Brett Farrey » Techie

Sony Handycam DCR-SR45 importing MPG files into iMovie

Brett — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:03:15 +0000

I had a hell of a time trying to figure out how to import files from my Sony DCR-SR45 into iMovie. I found a free tool that makes it VERY easy to do. I just import the files from the camera to a folder, and then I use Handbrake to convert the files to a different folder. I didn’t change any settings in the software…it was just stupid easy. I was then able to just drag the converted video files into iMovie.

http://handbrake.fr/

Your Google AdSense account has been disabled, but here’s some free money.

Brett — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:53:55 +0000

I honestly don’t know what I did to get my AdSense account disabled. I never clicked on my own ads, and I never really made much money with AdSense. I got a check from AdSense the same week I got the notice below, which I later found out from my bank Google had cancelled the check. Thanks for the $10 penalty.

Ironically, I got a gift from Google Places the same week. They sent me a little bowl with mints in it, and they gave me $100 for AdWords advertising.

I get the sense Google is too big, and their customer service seems to have gone down the drain. Anyway, thanks for the free money.

Hello,

After reviewing our records, we’ve determined that your AdSense account
poses a risk of generating invalid activity. Because we have a
responsibility to protect our AdWords advertisers from inflated costs due
to invalid activity, we’ve found it necessary to disable your AdSense
account. Your outstanding balance and Google’s share of the revenue will
both be fully refunded back to the affected advertisers.

Please understand that we need to take such steps to maintain the
effectiveness of Google’s advertising system, particularly the
advertiser-publisher relationship. We understand the inconvenience that
this may cause you, and we thank you in advance for your understanding and
cooperation.

If you have any questions or concerns about the actions we’ve taken, how
you can appeal this decision, or invalid activity in general, you can find
more information by visiting

http://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=57153.

Sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team

2012 Superbowl Halftime Show

Brett — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 18:52:31 +0000

This is exactly how the 2012 Superbowl Halftime should start….

Click here to view the embedded video.

This would absolutely rock! The NFL needs to redeem themselves for allowing the Black Eyed Peas to stink up the halftime show this year.

Step One: Getting Rid of Cable

Brett — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 01:25:26 +0000

My wife and I have been wanting to get rid of cable tv, and replace it with something else. We pondered getting the Dish Network or DirecTV, but we decided to try and save some money. We still want to be able to watch some of our shows, so we’re looking into some other options; one of those is trying to watch local channels using an antenna. I got an antenna today, hooked it up, and I’m shocked at the excellent picture quality. I’d say most of the channels actually look much better than the channels on Charter, especially the ones in HD. We currently don’t have HD through Charter, so aside from losing some channels we can’t watch online, I’m chalking this up as an upgrade. Step one is complete. The next step is finding a way we can watch the rest of our shows.

A day in the life of a Star Wars AT-AT

Brett — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:18:25 +0000

I always wanted a toy AT-AT when I was kid, but never got one. Thankfully, I had plenty of other Star Wars gear to keep me happy. I thought this was a pretty awesome video using of stop motion….

Click here to view the embedded video.

Making of AT-AT day afternoon

Click here to view the embedded video.

Software Update for the HTC Hero with Google for Windows Only

Brett — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:33:12 +0000

My wife just got the HTC Hero with Google from Sprint this past weekend, and I planned on updating her Android operating system as soon as we got home. One problem, the hot sync tool is only available for Microsoft Windows. It might have been good to know before we actually purchased the phone. If find it incredibly ironic that Google is dropping Windows within their offices, yet you have to have Windows to update their Android operating system.

Who’s to blame?
It’s HTC’s update tool, but it’s also a Sprint phone, and Google should have some type of responsibility here. I realize when multiple companies work together on a project like this, things like this slip through the cracks, but this is a pretty big slip. Apple is huge right now, and what about Linux? Wouldn’t it be beneficial for all three parties to have update tools for multiple operating systems? Of course it would!

Anyway, I guess this means I need to get some version of Windows I’ll never use running on one of my Macs at home, just for HTC Sync Updates. I honestly think Sprint should be offering to update the operating system before the customer walks out the door.

Making Money Blogging

Brett — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:59:03 +0000

If you want to make money blogging, you first need a blog that has some traffic. I highly suggest to my clients that you first need to have traffic, and then you can sell it. Once you have some traffic, then I would start easing in some advertising.

TIPS TO INCREASE BLOG TRAFFIC

1. Find Your Blog Topic
You need to find a topic people are interested reading about. There are thousands of blogs out there, so I would pick a topic and research how many other blogs are writing about it. If there are too many, and you don’t think you can find your niche, I would think about trying something else.

2. Search Engine Optimize Your Blog
I would do some research on SEO, but I would concentrate on two things, 1) search friendly URLs, and 2) title tags. I use WordPress for my blog, so I have my Permalink setting setup for “Day and name”. I also use a plugin called “All in one SEO Pack“. I really only use this to tweak my title tags. More than anything, I like to provide additional keywords in my article title.

3. Links
You need to be smart about your linking. In my blog posts, I try not to link to everything possible, but rather pick the most important items within the article and link to them. I also have some random links on my sidebar, which may or may not be associated with my blog. Some are links to friends, some of them are links to websites I find interesting. I would find other blogs and see if they’d be interested in trading links. The more blogs that link to you the better!

4. Lists
People love to read lists. Top 10 most beautiful people. Top 10 songs. Top 10 favorite blogs. Whatever! Say it to yourself out loud, people love to read lists.

