1. It started with some basic hand drawings which were clumsy because I had to use a marker instead of a fine pen to get a result that would scan and display properly on screen.
2. I’ve described some asana in depth with photographs and animation.
3. At one point I started drawing some stick figures.
4. I then began aggregating stick figures into practice sequences.
5. Until a few days ago, as I was working on documenting another sequence and I began to think “there has to be a better way to do this”.

Well I’m happy to say that now there is. I’ve used a semantic (predefined) structure of HTML together with some CSS and Javascript that arange and transform the HTML text into a visual practice sequence. It uses a set of images (which can be enriched and modified regardless of the script) which are inserted instead of the posture names (which are actually the file names). You would need a basic understanding of HTML tags to use it.

It’s not as user-friendly as it could be and I have some ideas on how to enhance it and make it easier to use – but implementing that goes beyond my programming skills. So if you’re a WordPress plugin author with experience in Javascript – please do contact me – I’d love to work with you on this.

Here’s an example of how it works. Following is an image of a practice sequence – it is one large JPG file:

Next is a semantic HTML representation of that practice. If you understand Yoga and basic HTML structuring then you should be able to quickly see the underlying structure – I’ve kept it fairly simple:

<div class="asana-practice-sequence">
<ol>
	<li class="sequence-container">
		<div class="sequence">
			<div class="asana">samasthiti</div>
			<div class="breath">breath-inex</div>
			<div class="asana">tadasana</div>
		</div>
		<div class="instructions">
			<div class="breath">r3</div>
		</div>
	</li>
	<li class="sequence-container">
		<div class="sequence">
			<div class="asana">samasthiti</div>
			<div class="breath">breath-inex</div>
			<div class="asana">tadasana_v-backbend</div>
		</div>
		<div class="instructions">
			<div class="breath">r3</div>
		</div>
	</li>
	<li class="sequence-container">
		<div class="sequence">
			<div class="asana">samasthiti</div>
			<div class="breath">breath-inex</div>
			<div class="asana">tadasana</div>
			<div class="breath">breath-exin</div>
			<div class="subsequence">
				<div class="sequence">
					<div class="asana">uttanasana</div>
					<div class="breath">breath-inex</div>
					<div class="asana">ardha-uttanasana</div>
					<div class="breath">breath-exin</div>
					<div class="asana">ardha-uttanasana</div>
				</div>
				<div class="instructions">
					<div class="guide">midrange-micromovement-static</div>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
		<div class="instructions">
			<div class="breath">r3</div>
		</div>
	</li>
</ol>
</div>

And here’s how that code is rendered with CSS and a Javascript:

If images are not showing – refreshing the page may correct it!

The benefits:

• Easy: very easy and quick authoring of practice sequences.
• Green: each posture is a very small file (as opposed to larger images with whole practice sequences) – resulting in a small and lightweight page.
• Adapatable: alternate image sets could be used for different representations of the same practice: stick figures, photos, body illustrations, male, female, etc.
• Scalable: the script can be configured for automatic scaling/resizing of images.
• Printable?: I haven’t tested this yet – but I have created high (print resolution) graphics which are scaled down by the script. Zooming in reveals that the images are indeed on high resolution and so I have a feeling they may print well too.

There are still a few issues to tweak and finalize – but is does work

Thanks: To create this I had to use Javascript which I haven’t used in quite some time – I hate it as a programming language and I love what it can do. I was motivated to use it again (a disturbing and aggravating learning curve) by the inspiration I experienced in helping my teacher move into WordPress. Thank you Paul, again and again, for your inspiring presence.

Note: I haven’t and probably won’t test or maintain this script for Internet Explorer (any version – old or new). It was developed with and works with Mozilla Firefox. If you are a Yoga practitioner and can relate to Svatantra then I recommend you stop using Internet Explorer and start using an open-source browser like Firefox and other open-source applications.

Disclosure: I don’t use Facebook, I tried it twice and left it behind. Whenever I reach a Facebook login page I walk away. I consider Facebook to be a very low quality form of social interaction and I strongly urge people I care about to refrain from using it. I consider people who criticize Facebook while still using it to be hypocrites.

Early adopters are passionate about new technologies, they are willing to spend time and effort to puruse their sense of curiosity. I wonder if inadvertently they are also a doorway into wider social acceptance? Tech companies seek early adopters to test the waters with new products and services. Assuming of course, that when early adopters sign-off on a service they will become points of origin for a natural process of viral distribution. So in a way (and I assuming there are other factors involved in the process)  early adopters lead their social circles into technological environments.

