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In Part 1 of this series, I talked about the building blocks of delivering video across all major desktop and mobile platforms using HTML5 and Flash Player. I provided some simple examples of HTML5 markup, including a way to start with HTML5 and fall back to Flash, as well as an example that begins with Flash Player and falls back to HTML5.

A large part of the article, however, talked about the foundation of this process: the video containers, and audio and video codecs used therein. Unfortunately, the changing landscape of HTML5s journey to ratification, and the degree of the playback puzzle left up to each browser, made this depth helpful, if not necessary.

In this installment, Ill take a break from the heavy lifting and talk about existing players and services that can do the work for you. Then, in the coming weeks, Ill wrap up the final installment of the series with a return to the DIY mindset and provide an overview of a few encoding options, as well as a basic discussion about writing your own JavaScript player when custom solutions are required.

So, without further ado, here are my top five cross-platform video players.

Video for Everybody is one of the earliest solutions to support HTML5 and Flash video, and is also the simplest. It consists of a very basic set of markup that uses HTML5s ability to move to the next supported object if the prior object fails. That is, it uses the

Video for Everybody uses no JavaScript so its ideal for those wanting to include as few dependencies as possible in their markup. One drawback of this approach is that it wont work on Android operating systems prior to version 2.3 (Gingerbread). This technique was the basis for the markup described in Part 1 of this series so, in addition to soaking in the material found at the links herein, you can revisit that article for more information.

There are three niceties worthy of mention here. First is the Video For Everybody Generator, which assists you in putting the code together. Second is the fact that this player supports HTML5 audio playback the same way it handles video. Finally, the player site includes a fairly comprehensive description of problems you may face with HTML5 video use, as well as recommended solutions. I hope most of this material was covered in the prior installment of this series, but it wont hurt to look at the VfE Important Notes.

VideoJS is a free, open source HTML5 Video Player that falls back to Flash or the alternate video playback technology of your choice (such as Silverlight or QuickTime). It starts with embed code based on Video for Everybody, which includes basic playback functionality such as autoplay and preload. However, it also uses JavaScript to fix cross-browser inconsistencies, add support for the HTML5 tags in older versions of IE, and add features such as fullscreen display and subtitles. For the dependency-conscious, its use of JavaScript is library-independent, meaning it doesnt require packages such as jQuery or MooTools to operate.

Best of all, it provides a consistent application programming interface (API), and consistent user interface (UI), for JavaScript and Flash playback. The comprehensive API is easy to use and the UI is managed with easily edited HTML and CSS that affects not only JavaScript but also the lightweight Flash-based player provided.

As an open source player, anyone can alter the code and contribute updates to forks on GitHub. The main files are also hosted meaning that no downloads are required, the code is always updated when new features, devices, and platforms are supported, and the files may even already be cached on your visitors systems. And, unlike some hosted solutions, if you prefer to download a copy of the player, say for use without an internet connection (or to eliminate reliance on any server other than your own), you can do that, too.

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The top five cross-platform video players

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), which oversees freedom of information and privacy for the federal government, is seeking to migrate to a new website based on the open source Joomla CMS.

Up to $145,000 is on the table for managing the migration from the current Oaic.gov.au flat-file setup created with Adobe Dreamweaver to a database driven site running on Joomla.

Tender documents state that the organisation is seeking migration to Joomla 2.5, though is open to moving to 1.7.5.

Privacy.gov.au, the website of the defunct Office of the Privacy Commissioner, which was integrated into the OAIC in late 2010, is currently published using Joomla 1.5.20.

The office envisages a setup closer to Privacy.gov.au than the current main OAIC site, but "must also incorporate the new functions/services that the OAIC was created to deliver", tender documents state.

The OAIC intends to sign a contract for the migration by the end of June, with tenders closing in mid-April.

Follow Rohan Pearce on Twitter: @rohan_p

Follow Techworld Australia on Twitter: @techworld_au

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Privacy agency taps open source CMS for new website

April is National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate this beautifulliterary art form, when language is expressed in its aesthetic and evocative form in addition to, or in lieu of, its commonplace semantic. April showers bring May flowers is a poem we use to teach children the virtue of patience, reminding us that even the most unpleasant of things, like the dreary rains of April, can bring about spectacular beauty a myriad of flowers in May. Poetry helps us learn new concepts, cope with unbearable grief, remember epic dates and complex data, and indoctrinate us to our culture. Poets gather to share the beauty of the spoken word regularly in the Detroit area; you, too can experience the joy.

