nickles

Hello, I had one person that was interested in the PTE files used to create the Jukebox. I've posted the files with years 1955 and 1956 including 30 second MP3 files, photos, etc. at the above link. They're listed as Juke PTEs and will unzip into a folder called Jukebox. Just in case someone else is interested. ken

LumenLux: I've tried several times today to access Bill's place to download but for some reason my browser times out. Maybe he's having problems? ken

Hey Andrew: I really like your time lapse sequence. Very neat effect. I must try this one out. As I recall Andy Savage did a similar thing with a boat moving up a canal. I think his show may still be on Bill's site under demos. thanks for sharing..... ken

Wishing everybody has a good Easter Day. You might remember why we celebrate it. It's a very nice day in Ft. Worth...the sun's shining...everythings green...flowers blooming...and birds chirping. I even think I saw an Easter Bunny running across my meadow. Sincerely, Ken

Hello Ken & Bob: I'm glad it sorta works. I think you discovered the touch Ken. It takes me 3 trys with the "Refresh" or "Go" button in both Firefox or IE to get it to display the list? Bob...I suspect if several people are downloading from my Briefcase it may lock you out until they are done? I wish I had a better way...and don't wish to plug up Bill's site with my stuff. Hm...don't remember all those great tunes...eh? A technical note about my selection process. For this little project I tried to stay somewhat unbiased. If I chose my favorites...most likely no one would like them. All my MP3s have been tagged with the year first recorded and how high the tune rated. There are two rating systems...Billboard 1950 to present...and Cashbox 1960 -1987....Billboard was based on total record sales and Cashbox was based on total Juke Box plays. Evidently the Juke Boxes maintained play counts. I preferred Cashbox as I think it was less biased than Billboard magazine. Most of Billboards was based on album sales and not singles. Most of the tunes I selected were the highest rated top 10 for the particular year's end....of course I occasionaly slipped in my favorite tune that may not have even been rated. After the sixties I became more of a folk/country fan...but I figured most people would get bored with Johnny Cash, John Denver, Peter Paul & Mary, Brothers Four, etc....I realy like just about any kind of music...but only if I can hum or whistle the tune...this leaves a lot of classical out of the picture. Hello everybody else...please post or e-mail if you have a problem...but please don't cuss me. .....ken One other comment: The Jukebox.zip in this verion doesn't have the disclaimer that is on the version on Beechbrook. I also discovered a very minor problem. If you mouse clicked on something other than the buttons...such as the Jukebox frame it closed the show. I corrected this very minor problem...it also effected years 1955-1965. It's not significant enough to require a download of all those years....but up to you.

Hello: Several people e-mailed me asking if I planned to add more years to the Rock&Roll Jukebox. I am making 1966 thru 1979 available...maybe..if it works. I would appreciate if someone that has downloaded the Jukebox from Beechbrook and still have the Jukebox folder on their computer would test this. I have placed all years 1955 thru 1979 in a Public folder in my Yahoo! Briefcase as well as the Jukebox itself here: http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/sknickles@sb...rc=bc%26.view=l Hopefully you will see a list of zip files for all the years and also a zip file for the Jukebox. The Jukebox contains 1955. If you already have the Jukebox folder you need only download the years you desire and unzip into the Jukebox folder and the Jukebox should be able to play that year. I tried the Briefcase about a year ago and Yahoo had a problem they say that they have fixed. I use Firefox browser and had to hit the go button several times before the files appeared. If it works...I will post additional years if there is interest. Please post or e-mail me if it works or if it doesn't work. Thanks.... ken

For those that might have downloaded the Rock&Roll Jukebox at Beechbrook. I discovered that the Jukebox would occasionaly fail to play a tune which resulted in 30 seconds of silence for that tune. I made some slight adjustments to the shows timing which will hopefully resolve this intermittent problem. At the same time I made some slight enhancements to the Jukeboxes "Spindle" and "Turn Player" sound effects between the Juke's switching to the next year. I uploaded to Bill and he posted an Updated 4/10/2006 message with this show. If anyone has any further problems with the show you might post or e-mail me a note. ...ken