With Facebook I believe that early adopters were Pied Pipers, playing a nice melody but leading their followers into a dangerous place. Now the dangers are more apparent – but not to everyone. Technologists can envision the implications of Facebook’s anouncements on privacy, but most of the 400 millions Facebook users are not technologists – and they have no idea what the issue is. So a few technologists may walk away form Facebook, but most of the people will stay in the hands of a company that will stop at nothing (including legal prosection if it is deemed worthwhile) to infringe on their privacy and freedom to make a profit.
Do early adapters inadvertently play such a role in society in our technologicaly dominated era? Do their inherent curiosities and talents represent a dynamic evolutionry force? Do they know this? Should they?

End note: as I was searching for a “Pied Piper” image I came across something inspiring – it is a symbolic finding considering the context that brought me to it

So why did I finally choose to write about them? Their concise and infrequent newsletter (which I actually look forward to recieving once in a while) just came in and this is what I found in it:

System76 Partners with Kids On Computers

System76 and Kids On Computers have partnered to bring computers and open source software to disadvantaged children. Kids On Computers, a non-profit organization, deploys Ubuntu based computer labs in schools and communities around the world. The organization’s first school in Huajuapan de Leon, Mexico, was a resounding success. They now have a dedicated computer teacher and are expecting Internet access very soon. The school went from being one of the poorest schools in town to being the school where all parents want their kids to go!

System76 now offers a “Donate Your Old Computer” option on each product page. By choosing the “Donate Your Old Computer” option, System76 emails you a mailing label to ship your old computer to Kids On Computers. There is a $10 cost which covers a portion of the shipping. System76 covers the remaining shipping cost. Your old computer is tax deductible, and Kids on Computers will provide a donation receipt.

Learn more about the program at http://www.system76.com/recycle

So now you can good hardware, at competitive prices, with a better operating system, from a company that cares and efficiently and humbly takes action to do what it can, doing what it does best to making life better.

I looked around a lot for an alternative note application for Linux but couldn’t find one I liked. Until not too long ago I came across a heartful recommendation for a relatively unkown application called KeepNote. It’s a clean, simple, no frills and straighforward application. It stores the notes in folders and standard HTML files and it’s easy to use. I loved it from first sight.

I also wanted to be able to share my notes across numerous computers (like I did with Evernote). This was very easy to do with my Dropbox account. Dropbox is a great service that enables synchronizing files across numerous computers. It has a client application for Windows, Mac & Linux operating systems. It operates quietly in the background and automatically keeps files syncronized.

So all I have to do is place my KeepNote folder in my Dropbox folder and that’s it – all of my notes are synchronized through my Dropbox account. When I change/delete/create a note on one computer that gets syncronized with my Dropbox account and then all the other computers automatically sync with that. So now I can create a note on one computer and have it immediately available on another computer.

KeepNote is a great substitute for Evernote. I like it so much that I doubt I would go back to Evernote even if they did bother to create a Linux client. It is an open source project.

Brent touched on designing for WordPress and faced quite a challenge – facing an audiences with diverse knowledge, experience and expectations. He touched on some good ideas and I have the pleasure of sitting at home in my own time, relating to his talk.

Are you a Driver or a Mechanic?

I believe that in order to relate to the topic of designing for WordPress the first question you need to ask yourself is “Do you want to be a blogger or a designer… or maybe both?”. It’s kind of like asking “Do you want to be a driver or a car mechanic…. or maybe both?”. The skills, tools and discipline required for the two tasks are very different. Designing for WordPress often comes across as simple – because so many people are playing around with it – but there’s really nothing simple about it. Just to give you an example..

Photoshop

Someone asked Brent about modifying a theme’s Photoshop file. Even a “simple” task like replacing a header image assumes at least the following technical proficiencies:

• Getting Photoshop (pretty expensive for non-professionals) … or finding a suitable alternative.
• Learning the Photoshop basics … it’s a powerful program but not very intuitive … the initial learning curve is demanding.
• Learning to work with layers
• Learning to work with guides and selection tools
• Learning about saving graphic formats for the web
• Learning how to insert your header image into a theme

… and that’s the bare minimum and that list doesn’t cover anything having to do with the aesthetic and functional aspects of design.

Expression& Content

I believe that websites are all about content. Expressing yourself is a huge thing – it’s about asking yourself “Who is ‘myself’? What do I want to say? Why do I want to say these things? To whom do I want to say them?”. Blogging, writing for the web is a technical expression of a personal journey – and it is an art and a skill in it’s own right. WordPress is very much in tune with all these things – spiritually and technically.

