Finally took an hour tonight and did some much needed updating on the server that is squeeek.com

Ran windows update, installed a new version of Movable Type and upgraded IMail (our mail software).

All in all it was quite a few updates that I had been putting off -- they are always scary when I'm updating something that other people use that I don't directly control. You never know how IMail is going to work as an upgrade -- and Movable Type is this funny cgi (perl) app that can have complex updates itself.

Anywase, thats about it fer me tonight. I'm four holds away from finishing Energizer Bunny -- a bouldering route at vertex that is a V1++. I've made it up to the top -- my new goal is to make it up and down. However they are supposed to reset the room where it starts on Sunday. I asked that they keep it up and Sarah and Rob said they'd talk to Mark and see if they could keep that one along with a couple others back there.

We are heading up just east of Chico for Thanksgiving to my uncles. He lives in Forrest Ranch -- a beutiful area -- with very limited access (no cell, pager, and only isdn for a connection). It will be a relaxing four days I'm thinking!

Guess thats really it now ;) I've got images from our climbing trip out to Fort Ross -- I'll try and get those up tonight but no guarentees!

L8tz!
--B--

This is the latest update -- now at v2.51.

w00p!
Everything appears to have gone just fine during the upgrade. If you see any problems let me know!

--B--

We got off our normal build schedule so we've had a build for the past three Wednesday's in a row (normally it's every other week).

*ugh*

How do I get through it?
I have notes written out on the steps needed to complete it.
I have good music to listen to!

Typical music that I listen to during a build you ask?
Normally in this order:
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Soundtrack
Lexx - Brigadoom Soundtrack
They Might Be Giants (Whatever Album sounds good that day)

And then I normally pick two from:
Rock Star Soundtrack
Miles Davis (random album)
Wendy Carlos (random album)
Erasure (random album)
Switchblade Symphony (random album)

But thats mostly just cause thats what I have on my system right now in Ogg Vorbis.

Nywase, machines are ready for more db upgrades so I'm off.

--B--

Quick list of updates:

• Added special page for the Vertex Video


• Updated template for index.html to fix minor problems in older browsers


• Updated the menu (on the left!)

Allrighty -- you may have noticed that we finished the Vertex video a couple days ago. We've been madly eating up CPU time trying to get decent compressions out of the files. I do believe that we are finally complete! Little things may change here and there but we got a quicktime file output at just under 100mb's and we're calling it quits there!

If you want a copy of the higher-res videos I am more then happy to burn a cd with them on it. In fact it includes all the videos except for two of them! The cost to you? One blank CD-R. Email me at bbbach@squeeek.com if you are interested.

If you want a copy that you can play in your DVD system I can also do that. I've got a completely valid VCD version (included on the CD above) that can be burned and played in any DVD player that supports the VCD format (99% of them do!). The cost to you? One blank CD-R. Email me at bbbach@squeeek.com if you want a copy!

If you wish to download it, the final list is as follows:

Quicktime Format:
Low Quality (10.4mb) | Medium Quality (25.2mb) | High Quality (47.6mb)
Super Quality (94.4mb)

Windows Media Format:
Low Quality (9.5mb) | Medium Quality (24mb) | High Quality (48mb)

MPEG
High Quality (187.6mb)

Quicktime Format:
Low Quality (10.4mb) | Medium Quality (25.2mb) | High Quality (47.6mb)

Windows Media Format:
Low Quality (9.5mb) | Medium Quality (24mb) | High Quality (48mb)

MPEG
High Quality (187.6mb)

Finally got some more formats rendered in decent quality and size. These are all in Windows Media Video format. We've been working at getting the Quicktime formatted video done as well -- but thats slow going at this point!

The main problem we have run into is that for each pass at rendering we are looking at a minimum of 15 minutes -- for the higher quality renders we sat around waiting for over an hour (as I type this my system is chugging away at a HQ render in quicktime -- it says 1.1 hours remaining). At the end you look at it and try and make a judgement decision: Is this decent for the size. The smaller the file size the worse the quality (of course). So far our smallest file that we will post is 9mb's -- quite smaller then the other "big" download -- but still larger then I would've liked. Oh well -- can't say we didn't try!

Windows Media Format:
Low Quality (9.5mb) | Medium Quality (24mb) | High Quality (48mb)

MPEG
High Quality (187.6mb)

I know you have all been waiting ever so (im)patiently for it.
It's finally in what I'd call a Done state of being (w00p).

We have an extremely large version uploaded in mpeg format and other formats are to follow as we get them encoded.

Large MPEG File available here (187mb)

--B--

Update @ 2:00pm: We've been trying to get decent encodes out of the files now for several hours -- I think we're getting close but we probably won't get other versions up until tomorrow am. We are looking at a VCD version of the mpeg file (burn it and play it in a dvd player), quicktime versions at high and medium compressions, and windows media at high and medium compressions. If we can figure out how to get a decent looking "low" compression version we'll post one of those as well.

*ugh*

Finally got the pictures of the kittens uploaded. There aren't many and these were the better pictures of the group. They like to be constantly moving, or hide in the shadows.

They're upstairs playing in our bedroom right now -- already investigated one booming crash from up there (turned out to be books knocked off a shelf) -- nothing like having to "kid proof" your house -- or in this case, "kitten proof"!

