The Refresh Orlando Heirs

“Do we need to cast a voice-over talent for this project?”

That’s a valid question any producer might ask when creating an advertisement, corporate audio-video presentation, video game, etc. Of course, the answer depends on what elements the producer and client feel will best communicate with the audience. For a radio ad, a fully sung jingle with no voice-over could work best. A TV spot or corporate narration might be most effective using scrolling graphic and text, again without an announcer. But very soon producers could be pondering whether their productions need a voice over talent for a more disturbing reason. Vocal utterances produced by air passing through folds of tissue and formed by lips, teeth, and tongue may, simply put, become obsolete. Yes, the “virtual voice talent” may very well become a reality.

Welcome to the Machine

In the May 2004 issue of Mix Magazine, in two separate articles, Stephen St. Croix and Paul D. Lehrman relate their experiences with a new piece of software ominously named “Vocaloid.” This little computer-coded wonder is a speech synthesizer that’s being used to synthesize background vocals on actual recordings that are being sold to the publicbackground vocals so good, you’d be hard-pressed to recognize they’re fake singers. Now, considering the dubious singing talents of many of our current pop stars, maybe a Vocaloid virtual diva named Britney isn’t too far-fetched. Audio manipulation, including pitch correction, equalization, compression, reverb, have been used for decades to save the bacon of many a pop star’s performance in-studio or on stage. Technically, it’s just a short step from this point to a “singer in a box.”

In fact, in the letters section of the July 2004 issue of Mix Magazine a person identified only as “BC,” referring to the St. Croix and Lehrman articles, boasted that he’s created a “band” called The Bots… “created wholly from speech synthesizers and 3-D graphics.” BC further states, “I use Vocaloid among a variety of other speech synths to make it more into an ensemble. The Bots have released two CDs, a ‘record deal’ with Magnatune, and a second video in the works. It’s been a long and painful ordeal, but I’ve finally gotten them to the point where they seem as real as any other band out thereexcept no live concerts.”

I’ve Gotta Sing

And that’s the crux of the matter. The appeal of virtual entertainers probably will be quite limitedat least for the foreseeable futurebecause they can’t tour, do drugs, get into fights, sue their record labels, promote world peace, raise money for charity, or do anything live flesh and blood performers can do. We, the audience, love the performer as much as the performer’s music. And, in this case, that’s a good thing. Tony Bennett, the White Stripes, Diana Krall, Toby Keith, Frederica von Stade, and all of the American Idol wannabes are quite safe from Vocaloid elimination.

Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

But voice over talents may not be so lucky. Voice talents are not seen. They don’t have adoring fans, except their moms and, maybe, a few other voice-over talents. They perform in short increments: 30 seconds, 60 seconds, a 30 minute narration on how to make a million in real estate. If speech synthesis has reached a point of sophistication sufficient enough to create virtual singers, what’s to prevent a software genius from developing a program to replace voice talent? Write the program. Sample 300 to 500 voices, male and female, each with unique characteristics, incorporate them into the software and, voil, Instant Announcer in a Box. Just load your script text into the program, which converts the text to perfectly uttered speech. No retakes. With a few clicks of the mouse to tweak inflection, emphasis, pacing, dynamics, etc. to polish the natural feel of the voice-over and you’re done.

Far-fetched? If entertainment’s got a virtual band call The Bots, why can’t advertising and marketing have its own virtual Don Pardo?

Well, it seems maybe they can…

©Peter Drew

About the Author

Peter Drew, a freelance voice-over talent and copywriter/producer with 28 years of experience, is heard on radio and television stations, corporate presentations, web sites, and messages-on-hold across America and countries around the world. To send an email regarding this article, please visit Peter Drew Voiceovers at http://www.peterdrewvo.com/

The easiest way to keep your home clean and organized is to keep your home clean and organized on a daily basis. There are many small and seemingly insignificant steps you can take each day towards keeping your home guest ready.

