Second Instrumentality: Around The World in 80 Minutes

[Otohiko]

Oh, I full-well realize the deficiencies of cable. Unfortunately, I don't have any options right now (I'm already in a 12-month contract with a cable provider, and have had their most basic package for about 4 months now) - besides, I'm yet to learn of a non-cable, non-dial-up provider around here. There may be DSL, but I'm yet to hear of it. And a T1/T3 line would require some kind of an 'industrial' solution around here (laying cable?) and is way out of my financial reach.

I think if I decide to run some server, I'll have my brother pull some strings among his contacts and buy me some webspace; but that is also out of my financial reach, for now.

***

I haven't got the access yet, and my computer's been down for a couple of days (thank you Windows crash).

So for now, the prospects of me running something are shady at best.

[rose4emily]

Individuals can't afford T1 in the first place (well, maybe really wealthy individuals...). It does also require special wiring to be run from the provider to the customer as well, thus involving a considreable up-front cost.

I just had my little rant about cable because the ISP I have to go through back home just decided that no servers of any kind, even of a non-commercial nature, can be run across their lines. There's a three-month period of inaccessibility that will really help me run the big software project I was planning to enter full-force at the same point in time that I'll be unable to administer it's web interface. It looks like I'll have to re-think that forum administration software I had just started to configure.

Yet they still collect their monthly bill.

[ooshna]

Are there any Arab cities not taken?

[angelx03]

Uh, I thought this project was dead.

[Otohiko]

Hey, it doesn't have to be dead. I just don't have the technical resources to host an FTP for the project; anyone who does is welcome to pick this up. I'd help, in fact, and make a vid if I find footage to use.

[Tsunami Jones]

Are there any Arab cities not taken?

Yes. I think only one part has actually been called is the Yokohama/japan section. I know several others were trying to decide on some things, like Muyo with the chinese part, but I don't think it was set in stone (although I'm not entirely sure on this).

Uh, I thought this project was dead

We're just missing a head . . .

anyone who does is welcome to pick this up

If we can't find anyone who has an ftp, we could just have everyone call and complete their segments and upload their segment to the org until someone has the resources to compile everything together into one big project file.

[Otohiko]

Actually, the main problem for me is my upload/download caps; otherwise, I can theoretically run an FTP server... Although I really can't afford to get me a cap-less plan at the moment.

But if people would like to coordinate ideas and make separate videos under the project umbrella, that would certainly be good.

In any case, I really doubt I could put it together in the same way rose4emily seems to be doing it with the first Instrumentality right now; I'm sure I'd be able to come up with something though.

BTW, I'm also interested in Arabic cities. Aside from the Bebop movie's one Moroccan street scene though, I haven't found much of use.

[ooshna]

Give me the most amount of bandwidth this project will take and I will tell you if I can host the ftp

[rose4emily]

The bandwidth wouldn't be so much of a problem for the sake of collecting the videos, as it is for sharing them. This is because most broadband connections are asymmetrical - meaning that they're much faster for downloading (when people are uploading to your server) than for uploading (when people are downloading from your server). Bandwidth caps, if your ISP account has them, tend to follow a similar pattern.

Basically, you shouldn't have too much of a problem with collecting the videos if you have a Cable or DSL connection - but you've seen firsthand the slowness inherent in trying to download off of a server on a standard cable connection.

I actually wouldn't mind stepping back up to this project once Animasia is done and submitted - on the condition that no one expects me to do the time-consuming compilation portions until the summer rolls around (because that's probably the first reasonable opportunity I'll have for that sort of work). I also won't be producing any videos for this one, as I have neither time, nor ideas.

If I do resume my place as the manager of this project, however, technical limitations will dicatate that the other editors be "flying blind" in terms of seing each others' works unless they find other ways to transfer preview files amongst themselves. Once I clean up all of the (very large) files involved in compiling the first Instrumentality project, I'll be in good shape to recieve video submissions - I just don't have the upload bandwidth to effectively re-distribute them to other group members.

