
			    MultiMedia on a Budget
			     by Joseph Weintraub
			President, Thinking Software, Inc.

	Thinking Software is a small artificial intelligence consulting
firm in Woodside, New York.  They achieved some notable multimedia success
after winning the Loebner Prize for Artificial Intelligence at the
Boston Computer Museum both in 1991 and 1992, with our "talking software"
programs PC Therapist III ('91) and PC Professor ('92).  PC Therapist IV
added a clever animated talking head and synthesized voice output to the
PC Therapist III.  With voice, animation, VGA color graphics, and
interactivity, PC Therapist IV was a true Multimedia Product that captured
a lot of attention.  It will soon be released in a Windows 3.1 Version
with SoundBlaster Pro Voice Output and full MPC Compatibility. We are also
experimenting with Virtual Reality, and the mix of artificial intelligence
and MPC called "The Multimedia Expert System", typically used as a
sophisticated high-end automated training aid in technical subjects.

	True MultiMedia with full motion video can be fantastically
expensive today in 1993. The high end JPEG video accelerator boards alone
are currently $2000, about the price of a new 486DX33 PC with 200 Meg hard
drive. In addition, just 60 seconds of this high definition video can
consume more than 52 Megabytes of Hard Disk space.  A ten minute MPC video
production would require 10 times 52 or an astounding 520 Megabytes. How
big is your hard drive right now? As a User, you can get somewhat over
520 Megabytes on a single CD-ROM, but as an MPC Developer, you would need
several Gigabytes of Hard Disk to work with and store this video before it
is converted to CD-ROM. GigaByte Hard Drives are available, and in fact
a 2.1 Gigabyte SCSI Hard Drive and Controller would add just about $3000
to the cost of our hypothetical 486.

	Our first MultiMedia Disk, however, was called "The New Psychology".
It was produced on a very tight budget, on a 386 PC with just a 120 Meg Hard
Drive, yet is still a visually exciting and powerful half-hour presentation.
It can be viewed on almost any DOS Machine with a Color Monitor, giving
a potential audience of over 200,000 users, compared with the current
installed MPC Base of under 12,000. The New Psychology is a deep
analysis of how and why life is lived on our planet today.  It is based
to a large degree on the work of Wilhelm Reich, a famous psychiatrist, and
Immanual Velikovsy, archeologist and best-selling author of "Worlds in
Collision".

	You might wonder how an archeologist involved in explaining the Bible,
and a radical psychiatrist who discovered Orgone Energy, wind up with
their unusual theories intermingled in "The New Psychology".  I do not
have the time and space to present their ideas here, but I will tell you
how we produced this sophisticated and professional automated VGA Slide
Show on a 3.5" High Density Diskette for the IBM/PC for under $2500 and can
sell it profitably for just $29.95.

	Step 1. Prepare your slides and photographs.

	The easiest way, by far, to create your first multimedia presentation
is to adapt a slide-show or video for playback on the VGA or Super VGA
Monitor of your PC.  That way, you don't have to worry too much about
"creating" the presentation, and can concentrate on the technical details of
getting it onto your PC's hard drive.  If you are creating a new presentation
from scratch, you might consider shooting a few hundred Kodachrome Slides with
your Nikon, and selecting and arranging them in sequence in a slide projector
tray till they do a good job of presenting your ideas visually.  Later you
will bring that slide presentation into your computer room and digitize it!
Of course, if you can afford a Fotoman Digital Camera from Logitech, you can
save a good deal of time, not to mention film. (It uses magnetic disks).

	Step 2. Write your narration.

	Show your slideshow to a roomful of people, or even just one other
person.   As the slide show procedes, narrate in a loud clear voice so you
emphasize and explain your ideas fully.  Capture the narration on a quality
tape recorder!  Later, you can have this tape typed onto the computer, or
perhaps even digitized directly into a MPC Sound Track on your hard drive.
(Note that digitized voice takes up a lot of hard disk space.  Do not plan
to digitize more than 20 minutes of voice and music.If your narration is
longer than 20 minutes, plan on presenting the text as bright-white on a
blue backgound, or some other eye-pleasing combination.)

	Step 3. Install software and study the Manuals Cover to Cover.

	At a minimum, you will need some sort of Digitizer Board installed
in your computer, some sort of video camera to capture your slides, and
the software that comes with your Digitizer Board that "Takes the Digital
Picture" and stores it on your hard drive.  In addition, you will probably
want PC Paint or PHoto Styler to touch-up and perhaps add text to your
digtized images.  If your slides, photos, video camera or digitizer are
black and white, you can "colorize" the images effectively once they
are on your hard drive, and often come up with a more creative presentation
than if you had started with perfect high-resolution color. You will also
need a Multimedia Run Time program or "Slide Show" Software Package to
present your finished images with sophisticated wipes and dissolves between
screens.  We used "Show Partner" from Brightbill-Roberts with extremely
effective results. You will actually learn to use your software by working
with it, but you can save yourself a lot of trouble by READING THE MANUAL FROM
COVER TO COVER!

