After getting two reports of MPEG4 issues..... I've built a test page for MPEG4s using different configurations/settings

All of the MPEG4 clips below were cut with Quicktime pro 6.0. All have played not only on my Mac but on my (now three year old) Windows XP pro with Quicktime Player for windows Version 6.3 (dating from 2003)

First from a Mac User who said:

Hi Ed Don't know if it's just cos I'm on a Mac but your new mp4s download as .txt files.The full termination comes out as .mp4.txt If I remove that ending and just leave up .mp4 they play in QuickTime sometimes but not always-says it's not a file QuickTime understands Just get a huge text file if I don't download them to disk by the way. Well if its all working for Windows don't let it bother you.We Mac folk have to take what comes Just thought you'd appreciate the feedback site continues great as ever.

===========================

Hi Ed, Thanks for your quick response. My OS is Windows XP. I did go to the Apple site and successfully load Quicktime. Earlier, as you started posting mpeg4 clips, I had gone to Google and Yahoo search engines inputting "mpeg4 player download" and all I got was alot of technical jargon that I could not decipher. I enjoy your work immensely. I hope all is well and hang in there. Best regards,

I have cut several different formats/settings for these clips (oddly enough, some full scale clips with or without streaming "hinting" or settings for ISMA(1) or server download speed settings come out as the same file size regardless of image size.. check the 320X240 against the full size clips.

It's already after midnight so I'll just plug in the clips (keep track of the filenames) then open a Poll in a day or so in Colight Members at Yahoo to determine how many problems may exist. I'm not that proficient at this "codec" thing....

If any Mac or windows Quicktime specialists are out there, let me know.. I have some caps of some clip settings which may help people like the one Sardax had with mp4.txt (???)

Also killed my blog for the day.. Today went to e-mail, finializing & shipping Insider 8 Allwhites, and this MPEG issue among others...

The blog (and poll) may also seek input on a reported "blue spot" in the middle of Callies' Extreme clip from last week. I've watched both the original and the MPEG4 copies on both of my systems (Mac & XP) but have not spotted a flaw. I asked him for a time-hack to pinpoint the flaw.... Any other's who have had the same results please use the new s.------e e-mail address

January 25th

Yesterday went entirely to labeling, customs declarations, and shipping an additonal 26 packages. It included current domestic US, & international orders and 20 outstanding international orders. Nine hours straight to ensure customs declarations for each package a little different. . . International customers know why.

I used USPS auto-email notices to everyone in yesterdays shipment. You will have received that e-mail by now. Make sure your spam filters did not trash them.

US customers be aware that USPS no longer scans Delivery Confirmation numbers INTO their system. Only when delivered. I've had packages come up missing that I placed in mailbox or directly into Post Office myself. Loss or theft by postal employee is the only possible cause.

I drained my account to ship the above. I must complete "Insider 8 Allwhites" and a few other things before I can send more of the older international orders. Thankfully, the pile is getting much smaller.

Ed

Oh Yeah... Although life can still suck. . . . I can still feel Great!
Ciao'

Bloggin' on a Monday - January 23, 2006

Lots to blog. I have never allowed myself to use words inaccurately. Refusal to use 'Overstatement' or 'exaggeration' is an ethical standard. Also a very personal one.

But I get to finally use today's word of the day: Great!

Great, is a cool way to feel on a Monday. Five days of Great in a row. (I really like that word... Great!)

Oh, the stress is still high, I need to be a physical and creative superman every day. I-Bill still owes me fifteen thousand dollars after seventeen months of surviving the wait. It required all of what I called reserves or life-savings to cover the costs of site and content, etc., to replace eight months worth of dollars Colight's visitors paid for access. Money they thought was coming to me.

The courts gave them almost a year to even start payment. The first is due in March. Assuming they actually pay it. I will believe it when I see it.

