I’ve been aware of the project internally for a while – occasionally trying out some builds – and now it’s great to see that the efforts have been made public: Microsoft has released Sho on DevLabs

Sho is an great example of how IronPython can serve as a interactive interface glue between multiple .NET components – in this case for visualizing data. Although Sho is more oriented on scientific data it inspires me to wonder what form an interactive tool would take to address the needs of non-scientific visualization and infographics.

 

 

Microsoft also has a a new Sho blog on MSDN and some of the Sho Videos linked from the blog are quite interesting. In particular the “Plotting/Analyzing SQL Data” video demonstrates the fundamentals quickly.

 

 

 

[via BetaNews]

MemJet introduced a inkjet printer that sets a new standard in print speed: 60 to 70 pages per minute. The speed is stunning – though I do wonder about the ink drying time.

 

If that isn’t impressive enough check out their Wide Format printing.

 

More videos from MemJet here

If you have two monitors available, you can take advantage of both monitors to be more productive with your screencasts. Using two monitors is a little more complicated at first but can simply your recordings.

The big advantage is that you can use a secondary monitor as a “control dashboard” for your screencast – keeping all the applications, tools, and information you need in your field of vision and easily accessible without having them show up in the screencast.

 

SCENARIOS

This method useful in scenarios where the screencast:

• involves a series of intricate steps that are easy to forget or perform in the wrong order
• requires you to type in a lot of text or enter text strings that are hard to remember or type
• You need to keep a close watch on the duration of the screencast or of the audio is at the correct volume

 

SETTING UP DUAL MONITORS ON WINDOWS 7

If you aren’t already aware how to do get started with a dual monitor setup, the instructions are here:  http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Move-windows-between-multiple-monitors

 

A SUGGESTED CONFIGURATION

Below, you can see how I have configured this on my dual monitor system.

CHOOSING THE MAIN DISPLAY

I will pick Display 1 as my main display for a simple reason – it is directly in front of my eyes physically, whereas Display 2 is offset to the right. It being the main display means that will have the Windows Start Menu and that’s the display we should be recording.

Now having picked the display to record, we need to adjust the resolution of the main display.

SELECTING DISPLAY RESOLUTIONS

Display 1 has a resolution of 1920x1200. Not obvious in the control panel: this is 24 inch monitor.

Display 2 has been set to a HD resolution: 1280x720. I don’t recommend higher than 1920x1080. Also not obvious is that this is a 30 inch monitor with a native display resolution of 2560x1600.

 

DISPLAY RESOLUTION VERSUS PHYSICAL SIZE

The physical size of the monitors is up to your personal preference. As long as the display resolution of your main display is set correctly then you are OK.

Notice that in my home office my PHYSICALLY LARGER 30” monitor (Display 2) has been set to a SMALLER RESOLUTION than my PHYSICALLY SMALLER 24” MONITOR (Display 1).

See for yourself below. The larger monitor below corresponds to the Display 2 in my Control Panel.

 

WINDOW PLACEMENT ON THE DISPLAYS

Here’s a screenshot of my full extended desktop. The as you can see the desktop I will be recording is on the left, and the on the right is where one can place all the tools necessary for a screencast.

In this case I use the right monitor (Display 1) to store:

• The Camtasia Recorder application. Keeping it off the right means it is easy for me to monitor how long the screencast has been going on and visually observe my audio levels.
• A Script of the Screencast in notepad. Usually I increase the font in notepad so that don’t have to strain to see the text. Another use for notepad here is to keep text snippets around. Such snippets include URLs, source code, usernames, so that I don’t have to waste time in the screencast typing in a lot of text.
• Miscellaneous tools – In this case I have all my screencast tools stored in a specific folder so that they are easy to access. These tools include content I programs such as ZoomIt or content such as PowerPoint presentations I use to show screencast titles.
• Control Panel – to adjust settings such as display and microphone settings.

This leaves the left monitor (Display 2) clear for the content needed for the screencast.

