I often receive audio files in the full WAV format and need to convert them to OGG and MP3.

Here are the tools I use to do this:

Convert to OGG:

oggenc -b 128 -q 7 foo.wav


Convert to MP3:

lame -h --abr 128 foo.wav foo.mp3


Your friendly neighborhood Linux systems admin here with a post about the Linux Foundation web infrastructure. The web site has grown organically one piece at a time. The existing main application for www.linuxfoundation.org is Mediawiki. This was put together as a temporary web site when the Free Standards Group and Open Source Development Labs were in the process of merging into the Linux Foundation. That was in December of 2006.

Since this time many other needs have come up. We added Wordpress MU for our blogs. We added a Phorum installation for OpenPrinting discussions, forums.openprinting.org. Our events site is run on Drupal and CiviCRM.

The issue has always been how to meet all the technological needs with a bare minimum of staff. Many of you out there could code solutions in place to glue the applications together. Since, I am not a strong developer I have focused on staying with the stock applications for ease of upgrades.

How do you put together a cohesive infrastructure completely based on open source applications that work together seamlessly without coding highly customized solutions?

We are trying to answer that question.

During the Linux Foundation's Collaboration Summit back in April we had many of the keynote and panel sessions as well as several interviews filmed with the intention of posting them online.

We had asked the third party company we were working with to provide both completely open OGG and mostly open Flash FLV formats as the final product. Unfortunately, they did not have the in house skills to produce the open OGG format.

In the interest of getting the video's out to the public sooner rather than later we went ahead and published the FLV files in the LF Video Gallery. Youtube for better or worse has mad FLV the de facto standard for online video. Needless to say we have gotten many complaints about our lack of an open codec version of the videos like here and here.

First, let me say that audio and video codecs are not my area of expertise. So before you flame me for my ignorance I have beaten you to the punch. Based on a few posts like this one: Open Codecs it looks like OGG with the Theora video codec and the Vorbis audio codec is the standard open video format to work with.

The obvious next step is to convert the files to OGG our selves, even though video is not an area of expertise. The LWN posts helpfully pointed out:

I have chronicled some of my knee problems before. This reoccurring knee issue is what kept me from running for years until in 2007 I decided I would work through it no mater what it took. Which meant not running on it in pain but focusing on recovery, stretching and strength work outs.

I have read a lot of material on running knee problems but I could never quite "diagnose" what particular ailment I had: Runner's knee, Patellar tendinitis, or other scary sounding problems. My pain was my left knee on the outside slightly under the knee cap.

I had seen several articles on IT Band Syndrome but I never identified it as my issue, until I ran across the Runner's World Running Doc blog entry: IT Band Syndrome.

This was just before my running of the Pacific Crest Half Marathon and i quickly put the Running Doc's stretching advise in place. I also stepped up the use of the Runner's World Build a better knee stretches and exercises.

So, I ran my first twenty miler in prepararation for the Portland Marathon.

It was quite exhausting. The temperature was 75+ and rising. On the Portland, Oregon side of the Columbia river there is zero shade. It is a beautiful run but I was very glad to see the small trees and a tiny bit of shade back on the Vancouver, Washington side of the river.

I averaged 9:09 per mile and that includes several walk breaks to hydrate. I immediately jumped in the river when I was done and cooled down.

Here is the GPS tour of the route:

View Larger Map

David

I bought a pair of the Nike Free 5.0. I like the minimalist ideas. After buying the shoes I did more research.

The Running Barefoot guys swear my knee problems I have written about here and here will go away as soon as I make the jump. The barefoot running idea is very intriguing.

I have decided to go barefoot for much of my non-running activities including much of our vacation at Sun River. That has been great. The feet toughen up and body's response to the environment gets a lot better. However, both the Nike Free's and barefoot running need to be started slowly. I jumped in with both and my body could feel it. I have had to back way down. The issue for me is I am trying for the Portland Marathon and one cannot change something this drastic in the middle of 35-40 mile weeks.

So, although I am curious and I have taken a few small steps toward some barefoot running. It will have to wait until after October :)

David

June 29th, 2008

The morning of the race Calleigh, 4 1/2, and Ella, 3, "ran" the non-competitive Kids dash 1/2 mile. The girls often want to "run" or "stretch" with us but this morning they were having none of it. Both were breaking down and I wound up carrying Ella until the last 100 meters were she got excited. Calleigh did better with Michelle. Still they looked very cute with their oversized Tee-shirts and bib numbers carefully pinned on front.

Four family members ran the Pacific Crest 5K as per the challenge. Here are the Results.

Lucas ran a 32:24. Michelle blew us all away with a 38:43. Beau and Margot speed walked to a 47:15.

Pictures: Use the following bib numbers:

• Michelle: 7180
• Lucas: 7181
• Margot: 7182
• Beau: 7189

I was running back and forth from the last 1/4 mile mark and the finish. In the process I completely missed Michelle's triumphant return vastly exceeding her own prediction of 45 minutes. I feel terrible. She did great!

June 28th, 2008

I survived the Pacfic Crest Half Marathon. Here are the Results. I finished in 1:36:21. I ran at around 7:15 pace until around mile 10 where I hit the wall ... hard :). I faded to about 8:12 for the last mile. Picture: Use bib number 4716.

Warning: Complaining Follows
Why I hit the wall:

• I did not fuel and hydrate well for the conditions
• It was 75+ degrees and rising by the 10 mile mark
• Sunriver has 4200 feet of elevation
• The course is fairly hilly.
• When I and 500+ others were told it was time to walk to the start line we were surprised to find 500+ more people already there and the race organizer was counting down 10,9,8...
  I had to weave my way through 450 people to get to others running the same pace.
• Or it could be I was overly ambitious

This was the first competitive half marathon I have ever done. The only other attempt was when I was 17 and I thought I could just show up on race day and run it. Suffice it to say I walked half of that race.

Here is the challenge: run (or walk) your first (second, or twentieth) 5K this June during our family vacation.

Here is a beginners training guide leading straight up to the
Pacific Crest weekend of races in Sun River. Not coming to Sun River. No problem! There are local 5K's run every weekend of the summer no matter where you live.

This schedule is based on the Runners World
First 5K plan. There's an intermediate plan too if this is too easy.

Good luck!
David

I have detailed some of my knee problems and the quest for the right shoes before. The first pair of "Stability" shoes I got in June of 2007 from a running store after a treadmill test "proved" I was an over pronator hurt my knee more than the over training I had been doing that was the original cause.

Then I found an old pair of my wife's Adidas Supernova Clams and found I could run without pain. I went back to said running store in August 2007 and I suggested maybe I was not an over pronator. They quickly informed me that the Supernova's were "Stability" shoes too. Trying to be conservative in hopes of some day running a marathon I went ahead and got a properly fitting pair of the Supernovas. Later that year in November 2007 I hurt my knee bad and now in February of 2008 I have done it again. It seams whenever I get up to around 25-30 miles a week I get hurt. I then have to take 1-3 weeks off to recover and then I feel like I am starting over again.

I am an avid reader of Runners World and although I had seen it before I took the Runner's World Wet Test seriously. Turns out I have high arches. I mean really high. There was barely a strip between the balls of my feet and the heel. So, if anything I am supinator.