Podcasting (part 2)

Introduction

It is 2023, and there are more free and better tools than before. So attempting (again) setting up my own podcast on a local server.

Scope

Local podcasts, hosted locally via python3 http.server, all local links (raw mp3 taking advantage of Pocketcasts' trim silence ability).

Then, RSS feed on the local site should serve the locations of the mp3's, then is only available when computer is on (security by obscurity).

Process

It largely worked! I still need to learn python a bit more, but pip ensured that had the right tooling on my local computer. 

Feedgen worked (was not originally clear that podcast needs to be configured with information first), webpages were served.

Problem

Assuming RSS feed was generated in a way that the apps understood, I had connectivity issues. It seems like the standard way of doing things is to pull from Apple Podcast index (one location of all "curated" and valid podcasts). However, I won't submit my RSS into Apple Podcast because I'm not a podcasting company.

Additionally, it seemed like the apps don't like getting pointed around to local files. Maybe plex is the close second? But Pocketcasts couldn't find my podcast locally, nor could OverCast. And so, moving farther away from original intent to use a nice podcast player (Pocketcasts).

A potential solution could be to host everything on AWS, and then have it served back to me via Apple Podcasts. I'm not very fond of this because then it requires me to learn AWS and/or Azure or some other file storage company's API.

Conclusion

If there's going to be overhead anyways, might as well load into iTunes and manage the raw .mp3 locally. Storage on the phone will be slightly less than doubled because I want to have a local listening speed (1.8x with trim silence) and sharing speed (1.0x for people who haven't heard it before).

It may be a better use of my time to figure out how to use otter.ai more effectively? Seems like 1.8x with trim silence could be a perfect trigger into the transcription service (if it's good enough for human comprehension, good enough for AI).

Ubuntu periodic audio clicking

 This website shows how to resolve the problem, including a test fix:

echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/module/snd_hda_intel/parameters/power_save

Then a final fix:

echo 0 > /sys/module/snd_hda_intel/parameters/power_save




Always good to see that test vectors are provided before actually doing some change.

quick configuration (download vimrc from google drive)

This website shows how to break down URL from google, like this vimrc file:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CAPUjT7Ay1YN6wgliDDamQLT62zAqilVDWqkqzLbkhg/export?format=txt

Combining this with wget:

wget -O .vimrc https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CAPUjT7Ay1YN6wgliDDamQLT62zAqilVDWqkqzLbkhg/export?format=txt

So that you can use this handy one-liner to update .vimrc! No more copy and pasting

steam on ubuntu 20.04

Introduction

Steam is free software, for many installs just fine. However, a quick google search shows that many (in the hundreds) cannot make it work on their systems, with problems starting in 2014 or earlier.

Progress

Actively struggling with installing. Currently most progress obtained by some combination of installing Nvidia graphics drivers (even though this computer doesn't actually have that).

Installing via package "libglu1-mesa:i386" seems to have the most progress available idea source. Sadly only temporarily provided dependent packages. After attempting to use 32bit drivers from Nvidia, more broken (though some packages are available).

Conclusion

As of 2021-W01, going to just wait for Steam to properly upgrade to 64bit drivers. Though this might never happen, better than messing around with linux too much. Goes to show that gaming should really be done on Windows because current state of libraries not newbie friendly.

Lessons learned:

1. aptitude is great at following through dependencies and downloading everything needed. Was hard to understand that you have to "reject" or not accept the proposed "keep following [not installed]" options presented before it attempts to find replacements or downgrades. Care to not over install

2. starting over in linux is not terrible. There are core software that I always install. Something like: vim, aptitude, hardinfo, chrome, brave. Copying over aliases and vimrc isn't terrible either, but something tedious

podcasting

Introduction

Many people are building their own podcasts at the moment. The intent of this project is not for others to be able to follow my podcast, but to preserve the podcasts that were most influential to me. It would be good to continue to listen to stuff that is currently being released, but have my own local server generate a podcast xml to be able to keep the "cleaned up" versions of audio that I will download.

Audio Processing

Testing out audacity. So far, looks like takes some amount of time to clean up to only the sermon segment of interest. Using copy & paste seems to work very well for picking portions of tracks

After it is clipped, then use the "truncate silence" function. If audio is high enough quality, then can use -50dB. Silence is tricky because it ending consonants can affect algorithm. Using -35dB and 250ms, was too short and caught sentences. Using 500ms was more clean. Guess is that consonants can dip into -35dB, then time-short silence threshold breaks understanding. Would like to do some analysis on how long do most people's words take in ms (eg. ms per syllable, then figure out what is the most efficient).

Note that one can also delete words that are unintended: um, uh, like, etc. but manual editing

Process

This is using the guides from here: dir2cast github   user1

Needed apache2 and php-xml from apt-get.

My final implementation:

 http://default-inspiron-3647/podcasts/dir2cast.php?dir=archive

Conclusion

Only problem is that original theory of hosting on off-internet server would be flouted by podcast app requiring their own curated link (see pca.st links). Thus, motivating me to move away entirely from "free" app that used to be $4.

I listen to podcasts at 1.8x and would like to preserve "trim silence" feature, going to add audacity scripts to "trim silence" before piping into any other podcast app. Thus will be good to process weekly sermons and preserve ones.

Very disappointing that there is no automated tool to generate local URL to pass directly to the app. I could process each file individually and save in google drive, sharing over to podcast app (profile > files)

useful networking locations on the internet

https://forum.level1techs.com/c/networking/78 has some very advanced home projects. Learned much about DNS, networking, from original 10G ethernet in 2015!

Converting Fidelity fund research to Google Sheets

Converts this: 

To this: 

Version 1 of formula:

=mid(A2,1,if(isnumber(find("%",A2)),find("%",A2)-1,""))

Version 2 that filters out blanks better: 

=if(isnumber(find("%",N53)),mid(N53,1,find("%",N53)-1)/100,"")