Open Source Video Editing

I love open-source software as much as the next guy, but command-line interfaces?

mencoder -vf rotate=1 -oac copy -ovc lavc input.avi -o rotated.avi -lavcopts vcodec=mjpeg:vbitrate=1000
ffmpeg -i rotated.avi -ss 00:00:01 -t 00:00:21 -acodec copy -vcodec copy time.avi

is required to rotate a Nikon P80 video shot in portrait to the right orientation and then drop the first and last seconds.

"-vf" gives the rotation video filter, "-oac" specifies to copy the audio codec, "-ovc" specifies the output video container, and "-lavcopts" is required to keep the same video codec and a good quality. FFMPEG's "-ss" specifies the start time, "-t", the duration, and "-acodec" and "-vcodec", the audio and video codecs. Wonderful.

Church Wounds →

I do not believe our findings are an anomaly but rather an accurate diagnosis of a systemic infection ailing much of the Church in the Western World. Since most wounding in life has a relational connection, it makes sense some of the deepest interpersonal wounds occur within the church—a community designed to be centered on relationship. These are familial wounds, friendly-fire, perpetrated by Christians toward Christians. As it breaks God's heart, so it should ours.

I got a few questions about how I managed to take the self-portrait shot, so here's the original. I used several mirrors in my bathroom, a couple of boxes and binders for height, angle, and background, and a nice crop. Not a bad illusion, after all that.