March 31st, 2004
I was reading about Speakable Items and QuickTime and made this script
It will allow you to chapterise (add chapters to) the front Movie in QuickTime Player – by voice. Simply move the play head to the appropriate points and say “Chapter” – then when the last chapter has been added say “Finish”.
Requires Panther and QuickTime Pro.
you can get the script into Script Editor by clicking Here
global blurb, targetBlurb, sourceMovie, sourceMovieDuration, sourceMovieName, sourceMovieWidth, sourceMovieHeight, chapterTrackText, sourceMovieWidth, sourceMovieHeight, numChaps, lastChapTime
on run
my chapterise()
end run
to chapterise()
set lastChapTime to 0
– Quit if QT Pro is not installed
if not my checkForQTPro() then
return
end if
– pre-check for a front movie
my movieIsForemostPreCheck()
tell application “QuickTime Player”
– Show Info Dialog — explains what the script does.
set the blurb to “This script will add chapters to a QuickTime Movie. Make sure that the movie you want is foremost in QuickTime Player.
” & targetBlurb
display dialog blurb buttons {“OK”} default button 1 giving up after 5
– Now we’re off and ready to go…
– Get the info for the movie we want to chapterise
if not my getFrontMovieInfo() then
activate
display dialog “There is no front movie to chapterise.” buttons {“Whoops!”} default button 1 giving up after 5
return
end if
display dialog “Initial Chapter Title:” default answer (“Start”) buttons {“OK”, “cancel”} default button 1
copy the result as list to {text_returned, button_pressed}
if button_pressed is “OK” then
set initalChapterName to text_returned
else
return
end if
set chapterTrackText to “{QTtext}{font:Geneva}{plain}{size:12}{textColor: 65535, 65535, 65535}{backColor: 0, 0, 0}{justify:center}{timeScale:30}{width:” & sourceMovieWidth & “}{height:” & sourceMovieHeight & “}{timeStamps:absolute}{language:0}{textEncoding:0}
[00:00:00.00]
{textBox: 0, 0, 50, 160}” & initalChapterName & “
“
– Get the chapters
set numChaps to 0
set another to true
repeat while another is true
set commandSpoken to my listenForChapterCommand()
if commandSpoken is “chapter” then
my addMarker()
else if commandSpoken is “finish” then
my finishChapterise()
set another to false
else if commandSpoken is “debug” then
log (“debug command used”)
else
set another to false
end if
log commandSpoken
end repeat
end tell
end chapterise
– Script subRoutines
to checkForQTPro()
tell application “QuickTime Player”
if QuickTime Pro installed is false then
display dialog “QT Pro is required for this script” buttons {“OK”} default button 1
return false
end if
end tell
return true
end checkForQTPro
to finishChapterise()
set chapterTrackText to chapterTrackText & “[" & my explodeTime(sourceMovieDuration) & "]“
set chapterFile to my writeOut(chapterTrackText)
tell application “QuickTime Player”
activate
tell sourceMovie to rewind
make new track at sourceMovie with data alias chapterFile
end tell
tell application “Finder” to move file chapterFile to trash
my attachChapterTrackToVideo()
end finishChapterise
to attachChapterTrackToVideo()
tell application “QuickTime Player”
tell sourceMovie
set textTracks to every track whose name is “Text Track”
set chapTrack to first item of textTracks
set videoTracks to every track whose name is “video Track”
set videoTrack to first item of videoTracks
tell videoTrack
set chapterlist to chapTrack
end tell
tell chapTrack
set enabled to false
end tell
end tell
end tell
end attachChapterTrackToVideo
to writeOut(someData)
activate
set chapFile to ((path to home folder as string) & “tempChapterMovie.txt”)
– set chapFile to choose file name with prompt “where should I save the chapter file?” default name (sourceMovieName & “_chapters.txt”)
set chapFileRef to open for access chapFile with write permission
write someData to chapFileRef
close access chapFileRef
return chapFile
end writeOut
to listenForChapterCommand()
tell application “SpeechRecognitionServer”
set chapteriserLanguageModel to {“chapter”, “marker”, “mark”, “now”}
set finishLanguageModel to {“end”, “finish”, “stop”}
set cancelLanguageModel to {“quit”, “cancel”}
set debugLanguageModel to {“time”}
set thePrompt to “listening…”
try
set theResultstring to listen for chapteriserLanguageModel & finishLanguageModel & cancelLanguageModel & debugLanguageModel with prompt thePrompt
if theResultstring is in finishLanguageModel then
say “finishing up”
return “finish”
else if theResultstring is in cancelLanguageModel then
say “cancelling”
return “cancel”
else if theResultstring is in chapteriserLanguageModel then
say “adding chapter marker”
return “chapter”
else if theResultstring is in debugLanguageModel then
say “debug”
return “debug”
end if
end try
end tell
return “error”
end listenForChapterCommand
to addMarker()
tell application “QuickTime Player”
tell front movie to set currentTime to the current time of sourceMovie
if currentTime is less than lastChapTime then
display dialog “Sorry, you must add chapters in Chronological order.” buttons {“OK”} default button 1
return
else
set lastChapTime to currentTime
end if
set chapTime to my explodeTime(currentTime)
display dialog “Chapter Title:” default answer (“Chapter ” & numChaps + 1) buttons {“OK”, “cancel”} default button 1
copy the result as list to {text_returned, button_pressed}
if button_pressed is “OK” then
–[00:00:19.00]
–{textBox: 0, 0, 50, 160}Chapter Two
set markerText to “[" & chapTime & "]
{textBox: 0, 0, 50, 160}” & text_returned & “
“
set chapterTrackText to chapterTrackText & markerText
set numChaps to numChaps + 1
– log markerText
end if
end tell
end addMarker
to movieIsForemostPreCheck()
tell application “QuickTime Player”
try
set sourceMovie to front movie
tell sourceMovie
set frontMovieName to name
end tell
set targetBlurb to “Current targetted movie: ‘” & frontMovieName & “‘.”