Hello LT, Thank you for your comments...and I'm glad that you enjoyed the show. Those old songs...even when in bits and pieces do bring back lot's of memories don't they? Some good and hopefully very few bad. thanks again, ken Hey Bob, that's a good suggestion...I'll give that a try with the "full song" show....also try with a regular CD...I'll post my results here. ken

Hey Guys: Thanks for your nice comments. This one’s not very photographic but does demonstrate the capabilities of PTE. I must admit “I’m kind of proud of this one”. A little difficult to find photos, especially for the “one hit wonders”. I was gonna upload a version that had one record that “hung-up” on the jukebox and if you didn’t depress a button in a period of time you got a message that said “kick me”. My wife thought that would be to distracting. I found that sometimes a song will fail to play so you end up with 30 seconds of silence. This seems to be intermittent. May have something to do with PTE’s built in MP3 player. Did y’all have this problem? Also, my anti-virus software had an effect on the speed of transitions between years. If I disabled my anti-virus software it plays a lot quicker. You’re very right Ron; the files can get quite large. Each year is a slideshow…10 full songs at 128kbs averages 30-35mb. This is really a little impractical using PTE…but I think the concept would make a neat MP3 player. If the blue buttons were “Playlists” and you “dragged” your songs to the brown buttons…would be neat. Some one more skilled than I, such as Igor or Boxig, could probably do wonders with this concept. Bob, I think you’re right…angry is probaly a better description than innocent…things changed during the Vietnam era. I think the juke box probably suffers some from the “multiple button click syndrome” and you can most likely get two or more years playing simultaneously. As you could probably tell…the show sequences from one year to the next…if you select a different song or year the show will sequence from that point. Andrew….hmm…you enjoyed this music in grammar school…and I enjoyed starting around the same time….could we be about the same age? I came into the world in 1947. I’ve got a “fine-tuned” version I will upload in the near future and post in the forum. It has some neat enhancements to the jukebox turntable sounds as the show cycles between years…without being obtrusive. Will wait a little bit to see if anyone has any problems with the present show. Thanks for your comments, ken

Windows 2000 (preferred, on my desktop) Windows XP (on my laptop)

LumenLux: Oh! The wonders of Utah. Excellent photography...slideshow composition...and music accompaniment. I really liked the dissolve effect you chose for your transitions. The show was like fall mixed with spring. Unbelievable flower coloring mixed with the fall colors. One day before long I plan to get to your splendid Utah with my camera. I ran your show on a couple of laptops and a 1.5g desktop with no hiccups. Thanks for sharing, ken

Got 1/2 of the fence put up this morning...to bad it started raining...guess I'll have to start another computer project. Just starting to get green here in Texas. Probably another 2 to 3 weeks before the bluebonnets come into bloom. I've been anxious to do a little spring photography after a long dry winter with a dormant camera. Hope you have a pleasant spring.... ken

