tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166246152024-03-13T14:44:56.721-04:00Bradley Farnsworth OnlineRandom musings ahead! Enjoy at your own risk.Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-87281375299427338922020-09-19T18:53:00.014-04:002020-09-20T18:22:15.040-04:00High Quality VHS Capture on a Budget in 2020 - Part I: Choosing a VCR<h2 style="text-align: left;">Introduction</h2><div>I recently inherited a few dozen family videos on VHS and VHS-C going back to the early 1980's. Along with this haul came a request to capture anything worthwhile in a digital format to share with the family. This set me on a path to identify a reasonably good VHS capture setup for the year 2020 to digitally archive the tapes. In this post, I will walk through my objectives and detail the VCR selection process. In future posts, I will go through the capture setup and the post-production & sharing process.</div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">TL;DR </h3><p style="text-align: left;">Search the secondary market (eBay, friends & family, etc) for a high-end consumer S-Video VCR from JVC in the <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_s7500u/">HR-S7500U</a> & up, or <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_s9500u/">HR-S9500U</a> & up series. Plan to use its S-Video output. Read on for all the details.<br /></p></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Objectives</h2><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Mac or PC capture flow</li><li>High quality digital video</li><li>Relatively inexpensive</li></ul><p style="text-align: left;">These objectives led me down a rabbit hole. I will bring you along on my journey and share some findings, which I hope you find useful!</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Part I - Choosing a VCR</h2><div>Before we dig into the capture aspects of the system, let's look at how to play VHS tapes in a high-quality and digital capture-compatible way. Similarly to how I approach many new problems, I started with reading and following links. I read quite a few articles and forum posts, and watched several YouTube videos on the topic. Below I summarize my findings towards an application-appropriate VCR on the secondary market, as the time for new VCRs is in the rear-view mirror.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;">S-Video </h3></div><div>VCRs typically have two options for output: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_video">Composite Video</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Video">S-Video</a>. S-Video provides separate channels for the black-and-white (Y or <i>luma</i>) and coloring-in (C or <i>chroma</i>). Separation of these channels results in better picture quality. <b>We want a VCR which provides S-Video output. </b>Some VCRs can only provide composite video output - those devices are no good for this application. Next!</div><div><div><h3>Super VHS (S-VHS)</h3></div></div><div>S-VHS or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-VHS">Super VHS</a> is an improved standard over VHS for consumer recording. Although the tapes I have to convert were all recorded as VHS on standard VHS tapes, Super VHS players have higher performance playback circuitry, with higher signal bandwidth. These units can read both both standard VHS and S-VHS tapes, and generally out-perform standard VHS decks in playing back VHS tapes. <b>We want an S-VHS VCR for its high performance playback. </b>All S-VHS VCRs also have S-Video output. So far, so good.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Time Base Correction (TBC)</h3><div>Consumer VHS equipment naturally records with instability in the timing signals on the tape. These timing errors are mostly caused by mechanical instability, coupled with the nuances of an analog recording medium. When playing back on a TV, this instability may cause <a href="http://www.unterzuber.com/TBC.html">visual distortion</a> that makes vertical lines look wavy, as well as cause errors in the coloring of the content. When digitizing these signals, severe timing errors cause the capture system to drop frames and lose synchronization with the source. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_base_correction">Time Base Correction</a> cleans up the timing of the signals coming off a VHS tape to make them compatible with modern digital systems. There are <a href="http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-restore/2251-tbc-time-base.html">several options to provide TBC</a>, including stand-alone TBC boxes, DVD recorders which perform TBC in pass-through, and high-end S-VHS units with built-in TBC. <b>To keep things simple, let's choose a VCR with TBC built-in.</b></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Summary of Derived Requirements</b></h3><div>Based on the above, we can further refine our requirements for the VCR to be an <b>S-VHS unit with built-in TBC</b>, and we will plan to use its S-Video output.