Date: Fri 10-Apr-1998

By CURT CLARK

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

iinfo-Brand-real-audio-video

Full Text:

INTERNET INFO FOR REAL PEOPLE: Real Talk

By Bob Brand

Real Audio is a standard on the Internet for delivering audio and video.

More and more sites contain sound (and video) clips in this format. Download

the Real Audio player, if you have not. It is free. The steps are simple:

Visit: http://www.real.com. Click the Free 5.0 icon at far top left of the

screen. Answer the questions. This takes just a few minutes. The compressed

file is less than 1.5 MB (megabytes) in size.

The New Hot Dog

Building complex websites with a HTML (HyperText Markup Language) editor such

as Hot Dog makes the process easy. The current version 4.54 contains very

powerful creation tools. For example, with just a few mouse-clicks someone

creating a home page can convert a standard sound file into a Real Audio file

that becomes incorporated on the website.

For those of us who purchased a Pentium powered computer within the last two

years, the computer probably has multi-media capabilities consisting of a

CD-ROM, a sound card, two speakers (or a headset) and a small microphone.

Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised with the high quality of the sounds coming

from my P120 powered NEC system. Using these simple tools, I created a Real

Audio file and added it to the website. Here is how it is done.

Creating the WAVE

The first step is to create a file in the .wav (pronounced "wave") format.

While the most frequent function of a CD-ROM drive is to load software

programs (from the "D or E" drive), when equipped with the proper software the

drive can play music CDs, run video games, and perform other functions. In my

case, NEC provided multi-media software developed by Voyetra Technologies in

Yonkers, New York. It is called Audio Station V1.80. Although this product was

developed in November 1996 and may not be on the cutting edge, it seems to do

the job.

It is important to have the microphone plugged into the correct jack. The

Audio Station software, when it displays on the screen, looks like the

controls found on a tape deck. When you click on the record button, everything

captured by the microphone is recorded. In my case, I played a song on my

stereo, held the microphone up to the speaker, then recorded a brief message.

I saved the file as MESSAGE1.WAV. Warning: recording complete songs and

playing them on the Internet may result in a copyright violation. Be careful.

Super Toolz

If you want to add a Real Audio file into your homepage here are the steps to

follow.

Load your HTML source program into your editor. My editor is Hot Dog. Within

Hot Dog (many of the better editors have a similar feature), I click on the

SuperToolz option. A menu selection opens. I choose Real Audio/Video Super

Tool. The next menu opens. The first menu option is Convert WAV to RA. Click

it. Next, you must find the MESSAGE1.WAV file on the hard drive. It was 1.072

megabytes (wow a large file for 15 seconds of sound). The next step is to

select the encoding type. I picked Real Audio 3.0 28.8 mono, full response.

Within a few seconds the software converts the MESSAGE1.WAV file into bob1.ra

(Real Audio format) file. The new, slimmed down file, becomes only 63KB. The

Hot Dog editor creates the HTML tag automatically and inserts it right into

the HTML source. Simple. The final step is to upload the files to the

webserver. The process is done.

It Gets Easier

More and more ISPs (Internet Service Providers) now offer free (or low cost)

disk space for subscribers to add a home page. Adding a Real Audio file allows

you to talk to the people who stop by your home page. Try it, it's easy.

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://www.realaudio.com

http://www.sausage.com/

http://www.voyetra.com/

(This is the 98th of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the

Internet. Next, "Frozen" is the subject on tap. Stay tuned. Until next week,

happy travels through cyberspace. Previous issues of Internet Info for Real

People (including links to sites mentioned in this article) can be found:

http://www.thebee.com. Please e-mail comments and suggestions to:

rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 10-Apr-1998

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