A $50 bounty to fix my MP4 sound problem

[usually_quiet]

Seems appropriate. This thread had a bad odor about it from the beginning.

[fly37]

The only people complaining here are 3rd parties who were not involved in the process. At no point has anyone who actually worked on the file said they where mislead about the nature of the bounty.

Those that have commented have simply said they would have done the work without payment anyway.

It is all very well being indignant on behave of the players, but just make sure that the players hold the same view first.

[Supreme2k]

To clarify, I did download the file and check it out. My conclusion? Maybe the same as some of the others, maybe not.

You're not the first to offer a "bounty" simply because you're impatient and want us to do your job for you. We already know that these offers are worth less than the keyboards on which they're typed.

You still haven't answered the question about the availability of the source files. If there are only three "bad" videos, simply re-encode them. And the material can still be questionably obtained, even if your own, such as if a video professional sends a person a proof disc, and that person rips the disc without paying for the content.

Seriously, why keep coming back to this thread? Just crawl back under the rock from which you came, until the next time your job is in danger. Maybe you can falsely offer a kajillion dollars next time.

[fly37]

>Supreme2k: To clarify, I did download the file and check it out. My conclusion? Maybe the same as some of the others, maybe not.

If you are implying that you have found sound on the clip post a 30 second sample where I can download it and I will send you $50 by paypal. If is it is the real deal I will send you the other 2 clips and when I get all three back I will send you another $50 with grateful thanks.

>You're not the first to offer a "bounty" simply because you're impatient and want us to do your job for you.

Since when has outsourcing been a problem? We all pay people to do jobs for us when we cannot do ourselves. Try giving yourself a haircut if you do not believe me. No one was obliged to work on this if they did not want to, the terms where perfectly clear.

>We already know that these offers are worth less than the keyboards on which they're typed.

You do not know that. Put up your sample and test me.

>You still haven't answered the question about the availability of the source files.

Remarkably the client says she had binned the originals because there were now on her Apple TV. Silly I know, but there is no accounting for end users.

>And the material can still be questionably obtained, even if your own, such as if a video professional sends a person a proof disc, and that person rips the disc without paying for the content.

If you really have downloaded the file you will know there is absolutely nothing professional about it. It is quiet clearly a low grade home video of no interest to anyone except the people in it.

>Seriously, why keep coming back to this thread? Just crawl back under the rock from which you came, until the next time your job is in danger. Maybe you can falsely offer a kajillion dollars next time.

There is no need for bad manners. I come back because I see no reason to leave trolls unchallenged. If you have a carefully reasoned point to make, make it. If you simply want to trade insults there are plenty of places to do that.

We still do not have a single case of anyone who actually worked on the files claiming to have and been mislead about the terms of the deal.

[jagabo]

I was mislead. The fact that I would have done it for free is immaterial. My point was that I wasn't trying to talk you into paying me $50. Soopafresh posted the solution to your problem before me. It was shown your file had audio, it could be played, extracted or whatever. Unfortunately for you, the audio was rather uninteresting.

[gadgetguy]

I'm glad now that I was unwilling to wait for the download.

[Supreme2k]

Since when has outsourcing been a problem?

Try "outsourcing" (as you call it) in the real world. It would cost you more than $50, and you would be made to pay. That's why everyone on this site calls BS when offered "payment".

If you really have downloaded the file you will know there is absolutely nothing professional about it. It is quiet clearly a low grade home video of no interest to anyone except the people in it.

You said that there was a mass of videos. "Professional" doesn't automatically mean ILM. Kinko's can make you 1000 photocopies of a hand-scribbled note, but they still expect to get paid. It will suffice to know that your client is a dumbass.

I come back because I see no reason to leave trolls unchallenged.

Maybe a Warcraft character would be better suited for you?

And quite obviously, there is no better place for you to argue, as this is the most that you have posted in five years (though you don't do that well, either).

