The Retro Recording Project

Recently, I purchased a retro player:

It was a hit at my Music Appreciation class earlier this month. My students have been enjoying listening to my old records. For me, it's a trip down memory lane.

So far, so good. However, I loosened the screw that balances the turntable arm and unit, so the needle arm doesn't play the first 30 seconds of a record. >_<

I bought this unit at The Source for $200 CAD. There are other models available at Future Shop and Amazon.

Once I sort out my technical glitch, I'm looking forward to is my summer project: to convert my parents' vinyl collection to CD. First up: disco, soul and funk!

Beginning My Hunt for the Perfect Online Scheduling System

Last week, I posted about various online scheduling systems available as I'm looking at ways to streamline operations for my music studio. It was basically my To Do List of systems to try out.

Inspired by entrepreneur Larry Keltto's hilarious yet informative review of several booking apps on the market, I tried out several, while honing my Wish List. Here is my search criteria:

1. Aesthetically pleasing and intuitive design

2. Easy to use - both on the client end and the administrative end

3. The ability to prevent short notice rescheduling

4. Various options for reminder notifications that can be customized by each user

5. The ability to synchronize appointments with several calendar platforms (e.g., iCal, Google Calendar, Outlook, etc.)

6. The ability to collect and process payments (might not use this initially but I'd like to have the functionality in the future)

7. The ability to customize the appearance for branding purposes

8. Various privacy options so that the general public cannot see who I am teaching/consulting with

9. Easy to reschedule appointments (client or me)

10. The ability to handle recurring appointments for a set period of time

11. The ability to allow group bookings with a cap

12. The ability to set different availability for each day

13. Solid tech support resources

14. The ability to specify a time zone for appointments (not needed initially but will once I teach online)

15. Viewable and usable on a desktop and mobile devices

16. Advance scheduling

Oh, and it should be reasonably priced too. Really, is that too much to ask for?

Online Booking Systems - Round One

To date, I've examined nine online scheduling systems - and I'm not done yet. Here, I share my experience with the first four: AppointmentQuest, Book Fresh, Acuity Scheduling and Booking Bug.

AppointmentQuest

This was recommended by a former studio parent. AppointmentQuest has several attractive features. It allows you to securely accept payments online. You get instant email notifications. You can schedule services, people and events in several locations. It's HIPAA compliant.

I played with the Music Studio Demo. Unfortunately, I didn't get very far. The demo wouldn't let me book a test appointment (either as staff or a client). I also didn't like how the public could see all details for an appointment. Call me a prude if you want, but I don't think the general public should be privy to my students' lesson and contact info, regardless of whether they are underage. I also couldn't get over the dated design.

Cost: $6.59 USD/month for the Express version (single schedule/staff, unlimited customers, 300 appointments/month, advance scheduling up to 2 months). There are premium packages available with more features.

Book Fresh

This was one of several programs that I really hoped would work out. It was recommended to me by Michael Lipnicki's Fine Pianos. Its free trial was fully functional.

It was one of the slickest designed online systems I tested. It has an attractive user interface that is easy to use. I loved the fact that it could handle class and group scheduling in addition to individual appointments. Calendar syncing was very good. The mobile apps and Booking Widgets are great features.

Unfortunately, Book Fresh couldn't handle course registrations, e.g. registering for a 13-week music theory course from Date A to Date B very well. Clients would have to sign up for each class in the course.

I consulted the Help sections to find a solution, only to see that there was very little information. My new "buddy", the Solopreneur found this too. This brought my test of Book Fresh to a dead halt.

Cost:  The Freebie version only allows you to have three bookings per month, only three services and can only be used by one staff person. There are premium packages with more options. For the reminder notifications and calendar syncing ability, payments, you have to go up to the Business plan which is free for 30 days and then $19.95 USD per month after that.

Acuity Scheduling

This was one I tried out briefly, left and came back to it wondering, "Why did I stop mid-evaluation?" The free trial let you try it all out.

Acuity has a WordPress plugin - a bonus for my WordPress site. Calendar syncing? Yes. Can it handle one-on-one and class appointments? Yes. Website customization: yes. Handles payments? Yes. Attractive and user friendly interface? Yes.

What was it then that sent me on another tangent mid-evaluation? Oh yes, it couldn't handle course scheduling and booking to my satisfaction. For someone who isn't running courses, then it should work fine.

Cost: The Free version gives you quite a bit. Full customization and one schedule (yours). Go up to the Professional Plan for $10 USD/month and you also get recurring appointments/classes, calendar syncing and automatic time zone conversion. You get more with the Premium plan (of course).

Booking Bug

This is the one the Solopreneur selected. It hit all the right buttons: calendar syncing, classes, multiple resources, payments. A bonus: social media integration, mobile apps, accounting and marketing integration, discount pricing options and an exportable customer list.

However, it didn't work nearly as well for me as it did with my app testing buddy. It wasn't letting me choose Google Calendar to sync with. It sent me way too many email notices when making a booking and once again, I was having a tough time setting up a course that runs for a finite period.

However, my brother and colleague reported that it had the most straight-forward user interface out of the ones he tested. I suppose I could have contacted Booking Bug support (excellent resources, from the looks of it).

Who knows? Maybe Booking Bug and I just weren't meant to be friends.

Cost: The Solo plan costs $19.95 USD/month (1 staff, 1 resource, unlimited services, events/classes/courses and unlimited resources). There are two more plans above that.

It was at that point that my brain melted and I needed to take a break. Fresh air and ice cream does the body good.  My search continues for the perfect online scheduling app for my students and I.

Mr Petcam - See the World through Your Pet's POV

For pet owners curious about what the world look's like from their pet's eyes, there is the Mr Petcam animal cam.