… in fact I believe that the Internet is dominated by and gravitating towards personal expression. So much so that if you’re thinking of, or someone is trying to convince you to put up a website with just a few static page – that its most likely a waste of your time, attention and money. If you put up a few static pages and expect someone to find you through Google you are mistaken. No one will find you because:

1. There are probably zillions like you and no way (for people or for search engines) to tell you apart from the rest.
2. You can’t use keywords to cheat the system, because lot’s of others have tried that, search engines picked up on it and … it simply doesn’t work anymore = don’t waste even more money on search engine optimization con-artists who will promise to magically lift your dead-in-the-water website up in the ranking of search engines.
3. There are probably a few people who are making an effort to express themselves in your area of expertise (with a very good chance they are are using WordPress to do it) – and they will be found on search engine results and by people looking for you!

This sets the table for a deeper look into what design can be … and instead of making it a tedious academic lecture… let’s use another example Brent put out for us. ..

Dishwasher Guy

If all dishwasher guy wants to do is get more customers – then instead of creating a static dead-in-the-water website he should list himself in some local online directories , place a few more adds in local papers, hand out a few more magnets for people to place on their refrigerators (or dish washers?)…

On the other hand a website creates many new interesting opportunities. What can a dishwasher guy possible write about:

• What can you do to keep your dishwasher working and in good condition?
• What cleaning materials are recommended or should be avoided?
• Are there eco-friendly materials thaht can be used? What if they don’t get the stains out?
• How to use the dishwaser effectively? Should dishes be accumulated?
• How about the quality of the water – does that affect the dishwasher lifespan? Would a filter onthe main pipe help?
• How did dishwashers begin? What did the first one look like? What is the future of dishwashers?
• How to buy a dishwasher? What should we look for?
• Are there recommended dishwashers? Product reviews? What do other people have to say?
• Where is a good place to get a dishwasher?

And amazingly, the list goes on and on and on… even for a dishwaser technician… if she cares and is willing to take on the formidable task of writing for the web!

This, to me, is what designing a WordPress site is all about. It is about finding a way to express yourself – it is a wonderous undertaking, and there is so much more to it then choosing a header image, colors and fonts. A superficial, beautifully designed website with nothing interesting to say will last a few seconds. A consistently updated site with sincere & curious content will be captivating and keep people coming back, almost regardless of it’s visual design.

Maybe this is what people like Merlin Mann are talking about when they say find your niche – even dishwashers have a niche:

I would have preferred to install Ubuntu (which I have installed on a desktop computer) but I found that the Ubuntu graphic engine doesn’t perform well on the old display adapter in my notebook. Kubuntu is much faster and more responsive.

This time I documented my installation process for future reference and I wrote it up in the hope others may find it useful too. Where possible I’ve added the terminal commands I used:

Core Operating System

1. Install from CD (Ubuntu, Kubuntu)
2. Check for updates over the internet (Ubuntu, Kubuntu)
3. Add hebrew keyboard layout and set time zone.
4. Install Dropbox
5. Instal KeepNote
6. Install the Ubuntuzilla repository (instructions) – required for Thunderbird and Firefox
   sudo echo -e “\ndeb http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/ubuntuzilla/mozilla/apt all main” | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list > /dev/null
   sudo apt-key adv –recv-keys –keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com C1289A29
   sudo apt-get update
7. Install Firefox
   sudo apt-get install firefox-mozilla-build
8. Install Firefox Add-ons (using the Firefox addo-n manager):
   • Weave: brilliant & private & secure plugin/service by Mozilla for syncronizing bookmarks, open tabs, browsing history & passwords between computers.
   • Charamel – a theme I like to for Firefox.
   • Firebug – helps me take apart and play around with HTML/CSS
   • ColorZilla – helps me select colors
   • MeasureIt – an on screen ruler
9. Install Thunderbird
   sudo apt-get install thunderbird-mozilla-build
10. Install Thunderbird Add-ons (using the Thunderbird add-on manager):
    • Charamel – same theme I like to use in Firefox works great for Thunderbird too.
    • Foxclocks – international clocks
    • Bidi – support for bi-directional texts, makes it possible for me to write hebrew emails from right to left.
11. Install the GetDeb repository which makes it easy to install other useful programs.
12. Install Adobe Reader (instructions)
    sudo apt-get install acroread
13. Install Adobe AIR (instructions)
14. Install Skype (which isn’t offered in the spirit of open source freedom and I hope to replace in the near future).

