your viewing pleasure.

“Stealing from other people websites won’t do you any good.¬† I suggest you remove your so called “site” immediately, and never show up on the internet again.”

I have no “stolen” images on this blog, which is the only thing linked to my page on the ROX website.¬† The only images I have which come close to being stolen, are “borrowed” for my business website.¬† I was unable to create images that portrayed the products I sell, so I became an agent for a company that does the same thing I do.¬† Used a few of their images, removing their logos etc.

What do you think?¬† My co-blogger Kelly at cheese.rox is having the same situation.¬† I think that “public” picture use,¬†especially for non-monetary use,¬†needs some better definition.

Posted in ROX, Strange E-Mails | 1 Comment »

If I Could Only Breathe

Monday, October 9th, 2006

Life has been somewhat crazy lately.¬† I have been searching for a job for a while now, and it’s gotten to the point where I’ve went back to Big Red Liquors, and have taken a call center job.¬† Big Red never treated me bad, and was always there for me.¬† I have to give them major props for how they treat their “good” employees.¬† If they only paid more.¬† I am worried about this call center job though.¬† I worked in telemarketing back when I was 18, and I hated every minute of it.¬† This is “supposedly” not telemarketing, but I will believe it when I see it.

I have been sending out resumes like it’s going out of style, but I’m not getting a bite.¬† I have only had 1 interview, which I thought went really well.¬† My stepmother worked for the company when I was younger, I thought I was in.¬† I guessed wrong.

I have been making some progress on my Video jobs though, I completed a slide slideshow (511 slides), an 8mm film transfer, and I’m currently working on transferring a show for a friend.¬† I am somewhat dissapointed in the results from the 8mm film transfer, and so is the customer.¬† My first un-satisfied customer.

That project had problems from the start.  I received a call from him on Christmas eve 2005!  He then transferred me some money through paypal.  Then 4 months later I received the film.  The box he sent it in smelled of vinegar (old film smells like that when it breaks down).  I spent countless hours working on the project before I purchased my home, but it was nothing I was happy with.  After I moved everything changed.  I had lots of work to do on the house, yet I was receiving emails from this guy wondering where his film was.  I had informed him that I had ceased all activities until things settled down with the house.

I recieved an email from him stating he was worried about this transfer and the amount of time it was taking to complete.¬† So on a day I had some time, I shot as much as I could.¬† I ruined 2 of my vintage projectors in the process, but that’s another story.

I received another email from him today stating he received the completed DVD from me.  He said he felt as if it was a slap in the face, and that I should have just refunded his money and sent his film back. 

Part of me feels bad for not giving him a good product.¬† But the other part of me feels he received what he paid for.¬† Many companies on the internet charge more than double what he paid me to do 1 reel!¬† I did 10 or so!¬† In the end, I shouldn’t have taken on the project.¬† I say farewell to film transfers for good!

I am also working on as much as I can for ROX.  I am still needing footage due to heat damaged episodes, but progress is coming.  I have finally squeezed 5 episodes onto 1 DVD!  I believe the quality is as good as it should be too.

Posted in Life, ROX, The Vid Biz | 2 Comments »

Season One Still Needs Your Help!

Sunday, September 24th, 2006

A very special thanks to roxfan, who sent me a copy of episodes 8 and 9.  They are of great quality and will be used in the upcoming release of season one.  He will be receiving a free copy of the season once it is released.

More help is still needed, as we are still searching for copies of episodes: 14 (Not Special Episode), 19 (Cold Weather Tips), and 21 (Our 21st Birthday).

If you, or anyone you know has undamaged copies of these shows, please let myself or editor b know!  You will be given a free copy of the entire season on DVD!

I have copies of these shows from the CATS archive and they are heat damaged.  Please help us, and we will return the favor.

Thanks again roxfan!¬† If you have any other episodes, please send them my way.¬† I’m always looking for more.

Posted in ROX | No Comments »

What a Week!?!