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) Models</h3><div>At this point in my Internet research, some themes begin to emerge. The term "high-end JVC" tends to appear quite often when discussing the best ways to capture VHS content digitally. There is a range of late model JVC decks which "check all the boxes" we are looking for: S-VHS decks with TBC and S-Video output. This article on the <a href="http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/capture-playback-hardware.htm">Best VCRs to Convert Tape to Digital</a> has a good overview of the JVC features. Here is a <a href="https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/305272-Panasonic-AG-1980P-vs-JVC-HR-S9800-SR-V10U">Panasonic vs JVC thread</a> which is worth a look. The following models are <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/">JVC Super VHS VCRs</a> and <a href="http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/category.jsp?productId=DISC1.6.1">JVC Professional Super VHS VCRs </a>with built-in TBC. These units often come up on the forums. This is not an exhaustive list but should get you started in your eBay search.</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>JVC <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_s7500u/">HR-S7500U</a>, <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_s7600u/">S7600U</a>, <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_s7800u/">S7800U</a>, <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_s7900u/">S7900U</a></li><li>JVC <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_s9500u/">HR-S9500U</a>, <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_s9600u/">S9600U</a>, <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_s9800u/">S9800U</a>, <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_s9900u/">S9900U</a>, <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_s9911u/">S9911U</a></li><li>JVC <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_dvs1u/">HR-DVS1U</a>, <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_dvs2u/">HR-DVS2U</a>, <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_dvs3u/">HR-DVS3U</a> (with MiniDV)</li><li>JVC <a href="http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/features.jsp?model_id=MDL100250">SR-W5U</a>, <a href="http://pro.jvc.com/pro/attributes/svhs/manual/srv10u.pdf">SR-V10U</a>, <a href="http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/tech_desc.jsp?model_id=MDL101505&feature_id=02">SR-V101US</a> (Professional series)</li></ul></div><p style="text-align: left;">The main difference between the 7-series and the 9-series is the 2MB vs 4MB frame memory, respectively and the 9-series has ghost reduction. Some of the in-series differences revolve around automatic commercial skipping, which is not relevant to my capture application. The DVS models include both Mini-DV and S-VHS playback which can be useful if you have a combination of media to digitize, although many Mini-DV recorders can directly output a digital version to a PC on USB or FireWire. </p><h3>Professional VCRs and SP/LP/EP Tapes</h3><p style="text-align: left;">The Professional V10U and V101US models are similar internally to the x800 and x900 models. The SR-W5U model is often heralded as the crème de la crème for VHS capture, but it is hard to come by as it was originally a $3,000+ unit! </p><p style="text-align: left;">Some professional VCRs are designed around a workflow which assumes high quality Standard Play (SP) recording modes. This may cause hiccups when playing back tapes which were recorded in lower quality <a href="https://dvdyourmemories.com/blog/difference-between-sp-lp-and-ep-for-video-tape-recording/">LP (Long Play) or EP (Extended Play) modes</a>, or that change modes during the recording. For example, the professional <a href="https://www.broadcaststore.com/store/model_detail.cfm?id=13171">Panasonic AG-MD830</a>, which was a unit produced for the medical industry, works great for SP, but has trouble with LP and EP tapes (thanks for the note, Matt!). That unit also does not have TCR, so it is ruled out from our process in either case. The Panasonic AG-1980 has "full-field" TCR, and according to this forum post, <a href="http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-restore/3127-finally-plunge-ag.html">it handles LP and EP alright</a>. There is also the <a href="https://www.broadcaststore.com/store/model_detail.cfm?id=16126">Panasonic AG-DS555 Superdeck</a> to consider, but I could not find information about how well it handles LP/EP.</p><p style="text-align: left;">It seems that going with one of these JVC units would be a safe bet. Since the JVC V10U and V101US models are similar to their commercial counterparts, they should all be OK, but it may be worth some additional forum-diving to make sure if you decide to go down that route.