In the living room pick up all the newspapers, catalogs and magazines that have collected. You can do this on a daily basis. Keep a bin for paper recycling. Put what you plan to read in a magazine rack next to your chair.

Before bedtime have the kids pick up any miscellaneous objects they might have left downstairs and have them put their toys back in the toy box.

Once a week you’ll want to vacuum and dust the living room.

In the kitchen you’ll want to make sure that you keep your sink free of dirty dishes on a daily basis. After each meal put the dirty dishes directly in the dishwasher and wash and dry any remaining pots and pans or dishes and put them away.

Wipe the countertops and table off after each meal. Disposable cleaning clothes come in handy for this. Don’t let papers or the mail pile up in the kitchen on the counter. As soon as the mail comes in go through it and organize it.

Sweep and scrub your kitchen floor at least once a week.

In your bathroom you’ll want to make sure that you rinse out of the sink, the faucet and rinse off the countertop when you’re done. Keep Windex close by in case the mirror needs a quick cleaning.

When you’re done in your shower make sure that you wipe the walls of the shower down with a cleaning cloth, like one pre treated with bleach. Leave a few inches open on each side of the shower curtain so that air can circulate through your shower and help dry it faster. Run your exhaust fan when you take your shower and then for a full twenty minutes afterwards.

The blue drop-ins for toilets really do a nice job of masking any dirt - but don’t use it as an excuse to not clean. You toilet should be thoroughly cleaned at least once a week. When you’re done with the pre treated cloth in shower why not use it on the toilet too? A quick daily wipe can do wonders.

At least once a week you’ll want to sweep and wash the bathroom floors. Your bath rug won’t need to be washed once a week, but an easy way to freshen it is to put it in the dryer on low with a fabric softener cloth. This gets most of the hairs off of it and fluffs it up.

Seems simple enough!
About the Author

This article courtesy of http://www.vac-cleaners.com

When you buy a computer, it most likely comes with Microsoft Windows preinstalled.
And when you need a word processor, spreadsheet, or other software, you probably
buy it from a computer store. That software is vital. Without it, a computer is just an
expensive paperweight.

But you can find free and low-cost alternatives to commercial software. Free
software has been available for years but has never been so accessible to everyday
computer users. These
programs have long been the domain of, well, geeks - experts who were willing to
download huge programs from the Internet and who knew how to compile the
programs from source code. But free software is entering the mainstream, thanks to
faster Internet connections and easier-to-use installers that don’t require a degree
in computer science.

Free software appeals to those on a budget as well as anyone who simply wants
another choice. Examples of free software include GNU/Linux, an operating system
that replaces Microsoft Windows; OpenOffice, a word processor, spreadsheet, and
presentation manager suite; and The GIMP, an image editor
that rivals Adobe Photoshop. A PC with GNU/Linux preinstalled can cost hundreds
of dollars less than a Microsoft Windows PC.

Free software takes time and money to run, and Microsoft will eagerly tell you that
the total cost of ownership for GNU/Linux is umpteen times higher than Windows.
But advocates of free software say cost is not the only issue.

“Free software means the users are in control,” says Richard Stallman, founder of the
not-for-profit Free Software Foundation. “Each non-free program has an owner, a
feudal lord in effect, who dominates the program and its users. The owners of non-
free software often impose changes on the users, changes meant to suit them, not
us.”

Free software advocates say there are two kinds of free: free as in “free beer” and
free as in “free speech.” They’re both good but for different reasons. The mantra of
the Free Software Foundation is “Free software’ is a matter of liberty, not price.”
Commercial software licenses - those wordy, legalese-filled documents that no one
actually reads before clicking “I Agree” when installing software - usually impose
strict limits: You can’t install the software on more than one computer; if it doesn’t
work the way you want, you can’t change it; and so on. Free software often has a
license too, but it’s far less restrictive. Users can amend the software to make it
better.

