Archive for the 'WebLinks' Category

Free Sheet Music

Published
by
Zz85
on May 17, 2006
in Music and WebLinks
. 0 Comments

Ok, a little post for music lovers. Its was quite busy the past weeks in and out of camp.

“Scores” is the term we (or maybe just I) use to call for music sheets, that is sheets/papers of music notes (”dou gay”). As I soon found out thru the net, scores referred to combined orchestra pieces while sheet music (the term I never use before) is more general.

Anyway here is my compilation of great (personally) links to free scores or sheet music. 3 categories
a) Typeset - scores generated by (usually free) computer software eg. lilypond, MusiXTeX,, finale, Sibelius…
b) Originals - scores scanned (usually bought copies, or faxed)
c) Others - other links if you have the time to explore

A) Typeset-ted Music

Mutopia Project Open-source sheet music in PDF, PS, and GNU LilyPond formats. Mostly classical. My 2 contributions so far are Hallelujah Chorus and Allegro from Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 5

WIMA: Werner Icking Music Archive. Great site with pieces mostly typeset with MusiXTeX, a place where you can find many classics and parts to play together as a group.

Johan Tufvessons Early Music PDFs and midis of Baroque and before (17th and 18th century).

B) Scans:

The Sheet Music Archive Large selection of public domain classical sheet music, including the great works of famous composers. Not to be missed.

Chopin Files Used to have informative background and descriptions of most of Chopin pieces, with midi, rm, and pdf to download. At a time where there was a forum, the sheet music section provide many (classic and rare) beautiful piano (and violin and accompaniment) to download. Might not find it now, but maybe you can see a snapshot on archive.org

piano.ru Ultimate piano collection for russian composers (from solos to concertos, tsaikosky to rachmaniov)

chviolin.cn Its a must if you are a violinist. Its better if you understand Chinese (helps you navigate around the site). Relatively new site, but almost any good pieces for violin (and piano accompaniment) can be found.. Think its a continuation of a BBS violin scores site which went down.

William and Gayle Cook Music Library Library with many orchestra scores.

http://www.greatjsbach.net/Work.php3 Korean site on Bach music.

Another Free Sheetmusic Library of various orchestra, chamber, choral, keyboard works in public domain

International Music Score Library Project - Huge wiki virtual library of public domain music scores

C) More links to more
free-scores.com
free sheet music guide
Some are more commercial based, but you might find some free samples.. and of course pay if you want more
Virtual Sheet Music
Score on Line - Digital Sheet Music Library


http://notes.tarakanov.net/violin.htm Scans of violin music

http://www.pianosheets.org/ Sheet music via Bittorrent downloads

Search the files hosting provider

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Public_domain_music

More Mencoder

Published
by
Zz85
on April 15, 2006
in Technology, WebLinks and linux
. 1 Comment

This is the followup of the More Video Compression series touching on the free, open sourced, fast, all-powerful…
Mplayer … ’s counterpart… Mencoder! And a little about converting to DVD/SVCD/KVCD.

First of all, do you have mplayer and mencoder?
Get it from http://www.mplayerhq.hu/design7/dload.html. Windows users, you can get win32 mingw32 ports from http://oss.netfarm.it/mplayer-win32.php. I think these ports are more optimised and faster.

Next, make sure you get the codecs you need. Fonts/skins/others are optional. Extract them to the correct directory. If you know how to play with those configuration files, do so.

Now windows mplayer user, here’s a tip to you. Never under-estimate what this command line/dos/linux style(whatever you call it) can do. First, its very portable. Zip them up and it takes maybe only 20+MB which plays almost any video format. Download a mega codec pack and its already tripple that size. Place it on your thumbdrive and you don’t even need any installtion to use. Remember the key bindings and you have a full control of media player at the keyboard. F for fullscreen, O for elapsed/total time, 9 and 0 for volume, D for frameskipping options, Q/Esc to escape, x/f for subs delay, up/down&page up/down, home/end for fastwarding/rewinding quickly.

Using mencoder
IIRC, I did cover this before, but only providing links to how to convert files. Example, using Easy Realmedia Producer, you converted all your media files to rmvb. Now you need to convert to some other common formats so 1) you can send to your friend 2) you want to burn it 3) copy into some media devices which dont support real media.

(I was at a shop and overheard this conversation that no devices can play rm. Not true I think, ngage can, and even a hacked ipod can do the job imho. A interesting equiment i found was a 2.5″ harddisk casing with capabilities to backup sd/cf cards, and ability to play media files, and tv output, using a recharable nokia battery. )

As mentioned before, MediaCoder is a powerful frontend to the free tools including mencoder which helps you convert to whatever format you want just using mouse-and-click.

