So it comes to this – to stream or not to stream. Apparently, the flash streamable format is FLV – at least from my limited amount of information on the topic. I have software that will convert avi video to swf or flv. However, Flash video requires a bit of programming knowledge and special plug-ins that I do not have access to at this time.

I’ll learn Flash in semester four of my education. I’m currently in semester two learning about networks. The school is providing me with Flash Studio 8 when the time comes. Hopefully they will give me Flash CS3 instead since that is the upcoming latest version. My GoLive software does not allow me to stream flash video no matter if it’s swf or flv. Maybe it does but I cannot find the documentation, tutorials, or even forums on the topic.

So, I’m giving up my quest to stream Flash to pursue more profitable endeavors such as finishing my education and making a promotional DVD for the Florida Marine Biology trip. Nice.

Snap.com has a nice script that allows users to preview external links before clicking on it. It would reference hyperlinks to different sits like the youth site or Heather’s blog. You can preview other sites like google.com, disney.com or even some other site like the photo gallery.

Search engine ranking is a science. Google has robots that “crawl” the web scanning content from web sites. This is what makes a search respond with instant results. It’s not that Google actually scans the web for each search. Google, instead, stores information from the previous crawls.

My last crawl was Feb 11. That’s from the old web site. Therefore, nothing from this current web site will be found on a google search. I’m using the Google web master tools to correct this. I just varified my page and now I’m going to create a site map. this makes it easier for Google to find me and to keep my pages fresh.

Few image formats allow for transparency. GIF, PNG, and TIFF (check me if I’m correct on this list) all have the ability to display transparent pixels because they have an alpha channel. This means that they must also be 32 bit. Standard RGB files are 24 bit (8 bits per channel). The alpha channel contains yet another 8 bits of information that tells the computer to display as transparent.

One dilemma I’ve faced in using GIFs on web pages is that they create a white halo around the image. I guess this is why I usually see jpg images matching the background for rollovers. Go figure.

Installing new themes is relatively easy but reading through the documentation is a burden. Setting the permissions caused a few errors for me but I’m trying to figure it out. I believe that I have to set permissions when I make edits and then set them back when I’m done.

Fasten your seat belt, I’m about to put the peddle to the medal – aah, so to speak. This blog needs a face lift to match my current web site. So, I’m going to redesign the templates and the themes. Wish me the best because I have no idea what I’m doing. As usual.

Up here in the Northwoods of WI it’s difficult to specialize. Really, we don’t have a Guitar Center anywhere nearby. Imagine buying a video splitter from Office Max or Wal-Mart. Finding people who know Javascript or who know advanced sound board theory is tricky.

One web site that has been very helpful to me is Mediacollege.com. The site is well organized, thorough, and yet simple enough for a beginner to understand. Plus, they have forums.

Thank God for allowing the Internet make the world easier to reach. Technology has many advantages for the church to utilize.

I learned a new skill today. I learned how to place a html page into an email for Outlook. It’s not a matter or writing code into the stationery. One has to create a html file and save it on the local hard drive. Then all images must be referenced from the web server. Once this is done, configure the Outlook stationary to embed the html file from the local hard drive. When the recipient gets the email they will see the page with the images coming from the web server.

Nice