5. Captivate Your Audience
Don’t get stuck in a rut of just posting text. As much as possible, I try to add images, videos, audio clips, or anything else I can think of that might grab your audience’s attention. You can also use blockquotes, indentation, bullet points, or whatever else you can to make it more visually appealing.

Articles on how to increase your blog traffic:

MAKING MONEY
There are several ways you can make money with your blog. I highly recommend using more than one of these, and I would definitely experiment with what works best for your blog.

1. Google AdSense
AdSense allows you to place Google ads on your website which you can earn money from clicks or impressions. There are other similar programs such as Yahoo! Publisher Network(YPN), Chitika, and Clicksor. I would check out the Google AdSense Blog, which has a ton of great information.

2. Affiliate Programs
There are ton of affiliate programs out there. It really depends on which one best fits the content in your blog, and which one can make you the most money. I like to use the affiliate programs to link to products I’m blogging out. I create a simple link within my post to the product. If you have a good amount of traffic, and you do this over a period of time, you can make some money. Make sure not to spam your audience, and don’t waste your time with their banner advertising.

Amazon
DoubleClick (Google’s affiliate program)
Pay Dot Com

3. Sell Advertising
You sell advertising on your own and use some type of banner software like OpenX. I personally don’t have time for this type of advertising, but if you start getting requests, I wouldn’t pass them up.

4. Donations
I really don’t like asking for donations, but sometimes it’s a necessary evil. If you have really good fans, and they’re willing to give up some money to support your blog, why not? PayPal makes this really easy to setup with their donation buttons. I would wait until your blog is generating a good amount of traffic.

Overall
There are no rules when it comes to making money with your blog. This article simple lists some of the things that have worked for me and my clients. I suggest you do your research, and have fun blogging. Good luck!

Related:

I need a new phone

Brett — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:05:16 +0000

I’ve been using the same Motorola RAZR for over three years now. I keep holding out for right phone, and nothing has really grabbed me. I’m not the best at text messaging, so I’d really like something with a QWERTY keyboard. I like some of the features of the new smart phones, but I also don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for my data plan.

I’ve been using US Cellular for quite a few years now, and I get superb service in the Madison area, but their selection of phones is awful. My wife is on Sprint, and we could save some money if we put our plans together. Sprint’s phone selection is better than US Cellulars, but it’s not as good as say Verizon.

iPhone
I’d ultimately like to have an iPhone. It’s a great phone, has a great operating system, and a ton of applications. Our two computers at home are both Macs, so it makes sense. Unfortunately, there’s one big issue….the monthly bill! I don’t want my phone bill to be over $100 per month.

Droid
I’ve been reading a lot of great things about Droid, but it’s only available with Verizon. My wife and I could both switch to Verizon, but that seems like a lot of hassle to just get certain type of phone. If this phone was offered by Sprint, this would be an easy decision.

HTC Touch Pro2
A friend of mine just got the HTC Touch Pro2, and it looks amazing. It has a nice QWERTY keyboard, conference calling, tilt screen, and ton of features. Unfortunately, I don’t want anything to do with a Microsoft operating system and the price is outrageous.

HTC Hero with Google
This phone seems like the best option available for me, but it’s not the best phone. CNET editor’s rating is 3.5, but Sprint customers gave it a 4.6. I like that it runs Android, has a 5mp camera, and lot of other features. I’ve heard that it can be a little slow, which may, or may not be a big deal.

Ultimately, I’d like to buy an iPhone, and then maybe the Droid. iPhone is locked in with AT&T, which has too expensive of a data plan, and the seem to be having major issues with dropped calls in certain areas. The Droid is locked in with Verizon, so that is probably isn’t the best option for us, unless we wanted to switch our service. There is supposed to be a new Google phone coming out, but it sounds like that will only be for T-Mobile.

It seems like I’ll either need to go with HTC Hero with Google using Sprint, or switch over to Verizon just so I can use the new Droid phone. I need to do some more digging, but it seems like Sprint would be a cheaper monthly plan. What to do?

Madison.com’s New Design

Brett — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:53:43 +0000

I’ve been playing around on the new Madison.com site, and I have to be honest, it’s awful. The old site was slow, the new one is even slower.

The design is more modern and fun, but it’s not a good design for a newspaper website. Maybe I’m just a minimalist, but I don’t necessarily want my eyes stimulated on a website that has a ton of information. I want it clean, and I want the functionality to be flawless. Plain and simple.

This website’s design is so awful, I don’t even know what else to say about it, except to say whoever was involved in the development and deployment of this website has no right working for a website like Madison.com. I hate to rip on Madison.com, but don’t take my word for it, compare Madison.com to some of the following websites, and it painfully clear they need to scrap the new design and start from scratch….

Gmail Problems

Brett — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:51:30 +0000

I’m not sure what is going on with Gmail this morning, but I can’t login with the “Newer Version”. I keep getting the following error….

I googled the error and it eventually brought me to the following page…

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=99541

According to Google, this is the cause:

A flaky or unstable network connection may be temporarily preventing all of Gmail’s features from loading completely. In most cases, most of Gmail will work correctly, and you’ll be able to use it as usual

If I use Firefox 3.0.8, I get the error. If I use Safar 3.2.1, I don’t get an error, which leads me to believe it’s not actually a network issue. It’s either an issue with Gmail’s code base or an issue with Firefox. I’m thinking it’s an issue with Gmail since I haven’t upgraded Firefox since yesterday. For whatever reason, Firefox and Gmail aren’t playing nice together.