Apple DRM 25.01.08, John Einselen
In a rather dire turn of events, Apple has just broken every macintosh After Effects installation in the world with the most recent Quicktime update. Quicktime 7.4 does, indeed, introduce the latest in digital rights management for media files. In the meantime, it also prevents After Effects from rendering to said files; you’ll be able to render a project for precisely 10 minutes, at which point Quicktime will crash the render process by “securing” the file-in-progress and locking down user access rights.
The current workaround is to render projects out to an image sequence (PNG files work well), and use Quicktime Pro to save the rendered frames into an MOV (or similar) media file. You may be able to render your image sequence from After Effects into a QT file as well, but be forewarned; even when pre-rendered, if you hit that 10 minute mark, you’re toast.
Ironically, this seems to be affecting OS X installations of After Effects, not Windows. Other applications (such as Lightwave) in OS X are also unaffected. While I appreciate Apple’s attempts to appease both media conglomerates and media consumers, I find it rather horrid that this is can be the result… especially as Apple has been quickly and quietly deleting forum threads regarding the problem. Will we be asked to move to Siberia soon? It’s more than a little disconcerting. At least last time I checked, the 99% negative reviews for the macbook power adapters were still displayed in the apple store.
On the flip side, some people have rightly pointed out that those installing Quicktime 7.4 have done so at their own risk. It’s not a required upgrade, they typed in their password, and clearly didn’t check to see if others were having trouble. You wouldn’t try a blind upgrade to other programs central to your workflow, would you? Adobe is notorious for not supporting Apple updates. It’s taken 6 months for CS3 applications to work in Leopard, and that’s after the year they had previous to the public release, with full Apple developer support.
Shame on Apple for so flippantly breaking a major graphics application in the process of implementing DRM procedures, shame on users for blindly upgrading without checking compatibility, and shame on Adobe for not writing compliant code (CS3 is by far the worst version yet of the Adobe product line – it doesn’t surprise me in the least as we’re seeing more and more fatalities).
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Macworld Live! 15.01.08, John Einselen
Well, macworld is in progress as I write this, and some reasonably cool stuff has happened already. The airport base station now comes in 500Gb and 1Tb models, the iPhone is seeing some updates, and iTunes is offering rentals. Sadly, a lot of websites are going down in the mad rush to find updates, but here are some of the live feeds still on the net:
MacRumorsLive is continuously updated via AJAX, and the only one I’m bothering with now. Text and pictures in a continuous stream!
ArsTechnica has several reporters writing updates and taking pictures.
Gizmodo and Engadget also have live feeds, though availability has been sporadic.
Here at Vectorform, bets have been raging as to what Air will entail… hardware, software, or service? My bet is on a combination, taking into consideration Intel’s WiMAX technology and the rollout of WiMAX in Japan and Germany. At the very least, Apple should be announcing an ulta-thin laptop, though I’m hoping for a tablet.
Well, now I’ve got to get back to reading live coverage updates… yay Macworld!
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Snow, fog, rain, and ice 7.01.08, John Einselen
Today marked a massive climate shift; after weeks of cold weather, snow, and ice, we suddenly got a warm draft of air here in south-eastern Michigan. While I sadly missed much of the thickest fog, I did manage to traipse around in my Sunday boots and grab some pictures from around the apartment grounds. No photoshop needed, save for some colour correction and contrast adjustments. As it has already been asked, no, the fog is not fake.
I did manage to accidentally tear off all four of my tzitzit tassels in the process of hiking through the snow and ice, and my pants were completely soaked from the ground up a foot or two. For January it’s surprisingly warm, but after a couple hours I was feeling kinda chilled, and by 6:00 it was too dark for photos anyway. Once inside I realized I’d lost my camera remote somewhere in the piles of snow. Guess it’s time to start looking for a new one.
These have also been posted to Flickr, along with a few extras.
Alas, the downside of living here is the boring weather: ‘sunny and warm,’ ‘sunny and warmer, ‘sunny and hot. But I’m adjusting. And the sky and mountains give the most dramatic shows (usually when I’m driving to work in traffic without a camera).
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Oh, the movies! 3.01.08, John Einselen
One of the best (though certainly not the best) parts of visiting with friends in Ohio is the constant and continual film watching. It’s really great just to hang out and discuss some of the latest movies, their strengths, and weaknesses.
Of the films we watched and discussed, Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was the most divisive. While some could appreciate the macabre, I was left mourning for the shock I wanted to feel over such a horrific piece of cinema. The story itself is good and tragic, the music acceptable, and the humour, at times, slightly funny. But why was there so much killing? And so artlessly done? Not that art makes violence acceptable, but at least it can make it purposeful; instead of leaving death entirely gratuitous, unsurprising, dull, and ultimately pointless.
