For more Leo and friends all week long, listen to the TWiT Netcast Network

Sunday September 20, 2009

«Previous Show

Next Show»

Show Audio

Edited Audio

Posted one week after broadcast…

Tech News

Leo reviews the Zune HD

Leo got a Zune HD and is stunned by how beautiful the large OLED screen is. The saying “Microsoft gets it right on the third try” is true with the Zune HD. It’s a great device. But it’s sold out just about everywhere except the Microsoft Store. Leo says the Zune Pass is it’s great selling point. $15 a month for all you can eat music, and you can keep 10 songs a month. Album art. It doesn’t play back HD video, which is confusing since it’s name has “HD” on it. But you can put 720p video on it and play it back using the $89 HDMI dock for your HDTV. Wifi syncing. There’s a few apps in the Zune store. But only time will tell if they’ll get serious about it. Sound quality is nominal, average mp3 quality.

FCC to mandate Net Neutrality

In a major victory for data equality advocates, the FCC is expected to announce new rules which will require ISPs to treat all traffic on the internet equally. The rules will also apply to wireless data as well. Which, Leo says, is as it should be.

Plot thickens in Google/Apple/AT&T Mystery

The latest in the never ending SAGA of Apple’s rejection of Google Voice app for the iPhone … Google claims that Phil Schiller rejected it directly and said it was due to competition with the iPhone.

Psychologist says Twitter bad for you, Facebook better

A Scottish psychologist has chimed in on Twitter and Facebook, saying that Facebook builds and rekindles memory in the mind, helping one’s intelligence, while Twitter, she says, doesn’t have much benefit.

Remember those AT&T “You Will Ads?”

The AT&T You Will Ads narrated by Tom Selleck came out about 15 years ago, and it’s amazing how accurate they ended up being. (Hat Tip - David Pogue)

Guests

Chris Marquardt - Tips from the Top Floor

Today, we’re taking a look at some of the pictures taken with this month’s assignment: ALTITUDE. First one is called VERTIGO. Chris likes it because it shows a lot of depth, beautiful color.

The next picture is of a BumbleBee, called HOVERING. Nice frozen wings, with everything else out of focus.

Then, there’s SDFAIRE2009. Silhouetted. Gives viewers a chance to make up their own story. Vignetted. Leo says this one was obviously previsualized. The photographer thought ahead and got a great shot. And it’s in black and white which ads not only an artistic quality, but is unique in that few people shoot in black and white anymore, especially action shots.

Out next assignment - PRESSURE. Join Flickr, upload pictures tagged with Pressure and Tech Guy Group.

---

Hour 1

Q Keyboard recommendation

Called in to recommend Elite Keyboards.

Q Louis, Phoenix, AZ - Search Engine Optimization

Louis wants to know how he can drive more traffic to his website. Will SEOs work? Leo says that SEOs are the latest snake oil. They really can’t guarantee more traffic to your site and if Google thinks you’re trying to game their search engine, they will ban you. The best way is create searchable content in the first 1500 characters. This includes the Title bar. Check out this article from Buzzle on tips to Google’s page ranking. But the bottom line is that regularly updated content will drive more people to your site and the more people who link to your site will drive even more traffic your way as you climb up the Google Page Rankings.

Lou’s Kiteboard Website is at ArizonaLouKiteBoarder.com.

Q Peter, Santa Rosa, CA - Camcorders as webcams

Peter wants to use his camcorder as a webcam, what does he need? Leo says that you need two things. A firewire connection and a working driver which will allow Windows to pick up the camcorder. One option is TRACKER CAM. Advantages are white balance, auto focus, camera adjustments, tripod, etc. A far superior picture. OrangeWare sells one called WebcamDV. Free trial to download.

But Leo also says that for low light conditions, the QuickCam 9000 performs far better. The problem with today’s camcorders is that the cheaper they are, the smaller the CCD chips tend to be, and worse for low light performance. And 3 chip camcorders make the chips so small, that low light performance is doomed. Leo likes the Canon HV20, and the HF10.

---

Hour 2

Q Brian, Burbank, CA - Podcasting question

Brian has a podcast on film making. Leo says to make sure you have the latest version of WordPress, and even use the security plug-in, as it has been vulnerable to hackers of late. But they have trouble tracking downloads. Leo says it would be great if there was a podcasting Nielsen or Arbitron service which could help. There is one, which is free, called Podtrac. They’re survey of downloads is free, but they will also provide advertising services for a cut of the pie.