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Comparisons Between JVC Models and Features</h3><p style="text-align: left;">Some of the differences between the JVC units listed above are subtle. For example, the 7500 does not have a <b>NORM/SOFT/SHARP/EDIT</b> Picture Control option like the newer JVC units, only a <b>Dub Mode</b> setting. Setting the VCR to DUB or EDIT, equivalently, disables the smoothing filter. On the later models, setting the mode to SOFT or SHARP adjusts the presets in the filter - this adjustment is absent on the 7500. DUB/EDIT may be the correct setting for capture if you are looking to capture as much detail as possible. Take a look at this <a href="https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/226869-JVC-Picture-Settings-Auto-Edit-Soft-Sharp-%28pictures%29">comparison of the NORM/SOFT/SHARP/EDIT</a> modes in the 7600 and 9900 units. This page has a <a href="S7500 vs later models">comparison of the 7500 vs 7800</a> including the impact of the DUB/EDIT setting (free registration required to look at the images). </p><p style="text-align: left;">The <b>Digital R3</b> setting available on these units provides edge sharpening, which looks great on animated content, but should probably be turned off otherwise. Ultimately, some may prefer the visual appearance of the unfiltered, filtered, or edge-sharpened output, so it is up to you to decide what setting looks best for your content. </p><p style="text-align: left;">In all cases, <b>TBC</b> should be turned on for capture, unless you are dealing with a damaged tape, then the Video Stabilizer option might help recover some content. The TBC and Video Stabilizer are mutually exclusive, with only one or the other able to applied at a time.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">And the winner is...</h3><div>At any moment you should be able to find a smattering of the above devices on eBay. From my research, they are all quite similar with the most important feature being a unit in good working order! You will probably be happy with any of the units referenced above. I was able to get my hands on a JVC <a href="http://www.us.jvc.com/archive/video/supervhsvcrs/hr_s7500u/">HR-S7500U</a> (<a href="http://resources.jvc.com/Resources/00/00/99/LPT0026-001A.pdf">pdf manual</a>) unit which is fully functional. </div><div><br /></div><div><h2>Part II - Digital Capture</h2></div><div>Part II will cover the following topics in detail. In the short version, I will recommend a capture setup including the hardware, software, CODECs, and settings to ease your workflow.<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Capture device selection and options<br /></li><li>Capture software</li><li>NTSC details and video capture format</li><li>Lossless video CODECs and archival<br /></li><li>Storage media and data rates</li><li>De-interleaving for buttery smooth 60 fps output<br /></li></ul></div><div><div><h2>Part III - Post Production</h2></div><div>Part III will cover the following topics:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Post-processing tools</li><li>Media encoding</li><li>Video sharing</li></ul></div></div><div><br /></div><div>I will update Sections II and III soon. Thanks for reading along!</div><div><br /></div>Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-49829373121214817612020-04-18T15:17:00.001-04:002020-04-18T15:20:04.814-04:00Blast from the PastI just received an email about a 2007 vintage post to this blog. Today it is 2020 - wow. I wouldn't really characterize 2007 as the "old web" - it's not Geocities or anything! - but that is still somehow impressive to me. Looking through some of my old posts, it reminds me how ephemeral things like Facebook are in comparison. If anything, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyfarnsworth/">LinkedIn</a> has taken up more of the role of the Blog than anything else I am using today.<br />
Stay safe out there!Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-84610559491545937272014-09-17T10:44:00.000-04:002014-09-17T10:46:30.560-04:00Mouse lag in Chrome on Dell Precision M4600 with multiple monitorsI've recently been battling mouse cursor lag on my Dell Precision M4600 mobile workstation with a multi-monitor setup in Windows 7. This machine has AMD FirePro M5950 graphics. The cursor stutters and jumps whenever Chrome is in the foreground. Occasionally I am able to temporarily halt this nuisance by moving the Chrome window to another monitor or by killing all Chrome processes, but this is a hassle and does not work consistently.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, there is a simple, albeit ugly fix: disable GPU acceleration within Chrome.<br />
<ol>
<li>Open Chrome Settings, either through the menu or <a href="chrome://settings/">chrome://settings/</a></li>
<li>Click on <i>Show advanced settings...</i></li>
<li>Scroll down to the <i>System</i> section</li>
<li>Uncheck <i>Use hardware acceleration when available</i></li>
<li>Restart Chrome</li>
</ol>
Thanks to the <a href="http://blog.brianjohnsondesign.com/chrome-cursor-latency-fix/">comments in this blog post</a> for the fix suggestion. This post indicates the bug is related to VSync. Interestingly, these folks had the same problem but with NVIDIA 460 GTX and 8400GS graphics cards.<br />
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Any ideas on what might be going on here?</div>
Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-87852561408899600022012-03-26T20:53:00.000-04:002012-03-26T21:05:22.144-04:00Airplay, Cisco AnyConnect, and IPv6 Don't Play Nicely<b>Here's the situation:</b><br />
