MPEG-4 Part 14
MPEG-4 Part 14 or MP4 is a digital multimedia format most commonly used to store video and audio, but can also be used to store other data such as subtitles and still images. Like most modern container formats, it allows streaming over the Internet. The only official filename extension for MPEG-4 Part 14 files is .mp4, but many have other extensions, most commonly .m4a and .m4p. M4A (audio only) is often compressed using AAC encoding (lossy), but can also be in Apple Lossless format. M4P is a protected format which employs DRM technology to restrict copying. MPEG-4 Part 14 (formally ISO/IEC 14496-14:2003) is a standard specified as a part of MPEG-4.
Some devices advertised as "MP4 Players" are simply MP3 Players that also play AMV video or some other video format, and do not necessarily play the MPEG-4 Part 14 format.
History of MP4
MPEG-4 Part 14 is an instance of the more general ISO/IEC 14496-12:2004 (MPEG-4 Part 12: ISO base media file format) which is directly based upon the QuickTime File Format. MPEG-4 Part 14 is essentially identical to the QuickTime file format, but formally specifies support for Initial Object Descriptors (IOD) and other MPEG features. MPEG-4 Part 14 revises and completely replaces Clause 13 of ISO/IEC 14496-1 (MPEG-4 Part 1: Systems), in which the file format for MPEG-4 content was previously specified.
MP4 (disambiguation)
MP4 is MPEG-4 Part 14, a file format.
MP4 may also refer to:
See also
MP4 (band)
MP4 is a rock band made up of four British Members of Parliament.
Members
It was founded as MP3 in 2004 by Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party, Perth and North Perthshire) on keyboards, Ian Cawsey (The former Labour MP, Brigg and Goole) on bass guitar and vocals, and Greg Knight (Conservative, East Yorkshire) on drums. They were later joined by Kevin Brennan (Labour, Cardiff West) on guitar, and changed their name to reflect this. Wishart was previously keyboardist with Runrig and Big Country. Along with David Morris (Conservative, Morecambe and Lunedale) Wishart is one of only two current MPs to have appeared on Top of the Pops.
The band first came to media attention in 2003, when the project was described as being in its "early stages".
Three of the four members were re-elected at the 2010 General Election but bassist Ian Cawsey lost his seat. He remains a band member however, and the group has indicated they intend to continue with the same line-up.
Recordings
In 2005, MP4 recorded an EP entitled House Music, which was initially released as a download by EMI, and later in CD format by Busy Bee Records. The EP features cover versions of the Beatles' Can't Buy Me Love, Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour and Steve Earle's My Old Friend the Blues, along with the Brennan-penned original Foolish Game.
Snark
Snark may be:
Fictional creatures
Aircraft and missiles
Ships
Snark (Lewis Carroll)
The snark is a fictional animal species created by Lewis Carroll in his nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark. His descriptions of the creature were, in his own words, unimaginable, and he wanted that to remain so.
The origin of the poem
According to Carroll, the initial inspiration to write the poem – which he called an agony in eight fits – was the final line, For the snark was a boojum, you see.
Carroll was asked repeatedly to explain the snark. In all cases, his answer was he did not know and could not explain.
Descriptions of the snark
The poem describes several varieties of snark. Some have feathers and bite, and some have whiskers and scratch. The boojum is a particular variety of snark, which causes the baker at the end of the poem to "softly and suddenly vanish away, and never be met with again".
The snark's flavour is meager and hollow, but crisp (apparently like a coat too tight in the waist), with a flavour of will-o-the-wisp. It is sometimes served with greens. It also sleeps late into the day. While the snark is very ambitious, and has very little sense of humor, it is very fond of bathing-machines, and constantly carries them about wherever it goes. It is also handy for striking a light; the Annotated Snark suggests that this could mean either that its skin is useful for striking matches on, or that it breathes fire.
Snark sailboat
The Snark is a lightweight, two-person, lateen-rigged sailboat manufactured and marketed by Meyers Boat Company of Adrian, Michigan. The Snark was initially marketed by Snark Products, Inc. of Fort Lee, NJ and has been marketed with numerous slight variations, prominently as the Sunflower, Sea Snark and Super Snark.
The sailboat was marketed heavily in numerous co-branding campaigns. The New York Times reported that the Snark outsold all other sailboats in 1970 – and that over 48,000 Snarks were sold in an 18-month period in 1971 via a mail order campaign with Kool Cigarettes. By 1973, over 200,000 Snarks had been sold and the New York Times reported that by 1976 that Snark had manufactured more sailboats than any other manufacturer. The manufacturer currently estimates that nearly a half million Snarks have been manufactured since 1958.
Noted for its 11' expanded polystyrene hull and marketed as "unsinkable," a 1971 Popular Science reviewer doubted there was a sailboat "more foolproof." Originally, the purchase of a Snark included a 16 page booklet on 'how to sail,' and a 1975 Popular Science article described the Snark as the least expensive and lightest sailboat on the market.
Podcasts:
