In this presentation, Randy Hoyt demonstrates the techniques, page templates, and plugins he uses to power the multiple-author functionality on Journey to the Sea, the online myth magazine he edits in WordPress. Learn More »

I have added to my site a narrated screencast of the content, a software package for download with all the code modifications, and links to all the online resources I mentioned. It’s not the exact same narration — I re-recorded it after the meeting — but the video is the same and the narration covers all the same material:

This group was established last March after the first WordCamp Dallas conference, a local event devoted to all things WordPress. The  group has met monthly all year to promote and prepare for a similar conference in 2009. I have been attending the meetings and offered to speak at the April meeting this past weekend.

Before the meeting, I made a screencast of me applying these techniques to a standard blog theme. During the meeting, I played that video over a projector and narrated it for the group. I was quite happy with how it went, and I received some positive feedback on the presentation from some of the attendees. I met a few people whom I’m looking forward to discussing other local WordPress-related opportunities in the future.

Some of the colleagues involved in this conversation are responsible for the new Blockbuster blog that launched a couple weeks ago. They invited me to contribute a post on non-linear movies for that blog. I have included the introduction below; visit the Blockbuster blog to read the rest.

Most movies present events in chronological order, one event following the other in a linear fashion. This is not surprising, since we experience the real world in chronological order. But some movies, often categorized as “non-linear” movies, present events in some alternative order to achieve certain effects. Read Full Post »

At the end of football season, after the devastating loss in the BCS Championship game, OU’s basketball team had only one loss and was ranked #6. Blake Griffin, the sophomore forward, was leading the team incredibly well and was being included in player-of-the-year discussions. OU dominated the first half of their Big XII schedule, moving as high as #4 and being included in number-one-seed discussions for the tournament. It was very exciting.

And then, in a game against bitter rival Texas, Blake Griffin suffered a concussion. He missed the rest of that game against Texas, and OU lost for just the second time all season. Griffin then missed the next game, which the Sooners lost to Kansas. Even with him back, they suffered; the rhythm of the season had been interrupted. They finished off the regular season with another loss to Missouri and a narrow victory against Oklahoma State, and then they lost their first game in the Big XII tournament. In just three short weeks, the season that had seemed so promising (with a Big XII Championship and a #1 seed in the tournament) came to a grinding halt.

It was still a great season. Blake Griffin won the Naismith Trophy, making OU the first school to have the Naismith and the Heisman Trophy winners in the same academic year. OU got a #2 seed and won three games in the tournament. The Sooners lost to North Carolina (the eventual national champions) in the Elite Eight, finishing 30-6 with a #7 ranking. North Carolina played incredibly well throughout the tournament, steam-rolling all their opponents: the OU game was their closest finish, which they won easily by twelve. Congratulations to coach Roy Williams and the Tar Heels for a great season and their second national championship this decade.

Blake Griffin announced that he’s leaving college early to play in the NBA. It’s hard to blame him, but he will be missed. Next year will probably be a bit of a rebuilding year, but I’m hopeful for great things from Capel and the Sooners in the near future. I now have a few months to get caught up on some of my other activities until football season starts with OU playing BYU here in Dallas in September. Boomer Sooner!

• St. Nick: This film explored the difficult lives of two children running away from home. The two children actors, siblings on screen and in real life, were excellent. There were definitely some powerful moments, but overall it was painfully slow and left out too many details for us to piece the plot together. Perhaps we are just too dense, but it seemed like it was trying too hard to be “artsy” for no particular reason.

• Lightbulb: I attended a late show of this intriguing film with my friend Brian. It told the story of the invention of a popular novelty gift — I won’t say what it was because that’s part of the fun. (I will say that we have one of them in our house.) The movie  combined sympathetic characters, a compelling story, a nice balance of humorous and serious situations, and some thought-provoking insights into the nature of invention.

• Americana: This documentary primarily followed two high school seniors in California preparing to enter the military after graduation. It provided an intriguing lens through which to look at issues related to military recruiting, American foreign policy, and the way America is perceived throughout the rest of the world.

We certainly enjoyed our first experience with the festival, and I think it will inspire us to attend more events in the future.

New Features

• Resume Playback: Most MP3 players only remember your location for the most recent audio file. This is fine for listening to small music files, but it was quite a nuisance with longer audio books and podcasts. When I would listen to an audio book at the gym but then switch to music on the train, I would have to remember my position on the audio book and fast-forward back to that spot. This was the most important feature for me in a new player, and the Sansa Clip handles this very well.

• FM Radio: My gym shows ESPN on some of the televisions near the exercise equipement, and they broadcast the accompanying audio over an FM signal. I like having the radio built into my MP3 player so that I can take one device with me and then decide after I get there to listen to an audio book or to ESPN.

• Protected WMA Files: I am not a fan of audio files with digital rights protection that provide restrictions to where they can be played. Although I hope these techniques eventually disappear, I suppose I can understand why many companies are not willing to publish audio files in open formats. Our local public library offers cardholders access to many audio books on NetLibrary.com. Many MP3 players cannot play these protected files (including iPods), but I wanted to have one that could take advantage of this service.

Differences

• Cable Required: Many MP3 players require a cable to connect them to a computer and transfer files, but I have primarily used players that could be plugged directly into a USB port. The cable is a fairly standard one, though; I picked up a couple extra cables so I can keep one at home, at work, and in my bag for when I want to transfer files.

• No Batteries: All my previous MP3 players have used a battery that I could swap out, but the Sansa Clip requires charging. I can see the advantages and the disadvantages of each approach. If the Sansa Clip dies when I’m on the train, for example, I cannot charge it back up until I get to a computer. I have to be a little more diligent to keep it charged, but I no longer have to carry triple-A batteries around with me everywhere.

The Sansa Clip has definitely improved my audio life over the last couple of months, and I would highly recommed it.