Category: Uncategorized

Wrangling YouTube

Over the last decade or so, there has been a shift towards video content managed by a very small number of video hosting sites. I find myself following more creators for the topics and emerging technological trends I want to stay up to date with.

Although it’s an excellent educational resource, its ad-driven funding model makes it a distraction. So how can you reclaim your own mind?

Chrome & Chromium-base, including Microsoft Edge having Manifest V3 and Alphabet (aka Google) possibly playing silly buggers with the streaming of YouTube content.

Mozilla Firefox delayed the implementation of Manifest V3 for a bit. Allowing the modification of its extension system.

Add-ons used

So I’ve added the following extensions/Add-ons to my Web Browser.

  1. For Ad-Blocking. uBlock Origin should be enough, but I also have AdBlock, and AdBlock Plus.
  2. Unhook, can reduce the additional distractions on the page.
  3. PocketTube to cluster subscriptions by topic.

Tips for Making Tutorials

The following video has some good points to remember when making a tutorial. it is the kind of stuff I prefer, Quick & to the point, which also applies to the classroom. So onwards …

Points for making tutorials

  1. Remember the 3 rules of Youtube
    1. Title & Thumbnail get people to click
    2. First 5 second, to hook people (get them to watch)
    3. The rest of the video get them to comeback
  2. The title os the video should be quick and to the point
    • How to do <x> with <Y software> in <Z> minutes
  3. Video Thumbnail is directly related to the content of the video.
    • It should be the final product, not a random Photoshop image. Use High-quality free assets in the project for better polish.
    • Include the software’s icon in the thumbnail, just not in the bottom right, because of Youtube’s timestamp
  4. Use the first 5 seconds for useful information and to cut to the chase.
    • “Links to all the assets/resources are in the description.“
  5. All links in the description
    • Make them free and easy to access on a common public website. This way they will be available “forever” (or a long time).
    • Have a link to the final version of the project
    • Code/Software: github.com
    • Text Assets: https://pastebin.com/
    • Audio Assets: ???? freesound.org
    • Video Assets: ???? www.youtube.com
  6. The video itself
    • Clear through each step of the tutorial, until done.
    • Practice a few times for smoother delivery and reduce editing
    • Target to your audience: ie noobs vs XPerienced, etc.
  7. Wrap-up. Now it’s done, some self-promotion…
    • Support me via short courses, Patreon, etc. “Links in the Description”
    • Feed the algorithm with Like, Subscribe, & Bell.

Old hardware on Linux

Rummaging thru the shed I found an old Logictech QuickCam from 2005. I had tried it on my Windows10 laptop with no success, so I thought I’d give it a go on Linux. I only follow 2 steps from this tutorial, installing cheese and opening the cam in VLC.

It’s strange but this seams to be the case with some hardware. Microsoft maintains backwards compatibility, but not all hardware or software creators keep things up to date. Generally, Linux has a vast library of old drivers that still work with the modern kernel, and it’s developing a reputation on running on almost anything.

Visual Studio Code

OK. Now I need to add MS’ Visual Studio Code and notes here is what I did… Umm followed a tutorial… Well I’ll explain below

I was going to download the .deb packed from the visual studio project website, however, if I can automate the updating process I will. So I looked around and found these instructions. And I found another tutorial, How to Install Visual Studio Code on Ubuntu 18.04, which was similar to the first. So I followed that.

In summary;

sudo apt update
sudo apt install software-properties-common apt-transport-https wget
wget -q https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -
"deb [arch=amd64] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/vscode stable main"
sudo apt update
sudo apt install code

So that’s now working…


Moving to Pop OS

These are notes for myself, chronically my learn linux by doing experiences when moving to a Linux Distro, known as Pop OS. So after a bit of research to confirm I could keep using the software I use, I backed up my data and made the switch. The main reasons I choose Pop OS include;

  • Pop OS is a flavour of Ubuntu, which I’ve used before.
  • It has NVidia graphics card support,
  • And why not, really

Research

There were a few changes out of the gate I needed to make to support what I usually use. And most of the list are available on Linux and a simple sudo apt install ... to get working, but there have been a few exceptions.

Programming

  • PyCharm for programming and teaching
  • Visual Studio Code for the same, but for work.
  • Notepad++, because I like it, but it did require WINE

Multimedia

  • Blender for 3D Animation, modelling and design
    • apt install blender
  • Ultimaker’s Cura for 3D printing
    • via the Pop Store
  • Darktable
    • preinstalled
  • Krita
    • apt-get install krita
  • Inkscape
    • preinstalled
  • OBS for screen recording
    • apt install ffmpeg
    • apt install obs-studio
  • DaVinci resolve for video editing

Games

  • Steam, and most of my Steam Library came over šŸ™‚ or at least the important games, well the ones I go back to.
    • Via the Pop Store
  • Artemis, fun bridge simulator (via WINE)
  • Arkenforge, for local virtual tabletop. (also via WINE, but I’m still working out the bugs)

Just in case

  • Virtual Box for handling the few windows app that do not run natively on Linux šŸ™ Mainly for Affinity Photo, Designer, & Publisher.
    • apt install virtualbox
    • The Affinity was installed on Windows 10 inside Virtual Box

First Steps & Hiccups

The first thing I did was install KDE (a windows like Desktop Environment) and Terminator (an improved terminal)
apt install terminator
apt install kde-standard

My mouse when buggy (well almost unusable), I found the drivers and with a apt install openrazer-meta the problem was solved.

Most of the software has been very easy to add, but as I found the solutions to the edge cases I’ll update things.

Australian Scholarships

Hobson’sĀ Scholarship Search helps find

Wondering how you will pay for your further education? Welcome to the Hobsons Course Finder Scholarship Search!

No matter what you are intending to study and where, you will be sure to find some financial assistance on offer to help you pay for it!

You can use this search to find:

  • scholarships in particular fields
  • scholarships for undergraduates and postgraduates
  • different types of assistance, such as travel grants and accommodation assistance

 

The Council of Professional Teaching Associations of Victoria

A list of all the Member AssociationsĀ of theĀ Council of Professional Teaching Associations of Victoria. Below is a short list of the associations that may be useful inĀ case I need the them;