Too much fun

After scene reading group, I sat down with Ulead DVD Factory and seriously tweaked the PAL-to-NTSC project, adding chapters to the main movie and customizing the chapter menus. It's highly intuitive software, but not at automated as it could be. For instance, it does not automatically use the same settings for the chapter menu as it uses for the main menu. I would think that would be the default. But it has some neat hacks, like motion menus - the whole menu slides into place when you fire up the DVD, then each thumbnail plays 20 seconds of the clip (looping).

The end result was close to brilliant. Not as good as the original commercial DVD, but close enuf.

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Signed up for goodreads.com yesterday, blame susandennis, and where I thought it was asking for my email addressbook so it could match me with people who are also signed up, it was really asking me if they could spam my addressbook. So way too many people got this message telling them I was their friend on Goodreads, and way too many of them signed up, not knowing WTF they were doing, and way too few asked me "WTF?". One person, among the last I would have suspected, was happy to find a free site which did what he had been paying $$ to do on his Treo. But I still feel bad about the spam.

Goodreads is possibly useful, I was just seeing how many books I could remember having read. It's about 400 at the moment.

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Received my voter's pamphlet, it has me listed as non-partisan. I did that because there are very few things more annoying than the barrage of phone calls, faux voter's guides, oversized post cards and begging letters which political parties can generate. I have till the 22nd to switch my selection to a political party. I'll put the card in the mail tomorrow.

NorCal Peace Corps Association Annual Meeting Feb 23 in Redwood City

NorCalPCA welcomes Peace Corps alumni and friends to our annual general meeting, Saturday, February 23 at Sandpiper Community Center, 797 Redwood Shores Parkway, Redwood City from 5:30 pm until 8:00 pm. Bring food to share for the potluck dinner, and socialize with fellow RPCVs and former Peace Corps staff. The World Harmony Chorus will sing at the event. Admission is free, and you do not need to be a member to attend (but only members may vote).

NorCal's Business meeting and elections will follow dinner.

NorCalPCA is a nonprofit, volunteer organization affiliated with the National Peace Corps Association. It encompasses much of Northern California including  the Greater Bay Area, Redding, Ukiah, Mendocino, Santa Cruz and Monterey. NorCal supports a network of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), former staff, their families and friends continuing the Peace Corps experience and ideals through local, national, and international activities. Regular membership is $19/year, free if you are in your first year home from Peace Corps.

For more information, please see our web site norcal.org.