Multimedia Applications

1. Install VLC Media Player
   sudo apt-get install vlc
2. Install Songbird (music management – an open source alternative to iTunes)
   sudo apt-get install libgstreamer0.10-0 gstreamer0.10-x gstreamer0.10-gnomevfs gstreamer0.10-plugins-base gstreamer0.10-pulseaudio libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-dev libgstreamer0.10-dev
   sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.10-plugins-good gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mp3
   sudo apt-get install songbird
3. Install Ruby Ripper (for copying music CD’s) – requires additional packages:
   sudo apt-get install cd-discid cdparanoia flac lame mp3gain normalize-audio ruby-gnome2 ruby vorbisgain
4. Install Audacity (for sound editing)
   sudo apt-get install audacity
5. Install GIMP (an open source alternative to Photoshop)
   sudo apt-get install gimp
6. Install Vuze (my favorite torrent client so far)
   sudo apt-get install vuze

Web Development Tools

1. Install LAMP Stack (Apache, MySQL & PHP)
   sudo tasksel
2. Install PHPMyAdmin
   sudo apt-get install phpmyadmin
3. Install Filezilla (for FTP file transfers)
   sudo apt-get install filezilla
4. On Ubuntu I will also install the Screem code-editor
   sudo apt-get install screem

• What if Google has some really smart people working on Buzz?
• What if some of those people realized there would be consequences for their choices (including privacy infringement)?
• What if Google’s team came to the conclusion that the overall benefits of Buzz outweighed it’s potential less-popular consequences?
• What if Google’s team believes that privacy is not a strategic issue – that the future of the Web is about divulging personal information in return for a personalized experience?
• What if Google’s team is actively pursuing that strategy and laying down an infrastructure to realize it?
• What if Google’s team is exceedingly tech-centric, powerful and driven?
• What if Google’s team isn’t naturally geared to respecting people ,their freedom’s and their privacy?
• What if Google’s moral charter “Do no evil” leaves to much wriggle room to highlight & force them into tight moral corners?
• What if Google is simply doing what it does best?
• What if Google did nothing wrong?

Respect People

• What if every one of us know what’s best?
• What if we are gradually becoming more driven, caring about and in pursuit of personal freedom – for ourselves and others?
• What if we actually developed some really advanced ideas such as capitalism and democracy in an attempt to achieve personal freedom?
• What if we are beginning to realize that some of those very ideas compromise personal freedom?
• What if we are beginning to realize that some core ideas (like capitalism & democracy) that shape our lives are actually outdated and that they may need to evolve or be replaced by newer and better ideas?
• What if we don’t know how to move forward?
• What if many of our current efforts are an exploration into unknown territories?
• What if we do recognize that some, if not most, of our explorations will fail and only a rare few will be sustained for longer and carry us forward?
• What if, in this process of discovery, we encounter false-truths that take time to unveil and set aside?
• What if those false-truths are there to temper our progress?
• What if some of those false-truths have caused us to lose touch with a notion of personal freedom – to a point that we give it away in exchange for small comforts?
• What if realizing this is  away for us to reclaim appreciation of personal freedoms?
• What if we were able to appreciate that resistance & enmity is an indication that we have changed and are aspiring to share that with others?
• What if we were able to transform enmity into respect?
• What if we were to recognize that personal freedom is a heavier burden when others don’t carry it for you and you are required to carry it on your own?

Respect Journalism

• Sorry journalists and journalism – I did not find motivation or energy to explore your place in my life…

In reading Dave’s article I encountered:

• Dave’s personal views – which I consider to be evolved, aware & passionate.
• Resentment (which I share) towards Google
• Resentment (which I don’t share) towards journalism (which hasn’t been a part of my life for years)
• Misplaced blame (in my life – I find that if I follow blame far enough I will arrive back at myself… and I tend to point that out to others when they place blame)
• An unpleasant dismissal
• A rich reading and contemplating experience

Actually the problem didn’t start with the iPod itself, but rather with iTunes. I have been gradually and successfully switching from Windows based computers to Ubuntu and open source solutions. iTunes is Apple’s software for managing your music collection and loading it onto the iPod and though it is distributed freely (even if you don’t have an iPod) it does not run on Ubuntu (or any other Linux distribution for that matter) – it is only available for Windows and OSX.

