Synchronous Hackathon

The current plan is to embed ustream videos from all spaces into a simple webpage and load it up onto a projector. Here's an example minimized ustream embed link:

<embed flashvars="autoplay=true&menu=false&cid=1859410" width="400" height="320" 
src="http://www.ustream.tv/flash/viewer.swf" 
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" />

Can anyone decompile this or find a way to remove the Ustream logo, make it smaller, or at least remove the menu bar as it serves us no purpose? -- after talking to someone in ustream, i added the part to remove the menu, the logo stays, but they hinted about an unofficial viewerlite.swf /* dunno if this helps somewhat */

Not sure if this helps, but there is ample reference documentation for the ustream flash player on their developer site. --Tschew 12:57, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

There also seems to be a chatroom-type thing based on ustream here which provides IRC-like chat and a grid of streams. --Tschew 13:01, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Giss.tv Embedding[edit]

See http://riereta.net/gisschannel/itheora/index.php?v=http://giss.tv:8000/arp.ogg for more details.

Hackerspace Maps[edit]

I've been working on this google maps mashup for the last month or so. If I haven't added your space already, feel free to at the following link: http://apps.pumpingstationone.org/hacker-space-map. If everyone puts their ustream embed codes in with their space submission and sets autoplay to true, we can switch back to forth on spaces quickly. I should have a few more features out before this weekend. a list of the spaces participating in the Synchronus Hackathon can be found here. --nathan@pumpingstationone.org

I'm digging this alot, but the switching speed is a little too quick. Sometimes the video feed doesn't even have time to load before the page switches. Simple adjustment I'm sure. --Strages 22:26, 17 November 2009 (UTC)
- Also, is CCCKC participating? I've not heard from them.
- Jestin mentioned joining in on CCCKC's mailing list, also added themselves to the map. --Nathaner 21:35, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

The space cycling feature was actually put in before I added the video streams. It was meant to work like a Hackerspaces of the World kind of screen saver. I'll be retooling the UI to better fit the new setup with time adjustment and some other toggles. Do you have time this week to maybe do a little video testing? --Nathaner 09:57, 18 November 2009 (UTC)
- Will set up a streaming webcam looking into the yard @ syn₂cat today or tomorrow. Will keep the machine running. --Tschew 13:24, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Bandwidth[edit]

Video+audio at 100% quality is about 1Mbps, video+audio with video at 75% is about 400kbps, video+audio with video at 50% is about 180kbps.

Not aware of any client-side options to set quality of stream.

With 10 spaces connected, we might not want audio at all times. Client-side muting does not seem to affect bandwidth expectations. Turning audio broadcasting off server-side saves 50-100kbps.

Display[edit]

With 10 spaces, we either do a 3x3 display and exclude our space's cam, or 4x3 or 3x4 display. The Ustream embeds are suggested to be 400x320,

3x3 cams - 1200x960

4x3 cams - 1600x960

3x4 cams - 1200x1280

These resolutions are above most projector resolutions. We could do embeds of size 200x160, and it would fit on a decent projector.

3x3 cams - 600x480

4x3 cams - 800x480

3x4 cams - 600x640

hackathon.tetalab.org - github

Press Release[edit]

Feel free to copy this and send it to your local news media as you see fit. You probably want to coordinate with other locals so that it doesn't get sent annoyingly repeatedly.

Already sent to:

The Associated Press
Huntsville Times
tweeted to @make_tips

to: info@ap.org

subject: Simultanous International Hackathon

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - November 16, 2009 - This weekend, over a dozen hackerspaces around the world will be participating in a synchronous "hackathon".

Hackerspaces are communal workshops where hackers, gageteers, inventors, tinkerers and engineers from all walks of life come together to collaborate on projects ranging from 3D printing and rapid prototyping, amateur genetic experiments, robotics and artificial intelligence to automatic pizza-making machines.

The Synchronous Hackathon is an event where each of the participating hackerspaces will work on their respective projects simultaneously, while in constant communication with each other. Video from each hackerspace will be broadcast to the internet for each other and the public to view. In participating with the Synchronous Hackathon, hackerspaces can utilize the motivational energy and skills of the participating hackerspace members.

The Synchronous Hackathon begins all over the world Friday, November 20th, and ends Sunday the 22nd.

NOTE TO EDITORS: This press release was collaboratively created and may contain spelling and grammatical errors. No one who worked on it was an English major [meta-note to meta-editors: are you?]. Therefore feel free to re-arrange and re-write so long as initial intent is preserved.

Helpful links:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/03/hackerspaces/

http://www.opennasa.com/2009/08/11/hackerspaces-and-nasa/

http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/Synchronous_Hackathon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackerspace

Press Contacts: [meta-note to meta-editors: Anyone want to be a point of contact?]

NOT FOR PUBLICATION

Nykodemus - Huntsville, AL

nykodemus@gmail.com

Synchronous Hackathon

Contents

Upcoming Hackathon[edit]

Past Hackathons[edit]

Logistics[edit]

Ustream Embedding[edit]

Giss.tv Embedding[edit]

Hackerspace Maps[edit]

Bandwidth[edit]

Display[edit]

Press Release[edit]

Views

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