The new updated list of CH DVDs (data miner)
#278
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Another new update. About 30 new titles, about 30 new enrollments, about 60 price decreases, and it looks like the 40% off box set sale is reflected in the sales price column.
#279
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I haven't started posting until recently, so I now want to take advantage of the opportunity to personally thank bga for your efforts. This is the Gutenberg Bible of the Columbia House DVD Club.
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You're making me blush. There's no way my slight contribution could be compared to the Gutenberg Bible (one of which I saw last month at the Library of Congress). BTW, if you have free time, I encourage you to check out Distributed Proofreaders, which has collectively scanned and proofread over 5000 books to make them available for free downloads to anyone that wants them. Most books in their queue were written prior to 1923 (thanks to Disney's nasty lobbying effort that extended US copyrights by another 20 years), but there usually something I find interesting whenever I go there to proofread.
Abintra, I didn't understand your request, did you just want an additional column listing the # of discs for new releases, etc? If so, that would be pretty easy for me to add.
Abintra, I didn't understand your request, did you just want an additional column listing the # of discs for new releases, etc? If so, that would be pretty easy for me to add.
#281
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Originally posted by bga
There's no way my slight contribution could be compared to the Gutenberg Bible.
There's no way my slight contribution could be compared to the Gutenberg Bible.
#282
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I've previously heard about Distributed Proofreaders through other sources, but have never checked it out. Thanks for the invite. I just may have to take you up on it.
#283
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There's a new update available, with at least 100 new titles, 60 new enrollments, and 100 titles that were gone and back again. I also implemented abintra's request to add a new column in the differences html list with the number of discs. For some reason, the Twilight Zone Collections didn't show up as 9 discs. Something to look at for next time, I guess.
#285
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Thanks bga!
Forgive me if I missed this being addressed earlier, but I'm puzzled that a couple of the new enrollmentes are "pre-order: 9/28/04" titles. Is that a glitch, or are they actually making some titles available for enrollment immediately these days?
Forgive me if I missed this being addressed earlier, but I'm puzzled that a couple of the new enrollmentes are "pre-order: 9/28/04" titles. Is that a glitch, or are they actually making some titles available for enrollment immediately these days?
#286
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Also, maybe you ran your miner before it showed up, but "Blazing Saddles 30Th Edition" (3207503) is actually available as an enrollment as of last Sunday pm/Monday am.
#287
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Both of these titles were from Blue Underground. Maybe their contract with BU doesn't have a restriction on when a title becomes an enrollment.
I've had problems where the data miner stopped finding enrollments in the past, and my only solution has been to guess as to whether I need to restart it to check again. I might change it again to run through the enrollment check until it doesn't find any new enrollments. I also know that the disc count is off on a few of the sets, and I have an idea on how to fix it the next time I feel like fiddling with the code. The program also doesn't find anything from the mature section, but I'm not sure when or if I'm going to fix that.
I've had problems where the data miner stopped finding enrollments in the past, and my only solution has been to guess as to whether I need to restart it to check again. I might change it again to run through the enrollment check until it doesn't find any new enrollments. I also know that the disc count is off on a few of the sets, and I have an idea on how to fix it the next time I feel like fiddling with the code. The program also doesn't find anything from the mature section, but I'm not sure when or if I'm going to fix that.
#288
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Re: The new updated list of CH DVDs (data miner)
Originally posted by bga
I've written a perl script that generates a list of all titles it can find on the website as well as all the titles available for enrollment through the website.
The file is in comma separated value format, which can be read by just about any spreadsheet program. If you don't have a spreadsheet program, you can download a pretty good one for free at Open Office.
A new listing for this is available. Here is the link to the list.
I've written a perl script that generates a list of all titles it can find on the website as well as all the titles available for enrollment through the website.
The file is in comma separated value format, which can be read by just about any spreadsheet program. If you don't have a spreadsheet program, you can download a pretty good one for free at Open Office.
A new listing for this is available. Here is the link to the list.
I downloaded open office, so now HOW do I get it to read the file?
help!!!!
#289
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Originally posted by bga
The program also doesn't find anything from the mature section, but I'm not sure when or if I'm going to fix that.
The program also doesn't find anything from the mature section, but I'm not sure when or if I'm going to fix that.
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Re: Re: The new updated list of CH DVDs (data miner)
Originally posted by muffynn
ok, I am not familiar with spreadsheets.
I downloaded open office, so now HOW do I get it to read the file?
help!!!!
ok, I am not familiar with spreadsheets.