I began looking for an alternative to iTunes and my favorite so far is Songbird. But there is a hitch, Songbird cannot load music onto an iPod. It seems Apple doesn’t want any other software to be able to load music onto an iPod (and they are adamant about it). This doesn’t feel right does it? So I begin to inquire some more and quickly find myself immersed in what seems like no less then a culture war. Yes a culture War.

If you just want the technical bottom line then you skip to the end and read about my choices. If you want to understand my motivations – then I invite you to read on.

Do you own your music files?

For many people “mp3” files is synonymous with music files . This is more of a “commercial business truth” then a “technical truth”. There are numerous types and structures of files that can be used to store digital sound information. MP3 is one of the commercially popular formats but it’s not the only one and not the best one. What you may not realize, is that it is a patented commercial product – it was invented by a company and anyone that wants to use it needs to purchase a license to use it. That means that every (legal) software application or hardware device (such as media players) has purchased the right to create and play MP3 files.

You probably take it for granted that you can play “MP3” files – you may even think that the files are yours. But nothing could be further from the truth. The only thing that is yours is the information contained in the files (assuming you acquired the files in a legal way). But you can’t play the files unless someone has paid for that right. If you have an iPod then Apple has conducted some kind of business transaction on your behalf to enable you to play MP3 files using iTunes and the iPod itself. You depend on a business agreement between Apple and the owners of the MP3 format which gives you the right to play these files. If at any time in the future, for whatever reason, their business interests do not align, you may find yourself owning a large collection of music files which you can’t playback.

You don’t need to be at the mercy of any company or business agreement because there is an alternative. A group of people in the open-source software community has created an alternative (actually numerous alternatives) file format which is freely licensed (a freedom that is legally enforced!) for anyone to use – including you. The open-source alternative to MP3 files is OGG – which contains equally sized files with a similar audio quality (there are suggestions it may even be better).

Once you have an OGG music file you will forever be able to play it back – no one can legally revoke that freedom (assuming you have a software or device that can play it – more on that in a bit). If you doubt the relevancy of this implication in your personal consider this. If you have a record collection – can you still play your records? It’s not as trivial as it used to be. There aren’t as many audio manufacturers who are interested in manufacturing or selling you record-players. You may have even invested money in purchasing CD copies of many of your favorite records so you can keep on listening and enjoying them. When you purchased your records it seemed like they would be yours forever didn’t it?

The inventors of MP3 files intended to make a profit from it by making you and many millions of others) used to and dependent on it. The inventors of OGG are a non-profit organization, they offer their invention freely for anyone to use with the intention of assuring your freedom to playback your music files. The very freedom to choose between the MP3 and OGG is a gift to you from the inventors of OGG.

Can you playback your music files?

Playing back your music files requires a software application then understands and can read your music files (decode them). Such software applications run on personal computers and inside portable media players.

Remember when you were a kid and were taught to correctly use “can” and “may”. Well the question “can this media player play mp3 files?” is an adults manifestation of your childhood error. The answer is “of-course it can” – any media player can playback any kind of music file. The more pertinent question you should be asking (but is kept strategically hidden from you) is “may the media player play mp3 files?”. This is again a licensing issue. A software manufacturer that wants to playback (or create) mp3 files is required to acquire a license from the owners of the mp3 file format. A software manufacturer that wants to playback (or create) OGG files is free to do so.

So where does Apple stand?

• Apple’s iTunes software and iPod can playback and create mp3 files.
• Apple’s iTunes software and iPod can also playback and create file formats that are owned by Apple.
• Apple’s iTunes software and iPod do not playback and record OGG (or any other open source audio format) files – even though they can.

There is no legal prohibition, there is no technical prohibition – they simply choose not to. Many (if not most!) other media players on the market do play OGG (and other open-source audio format) files. Apple’s interests, it seems, do not include granting me the freedom to playback my music files. It’s so easy to do that I can’t help but feel that they may actually be against it.

Sound Quality

Can you guess what is the one, most important user interface in cameras? In film and to this day in professional cameras it is the eye-piece – the small hole you look through to frame a picture. The most basic function in taking a picture is framing it, choosing what goes into the frame – and yet this is so basic, it often gets overlooked. Because it gets overlooked it was historically one of the areas where the camera industry cheated. In many (most!) cameras the eye-piece offered sometimes as little as 90% of the actual frame that was captured on film (or sensor). To compensate for this, most photo-processing and printing machines also avoided printing the entire image. To photographers this meant that you could not precisely frame a picture. Cameras had many other features (some useful some less) but you couldn’t frame a picture properly.

