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Steve Bass's Weekly Newsletter
TechBite's columnist Steve Bass writes weekly commentary on the technology products he loves, the strategies for getting the most out of them, and the gotchas that can cause computing misery.
Flash: Getting YouTube Videos to Play
Upgrading Flash to make YouTube videos play, a cool product and book, a holy mackerel, and, of course, time wasters.
In this issue:
That YouTube video? It Won't Play
Make the Flash Upgrade
Trouble in Flashland
Uh Oh -- It's Still Not Working
You Like Java?
Product of the Week
What I'm Reading
Holy Mackerel
TechBite: On Vacation
Time Waster
That YouTube Video? It Won't Play
"That funny cat YouTube video you mentioned? It won't play." Did that sound familiar? I'll bet, because it's the number one complaint I hear (from you and my wife).
I have some fixes that may even work. I say that because, well, keep reading.
YouTube videos are streamed using Adobe's free Flash player. You've probably seen the SWF extension (from ShockWave Flash) on some files; they're known as Flash movies or games.
You'd probably think that all you need on your system is the Flash player. That's right, but there's a problem: Adobe upgrades their Flash player every 20 minutes or so (just as they seem to do with Acrobat, their PDF viewer). And if you don't have the most current version, YouTube and other Flash movies won't play.
Adobe will say it's because the new and improved version of Flash is, well, new and improved. My guess is that they do it so they can get developers to buy more upgrades to Flash CS4 Professional, the program most often used to create Flash graphics.
Flash aside: You don't need anything from Adobe to create a Flash game. Zip over to Sploder and spend the next hour trying to create your own Flash game. If it's good, send me the link and I'll link to it in the newsletter.
Make the Flash Upgrade
Take the easiest route first and do a quick upgrade without uninstalling the existing version. I've listed three ways to upgrade. Choose the one that seems easiest for you.
Head for Adobe's test site. You'll learn if Adobe Flash is installed and which version you have. When I went there, I had an old version of Flash and the site immediately asked if I wanted to upgrade. You'll also learn if you have Adobe's Shockwave Player, another tool that's valuable to have on your PC for playing videos.
Scroll over to Adobe's download site and get the Flash player. While you're there, jump over to the Shockwave player site and get it, too.
Use Windows Explorer to navigate to C:WINDOWS\system32\Macromed\Flash. Look for either FlashUtil9b.exe or GetFlash.exe, and click on the one you have. The Flash Player will automatically install over the existing version. If you're using Vista (lucky you), you may have to select "Run as Administrator" when you click on the file.
Once you've upgraded, try a few YouTube vids and if they play, you're good to go. At least until the next Flash upgrade.
Trouble in Flashland
You say you've upgraded the Flash player and all you see is that annoying YouTube spinning circle instead of a video? Here's what to do:
The Flash player upgrade routine doesn't always work correctly. That means you have to first remove any old versions before installing a new one. Convoluted? Sure, but we're talking computers, so stop kvetching.
You can use Revo Uninstaller to get rid of the Flash player, but it's safer to use Adobe's uninstaller. Besides providing the uninstaller, Adobe gives instructions for using it.
Reboot your system and reinstall the Flash player. Play a YouTube video and keep your fingers crossed.
Uh Oh -- It's Still Not Working
LOL -- are you sure you really want to see those videos? Okay, then try these troubleshooting tricks:
Disable your ad- and pop-up blocking software.
Double check to see if YouTube.com is blocked by your firewall or other security program.
Poke around and see if another app -- Quicktime, iTunes, Real Player, or Windows Media Player -- has taken over as the default streaming application. Do that from Windows Explorer, Tools, Folder Options, File Types.
Remove all your cookies using CCleaner. I know, you'll have to log in again on the hundreds of sites you regularly visit, but this just might do the trick.
And listen, for some of you (including my long-suffering wife), there will still be some Flash movies that just don't work, no matter what. As I used to say when I was a therapist, "live with it."
You Like Java?
I realize you're probably exhausted from all the Flash gyrations you've been through, but I have some more for you today. Some of your computing grief could be because of a faulty, or maybe old, Java installation.
If you don't have Java -- a small browser application -- on your PC, all you'll see is a grey screen. And you'll be missing some great things that everyone sees, except you (and once again, my still-suffering wife).
You can verify if you have Java, or if you have the latest version, on the official Java testing page. If you don't, download and install the application. Be careful during the installation and uncheck the OpenOffice.org installer (unless you want that, too). You'll also want to uncheck the MSN toolbar option.
Once installed, right click on the icon in the System Tray, choose Open Control Panel, select the Advanced tab, click the minus sign in front of Miscellaneous, and uncheck "Place Java Icon in system tray."
