Had an absolutely cracking eve, left wishing I'd spoken to more people as I always do. All the performers were great, and I particularly enjoyed Stormy who was just lovely, Fergal whose story I loved, and the talecatching man whose writing was ace and his delivery perfect. Everyone was looking gorgeous (special mention to Martin T who I just thought was looking very well indeed, and Missi for his 'posey' glasses!). Thanks very much to everyone for sorting it out and arranging such an awesome line-up - I actually left feeling very inspired to write, which doesn't happen often at the mo and can only be a good thing!
I would like to point out (for the umpteenth time) my glasses are not 'posey' shades, but tinted prescription glasses. I NEED them to see clearly. They are tinted because I also need them for driving and are therefore multipurpose.
I thank you.
WHERE IS MATT PURLAND?
Great job Hox! I have 1MB broadband and it takes less than 5 seconds to buffer which is less than average for these things - so maybe you've fixed whatever was causing Justyn's problem. I don't suppose there is any way to make the picture bigger other than dropping to a lower resolution (I run at 1600 x 1200)?
I agree it would have been nice to have more time to chat. That's why we have Camden Cowboy gatherings but it is hard when people have to travel a long way. I thought about folk like Emma and Stormy having to travel so far and felt a bit ashamed that I have never made the effort to travel to a midlands event.
So I promise next time something is going on outside London (although I move to Weymouth soon anyway) I will make every effort to attend!
Hi guys, I have now adjusted the buffering, so it should be fine on 500 adsl: maybe you could try it again James and let me know.
You can't make the pictures bigger at the moment, but for the full clips I will encode them for 500 and 1mb; the system will detect your bandwidth and play larger files at 1mb. You can see how this works at www.grantaidedproductions.co.uk; just click on the video link.
I'll let people know as and when I upload new material.
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Last time I read at xtra time the attendence was a bit higher and I'm pretty sure we could have got more folk in if it had been a Friday or Saturday night! Certainly there were 3 or 4 of my friends who couldn't come because it was a weekday!
It's better now. I don't know if this is right, but it seems that it is buffering the full clip before the play starts. This is possible, as the clips are short and the speed is fast. Anyway, it is very fast compared to quicktime et al.
For those interested in previous events, my web site www.thymeworks.com contains about about 150 photos of ABCTalers from various events. I've created several smaller 'rogues' galleries' so the thumbnails will load faster. There are also some very good audio files of stories read (mostly) by Tony Cook.
Friday would have been better actually, just because people don't need to rush back because of work, and because if you're coming a long way it's fairly tiring on a weekday (my train got in at 1.45 - my eyes were like red orbs and the gin had really started to kick in by then).
I have set it to buffer the first 15 seconds ( it was at 25 ) so this should playout smoothly at 500 or 512k broadband. At 1mb and above it should fly like sh*t off a shovel: that's a term that we techies use for "fast".
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Jesus christ Eamonn! Don't you have a life to lead? How can you find time between last Thursday and today to DO all this? I haven't even taken my camcorder out of my bag yet. You're trying to make me look crap, I can tell.
I HAVE however 'fiddled' with the pics and will be sending 'em to Warsaw this afternoon.
(Mark, I'll send them to you in larger file sizes, then you can reduce whatever you wish to use to whatever size you want.)
Oh and I purchased Colin's poetry collection ' Speaking Terms' which was just as well as my train was delayed for 2 hours! Excellent stuff and I thought you came across really well and relaxed on stage which suited your material to a tee...
I agree. I'm sorry to have missed it, but it -was- a Thursday, I -do- have a day-job, and a long bicycle ride home or to the train station. Yes, let's please have the next one on a weekend night, as I'd love to come and meet everyone.
er... do you want the comedy answer?
(I think David said on the thread when Tim asked if there would be mugs, 'There will always be abc tales mugs'... and his answer was more metaphorical or rhetorical than an actual confirmation that mugs would be sold....)
Well, my excuse for not being at work is that since leaving my last job I have been able to find any, apart from a couple of small freelance editing jobs which I can do at the computer in the library (here)...
There is nowhere in Norwich I haven't tried (well, almost), but I came away from the event feeling more confident, so hopefully something will come up.
and fast.
I'm drinking beer out of mine right now and it makes a mighty fine beer vessel in our stufy room internet library where alcohol is forbidden, which is why I had hoped to make further purchases without having to pay p&p
I have a 'gin head', which basically feels like my eyeballs are being squeezed in a vice made of crushed up hobnobs and frozen yoghurt.
The older I get, the worse hangovers I get.
It's a nice hangover though. In fact I think it might not be a hangover, but might be because I'm using a computer without glasses (they broke just before I went on to read)... yes, in fact, I'm *sure* it must be that.
I am sorry I couldn't come. I would have loved to have seen the people behind these posts. You obviously all had a wonderful time, and by the sound of it everyone looked cool, sexy and gorgeous? A bit intimidating that! But I'll definitely go to the next one. If there will be one.
Well, I must say - I thoroughly enjoyed myself...even though the Famous Grouse shots were a bit pricey even for my deep pockets!
Chins up, abctales eventers!
Sounds like you all had a fabulous time, I was thinking of you all and sniffing with the deep can't-get-to-London-on-a-bloody-THURSDAY-for-gods-sake blues.
Strength to strength abc goes. Nice!
It was wonderful that so many of you made the effort. It is easier to get Extra Time on a Friday after the football season - and that isn't long now.
In the past we have found that weekday events are better attended than weekend ones - but - just for you lot - we will go for a Friday next time. Sometime in June suit you all?
But just to bring to me back down to earth with a thump after such a magnificent evening I have now had three pieces of bad news:
1. The plumbing has gone up the spout and the cold tank is overflowing and dripping noisily outside.
2. I am not a visionary - and that's official. I applied for the Joseph Rowntree Visionaries scheme on the back of ABC which would have solved all our money problems. But now it won't.
3. And here's the real stinker. I went for a check up on my foot after my operation of 7 months ago. They took an X-Ray and discovered that it hasn't worked so they'll have to do it again and put a metal plate in my foot. It's been seven months of pain and now I have got to wait for god knows how long and then go through it all again.
Kind of puts life in perspective.
Ho Hum.
Bugger. Im sorry to hear that, here's to it improving after the next op. Still, look on the bright side, you get to shake your stick at people again.
A weekend do would be so much better - you've only had one before that I know of, and it was in half term as i recall, so it's not really fair to say that weekend do's arent well attended - look at how many people couldve come to this had it been at the end of the week... not many people come to the midweeks, realistically do they? If the venue costs more, charge a bit more, and put hayley or Gardiner on the door for a snog at a quid a go. You'll be packed to the rafters :o)
(and you'll always be a visionary to me for what it's worth)
i dont see why we all have to be so up to the blimmin minute ... you techie types dont realise what a huff and a puff it is for us mere mortals to keep up ....
grumble whinge moan ...
You all looked and sounded very lush and posh, well done you brave people for standing up and reading your work.
Is Rokkit related to the Belushi family by any chance?
*Wonders what the obvious reply is*
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