In a similar way Apple have compromised sound quality. If you ask audiophiles (people who care about the quality of sound they listen to) they won’t even consider an iPod as an option for a music player. There are many similar devices who offer far better sound quality. Yet there is such a huge hype around the Apple brand and iPods that the fact that it is has compromised sound quality has gone undetected. For me this came as a surprise. I took it for granted that Apple, a world leader in media players, with their devotion to quality, innovative devices, exhilarating user interfaces would obviously sound good. I was wrong, they don’t.

Linux , iTunes, Apple?

Linux is an operating system – an open-source alternative to commercial operating systems like Microsoft Windows and Apple OSX. Since Linux is open-source software (free to use and modify!), there are actually many operating systems based on it – one of them, one that I have been using is Ubuntu.

When I began my “CD elimination” project I started using iTunes on a Windows XP machine. At the same time I continued my transition into Ubuntu until it became my main operating system. I still considered the iPod as the best media player for what I needed, but I couldn’t find a way to use it on Linux. It seemed ridiculous to have to keep working on Windows just for a music management application – and that’s when I began to inquire and question Apple and the iPod.

I believe that the fact that Linux opened my eyes to Apple’s dubious practices and infringements on my personal freedom to be an irony. Apple’s very own OSX and Linux have ancestral ties – they share a philosophical legacy and approach to what an operating system should be. They are both evolved from Unix – a historical operating system that was mostly unknown to the consumer computer industry… that is until Apple released OSX.

I have a feeling that Apple could have easily made the iTunes application available for Linux – and that again (like OGG) it chose not to. I also have a feeling that the fact that Linux is a leading achievement of open-source software and inherently a symbol of personal (computing) freedom, had something to do with it. There is an irony and subtle justice in this story.

Compromise

When I first thought about this post, as I was considering alternatives to an iPod, I was conflicted. I could not find a media player that had everything I wanted, each alternative was a compromise next to the iPod. Until finally my ever so grounded Andreea suggested that I get the iPod and in a couple of years I could replace it with a comfortable alternative once they caught up. This solved my predicament, I intended to start over ripping my CD collection into OGG source files which I would then convert into MP3 files for iTunes and iPod until at a later time I could revert to using the OGG files.

But I still wasn’t content and settled – I don’t appreciate Apple’s approach and did not want to lend a hand to it. So I again started searching for and reading about alternative devices and I realized that there are alternatives and that the one obstacle they share in common was their capacity. Both alternatives (more on that soon) are available with a maximum 32GB capacity while the iPod has a model with 64GB. 32GB won’t hold my entire music collection… until I realized that I don’t actually need (though it would be nice) my entire music collection on a media player. There are many albums I don’t listen to for long periods of time… 32GB is definitely enough to hold all the music I could possible listen to at any given time (some of the files will be on the computer but not on the media player).

I found a compromise (this is an interesting and recurring theme I intend to write more about in the future) I could live with happily and now I had options!

Personal Media Players

One of the most helpful resources in seeking an alternative to an iPod was AnythingButiPod.com. I was relieved and amused to find the website which offers truly useful information about media players that helped me make my decision.

The first option that came to mind was an Archos5 device – which has both a flash-memory and a hard-drive (which has much more capacity) versions and would have catered to some additional video-related needs. Two things put me off Archos – I was unimpressed with their user interface and there are too many signs of buggy behavior which is met with terrible customer service. I was disappointed to find that the Archos can be an unreliable device.

Then I was left with three relevant options – Sony, Samsung and Cowon. All three are functionally similar to an iPod. All three support OGG (and other open-source file formats). All three can connect as a standard USB drive making it easy to load files into them using Songbird (and many other music management applications). I do not have access to handling and feeling them so I am relying on information I was able to gather from the internet.

Sony X Series Walkman (and it seems all of their other models) is noticeably more expensive then other manufacturers. Some say Sony offer the best sound quality – but this is not significant enough for me to justify the price difference.

Samsung P3 seems like a good device but I read about and had mixed impressions about their user interface. The touch screen behavior seems to be a bit coarse and the overall graphic appearance seems childish and messy. I have handled a few Samsung phones and I got a similar feeling from them – the user interface is unpleasant.

Last on the list, and my personal choice is the Cowon S9. It too seems to have some quirks in the UI that take getting used to, but overall it looks better and more mature to me. It has a screen that is much better then Samsng and iPod. Cowon devices seem to be recognized across the board as having good sound quality. It also seems easy to connect the device to a TV with a fairly standard $10 cable (Apple charges $50 dollars for a tv-out cable for iPods) – so it may even be useful in that department. Other Cowon devices have an expansion slot for SD memory cards – it is a bit disappointing that the S9 does not.