	Step 4. Get your hardware installed and ready to use.

      We purchased a very simple but effective B&W Digitizer board with a B&W
Video Camera. The total outlay for hardware and software was under $500.
While the board we used is no longer available you can still get a low
resolution board from Video Eyes for under $300. Instructions for installing
your hardware will vary with the board, but in general you just turn off
your 386 or 486 computer, slip the board into an open slot, and secure it in
place with just one screw.  If no jumper switches have to be set, this
should take you all of ten minutes.


	Step 5. Prepare your work environment and try the tutorial.

	Someone once said to me "When you work, ONLY work!" and I consider
this very good advice.  Get the family out of the house or office. Put out
the dog and feed the cat.  Turn off that darn TV and put on your "creativity
music", which should not be so loud that you can't hear yourself think!
Forget about your diet, your doctor, your spouse, your kids, your income,
your taxes, your health and any other worries that might be sabotaging
your creative impulses!   Why is creative thought like meditation? Because
they both require a certain mental discipline, solitude, and quiet time and
space. What is the sound of one hand clapping? How many angels can dance on
the head of a pin?  How many pixels are there on a Super VGA Screen? What is
the secret of a successful PC Slide Show or Multimedia Presentation?   For me,
the secret is in limiting my use of unusual special effects to a minimum.
For you, you may discover it is something else. Working with your specific
hardware and software in a "loose"  experimental way without worrying too much
about perfect results may allow you to create moods and styles that are
effective and very new!

	Step 6. Go thru a mini-presentation with just three slides.

	Don't mechanically record every slide in your tray just to get it done,
only to find out after days of work that you have repeated the same mistake
300 times.   Instead, take just your first three slides all the way to a
finshed presentation.  Save your results on a floppy disk.   Turn off your
PC and leave the room.   Go have a beer and a few pretzels....maybe a pastrami
sandwich....or some brussel sprouts with garlic and butter....whatever...then
come back.....turn on the PC....make believe you are the audience....start
your 3-slide presentation.....does it work?   If not, fix it.  If it does
work, you are on the right track.  Go on to slide number four.

	My work consisted of a lot of mental leaps and bounds, but basically
came in two flavors:
			     1. GRUNT WORK
			     2. CREATIVE PLAY
	The grunt work involved turning on the slide projector, focusing
the next slide, focusing the B&W Video Camera on the projected image,
endlessly adjusting the size of the image, observing the image on the PC
Screen and pressing some keys to save it to the hard disk.
	The creative play involved colorizing the image in PC Paint, and
trying out the seemingly endless variety of wipes, drips, weaves and dissolves
available in Show Partner!  Thats the most fun I've ever had with both feet on
the floor!

	Step 7. Prepare your full Visual presentation. Add text where
		appropriate.

	Now that you know what works and doesn't, continue until you have
completed your full presentation.   Don't be afraid to continue to experiment
with timing, color, text, dissolves & wipes, and other special effects. The
longer your presentation, the more you must do to hold the viewers interest
through the entire show.  You may be adding text to the bottom of screens,
or you may be alternating screenfuls of text and VGA images.  Be sure your
screens don't zip by so fast that your audience can't finish reading the
text.  Since machines vary so much in speed, it is safest to ask the user
to "press any key" to continue to the next screen.  A show that drags along
on an old 286 may just zip by about ten times too fast on a new 486.

	Of course, if you are using a soundtrack with digitized speech, you
will want to keep text to a minimum.....perhaps just titles and credits.

	Step 8. Check your spelling and continuity.

	Nothing destroys your professional image like a mis-spelled word.
If you know you can't spell, use a spell checker (or a literate friend) to
check the spelling of your text.  Don't get too fancy with fonts.   Two or
three font styles in bright-white against blue is just perfect! Blue on
white or yellow is also quite readable.  Avoid tiny type that older folks
won't be able to read. Old English is tempting for some applications, but can
also be difficult to read on a PC Screen.

	Step 9. Add voice or music if a planned part of your presentation.
		Add any special effects (in moderation please -
		this is not a psychedelic light show for a rock concert!)

	A good presention does not require digitized voice, music or special
effect sounds, but if you have the time and equipment, a sound track
can add a lot.   However, not all of your customers will have a SoundBlaster
Pro with stereo speakers, so be sure your show stands on its own, even if
no sound system is available to the viewer.  Don't count on the PC Speaker
to deliver intelligible speech.  It varies too much in quality from one
PC to another, and some Laptops have no speaker at all.

	Step 10. Make Backup copies of all your work.

