Zoom Collaboration

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-03 06:48:05

Today is Zoom day for NewMars...

The regularly scheduled time is Midnight UTC, 7 PM Houston, 8 PM Eastern.

Topics that I think might come up include:

1) Further work on the little Post inside Topic script
2) Recovery of email capability for forum
3) GW Johnson course is finished and ready for (a) students (b) publication (c) eBook
4) Large Ship progress report, with a new participant to help with Blender models
5) Python animation of orbits progress
6) Golf ball diesel engine piston design

Other topics are welcome.

To connect to the Zoom, please use one of the links in Post #1 of this topic.

I expect to have the Waiting Room set up after 23:30 UTC and before midnight.

(th)

kbd512 · 2023-09-03 16:40:06

tahanson43206,

I won't be able to attend tonight. I'm going with my wife and kids to visit her relatives.

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-03 17:00:36

For kbd512 Re #527

Thanks for the heads up! Best wishes for safe travels and an enjoyable evening!

Last week I sent you another try at the little script to pull post ID's by topic ID.

In addition, I've been testing the email service all week, and all tries have failed until today. I got two out of three tries. You and SpaceNut were included in the test. If you did something to fix the email service, thank you!

***
For anyone who might be interested in this evening's Zoom, the login link is provided in Post #1 of this topic.

I'll have the Waiting Room set up after 23:30 UTC, and will check to see if there are folks waiting at midnight sharp.

The Waiting Room is set up, and I am on site a bit early.
Update at Midnight UTC + 6 minutes .... I just installed Blender 3.6.2 to this Linux box.
This is quite a step up from the last time I worked with Blender.
I tested the installation by saving the default cube, rotating it, and saving the rotated version.
After closing Blender, I re-opened the program and it showed the two cubes as "Recent Files"
It appears to be working normally.

An hour has passed and no one has dropped in on the Zoom session.

That is not a problem. I've been busy working on configuration of Blender on this Ubuntu system.

I'm about to add a launch icon to the Desktop, with a bit of coaching from ChatGPT(4).

With any luck (and the creek don't rise) the Zoom will be available again next week.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-09 15:13:49

Early reminder ... tomorrow is Zoom day at NewMars...

We have a lot going on, so the Zoom is available to review plans - deal with issues - bring folks up to date

RobertDyck is preparing to give an update on Large Ship at the October Convention

GW Johnson has a couple of (possible) nibbles for the course on Basic Orbital Mechanics

The web site is in need of activity to move toward conversion from FluxBB to phpBB ...

There may be other activities / interests to discuss...

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-10 06:49:13

Today is Zoom day for NewMars...

The Waiting Room was given a quick run this morning, and everything seems to be working.

Login links are provided in Post #1 of this topic.

The Waiting Room will be set up shortly after 23:30 UTC, and the meeting will start (if all goes well) at midnight UTC.

Items that may come up include:

1) Viewlist php file for forum upgrade project
2) email not working reliably
3) RobertDyck planning to present at Mars Convention in October
4) Possible Press Release for Basic Orbital Mechanics course

Safety First vs Mission First

Two very different and incompatible priorities, at perpetual war with each other.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-10 18:00:25

Today's Zoom is set up and ready to go.

I'll keep the room open for an hour, in case someone stops by.

(th)

RobertDyck · 2023-09-10 18:32:55

Says you. When I try to connect, it says "We've let them know you're here" and spins. Shows a screen shot of someone's desktop, time read 9:32 when I connected at 7:29pm Central time (3 minutes ago).

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-10 18:44:53

My apologies! The Zoom screen shows there is someone in the Waiting room with a small display at the top of the screen. There is no audio signal available. kbd512 and I were talking and somehow I missed seeing the Waiting Room signal. The best remedy I can think of is to make kbd512 a co-host as soon as he logs in, so we can have two people watching for folks in the Waiting Room.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-10 22:24:40

Update past midnight local time ...

The Zoom meeting was still in progress after I finished chores here.

Here are some changes I'm interested in making for the next and future meetings...

We have done enough of these so they should proceed smoothly, but as this evening's experience with RobertDyck waiting 10 minutes to be admitted shows, there are clearly changes needed.

