Downloading Video Clips from the Web: Techniques & Tips

The Internet offers a practically inexhaustible supply of fascinating video clips that can be used to stimulate discussions in forums like Befinity. With this in mind, I thought I would share some of what I have learned about ways of downloading videos.

Firstly, if you’re running a group similar to Befinity and are looking for some interesting video resources, I suggest that you check out the following link:

http://www.awakening-intuition.com/movies_documentaries.html

It provides an impressive list of spiritually-oriented videos, ranging in duration from a few minutes to a few hours. Most links are accompanied by at least some info about the video content. Other sites worth checking out are http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/ and http://dprogram.net/ Be warned though, some of their content is highly controversial and discretion is advised.

It's perhaps worth noting that the quality of clips downloaded from the Web varies quite a lot and if you use a data projector to show the videos at discussion group meetings, you may find that the resolution is poor. However,  since the primary aim of the exercise is not to provide entertainment but rather to present material as a basis for discussion, the quality of the image is usually not a big issue.

As far as software for downloading YouTube and other video/audio clips is concerned, I’ve had success with a few different options, described below. I’ve found that they don't all work for all requirements, so I've tried to outline the key differences between them:

1.     Orbit Downloader: http://www.orbitdownloader.com/ This is really useful for downloading videos from a range of sources, such as YouTube, Google Video & TED (www.ted.com). Once you've downloaded it, it becomes automatically active in Internet Explorer; it doesn't seem to work in Firefox, however. All you have to do is move the cursor over the video window and a little 'Getit' icon appears; click on the icon and the ‘Create New Download’ window appears; wait till the file size appears, then click Download. Video file sizes are generally quite large – in MB rather than KB – so if the size is measured in KB, it probably means that Getit hasn't selected the correct file to download and you'll have to use the Grab++ option, as explained in next paragraph.

If you find that the file size info doesn't appear in the download window, or the size of the file that it wants to download is small (i.e. in KB rather than MB), then you won’t be able to download the video directly with Getit. If this happens, go to the main Orbit page, click on Tools and open the Grab++ utility. You'll be instructed to refresh the page that you're trying to download from. Once you’ve done that you’ll probably see a number of different files appear in the Grab++ window. Look for the file that seems most likely to be the video file – it’s usually easy to distinguish, because it’s measured in MB rather than KB. Highlight it and click Download. The Create New Download window should then open.

One of the features I like about Orbit, which is not available with the other downloaders I’ve worked with (refer below), is that you can pause a download and continue it at a later time, even if you disconnect from the internet and close the programme. Similarly, if your internet connection is unstable and the download fails, you can usually continue with it once your connection is satisfactory, simply by retrieving it from the ‘Inactive’ folder and clicking on ‘Start’.

Problems with Orbit Downloader: At one stage, after having used Orbit successfully for a good many months, I encountered a problem with downloading YouTube clips, characterised by the fact that the file size usually appeared as 1.7MB. On investigation, I came across a claim in a chat forum that this was a deliberate strategy by YouTube to make it difficult for Orbit (and presumably other download tools) to download YouTube clips. The problem prompted me to look for alternative downloaders (described in 2 & 3, below), although it subsequently disappeared when I got a new notebook.

2.    Easy YTD: In view of the ‘1.7MB’ problem I encountered with Orbit, I followed the advice of one of the correspondents in the above-mentioned forum and downloaded Easy YouTube Downloader (EasyYTD), which is designed specifically to work with Firefox

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/easy-youtube-video-downl-10137/.

I find that it works really well, and it gives you a range of file format options; the Download button appears automatically below the YouTube video. Once you make your selection, it opens the Firefox download window and starts the download. It is usually possible to pause downloads and resume them later, but only if you keep Firefox open. If your internet connection is unstable, it is advisable to pause any downloads you're busy with and then resume them once the connection is stable again; if you continue trying to download and the internet connection fails, you will have to start the download from scratch. The disadvantage of Easy YTD is that it seems to be limited to YouTube clips only.