“The main advantage is the community of people who will continue to improve the
software on a voluntary basis, especially as it relates to security flaws,” says Irwin
Taranto, treasurer of the International Computer Users Fellowship of Rotarians. Case
in point is Mozilla Firefox, a web browser that’s emphasizes speed and
security. The program has taken a quick foothold amongst Internet users who are
tired of the security flaws in Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Most free software can be downloaded from the Internet. The programs are
sometimes large, so a fast Internet connection helps. Some programs are sold in
stores. Many free software licenses allow others to sell the software. Although it
may seem ironic, free software users often opt to pay in exchange for value-added
features such as printed documentation, a CD installer, and technical support.

The next time you need software for your computer, you might consider free
alternatives. It may not be as free as free beer, but it can be as liberating as free
speech.

Copyright 2005 by Kevin Savetz.

Kevin Savetz is a freelance technology journalist who has written for more than 80 publications. He is the founder of FreeDownloadADay.com, which features high-quality free software. You can subscribe to the site’s Free Downloads newsletter, which is also free.

Cable… no, not the TV, the structured cable running through
your building. While structured cabling may not seem as exciting
as a discussion about your favorite show on cable television,
what cabling solution you choose for a new or retro-fit building
is the single most important decision you can make when it comes
to your network design. Keep in mind that most servers and
desktops last an average of three to five years. Your cabling
system is built to last- if designed and installed properly.

There are several components that you, as a decision maker,
should be aware of. There are partnerships in the cabling
industry that work to your advantage. Existing between cable and
connection device manufacturers (patch panels, jacks, etc.),
these partnerships maximize the end to end performance of the
network cabling through testing of interference factors,
bandwidth performance and more. The list below is not all
inclusive, but gives a good sense of which partnerships are
available today: * Panduit/General Cable * Systimax/CommScope *
Ortonics/Berktek * Siemens/Siemens (they have begun to sell
their own cable)

Why is this important? Many of these partnerships offer extended
warranties (15+ years) for the cable (ex.-Berktek) and connector
equipment (ex.-Ortronics) used in the installation. The warranty
criteria include other factors, such as the installer of the
product must be certified by the manufacturer of the solution.
Be careful when reviewing proposals from vendors. If these
criteria are not met, your promised 15+ year warranty will be
invalid.

Many people are tired of hearing about the differences between
CAT5, CAT5E, CAT6 and now CAT7. However, these categories and
other standards in the cabling industry are relevant to final
network performance. CAT5 is generally used for telephone
connections rather than the previous CAT3 cable. CAT5E is still
widely used for data applications at this time, but CAT6 is
becoming more prevalent.

More bandwidth mandated a new standard. Ten years ago we were
talking about whether a company would run a 10MB or 100MB
network. Now the question is, do they run a 100MB or 1GB
network? CAT6 is built with tighter wire twists and increased
separation of pairs which reduces interference between cables
and increases the amount of data that can be pushed through the
wires. Take care, however, that you do not install CAT6 cable in
the wall and think that is going to allow the 1GB network to
function at full speed. The jacks, patch panels, patch cords,
switches, and NIC (network interface card) must also be 1GB
compliant to ensure 1GB performance.

When embarking on a new building project or a substantial
remodel, CAT6 should be installed for both voice and data
locations to prepare for the future. The cost difference is
generally between 25 - 30% higher for the material, while the
labor remains virtually the same. It is still far less expensive
to cable for the future in the beginning rather than to come
back and re-do. If you need to tweak the budget do it by not
purchasing 1GB switches, NIC cards and patch cables because
those components are easy to change as you grow. If the
additional cost for the right cable seems frivolous, compare
that cost to the components of your voice and data network (IP
telephones, servers, desktop devices, software). It will make
the cable cost seem like a drop in the bucket.

Not to muddy the waters but now the newest talk of the town
(although it has been around for a while) is CAT7 - or 10Gigabit
cable?! It never ends. But there is good news. This cable is not
ideal for mainstream desktop cable runs in most situations at
this time. Appropriate applications for CAT7 are data centers,
data devices pushing very high bandwidth such as full medical
records, etc. If the distance limitation of 300 ft is not a
factor, CAT7 could also provide a less expensive option than
fiber to connect remote data closets within a building.