Hello Bob & Ron: I guess I would have to say the PTE Organizer concept was probably one for "someone with too much time on their hands". I had a choice last weekend of replacing a fence in the back yard or working on the PTE Organizer...hmm...I guess I opted for the fun stuff. I probably spent two full days (16 hours) working on that little project. Half of it was designing the graphics for the buttons and frame. The other 8 hours was using PTE object editor to create the button text and directives to the various shows. But...with my basic PTE layout in place it is now relatively simple for me to add and remove shows. Probably take me a couple of minutes to add or remove a show from the PTE Organizer. I prefer full screen slideshows...but with the changing aspect ratios of new monitor technology...it's difficult to determine what is actually full screen anymore. I found that designing the inside dimensions of the PTE Organizer frame to exactly 800x600 pixels worked out pretty slick. If done properly it's easy with PTE to create a full screen show and also an 800x600 show (without the Windows frame). Assuming that someone has some experience with PTE's Object Editor and are happy with my buttons and frame it would be fairly simple to rename and redirect the buttons for your show...as long as you are careful doing it. Someone skilled like Boxig could probably automate the whole process...similar to what he did with his MultiShow Player. Although, I organized my files in folders that correspond to the blue buttons this is not necessary. One could place all his show files in the PTE Organizer main folder and treat the blue buttons simply as play lists. For the graphics part I normally use multilayers in Paint Shop Pro. If any one would like my basic multilayered layout...I can create multilayer .PSP or .PSD files...and use it as a pattern I would be happy to e-mail it to them. They can then resize and change the colors to their hearts content...if they're skilled with Photoshop or PSP. The reason I included the original PTE files in the Beechbrook download was to let people adapt to there on needs if they desired to use the concept. I've got one version that also does nothing but plays MP3 files in a frame that looks like a Jukebox. There are about 48 blue buttons for the year that then labels the brown buttons with song titles for that year....mucho work...not worth the effort...but kind of neat. Hey...by the way...did you happen to play the JackInTheBox show in my PTE Organizer upload. I created that from a sound file my daughter sent me sometime back. You may have already heard it but, if not, it is hilarious. It's only two descriptive slides but the soundtrack is complete. This is supposedly a true incident that occured down here in the DFW metroplex. Thnk I've probably said enough. ken

This is a problem when recording from a sound card. Any sounds generated by good old windows...such as mouse clicks or programs opening...go to the sound card. You must disable Windows generated sounds...or do absolutely nothing while recording is taking place...otherwise you may get clicks..boings...etc. I recently purchased I-Sound MP3 Recorder software for my wife to record internet radio. It captures direct to MP3 at the bit rate you select and one of it's options is disabling any other applications from using the sound card when recording. It will cost you $30 but seems to work very nicely and very simple to use. You can check it out here: I-Sound MP3 Recorder A free solution might be Boombox Internet Radio that also has a record feature that catches the internet stream directly (doesn't use your sound card). It's strictly for internet radio....works with WinAmp. Check it out here: Boombox A review of the free Boombox is here: Boombox Review ken

Hi Lumenlux! The two pan sequences of four individual photos each were shot with my trusty old Canon G2 4mp...an ideal camera for pans as it has a special pan mode that permits overlapping the current shot with the previous shot on the LCD screen. Very handy for hand held pans. Besides the pan sequence one photo was taken with my Canon DReb 6mp...otherwise the remaining shots including the dusk ones were shot with the primary photographers Canon SD110 3mp < $100...she does more with that little purse camera than all my fancy lenses seem to accomplish...what the heck...it's the image that's important...not the hardware and subtle details. On that little Disney trip between her and I we took about 900 photos....the Port Orleans sequence is just a sample from a 40 minute slideshow. Thanks for your comments.... ken

Let me say one thing up front...I love PTE and it is my No. 1 slideshow production software....but.... I recently purchased my wife a laptop computer...just to get her off my computer...which she often times manages to screw up. She is not computer saavy in the least...so I have been trying to set it up as simple as possible...with very few complicated software applications. She still uses a type writer for correspondence or hand written. She manages internet browsing with Firefox quite well...and participates in a lot of Disney and Food forums. I have a collection of scanned and digital photos in excess of 22,000. They date from the early 1900s to present. She loves to browse these photos and occasionaly has me print one to put on her refrig with magnets. Unfortunately Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop are lousy for general browsing. But I discovered a neat little program called FastStone MaxView 1.6. She mastered it in just a few minutes. Even let's you browse with a simple slideshow with music (definitely not a PTE replacemnt but super simple). It's free and you can download here: FastStone MaxView 1.6 If you need something really, really simple it's definitely worth a try. I also maintain a catalog of music that encompasses over 9,000 MP3 files that date as far back as the 1920s...everything from country, classical, rock&roll, etc. She plays this music in the background. I use some music library software called MediaMonkey for managing and cataloging this music. My wife doesn't need anything this complex. The simplest and easiest to use software that I've found is a little player called Billy. It has no frills whatsoever but steadfastly plays music with know skips. It can be found here: Billy If you need something really, really simple it's definitely worth a try. I'm now looking for a simple photo print software that you just highlight the file to print and maybe indicate the size in inches you desire and select print. I haven't found one yet but still looking. Just thought I would share my finds so far. .....ken

