Cargo 200

Friday, August 31, 2007

I saw Cargo 200 tonight. My first full film (I had to leave the very first one, Shyam Benegal’s Trikal, for a call), and the second was a tribute to Daniel Day Lewis. As Mr. Lewis was being interviewed by someone who’s favorite film ever was The Unbearable Lightness of Being. He said he was miserable the whole time. She said, shocked, “but it doesn’t seem like it in the film.” To which he replied, “well, that is my job isn’t it?”

Cargo 200 is amazing. Intense doesn’t even begin to describe it. A young girl takes an ill-fated ride with a bad boy, and things go down hill from there… Really, really badly downhill. But not knowing how enhances the suspense. It is best not to know. You might wish you didn’t once you do.

The film was introduced with the caveat that it was called fascist and it was rejected from several festivals, including Cannes with the statement that it would never show in France. We’ll have to dig into that label a bit, it’s hard to see how it applies. It is certainly tortuous and violent, but hardly more so than Baise Moi and certainly not endorsing the action presented in the movie.

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We also saw a short called “The Pearce Sisters” by Aardman animation. It was apropos to Cargo 200, but a lot funnier. More along the lines of Angry Kid than Wallace and Gromit. Not a Saturday morning sort of animation… But very funny in a black way.

2007 Telluride Film Festival

Posted at 23:24:49 GMT-0700

Category: Films

Greetings from Omaha

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Fuel stop on the way to Telluride.

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Posted at 11:35:16 GMT-0700

Category: PlanesTravel

Ugh. Paperwork

Sunday, August 26, 2007

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Posted at 00:40:16 GMT-0700

Category: photoUncategorized

Very pretty salvage filters

Saturday, August 25, 2007

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Posted at 13:35:38 GMT-0700

Category: photoTechnology

sick kitty

Saturday, August 25, 2007

This cat showed up in the yard yesterday. Pregnant. Eeew.. But very friendly, though terrified of Stella, so perhaps the missing flesh was consumed by a dog…

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Posted at 13:35:31 GMT-0700

Category: photoUncategorized

ZoneMinder on FC7

Saturday, August 25, 2007

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Overview
Zone Minder Config ZoneMinder 1.22.3 on Fedora Core 7

There are useful instructions at this URL

Do a basic install of FC7.

  • KDE seems to work better than gnome.
  • Remove unnecessary SW to speed install (desktop stuff)
  • Add Server and Development to get the right tools
  • Add https://www.systutorials.com/additional-repositories-for-fedora-linux/ as an RPM source
  • Make sure the necessary holes are in the firewall at 80

Add necessary bits
yum install mysql-server mysql-devel php-mysql pcre-devel \
perl-DateManip perl-libwww-perl perl-Device-SerialPort \
perl-MIME-Lite perl-Archive-Zip

updating perl (some will be installed already)
perl -MCPAN -e shell
install Bundle::CPAN
reload CPAN
install Archive::Tar
install Archive::Zip
install MIME::Lite
install MIME::Tools
install DateTime
install Date::Manip
install Bundle::libnet
install Device::SerialPort
install Astro::SunTime
install X10
quit

FFMPEG install

Note that getting the FFMPEG libraries installed so they work is a nightmare. I followed these instructions and they seemed to work:

First add the x264 libraries and devel from livna via software manager

If the database hangs try
rm /var/lib/rpm/__db*
rpm --rebuilddb
yum clean all

svn checkout svn://svn.mplayerhq.hu/ffmpeg/trunk ffmpeg
cd ffmpeg/

./configure --enable-shared --enable-pp \
--enable-libx264 --cpu=pentium3 --enable-gpl

make
make install
nano /etc/ld.so.conf

add the line “/usr/local/lib”
ldconfig

System demons

chkconfig --add mysqld
chkconfig --level 345 mysqld on
chkconfig --level 345 httpd on
service mysqld start
service httpd start

add to /etc/sysctl.conf to increase shared memory limit
kernel.shmall = 134217728
kernel.shmmax = 134217728

Zoneminder Install

Check the latest version of zoneminder at https://web.archive.org/web/20110310142847/http://www.zoneminder.com:80/downloads.html

wget https://zoneminder.com/downloads/
tar xvfz ZoneMinder-1.22.3.tar.gz
cd ZoneMinder-1.22.3

patch it

https://web.archive.org/web/20110501001851/http://www.zoneminder.com:80/wiki/index.php/1.22.3_Patches

The configure command I used is:
./configure --with-webdir=/var/www/html/zm \
--with-cgidir=/var/www/cgi-bin ZM_DB_HOST=localhost\
ZM_DB_NAME=zm ZM_DB_USER=zmuser ZM_DB_PASS=zmpass \
CFLAGS="-g -O3 -march=pentium3" CXXFLAGS="-g -O3 \
-march=pentium3" --with-ffmpeg=/usr/bin \
--with-webuser=apache --with-webgroup=apache

putting a reasonable user name for “zmuser” and password for “zmpass”

make
make install

If make barfs with
/usr/local/src/ZoneMinder-1.22.3/src/zm_mpeg.cpp:284: undefined reference to `av_free(void*)'
try
”in src/zm_mpeg.h starting on line 26, add the lines with the + (removing the + of course) The other lines are just for reference and should be already in the file.” from this reference (lost to the void, alas).