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006

I’ve been so busy, tired and just plain confused to even think about writing for a while.¬† I have “some” free time, so I thought I would vent.

I had a chance at really making my mom & pop operation a real business!¬† Indiana University requested I give them a bid for a HUGE DVD transfer job.¬† It was going to be 250 or 500 DVD’s.¬† Luckily I had some inside information because my wife works there.¬† I tried to undercut everyone, which I think I did.¬† But in the end, the company who produced the video to be transferred received the job.¬† Better luck next time I suppose.¬† It’s nice to be considered though.¬† If I could only get my foot in the door.

Business has taken another one of it’s on again cycles.¬† My first customer had me transfer 19 VHS tapes, another co-worker wanted a tape transferred onto 2 DVDs, one in NTSC (American TV standard) and the other in PAL (a different TV standard).¬† It was a very interesting job.¬† Now the person who sits directly across from me wants me to transfer 12 VHS-C tapes into 3 DVD’s.¬† Something is better than nothing, I just hate this feast or famine stuff.

Then I had a slight computer melting problem.¬† For some unknown reason, a power connector to my video card sparked, and melted the connector.¬† Luckily a local computer shop gave me a pigtail to replace the connector and I’m back in black.¬† With as much DVD transfer and ROX work I’ve been doing, I’m seriously pondering replacing my case and upgrading to a dual-core processor.¬† From what I’ve read and researched, it would be a seamless upgrade.¬† The benefits would highly outweigh the costs.¬† For example right now it takes 2+ hours to render a ROX episode.¬† I could cut that time down to a little bit more than an hour with a dual-core processor.¬† So we’ll see I guess.

I got some interesting news today.¬† “ROXFAN” sent me an email saying he had copies of episodes 8&9 of ROX.¬† He said they are in decent shape.¬† Hopefully I will be getting a copy soon.¬† Maybe season one will get done before Christmas?

Posted in Home Improvement?, Life, ROX, The Vid Biz | No Comments »

Season One Needs YOUR Help!

Sunday, June 18th, 2006


Episode 8 (Heat Damaged)

Originally uploaded by LML Video Services.

I have been carefully reviewing, and generally going through all of the season one episodes.¬† A few episodes have some significant heat damage.¬† This is not a problem that can be corrected.¬† All of the episodes I have are from the CATS archive, which is the “owner” of the show.

The damaged episodes are the following:  8 (Special Mish Mosh Episode), 9 (Family Values Special), 14 (Not Special Episode), 19 (Cold Weather Tips) and 21 (Our 21st Birthday).  If you have a copy of one of these episodes, please let us know.

Anyone who can provide us with NON DAMAGED episodes, will recieve a complimentary copy (that means FREE) of the season, once it is finished.

I would much rather use something of better quality if it is out there.  ROX needs your help on this one.  If you are a fan of the show or know anyone who is, please help.

Posted in ROX | 8 Comments »

I’ve Got The Encoding Blues

Wednesday, June 14th, 2006

Since I have a bit of a break between DVD jobs and moving, I thought I would spend some time working on ROX season one.¬† I have all of the video on my computer, ready to go.¬† The problem is the sheer amount of episodes in season one, it’s staggering.¬† I’m trying to fit 20 episodes on 4 discs.¬† If they were all the same length, it would be easier.¬† My “corporate sponsors” have¬†provided me with QuickTime Pro which has helped.¬† I have found that .mov files have more flexibility than MPEG’s do, which is what the DVD format is comprised of.

I have started testing my newfound capabilities, but to my concern it is taking 6 hours every night just to encode the files.¬† This is just testing mind you.¬† The only thing I know of that would help would be a dual core processor and a memory upgrade, but that’s not cheap.¬† My “corporate sponsors” have informed me if I need anything to enable me to perform this task better, to just ask.¬† This is just such a big amount that I would rather not.

It’s not like I need the computer for other things at the moment, it’s just frustrating.

Posted in Life, ROX, The Vid Biz | 2 Comments »

« Older Entries