I should also note that a lot of the technical issues that took so long to iron out in the first Instrumentaliy project can be completely avoided this time around, and that I'll be sure to make use of this knowledge if I resume project management, or to pass it on if someone with more time and a better hosting situation wants the job.

---

I can add that I've a back-burner software project for private file p2p file transfers (without any search or tracking functionality - so you'd have to manually trade IPs and passcodes, this being considered primarily as a security issue) based on UDP packets and the use of non-standard ports that should work much faster than a typical HTTP/FTP setup for this sort of thing. I can't, however, make any garuntees as to how long it will be before this thing is done.

[rose4emily]

I should add that there's also a disk space consideration:

The first Instrumentality project currently occupies more than 30 GiB of disk space, most of which is consumed by Huffman/VOB submissions, sets of PNG images used for titles/narratives/intros/credits, uncompressed audio, encoded copies of each video, narrative, and "other" element of the project's tracklist, test renders (which I keep around as a reference of what does and doesn't work with the encoding process), partial compiled renders (each AMV segment, with its title and narrative) and full compiled renders (each completed segment, composed of the partial renders + intros/end credits). There's a lot of small-files to take care of, too (credits lists, narrative scripts, shell scripts, notes and examples of encoding options, records of the command history that I keep around as references I look at when I've left something vague in the notes, source images used for compositing elements of the titles, credits, and narratives, the composited images themselves....

And that's after I cleaned out all the old "preview" versions of everything.

In short, you have to consider hard disk space as well as bandwidth to assess whether you have the resources for working with something this big. You should also keep backups (note the plural usage - I've learned the hard way that sometimes one backup isn't enough), so you'll want an external hard drive and/or a lot of CDs. The directory structure can get a little scary at compile-time, too - that's one that I'm dealing with right now as I'm pulling together all the pieces of Animasia.

[Otohiko]

30 gigs? Actually, I'm surprised; I thought it'd be more.

I wouldn't really worry, since I'm really not an intensive HD user outside of AMV's, and could easily scratch up about 40 to work with...

But the problem, of course, is actually getting all the videos together.

Anyways, let's just say the project is still open for those who want to make videos based on the whole idea; I'm sure this'll make some fun videos. And if something changes in the future, I/rose/someone else may put this all together for an instrumentality-like video.

Anyways, we'll see.

[Al'x]

If anybody is still interested in going with this thing...

I'm not really interested to finish this video.

I do have a version which "gets to the end" but a lot of it is not timed or anything (just clipped because it fits the story). So I guess you could use it, but if somebody else wants to do a London video you should let them.

If anybody wants to see it just message me I guess...

PS: I deleted everything except I have a 848x480 HuffYUV.

[NiteOfCheese]

I was browsing multi-ed topics and came across this... i would hate to see such a project die for lack of bandwidth/hd space.
I attend the university of florida and I have a ~2MB down/1MB up line and can spare 80-120 GB of space. There is one catch, my university has blocked all outgoing p2p/bittorrent/ftp capabilities. AOL instant messenger transfers are the only way I can send out files as of now. I have no problem with sending out/receiving and storing files from now until the end of the semester and i also have several vid/dvd editing tools + premiere if i need to compile anything.
I do go to classes but most times am in my dorm (computer on from 8am to 2am eastern).
Rose, or any other of you that know a great deal about transfer protocals - is there any way to automate an FTP style system using AOL instant messenger or to trick ICARUS(the gateway gaurdian program that watches for server-like activity) into thinking i am transfering with AIM.
I suppose i could also use 'auto accept' transfers.. hmmm

Hope this helps, email, PM, or reply if you're interested

Edit: just reread this topic carefully and it looks like there are more problems to overcome than just bandwidth but my offer still stands and i can head/direct this thing if someone is willing to direct ME through what needs to be done. I'm on this fast line only until the end of april then it's back to basic cable for me but at least then i'll have 24/7 FTP capabilities

[Kalium]

From what I know of ICARUS, you can get around it by changing port numbers.

I know t works to get on IRC.