Plenum anyone? Each cable is offered in a plenum or non-plenum
(PVC) variety. In the event of a fire, the plenum cable is slow
to burn and produces less smoke than standard PVC cable. It does
not mean that the cable will not burn - it simply means that
when it burns it will burn “cleaner”. All of the cables
mentioned above come in these varieties and it is important to
install the proper cable. Many new buildings are required to
install plenum cable as are buildings using the drop ceiling
structure for a cold air return rather than providing venting
for this purpose. Stay educated to avoid undue consequences for
non-compliance. An architect/engineer would be a good source for
this information.

Lastly, the NEC (National Electric Code) requires that unused
(abandoned) cable be removed from a building. The main reason
for this is that the old copper cable does not add any value but
it may be a fire inducer. Many people do not even think about
this issue when pulling in a new cable system. Be sure to check
on local codes to ensure that your company is adhering to the
policies set in your city. If no code exists in your city or
state, the NEC is the one to follow.

You wouldn’t construct your building without a solid foundation.
Give the same attention to your network foundation - the
structured cabling system. Do not simply go for the cheapest
solution -most likely it will cost more money later in
re-cabling the same areas or poor network performance
troubleshooting. Be safe and research the type of cable needed
for the environment in which it is installed. And finally, rely
on industry professionals to assist you in your decision making
process.

The science of forensic investigation has been around for hundreds of years. In the past hundred years however, Forensic investigation has developed and the progress that has been made is astounding. The art of forensic investigation is used every day on crime scenes throughout the world. A forensic investigation refers to the investigation of a crime scene. A crime scene investigator reconstructs the crime scene, analyzing evidence and carefully documenting each one of their findings. If only one piece of evidence is documented incorrectly, it could put the whole criminal case in jeopardy, potentially setting a criminal free to run the streets.

Crime scene investigators are specially trained members of the police force. They are the first people on a crime scene, and only they can release any property or information once the investigation is completed. There are different types of forensics that fall into the category of forensic investigation. The most simple of type of forensics is fingerprint. This is when a crime scene investigator gathers finger print evidence from a crime scene and analyzes it to get a finger print match.

Perhaps the most recognized form of forensic investigation is DNA testing. This testing is done by testing physical evidence such as secretions or blood from a crime scene and testing it to determine if it belongs to the victim. It doesn’t, the sample will reveal certain genetic markers including the blood type of the unknown person. In cases such as assault, robbery, rape and murder, an experienced crime scene investigator is critical. They are trained in what to look for and how to test the evidence. Even the smallest piece of dust or a single hair can yield a wealth of information to a trained investigator. A single hair found at a crime scene can literally tell the investigator if they are looking for a male or female, or if the hair belongs to an animal.

A trained forensic investigator can take a half eaten apple and use the bite marks as identification, sort of like finger prints, thus catching a criminal who thinks that he or that they got away with a criminal act. A forensic investigator not only investigates murder scenes, their services are also used to detect forgeries by handwriting analysis, and testing water for purity.

Performing a forensic investigation is a long and complicated process. Every inch of a crime scene needs to be processed, starting with collecting finger print evidence from every inch of the crime scene. Once the finger printing is done, the more tedious task of collecting every bit of dirt, dust, paper, clothes, fluid samples and everything else that is on the scene. Often, it takes weeks to process an entire crime scene.

http://forensicshq.com/
Forensics HQ investigates the world of forensics and crime scene investigation.

You may have delayed cgi script installation due the apparently complex process. Well, I avoided it also for several years, however if you want to increase your web site’s interactivity it’s a necessity to know how to do it. It’s not hard to learn and you don’t have to be a programmer.

What is CGI ?

