Posted by Jeff December 21, 2007
Johnny Lee continues to bring the awesomeness with this demo of Head Tracking. The illusion of depth is compelling from 2:45 on.
The LED safety visors are a brilliant hack, and infrared LED’s are cheap at Radio Shack (part #276-143). I am still working on an infrared LED pen for the last hack!
Posted by Jeff December 13, 2007
Recently I came across two Python editing environments, Reinteract and Hotwire. The screencasts could not be more different. It’s instructive to consider what makes a superior screencast.
Before I pontificate, what makes my opinion worth listening to? I have an eye for video - I am a top contributor to VideoSift. My screencasts on ShowMeDo have been well reviewed.
Dislaimer: I know nothing about the two projects beyond having seen these screencasts. Also, Hotwire lead Colin Walters notes that the Hotwire screencast is fan-made; an improved official vid may be in the works.
Let’s deconstruct these examples to figure out: makes a screencast suck or succeed?
Hotwire uses a hard-rocking song. The soundtrack is irrelevant to the action onscreen, and distracts. Currently a single YouTube comment asks for the song title.
Reinteract is narrated by the developer. He knows his stuff and his clarity of speech conveys precision. The pacing feels right.
Hotwire is presented in what Yahtzee has dubbed TeenyWeenyEyestrainoVision. Youtube’s stingy real estate obliterates detail. Add AutoPanning and Beryl fx for added wooziness.
Reinteract is clean and sharp. No other distracting windows or desktop. Video is full size; details are preserved. The entire screencast takes place in one window. Overall: clean, simple, focused.
Hotwire has so many distracting elements it’s impossible for an outsider to follow. After 30 seconds of squinting, I gave up. Hotwire may have fantastic features.. this video does not communicate them.
Reinteract has a coherent, well structured progression. The narrator explains features, benefits, and builds complexity. As a viewer I see what makes it cool and useful and how I might apply it
The purpose of Screencasts is to communicate concepts. Show the Sizzle. Principles of writing apply: dump anything that doesn’t contribute. Audio should be on topic. Video should be sharp, fullscreen, with no distractions. YouTube is a poor choice. Pacing and narrative should set a context, deliver benefits, and communicate something new and useful.
When done right, screencasts can communicate cheaply and effectively to a worldwide audience.
Posted by Jeff December 06, 2007
Sizer’s main purpose is to set window size exactly, but it doubles as a llost-window wrangler. This movie shows how.
No TagsPosted by Jeff December 04, 2007
These timelines from circavie are great.
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Gadgethound, Senior Developer, Student, Teacher, living in Boston, MA. Motto: work smarter, not harder.