But, back to Great. . . And especially the reason for saying it to you. . . for announcing my feeling it. (any psyche students will want a notepad... a sticky-note would do.) It's great to say Great only because there is no special reason to say it. None of the standard stuff like, I have a girlfriend, new job, penile prosthesis<g>, or a position in the sales department, et al. IOW, it took most of my life and six years of intense internal scrutiny as therapy in order to lose the emotional numbness born as a self-defense mechanism in very early childhood. 'Course, I could have just said "1950s Italian Catholic mother." There's a book of meaning in those four words.

That's all I'll say on the matter because it's a lot more fun to say Great! Grreat! Damn, that's a sweet word. I can even use it to describe myself. 'Ain't that a kick?

The rest of this blog is to cover some ground. First to point out a piece of pale blue art in the pic over there. Spam harvesters can read most kinds of pics so I've had to give up on even the webmaster account and it's anchor mail account, "Duard." Even the nemo account is impossible to navigate.


Sardax graciously provided he image. I added some "chaff" of my own to it. I don't know how sensitive spam harvesters can be... so hopefully it's enough. Ten fingers is all I was issued at birth and it' not enough to type all that needs to be written about progress at work, etc.

1. To avoid an unmanageable flood of regular e-mails, this blog will answer some questions. I answer all e-mail personally. Often having to research paper records for answers. Lots' of papers take lots of time. That is time I can use to work and especially for solving unresolved problems.

Out of country shipments have produced the most issues.

a. Shipping overseas is twice the cost quoted to me by a postal employee which I had used to calculate totals for many many orders. With colight living on video sales, the minimum $9.00 per package cost requires me to pay the extra $4.00 - $5.00 per package myself. I've been shipping in batches as dollars become available.

b. Customs issues and restrictions require special amounts of time be set aside for packaging and documentation on overseas shipments. Each package and even each order can require lots of personalized work done by hand. I think you get the idea. Those of you who have received one of my packages know what I mean.

All major elements of any production from editing work to the duplication process of DVDs are handled by my most powerful machine. I must divide the machines time up between these and other tasks. If I could trust the windows computers to be as good as my Mac, I'd dump the job on them. Editing, mastering and burning correctly are too important to deal with windows error messages all day. A separate computer just for a new duplication system was part of the 15 grand of mine that's still in I-bills wallet. Consequently, making sure the job(s) is done right requires more time than you might think.

Some of the temporary help I hired after TJ left have compounded the record keeping problems. In her last months here, TJ appears to have avoided updating the computer records of orders. When I took over I could not trust the info in electronic files to be accurate / up-to-date. The part-timers added fun things like duplicate copies, lost amendments to orders and made things like TJ's computerized Sticky-Note method of renewing Colight members even worse than it was. So, if I seem slow. . . picture sheets of paper, binder clips and my thumb as my current filing system.

A wipe and reload of my editing software came after the program ate two projects. (Man, that was a pain.) But Insider #8 Allwhites/Longwhites and the remastered Jade's VS 120s (DVD) are back to completion stage. I'm burning the master and backups on Jade right now. The finishing touches to Insider #8 come next. The master and backups will be burning tonight.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something but I'll add it later rather than delay a blog-in-motion.

And if you'll excuse an indulgence like shouting in type: It's Monday and I *still* feel fuckin' GREAT.

Enjoy

Ed

10:00 Hours - 1-9-06

Today's blog starts with a USPS sin of omission regarding Confirmed Delivery Packages.
After replacing packages labeled with the online "Click-N-Ship" and dropped in the mailboxes *directly* in front of my local PO, I thought to have a discussion, shall we say, with the local postmaster.

If you didn't know already... Postal Employees are not technically federal employees. For at least two decades, the PO has been run by a contract organization (Read: For Profit Company.) So, first let's establish some facts:

1. They open after real humans start work, and close before we get out of work.
2. The advertise Confirmed Delivery as a method of protecting your shipped packages.
3. They encourage us to prove who we are to gain user privilidges on the USPS web site.
4. They encourage use of "flat rate" Priority mail shipping (where 1 ounce costs the same as 16 ounces - $4.05)
5. They advertise Click-N-Ship as the solution to all our problems.