Marie & Lurk Images

Enjoy!
--B--

Finally got a couple pictures up of my fourth broken climbing hold. Why is this such a big deal? I don't know!! I think it's cause I hardly ever see anyone else breaking any holds. In fact to my knowledge I've never seen *anyone* break a hold.

So here they are:
Broken Hold #4

Enjoy!
--B--

I'm slumbering away this morning when Missy comes in and wakes me up and goes "Guess what I have?!" I wake up not quite sure whats going on and in missy's arms she has one of the stray kittens that we had been trying to catch. There were two left after we had caught Grumpy and his brother.

Missy had come downstairs and had seen one of the kittens run under our futon. She went over and shut the sliding glass door and looked under the futon. *Both* baby kittens were under the futon.

So once again we have kittens in the house. Squeeek wanted out immediately after I got up and I'm not sure how zOrg will take it. But they sure are cute!! I am pretty sure that they are both little girls. The all black one we have named "Marie" and the other we have named "Lurk". They are about the size that zOrg was when we caught him -- probably 3-5 months old.

Lurk has a full tail and Marie has this inch long stub. I'll try and get some pictures up later today!

--B--

Went climbing tonight. It was a good thing that I took last night off as I was pretty tired. Muscles had a chance to relax. Actually, I rode on my trainer for an hour last night. It was pretty good -- I should do that the nights I don't go climbing. Probably should get up to the point where I ride for an hour and climb on the same day.

Nywase, I went climbing tonight planning on doing just bouldering routes. But Mike asked to top rope so I decied I'd try a couple of the new routes that were put up. Warmed up on a 5.10a and then got up a 5.11a. It was way kewl!! Quite a good route. Hard tho!! I fell half way up trying to figure out a move where it starts on the overhang. But I managed to get back onto the wall and worked out the problem. The lay back at the top was super fun but it sure pumped my arms. And the last move -- a cross move onto the roof. It was hard but I wasn't going to give up at that point! A quick heal hook and a push off my other foot and I was at the top. w00p!

Then I decided to give another go at a V3+ that I had tried the past two times. Last time I made it all the way to the last move, hit a hold on the way to the top and just couldn't stick the top. Tonight I hopped on it after Candice gave it another go. She's been working it since I showed it to her. Dan, her climbing partner got up it almost first try. So I hopped on it tonight and had absolutely no problems -- got right to the end and stuck it just fine.

Then I decided to try a V3 that I had just noticed earlier in the evening. I had my mocs on earlier and didn't feel real comfortable sticking onto the teeny holds that were at the crux. I had worked the beginning tho. So I hopped up there and worked the crux. Fell once and then did *something* different (I still don't know what) and was able to stick it out and make it to the top. Sat down and rested for 2 minutes (I only had 8 minutes before they closed). So I hopped on it from the beginning, hoping that I would remember what I had done differently (a true boulderer doesn't remember what they did 6 moves ago -- and it sure was true of me tonight!). Anywase, my body remembered even if my brain didn't and I got up to the top (and yes, Rob, the person who set the climb saw it -- so I had my impartial witness).

Finished up the climb with a "easy" V1++ -- yes, it got another +. It was "Energizer Bunny" -- a climb that is easily as long as any of the top rope climbs. The big trick for that one (at least with me) is to just not stop. There is a point in the middle where you *could* take a break. But as soon as I do I burn out my reserve energy -- I might get to relax one arm at a time when I do that, but the other arm is just burning energy. So just don't stop and I can power right through the climb.

Then it was 10pm and time to go. So thanks to Mike for belaying me!! I probably wouldn't have gotten any bouldering climbs without it.

Jason -- you need to get out of the office and into the gym!! For your sanity at least!!

Guess thats about it -- thank god tomorrow (or now) is Friday.

--B--

I've heard of using candles for light, pleasure, and torture. But I've never heard of them being used for *this* type of thing.

For those days when things aren't flowing as smoothly as they should:
http://www.buttcandle.com/

Broked another hold tonight. Was about halfway up a 5.10c when I hear a loud crack down near my feet. A hold under my feet had snapped. I managed to stick it out tho. I don't know how I managed it -- I think I was standing on the bolt which was now sticking out about half an inch from the wall. I quickly got off it and made it to the top.

Managed to keep this hold so I'll take some high quality pictures!!

w00p!
Four holds now -- and counting!
I've got to be part of an elite group now!!!

--B--

I clambered up a V4 last night.
It was kewl! Well, everyone says it's a V3 -- but that last move is deffinatley a very HARD V3 move. As Ryan, one of the Vertex employees said, you do the move by falling -- but direct your fall towards the last hold. When you get to the point where you are going to fall off the wall, move your hand to the last hold REALLY fast and stick it! It took several tries to get the timing right but I got the move.

Also got up another V3 that had been giving me problems -- and a V2 that was teensy holds. All in all it was a good but short night of climbing. Much better then Tuesday was! Tuesday I couldn't seem to complete *anything*. It sucked.

Nywase, it was great seeing Ryan out climbing -- I hardly ever see him climb and it's always fun watching the employees climb -- it's like the know what they are doing (or something like that).

It's also great to be slowly moving out of the plateu I seemed to have reached. I was at the V2 level for what seemed like ever -- finally moving on to V3's and possibly V4's. It's a good feeling!

TGIF!!!
--B--