Summary

This is the setup I will be using:

• Device: Cowon S9
• Operating System: Ubuntu/Kubuntu
• Music Player & Manager: Songbird
• CD Ripping: Ruby Ripper
• File Format: OGG
• Personal Freedom

Update: Bricking

As I was recollecting and inserting the links in this post I came across a few forum threads which indicate that the Cowon S9 doesn’t work with Linux (though the problems seem to have occurred with other operating systems as well). The problem occurs when transferring files to the device and the end result is a dead device that you can send back for replacement or, if you are technically proficient, can try to bring it back to life on your own. This is affectionately termed “bricking” – the device becomes a paper-weight (and not good one at that either, because it’s weighs less then other devices).

When I woke up next morning, after discovering the disconcerting news, I was thinking of going back to Andreea’s fall-back plan – of getting an iPod as a temporary solution. It was tempting but by noon I decided not to. I will hold off on getting a device until a good one is available. For the time being I will be using my resurrected laptop (running Kubuntu) and an external hard-drive to manage and listen to my music collection.

So there!

PLEASE NOTE:

• This article covers numerous technical issues. It is based on my experimentations and my limited technical expertise.
• To this day I am using the same software and hardware that I originally used 3 years ago. This is a technological lifetime – most of the technologies have been replaced by newer, and usually improved technologies.
• It took me much trial and error to create a stable work configuration.
• I was working on a very limited budget so I did not try different kinds of equipment which may have yielded different/better results.
• If you are setting up your environment I suggest you take time to experiment and play around until you find a configuration that is accessible and relevant for your work.

Camera

The camera I use is the Nikon D200. The main benefits of the camera were, for it’s time, the high ISO performance and fast auto-focus. I shoot in photographically challenging conditions – people moving unexpectedly in shifting light conditions ranging from low light to extremely high contrast.

Wireless Transmitter

Attached to the camera is a WT-3 wireless transmitter. This is a custom unit that works only with the Nikon D200. Essentially this acts as a “Wireless Adapter” to the camera – making it possible to connect the camera to a standard wireless network. The wireless transmitter provided me a hard earned (see below) freedom to move while staying connected to a computer without any cables. It enables file transfer using either a proprietary Nikon software PTP (peer to peer) protocol or via FTP. Though I’ve never tried it, there is also a standard network cable connection port. There is also an option to control the camera remotely using a separately sold software package Camera Control Pro from Nikon.

Computer

I used a Windows XP based laptop computer with wireless connectivity to receive and present images.

Network Connectivity

Most wireless networks are based on a wireless router. All the wireless devices that are configures to connect with a wireless router can communicate through it. All communication go through the wireless router – there is no direct communication between any two devices. For some time, in the beginning of my exploration, I used this kind of configuration. My gear included a wireless router that I would activate in the space where I would be working. Both the camera and the computer were configured to connect to the router.

Another kind of wireless network is an ad-hoc network. In this configuration the devices are connected directly to one another. Eventually I stopped using the router and switched to working with an ad-hoc connection directly between the laptop and the camera.

I originally chose to work with a wireless router in the hope that it would give me better transmission range (better coverage of a space), which I believe that it did. But for some reason (I could not figure out why), on too many occasions, the Nikon connectivity software on the laptop could not link to the camera. Indicators on the camera showed that the camera was connected to the network, but also that it wasn’t able to link to the Nikon communications application on the computer. This is why I gave up on working with a router and switched to the ad-hoc configuration.You will need to consult the documentation of your gear to see what is available for you and how to configure it.

Network Range

The camera’s wireless adapter had a very limited range – if I moved too far from either the router or laptop computer I would lose a connection.Range is also affected by the space itself. Range will be best in an open space with a clean direct line of sight between the transmitter and the receiver. Range is reduced by the presence of both physical objects (walls!) and/or people in the space.

There seem to be many solutions for improving network range. The problem was/is that there isn’t reliable information on how well they actually work. So it requires trial and error – which a limited budget doesn’t really allow. After all of my researching I decided to try an antenna. When I was working with the router the antenna was attached to it (for which it was originally designed). When I was working with an ad-hoc connection the antenna was connected to the camera.

The camera’s wireless transmitter has a screw-in socket for an antenna connection on the side of the body. Nikon sells a ridiculously expensive antenna - it’s price and the complete lack of reliable performance information or a testimonial by someone else who had worked with it, prevented me from trying it. I was concerned that other antennas may not even have a compatible physical connection. Luckily it seems that the physical connection port is a standard size and I was able to connect the antenna directly to it.