Just a comment concerning sharpenening of images. I nearly always shoot in RAW format and preserve the images "as shot" direct from the camera in the original RAW 16 bit format. That way I can adust in jpg format at any future date. This is just my personal taste....sharp images are nice for getting details...but to me is not necessarily best for PTE slideshows. I more often prefer soft images. In my younger 35mm days I often used a soft focus filter or smeared vaseline on a filter to obtain softness...a glamour photography technique. I think from an artistic point of view softness often conveys the image better than sharpness...but this is my personal taste. I participate in a lot of photography forums and find that too many people get overly concerned with sharpness and fine detail. I use both PS and PSP software...but most often PSP. They have a very controllable Soft Focus filter thats better than the old glass filters. Try slight soft focus on a few of your slides you might be pleased. Slight soft focus of a slide show prepared for a DVD production turns out nice as it removes the "jiggies" that often appear as a result of sharp images. Just some thoughts.... ken PS...Merry Christmas everyone

JRR.... Bravo! Bravo! An exceptional show. Long but very nicely paced. Splendid use of many unique transition effects....and the photography is superb. You did your town very well indeed. You evidently ran everyone out of Ottawa for your photographic sessions...as people were nearly absent in most scenes. Your stop action and motion photography was very nice. I enjoyed your music selections...all blended so well together. My wife and I both thouroughly enjoyed your wonderful presentation and will probably vew it several times. Thanks for sharing..... ken

Barry, The "Ireland" presentation is no less than I've learned to expect from you...Near Perfection...nothing's perfect...although it's darned close. Could not make up my mind as to which was the better....the excellent photography...or the overall quality of the presentation. I too felt that the thin white border was a bit of a distraction...so instead of an A++....I must give it an A+. I attempted to post a reply to your post a bit sooner but the new forum software would not let me...hope this reply makes it. sincerely, ken

Hello Again Bob: On a more serious note...I've maintained a Gateway laptop for about 4 years...when the screen needs cleaning, I've found that gently wiping the screen with a soft cotton cloth that has been moistened with Windex has worked well. I've noticed no detrimental effects. I think your grandaughter might enjoy the previously mentioned ScreenCleaner more...but not quite as effective as Windex....but pretty darned close. sincerely....ken

Bob: Sounds to me like you need the super ionizing, non-allergenic, software screen cleaner that you can get here: ScreenCleaner It works for me every time..... ken

Hello Everybody: This isn't my gallery but would it not have the makings for an interesting PTE slideshow? The Possum Man It intrigued me so much I thought I would post it's location here for any interested photo journalists. .....ken

Nathan: Amercan Cemetery Madingley was one of my favorite PTE shows. Stonemason created it....his PTE profile is here: Stonemason I suggest you send him a message. .....ken

Andy, Very nicely done. A very neat way to show how our world is changing. Wow! I am extremely impressed by your website. It's full of some really neat stuff. You are definitely an expert...at least to me...in image processing and display...and photography. You must be the official archiver of Derby's visual history. I urge all members to spend some time at Andy's website. Take a look at his "Then and Now" imaging that is located here: Andy's Then and Now Andy's main web site is located here: DerbyPhotos Take a look at his panoramas if you have a highspeed connection...really neat. Andy...as an avid PTE user...I look forward to seeing some of your other concepts...such as the neat time-lapse idea you discussed in another thread. I am always looking for new ways to use PTE in my personal presentations. Thanks for sharing with all of us. ken

Photomom, I would suggest that you zip it, before attaching. A lot of services will not attach or accept a *.exe do to the worry of viruses. krn