June 2006 Archives
I decided to try out online video editing and publishing through a site called eyespot.com. There are a handful of sites that provide this service all free. It's a very simplified version of the desktop video editing software such as Adobe Premiere, Final Cut and iMovie that allows users to edit and share their homemade movies online.
How it works is you upload the movie to the site and then edit as you please and publish for the world to see. The big plus is it's free and you don't have to worry about where to host the files. Of course there are size limits with each upload. Eyespot's limit is 50mb. The downside is the limited editing tools that are provided. But hey, what do you expect...it's free! I'm sure with time and popularity of these sites more features will be provided.
Eyespot isn't the only site that provides this service. Some others are jumpcut.com, grouper.com and videoegg.com. The video above is something I posted using Eyespot. The only editing I did was to trim the beginning of the video, which is fairly simple to do. I also wanted to add title screens, but to my disappointment this feature was not available. Eyespot is easy to use, but its meager sampling of editing tools and effects has left something to be desired. The video quality after upload is not 100% either as I noticed with the strange flickers that occur every few seconds. The original video is fine. But who knows, it might have been a one-time thing. I didn't try again.
Overall these sites make it easy for anyone to edit and share their videos, but don't expect to churn out award winning movies. If anyone tries any of the other sites, please share your thoughts on usability, features, quirks, etc.
It was my first time to Seattle and I was quite impressed by this city. Everything is relatively close since this city is nestled among lakes. The entire time we were there it rained lightly off and on throughout the day and of course was nice and sunny the day we left.
Sarah and I left for the airport at around 5am last Saturday for our 8 o'clock flight. We were on a Boeing 777 and the flight was full. Arriving at 10:15am we met up with my cousin Liz at the airport who flew in from Houston. Wasting no time we got in our SUV rental and headed for the International district or probably more well known as Chinatown for dim sum. After lunch we shopped at Uwajimaya - the largest Asian market in Seattle. This is one heck of a grocery store! It has everything Asian you want and a food court. Pics are posted in my gallery.
Highlights from the trip would have to be the Seattle Underground tour and Snoqualmie Falls. The underground tour gives you a good overview of the history of Seattle, which is very interesting and quite funny. Our guide was very entertaining and fun. Snoqualmie Falls is about 30 miles east of the city and the drive there is very scenic and beautiful.
Although the weather is not ideal, the great thing about Seattle is its cool city vibe and proximity to nature only a short drive away. Its fresh seafood is enough to make this a great city to dine in and the hilly terrain provide spectacular views. In many ways this city reminds me of San Francisco, but with less people and a rhythm of its own.
