For The Birds

The birdies lose their feathers and are nakies....which is kind of plain for a bird....and the last credit is shown on top of a splat of bird pooh.  I may show all of it and stop it at the last couple of seconds before the splat.

Downloading Videos to Use in a DVD Player

Thankfully, my school provides open access to YouTube.  I find it helpful as added motivation to a lesson, a quick demonstration, and fillers when I have just a sliver of time left with a class.

I realize some schools have no access to YouTube.  Occassionally, when the web is barely creeping along, I barely have access.  So I like to make back up copies to videos I really like.

Zamzar used to be my "go to" site for downloading videos to my laptop, but YouTube has blocked them.  Now I use "aTube Catcher."  It is freeware.  All I have to do is enter the url of the video into their window and click "download."  At some point it asks you the format you would like to use, and I click on "mp4."  No clue what happens when you choose one of the other formats.

Once I get the video to my laptop, I can access it whenever I like.  I don't like using all my memory for videos though, so I burn them to DVD.  I have found some software that will not only burn it, but will also make it so it will play on a regular DVD player.  HALLELUJAH!!!  That lets me also leave the DVD for use by a sub.  Most of my subs can use a DVD player, while only are willing to do anything involving my computer.

The program I use to convert the video so I can play it on my stand alone  DVD player  is RZ DVD Creator.  I think I paid slightly less than $30 for it and I ADORE having it.



I simply click the green plus sign button.  I choose the video and click on it.  I then click the Start button.  Now, I put a photo of the window here so that you can check out the "target format"  and "target folder."  It took me a while to figure out to make it all work until I got these settings correct.

It will take a while for the conversion process to happen, so don't expect quick results.  But the results are so wonderful.