RealPlayer - the best digital media player - Real.com
RealAudio was infamous for a deceptive approach to distributing their audio player. They used to make it very difficult to locate and install the free player; they played a bait and switch to their fee-based product. Then they spammed their users mercilessly.
Then NPR's Car Talk switched from RA to Windows Media Player -- because of Real's policies.
Now Real has a very agreeable and pretty clear download page.
Probably too late.
When will software companies learn -- only Microsoft is big and powerful enough to abuse customers. Everyone else has to treat customers like precious gems.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Monday, March 01, 2004
newegg.com: Shuttle XPC Barebone System
newegg.com
This system gets rave reviews on NewEgg -- a demanding audience. I'm thinking of building a downstairs workstation that needs to be quiet, compact and understated, but also support the kids games. It would run XP. This looks pretty impressive. I'd need to add an 802.11G card, memory, a CPU, a hard drive (might scavenge one, I have several lying about), a CD reader (lots of those lying around) and a 1GB of memory. Total system with XP is probably @ $500 or so.
Shuttle XPC Barebone System for Socket 478 at 400/533MHz FSB Intel CPU, Model SS51G
Specifications:
CPU Support: Intel Pentium 4/Celeron (Socket 478, Max.FSB 533)
Chipsets: SiS651 + SiS962L
Memory: 2x 184pin (DDR266/333 up to 2GB)
IDE: 2x ATA133
Graphics: Build in SiS651
Expansion Slot: 1x PCI, 1x AGP 4X
Audio: Realtek ALC 650
LAN: Realtek 8100B
Extension Bay: 2x 3.5", 1x 5.25"
Front Panel Ports: 2x USB, 1x 1394, 1x SPDIF_Out, Audio ports
Back Panel Ports: 2x COM, 2x PS/2, 1x SPDIF_In, 1x VGA, 1x RJ45, 2x 1394, 2x USB, Audio ports
Power Supply: 200W(PFC)
Dimension: 300 x 200 x 185 mm
This system gets rave reviews on NewEgg -- a demanding audience. I'm thinking of building a downstairs workstation that needs to be quiet, compact and understated, but also support the kids games. It would run XP. This looks pretty impressive. I'd need to add an 802.11G card, memory, a CPU, a hard drive (might scavenge one, I have several lying about), a CD reader (lots of those lying around) and a 1GB of memory. Total system with XP is probably @ $500 or so.
Sunday, February 29, 2004
Convert AAC files from iTunes to MP3 and export
Updated 1/17/2007: It took a while for me to realize that even the latest version of iTunes has a simple way to convert non-DRMd music to MP3. It's not as easy as holding down the option key and selecting from the Advanced menu (no longer works), but it's easy enough.
In the Advanced menu there is, typically, a 'convert to aac' option. Turns out what you see here is determined by your import preferences. Set your import to MP3, this will show MP3.
You can convert, export and delete your mp3. I just export the ones I want to convert, move them to a different user account, and convert there.
--
Updated 7/14/06
It took a bit of work to figure out the Blacktree iTunes LAME Encoder. It's a GUI wrapped around a command line AAC to MP3 transcoder. By now there's probably something out that's easier to use, but I haven't looked. There's not much documentation.
My Palm Tungsten E plays MP3 files. My DVD player plays MP3 CDs. Great -- except my iTunes library, legally ripped from my personal CDs, is all AAC encoded. Nothing, yet, plays AAC except my iPod and iTunes.
I needed to be able to convert AAC to MP3. This requires software to:
iTunes LAME encoder does this. Note the UI is all about "Import" but in this case we're exporting from iTunes.
Installation:
In the Advanced menu there is, typically, a 'convert to aac' option. Turns out what you see here is determined by your import preferences. Set your import to MP3, this will show MP3.
You can convert, export and delete your mp3. I just export the ones I want to convert, move them to a different user account, and convert there.
--
Updated 7/14/06
It took a bit of work to figure out the Blacktree iTunes LAME Encoder. It's a GUI wrapped around a command line AAC to MP3 transcoder. By now there's probably something out that's easier to use, but I haven't looked. There's not much documentation.
My Palm Tungsten E plays MP3 files. My DVD player plays MP3 CDs. Great -- except my iTunes library, legally ripped from my personal CDs, is all AAC encoded. Nothing, yet, plays AAC except my iPod and iTunes.
