There is a simple way to install NewsGator for MCE in Meedio. The only functionality that I can not get to work is to let NewsGator remember my login and password (now fixed, see note further down), and to play media files from feeds that include these types of files. I can see that NewsGator runs a command called “doPlayMedia” in explorer when I try to play video. I have no idea if it is possible to let the video open in mediaplayer or something like that.

Click here for the original picture

Update feb. 16 2005

I have now found the solution to the login problem.

The problem was the URL I have used:
http://www.newsgator.com/ngs/subscriber/mce/login.aspx

So, as you can see, no matter how much the password is stored in a cookie, I still actually ask for the login page…

So, I changed the URL that I launch from Meedio to:
http://www.newsgator.com/ngs/subscriber/mce/feeds.aspx

…and I don’t have to login every time!

This is how you configure NewsGator MCE for Meedio:

1. Create a Program Module

2. Program to launch: Internet Explorer
(Most likely: “C:Program FilesInternet Exploreriexplore.exe”)

3. Parameters:
“-k http://www.newsgator.com/ngs/subscriber/mce/feeds.aspx”
(Edited from: “-k http://www.newsgator.com/ngs/subscriber/mce/login.aspx”)

Of course you also have to make an account with NewsGator at http://www.newsgator.com (The free account is enough).

…and you are done!

Sent from: Eirik Solheim

Imagine how it would be to check your mail like this: You have to open a web browser and go to a specific URL to check if you have any new meesages from Friend A. Then you have to go to another page to check for messages from Friend B, then you have to go to another page for Friend C, then…

Click here for the original picture

This is approximately how you browse the web for news if you don’t use any special tools. Check into BBC.co.uk, then check CNN.com, then check…

Using RSS-feeds is an extremely effective way to browse news on the web. I found this article explaining some of the issues, and recommending a great tool: RSS Bandit: Brandon Fuller on RSS-feeds

Edit:
Another great introduction to RSS here.

Edit2:
You find links to my feeds and a way to sign up for my email update here.

Personally, I am using Bloglines for all the RSS feeds I subscribe to. In addition to this I have the most important feeds on my Netvibes startpage.

I found this great addition to the now palaying screen in Meedio posted by “shoko” on the forum:

NowPlaying.screen

Just replace the NowPlaying.screen file in the theme you are using. The button that toggles visualization will be expanded with “Information” and “Lyrics”.

You can read the original post here:
Enhanced Now Playing screen

Update, january 27. 2005:
The extremely kind PERL-guru Kenneth Raknes has helped me with some updates on the script. It is now uploaded and the link in this post points to the new version. See the file itself for a description of the bug fixes.

Original post:
I found an excellent script made by Yoz and Ben Milleare. This script makes a special blog for mobile posts, a moblog. What I wanted was simply the possibility to post to my regular blog by mail or MMS from my mobile phone and any E-mail client. I also wanted the possibility to post more than pictures. If I send a video file or a sound clip from my mobile phone, it is saved on the server and a link to the file is made in the post.

I also wanted it to support the special characters that we use in Norway.

So, I started editing the script, made some progress, but because of my lack of PERL-skills I soon needed some help. After some serious help from Trond Isaksen and Kenneth Raknes we got the script working the way I want. It is still messy, but it should not be too difficult to set up.

You can find the edited script here:
Link to edited mt-moblog script

You need to edit the following lines:
30 – insert the correct path to your MT-installation
45, 46, 47 – Insert the correct blog-id, author-id and category-id
81 – Insert the POP-server you will use
86 – Insert the POP user and password

You might want to edit these lines:
157, 158 – Width and height of thumbnail picture
206, 207 – HTML-code for the post itself

This is an example of a post that is made by mail:
Link to post done by mail

You need a folder to store the attached files, for my setup that is a folder called “images” in the same folder that the blog is kept. The script makes a new time stamped folder for each mail that comes in. All MIME-objects is saved in these folders.

This is the corresponding folder for the post mentioned above:
Folder with picture, thumbnail, text-file and HTML

Because I used Outlook to post this entry there is a HTML-file in the folder. The script always use the text-version of the mail.

Please feel free to use the script and contact me if you have problems.

Here is Ben’s original post about his version of the script:
MT-Moblog HOW-TO

And here is more information on posting to MT by email:
Problem: PostByEmail

If you install a little program called mpegable DS decoder you can play video and audio clips from your mobile phone on your PC without using QuickTime. It works very well, and lets me even open my 3GP-files in Sony Vegas Video for editing and reencoding.

You can find it here:
mpegable DS decoder

Install the Meedio Helper Plugin
Activate it under “Full Time Plugins”
Thanks to Jelle Hissink for the Meedio Helper Plugin!

Find the screen-file for the RSS detailed screen, most likely found here:
C:Program FilesMeedioMeedio EssentialspluginsimportRss

…and named “RSS.screen”

Open it in notepad and exchange the following code:
standard=”execute” program=”iexplore.exe” params=”-k {file}” window=”maximized”

With this code:
message=”meedio-helper.command.open-url” url=”{file}”

Thanks to Sannie for the code!

…and off you go. The full story opens in the Meedio Browser Plugin.

Suddenly I realised that my blogs started to look quite empty if I did not post anything for the 7 days that Movable Type was configured to show. To correct this I have changed a line in the main index template of my blogs:

Change this line:
MTEntries

to:
MTEntries lastn=”15″

Set up the following view in Media Library – Music – Views:

#,Group by,Function,Mode,Sort by,Sort type,Sort Ascending
1 Artist, index, index, , ,true
2 Artist, , , , ,true
3 Album, ,images, , ,true
4 , ,album-tracks,Track,int,true

How it looks like in the configuration tool

As you can see here, the index automatically selects the letters that is necessary for your collection. This screen shot is from my laptop, where I have a very limited collection…

What I wanted to do was to map the FireFly-key on my FireFly-remote to a command that would both set focus and bring Meedio to the foreground (because I have had problems with Meedio loosing focus after changing the volume through Girder).

The SetFocus command in Girder did set the focus, but did not bring the Meedio-window to the foreground.

So I found SendFocus here:
SendFocus.rar

…in this thread in the Girder forum:
http://www.promixis.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5600&highlight=sendfocus

I could not access SendFocus.exe properly from Girder, so I made a BAT-file with the following command:
C:ScriptSendFocus.exe “Meedio Essentials”

In Girder I call the BAT-file from a Execute command found under the “O.S.”-tab.