Basic Mencoder Usage

mencoder convertme.rmvb -ovc lavc -oac mp3lame -o encoded.avi

This is what I call a simple, default encoding. “-o” specify the output file. mp3lame by default uses mpegII layer III compression, and ffmpeg libraries for video compression. The result, about 400mb for a vcd/60mins, in (ffmpeg’s)mpeg-4, for a very quick processing rate (400+fps? so maybe a mere 10mins job at 50% cpu on a hyperthreading machine) .

Next I’m teaching, is something quite primitive but still very useful for a windows user - batch files.
Open notepad, paste this in.

@echo off
echo Encoding %1
"J:\a\mencode\mplayer\mencoder.exe" %1 -quiet -ovc lavc -oac mp3lame -ffourcc XVID -o %1encoded.avi
pause

save it as Encoder.bat or something. Drag a video clip into the newly create bat file and see what happens. I used to place batch files in the SendTo folder (C:\Documents and Settings\User\SendTo), so I could right-click a file, and “send to” encoder.

line 1 @echo off means dont display the lines of code in the batch files.
line 2 echo Encoding %1 echo means display. %1 is the file which is dragged/passed to the batch file.
line 3 "J:\a\mencode\mplayer\mencoder.exe" %1 -quiet -ovc lavc -oac mp3lame -ffourcc XVID -o %1encoded.avi
“J:\a\mencode\mplayer\mencoder.exe” is the path to my mencoder. -quiet is used when you do not want to see the status of the encoding (estimated encoded filesize, encoding fps, time remaining) -ffourcc changes the FourCC or encoding codec identifier used in the file. By default its “FMP4″, mplayer’s encoding. However this identifier will cause encoded files to be unplayable by older players or codecs. Changing it to XVID allows any xvid decoder to playback the file. DX50, codename for DIVX5) can be used also. %1encoded.avi appends encoded.avi to the specified the encoded output file.
line 4: pause Pause the screen and waits for key to be pressed before terminating. You can see some final statistics from mencoder.

Happy encoding, remember, since it pretty fast, if you are on a dual/hyperthreading processor, you can run 2 encoding sessions at the same time.

NOTE: I was confused by MPEG4, DIVX, XVID, ffmpeg, libavcodec terms at first. Mpeg4 is standards for this video compression format. DivX was actually a hack to improved microsoft implmentation of mp4 format. Xvid is a open source mp4 implmentation, (was a reverse engineered DivX - spell it backwards?). ffmpeg is a set of tools (at first on linux) which record, convert and stream digital audio and video. Included is libavcodec, LGPLed C coded codec libraries which encode&decode video&audio.

Dare to try more challenging switches?
-ovc copy -oac copy -ffourcc XVID is for “fixing” any files you encoded as “FMP4″.

-af channels=1 -ovc lavc -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg4:vbitrate=400 -quiet -oac mp3lame -lameopts br=54:mode=2 -ofps 24 af does audio channel mapping. vbitrate sets video bitrate to 400kbits/s. br=54:mode=2, means mono at 54kbits/s for the audio. ofps is the output frame per seconds.

-oac copy -ovc lavc -of mpeg -mpegopts format=dvd -vf scale=720:576,harddup -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg2video:vrc_buf_size=1835:vrc_maxrate=9800:vbitrate=5000:keyint=15:aspect=16/9 -ofps 25 -vobsuboutindex 2
 is to produce a mpeg II, DVD compatible video format.

For more, RTM! (Read the Manaul). Check out
http://tivo-mplayer.sourceforge.net/docs/mplayer-man.html and
http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/HTML/en/index.html

Converting to DVDs.
Cut the long story short, try the free software Avi2Dvd Yeah it supports dvd and svcd/kvcds.

Back on topic, using mencoder to convert?

Check http://wiki.clug.org.za/wiki/Making_DVD/SVCD/VCD’s_under_Linux using open source software to author a dvd.

http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Mencoder_Introduction_Guide A very good walkthrough on mencoder also touches on dvd conversion.

As for how to burn using free tools, (eg. CD-R tools, CDBurnerXP pro), I havent figured that yet and am now in a rush. Maybe the next article in the series. Till then, tata.

Sidenote: If you are interested in creating subtitles, or manipulate them (like join, cutting, converting) try the free Subtitles Workshop or dl here.

More Sudoku

Published
by
Zz85
on March 19, 2006
in Hobbies, Interesting Stuff and WebLinks
. 0 Comments

This is another article due for posting for a long time, but I always never want to click the “Publish” button.