on error theError
set targetBlurb to “There is currently NO movie targetted. Make sure a movie is open before pressing OK in this dialog.”
end try
end tell
end movieIsForemostPreCheck
to getFrontMovieInfo()
tell application “QuickTime Player”
activate
try
set sourceMovie to front movie
tell sourceMovie
rewind
set sourceMovieDuration to duration
set sourceMovieName to name
set dims to (dimensions)
set sourceMovieWidth to first item of dims
set sourceMovieHeight to last item of dims
return true
end tell
on error
return false
end try
end tell
end getFrontMovieInfo
to explodeTime(durationInSeconds)
set secondsLeft to durationInSeconds div 600
set secPerMin to 60
set secPerHour to secPerMin * 60
set numHours to “00″
set numMins to “00″
set numSecs to “00″
if secondsLeft is greater than or equal to secPerHour then
set numHours to secondsLeft div secPerHour
log (“number of hours: ” & numHours)
set excessSeconds to numHours * secPerHour
set secondsLeft to secondsLeft – excessSeconds
if numHours < 10 then
log (“padding hour int”)
set numHours to (“0″ & numHours) as string
end if
end if
if secondsLeft is greater than or equal to secPerMin then
set numMins to secondsLeft div secPerMin
set excessSeconds to numMins * secPerMin
set secondsLeft to secondsLeft – excessSeconds
if numMins < 10 then
set numMins to (“0″ & numMins) as string
end if
end if
set numSecs to secondsLeft
if numSecs < 10 then
set numSecs to (“0″ & numSecs) as string
end if
set output to (numHours & “:” & numMins & “:” & numSecs) as string
return output
end explodeTime
March 30th, 2004
I know it’s very vulgar to talk about money – but I’ve been reading up:
Money, get away.
Get a good job with good pay and you?re okay.
Money, it?s a gas.
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I?ll buy me a football team.
The Chip and Pin advertising campaign to inform the public has begun — “Safety in Numbers.” There are nine months left for mag stripe CCs in UK. They were first introduced here in 1976 (when I was 1 year old!)
The smart cards are a global standard called EMV – they also allow multiple applications – not just a credit card.
Europe and Asia first to go to EMV – 2004 & 2006. Not sure when US gets it.
Card Fraud:
Money, get back.
I?m all right jack keep your hands off of my stack.
Money, it?s a hit.
Don?t give me that do goody good bullshit.
I?m in the high-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a lear jet.
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“At £424.6 million in 2002, plastic card fraud losses are still increasing ? although not as dramatically as in previous years. Our multilayered fraud prevention initiatives, coupled with the work of a new police card fraud unit, are starting to disrupt the illegal activities of organised criminal gangs. ” – APACS Card Fraud Facts 2003
“About £1 million-worth of fraud is committed on cards every day in the UK – a crime every eight seconds. Chip and PIN will help tackle 60% of this fraud.” – APACS Annual Report 2003
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APACS thinks that post Chip and Pin organised crime will move from skimming, towards id theft e.g. bin raiding & masquerading. CardHolder Not Present (CNP) transactions (i.e. Phone & Internet) will still be vulnerable to fraud, much as they are today.
There appears to be progress there too:
AVS/CSC — (cardholder Address Verification System and Card Security Code checking system) – Ever had trouble shipping internet-bought products to an address other than your own? That’s AVS. CSC is the three digit Security Number on the signature strip of Credit Cards that some sites ask you to enter. Hopefully many more sites will require this in the near future.
The roll-out of Verified by Visa and MasterCard’s SecureCode to combat Internet-based CNP fraud.
Token-based authentication – “An initial UK specification for the use of chip and PIN cards in handheld readers was issued at the end of 2002, giving members the option of using dynamic, two-factor authentication for customers when banking or paying online. Token-based authentication would provide customers with a similar experience to that at cash machines and in retail outlets. Whilst benefiting from the investment being made in chip and PIN, it would be significantly stronger than authentication based on password and user identity. In 2003 interest in token-based authentication increased significantly within the UK and abroad. APACS has been working closely with MasterCard, Visa and a number of associations overseas to encourage the development of a common global specification.” – APACS Annual Report 2003
This could mean Smart Card readers attached to PC’s with software that allowed you to authorise payment via Chip & Pin.