	How would you feel if you worked for 48 straight hours, completed
the first Multimedia Presentation of your life, and then had a fatal hard
disk CRASH that WIPED OUT ALL OF YOUR WORK WITH NO HOPE OF RECOVERY OF EVEN
ONE SINGLE SCREEN!!!!!?????   You would feel pretty sick, right?  So backup,
backup, backup, backup!  We have a Jumbo Colorado Tape Backup that backs
up our 212 Meg Hard Drive in under 20 minutes just by pressing F1.  But
even if you can't afford Tape Backup, you can afford a stack of floppy disks!
It only takes five minutes to copy your presentation to a floppy, but it
can save you DAYS OF WORK!!!!!!

		  Backup! BACKUP! B A C K U P !
		  Yes - I mean you!
		  Copy that presentation in progress
		  to a floppy disk!
		  Take the floppy and hide it in that metal box
		  where you keep all your important papers!
		  Take another to your bank safety deposit box!
		  It costs less than a dollar!
		  It can save your sanity!
		  B A C K U P    Y O U R    W O R K  ! ! !
		  Right Now!
		  No Excuses!
		  Backup! BACKUP! B A C K U P !

	Step 11. Prepare your "Silver Master"

	You are getting down to the short strokes now.  Your presentation
is almost complete.   Arrange all your PIC Files neatly in a single directory
with your run-time software. View it from start to finish.  Does it look good?
Yes?   Then COPY IT TO A FLOPPY and stash it securely in your bottom drawer!
That is your EXTRA INSURANCE BACKUP. Now copy to a another floppy.   That is
your "SILVER MASTER"!

	Step 12. Alpha Test your Silver Master by yourself.  Change if
Required.
	If you can sleep on it, this is a good time to do so.  When you
wake up the next day, view your Silver Master.  Any required changes will
stick out like a sore thumb.  I know you are tired, but make those required
changes.  Update your backups and Silver Master with the changes.

	Step 13. Show your Silver Master to a friend or loved one.

	Your first exposure to the world should be to a friendly part of
the world.....a friend or a loved one.

	Step 14. Ask for honest criticism, then revise as required.

	But still, you don't want false praise.  You want honest constructive
crticism.   You must learn to accept criticism from others, and develop the
knack of seeing your work through their eyes!  What sings to you, may not
sing to everyone.....how general is your intended audience?  Are you aiming
your work at a special group?   If so, show it to a representative member
of that special group.  If ANYONE might want to enjoy and learn from your
Multimedia presentation, then grab anyone off the street and show it to
ANYONE!   Communication involves you, your medium, your creation, AND your
Audience!   Check it out before you try to sell it!

	Step 15. Prepare your "Golden Master"

	Your Golden Master is the Master from which all sale copies will
be reproduced.  It should be perfect.   I like to use Norton Utilities VL
(Volume Label) to give my Golden Master a special unique Volume Name, and
then use Norton FD (File Date) to revise the file date and time so they
are the same on every file.  These two steps add a small professional
finishing touch you will find on many professional disks.  You will notice
that every file is dated 01/01/94, and every file was created at 12:00:00 am.
This is of course impossible, yet has become the mark of a professional
Multimedia Disk.

	Step 16. Beta Test your Golden Master with a co-worker or
		 other person whose opinion you respect.

	I know you think you have tested more than enough, and everything
is perfect, but there is always one more bug.  Now enlist the help of a
co-worker and find that last mis-spelled word or other tiny error that
will be so irritating after it has been copied onto your first 100 labeled
diskettes!

	Step 17. Ask for honest constructive feedback.  Make Final Revisions.

	If you still have to make a few creative changes or clarifications,
now is the time to bite the bullet and do it!  There will not be another
chance like this to get it right! Now that its right, if you are unfortunate
enough to have a boss, this is when you show it to your boss.

	Step 18. Make a small production run of about 100 Disks & Manuals.

	Wow! You have "PUBLISHED" your first Multimedia Presentation. If
it is unusual and wonderful, perhaps your next run will be 5,000 or 10,000
copies!  Or maybe a few hundred thousand!  Or maybe you will have a million
seller on your hands and get rich and famous!

	Step 19. Run ads in PC Magazine, BYTE, PC Computing and Computer
	Shopper. Damn the Expense! Send Review Copies to every reviewer in
	the world. Install 800 Number for orders.  Get Credit Card Vendor
	Status........Phone Ringing OFF THE HOOK!......Wealth, Happiness
	and Freedom!

		 (The New Psychology is available on a 3.5" High Density
		 Disk, with the 36 Page A.I. Catalog, for $29.95 from
		 Thinking Software, Inc. 46-16 65th Place, Woodside, N.Y.
		 11377....this has not turned out to be a million seller
		 yet.....but people seem to like the disk and NOBODY has
		 returned it! (We don't accept returns). Companies that need
		 MultiMedia on a Budget can contact Joseph Weintraub directly
		 at (718) 803-3638 or (718) 898-3126.)

Joseph Weintraub          46-16 65th Place             Woodside, N.Y. 11377