You've come this far, you might as well take another minute to test your ActiveX installation. The PC Pitstop test checks to see whether you have your browser properly configured to download, authenticate, install, and display ActiveX controls, and manipulate them with JavaScript.
Product of the Week
If you spend any time in airports with a notebook on your lap, I don't have to tell you how hot the silly thing gets. I've tried, and even recommended, a couple of cooling devices to place under the notebook. The difficulty has always been size and weight, not to mention price.
The other day ThermaPAK sent me their HeatShift pad that actually moves the heat from the notebook to the guy sitting next to you at the airport. Serves him right for sitting so close, you know?
The pad uses "cooling crystals" that start in a solid crystal state and absorb heat through conduction. After a while, the inside of the pad changes from a solid to a liquid and continues to cool the notebook by convection. Compared to resting the notebook on, say, a wooden desk, they claim to reduce the temperature at the bottom of the notebook by about 6 degrees. Technicians at Bass International Labs don't have a way to test that, however, it was evident the bottom of my notebook was cooler than usual.
The pad rolls up when you're not using it, weighs 23 ounces, and is about half an inch thick. The 15 inch model costs about $30 and is available on Amazon.
What I'm Reading
"How to Be a Geek Goddess" is Christina Tynan-Wood's foray into the mysteries of women in computing. The premise is that woman don't need to either feel overwhelmed by PCs or be dependent on men to help conquer buying, using, and maintaining a computer. She does it in an engaging, funny, and often snarky way. BTW, Christina's opening line is, "My husband is a pompous ass." She claims to say this with great affection and apparently her husband, Dan, agrees with the description. About $14 on Amazon.
"Citizen Vince" by Jess Walter is a fast-paced, smartly written, and intelligent mystery. Amazon sells used copies for $8, but I'm sure it's available at the library.
Holy Mackerel
The Consumer Electronics Show, the big trade show known as CES and held every January, is having troubles. There's a drop in exhibitors and even with hotels dropping their room rates ($250 instead of $350. Nice, huh?), lots of journalists aren't attending. USA Today is saying there's a 10 percent drop in exhibitor space and attendance is down 8 percent.
It's the economy and it's affecting me, too. It's the first CES I've missed in years. Instead, we have a house sitter and are taking the Roadtrek and the dogs on a road trip to New Mexico to do a little birding.
TechBite: On Vacation
Yep, it's true. Unless I find the motivation to write a newsletter while on the road (always a possibility, but rarely a probability), the next time you'll see me is on January 21. Send your complaints directly to Human Resources at Bass International. E-mail address and phone number to follow.
Time Wasters
I love clever videos and "notebook" is spot on. As you watch, it's hard to tell what's video, art, or both. You might even watch twice (I did). Very cool.
The question is simple: At a quick glace, is Emily real or not? To my eye, she's about as life-like as any animation I've seen and the technology will have a tremendous effect on gaming, not to mention those SAG actors who decide to walk off the job. You can read some of the background in a Silicon Valley blog. BTW, before you start howling and send me e-mail (remember, I'm on vacation), despite my best efforts, this Flash animation may not play on your PC. Why, you ask? From what I understand, there's a bug in the SWF file on AMD's site. Or maybe they want it to play just on PCs with an AMD processor.
Coming to a pub near you, a little something extra that'll probably cost just another buck or two.
Target Women is an ongoing piece on Current TV's weekly television show, infoMania. The host, Sarah Haskins, blasts her way through the dopey ways mainstream media reaches out to women. Watch Chick Flicks and if you find it funny, watch more here.
This game's easy. (Ha!) Just click the ball.
Finally, here's a game that once again proves that you don't always need lots of synapses -- or even brain cells -- to win. Dig into this game of snowcraft and listen to the kids giggle.
Here's Yet Another Flash
That's right, another flash, but this one is about the flash of pleasure you'll get when you forward this newsletter to someone who's complained about YouTube videos not playing. If you do it right now, all your Flash movies will work forever. If nothing else, send them the link to the signup page: http://www.techbite.com
_____________________
Steve Bass is on the road for a week, watching birds and trying to get 16 mpg on his Roadtrek (ha!). Send him your snarky mail here: feedback
The publisher and Content Officer for TechBite is Steve Bass, and the guy still writes an occasional piece for PC World as a so-called contributing editor. He's also the author of -- wait, I have a new pitch: Now that the stores are finished with Christmas and redecorating for Valentines Day, nothing says I love you better than a copy of PC Annoyances instead of the usual candy, jewelry or expensive dinner. It's still available on Amazon
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