Part of the problem is logistical, and I am addressing that .... The Chromebook that I set up as the Waiting Room is upstairs, and the Zoom site is in the basement, where I have computers set up that are able to handle the workload. Today I ordered a replacement for the Chromebook, which was built in 2015 and which expired for updates in 2020. It still works, but without updates, it is starting to show issues whem advanced services try to run on it. I'[ll install the new Chromebook upstairs, and bring the old one downstairs.

The issue that must be handled that impacted RobertDyck's long wait was that I had NOT given kbd512 co-host powers, so he was unable to see the visual signal that we had a guest in the Waiting Room, and ** I ** missed it for ten long minutes, even though it was right there on the screen. I have checked, but apparently there is no audio signal for alerting the host when a guest enters the Waiting room! Apparently there ** was ** such an alert in the past, but it was for everyone coming or going, and apparently that was annoying, so it was removed. I have submitted a request for an audio alert for folks entering the Waiting room, but have little hope anything will come of the request. it turns out others have made the same request long ago, and nothing has happened.

In addition! I should have had the NewMars screen up so I could monitor the Active list. Had I had the NewMars page up, and if I had been clicking the Active button periodically, then I would have seen RobertDyck's message.

At the moment, I am not aware of a way to automatically trigger a refresh of the Active list on the NewMars page, but there might be a tool available that would perform that service. It's even possible that the Web Browser Automation package could perform that task, if I give it some thought.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-17 08:34:55

Today is Zoom Day for NewMars ...

We will have the waiting room open some time after 23:30 UTC, and before midnight.

In order to improve flow a bit, I've moved the base station closer to the work station I use for Zooms.

We encountered a problem last week, because I missed the visual signal that RobertDyck was waiting in the Waiting Room.

There is no audio signal (as near as I can tell) to announce someone, so we have to depend upon watching the little blue banner that announces a guest.

A solution is to make kbd512 a co-host as soon as he logs in, and the new equipment arrangement should help with that.

Another issue last week was that I did not have the forum up on a third monitor, so I did not know that RobertDyck had posted there.

That should be easy enough to fix. The only remaining concern is to refresh the view of the Zoom topic in NewMars. I think there may be a way to automate that, and have started thinking about how it might be done. From my reading of Python, I get the impression Python may be able to create an audio signal when someone posts to the Zoom topic. I'll try to work that into my schedule, but it is not at the highest priority.

We have a lot going on ...

1) The forum is to be converted from FluxBB to phpBB ... that is a long process
2) Email is not working ... that needs to be investigated
3) RobertDyck is going to the Convention in October and is working on a Large Ship presentation and possibly another on food
4) GW Johnson has completed his course, and we need to find a way to publicize it

Other?

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-17 11:17:36

I just completed a successful test of equipment in the new configuration. The Base Station is set up off to the side, and it connected and set up normally. The work station connected and a bright blue button appeared on the Base Station. The visitor was admitted with a click. I'll be testing Linux in the work station this evening. In the past the Zoom program failed when I attempted a screen share, but the Zoom program is updated and it may perform better.

There may not be anyone who stops by, but I'll hold the Waiting Room for an hour. I'll set up the Forum on a monitor and check it occasionally to see if anyone is attempting to reach the meeting that way.

We'll have to give up the Zoom in October, when Mars Society will be holding the annual meeting.

As a reminder, all the possible links you might need are listed in Post #1 of this topic. Phone connection works.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-17 17:44:08

The Waiting Room is set up. I'll return at midnight UTC to see if anyone is waiting.

Things are working a bit differently this evening. I've made a lot of changes, so now I have ** two ** participants with the same name "Mars Society Volunteer". Rather than risk everything going offline, I'll just leave things as they are.

Closing Zoom at 20:45 local time. kbd512 stopped by. Ubuntu held up during share screen operations, which was a relief. kbd512 took a look at Blender 3.6.2 and suggested some clicks that I have not tried before, with excellent results. For example, I did not know how to look out the camera, and with a bit of investigating we found the command to permit that.

By next week, with any luck and a bit of time, kbd512 may well have a fully designed space craft to look at.

kbd512 also took a look at the Python orbit program (version 38).

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-24 07:11:56

Today is Zoom Day for NewMars forum.

