Hauppauge HD PVR60 - Video Game Capture device

Got a good deal on a Hauppauge HD PVR60; so I HAD to buy it.
Here are a quick run down of the device's features:

• H.264 HD video encoding
• No lag HDMI passthrough (HDMI in/out)
• Frame rates:
• 1080p at 60/30 fps
• 720p at 60/30 fps
• 576p at 60/30 fps
• 480p at 60/30 fps
• Stream to Twitch or Youtube (StreamEez)
• Record past gameplay (SkipBack)
• Facecam to put yourself into the action (So to speak type)
• Powered by USB 2.0

It does require input from a non HDCP(digital copy protection) devices and does require the device to be plugged into a PC to capture. But the Hauppauge handles all the heavy lifting so the PC can happily churn away even if the specs aren't super high. One exception being Facecam will require an i5 processor or higher.

So far the unboxing is all I managed. Hoping to hook it up and test it out shortly. Stay tuned.

How to setup Modernizr.js

What to do when you need to ensure that really cool feature that you are using on your site will work on almost every browser, or on the off chance it doesn't, adapt and provide an alternative functionality that gracefully degrades?

Previously that would have involved numerous ad hoc checks and tricks to make sure that the rendering browser was capable or not. This wasn't always consistent and needed either JavaScript or CSS workarounds.

Modernizr.js is the silver-coated bullet that enables a simple and centralized way to ensure whether features are supported by a browser, with a myriad of checks, and enable you to build contingencies to accommodate.

This video shows a simple way to setup Modernizr.js on a webpage with just a simple check for the Canvas API. For more detailed information and methods to check and readdress browser shortcomings check out the Modernizr docs.

Scope in JavaScript

A video explanation of what scope is in JavaScript. For more information check out the writeup here - Scope in JavaScript.

This was the first time using Camtasia Studio Ver. 7 and have to say not overly impressed with the output quality. If you try to output at 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) it crashes on the export feature with an out of memory dialog. So you are forced to render at 1280 x 720 (HD). Until I figured out to force it do it through the custom settings. A bit sharper however you're limited .avi and sound comes out garbled which required more tweaking.
The only good thing is capturing, editing and sprucing up the video can all be done in the same software. Very useful for displaying keyboard shortcuts but haven't had much time to try out other features. The audio came out exceptionally low which is something i'll have to take into account the next time around.

Happy tenth anniversary!

Today happens to be exactly 10 years since I started this blog. It has fallen by the wayside somewhat, but suffice to say this was probably at the end of a series of blog efforts - and this one has persisted. It has also lead to side blogs having being developed and regardless of its form, stature or prowess, also forms the lynch pin of all those other efforts. So without much further ado here are some notable highlights:

First post on this blog

July 12th, 2007 set out with a minimal of preambles, tenuous of mission statements, some of it adhered to but without a goal regardless of how vague it may be, where does it lead?

Crossing 10,000 hits

When the blog first passed the triple digit mark

First youtube video post

First video, that was posted on youtube and on this blog that is

Top 10 posts by hits

These are a list of posts which had the highest number of hits throughout the entirety of the blog.

1. How to save battery drain on Vodafone Smart 858
2. Update - How to save battery drain on Vodafone Smart 858
3. Wireless Keyboard and Mouse - PCLINE PCL - WOD1
4. Fare thee well, aul buddy
5. More JavaScript, and then some
6. One Plus One - The flagship killer
7. Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
8. Hurdles for Google+
9. Black EVA travel hard case for Amazon Kindle 3
10. Amazon Kindle 3 unpacking

All time page views

Pageviews all time history

23,436

Pageviews by Country

United States	6964
Russia	3158
Ireland	2232
United Kingdom	1410
Ukraine	1155
France	875
Germany	430
Poland	342
New Zealand	289
Turkey	219

Pageviews by Browsers

Internet Explorer	7260 (31%)
Chrome	6650 (28%)
Firefox	6392 (27%)
Safari	1480 (6%)
Opera	900 (3%)
Mobile Safari	441 (1%)
Mobile	26 (< 1%)
BingPreview	20 (< 1%)
GSA	16 (< 1%)
Java	15 (< 1%)

Pageviews by OS

Windows	16457 (71%)
Macintosh	2507 (10%)
Linux	2035 (8%)
iPhone	791 (3%)
Android	766 (3%)
Other Unix	196 (< 1%)
iPad	104 (< 1%)
Unix	37 (< 1%)
iPod	37 (< 1%)
BlackBerry	17 (< 1%)

Using Github in Netbeans IDE

A quick and easy way to source control and start a project using GitHub and NetBeans

How to fix external mic input not being picked up on a computer

Ok, just a quick video on on how to enable an external microphone on your laptop. I assumed it would be a cut and dry process similar to how a 3.5 mm earphones or speaker being plugged into a computer just works. Apparently not; and seems to be a particularly common occurrence.

All this ensued when I was trying to check the sound quality of sE Electronics Laser shotgun microphone that I finally managed to open after many moons. So without much ado:

JavaScript: Unscripted - a resdesign

Just a quick update on the new blog which I posted about recently -

A simple child theme that I hack and slashed to make it a bit more personal. It's live but still requires a lot more tweaking and changes I've envisioned. But for now here is the new redesign for JavaScript: 'Unscripted'