ffmpeg building on mac intel/x386

ffmpeg v0.5 just came out. it’s the bomb. it’s got tons of fixes and massive amounts of new codecs that it can read. for example, it can now decode my professional filmmaker brother’s “DVC ProHD” highly proprietary (and massive bitrate!) format! it can also decode flac and 24-bit flac. (encoding flac is disappointing though).

at any rate! macports is a great way to get it installed on your mac.
the current way of setting up macports and then doing
sudo port install ffmpeg
works fine on my PPC at work (oddly — pretty old computer now) but not my Air (intel x386)

So I set out to find the fixes needed to make it work. Here they are:

step 1: install macports — see http://www.macports.org/install.php

sudo port install x264 +noasm # for i386 (not needed for PPC)
sudo port fetch ffmpeg
sudo port checksum ffmpeg
sudo port extract ffmpeg
sudo port patch ffmpeg
remove “–enable-shared” from /opt/local/var/macports/sources/rsync.macports.org/release/ports/multimedia/ffmpeg/Portfile
sudo port install ffmpeg

[May update] I think the packages are improving so some of the above steps may not be necessary, depending on your Mac model, xcode version, and such. So I’d suggest just trying “sudo port install ffmpeg” first to see if it works and try some tweaks above if that doesn’t work

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Tracey’s new domain and website!

This is the debut of my first and only purchased domain/website!

How do I feel? See this

clip from Hunter’s ALC7 Video

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AIDS LifeCycle 7

WE DID IT! We did our first AIDS charity bikeride and raised over $20,000 as part of the $11.6 million raised by the 2,500 riders plus 500 “roadies” for this weeklong event.
It was 7 days of biking (every day) to go from San Fran to LA in 545 miles (averaging 78 miles/day). We biked *every mile* and had a fantastic time.

I edited the best 100 great photos from the week.


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Bike gears — jamming a triple into a double

When my local bike store set me up with my new great ride, I agonized over getting the easier-to-shift double (2 ring) front gearset vs. a triple (3 ring) easier-to-climb option. Turns out, you can have your cake and eat it, too!

I used this amazing gear resource

and customized it to help me compare options to see if a different rear cassette could bridge the gap. It could! I get a higher top speed/ring now with a double and my easiest gear is now only about 66% harder than my old bike’s triple. So yes, climbing is a teeny harder, but it’s nothing like how much harder it would have been with the standard cassette!!

Ladies and other bikers — don’t fear the double when you can get a compact double and larger rear cassette!

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Training to bike first Aids LifeCycle (SF to LA)

After about 45 days of training for the big 7-day bikeride in June, I got a new bike to help me get through the long repetitive days in the saddle. The training has been going well, and the last week with my first 100 miles with this new bike were even better! I am a believer that a good carbon bike makes a world of difference. Best of all, my bike is now on only about 1/4 pound heavier than Hunter’s (so watch out, boyfriend!)

You can donate! My ALC page.


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IMPEACH CHENEY! . . . meeting my hero

Hunter and I got to hear Naomi Wolf speak about her new book, along with
Daniel Ellsberg (pictured left), the leaker of the “Pentagon Papers” (which helped
end the Vietnam War). The event was sponsored by KPFA and featured a moderator and another journalist.

All parties agreed we need to impeach Cheney impeach Cheney ASAP!
Torture is illegal under domestic and international laws, and the Geneva Convention. Warantless wiretapping is illegal. For these two reasons alone (but many more), Cheney should be impeached and tried for high crimes and misdemeanors!

Take action now!

From The End of America – Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot:

Ten Steps to dictatorship — happening now in America:

  1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy.
  2. Create secret prisons where torture takes place.
  3. Develop a thug caste or paramilitary force not answerable to citizens.
  4. Set up an internal surveillance system.
  5. Harass citizens’ groups.
  6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release.
  7. Target key individuals.
  8. Control the press.
  9. Declare all dissent to be treason.
  10. Suspend the rule of law.

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Home Theater!

… on a twelve foot diagonal screen, muhahaahaaaa!

Russ found a government auction site that disposes of lots of surplus
and other equipment.
I picked up two *geenormous* BARCO LCD rear projectors for only $75
plus my own shipping and handling by showing up to a “high alert” and
checkpointed military base just outside of Sacramento.

It tooks us many months to finally get around to mounting it, seeing if it even would work for us, and converging it.

But when we did — wow! The one we use displays HD signals (we bought 3 professional-grade BNC cables and connectors for the receiver-to-projector connection for under $50).
Both our TV box and DVD player line double a progressive signal.
I think we may have the best looking home theater that I’ve seen — not bad
for 10 year old equipment, eh? 8-)


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Don’t try and run


Hunter and I saw this on our morning commute over the bay bridge.
I’ll bet that’s a popular detail to volunteer for in the morning meeting,
tee hee.

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Becoming a homeowner!

Hunter and I are buying a place in Oakland together!
It’s in Montclair district of the Oakland hills.
More pictures can be seen here.

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Hummingbird

A little hummingbirdie slammed into my picture window as Russ was watching. We went outside to find the poor little guy nearly unconscious and stunned. We tipped him upright and waited a few minutes for him to regain life, yay!

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Stone’s JFK

Just watched Oliver Stone’s JFK for the first time last night.

I’d seen the recent Discovery Channel JFK programming that was excellent.
The *really* amazing thing was that when JFK movie came out, most of the media and Prez Ford (who was in the Warren Commission which did the post-assasination cover-up, er, I mean, investigation) denounced it. Now that more is declassified, most everything has shown to be true. Multiple shooters!!

I’m progressive.
and i vote.
and i volunteer.
and i’m helping to take down the Bush Crime Family.

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Tour of California

Feb21: Woot!!

Stage 2
of the brand new world-class cycling “Tour of California” went right by my house!

I made a cute little time-lapse film of the riders going by that you can see here.

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