The real stuff:

1. Click-n-ship packages with confirmed delivery are NOT scanned in if dropped in the mailbox OR even if dropped in the slots in your 24 hour access "post office box" area.
2. You must either hand them to a postal clerk during postal hours (see #1 above.) place them on the loading dock of only specified post offices if you do it after hours. Or using online notification by 2 AM, hand them to your postman.
3. My local Postmaster said "Click-N-Ship" was the registration for said packages - that is a lie.- Checking the confirmed delivery online will only say that (for example) Ed said he was gonna' give us some packages, this doesn't mean he's gonna' do it.
4. Packages placed in mailboxes (even in front of a PO) are not scanned in at that PO. They travel uncontrolled to a sorting facility.where they *may* be scanned in. (I've yet to get that answer from them.)
5. Packages missing after placement in the mailbox are due to loss or theft by postal employees.
6. The USPS web site makes no mention of any of the qualifiers above.. None whatsoever.

I will be talking to a Postal Suit some time today.. maybe more info for you later.

In the meantime... I have another twenty eight packages going out today (that's why I am not in bed after 22 hours on my feet.... I'm gonna' meet the postman personally.)

I am compiling more of that previously mentioned Hi-8 footage on my hard drives into another remastered release to follow yesterdays release of the original Holders Vid on DVD.

0400 hours - January 9th,2006
Beat the sound problem on Holders (1) DVD - Damn, I'm good<g>

After a few days of Edison "CatNaps" to get this hammered out... I may indulge myself by sleeping three or four hours.

Unbelievers in deep Phychology can stop reading now:
My dollar problem over the last year stopped my visit to my therapist... But, I continued to work with what they taught me about searching for feelings.. Long absent in me..... these last two weeks have seen memories arise from prior to my adolescence. If you are a kindred dark sider... search for the feeling that presages your indulgence in BDSM...or even bursts of outrageous anger... it flits by in a nano-second... But, once captured and recognized... look for the last time (in your childhood) that you felt that same feeling. It will be in a negative situation. Usually home based.. My recent ones were associated with my compadres in the neighborhood at about age nine. I also recall my first spontaneous erection ..it was in catholic grade school. Scared the hell out of me... And having to stand up in class with it, and, all ego aside it's pretty damned good size, the laughter and abuse by the nun in charge set a template for me to match.in BDSM.

Also the vicious nun.. who, when I had won a writing award in fifth grade or so, and was receiving a small plastic copy of the Santa Maria, said "I shouldn't even give it to you.. your parents have not been tithing as much as you should." It was said loud enough for the entire class to hear.. and laugh.

Sometime I'll tell you about my sophomore science teacher and why he had the whole class call me crisco...

Later on January 8th
Two things to drop in here::::

First is a scream of frustration at the new DVD Holders. Eighteen hours of remastering it are followed by twenty hours of trying to get the damned DVD out with Sound... They "preview test" perfectly .. but the five actual DVD Masters I burned have no sound... this is what happens to ALL smoke fetish producers... problems which eat time better devoted to things like finishing Insider 8 Long whites or any number of other essential duties.. <Sigh+motherfuckin' son'ofa'bitch....>

Obviously...I"ll not be showing you a piece of my halogen art today.. This solution may take days to find.. (see what I mean Jason???? This is not a bed of friggin' roses as you suppose..)

Secone is a copy of a response to a customer which may explain a few things..
Subject: RE: Colight order via Global Priority. Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 15:03:04 -0600 (CST)

Hi This is Ed... I have been working on all orders and discovered that the info given to me about global priority shipping prices by the postal lady I know turned out to be incorrect. It is more than twice as expensive as she said.