Other Interesting info about Money:
Money, it?s a crime.
Share it fairly but don?t take a slice of my pie.
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today.
But if you ask for a raise it?s no surprise that they?re
Giving none away.
Over half of all cash acquired by individuals (in the UK) is obtained from cash machines. In 2003 an estimated £144 billion was paid out in 2.4 billion transactions, 5% more than in 2002.
The rate of growth rose during the year and may reflect benefit recipients shifting to the use of cash machines once their benefits are paid by Direct Payment rather than obtaining cash at the post office. Direct Payment will give a further boost to this trend in 2004 and 2005 and, in the longer term, the demographic pattern of preferences will be a steady driver of growth – younger customers are more likely to use a cash machine than older customers.
In 2012 it is projected that cash machines will pay out over £190 billion in today?s money in 3.1 billion transactions.
personal cheque use has been falling every year since 1990. In that year each adult wrote over 60 cheques on average; by 2002 this had fallen to 30 cheques on average.
Around 3% of all card payments were made over the Internet last year. This is expected to grow to one in ten by 2012.
Over one Internet user in three banks on-line. Users of Internet banking are increasingly transacting on-line, moving money or altering payment arrangements.
Two in three adults regularly use cash machines, taking out over £80 each week on average. The cash machine habit is strongest with younger adults. Over 90% of 25 to 34 year olds with access to cash machines get cash from them on a regular basis. Cashback with debit cards, however, remains very much a niche source of cash. Around 8 million debit cardholders use it, primarily as a way of topping up their cash. Nine in ten cashback users also regularly draw cash from cash machines. The growing popularity of cash machines has been driven by their increasing availability. Since the mid 1990s banks have been installing cash machines at non-branch sites and the last two years have seen an explosion of convenience machines owned by non-bank independent ATM deployers at sites such as corner stores. At the end of 2002 over half of the UK?s 40,825 cash machines were at non-branch locations.
links:
http://www.apacs.org.uk/
http://www.emvco.com/
Biblio:
http://www.apacs.org.uk/downloads/Annual%20Review%202003.pdf
http://www.cardwatch.org.uk/pdf_files/cardfraudfacts2003.pdf
http://www.smartcard.co.uk/resources/tutorials/sct-itsc.pdf
March 30th, 2004
I’ve just invested in a very cool (but quite ugly) device: you can get one here.
It’s basically a mini wireless access point that’s powered by USB – or at the flick of a switch it becomes an ethernet-to-wireless adapter.
I’m currently using mine to free my sitting room of one less wire (one down, 3,251 to go…)
It’s small enough to chuck into a laptop bag and take to meetings/LAN parties/ etc…
The only downside is the configuration – theoretically it’s web-based – but I had to fire up virtual PC and use the Windows Binaries – as the “web” interface is a real mess of Windows IE-only JavaScript. Firebird/IE:Mac/Safari all choked and Mozilla choked half way through configuration.
March 29th, 2004
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I’m back from a Week’s Skiing in Meribel. Absolutely fantastic – loads of snow fell and a really nice sunny day at the end. I hadn’t skied for about five years and it was really nice to get back on to the slopes.
I can’t believe how good the GSM coverage is in the Alps these days – *everyone* had a phone on the slopes and people where texting/MMS’ing from chairlifts. Excellent for safety and not getting separated, but unimaginable ten years ago.
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I would have blogged out there but roaming GPRS is still trop cher:
- (That’s £1.46 for 300k!)
March 18th, 2004
Belle de Jour uncovered. The literary detective strikes again.
You didn’t think she was real did you? far too much detail…
March 18th, 2004
Christian Lindholm posts some shortcuts and tips for Nokia Phones that you may not know.
March 15th, 2004
Sorry, again I seem to be out of the blogging habit – I’m currently addicted to a PS2 game I’m testing for the Network Beta. Alas can’t mention anything about it (but it’s out soon). I’ve been finishing off Vice City too – wow that game is detailed.
Meanwhile here’s one of my bad-tempered rants about minor imperfections in life:
Why is it that some PS2 game developers are still making games that can only use the first memory card slot? It’s rather irritating, and when the game requires that the PS2 network config must be on the same card – it means duplicating your net settings on all cards.
Then you discover that the Net Config is Copy Protected – so you have to go through the whole IP set-up doo-dah again. Which is no fun, because entering IP addresses with a Dual-Shock controller is about as usable as Windows 3.1
Gah!
March 2nd, 2004
Posted
in
Music by
Diggory
I just bought a music track off the internet. I can’t believe it! No – not through iTunes, from Bleep. I heard a track on Radio 1, the DJ mentioned off hand that it was available from bleep – and I bought it almost before the track had ended.
They’ve got a very nice, simple UI – and they sell high quality MP3s unrestricted by any DRM.
£0.99 per track. (oh, by the way – the track was TEKNOTEST by Cane)
comments off See also in
Music
March 1st, 2004
GT:San Andreas is coming this autumn. Yikes! — I still haven’t finished Vice City…
in Totally Unrelated News: The London Underground is going to allow GSM operators to put their networks into the tube, cool. BBC London News Link.