Common Gateway Interface or CGI is a program that can interact with an html form on your web site, and processes the results on your server using a cgi script. The result generated is a dynamic web page. The cgi script is written in a language called PERL (”practical extraction and reporting language”).

Uses of CGI scripts

CGI scripts are most commonly used for creating user interaction with a html form on your web site. Other uses include: autoresponders, shopping carts, counters, mailing list managers, ad management, surveys, polls, discussion boards, content management, calendars and click tracking.

There are 100s of free cgi scripts that can be found on the Net. Just do a search on Google for “free cgi scripts” or visit the resources at the end of this article.

We will create an html email form to collect the name, email address and comments of subscribers using a secure cgi formmail script. An automatic confirmation will be sent and the results of the email form will be passed on to your email address.

Steps to installing your own cgi script

1. Check that your web host supports CGI - your web host will have a cgi-bin folder installed on the server. The cgi-bin is a special directory in the server where all the files which require security are kept. This is where you will upload your cgi script once it has been modified.

2. Download the cgi script - this is a secure cgi formmail script. Spammers can’t access and harvest your email address from this script.

http://nms-cgi.sourceforge.net/formmail.zip

3. Read the documentation that comes with the script - this will give you a thorough understanding what changes you need to make to have it work correctly with your web site and server. It will also provide you with some examples.

Editing your script

4. Open and edit your cgi script using notepad (don’t use an html editor as this can create errors).

5. Remove the html tags from the script (at the top and bottom).

6. Change the path to perl to: #!/usr/bin/perl -wT (this is the first line of the script to be edited).

7. The section of the cgi script shown below, are the other minimum fields to fill out in the script (replace the fields in the script you downloaded with the changed fields in the script below).

# USER CONFIGURATION SECTION # ————————– # Modify these to your own settings. You might have to # contact your system administrator if you do not run # your own web server. If the purpose of these # parameters seems unclear, please see the README file. #
BEGIN
{
$DEBUGGING = 1;
$emulate_matts_code= 0; $secure = 1;
$allow_empty_ref = 1; $max_recipients = 1;
$mailprog = ‘/usr/lib/sendmail -oi -t’; $postmaster = ‘youraddress@yourdomain.com’; @referers = qw(yourdomain.com); @allow_mail_to = qw(); @recipients = ();
%recipient_alias = (’siteowner’ => ‘youraddress@yourdomain.com’,);
@valid_ENV = qw(REMOTE_HOST REMOTE_ADDR REMOTE_USER HTTP_USER_AGENT);
$locale = ”;
$charset = ‘iso-8859-1′; $date_fmt = ‘%A, %B %d, %Y at %H:%M:%S’; $style = ”;
$no_content = 0;
$double_spacing = 1;
$wrap_text = 0;
$wrap_style = 1;
$send_confirmation_mail = 0; $confirmation_text = )Thank you for your interest. We will respond shortly.

END_OF_CONFIRMATION
#
# USER CONFIGURATION > # —————————- # (no user serviceable parts beyond here) ——————————————————————————–

$postmaster = Who’s sending the email @referrers = Domains that are allowed to host the script %recipient_alias = Whom the script will send email to

In my form:

You can see how the siteowner variables match up in the .pl script and in my form. This way, nobody can tell what address the form is being emailed to!

8. Rename your cgi script - name your script something else besides formmail (ie contactus.pl), as this is the most common name people use. This will prevent spammers from harvesting your email address.

9. Create your html form (contactus.htm).

Contact Us

Full Name

Email Address

Comments

10. Create a confirmation page (ie thankyou.htm) - this will automatically thank people for filling in your form. It can be a simple html page with the comments “Thank you for your interest. We will respond shortly”.

Uploading the cgi script and html email form.

Use your favorite FTP program for uploading to your server (I use SmartFTP.com which you can download for free).

11. Set permissions to 755 - in SmartFTP right click on the script file you wish to upload, click on Properties/CHMOD and set the permissions to 755.