nano src/zm_mpeg.h

#define ZM_MPEG_H
+extern "C" {
+#define __STDC_CONSTANT_MACROS
#include <ffmpeg/avformat.h>
+}
#if FFMPEG_VERSION_INT == 0x000408

Install scripts
install scripts/zm /etc/init.d/
chkconfig --add zm

Create and configure the ZoneMinder database
mysql mysql < db/zm_create.sql
mysql mysql

at the mysql prompt:
grant select,insert,update,delete on zm.* to \
'zmuser'@localhost identified by 'zmpass';
quit

mysqladmin reload

GO!
service zm start

you should get a nice green [OK].

http://127.0.0.1/zm

Black Screen? Go Faster?
No php?
If you have issues make sure you have installed apache php and perl modules.

IJG SIMD jpeg should double performance.
http://cetus.sakura.ne.jp/softlab/jpeg-x86simd/jpegsimd.html#source
* requires nasm which wasn’t installed. Use package manager.
wget http://cetus.sakura.ne.jp/softlab/jpeg-x86simd/sources/jpegsrc-6b-x86simd-1.02.tar.gz
tar xvfz jpegsrc-6b-x86simd-1.02.tar.gz
cd jpeg-6bx
./configure --enable-shared --enable-static
nano Makefile

* Change the CFLAGS from O2 to O3 and add
-funroll-loops -march=pentium3 -fomit-frame-pointer

make
make test
make install

identify the libraries to the system
ldconfig

I also copied the installed files from /usr/local/bin to /usr/bin:
cp /usr/local/bin/cjpeg /usr/bin/cjpeg
cp /usr/local/bin/cjpeg /usr/bin/cjpeg
cp /usr/local/bin/cjpeg /usr/bin/cjpeg
cp /usr/local/bin/cjpeg /usr/bin/cjpeg
cp /usr/local/bin/cjpeg /usr/bin/cjpeg

/etc/init.d/zm restart

NetPBM resizes the JPEGS and faster is better: compile and install
cd /usr/src
svn checkout https://netpbm.sourceforge.net/ netpbm
cd netpbm
/usr/src/netpbm/configure

Answer the questions (GNU and then defaults – I didn’t have TIFF or VGA libs, so “none”)
vi Makefile.config
I added -march=pentium3 to the CFLAGS at the end of the file
make
make package
/usr/src/netpbm/installnetpbm

accept defaults

cabozola install

* package add Ant (it needs ant, but it wasn’t installed by default)
cd /usr/src
wget https://web.archive.org/web/20220526174548/http://www.charliemouse.com/code/cambozola/cambozola-latest.tar.gz
tar xvfz cambozola-latest.tar.gz
cp /usr/src/cambozola-0.68/dist/cambozola.jar /var/www/html/zm
chmod 775 /var/www/html/zm/cambozola.jar

Posted at 01:44:34 GMT-0700

Category: LinuxTechnology

Gatorland video

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Back in January of 2007, Carolyn and I visited the premiere 1/2 day attraction in Florida, the amazing Gatorland, home of the gator jump. Unfortunately, in January, the water is a bit cold for Gators and they don’t jump as enthusiastically as they apparently do in warmer months.
{vidavee id=”1842″ w=”320″ }

Posted at 23:53:20 GMT-0700

Category: PlacesTravelvideo

1U Fill-in Panel

Monday, August 20, 2007

Home-made 1U fill in panel – all salvaged fasteners.
Magnet tape holds it to the rack, so it is easy to move. Clear so you can see inside. A few more U to make…

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Posted at 00:20:25 GMT-0700

Category: HowTophotoTechnology

The third accident this weekend…

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Why are these kids so reluctant to chat with the police after an accident? Hmmm… The only time these accidents aren’t hit and run, is when the kids are hurt enough they can’t run. Unfortunately, modern cars are way too safe.

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I offered to help my neighbor, Bila, change the tire in the morning. This morning at 9:00, when he was done baking, he rang my bell and we changed the tire. From the glass on the street, it looked like the perps’ car was far worse off. Bila’s axle might have been a bit tweaked though.

Posted at 02:05:15 GMT-0700

Category: Eventsphoto

Don’t park on the street

Saturday, August 18, 2007

The second major accident I’ve seen in as many days…

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Both green, late model sporty cars. The last wrapped the front end around a tree on an exit ramp and apparently made it only about 100 yards before collapsing, I think, into someone’s driveway. They were being tended to by paramedics when I came by.

This time the driver apparently tried to pass, lost control, hit some parked cars and endoed the car. The driver and passenger got out and walked away. Probably not their car, probably on something or other. Not likely to be found again, unless the next thing they hit is a lot harder. Airbags cheat evolution.

Oh well, at least it provided amusement for the neighbors.

Posted at 19:45:15 GMT-0700

Category: photoUncategorized