[usually_quiet]

The only people complaining here are 3rd parties who were not involved in the process. At no point has anyone who actually worked on the file said they where mislead about the nature of the bounty.

Those that have commented have simply said they would have done the work without payment anyway.

It is all very well being indignant on behave of the players, but just make sure that the players hold the same view first.

How would you know how many of those who made negative comments actually worked on this? I thought your offer was vague, and smelled fishy from the start, but I did examine the file on Sunday. It appears to be a family vacation at a resort called "Timberlake".

I didn't put much work into it because Soopafresh and jagabo had already replied. Since they know more about this kind of thing than I do, and gave reasonable answers, there was no point in continuing.

People following this thread have already formed their own opinions regarding your character. You might as well save your breath. Just because you managed to get some of us to play along with you once doesn't mean we'll find anything else you have to say convincing.

[fly37]

For all your trolling no one has said “I have completed the task, I claim the bounty”.

Therefore why are you complaining that I have not paid a bill when none has been submitted?

I have dealt with everyone curiously throughout this process, something have many of you cannot claim. You have to wonder about the strength of peoples’ arguments when all they have to offer are insults.

[usually_quiet]

For all your trolling no one has said “I have completed the task, I claim the bounty”.

Therefore why are you complaining that I have not paid a bill when none has been submitted?

I have dealt with everyone curiously throughout this process, something have many of you cannot claim. You have to wonder about the strength of peoples’ arguments when all they have to offer are insults.

If you own a dictionary, look up the word "curiously." Either you don't know what the word means, or you are not using it properly -- unless you actually do mean you have dealt with us all in what can be described as a strange and unusual manner. I can agree with that.

[poisondeathray]

Just my opinion, but I don't think fly37 did anything wrong.

If you re-read his post, It could be interpreted in any number of ways.

So $50 by paypal to the first person to turn it around for me.

To me, "..turn it around for me..." implies more than just having a look and an opinion. For the record, I did give it a go too with the same results as everyone else.

Ironically if he had just asked for help - and money wasn't even mentioned - this thread would have been long over and not even an issue.

PS. $50 for the fart sound track J/K

[Supreme2k]

Just my opinion, but I don't think fly37 did anything wrong.

If you re-read his post, It could be interpreted in any number of ways.


To me, "..turn it around for me..." implies more than just having a look and an opinion. For the record, I did give it a go too with the same results as everyone else.

But then "a look" has also been more than cursory, but actual exploratory diagnosis. It's akin to "we checked your tire and there was no air, nor can we put air in it. You need a new tire." It has been "(turned) around", since his files are FUBAR and he need not waste any more time on them.

Ironically if he had just asked for help - and money wasn't even mentioned - this thread would have been long over and not even an issue.

That was the main problem. We get impatient people all the time who come up with this crap, or other ways to get a "me first!'. To the credit of the people here, they expect nothing in return because they are (for the most part) good Samaritans. Even when offered money, people here usually give a one-word response - Donate.

[fly37]

>”usually_quiet”: If you own a dictionary, look up the word "curiously."

That’s the downside of being dyslexic. The word should read courteous and by being snarky you have rather proved by point, again.

[usually_quiet]

Speaking as someone who has a dyslexic nephew, if you want people to make allowances for your dyslexia you need to tell them. If you don't reveal that up front, then you have no right to cry foul when they make fun of your mistakes.

As for the rest, you have used polite language, but the rest of your behavior has been decidedly unprofessional. In similar circumstances others have posted a request for someone to do work for hire. That is actual subcontracting/outsourcing. Instead, you offered a bounty in a free advice forum, to get more attention paid to your problem. You chose not to make a clear statement about what you expected. Instead, you decided to be clever and vague, presumably to get even more attention paid to your problem.

You did not have the ability to determine what was wrong with the audio, though you must have suspected there was nothing to recover. Between them, several people with some expertise in these matters concluded that an audio track was present, that it was in AAC format, and that it consisted of total silence. You have received something of value, a clear explanation for your problem. You can report those findings to your client and get on with the rest of your work, which seemed to be your primary concern.