12. Upload the cgi script - there are two modes of uploading, ASCII and Binary. Upload the cgi script (contactus.pl) and any txt files in ASCII mode. Upload the script to the cgi-bin folder. If you don’t follow this you will not be able to execute the script.

13. Upload the html form and any image files like .jpg or .gif in Binary mode.

14. Test your cgi script by filling out the html email form and submitting it. You should receive an immediate confirmation.

By adding interactivity to your web site using a cgi script, you can expand the functions of your web site and create a more interesting experience for your visitors. This will keep them coming back and help you stay ahead of your competitors.

Resources

Formmail script
http://nms-cgi.sourceforge.net/formmail.zip

Free CGI scripts
Scriptarchive.com
Hotscripts.com
cgi-resources.com

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) owner and author of iSiteBuild.com Affordable Web Hosting Plans from $30/year http://www.isitebuild.com/sitehosting Subscribe to his insightful “Marketing Tips” newsletter for more original articles. mailto:subscribe@isitebuild.com

Copyright 2006 Cari Vollmer

Committed to changing your life? Congratulations! But don’t be surprised when people start offering you advice and opinions on what you should and should not do.

The following tips will help you navigate your way through the abundance of opinions you’re sure to face on your way to creating a life you love.

1. Feedback is always given through the eyes of the giver.

Have you ever noticed how some people state their opinion or give their feedback, as if they have all the answers?

To endure any kind of feedback, especially the unsolicited and unkind, one of the most empowering things you can do is ask the question:

Is the feedback being given based on fact, or personal opinion?

Feedback based on fact is inarguable. If you have blue eyes and someone states that you have blue eyes, there’s no wiggle room. The fact is, you do have blue eyes and anyone can tell by looking at you that you have blue eyes.

On the other hand, if someone states you have beautiful eyes, the door is wide open to interpretation. Some people may agree, you do have beautiful eyes. But there may be others who don’t like blue eyes, or blue eyes remind them of their ex so therefore, they disagree and will not find your blue eyes beautiful.

Most people speak as though their opinions are fact, when in fact their opinions are just that, an opinion.

Therefore, as you listen to feedback, remember to filter the feedback through one question:

Is this feedback based on fact, or personal opinion?

2. You get to decide how you’re going to receive it.

There’s a tip I learned a long time ago that has served me well. When someone offers me their feedback, I’ve learned I don’t have to accept it right away. Instead, I say thank you and tell them I’ll think about what they just said.

This will buy you time.

You don’t have to react to feedback in the moment. You can take your time and process the feedback slowly.

Let’s face it; good feedback is easier to swallow than bad. If you’re faced with harsh feedback DON’T react to it the moment it’s given. Rather, give yourself time to process the feedback when you’ve had a chance to calm down and become more objective.

Giving yourself time, will give you a chance to react to feedback from a place of power and caring for yourself.

3. You always get the final say.

O.K., so you got some feedback and gave yourself time to process it. Now what?

You get to decide whether or not you accept it.

You never have to agree with or accept the feedback that’s given to you - ever!

But, there may be times it would be wise to do so. If someone gives you feedback based on years of experience, then it may be wise to heed their advice. On the other hand, if someone gives you feedback but can’t really back up their feedback with supporting evidence, you may be dealing with more fluff than sturdy advice.

If you’re not sure whether to accept the feedback you’re given, ask the giver to tell you why they have the opinion they do. If their opinion is based on a successful past history dealing with a similar situation, you may want to listen. If it’s not, you may want to toss it out the window.

And don’t forget, no one will ever make better decisions for you than YOU! Therefore, listen to the advice of others but only keep what works for you and throw out the rest. Trust your wise inner self to lead you in the right direction and you’ll make the best decision for you in the long run.

Cari Vollmer, personal growth expert, is the founder of LifeOnTrack.com and InspireYourDay.com. For practical life strategies and success tips, sign up for LifeOnTrack.com’s FREE e-zine, LivingOnTrack, at www.LifeOnTrack.com