This is likely to be the last Zoom Day for a while. The Mars Society will need the Zoom to broadcast live presentations at the upcoming Convention in October.

Senior Moderator RobertDyck is scheduled to give an update on his Large Ship design on Thursday October 5th at 5 PM Colorado time.

The session is scheduled in Track 2, Political, Financial and Philosophical.

The other choices of tracks were: Settlement, Technical and Medical

I can understand why the planning committee put the Large Ship talk into the track where it is, but I think it would have been a good fit in Technical.

However, in looking at the technical track, I can see that the competition was strong, and besides, the planning committee had to find ** something ** to put in the political track.

Today's Zoom will start at Midnight UTC as usual.

I'll set up the Waiting Room after 23:30 UTC, and will check for visitors starting at Midnight UTC.

I'll hold the session open for an hour in case someone would like to stop by.

A full set of links is provided in Post #1 of this topic.

I'll set up a display of the forum to see if anyone is posting in this topic.

(th)

kbd512 · 2023-09-24 11:22:31

tahanson43206,

I've been looking into the email issue. My tests are working thus far, sending mail to myself, but that doesn't mean much. If I do get a failure, I then have log messages to look into to see what the problem may be.

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-24 12:56:02

For kbd512 .... Thank you for looking into the email reliability issues ... I suspect the problem is at dreamhost. I believe that FluxBB is reliably sending requests to dreamhost, but (I suspect) many of those are being dropped. I changed the time interval between sends from 1 minute to 5 minutes, and I only got one message today, of 3 sent. A fourth message was sent to SpaceNut, but he has not been reporting on receiving test messages. He may assume the copies he is getting are just the normal ones. I think my tests are reasonably useful in generating data. I am now including the start time in my daily reports. I tried to include UTC but UTC wants a secure environment, which Windows XP is not. I can move the email tests to a windows machine, and will look into that.

Thanks again!
(th)

kbd512 · 2023-09-24 13:50:14

tahanson43206,

I'm sending messages to myself at random intervals, such that it represents normal message traffic.

Are you sending these messages one after the other, in a very short period of time?

If so, then is it possible that DreamHost has a program running that treats the messages like spam or some sort of attack?

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-24 16:38:02

For kbd512 re email reliability...

Thank you for continuing to think about the problem I am seeing.

Your tests are valuable, because they show that the email system works for an Admin, every time the Admin makes a request.

Your observation about timing is appropriate and reasonable.

Here is what I hope will help you avoid going down rabbit holes ... this system worked reliably before the crash we experienced recently.

I have been sending multiple emails in batches timed at 1 per minute for an extended period of time. I can (and no doubt will) go back to see the history of the emails, since they are all recorded in the Email Outreach topic. SpaceNut authorized an email outreach campaign, and I have been working on that ever since.

I just changed the frequency of sends from 1 per minute to 1 per five minutes, and it did not make any difference. We had a successful transmission of all four emails recently, at the 60 second pause rate.

It may help if we could contact someone at dreamhost, if we do not have access to their email send processes.

Follow up: https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 40#p199340

We have been sending batches of four emails at the rate of 1 per minute for over a year.

It is only since we recovered from the recent crash that I am seeing issues. I believe it will ultimately turn out that 1 per minute is a reasonable pace, for a properly functioning queue management service.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-09-24 17:47:05

The Waiting Room is set up and ready for guests. I have the forum on a third monitor, so if someone posts to Zoom Topic I'll see the update when I click on Active, which I'll try to remember to do frequently.

The meeting is underway ... kbd512 and RobertDyck are discussing Large Ship design.

RobertDyck reserved a hotel room for Wednesday night, because his talk is scheduled for 5 PM Thursday.

The hotel is going to be about 2 and half miles from the conference site.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-10-09 12:33:55

This is a nice surprise! Executive Director James Burk has returned the Professional Zoom License for us to use once again.

I went through the set up drill just now, and everything seems to be working properly.

We in NewMars have a lot going on right now, so it is good to have Zoom back.

For Steve Stewart ... please see if you can get Zoom to run on your laptop. I'd be happy to set up a test Zoom for you at your convenience. I can adapt to your schedule, if you give me a day's notice.

