Mar
21
This design sucks
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Anyone up for helping me redesign my blog? Free hosting package to the winner, not to mention high viewability of your work in the web design/development community. Drop me an email josh AT the-owens DOT com.
Mar
16
Making Frontrow play HRHD xvid files.
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So I have been dealing with this nagging issue of getting HRHD files working with quicktime on the OSX. I recently purchased a mac mini to hook up to my HDTV and I have been enjoying xvid files on said mac mini/hdtv - commercial free content in hd is so awesome. The mac mini runs at 720p on the hdtv, so things are slightly fuzzy when I download a normal hddtv xvid file.
So, down to the nuts and bolts. It seems the ac3 codec that comes in the frontrow codec pack (I found it on a BT website) doesn’t like these xvid files. I removed the ac3 codec from /Library/Quicktime and instead installed the A52 Codec - this actually gets put in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components (there is a small ac3 import component that gets dropped in /Library/Quicktime also). Once I rebooted, I was off to the races (or actually watching much nicer quality shows :).
Now if I could just figure out those pesky new Matroska mkv 720p files for the mac!
Mar
15
Renewed blogging efforts
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So I have installed MarsEdit in the hopes that it will make blogging a bit easier for me, since I have something like 3 or 4 blogs to update on any given day. I need something quick/easy/dirty to help me get it done.
Not sure if I mentioned this, but Chris quit Steelpixel, hence the need for things to be quick. It has made life a real bitch as of late, since I have to handle all the projects, all the customers and tickets, and all the normal stuff I used to handle as part of a “team”. I guess the upside is, I own 66% of the company now and I plan to really make things work.
My day job is still going strong with the marketing firm. I have been committing code like mad the last few weeks. Thank goodness rails is so quick, otherwise I would be drowning!
Dec
15
One of those special days…
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Today was one of those really special days, the ones you never really forget. It is good to remember days like today, because they are great memories.
My immediate family celebrated Christmas a bit early because my mom and brother are going up to Canada to visit my grandparents for Christmas. This celebration was really just a great excuse for everyone to get my son gifts, he is so spoiled :). Every gift he opened brought a new light to his eyes, each new gadget and toy brought possibility of intrigue and hours of fun. I don't think I will ever forget the smile on his face when he opened those silly teenage mutant ninja turtle sunglasses and his uncle put them on for him - such a big cheesy grin as he looked around the room.
It really is amazing to be on the flip side of Christmas now as the parent giving to the child. I have come to the point where I would rather sit back and watch the joy my children get when they open those gifts. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the occasional gift of a DVD or a Wii, but I really truly want to give my son everything. Perhaps I am just sappy.
Dec
11
How does your business grow?
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So I am sitting here late at night trying to think of something fun to write, because I am tired of this empty blog. So many bad things happen in my life the past two years that my blog just trailed off - if you knew me, you already knew what was going on. Some of the bad things even stemmed from the blog, that is when things really started to slack off around here (read: my work started reading my blog). So anyway, screw those people, I want to blog.
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I have been contemplating a lot lately about what it takes to run a successful business. Chris, Kevin, and myself are very smart and talented individuals, but we just don't seem to catch a break. We can't seem to finish up projects very well, we don't seem to have mind blowing ideas, and we just can't seem to get motivated about things.
How do successful companies start small and really drive to a thriving business? How do you stay on track? I was reading Tara's recent post about losing mojo and it hit me that our business is just spinning it's wheels too. How does someone prioitize various tasks when you have limited time? Steelpixel is still part time for everyone as it doesn't draw enough income. How do we start drawing in more income to Steelpixel, without losing sight of our goals/dreams/hopes, etc? We started taking on tons of consulting jobs, but then we ended up not having time to pursue our core ideas… How does one strike that balance?
Oh, and TV is just evil. I was fine until I got my HDTV back - now productivity has dropped tremendously from things like a LOTR trilogy marathon.
Oct
12
Chris and I were up very late last night doing a server upgrade. We switched the Steelpixel box to php5 and mysql 4.1 (if you are really that interested), along with updating other key security patches. I am mostly writing this to just double check that wordpress is running fine on the box.