Ever wonder where your cat goes on its daily adventures? Are you curious about what your dog does when you're not at home? Or are you simply interested in seeing the world through your dog's eyes? Mr Petcam gives pet owners a chance to see the world from their pet's POV.

Product Features of Mr Petcam

Mr Petcam arrives in a bubble mailer containing the following: 1 Mr Petcam video, 1 mounting adapter assembly, USB charger/transfer cable, 2 GB Micro SD card, driver CD, a ball chain safety lanyard, an identification sticker, a spare adapter and nut/bolt. The instruction manual is a double-sided 8-1/2 X 11' sheet of paper.

Although Mr Petcam comes with a 2 GB micro-SD card, you can use 8 GB or 16 GB cards. There is a built-in microphone.

It fits comfortably into the palm of your hand and weighs 48 g. Technical specifications of Mr Petcam are as follows:

• Video format: AVI

• Video resolution: 680 X 480 pixels

• Video length: 2 minutes

• Video capture: 29 f.p.s.

• Compatibility: Microsoft Windows 98, 2000, XP, Vista and 7. Mac OS10.x and Linux

To mount onto your pet's collar, first mount the camera onto the adapter frame. Then, loop the collar through the lanyard loop. Finally, use the clip to secure the camera frame to the collar.

Using Mr Petcam Animal Camera

Camera operation is fairly simple. Once the camera is in position, press the power button for one second (more like three). To record, press the record button on the top. The indicator light will flash red.

There are two recording modes: standard and sound-activation mode (SAM). SAM will record only when it senses movement.

To upload the videos to your computer, plug it in via the USB cable. You can charge the camera this way as well. Alternatively, you can use the plug-in charger. The instructions warn users to charge for three hours or less, otherwise, the camera sustains damage. The reset button is located on the same side as the micro SD drive.

To change the date on the camera, plug Mr Petcam into your computer. Open up the files and click on the one labelled "time". The default date is whenever the camera left the factory.

These are some video footage that Maestro has taken using Mr Petcam:

Under the Chin Mount

By the Ear Side Mount

Top of the Head Mount

Pros and Cons of Mr Petcam

Mr Petcam is extremely easy to use. You could get by without reading the instructions. Just be sure to heed the warning about not overcharging this pet camera.

The case is sturdy enough to handle a few bumps here and there. The mounting frame is secure. Mr Petcam hasn't fallen off the frame once. That's a good thing, considering that the clip has slipped off the camera a couple of times. Between the ball and chain lanyard and the camera frame, I have been able to rest easy that Maestro will not lose the camera on his adventures.

Another major plus is the price. Mr Petcam is one of the cheaper models out there at $39.99 USD.

When the camera is on SAM, the indicator light doesn't flash to indicate whether or not it is recording. Thankfully, the indicator light does work in regular mode. However, I've had to reset this dog cam a couple of times because it would jam when I tried turning off (or was I turning on?) the recording function.

The camera body on Mr Petcam is too long for a small dog. Maestro stands 14" tall from the withers. Even with adjusting the camera angle, Mr Petcam gives us mostly chin and floor shots when it is mounted under the chin. If he was as big as his Irish Terrier friend, then there would be no problem. As it stands, we have figured out some workarounds but haven't yet discovered the ideal camera position.

As an amateur photographer, I would have preferred to see more than one video format. Ditto for resolution size. If any of Maestro's adventures take us somewhere scenic, then I'll have to use my GoPro2, which is much heavier on the little guy.

Another major drawback is if your pet loves water. Mr Petcam isn't waterproof.

One minor issue is that I have had to correct the date every single time I plug Mr Petcam into my computer.

Alternatives to Mr. Petcam & Ordering Information

Mr Petcam is one of several animal POV cameras on the market. Other popular animal cams include Dogtek Eyenimal Digital Videocam for Pets ($80 USD), Uncle Milton Nat Geo Wild Pet's Eye View Camera ($17.99), Buddy Pet Video Cam Digital Camera with Audio (Black) (69.98 USD). Both the Eyenimal and Buddy Pet cams are waterproof.

At this point, Mr Petcam can only be purchased directly from the manufacturer's website.The cost is $39.99 USD and can be shipped worldwide. Acceptable modes of payment include Paypal or Google Wallet.

Mr Petcam - Final Verdict

As far as cheap entertainment goes, Mr Petcam fits the bill. Maestro lavishes the attention he gets when he wears the pet cam.  Family, friends and dog lovers are getting a good chuckle over what Maestro captures with his animal cam.

However, if you are looking for something a bit more durable and/or waterproof, spend the extra money and spring for one of the waterproof ones.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir, Live at TED 2013

I am very excited about this one. Although I wasn't able to participate, it is just a delight to be able to watch this and know that I've made connections with some of the people in the Virtual Choir who participated in this special project.

This time, Eric Whitacre had a live choir perform onstage with a virtual choir on screen. Just wild.

Virtual Choir for the world!

The full TED Talk:

Virtual Choir 4.0 Announced

Last week, Grammy-winning composer/conductor Eric Whitacre announced the next Virtual Choir Project: "Bliss". This piece is from his 2010 West End musical entitled Paradise Lost. It is quite the departure from previous virtual choir projects. An exciting one. Some choristers may grumble, but I personally think that this will introduce a new group of singers to the beauty of choral music. "Bliss" is a fusion of classical, techno and something else that I'm still trying to put my finger one. Another difference between VC4 and previous projects is the need for a Kickstarter campaign. As Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir continues to grow, so do the expenses. VC3: Water Night cost over $100,000 to create. Hence, the Kickstarter campaign. Since it's launch last weekend, the VC4 kickstarter project has raised over $18,000. Not too shabby. Without further ado, here's Eric Whitacre on the VC4 project: In light of the tragedies from last week, any opportunity to come together as a global community in the name of peace, is a welcome one.