This 2nd post on Sudoku of mine will attempt to show you more ways to waste time on it, or nicer said, give the grey cells a little more workout. Some of these puzzles I would be touching on, each have a capacity for give you something to think about a few hours, 1 or 2 days, or maybe more. One of it can keep you occupied for your guard duty, another for all the waiting and travelling time, and one to keep you headaches. In some of my completed puzzles, the byproducts is lots of numbers scribbled all around the paper, which reminds me of John Nash in “A Beautiful Mind” scribbling codes all over the place.

Web Sudoku
This sites gives you countless of classic 9×9 sudoku. Chose one of the 4 level of difficulties, you can play online and time yourself, or just chose to print to keep some copies to work on in your free time. This site is a fravorite amoung my campmates.

Killer Sudoku
A guy was sitting on my right in the train, holding a book and a pencil. I glanced at it, and I thought, another Sudoku lover? I wanted to break a conversation with him, then noticed that the puzzles was not really what I seen before. I silently observed a little more, peeked at the title which was something like “Killer Sudoku published by Times”, then got down the next stop. I did a search, I soon I was introduced to a new dimension to killer sudoku.

The completed killer sudoku puzzle complies with the classic soduku rules. The difference is in its clues, instead of prefilled numbers, the clues are sums of the numbers covering specified boxes in the sudoku. What I like about variation is that you get to use mathematics (each box or row sums to 45, try adding 1 to 9). When you figured enough boxes, you would like to use the classic sudoku logic and methods to complete the puzzle.

Visit killersudokuonline for dozes of puzzle each week. Puzzles come in flavours of easy, medium, hard, mind-bending. Also of interest found on that webbie would be the “Great Than” sudoku. In each small 3×3 grid, you only know which is bigger in number of 2 boxes side by side.

My favorite site for sudoku would be DJ Ape .Net - The Home of Perfect Sudoku. You get daily sudoku and killer sudoku. You would be able to learn of different solving techniques and other brainteasers time to time. You might be able to find these other variants of sudoku too.

Butterfly sudoku
5 Sudokus intersect at the corners, or more accurately, 4 sudokus intersecting the corners of a center sudoku, forming a big sudoku which shapes like a butterfly. If you see a X across the diagonals, each diagonal contains 1 -9 uniquilty. This is a important clue to solving some the puzzles.

Samurai sudoku
Upsizing the 9×9, you get 12×12, but its actually 4 overlapping 9×9 sudoku puzzles.

These are more variations, esp if you mix variations together, eg. Butterfly-Samurai-X, Harakiri-X (2 Butterflys linked)

Kakuro
Now this is another puzzle, not a sudoku in my views, but I think shares the same creator and simlar rules of sudoku. It looks and works more like a crossword puzzle, you get clues (sum of numbers) for horizontal and vertical (right and down) “words” (number sequences which each digit can appear once only).

I first came across this on a book title in Kinokuniya, and later I spotted it appearing in The New Paper daily. Its quite fun, a little like a killer sudoku, and it can take you hours playing, but for me I prefer killer sodukus (maybe i just love the squarish grids and the familarity).
Well, if you are interested, the net is always full of Kakuro

I was hoping I could release my Sudoku Solver Midlet version 2 with this post, together with instructions, but I’m afraid that would be the next time.

[update:March 26 Sunday] I was working on my Harakiri X Sudoku on the mrt train. A gal (about my age I think) approached me asking where I got it from (she must be bored with the classic puzzles too). Sensing another Sudoku fan, I gave her the links mention above and introduced some variations too. Well now that I think, maybe I should have gave her the link to my blog too.

Distractions

Published
by
Zz85
on March 5, 2006
in Ideas, Technology, Updates and WebLinks
. 0 Comments

Some long time since I even visit my own blog, but I’m really happy and grateful to all those who visit, esp. those who check here regularly. I’m not faithful on my site, not to mention other blogs, and thank you to those who link over here even I dont border link to you. Thank you all for all the comments, sometimes I don’t even look, a greater sin than ignoring to reply. Those who are interested in my plugins, thank you again, although I dont have the interest, time, endurance and consistency to carry on any of them at the moment. And yes, I updated the new SK2 (Spam Karma not shop name nor the facial product) to get more accurate spam assination.

A little update on my camp life, I still find guard duties causing me restlessness and dis-orientated-ness. Sometimes I dont even know my dates or days, but I need to get use to things. Understanding and getting along well with people is not simple especially for me with low E.Q. You can please everyone, and for some reasons someone make dislike to for maybe no reason. My campmates education levels range from O’levels (Secondary), ITE, Diploma(Poly), A’Levels (JC). And with my promotion to Coporal, responsibilities and work loads increase.