Book & Poem Lake St. Clair Metropark 31300 Metropolitan Parkway Harrison Twp, MI 48045 (248) 667-8254 BookPoem.com Hours: EmailMembership@BookPoem.com for membership information

(credit: bookandpoem.com)

Book & Poem is to the spoken word as Renoir and Monet are to paintings. William Wordsworths poem Daffodilsis recited beside the lake, beneath the trees near a field of golden daffodils.Ode to Autumn by John Keatsis recited at a cottage nestled among blazing red maples. Book & Poem emphasizes a sense of place when celebrating poetry, holding high teas and mint julep socials in Victorian mansions, manicured parks and butterfly gardens. Some recitals are held on chartered yachts. A wine toast tops off every function, and is paired to the poetic theme Jane Seymour Wines pair with Somewhere in Time themed poetry. The groups goal for 2012 is to bring one of the worlds most famous living poets,Margaret Atwood, to Detroit for a candlelight supper.

Related:Poetry for Summer Vacation

(credit: Thinkstock)

Spirit Spit(Live Acts & Open Mic) Spirit of Hope Church 1519 Martin Luther King Blvd. Detroit, MI 48208 (248) 837-9592 http://www.facebook.com

Hours: See Facebook page for upcoming event information

Spirit Spit is dedicated to the soul of poetry, and is located in Detroit at Spirit of Hope Church. Visitors may walk in during the performance to seek safe haven. Spirit Spit is an all-inclusive, welcoming community that encourages artists, musicians and most importantly, poets from all over the community to share their poetry with others.The atmosphere of Spirit Spit is enchanting the churchs Gothic architecture adds to the spiritual experience. Writer L. Bush is both producer and emcee of Spirit Spit. Bush is a gifted poet, whose prose captivates the audience.

(credit: lidogallery.com)

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Best Venues For Spoken Word And Poetry Readings In Detroit

CLEVELAND, March 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- "The newly enhanced version 2 of Brain Swaggle, the quick thinking word game that requires strategy and offers 12 levels of play has just been released," said Gary Downing, founder of the game and company of the same name. This new version is literally explosive from the first page and will challenge people of all ages and skill levels. Plus, we guarantee that the more difficult levels will take even the most adept wordsmiths to task, Downing continues.

"Preventing mental decline is important to us all," Downing says. "Every day there is more and more research validating the importance of staying mentally active. When it's all said and done, achieving and maintaining a healthy brain improves your over-all quality of life enabling you to:

"Imagine adding an additional 2, 3 or 4 years of healthy living to your life."

Neurosurgeon Dr. David Rickson says, "Brain Swaggle uses broad areas of the brain. Just spelling itself uses four areas of the brain, and you combine that with strategy and planning." He continues, "Anyone who plays the game will see their cognition improve in ways they didn't realize they needed."

To play Brain Swaggle, each player takes a turn choosing a letter and every new letter chosen must continue to build a valid word when added to all previously given letters. The goal is to be the first player to end the word on one of their subsequent turns. However, each turn can change your word, causing you to adjust and rethink a new strategy. Every turn is timed anywhere from 60 seconds down to 15 seconds, and the word length varies as well. Game pieces move in accordance with how many letters the word has.

"Each level gradually gets more challenging," Downing continues. "This affords people of all ages and stages in their individual level of learning to have fun and benefit. The option to advance to the next level is available when a player chooses to; otherwise, they may stay at their current level until they feel comfortable to move on."

To learn more about Brain Swaggle and their guarantee, register and play for free "right now" at http://www.brainswaggle.com/game to see what everybody is talking about!

Contact: Gary Downing gary@brainswaggle.com 330-240-9023

This press release was issued through eReleases(R). For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

Excerpt from:
The Top 10 Reasons to Stimulate Brain Function and Have Fun Doing It!

JACQUELINE MALEY

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THE LAST TABOO: Should women reclaim the C-word?

Inga Muscio would like to live in a world where the words, "Wow, that is so c...y!" constitute a genuine and heartfelt expression of approval.

She is waiting for the day when the sentence "You are such a c..." is one anyone would be overjoyed to hear, a day when the most offensive word in the English language, the most abused of words, the word largely censored out of television and print and shunned by polite society, has been rehabilitated and embraced.

But Muscio, a 45-year-old feminist and author from Seattle (who, admittedly, has a vested interest, having authored a book called C...: A Declaration of Independence) allows that day probably isn't coming any time soon.

Muscio believes the word, a mere four letters but so powerful (as she says, "There is something about it ... it's just so base; it's like, it means business, you know?") is a metaphor for the status of women. While they are oppressed, the word will be oppressed, too.

But as much as Muscio wants to reclaim, reshape and empower women to use "c...", much in the way the gay community has adopted "queer" and African-Americans have taken back "nigger", even she says that she sometimes uses the word for ill.

"Once in a while, when someone makes me really, really angry, I will call them that," she admits. "I am not immune. It feels good sometimes."

It is as though the word - coyly known as the C-word, the C-bomb, the Anglo-Saxon swear word, tnuc or C U Next Tuesday - has a life of its own. Unlike other words in our lexicon, which we marshal and deploy to suit us, ''c...'' seems to exist outside and beyond us, with a mysterious and plosive power belonging only to it.

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The incredible explosive word