Category: Family
Converting .flv to .avi files with mencoder
My dad asked me to do something tech-oriented today, and I thought I’d share how I did it.
My dad saw this botfly-extraction video the other day, and wanted to save it to his computer. (Everyone in our family has a certain amount of personal experience with botflies, my dad slightly more than the rest. That’s what living in Belize for four years will do for ya. For what it’s worth, the video very accurately describes the “botfly experience”.)
Anyway, looking through the source of the blip.tv page that the video was hosted on, I was able to find the main .flv file: http://blip.tv/file/get/Vserrao-TheBotflyInMyHead550.flv. I saved that to my computer, and then converted it to an .avi file, so that my dad can view it easier.
I used mencoder to convert the .flv file to .avi. On my Linux desktop, this is what I used for the conversion:
mencoder -oac mp3lame -ovc lavc -o botfly.avi botfly.flv
mencoder gave a much higher quality resultant video than ffmpeg did.
Screenshots of the original .flv, the mencoder .avi, and the ffmpeg .avi are below. The screenshots aren’t of the botfly, don’t worry - that’s just gross.
Original .flv:
Encoded with mencoder:
Encoded with ffmpeg:
Posted on Sep 16, 2009 - 07:11 PM
We’re in California!
So we’re in California now! Here are a couple photos I took on the way and while I was packing.
In more or less chronological order:
Here’s my old, old bike. Once I got a new one, I left the old one outside the back porch, leaning against the house. Nature soon hopped on top of it, perhaps wanting to go for a ride…
Here’s our cat in our empty living room. She looks a little sad.
I took this in Iowa. It’s the sign for the world’s largest truck stop, Iowa 80. It is indeed quite large. It has a barbershop, even.
Finally, here’s a shot I took out the back window of snow on the Sierra Nevadas, on I-80 before Truckee. It’s good to see the Sierras again.
Posted on Jun 18, 2009 - 12:45 PM
We’re Moving to Sacramento!
Lauren and I are moving to Sacramento! Lauren was offered a job 20 minutes after her phone interview, she accepted, and we’re moving!
We’re both glad to move back to California, even though we’ve grown to like Michigan a lot. The people in Grand Rapids are great, Michigan’s outdoors is stunning - even though it’s no Lake Tahoe or San Francisco Bay - and overall, it’s a really, really friendly place. I like Michigan.
But bigger and better things are calling to us. Lauren is flying out a day or two early with our cat, Lion. We’re having our stuff shipped there, and I’m driving our car to California with my Grandpa.
Lauren’s new job is in advertising and marketing, like she does now, and I’ll keep on doing my freelance web/ExpressionEngine development thing. We’re both excited. Pray for us for the trip and for the transition - it’s our first major move, ever.
The photos I used are CC-licensed, from Flickr: you can see the originals at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sp8254/386342786/
and
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51652977@N00/3436016626/
Posted on Jun 02, 2009 - 01:30 PM
Hurr We Go Stillers, Hurr We Goh!
We’re in Pittsburgh, PA right now, visiting my wife’s family and friends for the holidays. I caught this gem of an ornament on a Christmas tree last night: 
I really do like Pittsburgh, and for what it’s worth, the Steelers are a great football team. Nonetheless…
...
I dunno. I think it’s a festive ornament.
EDIT 2/2/09: The Steelers kick ass. 6 Superbowl wins. Can’t argue with that.
Posted on Dec 28, 2008 - 11:34 AM
Phillip Seymour Hoffman Looks Like My Grandfather
I was watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart this morning, and realized something: Philip Seymour Hoffman looks like a slightly younger version of my grandfather. It’s uncanny.
Here’s a screengrab of PSH from The Daily Show:
And here’s my grandpa:
Grandpa’s got a couple years on him, but it is similar. When he has his glasses on, there’s even more of a resemblance.
Posted on Dec 17, 2008 - 07:52 PM
My Sister Got Engaged Today!
My sister got engaged today! Congratulations Rachel and Brendan!
I got the call from my sister like three or four times, but I had my phone on silent because Lauren and I had gone to our church’s evening Christmas service. :-(
Anyway, good job the both of you. Can’t wait to see you over Christmas!
EDIT 12/15/08: She just called me today - she just got in to UPenn’s grad program!
EDIT 1/6/09: Here’s a YouTube video of Brendan skateboarding. He’s good.
Posted on Dec 15, 2008 - 01:10 AM
Scarlet Macaw Count in Belize with my Dad
My dad is leading a Scarlet Macaw count down in Belize this January. There are only an estimated 200-300 Scarlet Macaws in the county, but nobody knows for sure. This count will help give researchers (like my Dad) a more accurate figure.
From the brochure:
Maybe 200 to 300 of these endangered macaws still fly in Belize, but no one knows for sure, and a solid number is needed to plan for their survival. Counting all the macaws is impossible, but this count will create a minimum population number (MPN) by adding macaw sightings that can not be duplicates. Perhaps three counting pairs see 6, 34, and 16 macaws at widely separated sites, and all in one hour: the MPN would be 56 macaws. With more counting pairs, and at many sites, the MPN will more accurately reflect the complete population.
So, if you’re in to that type of thing, check this out: the scarlet macaw count brochure. My dad’s a great guide, and I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun.
Posted on Oct 12, 2008 - 07:41 PM