I needed to be able to convert AAC to MP3. This requires software to:
1. convert AAC to AIFF (uncompressed)This process takes time, is tedious, etc. I wanted a utility that would automate this.
2. convert AIFF to MP3
iTunes LAME encoder does this. Note the UI is all about "Import" but in this case we're exporting from iTunes.
Installation:
1. Drag the app to Applications.Usage:
2. Drag the script to the iTunes script folder.
1. Set preferences: Destination to save to a local folder rather than iTunes library.
2. Click preferences: "Use Alternate Naming Convention" and delete all but %t (so a flat list of MP3 files is exported).
%a is the album
%l is the ?
%t is the tune or song
3. Change capture settings if desired
4. Create album for AAC files to export/convert and tunes to export there. Select all.
5. Click the LAME script from iTunes. Conversion takes quite a while.
Saturday, February 28, 2004
Extension Room :: Firefox Extensions :: Blogging Category
Extension Room :: Firefox Extensions :: Blogging Category: "Adds a context menu option to blog a link to the current page and the selected text (if any) through Blogger's BlogThis form"
I wondered if this would work w/ Firefox where the standard BlogThis scriptlet fails. Alas, it works just like BlogThis!, so it doesn't help.
I wondered if this would work w/ Firefox where the standard BlogThis scriptlet fails. Alas, it works just like BlogThis!, so it doesn't help.
Friday, February 27, 2004
Restoring Graffiti One type print recognition to the Graffiti Two (Jot) Palm devices
Google Groups: View Thread "Tungsten E and print recognition: what's your experi..."
One of the miracles of the US Robotics PalmPilot was that the pen character input worked. It worked because of Graffiti, a novel form of printing. The brilliance of Graffiti was that it asked the human to adjust to the limitations of the computer. With a bit of practice one could get pen input to work.
Unfortunately few were willing to learn Graffiti. Xerox won a patent fight about its origins, but it was a false victory. Palm abandoned Graffiti in favor of Jot -- a more familiar but singularly ineffective form of pen input.
Sad.
I went through TealScript and ruthlessly deleted all the
variable strokes from my personal profile. The only strokes allowed
are now the ones I use -- the advanced high speed but often
undocumented G1 strokes documented in Pogue's O'Reilly books. I
defined all of my strokes as "standard".
I also deleted many of the "distorted" strokes.
Once I'd paired down the base strokes, I used TealScripts "train
profile" exercise from different angles to create a library of
distorted variants of my base strokes.
I think I could further refine this by tweaking the TealScript squelch
and cutoff settings. Shockingly the best advice I could find seems to
be in the manual.
Based on the manual I have set Squelch and Cutoff to 0 for all of my
"standard" strokes. If one of my standard strokes is being applied
when I don't want it, then
- if it's a simple stroke I'll boost squelch
- if the misapplied strokes is not simple I'll boost cutoff - esp. if
it's distort mismatch
For my distort entries I'll experiment with setting cutoff to 5-15 ...
One of the miracles of the US Robotics PalmPilot was that the pen character input worked. It worked because of Graffiti, a novel form of printing. The brilliance of Graffiti was that it asked the human to adjust to the limitations of the computer. With a bit of practice one could get pen input to work.
Unfortunately few were willing to learn Graffiti. Xerox won a patent fight about its origins, but it was a false victory. Palm abandoned Graffiti in favor of Jot -- a more familiar but singularly ineffective form of pen input.
Sad.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Got a machine lying around? Web Crossing Express
Web Crossing - Web Crossing Express Features
This runs atop Win95 and MacOS Classic 9.2. Great use for an old Wintel machine?
Web Crossing Express Features: free web/email/ftp server
Web Crossing Express provides unlimited Web Pages (HTTP and HTTPS), Email (POP/IMAP/SMTP), FTP services and WebFiles, and low-volume* use of the popular Web Crossing collaboration features such as such as WebMail, blogs, discussions, chat, wiki, Neurons and more. Web Crossing Express can easily replace a collection of other free servers such as Apache, sendmail, IIS, Exchange, and FTP daemons. It's an excellent choice if you're setting up an Internet presence and also want to try out Web Crossing's powerful collaboration features. You can upgrade your Web Crossing Express license to make greater use of all the collaboration services at any time, without reinstallation.
This runs atop Win95 and MacOS Classic 9.2. Great use for an old Wintel machine?
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