Thankfully The Kite Runner was superb. Dark, at times, but culturally, politically, and emotionally worth it. Covering a span of some years, it follows recent Afghani history through the lives of two boys, one of whom moves to America, the other who does not. I highly recommend it, along with Osama, if you have any interest in foreign films, cultural politics, or gripping dramas.
On the other side of the spectrum, there’s Juno. Not, perhaps, everyone’s cup of tea, but a hilarious comedy wrapped around the heartache of growing up, teenage pregnancy, and parenthood. The witty lines just keep coming… amid great performances by newcomers and old hats alike.
We also went to see Aliens Versus Predator: Requiem, mainly so we could laugh through the entire film. And laugh we did… along with most of the theater. For a film that’s supposed to be serious, there are some preposterously (and unintentionally) funny lines. Unfortunately, Resident Evil: Extenction was so bad, we couldn’t even laugh. Much glaring ensued between those forced to come, and those that mistakenly insisted it’d be fun.
Other highly recommended films from the past weekend would be Death at a Funeral and Fido. Neither one can really be justified in a single paragraph, so it must suffice to say that they’re both completely odd.
I can understand your distaste for Sweeney Todd. On defense of the movie, however, I will say it stayed very true to the broadway musical storyline (we studied the musical in college theater), and actually was a great adaptation of a depressing musical. I think those who knew the musical going in would have a better appreciation for it. I warned my girls before they saw it, “it’s not a happy story at all.’ They made the blood very ‘fake’ to somewhat mimic the play. Yes, the broadway play was very bloody, and ultimately everyone dies.
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2007 1.01.08, John Einselen
My belated Chirstmas letter and year end review. Enjoy sordid tales of lost jobs, the thrill of laborious moving expenses, and the excitement of my dead potted plants. Sadly, this excerpt really is more interesting than the full article, but there are shiny pictures and movie clips if you click the link!
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Much needed updates 22.12.07, John Einselen
Well, they may be coming soon! I’m working on revamping the entire site layout, organization, and design.
Proposed changes should include a more holistic front page (summarizing new or popular content from all major sections), better indications of which section a page is located in, perhaps a more flexible layout, and bolder content styling.
I’d love to get your input, as I’m looking for ways to make the site clearer and more enjoyable to navigate. Of course, long diatribes against my current setup are accepted, but it’d be even better if you can tell me what changes could make your visit here more effective, enjoyable, or at least, less painful. 
I only meant you hadn’t blogged in a long time. But now you have and my curiosity is appeased. 
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Emergent 21.12.07, John Einselen
A friend recently asked about my views on the emergent church movement. They had been looking over the Wikipedia article and wanted to hear about it from a different vantage point. It’s a topic that can benefit from deeper discussion, but I’ll try to keep this brief.
I see the emergent church (or emerging church, depending on who you talk to) as a reaction to the God-less christianity of America. I’ve seen this empty religious traditionalism first hand, and have been absolutely appalled, both at my own tendencies towards it, and at the pharisaical hatred and arrogance that so many people understandably mistake for Christianity.
Many churches in America today can be likened to the Catholic church in the days of “holy crusade”; purely political, and full of superiorist goals. Though thankfully few Americans take it to such heinous measures of violence, it’s still a very religious approach to christianity – not a relationship with Christ. One of the biggest problems the emergent church movement has brought to the forefront is the hatred and condescension so many church bodies have towards “outsiders”, especially those they label as outcasts (Matthew 21:31-32).
Unfortunately, in the emerging reaction against judgmental traditionalism, Biblical authority has been ransacked as well. Jesus said he came to fulfill the law, not abolish it (Matthew 5:17-18), and in the eagerness to do away with the un-Christlike attitudes found in christianity, the foundation of the faith has also been compromised. If Biblical authority isn’t taken seriously, then there is no need for it in the first place… read through some of the New Testament epistles, and you’ll see why that’s a bad thing, if one is to call themselves a Christian.
These are my views on the subject, so don’t take them as absolute truth or anything; read the Bible for yourself. See how Jesus interacted with people, and find His views on religion, humanity, and God.
One point to add about Quicktime 7.4 is that the newest iTunes upgrade (can’t remember which version) seems to require Quicktime 7.4. I tried to open iTunes after upgrading and it repeatedly crashed. After installing Quicktime 7.4, I had no problems whatsoever.
This seems to be another danger of Mac OS X software, that applications are interconnected. Users of both iTunes and After Effects are forced to choose which application will work better, missing out on newer upgrades or paying the price for upgrading.