Brian’s Podcast is called Film-Method.com

Q Andrew, Salinas, CA - “too many recipients” error

Andrew is a reservist and he sends out newsletter emails to soldiers in the field. But he’s getting error messages about “too many recipients,” when he tries to send out to his list. Leo says this is probably an anti-spam measure by his ISP. A call to his ISP may be able to modify your account to allow to send out mass emails. Another option is CONSTANT CONTACT, which will use their servers to do just that.

Q Kyle, Sonoma, CA - Ubuntu installation problems

Kyle is trying to update Ubuntu, but the computer reboots during the bootloader sequence. Leo says you should try running it from the LiveCD first, booting to the CD. If it doesn’t work, then the issue is your computer. If it does, then it could be a hard drive issue. There are versions of Ubuntu designed for slower hardware. Go to Ubuntu.com to find the version best for you (like XUbuntu). It may also be that you don’t have enough RAM to install.

Q Ellen, Hayward, CA - AVS virus problems

Ellen is getting a virus warning, and when it asks about getting rid of it, McAfee says they can’t remove it! Leo says that the problem is that you could be having dueling AntiVirus Software here. The thing about AVS is that, unlike Spyware programs, you can only have one AVS running or problems will happen. There’s also the issue of hackers getting more crafty and attaching their nefarious wares to critical system files. You can get a 2nd opinion by using an online scanner like the one at Eset. Next, run Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool. Start.Run. Type “MRT” and Enter. Choose Deep Scan. If you haven’t gotten anything from that, it may just be a false positive - which is really easy to do if you’re doubling up on AVS software like you have. So pick one and remove the other.

And when that happens, your best bet is to backup your data, reformat the hard drive and reinstall your OS.

---

Hour 3

Q Perkash, Foster City, CA - Router recommendation

Perkash wants to get a new router. Leo likes Linksys, like the WRT300N, and DLink. What about Dual Band? Leo says only if you really have a need for it. But most don’t have a need to for capability because of the frequency it runs on - 2.4 ghz, etc. Dual Band runs on 5 Mhz which can help. Do you need a gigbit wired connection? Not really. It is faster, but if you don’t need it, there’s no reason to pay for it. Having a router that has plugins for printers and hard drives to share on the network would be a better option than dual band or gigabit wired capability. Another option is Belkin. They make good ones.

And make sure that once you install that new wireless router, that you secure it with WPA2 encryption. Five steps - 1) rename router, 2) change the default password, 3) turn off Wide Area Network Administration/Internet Administration, 4) Turn on WPA2 encryption with a hard password with numbers and punctuation included, and 5) turn off Universal Plug n Play.

Q Alysa, Los Angeles, CA - Podcasting equipment

Alysa’s boyfriend has a podcasting network and she wants to get him something to help him. Recommendations? Leo says it depends on what he uses to record with. He uses a MacBook, Alysa says. Leo says a good quality microphone would be a nice gift, as would a nice pair of headphones. Leo uses AKG K240 headphones. A great mic comes from Rode, called the Rode Podcaster. Truth is, being a podcaster doesn’t really require a lot.

Here’s one gift,Alysa - Matt’s podcast is at http://www.genzette.com/. Go visit, everyone!

Q Michael, Germany - Background noise in studio

Michael loves to record podcasts, but he can’t suppress the background fan noise from his computer. Will a dynamic microphone work? Leo has the same issue because he’s vritually surrounded by computers. Leo has thick velvet drapes and other sound proofing techniques, but he rather likes some room noise because it sounds more natural. Condenser mics are very sensitive and can pick up a lot of background noise. Leo uses a large coil dynamic mic with good off axis rejection. A good choice is the SURE SM58. Under $100. Also a Heil PR40. About $350. You can also use “expansion,” like the Axia Board’s Omnia Expander. Doing properly, the background noise will be brought down when things are silent. But those options aren’t cheap. But for those on a budget, a good dynamic mic

Michael’s show is called CliqFM.

Have a great geek week! … and don’t forget to backup. Backup. BACKUP!

---

«Previous Show

Back to TOC

Next Show»