<div>
I use AirPlay at home to stream audio from iTunes on my MacBook Pro running Mac OS X 10.7.3 to my AirPort Express in the bedroom and my Apple TV 3 in the living room. It's pretty slick. This works great until I connect to my work VPN using Cisco AnyConnect. Once I connect, and even after I disconnect from VPN and quit AnyConnect, the AirPlay pull-down menu in iTunes won't let me re-select either of the network speakers, and my music is trapped!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>What's going on:</b></div>
</div>
<div>
After some <a href="https://supportforums.cisco.com/thread/2104781">forum diving</a>, I discovered that this is an IPv6 issue. After the AnyConnect session, AirPlay switches from IPv4 to IPv6, and never goes back until the Mac reboots. And apparently, AirPlay <i>doesn't play nicely with IPv6</i>. Awesome. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Here's the fix:</b></div>
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The good news for me is that I don't really need IPv6 on my Mac. Turning it off in Mac OS X 10.6 was a cinch. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Network Preferences -> Advanced -> TCP/IP -> Configure IPv6: Off. </blockquote>
<div>
But... the "Off" option is gone in Mac OS X 10.7! What gives? Apple doesn't want us using that option anymore. No problem, we can still <a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1250993">set it in the command line</a>.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
networksetup -listallnetworkservices<br />
networksetup -setv6off Ethernet<br />
networksetup -setv6off Wi-Fi</blockquote>
And so on. If we go back to Network Preferences, the GUI will actually reflect this setting with "Off" appearing in the Configure IPv6 pull-down. AirPlay now works perfectly, even when I'm on the VPN. Hopefully by the time I <i>need</i> IPv6, Apple will have patched AirPlay accordingly.Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-60283676059922873002012-01-23T19:26:00.002-05:002012-01-23T19:31:17.917-05:00Office 2007 SP3 now includes an IEEE XSL Style Sheet<i>Good news!</i> Office 2007 SP3 now includes an IEEE XSL style sheet built-in! You can <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=27838">download Office 2007 SP3 here</a> or use Windows update, and read the <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2526086">Office 2007 SP3 release notes here</a>. <div><br /></div><div>Over the past few years, I have had a steady stream of folks stop by to grab my <a href="http://bfarns.blogspot.com/2008/02/ieee-bibliography-xsl-style-sheet-for.html">IEEE XSL Style Sheet</a> which I put together for myself in an afternoon to support my thesis writing process. It's good to know that by sharing it, I've helped <i>hundreds</i> of grad students and academic paper writers save a little bit of time, effort, and frustration. Thanks to all of you who downloaded my version over the past few years and left feedback, it's been fun!</div>Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-47541749188559966952009-05-28T00:21:00.003-04:002020-04-18T15:01:26.060-04:00Hi, a real human interface<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/4697849" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/4697849">Hi</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/multitouchbcn">Multitouch Barcelona</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
Hello, friends! As you may know, I am working on a multi-touch table in my copious spare time (heh). If you haven't seen this already, it's definitely worth a look and a laugh. A true multi-touch "human" interface!Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-72372797983151135942009-04-30T16:37:00.002-04:002009-04-30T16:46:00.946-04:00Jobs Lost / Gained VisualizationHere are some interesting interactive figures regarding recent unemployment trends in the US:<br /><br /><a href="http://tipstrategies.com/archive/geography-of-jobs/">The Geography of Jobs</a><br /><a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2216238">When Did Your County's Jobs Disappear?</A>Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-46185269793127566882009-04-19T10:49:00.001-04:002020-04-18T14:59:29.320-04:00To BeJust a little lighthearted fun concerning the continuity of existence.<br />
<br />
(Video no longer available)<br />
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Some more reading on <a href="http://www.dansdata.com/gz092.htm">consciousness and cyborgs here</a>... (Thanks, <a href="http://www.reddit.com/">Reddit</a>)!Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-55614505307469602752009-04-08T22:31:00.006-04:002020-04-18T15:00:33.639-04:00Magnetic Fields are All Around Us<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/1166968?color=ffffff&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/1166968">Magnetic Movie</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/semiconductor">Semiconductor</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
Quote: <br />
<blockquote>