Also, with the new year, all the services needed to run colight have debited my accounts until they are dry. I had $2000.00 deposited on Wednesday morning.... by thursday morning they left me at minus $200.00. And all I bought for myself were a pack of hot dogs and a pack of spaghetti for meals.

I shipped about twenty five back-orders on Thursday (glad I had postal stamps on hand.. I have enough left to ship maybe one or two global packs out of the two dozen I still have here... Needless to say, I have been a bit depressed as well.

I released a newly remastered vid a few days ago but it has not generated as much interest as I expected. Possibly because I only released it on DVD. VHS takes so much time and effort to produce and ship that I am working to discontinue them.. The new release is of Shanna and, thanks to my Macintosh I was able to reclaim twenty two minutes of her work that the old Windows editing system could not handle... and Shanna is a hot girl To sum it up..

I have worked to clear everyones packages but am stuck on cash flow... and physical limitations are in here as well... Just getting the Shanna vid out let me have six hours sleep between 23:00 Tuesday and 07:00 Friday.... It's been like that for months. So please do not think the delays are due to my ignoring my duties and obligations to colight's customers..

it is the limits placed on me by the >almighty Dollar...

The damed packages are ready and I'm sitting here wrapped in anxiety.. This long explanation is because I believe in human communication... not BuisneessSpeak. I'll be here and working to get things out to you and others.

His response (without spelling correction)_ _/Ed hi, thank you for your quick reply i had the impression that it must be something of this nature - overload, because you explained this in your prrevious email that you have difficulties

i think colight is among the best at what it does, so im sure the difficulties will only be temporary i wish you well, and im looking forward to getting my shipment thank you and all the best

January 8th, 2006
My first Blog . . . Hmmmm. Unusual word but it'll do - - -

I'll try to keep these as a daily thing. And they will usually be shorter.. But they will let you know the what, where and why's of me.

There's lots to say - And unfortunately, brevity is not my strong suit... And be warned<g> I tend to write in a conversational format... the same way I speak. Although multiple courses in literature and creative writing have given me excellent writing tools but I reserve them for my poetry, stories and things that someone will grade with a red pen... Writing was an unknown talent of mine until my pursuit of a BS in Industrial Safety turned into a pursuit of things that interested me.

The collapse of the oil economy in the late eighties allowed me to open doors in my mind that pushed me away from just fighting fire and the science of protecting people and property by analysis of materials and systems. I keep a list of one-line quotes on my bathroom wall. Eye level as one sits on the throne. It's heading is "Operating Instructions For Life" The relevant one here is "Sometimes not getting what you want is an incredible stroke of luck." It's the truth. Industrial Safety turned into expanding Edward.

Another favorite from that list that is less relevant at this time, but still much loved is:
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly." It's my personal favorite. And I use it frequently. It's what allowed Colight and my other creative desires to emerge. I'm still evolving at the age of 52. And my mind still has surprises waiting for me.

What I am going to write comes from a chat with Mike Williams of Smoke Signals earlier today. I respect Mike greatly. I have met him personally and spent a couple of days in his company when Colight was just emerging. We shot LadySmoker together. <g> He even had his debut as a lightstand during one segment. He impressed me at a personal level. And gentlemen, you should know right now that it takes a LOT to impress me.

We spoke of many things today but one is of special importance. In a clear and unhesitating voice he called me something so special that I can finally accept a title that many of you have given me by phone, mail and personal meetings. . A title I rejected until now because I despise the thought of being one with a bloated ego. - - - So get ready. I hereby shed myself of my previous self image as Ed, the neurotic precisionsit.

My real name is Edward. I am The Master. .

I accept the title with pride. - Thank you for giving it to me.

I am an artist. I am capable of artistic expression in several disciplines. Verbal, visual and thought provoking. I shall share them with you as they emerge. Tomorrow I'll show you my first piece of Halogen Art. and will also talk about the day to day re-organization, the re-evolution of Colight.