3.    YouTube Downloader: This is available from

  http://download.cnet.com/YouTube-Downloader/3000-2071_4-10647340.html?tag=api&tag=nl.t700

      It is apparently designed to work with a variety of other video types (e.g. Vimeo), in addition to YouTube. I have thus far used it only for YouTube videos and, in my experience, it works well. Unlike Orbit and EAsy YTD, however, it's not automatically active, so you have to open the software each time you want to use it. The primary disadvantage is that any break in the internet connection of more than a few seconds will result in a failure of the download, irrespective of whether you've paused the download or not. So you will have to start again from scratch, even if you had almost completed the download. In other words, it’s best used only when you have a really solid internet connection.

4.    TED Talks / iTunes: Many TED talks (www.ted.com) can be saved, using the download option provided beneath the video window. You’ll be offered the option of saving the file either to your desktop or to iTunes. TED videos that don't have the download button can be saved using Orbit Downloader and played with the VLC player.

If you don’t have iTunes software, it can be downloaded free of charge from

http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

 

Important note about playing video clips: YouTube clips are downloaded in FLV format (i.e. file extension is .flv) and, as such, they don't play in Windows Media Player (as far as I know). The solution is simply to download a FLV player, and for this I recommend the

VLC Media Player, available at www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html.

It's an extremely useful, versatile video player, compatible with various file formats, and is very quick and easy to download and install. For a little more info about FLV files see:

www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/how_to_play_flv_files.cfm

 

MP4 is another common video file format. These files can be played in Windows Media Player and iTunes video player, as well as the VLC player.

Suggested Topics

The site statistics of the Befinity blog show that the post which consistently attracts the most hits is Suggested Topics (posted September 10, 2009). I suspect, however, that the majority of those who have viewed the post to-date were disappointed. It was the very first post on the Befinity blog and comprises nothing more than a cursory list of generic ideas that I drew up when I was putting the Befinity concept together in July/August 2009.

In view of the fact that the 'Topics' post continues to attract regular hits, I have decided to prepare an updated list, including both an expanded version of the original suggested topics list, as well as a schedule of subjects covered in the past year or so. While this obviously won’t cover all topics discussed since Befinity’s inception, it will be a considerable improvement on what’s been available on the blog to-date.

Unfortunately, however, it is taking me longer than hoped to put together the list of topics covered in the past year (the info must be extracted from the meeting announcements), so I have decided to post what I have managed to compile thus far, and to append additional info as and when I get the opportunity to do so.

LIST OF SUGGESTED TOPICS (EXPANDED):

·         Keys to the awakening of consciousness (what are the kinds of experiences and ideas that cause significant shifts in consciousness?)
·         Past Lives and Life Between Lives
·         Near Death Experiences
·         Angels & Guides
·         Healing & Psychic Gifts
·         Healing Modalities (acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine, chiropractic, aromatherapy, homeopathy, reiki and energy healing, reflexology, kinesiology, naturopathy, body talk, biokinetics, journey work, etc)
·         Holistic Living Modalities (yoga, pilates, diet and nutrition, feng shui, etc.)
·         Meditation techniques
·         Spiritual Wellness (e.g. self-love, the power of the mind, affirmations, etc)
·         Science and Spirituality
·         The Great Religious Traditions
·         The Lost Books of the Bible
·         Other Spiritual Knowledge Systems (e.g. shamanic traditions, etc)
·         Relationships
·         Revealing Beauty (an opportunity for group members to share the things that arouse a profound sense of wonder and appreciation in them  – a beautiful poem or piece of music, etc)
·         Hypnotherapy
·         Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
·         Astrology
·         Numerology and/or the Human Pin Code
·         Psychotherapy (especially whether it has a role to play in spiritual awakening)
·         Gender issues in contemporary spirituality (e.g. re-emergence of the ‘goddess’ and balancing of feminine and masculine energies)
·         Indigo and Crystal Children
·         UFOs and Extraterrestrials

SUBJECTS COVERED SINCE APRIL 2011:

These are listed in the order in which they were presented. Where possible, I have included references and/or weblinks that will enable readers to access the resources used or to find out more about the subject.