The secret lives of invisible magnetic fields are revealed as chaotic ever-changing geometries . All action takes place around NASA's Space Sciences Laboratories, UC Berkeley, to recordings of space scientists describing their discoveries . Actual VLF audio recordings control the evolution of the fields as they delve into our inaudible surroundings, revealing recurrent ‘whistlers' produced by fleeting electrons . Are we observing a series of scientific experiments, the universe in flux, or a documentary of a fictional world? </blockquote>
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More info on their <a href="http://semiconductorfilms.com/root/Magnetic_Movie/Magnetic.htm">website</a>.Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-12168831450846610202009-03-27T15:08:00.000-04:002020-04-18T15:05:13.283-04:00Organ and Cell RegenerationCheck it out, engineered organs.<br />
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(Video has been removed from YouTube, sorry.)Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-20961476600006623262009-03-26T22:42:00.003-04:002009-03-26T23:01:27.827-04:002008 Books in Review<span style="font-weight:bold;">Books read in 2008:</span><br /><br />Stephen King - Dark Tower Book I: The Gunslinger<br />This series has been around for a while so I decided to sink my teeth into it. It's sort of a post-apocalyptic / western / sci-fi / adventure / fantasy. It somehow reminds me of the Trigun anime. It's not like most of King's other novels. I enjoyed it well enough to read the next in the series. (4/5)<br /><br />Stephen King - Dark Tower Book II: The Drawing of the Three<br />Book two isn't quite as exciting to read, but it definitely takes another big step into the weird with some time travel thrown in. Still a fun read. (3.5/5)<br /><br />William Gibson - Pattern Recognition<br />This was a fun book about a person who is attuned to memes and is tasked with tracking down an Anonymous who is posting videos online. A fun and interesting read tracking the main character around the globe, but I wasn't very satisfied with the ending. (4/5)<br /><br />Brandon Sanderson - Elantris<br />How often can you find a fantasy that is good AND fits in one reasonable sized novel? Not too often, but here is a great example of an interesting story woven and completed in six hundred and some odd pages. Check it out while you're waiting for the end to Wheel of Time. (4.5/5)<br /><br />Nick Sagan - Idlewild<br />Carl Sagan's son wrote this novel about kids living in a virtual reality training school and their struggles against the system and the machine. It was fun to read, but do yourself a favor and read Ender's Game instead. :) (3.5/5)<br /><br />China Mieville - Iron Council<br />I really like China Mieville's world and people. They're so interesting and colorful you can't help but want to turn the page. The plot of this one is a bit odd (a group of vagabonds hijack a train and build and remove the tracks as they go to escape civilization... and then return) and the ending is a bit depressing, but that's par for the course. If you liked Perdido Street Station (a better book, and one you should read first), then check this out.Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-87620557214284083062009-03-14T20:00:00.002-04:002020-04-18T15:05:53.942-04:00Aimee Mullins: Super-Power LegsAimee Mullins has an amazing story about how her prosthetic legs maker her not disabled but super-abled. Below is her <a href="http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/aimee_mullins_prosthetic_aesthetics.html">talk from the TED conference</a>.Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-90648162877756423862009-01-01T21:28:00.006-05:002009-01-01T21:46:47.990-05:00Happy New Year for Zune OwnersHere's an exercise for you. What happens when days = 366 in the code below? Maybe the better question is what happens when programmers skip their morning coffee when they reinvent the wheel and write a "simple" date parser with leap year detection? This code was loaded on every 30 GB Zune. Check out the <a href="http://pastie.org/349916">offending module</a> and read the <a href="http://www.engadget.com/tag/zune30">coverage on Engadget</a>. This presents a great case for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_testing">unit testing</a>!<br /> <br /><hr><br /><pre><br /> <br />while (days > 365)<br />{<br /> if (IsLeapYear(year))<br /> {<br /> if (days > 366)<br /> {<br /> days -= 366;<br /> year += 1;<br /> }<br /> <font color="Red">//else??</font> <br /> }<br /> else<br /> {<br /> days -= 365;<br /> year += 1;<br /> }<br />}</pre> <br /><hr><br />What's in your firmware??Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-64961082882225937022008-12-05T14:54:00.003-05:002008-12-05T15:02:46.892-05:00Write-up in Case DailyIf you are clicking through from Case Daily, welcome! There was a nice write-up about my award at IEEE Sensors Conference in Friday's issue. Here's the text below with some additional hyperlinks and clarification:<br /><hr><br />Bradley Farnsworth, a graduate student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, <strong>won first place in the Best Student Paper competition</strong> as part of the <a href="http://www.ieee-sensors2008.org/">2008 IEEE Sensors Conference</a> in Lecce, Italy, in October. The award included a prize of 750 euros. Farnsworth, who is part of <a href="http://www.eecs.case.edu/doku.php?id=eecs:people:djy">Professor Darrin Young</a>'s <a href="http://filer.case.edu/djy/">Wireless Microsystems research group</a>, is working on the paper for his thesis topic and is collaborating on this project with the <a href="http://www.aptcenter.research.va.gov/aptcenterresearch/">Advanced Platform Technology (APT) Center</a> at the <a href="http://www.cleveland.va.gov/">Cleveland Louis Stokes VA Medical Center</a>. The full citation for Farnsworth's paper is B. D. Farnsworth, R. J. Triolo, and D. J. Young, <strong>"Wireless Implantable EMG Sensing Microsystem."</strong> In addition, <strong>he received a top prize at the 2008 <a href="https://ora.ra.cwru.edu/showcase/">Research ShowCASE</a></strong> for the poster about his research; the award included a $1,000 account for research activities and a $250 check. <strong>He used a portion of these funds to attend the conference in Italy</strong>, along with assistance from the APT Center and <a href="http://www.ensco.com/">ENSCO, Inc</a>.Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-22617964877855791652008-11-01T22:39:00.009-04:002008-11-11T15:03:59.097-05:00IEEE Sensors ConferenceI recently attended the <a href="http://www.ieee-sensors2008.org/">IEEE Sensors Conference</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lecce">Lecce, Italy</a> and had a wonderful time learning about technology and meeting colleagues from around the world. The area was very beautiful, especially visiting the coastline and seeing all the architecture. I also ate some really wonderful local food!<br /><br />I am honored to announce that I won the First Prize in the Best Student Paper competition. It feels very nice to have my thesis work noticed and appreciated. Below, you can see a photo of me accepting the award.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SQ0X0dpU7dI/AAAAAAAAAF4/KVYbWVn50QE/s1600-h/Sensors+Conference+Award+08.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 366px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SQ0X0dpU7dI/AAAAAAAAAF4/KVYbWVn50QE/s400/Sensors+Conference+Award+08.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263889729544580562" /></a><br /><br />It was my first time out of the U.S. and was very enjoyable. I don't know if I'll ever go back to Lecce, but I can't wait to travel some more!Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-38023158101664309872008-09-03T10:22:00.006-04:002008-09-03T10:36:22.944-04:00SICK LMS 291 LabView LIDAR Driver<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SL6fHRfxeDI/AAAAAAAAAFA/gMu7UIX5FKM/s1600-h/lidar.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SL6fHRfxeDI/AAAAAAAAAFA/gMu7UIX5FKM/s400/lidar.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241801963610404914" /></a><br />Hello! As you probably know, I worked on sensors for <a href="http://urbanchallenge.case.edu">DEXTER</a> in the <a href="http://www.darpa.mil/GRANDCHALLENGE/">2007 DARPA Urban Challenge</a>. The first software I worked on was a <a href="http://www.ni.com/labview/">LabView</a> driver for the LMS 291 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LIDAR">LIDAR laser scanner</a> along with Amaury Rolin. We cleaned up and submitted our driver to National Instruments, and you can now <a href="http://sine.ni.com/apps/utf8/niid_web_display.download_page?p_id_guid=523F16CDD397108FE0440003BA7CCD71">download it from the NI Developer Zone</a>. Hopefully this program will be useful to others! Good luck! :)Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-6287897500382744892008-08-14T18:19:00.006-04:002012-01-23T19:25:20.108-05:00Open Source IEEE Bibliography XSL Style Sheet for Word 2007 AvailableThanks to everyone who downloaded, commented upon, and helped improve my IEEE style sheet for Office 2007! Reader <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/13367862806415108503">Wesley Allen</a> has pointed out that there is a free, more fully-featured, open-source IEEE style sheet <a href="http://www.codeplex.com/bibliography/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=15365">available on CodePlex</a>. It supports more reference formats than my version and seems to be getting feature improvements. Please go check it out, and thanks for all your support and comments.<br /><br /><b>Update</b>: <i>Good news!</i> Office 2007 SP3 now includes an IEEE XSL style sheet built-in! You can <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=27838">download Office 2007 SP3 here</a> or use Windows update, and read the <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2526086">Office 2007 release notes here</a>. Thanks to all of you who downloaded my version over the past few years, it's been fun!Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-64505058519955874112008-08-01T11:21:00.002-04:002008-08-01T11:25:26.144-04:00Missing Money - Unclaimed FundsDo yourself a favor and search for your name (and friends and relatives) here on <a href="http://www.missingmoney.com/">Missing Money</a> and directly with your state from a link on <a href="http://www.unclaimed.org/">unclaimed.org</a>. Apparently state governments can capture funds from "inactive" accounts through a process called escheatment. I heard about this from my bank, <a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/faqs/faqs.asp?s=EscheatmentInfo">ING Direct</a> (highly recommended, btw). Your grandparents will thank you when you find that long-lost bank account money for them.Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-50477833661790663002008-07-21T19:02:00.002-04:002008-07-21T19:09:05.431-04:00Team Case on RobocarsTonight is the big night for <a href="http://urbanchallenge.case.edu">Team Case</a> on <a href="http://science.discovery.com/">The Science Channel</a>. Episode 2 of <a href="http://science.discovery.com/tv-schedules/series.html?paid=48.15159.122178.35769.1">Robocars</a> is tonight and Case is one of the featured teams. I should have a bit of airtime too! I'll be watching it with Scott in Baltimore and many Case folks will be gathered at <a href="http://www.johnnymalloys.com/ourlocations/cleveland_hts.aspx">Johnny Malloy's</a> in Coventry for a <a href="http://www.casealum.org/">Case Alumni Association</a> sponsored <a href="http://blog.case.edu/case-news/2008/07/17/robocars">event</a>. So, if you have digital cable, tune it to the Science Channel tonight at 10 PM. See you there!Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-89442086519214568772008-06-14T22:46:00.007-04:002008-06-14T23:41:16.428-04:00Scott and Erin's WeddingHello, faithful readers! I just got back to Cleveland from Scott and Erin's wedding in Cincy. I was a groomsman and had a great time! I also got to help Nick write his best man's speech, which was a lot of fun. Nick delivered it brilliantly... if he doesn't make it as a MD-PhD, BME, or artist... maybe he can be a stand-up comic.<br /><br />I also got a chance to put my new <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos40d/">Canon EOS 40D</a> digital SLR with 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens to the test. I took about half as many pictures as the professional photographer (who had a Nikon 200D with various lenses and a nice external flash). The image stabilization in my lens helped me get a lot of non-blurry shots inside that would have otherwise been hard to get. It's clear to me that the next accessory I should get is an external flash. The built-in flash in my camera has a slow recycle rate and casts unnatural shadows behind the subjects. I did manage to get some great photos, though! You can click on any of them to view them in full (printable) resolution. I haven't done any post processing on them, so feel free to touch them up if you're interested. <br /><br />Here is Scott and Erin's first dance as husband and wife:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SFSJ0IztwcI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/FLTn4vRrmZM/s1600-h/FirstDance.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SFSJ0IztwcI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/FLTn4vRrmZM/s400/FirstDance.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211942197585101250" /></a><br />All the bridesmaids wanted a piece of the action: <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SFSKXChagcI/AAAAAAAAAEg/RX4Fj68nWHU/s1600-h/KissScott.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SFSKXChagcI/AAAAAAAAAEg/RX4Fj68nWHU/s400/KissScott.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211942797193150914" /></a><br />Erin was the center of attention and looked beautiful in her wedding dress:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SFSKHYYUfpI/AAAAAAAAAEY/zCZ3AgaCpOk/s1600-h/KissErin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SFSKHYYUfpI/AAAAAAAAAEY/zCZ3AgaCpOk/s400/KissErin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211942528182681234" /></a><br />And here's a picture of me in my tux:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SFSD2X6cKQI/AAAAAAAAAEA/ZLanVSoyTw4/s1600-h/BradTux.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SFSD2X6cKQI/AAAAAAAAAEA/ZLanVSoyTw4/s400/BradTux.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211935638929811714" /></a><br /><br />I'll be posting a lot more pictures to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=15501854">my Facebook</a>, so feel free to add me. Bye for now!Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-4954103243387274332008-04-17T16:47:00.004-04:002008-04-18T17:15:16.347-04:00Research Showcase 2008 - Grand Prize!