Thursday, January 31, 2013

Frozen Bay and Shoreline -- Post 2

For the first time in several years, yesterday we definitely had a blizzard.  For most of the day the snow just kept coming.  It was so windy that it is hard to tell how much snow we received.  The snow drift in front of my kitchen window increased at least a foot -- maybe more. 

But for today's posting, I'll include the rest of the photos I took two days ago.   First a few photos taken from the end of Coast Guard Point.





As I drove by the marina, I stopped and snapped a couple of photos of the fish shanties that locals set up right next to the marina.



Next I headed to the boardwalk.  Jonathan -- this photo is for you.  It shows the end of the platform where my son and daughter-in-law were married.


It was very foggy, so this winter beach scene shows a limited view.


Beach ice....




Dune grass....



ONLINE ROCKHOUNDING ADVENTURE UPDATE
Yesterday I finished checking the links and other specifications on two more of the segments.  I have three segments left.  I should finish these final checks today or tomorrow.  Then I have to prepare all the files for launch.  That should take place in a few more days.  Then I'll have to test that everything works and execute a web page update to officially announce and make available the adventures.

I did take the weekend off and also spent one whole day this week researching launch specifications.  I produced all the movies with a smaller screen size (640 x 480) to try to accommodate as many computer systems as possible.  I set the bit rate at AUTO.  As it turns out, the bit rate is somewhat on the high side.  What this means is that people with dial up Internet will probably not be able to load and participate in the adventures.  However, if I lower the bit rate, the quality of the movies will decline significantly.  Research shows that the vast majority of Internet users have broadband connections that will accommodate the project.  The speed of these connections across the industry has increased by over 30 percent during the last year and is expected to increase even more in the near future.  In fact, Internet speeds in the U.S. lags behind that offered in most other countries.  As a result, I have decided to not decrease the bit rate.  That is unfortunate for the dial-up users, but I have to make a decision that is best for the majority of potential participants.  At launch, I'll include the specifications required and we will see how it goes. 

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