I was fortunate to find an antenna that (unlike the Nikon antenna) has a joint in it’s base, that enables it to bend into a 90 degree angle (like this). This meant that I didn’t need to move around with a long stick coming out of the camera – I could fold it at the joint and place it alongside the camera body. If you do get an antenna, try to get one that won’t get in your way. There are accessories such as extension cables and connectors you can use to try and create a configuration that is comfortable for you.

Wireless networks have come a long way over recent years. There are newer protocols that offer longer range and better connections. If you are using newer equipment you may find that you don’t have a range problem. You have to play around and experiment with the gear you have to see what works for you and what limitations you need to accommodate in your work.

Stability of Connection

Another problem was that the network connection was unstable – the camera would lose it’s connection to the network and then take too long or have a hard time (or completely fail!) reconnecting. This has nothing to do with the range or the network configuration you are using. This was one of the most difficult problems to solve. It was the last piece of the puzzle – and it wasn’t documented anywhere. It is a classic case of engineer thinking!

IMPORTANT: I experienced the following behavior on the Nikon D200  & WT-3. I don’t how other Nikon cameras, or other manufacturer’s cameras. This was a huge problem for me so I thought it would be useful to document it.

Wireless camera connection was a relatively new technology when I began playing around with it. It seems to me that the Nikon engineers who created it had no actual use for it, otherwise it would be hard to explain how they chose that a flashing RED light indicates that the network connection is good. It seems that one of the design goals that the engineers had in mind was saving battery power so that batteries would last longer.

For example – when you half-press down the shutter button, the camera activates a light meter (and if active, the auto-focus system). If you release the button the meter stays active for a few seconds, this gives you a chance to read the light meter if you want to, but then it shuts off to save power (active light meter and auto-focus systems drain the batteries). On the D200 you can set this duration, the shortest setting is 4 seconds. So far so good, to me this makes sense.

Here’s where things begin to make less sense. When the light-meter system is shut down (the camera is assuming you don’t intend to take a picture) the wireless transmitter is also shut down (since is isn’t likely there will be any pictures to transmit). This does save power but it kills the wireless connection. The light-meter comes in instantly when you press the shutter button, but it takes many long seconds to reconnect to the wireless network. I needed to create a stable and continuous wireless connection. The way to do this was to set the light-meter shutdown delay to infinity – which essentially means that it never shuts down, and neither does the wireless transmitter.

Presentation

The last piece in this puzzle was the software for presenting the images that were transmitted to the computer. The images were placed in a folder on the receiving computer’s hard drive (there is a configuration option in the Nikon software to choose the target folder). The question was how to present them?

Before I describe my solution, I think it’s important to point out that this is an artistic junction – there are endless possibilities here, and before you choose and limit yourself to a specific technical solution, you may want to make some artistic choices. My intentions were to work within a live performance. I would most likely be away from the computer so there was not much likelihood of interaction with the computer. I also wanted to be free to work in the space – so I wanted as little distractions as possible (praying for a stable network connection was enough distraction).

I wanted a very simple behavior. I wanted the screen to display the most recent image shot and transmitted to the computer (usually I would auto-transmit all of the images, sometimes I would select which images to transmit, this is a configuration option on the Nikon wireless transmitter that can be changed through the camera menus). I wanted the image to be displayed in full screen and properly oriented (vertical shots needed to be rotated 90 degrees). I searched and searched and could not find an application that did just this. Most of the applications I found had slide-show features which looped through a set of images. I didn’t want the images to loop – I wanted the last image shot to stay on screen.

I was rescued by Yaniv who kindly agreed to write a custom application for me (runs on Windows XP). The application does exactly what I had hoped for – it is placed in the folder in which images are stored and it watches that folder for new images. The newest image is displayed correctly oriented in full screen. There is also an option to freeze the application by pressing space – so that the displayed image is not changed even if new images are found. Pressing space a second time releases the application and the newest images is again displayed (any images that were taken while the application was frozen will not be displayed).

There are many fine points you need to take care of. For example: the application needs to stay-on-top of all other application (if, for some reason, a network connection is lost, the Nikon wireless software opens a new explorer window showing the content of the folder in which images are stored); screen savers need to be disabled; the windows task-bar should be hidden. Still after all of this the solution is not technically perfect and there are many more creative directions I look forward to exploring when the opportunity presents itself.