I’ve had issues with Time Machine in the past, nothing I couldn’t work with though. Lately I saw someone on twitter having issues, not being able to backup.

I’ve had similar issues before and here’s a technique I’ve used to fix TM so that it can backup again.

If you know anything about me you’ll know I am a big fan of Don and his work with ScreenCastsOnline and he was a big inspiration in this podcast. I am definitely not trying to take business away from him and have no intention of trying. For one his production qualities are awesome and secondly I just don’t have the time. Not to mention I actually like my job at the moment. But his production methods are something I definitely want to emulate.

That all said I’d thought I’d post my workflow on how I recorded the latest episode of the podcast. Not only is it to share with you all, but I really need to record this for my own sanity. I spent the better part of the day yesterday messing with this all until I finally got it the way I wanted it. My inspiration came from a post on Don’s blog.

1. Set resolution of screen – (1152 x 720)

2. Use Screenflow to record the segments. I do about 5-10 minutes per segment. If I make a mistake I just redo the action while still recording. If I botch up pretty bad I just start all over and scrap the segment.

3. I edit the segments in Screenflow, adding any callouts using the built in tools in the app, edit out any bad bits

4. export from Screenflow using these settings:

5. I then convert these segments using MPEG Streamclip to AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec) to prep for import into Final Cut Express (FCE) using these settings:

6. Open Final Cut Express and set the sequence properties to AIC 720p25:

7. import all the segments, audio files and graphics into FCE. Place segments in timeline, do text overlays, editing, tweaking, etc…

8. when podcast is complete in FCE, I then export as Quicktime movie: File -> Export -> Quicktime movie:

9. The exported movie is quite large if you did this right – 2-4GB in size and should be at the resolution of 1280×720 with no distortion of the video. I had issues at one time where the video was a tiny box in a big border of black .. ick!

10. I then Open MPEG Streamclip again and use this to export to the desktop and iPod versions of the podcast.

11. for the desktop version I use the following settings:

Note: I set the quality to 100% and the frame rate at 12. Also ensure the resolution stays at 1280×720.

If you did this right, the file should be near 100-130gb in size and 1280×720 resolution and look very good in quality.

12. for the iPod version I use the following settings:

Note: the resolution is 640 x 360 and the framerate is 12. If you click the iTunes Button it will give you a list of preset formats, this is how I chose the iPod format (this is the Hi-Res setting).

13. So if it all worked to this point, you have 2 versions of the same podcast (screencast) one for desktop and one for iPod

14. I then upload the files to Libsyn using cyberduck FTP client

15. after the files are updated I create the “blog” post and attach the files – I do one post for the desktop version and one for the iPod version.

16. I then update the website using RapidWeaver and upload.

17. I then create a thread in the forums.

18. lastly I go into iTunes and verify my feed looks correct.

19. I pimp the podcast via twitter, chat, voice whatever means needed.

I hope this helps anyone who had questions. If you still need anything, as always just ask.

-M

My son and I explain Tweetdeck to a friend:

I figured out a way to get a transcript for your chats – it’s easy, but not the most elegant.

Use your IRC client of choice – obviously you want it to be able to save transcripts.

Open the client and create a new connection:

server: chat1.ustream.tv
port: 6667
username & password: I think you need both, not sure

then when you connect, type /j “room name”

for example /j nosillacast-mac-podcast

now you are in the chat room – let the irc client run in the background and then save the transcript after the show
post to a web page for archiving

The two screenshots below are for Linkinus

This week I’ve teamed up with The Geek Media Network, this will offer my podcast more exposure to a larger audience. I’ve also rewritten the podcast description. While my focus remains using your mac as a replacement for that crummy pc that your work gives you, I’ll also focus on anything IT or productivity related. One week it might be using your mac as a firewire drive and the next week it could be an overview of David Allen’s GTD system. As always I am still open to suggestions, thoughts and comments. I hope to crank out shows at a more constant rate in the coming months, also I am going to be doing more video podcasts.

Lastly, keep an eye on on my youtube channel – coming soon with all my screencasts!