·         Topic: “Conscious Intention: Transforming Your Physical Reality”. Talk by Dr John Demartini.

o   Format: DVD (available from http://www.drdemartini.com/products/type/dvds)

·         Topic: Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action (the quest for a fusion between spirituality and activism). Documentary by Velcrow Ripper.

o   Format: DVD (see www.fiercelight.org)

·         Topic: Emotional Clearing As A Way Of Opening To Your Authentic Self. Talk by Rod Edwards.

o   Format: Invited Speaker (http://uuconsultants.wordpress.com/)

·         Topic: Gary Renard, Author of ‘Disappearance of the Universe’ (a great introduction to A Course In Miracles). Interview by Alan Steinfeld.

o   Format: A series of Youtube clips (total duration approximately 35 minutes; series starts at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSO3SysWQus)

·         Topic: Does God Have A Future? Talk by Colleen Trotter on commonly held ideas about God and whether they are relevant in today’s world.

o   Format: Invited Speaker

·         Topic: Finding Your Life’s Purpose. Talk by Eckhart Tolle

o   Format: DVD (see http://www.eckharttolle.com/)

·         Topic: A Course In Miracles – The Movie. A film that blends interviews with leading teachers in the ACIM community.

o   Format: DVD (see http://nonduality.org/2010/07/12/a-course-in-miracles-the-movie/)

·         Topic: The Ethics of Money – Finding a Spiritual Perspective. Discussion based on first 25 minutes of video ‘Zeitgeist Addendum’.

o   Format: DVD (see http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/)

·         Topic: The Secret Sayings of Jesus in the Gnostic Gospels. Talk by Colleen Trotter on what scholars of the historical search for Jesus say about Him.

o   Format: Invited speaker

·         Topic: TRE [Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises] (see http://traumaprevention.com/). Talk by TRE practitioner, Brigitte Peel.

o   Format: Invited Speaker

The End-Date of the Maya Calendar: Remarkably Good Timing!

We are currently in the midst of a series of discussions regarding the '2012 phenomenon', and at our next Befinity (Hillcrest) meeting will be examining some of the ideas around the 'apocalyptic' perspective. Our intention, however, is not to promote a sensationalist view. This may be necessary to sell magazines and movies, but it’s not particularly helpful to those who are looking for a balanced, undramatised perspective. Our aim is rather to provide some insight into how the whole story has emerged, and thus to bring the hype 'back down to size', as it were.

The most important question to ask, in my opinion, is WHY is it happening? Is it because there really is some kind of looming threat? Or is it a kind of collective cry for help? Is it perhaps the case that we, as a species, are feeling more vulnerable, more threatended, more powerless than ever before, and need desperately to believe in some kind of intervention by some kind of higher power, whether from within or without?

We are continuously bombarded by messages of imminent environmental, economic and social collapse, and there is a pervasive sense that we don't have the answers. Could the various voices of the 2012 phenomenon - whether they say that disaster is upon us, or that we will be 'saved' by a transformation of consciousness - thus be nothing more than the expression of our collective mind, trying frantically to make something tangible and, in some cases at least, hopeful, out of our ill-defined, but terrifying fears? In this view, the end-date of the Maya Calendar simply becomes a conveniently timed 'crystallization point', around which the whole phenomenon has taken shape.

Perhaps, in the end, the why doesn't matter however. Perhaps the only thing that matters is that the vast amount of 'noise' around the 2012 phenomenon has served as a global rallying call to those who care about transformation - personal, social, economic and environmental. It's a call without precedent, which has reached all corners of the global village, in a way that would not have been possible 20 years ago. So, whichever way you look at it, the timing of the end-date of the Maya Calendar must be seen as remarkable.