Someone deserving has made a claim. Soopafresh, the first to post his findings, suggested you make a smaller donation to the site as a thanks for the help that was given to you, but even a token contribution is too much. IMO you can't claim to have taken the high road in any of this.

[edit] If you are the one who screwed up the conversion the three videos in question before they were put on her Apple TV, then you owe your client a refund. (If you didn't convert them for her, it seems unlikely that you'd remember any sound, given the condition of the file you presented to us for examination.)

[fly37]

Your car analogy paints a picture of me walking into a franchised car dealer with prices on the wall and an expectation of how the service works. In your view I asked for an inspection and then run away without paying when I get the results back. Here is what actually happened:

1. I walked into a bar where car mechanics hang out and shouted out “I will give $50 to anyone who can fix the wobbly wheel on my car.”
2. Some helpful mechanics looked at the wheel and said it was a goner and I should forget about the car.
3. I thank them for trying and said I would be happy to come back and try this approach again.
4. At no point did anyone claim the $50.
5. One of the guys suggested I might like to put the $50 behind the bar for the boys, if I felt like it.
6. I choose not to because that is not what I offered.
7. Various very loud people then started hurling insults accusing me of everything from driving on the wrong side of the highway to running over their grandma.
8. I questioned the evidence for each of these.
9. People questioned whether I ever intended to pay anything.
10. I gave them a way to test the intention.
11. Nobody took me up on it.
12. People shouted louder and got further away from the issue.
13. I questioned these.
14. Goto 12.

In fairness, the last couple of posts do now seem to be settling down and stating their case, rather than just insulting with no grounds. Had people had the good manners to state their case politely and in a carefully reasoned tone from the start I might have been inclined to hand over some beer money in a gesture of good will. Right now I feel ill-inclined to reward such ill-manners.

[Supreme2k]

GTFO already. Stop with the " I was gonna, but now..." bullshit.

You offered money for something, the service was provided, then you weaseled out of your obligation by changing the terms. People did claim the money, but for VH itself. Most people didn't bother because your continual sour grapes reaffirms your lack of intent to fulfill your offer.

As I said before, go back to wherever it is you came from. You're just whining now to try to save some integrity which you never had.

[Supreme2k]

Also,

The story, step-by-step:

1. You offered $50 to "turn it around" (pretty vague)
2. A person almost immediately solved your problem: no sound exists (which was not what you wanted to know, but you didn't make clear on your offer)
3. Several people confirmed the diagnosis.
4. People suggested that you donate (on behalf those who solved it), rather than pay them.
5. You reneged on your offer, changing the terms at your whim.

Since you offered and someone provided the service, you should pay up. They should not need to ask again, since the offer was accepted.

This is all moot because:
1. This site is free and people here give free advice out of love for their hobby or as an exercise for their profession.
2. No one expected you to pay, since we see this ploy more often than we'd like. It has become clear that it is especially true with you.


Also, part 2:
You are more of a liar than previously thought. You know that you do not have dyslexia. Way to pull out an excuse for ignorance with more ignorance.

[usually_quiet]

First, the car bar analogy is a bad one. It's more like you are a member of a club for people who like to work on cars. Some are professionals with a successful garage, some are shade tree mechanics, and some just enjoy working on their own car.

You fix cars professionally, and you come into the club once in a while to ask for help when you can't figure something out for yourself. Advice is normally free, but this time you offer money to get peoples attention for an urgent wheel problem that you have been unable to figure out on your own, though you aren't clear about what you expect in return for the money.

Several members of the club look at the wheel. A few of the more expert members quickly tell you what is wrong and that it can't be fixed. You say thanks, and start walk away. One of the other guys there says "I think we helped you. You should pay up."

