Words and pictures from Silicon Valley by Chris Gulker
From the monthly archives:
It’s quick, but it’s big – 16 MB as a QT file: I see I’m going to have to learn a bunch about audio if I’m going to keep the podcasts up, but that should be fun. I see Adobe has 2 good audio apps, both of which are coming to Mac – and that should help the process. The WMA and QT files are just too big…
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The trip home from France, via Lyon and Frankfort, was uneventful, and I’ve kinda figured out the audio tools I’ve now purchased – flip4Mac and QuickTime Pro. So here’s a clip in QT .mov format (plays back OK in Safari) from Sunday’s Pentecost service (here’s WMV). Again this recording is from the tiny WS 300 Olympus recorder I bought on the way to France (seen above dwarfed by an earphone). The recording is made from its internal mic, just sitting in my camera bag.
As soon as I download a new version of Audacity and the Lame Lib, I will be able to output an MP3 that everybody should be able to listen to. Meantime, if anyone is upset about posting this minute from Sunday’s service, puh-leaze let me know…
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It’s a bit past 6:00 AM here in Lyon where we arrrived yesterday PM: Linda’s out jogging and I’m packing up a last backback and getting ready to go out to the Aeroport.
We’re in a hotel in the heart of town, whose building dates from the 12th century. I’m guessing the desk my PowerBook is sitting on is 200 years old. I’m wondering who might have sat here once, writing in their journal or diary the way I’m updating the blog. In any case, it has been an amazing trip: can hardly believe it’s time to go home. Next stop, Frankfurt, then SFO…
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Scene Friday night as we left the service at the Taizé Commaunité with friends David and Steve Perry last night. These services, led by the Taizé Freres, are world famous for their simplicity and great joy.
In fact I have made a brief recording of the Taizé chants: but all the audio tools I downloaded yesterday won’t allow me to put up a brief clip. Probably just as well to avoid several dozen international copyright complications, but I think fair use might allow me to share a moment of this community’s beautiful service. More in a bit… we went to their Pentecost service this morning…
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We’re back on our patio after a mile hike around Igé with Linda: I turned back after walking through this pretty expanse of Chardonnay vines, and Linda continued up a hill to get in a distance more appropriate for her. We’re a 2-speed couple this trip (though Linda has been very patient with me and my pace), as much as I wish that were different.
I’m trying to figure out if QT Pro will let me clip and save small sections of the audio files I imported: the Help file says it will let me edit movie files frame to frame, but I haven’t yet figured out how to select 30 seconds of audio. I might need to go off in search of a sound editor for OS X…Â
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So I’m sitting on the very pleasant patio at Chateau d’Igé, a 13-century French chateau, blogging on my laptop. Something about WiFi and ancient buildings just seems to work (though I do have to hunt a bit to find a good signal – thick stone walls may not be ideal for the usual WiFi gear).
There’s a basket of very good croissants and other pastry on the table, a pot of café noir, fruit and yogurt. It’s warm, there’s a gentle breeze and about a half dozen other guests enjoying the moment. I think this may be heaven, or one step removed.
I’m even doing a little ecommerce: I just installed the Quicktime Pro upgrade, so here’s my podcast from last weekend in QT .mov format (it’s short and features the swing band that often plays on the street there in Place des Vosges). After installing the Flip4Mac codec (free version from a MS download site), I can now play back the WMA files that my new Olympus WS 300 digital voice recorder makes, and import them into the QT player. With QT Pro, I can do a little editing of the sound files… stay tuned for some audio live from Taizé…
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In all our visits to France, Linda and I have never gone wine tasting, believe it or not. So today we stopped at Cave Macon de Lugny’s tasting room – which could have been in the Napa Valley – and tasted their gold and silver medal winners.
These are wonderful, flinty Chardonnays, with just a bit more fruit than Meursault, at amazing prices – 2 bottles of their gold medal winner cost us 9 Euros and change. Pouilly Fuisse is another nearby domain, and the prices, while higher, are still very reasonable. We can also recommend the Macon d’Igé which we had with dinner last night…
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I’m a bit wobbly after yesterday’s efforts, so we decided a low-key day would be a good thing. Linda drove us to Tournus, where I walked a flat 1.5 miles along the Saone before visiting the Abbaye.
There was a noon service going, the participants were Jr. high age, and I, as I have been many times this trip, was amazed at the joy and energy of the very traditional music and liturgy. I’m hoping we can import some of that joy to Trinity…
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When in France, I usually try to read a morning daily to help improve my French. This morning’s Le Figaro has a Litéraire supplement in which 3 French intellectuals respond to Pope Benedict’s just-published 430-page essay on Jesus. It’s a bit tough going: I need a better French-English dictionary to get through these essaies. I’m bringing this home to add to my collection of recent writings about faith… and to finish reading…
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Linda, who is driving this trip, has really become an expert pilot of our rented Peugeot 207. Add in the flare with which she is dressing and displaying, and, well she is a worthy visiteur.
This morning we went on what was advertised as a 5 km butterfly hike outside the medieval town of Brancion. The hike did not disappoint: thousands of small, bright butterflies, including the blue ones that I understand are rare in Burgundy, flitted in the wildflowers that lined the trail that passed through vineyards and wheat fields.
It was very warm this morning, and one longish downhill section proved a challenge for my weak legs (but that’s probably a good thing). Some Alleve and a nap fixed that problem. We walked with David and Ricki Perry, who were really good sports and company, even when I got us lost…
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