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SAkOzmfEcdI/AAAAAAAAADY/2M-yIo2V8no/s1600-h/showcase2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/SAkOzmfEcdI/AAAAAAAAADY/2M-yIo2V8no/s400/showcase2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190696325188186578" /></a><br />Howdy folks! Yesterday was the <a href="http://ora.ra.cwru.edu/showcase/">2008 Research Showcase</a> at <a href="http://www.case.edu/">Case Western Reserve University</a>. I <a href="http://filer.case.edu/bdf/public/bradley_farnsworth_Showcase2008.pdf">presented a poster</a> on my M.S. research topic, <a href="http://www.bradleyfarnsworth.com/research.html">Wireless Implantable EMG Sensing Microsystem</a>. Out of about 600 posters from across the university, I was one of 10 grand prize winners, which includes a cash stipend for me and some additional funding to support my research. Next stop, graduation (hopefully)!Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-87116441829922193702008-03-25T20:49:00.002-04:002008-03-25T21:03:48.788-04:00Quicksilver.I've been using <a href="http://www.obdev.at/products/launchbar/index.html">LaunchBar</a> on my Macs for a long time now... maybe 5 years. I've always heard rumblings about that <i>other</i> keyboard shortcut program, <a href="http://www.blacktree.com/">Quicksilver</a>. Well, a <a href="http://www.cim.edu/index.php">CIM</a> Mac-using student came in to <a href="http://www.perceptis.com/">tech support</a> on Saturday with his Mac tricked out with QS. I installed it today, and it is totally sweet. Especially by turning on "proxy actions," enabling access for assistive devices in the Universal Access control panel, and creating a short "trigger," I now have a keystroke (option-space) that gives me keyboard access to all the menu items of the application in focus.<br /><br />For example. I'm in <a href="http://www.apple.com/safari/">Safari</a> and I want to open the downloads window. I don't remember the keystroke (it's cmd-opt-L, by the way). So, I hit opt-space, do, enter and viola! The downloads window appears. I also have access to all my bookmarks since they are in the bookmarks menu.<br /><br />This is so cool. If you have a Mac and want to speed up your computer usage and/or reduce your mousing time, try this out!Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-21840997756908815392008-02-29T20:05:00.003-05:002008-02-29T20:08:29.265-05:00Uploading some DEXTER VideosMore to come soon! Here are some DEXTER videos that I uploaded to YouTube.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0RzZn3Hkfs8"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0RzZn3Hkfs8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fDN3XKoPrgM"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fDN3XKoPrgM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-75957300143611370802008-02-28T00:06:00.006-05:002012-01-23T19:22:44.338-05:00IEEE Bibliography XSL Style Sheet for Word 2007<div><b>Please read the updates at the end of this post!</b></div><div><br /></div>I spent about 4-5 hours this afternoon making an IEEE style bibliography XML / XSL file for Office 2007 for my thesis. That means you can use Word's built in reference tracker and IEEE style references! It looks good for journal and book references but I haven't tried anything else yet. I built it by modifying Word's built-in ISO 690 Numerical format. Also, don't blame me if it shreds your thesis... make a backup first! :)<br /><br />Just <s>unpack this file</s> to:<br />C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\Bibliography\Style\<br /><br />Here are the references I used to get started:<br /><a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/microsoft_office_word/archive/2007/12/14/bibliography-citations-1011.aspx">Bibliography & Citations 1011</a><br /><a href="http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=245923">Word 2007 citations, should be simple, but... (solved)</a><br /><br />If you have any interest in refining this further, or if you find any bugs / inconsistencies / areas for improvement, please let me know (or even better, fix it and send me the updated version).<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Update:</span> There is <a href="http://www.codeplex.com/bibliography/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=15365">another IEEE style sheet available on CodePlex</a> from another developer with some additional formatting support. Good luck!<div><br /></div><div><b>Update 2: </b>Good news! Office 2007 SP3 now includes an IEEE XSL style sheet built-in! You can <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=27838">download Office 2007 SP3 here</a> or use Windows update, and <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2526086">read the Office 2007 release notes here</a>. Thanks to all of you who downloaded my version over the past few years, it's been fun!</div>Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624615.post-77194785485926227762008-02-26T08:02:00.005-05:002008-02-28T22:27:53.757-05:00Caption this photo...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/R8QOKIqKs4I/AAAAAAAAADM/WAT-9p1QubM/s1600-h/0221_debate_460x276.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xdS5hDjLZe0/R8QOKIqKs4I/AAAAAAAAADM/WAT-9p1QubM/s400/0221_debate_460x276.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171273839413998466" /></a><br />If you're in Ohio or Texas, remember to vote March 4th!Bradley Farnsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05416386617425344132noreply@blogger.com0