I downloaded open office, so now HOW do I get it to read the file?
help!!!!
Once the document is loaded, you can do things like adjust the width of the columns, hide columns you don't care about, etc. The best part of loading them into a spreadsheet program is that you can sort the file by up to 3 columns. I usually sort by criteria like:
1) enrollment ascending, price descending, title ascending
2) enrollment ascending, discs descending, price descending
3) enrollment ascending, Release Date ascending, title ascending
The above examples will sort all enrollment titles first, with the secondary sorts based on the other selections.
#291
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Re: Re: Re: The new updated list of CH DVDs (data miner)
Originally posted by bga
Start up OpenOffice. It should start up with a blank screen. Go to the File menu and select Open. It will bring up a dialog box, select ch_20040928.csv (or whatever .csv file you downloaded), click on open. .
Start up OpenOffice. It should start up with a blank screen. Go to the File menu and select Open. It will bring up a dialog box, select ch_20040928.csv (or whatever .csv file you downloaded), click on open. .
arrghh
which office program do I open 1st?
I tried "open document". "html document" "spreadsheet"
then tried clicking 'open' on the file.
but it all comes up as words with a bunch of ",,,,," between.
or am I saving the file wrong?
( I know this can't be that hard.)
#292
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For some reason I've had the same problem so it isn't you. It has to do with the way the file downloads, sometimes working and sometimes not.
The only advice I know to give is to download the file again. If you can open the downloaded file and open it in notepad with it looking like the example below then it will open up fine (using bga's advice above).
"Selection","Title","Studio","Release Date","Genre","Price","Enrollment","Features","Sound","Rating","Time","Discs","DVD Release Date","Sale Price"
"2425205","Pink Floyd: The Wall","Sony Music Video","","drama/epics,
If it looks largely like gibberish, try downloading it again.
The only advice I know to give is to download the file again. If you can open the downloaded file and open it in notepad with it looking like the example below then it will open up fine (using bga's advice above).
"Selection","Title","Studio","Release Date","Genre","Price","Enrollment","Features","Sound","Rating","Time","Discs","DVD Release Date","Sale Price"
"2425205","Pink Floyd: The Wall","Sony Music Video","","drama/epics,
If it looks largely like gibberish, try downloading it again.
#294
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Need Data Miner Mentor
Dear BGA,
Thanks for the tremendously useful list! I've just about sucked CH dry of DVDs interesting to me using your little marvel!
A friend of mine is trying to set up a Data Miner on a different Web Site and could use some pointers. I can see how you wouldn't want to muddy the waters at CH by releasing the Source Code for this particular Data Miner Perl Script but it would be interesting for all of us if you outlined the basic steps your script takes. I'd like to put my friend in touch with you if you could send me an email address. He might be in the market for one of your other Perl scripts. You can reach me at [email protected].
Thanks again!
-Chris Loye
Thanks for the tremendously useful list! I've just about sucked CH dry of DVDs interesting to me using your little marvel!
A friend of mine is trying to set up a Data Miner on a different Web Site and could use some pointers. I can see how you wouldn't want to muddy the waters at CH by releasing the Source Code for this particular Data Miner Perl Script but it would be interesting for all of us if you outlined the basic steps your script takes. I'd like to put my friend in touch with you if you could send me an email address. He might be in the market for one of your other Perl scripts. You can reach me at [email protected].
Thanks again!
-Chris Loye
#296
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Another new update with a lot of new stuff, around 150 new titles and 150 new enrollments. Next week should include the new genres. Also, it looks to me like a lot of the missing titles aren't really missing, so if you really wanted to get something from the list of missing, check the website, it might really be available. I have an idea on double-checking the missing titles that should be really easy to implement, I'll try to implement it this week if I have time and inclination.
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Note the following sale titles with no other purchase required:
2806933 Catch Me If You Can
2971737 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
3103538 Matrix Revolutions<sup>TM</sup>, The
3100914 Runaway Jury
3015823 Dirty Dancing Ultimate Edition
2838522 Daredevil
2932424 Anger Management
Catch Me If You Can is $5.95 and the rest are $7.95.
2806933 Catch Me If You Can
2971737 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
3103538 Matrix Revolutions<sup>TM</sup>, The
3100914 Runaway Jury
3015823 Dirty Dancing Ultimate Edition
2838522 Daredevil
2932424 Anger Management
Catch Me If You Can is $5.95 and the rest are $7.95.