On my geeky (IT/computers) side of life, I have upgraded to Singnet 1500 after a renewing of contract. Its $58/month, but with 4 months free in this 1 year contract, it averages up to $39/month, not that bad after all. It comes with other free services too, but the catch is if you dont explicitly terminate after the free period, charges come in. On the browser side, I using Opera to surf the net because I still find it the quickest and now opera is free and ad-less. I have too much extensions and scripts in firefox that its slightly slower and consume much memory.

Back to the Title topic of Distractions.

Discussion on how on-board screen distracts attention from driving.
http://hardware.slashdot.org/hardware/06/02/21/2330239.shtml

mynotes:
Gearing towards a centralized processing means a centralised controls and screen.
Engine, Aircon, Seats, Radio, GPS, Computer, TV, Locking System, Sensor, Alert system all comes together on the computer in the car. Might actually means system can be broken easily (single point of failure), or even harder to use, unless good UI is done.

Some projects that I’m been distracted with recently, and sadly never got to do much :(

1) Blogs and plugin. The content, the template, the plugins..

2) LilyTool.. I’m supposed to work on the NoteVisualiser aspect, allowing user to have a graphical display and input frontend to Lilypond’s syntactical code. But since I have been able to compile Bert’s new parser engine, it sort of hung there.

3) Mobile App I: Since I already started creating a Sudoku application for my nokia phone, I should have touch and finish up with it. However, with the lost of some of my project files and last of patience and time its on hold again.

App II: Pitch producing midlet. I managed to create one, but its UI: display and input needs brushing up.

App III: I’m not very satisfied with the current TODO list. I wanted to create one, but so far its only implemented in brainwaves or in-fact more dreamwaves.

4) 2 ideas I got for mobile phones which I really like.

a) motion detection. sort of turning ur phone left and right to navigate in a game.. sort like the new concept nintendo “remote control” joystick. I thought processing images on the camera can sort of “motion detect” like how a optical mouse works. It turns up that image recognition/process and motion detection issnt that simple. Idea passed.

b) Using the mobile phone as a instrument tuner. now this is a cool idea, although there are alreay pc applications which can do that, i have not found any for mobile devices. dealing with this subject means diving into a deep topic: DSP.

The last time I found myself swimming (or drowning) in foreign waters in the idea of implementing a network 3d badminton shockwave game. I soon found out there I needed the knoweledge of the toics of networking, human anatomy, 3d modeling, texturing and animation, game programming, director/lingo scripting languages.. all requiring indept knowledge and experience in order to do so.

Anyway the topic of DSP(Digital Signal Processing) is “cheem” or complex. Application areas range from speech, audio, music, telephony radio, signal analysis, instrumentation, image processing, multimedia, radar. sonar, control, biomedical, transport to navigation. I thought what I needed to know was just DFT (Discrete Fourier Transformation) but I see engineering mathematics, signals, electronics and a whole bunch of stuff.

5) I had an idea of creating some excel macros for some scheduling forecast.
After some weeks I needed to find out if the yields can justify the effort to create one. Sometimes humans can just do things much efficiently if they put in a little of work. Technology cant solve everything.. sometimes the root of the problem lies with laziness. Anyway this is diving into yet another topic: timetable algorithms. It seems that the best way is using Genetic algorithm which uses some genetic biology ideas. In my rough understanding of it, it means getting a random sequence, then manipulate/evolve it until solutions are present.

In closing, you might understand my plight of “trying to be a jack of all trades, master of none”, I’m a mediocre, but maybe with much discipline, I will change.

Here’s an addictive weblink somewhere if you want to get yourself distracted too.

ajax links / bookmarks

Published
by
Zz85
on February 23, 2006
in Ideas and WebLinks
. 5 Comments

I have this idea for over some time, that the links in wordpress be displayed in a “ajax” manner, in a way like super archives. It may help esp. if there are huge list of links and grouped in many categories. In a way this links can be your online bookmarks. Anyway I wont have the time to create any plugin now, but I found many links which might (or not) be useful.

ajax examples
http://www.fiftyfoureleven.com/resources/programming/xmlhttprequest/examples

Onjava article on handling ajax bookmarks
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2005/10/26/ajax-handling-bookmarks-and-back-button.html?page=4
http://codinginparadise.org/weblog/2005/09/ajax-how-to-handle-bookmarks-and-back.html

Google Page Creator - AjAX html WYSIWYG builder
http://pages.google.com/
yourname.googlepages.com

Draggable lists
http://www.gregphoto.net/sortable/index.php

Ajax bookmarking
http://swik.net/

Another online/social bookmarking
http://www.digglicious.com/
http://www.spurl.net/
http://www.netvouz.com/
http://del.icio.us/

Social bookmarking reviews
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/april05/hammond/04hammond.html
http://www.irox.de/roxomatic/1050

which reminds me of TADA lists and other todo lists.