To practice, you can use the links at the top of this topic. No one will be there to admit you to the meeting, but you can confirm you've arrived at the Waiting Room, because we've set up a background that shows the Mars Society Night owl set up.

I believe (and hope) that you'll find it convenient to work with RobertDyck over Zoom. Posting is one way to communicate. Email is another. Zoom is MUCH faster than either of those.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-10-15 06:27:14

Today is Zoom Day for NewMars ....

The plan is to set up the Waiting Room between 23:30 UTC and Midnight.

The links for access are available in Post #1 of this topic.

If you are thinking of attending, please test your software ahead of time.

We'll use this topic for communication before and during the meeting.

Regular attendees are kbd512 and RobertDyck.

GW Johnson may be attending, and if he does, I'm hoping we'll have time for him to rehearse a bit for a talk on his Mars Hopper design. We're negotiating for an opportunity for GW to present a short version of the talk at the North Houston NSS meeting next month.

Invitations are extended to Steve Stewart and Calliban, although the Midnight time may not work well for Calliban.

The smooth admission of guests from the Waiting Room depends upon the host keeping an eye on the Waiting Room announcement. Last meeting, kbd512 found a way to turn on the audio alert, and I am looking forward to learning how to do that.

At the moment, there is no audio alert for messages arriving in the forum Zoom topic, but there is something I'm working on that may allow that. If anyone knows of an audio alert for incoming activity on a forum, I'd be happy to look into it. It seems likely to me someone must have designed an audio alert for forums, but I've not heard of it so far.

***
For kbd512 ... if we get a chance, and if your situation allows it, I'd like to see if that little script that ChatGPT prepared will work for collecting posts within topics.

We have a long term plan to convert to phpBB from FluxBB, and your approach would (obviously) be best, but what I am trying to do will give the three of us some read data to work with as we attempt to set up backup phpBB systems at our homes.

Systems Check completed at 8:55 local time. Waiting Room looks good. I looked for the Audio Alert, but must wait for kbd512 to show where it is.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-10-15 18:00:32

GW Johnson is here!

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-10-15 18:17:09

kbd512 joined the session.

GW Johnson is rehearsing his talk about the Hopper Rocket.

We are lining up a short session at NSS Houston Next month.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-10-15 18:27:59

FYI ... something happened to the license we have for Zoom. It may need to be adjusted by Mr. Burk, if the unlimited time we enjoyed is no longer available. Our strategy will be to re-open a session when time-out occurs.

We just went through the first refresh.

kbd512, GW Johnson and I are back connected.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2023-10-15 18:53:37

The session is continuing, with a branch into the world situation.

GW Johnson's presentation rehearsal seemed to me to have gone well, despite interruption by an unplanned timeout.

We discussed the possibility he might send the short version and the pdf file to folks who might be interested.

Hopefully that will happen!

(th)

kbd512 · 2023-10-15 19:15:22

tahanson43206,

Enabling sound notifications for meetings

Edit:
zoomsound.png?version=1&modificationDate=1680545523210&api=v2

Last edited by kbd512 (2023-10-15 19:17:31)

New Mars Forums

Announcement

#526 2023-09-03 06:48:05

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#527 2023-09-03 16:40:06

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#528 2023-09-03 17:00:36

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#529 2023-09-09 15:13:49

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#530 2023-09-10 06:49:13

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#531 2023-09-10 18:00:25

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#532 2023-09-10 18:32:55

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#533 2023-09-10 18:44:53

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#534 2023-09-10 22:24:40

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#535 2023-09-17 08:34:55

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#536 2023-09-17 11:17:36

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#537 2023-09-17 17:44:08

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#538 2023-09-24 07:11:56

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#539 2023-09-24 11:22:31

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#540 2023-09-24 12:56:02

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#541 2023-09-24 13:50:14

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#542 2023-09-24 16:38:02

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#543 2023-09-24 17:47:05

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#544 2023-10-09 12:33:55

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#545 2023-10-15 06:27:14

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#546 2023-10-15 18:00:32

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#547 2023-10-15 18:17:09

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#548 2023-10-15 18:27:59

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#549 2023-10-15 18:53:37

Re: Zoom Collaboration

#550 2023-10-15 19:15:22

Re: Zoom Collaboration

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