From Mother Nature With Love: Permaculture

At the Befinity meeting last Thursday (26th January 2012), permaculture and sustainable development consultant Ezio (“Buzz”) Gori gave an outstanding presentation entitled:

The Relevance of Permaculture to Mitigate Climate Change and the Onset of Peak Oil

At the beginning of the meeting, I read a couple of extracts from the Editorial in the November/December 2011 issue of Odyssey Magazine (www.odysseymagazine.co.za), which are well worth repeating here:

“....there can surely be no question any longer that we really are on the brink of melting the planet down. Now, as far as the planet itself goes, that’s no big deal – Earth has been both much hotter and much colder than currently and many species have come and gone during all that change, but the planet itself was just fine. If a bunch of species die out, new ones will be along shortly (in geological-evolutionary time) to replace them. If we really screw things up, most, even all, of us may die. But the planet will be good. And then some other species will fill our shoes, perhaps literally, even if that takes some millions of years. No problem. Except for us, that is."

and a bit further on....

".....can a species capable of becoming utterly dominant on a planet to the point where it is the definition of a plague, then turn that dominance around and become one with its own source of life and nurturance? That’s the big question we’re being asked – not by God or some other-worldly beings, but by ourselves. Our own success has become our challenge. And in overcoming that challenge, in mastering our own self-destructive ways of being, we’ll be the better for that”

After giving a short introduction to permaculture and explaining how his passionate interest in it came about, Buzz screened an inspirational documentary entitled: The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (see www.powerofcommunity.org). This was followed by an animated discussion, which concluded with the agreement that this was not a subject that should be relegated to the realms of academic interest, but warranted ongoing action. It was also agreed, of course, that without leadership the action is unlikely to gain any meaningful momentum. Whether anyone will step forward to take leadership remains to be seen.

For anyone living in South Africa (especially KwaZulu-Natal) who wants to learn how to go about it, Buzz offers courses on Permaculture, which are highly recommended. To find out more, go to www.permaculture2012.co.za or contact Buzz on +27 83 300 2385 or Skype (ezio.gori).

At the request of the Befinity group, Buzz provided a list of relevant weblinks for those with an interest in learning more about earthcare and sustainable living:

• British Permaculture www.permaculture.org.uk

• GAIA Education www.gaiaeducation.org

• Community Solutions www.communitysolution.org

• Global Footprint Network www.footprintnetwork.org

• New Economics Foundation www.neweconomics.org

• Post Carbon Institute www.postcarbon.org

• Transition Culture www.transitionculture.org

Setting Up A Spiritual Discussion Group

For anyone who might be interested in setting up a Befinity-type group, here’s a general idea of what’s required:

• LEADERSHIP: Someone who will take full responsibility for keeping the group going. This includes planning, coordinating of resources, communicating with group members, record keeping, etc. A key function of the group leader is also to select topics for discussion and to lead the discussions during meetings (or to appoint someone who is capable of doing so). Committed and consistent leadership is core to the health of the group.

• VENUE: A suitable meeting place that is available on a regular, reliable basis. Venue cost depends on what the group can afford. To-date, Befinity has operated on a non-commercial basis, so we have always sought venues that are either free-of-charge or at least inexpensive. It’s important to have easy access to the venue at the scheduled meetings times; it’s better to have your own key than to be reliant on a caretaker or security guard.

• TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION: Deciding on topics is usually the responsibility of the group leader; however, members should be encouraged to propose discussion topics and to offer recommendations in regard to speakers or other topic-related resources (DVDs, documentaries, online materials, etc). Topics should be kept relevant to the focus area of the group. This may seem obvious, but when struggling to find suitable speakers or other topic resources, it can be tempting to resort to non-relevant materials. If done too often, it may cause group members to lose interest.