You say you wanted the problem repaired, but since that is not possible, you won't pay anything. Several more people say, "That's not how we understood your request." They tell you "We thought that you wanted the wheel problem diagnosed. We did that." The first guy who diagnosed the problem says "Why not make a donation of any amount to help the club of which you are a member stay open." You say,"...because I don't have to. I wanted different help than I got." People begin to get upset, and tell you off. You complain because your fellow members are not polite to you, and question your integrity.

You talk a good game about courtesy, but anyone with a little bit of class, or a just a social IQ above 70, would have smoothed things over by making a token donation to the club when given the opportunity. You have had several opportunities. Should you ever come into the club again, the regulars are going to give you the cold shoulder. Some of them have long memories.

[tmw]

I thought the bounty was to save you from:

spend[ing] any more time on the problem described below [actually above]

By validating your assumption, the forum saved you from spending hours or days on a hopeless goal, even if that goal wasn't achieved.

Had people had the good manners to state their case politely and in a carefully reasoned tone from the start I might have been inclined to hand over some beer money in a gesture of good will. Right now I feel ill-inclined to reward such ill-manners.

I don't know if I should throw more fuel on the fire, or try to help calm the flames. I took you as a decent person looking for help, and willing to compensate others. However, by continuing to make offers and renege do to "ill-manners" doesn't build your credibility.

Did the members save you any time? [That is before this became a quite entertaining flame war?]

[jimdagys]

Sorry, I feel the need to pipe in on this topic. When I first saw the Subject:

A $50 bounty to fix my MP4 sound problem

I didn't click on it because I think those kinds of words are incompatible with this website.
However, when the topic continued for 2 pages, I thought I better take a look.
I think the words of the original poster are interesting and this thread definitely could be the subject of an entire course on human psychology. I believe the downfall of the United States and (I believe) the total collapse of the United States will occur because too many people (especially those in power) display the kind of attitude as shown by the original poster. I thought VCDhelp was only for video, but I can see that there is a lot more to be learned in this website.

[jagabo]

Yeah, let's debate the meaning of the word "is". The meaning of is is is isn't it?

[usually_quiet]

Well, now we all " know better" don't we? The next time anyone makes a similar post, the first reply should refer to this thread an example of why nobody should offer or respond to "bounties".

[FulciLives]

I'm actually surprised no mods came in to shut this down LOL

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[citanool]

op, this is not meant to "call you out" or continue to put you on the spot, but I feel the polite thing to do would have been to offer atleast some sort of reward even though you didn't get the perfect answer you wanted to hear. It is what it is and you now know to not waste your time on that file anymore and to look for your missing audio elsewhere such as the possibility that you have a corrupted or incomplete copy or source.

[jagabo]

He also learned how to check his other two files. Which he never uploaded, of course.

[fly37]

>citanool: but I feel the polite thing to do would have been to offer atleast some sort of reward even though you didn't get the perfect answer you wanted to hear

It would have been far more compelling had it been put in those terms in the first place. What I actually got was a lot of uncalled for insults. With hindsight I agreed with you, but nobody is going to pay people who are insulting them. Bad manners should not be rewarded, as it only encourages more of the same.

[jagabo]

Excuses, excuses...

[usually_quiet]

The individual who the rest of us agree "won" this contest has been perfectly polite and only requested that you make a dontation of any amount to this non-profit forum, which you apparently want to use from time to time. So, essentially he's being punished because you feel others have been rude. Once again, your reasons for not paying don't stand up to examination.

If you don't think this forum is worthwhile, and believe the people here are rude, don't come back. Find another video forum and try your luck there. This is not the only one around. I am sure Baldrick would be happy to remove you from the membership if you ask.

[jagabo]

If you don't think this forum is worthwhile, and believe the people here are rude, don't come back.

Yeah, try your luck at Doom9!

[VegasBud]

What I actually got was a lot of uncalled for insults.

Actually, the insults were called for. You earned them, and you're entitled to them. To not give you what you've earned would be dishonest.