Today my long-lost skid came in. I contracted a company to pick it up from Seattle, who in turn dropped it off at another company (second) to deliver it to me. But instead, they dropped it off at another (third) trucking company, so the second couldn’t find it. Eventually, they realized the third company had it, so they had to bring it back before the second could deliver it. This is the third time I’ve had a skid lost in transit—something that seems odd to me…

Packing up to head north tomorrow. Looking forward to heading up again!

Waiting for the wedding (this Sat) I’ve been able to install a couple storm doors, help clean the church yard up and some other things. Here’s some random pictures of the area…

One would think it would be easy to send a skid to Australia, or receive one from Taiwan. However, it’s proved to be just the opposite this time.

I hired freightquote.com to pick a skid up in Kent, WA to be delivered here. It was delivered—but in Tacoma, WA (apparently was given to another carrier to deliver to us.) It was supposed to arrive yesterday, and by the end of today, it’s not been seen.

The other skid to Australia—I have a quote to send this on its way. On Monday. I approved it and am still waiting on paperwork to arrive. I bumped the fellow yesterday and this morning I received an email stating “I should have some news for your shortly.” By the end of the day—zip-o.

No worries on these—they aren’t critical (time-wise.) That being said, it does add to the “things to do” list, instead of being able to “set it and forget it.” One thing I don’t like to do is hound people to get something done. I’d just forget them and try someone else, however, I’m stuck this time. Or should I say these times!

Well, as I continue to work on this project, it brings me back to when I first edited The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus DVD set. That was a 7 year project for me, and this, while not expecting to be another 7 years, is still quite involved.

Today I finished creating the subtitles (step 5 below.) While good, it's only the fist main step. Here's a list of what's needed, and what's to come. Multiply each step by 52, as there are 52 sections to the video:

1. Combine the Spanish Audio files to the Video. Ajust timing as needed.
2. Export AVI files to be the base of everything to come.
3. Import straight text and have it automatically blocked to caption size.
4. Manually go through the file and straighten / shore up each caption.
5. Watch (or listen) the video and time each caption.
6. Print a hard copy to have proof-read.
7. Import corrections.
8. Export captions for YouTube captions
9. Transcode the AVI video files (with Spanish audio) to YouTube format.
10. Upload video files to YouTube
11. Import caption file to each video at YouTube
12. Link to each file
13. Have each video clip / captions proof-read
14. Import changes
15. Export caption files as Subtitles
16. Export caption files as Closed Caption files
17. Re-work video files to make smaller for web (remove book roll in from beginning)
18. Adjust caption files to fit new timing on video clips
19. Transcode new video files for YouTube
20. Upload new videos
21. Export caption files for YouTube
22. Re-import YouTube caption files to current online YouTube videos
23. Create page for Spanish visitors to watch entire 11 hours, with PDF files for the WorkBook questions and answers!

At this point, it's time to start authoring the DVDs. There's only 6 DVDs to create:

1. Transcode each video clip to MP2 and AAC files.
2. Import all video / audio / menu stills and overlays
3. Assign all as drop-frame timecode
4. Build each video track with: Video (with English Captions and Spanish Captions), Audio, English Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles, and a possible second Spanish Subtitles (with only Scripture.)
5. Finally author the DVDs. Each video clip has to verify which audio track to play, which (if any) subtitle track to play, and then after it was played, check to see if the audio / subtitle was changed during the video clip to record that change for the next one.

So, all in all there's a bit more to do yet... hopefully it won't take too long!

It’s been a good, but busy week.

Started on Monday helping a friend gather firewood, and trimmed several trees for another. It was Labor Day, after all!

The rest of the week included:

1. Bought a new 24 port switch, as our old one bought the farm over the weekend.
2. Managing a skid of books from Taiwan, and sending another skid of books to our Australian office from our office here.
3. We are moving our email server over to another system, so I had to create those new accounts and forwards (around 50 POP accounts) and will be sending emails to all those preparing our folks for the change over.
4. Web maintenance—adding a new product (French By This Name WorkBook) as well as engineering a different way to promote free books online.
5. Finishing up creating subtitles in Spanish for the DVD series.

Those are the main things going on, but lots of little things going on as well. Thank all of you that help me be here!