 

CAVEAT EMPTOR

• One minor limitation of this method is that the tools that are visible on the non-recorded display (Display 1) still show up on the Windows Taskbar.
• The Camtasia Recorder app will sometimes get confused if you place it on a monitor B which is not set as the main display and then go back to using only a single monitor where monitor A is the main display. What you might see is that the Camtasia Recorder application appears in the windows taskbar but is nowhere to be seen on the main display. This is an odd bug in Camtasia. Fortunately the workaround is simple – select the Camtasia recorder application on the Windows Taskbar. Once you click the recorder icon the application will be in the foreground but invisible as it is being “drawn off-screen”. To get it back on the screen you hold down the WINDOWS and ALT keys simultaneously and press the LEFT or RIGHT arrow button. This will cause the application to move between displays and thus it will move into the main display where you can see it again.

The theory behind a “preflight” checklist is simple. It enables one to know whether they are ready to begin some task and make sure they are as prepared as possible to handle events that will arise during that task.

I have created at this point at well over 500 successful screencasts. This number doesn’t include several hundred attempts that resulted in disaster, retries, and more editing, because of simple, preventable issues. My screencasting preflight checklist below covers the top issues and that ensure my recordings will not go to waste.

 

THE CAUSES OF RUIN

There are four basic categories of issues that can ruin your screencast recording.

• Interruptions – Audio or Visual or Physical events that manifest themselves as unwanted artifacts in your screencasts or cause or blocks in performing the screencast
• Embarrassing revelations – Things seen in the screencast which would have better been left out for the sake of your personal privacy or for business reasons
• Workflow – In the execution of the steps of your screencast, things that require unneeded delays or  explanation or that interfere with the scenario you are trying to demonstrate
• Recording – Incorrectly using your screencasting software. Typically this means you haven’t configured your screen capture software correctly.

 

INTERRUPTIONS

Interruptions are unwanted Audio or Visual or Physical events

• Close communication applications that can cause pop-ups and alarms. Typically these are applications such as your email, instant messaging applications. Close anything that could make a unwanted sound. This includes web browser windows open to social network sites such as facebook.
• Update your system and applications. This not only avoids the “new updates are available” messages but also the minimizes the chances your computer will need to be restarted during the screencast.
• Mute any phones near you. I typically turn off my cellphone completely because sometimes even the sound of it vibrating can be caught by my microphone.
• Minimize outside distractions. Close the door to the room you are in and hang a sign outside your letting people know you are recording and to send email instead
• Clear out your physical workspace. I have to confess I had lost several screencasts because I unwittingly gestured so broadly with my arms that I knocked over a cup of water onto my desk. Also, due to using a too-short USB cable for my microphone, I have accidentally disconnected the audio on several occasions.

EMBARRASSING REVELATIONS

The point here is to avoid revealing personal information or if your are recording in your office, content that is confidential to your business. Once source of embarrassing revelations was interruptions, which I covered above. The next set consists of artifacts and traces of artifacts are visible in your screencast workflow.

• Hide sensitive files that are located in any file locations you are going to visit. Typical locations that you should check: the desktop, your “My Documents” folder, any default “file open” and “file save” locations
• Clear your Most Recently Used lists. This is a dangerous one because it is easy to forget and easy to miss. Even if you’ve moved all your sensitive files to safe locations, many apps still have “Most Recently Used” lists that are visible from the file menu. Learn how to clear these out. This also holds true for the Windows Start Menu which shows both recently used applications and files.
• Clear your browser navigation history. You want to avoid your browser suggesting sites that are irrelevant to the screencast.
• Clear Search Engine History. Search engines often show you your lest few searches. These can also be sources of embarrassment.

 

WORKFLOW

In the scenario you are going to demonstrate, you want to have to avoid having to talk about or showing things that aren’t critical to the steps.

• Clean “output” from previous attempts. Some screencasts involve creating some output – for example a word doc. If you’ve already been doing some trial runs, then you may have created several of these. Avoid having the user see the results of these previous sessions by deleting them before your record for the final session.
• Launch any needed applications. Unless it’s relevant to show these applications starting up, have them already up and minimized if needed.

 

RECORDING

These issues are the last remaining things that can result in wasted time and effort and are all related to the screencast software. Conduct a simple screencast recording for a few seconds to verify the following settings

• Check if the audio is correctly recorded
• Verify that your cursor is being captured.
• Verify the capture region and resolution is correct. I typically record at an HD resolution (1280x720) so that things look nice on modern monitors.

ArtRage is my favorite digital painting application. It brings the fun and play back into painting that Corel Painter seems to have lost over its many incarnations.

Having come home very early this morning from a late-night hockey game, I decided to put my inability to fall asleep to use and so below I present my first digital sketch of 2011.