• TOPIC RESOURCES: This refers to the materials that form the basis of group discussions and can include any of the following: guest speakers, DVDs, CDs, video clips or audio tracks downloaded from the internet, books, articles, etc. There is plenty of room to be creative, e.g. have a poetry sharing meeting or a drumming circle, instead of a speaker or DVD. With regard to downloading materials from the internet, it is necessary to have the required software (I currently use Orbit Downloader) or to have access to someone with the requisite skills. Finding suitable materials online can be quite a challenge; as a useful starting point, I would suggest the following webpage: http://www.awakening-intuition.com/movies_documentaries.html. A list of the topics covered in Befinity meetings in the past 12-18 months will be published on this blog in the near future.

• MEETING STRUCTURE: It is up to the group leader to decide how the meetings should be structured. As one example, Befinity meetings are presently structured as follows; the approximate duration of each segment is shown in parentheses:

• Welcome (2 minutes): Especially to first-timers and to guest speaker, if applicable;
• Short time of ‘centering’ (10 minutes): This may take the form of a 5-10 minute guided meditation or any other kind of relaxation exercise that helps the group members to release the tensions built up during the day and become present. This is particularly important if the group meets mid-week, as members often come to the meetings after a busy work day. A favourite at Befinity meetings is to bring the group into a state of loving, energetic harmony, using the ‘heart coherence’ technique developed by the Institute of Heartmath (see http://www.heartmath.com/personal-use/quick-coherence-technique.html), and then to direct the group energy towards a specific focus (this is modelled on the Global Coherence Initiative’s ‘Care Focus’ practice; see http://www.glcoherence.org/participate/care-focus-current-and-archived.html).
• Topic focus and discussion (90 minutes): This is the main part of the meeting, during which time the topic is presented (guest speaker, DVD, etc) and discussed. In general, discussions are best held over to the end. Allowing questions and discussions during the course of the topic presentation can be disruptive to the flow of information delivery. However, depending on the speaker and/or nature of the material being presented, it can sometimes be appropriate; the group leader should use her/his discretion in this regard.
• Refreshments (open-ended): At the end of Befinity meetings, tea, coffee and biscuits are available to group members who wish to stay and enjoy a time of fellowship (usually the majority). This has proven to be an important element of the life of the group. Holding the refreshments break midway through the meeting is an alternative option, but can be disruptive to the flow of the meeting.

• EQUIPMENT: The type of equipment available to the group determines the range of media that can be used in meetings. A laptop connected to speakers and a data projector is the ideal set-up, as this provides the versatility to handle DVDs, video and audio clips, and slideshow presentations. A flipchart and/or whiteboard are also recommended.

• COMMUNICATIONS: Group members must be kept adequately informed about upcoming topics, changes to the meeting schedule, etc. At least 1-2 weeks advance notice is recommended in regard to upcoming topics. The majority of communications can be done via email; the group leader must therefore maintain a current list of member email addresses. A contact details form can be circulated during the meetings or placed on the refreshments table for first-time attendees. As the mailing list grows, it may become advisable to make use of a bulk mailing system for distribution of emails. It is also recommended that the group leader maintain an up-to-date list of members’ mobile phone numbers; in the event of a last minute meeting cancellation, it is preferable to communicate via SMS than email. Facebook groups and blogs provide an additional means of communicating with group members and the wider online community about the activities of the group.

• RECORD KEEPING: An up-to-date schedule of member contact details and a list of possible topics, with corresponding resources, are important for ensuring the smooth functioning of the group. It is also worthwhile to maintain a record of past meeting topics; in the event of a change of group leadership, it would be helpful to the new group leader to know what topics have been already been covered and in what way.

• REFRESHMENTS: The type of refreshments provided is a matter for the group leader or the group as a whole to decide. Stocks should be appropriate for the size of the group and must be regularly checked and refreshed.

• ATTENDANCE FEE: This can be determined at the discretion of the group leader, on the basis of what group members are willing to pay and how much time and effort she/he is willing to put in without compensation; however, it should at least be sufficient to cover the costs of the venue, the refreshments and any other direct costs incurred by the group leader in maintaining the group.