Leo Laporte
The Tech Guy
2–5p ET Sat & Sun
- Home
- Saturday Show
- Sunday Show
- Past Shows
- Audio Archives
- Stations
- Chat
- Watch Live
- Forums
- Tips
- FAQ
- Glossary
- Contact Leo
Sponsors
- Angie’s List
- Carbonite
- DSLExtreme
- Epson
- ESET
- Gazelle
- GoToAssist
- GoToMeeting
- GoToMyPC
- Slingbox
- Squarespace
- Stamps.com
Leo Links
 |
For more Leo all week long, listen to the
|
|
Saturday December 18, 2010
Show Audio
|
Edited Audio | |
|
Posted one week after broadcast… | |
Tech News
Leo tests the Nexus S
Leo now has the new “Google Phone,” called the Nexus S. It’s purely a Google phone with no overlay running the latest version of Android. Vanilla. No frills. Very good for developers writing apps for Android.
Unlike the original Nexus, which was made by HTC, the Nexus S is essentially a Samsung Galaxy that’s been made for Google directly. It has an AMOLED screen. 5 MP camera that Leo says is the best camera he’s used. Front facing camera as well for video calls. Available only at Best Buy for T-Mobile.
Open Source BSD becomes a tool of “the man.”
The creator of OpenBSD announced a bombshell this week that the FBI has paid developers to put a series of secret back doors into it’s encryption technology. Leo isn’t so sure and believes this hasn’t actually happened at all. And a code audit hasn’t revealed any back doors so far. But it’s certainly freaked out a lot of privacy geeks. And with Congress pressing for a law that would require keys to any encryption be available to law enforcement, the notion of the government having a back door to any software is a bit of a concern in a free society.
Google’s Facebook Killer called Plus One
Going after Facebook, Google is planning a competitor which will have video conferencing for up to nine people.
Apple’s Mac App Store coming January 6
Starting January 6, 2011, Apple will be releasing apps for the MAC OS, allowing developers to create custom apps for the MAC Desktop that mirrors the successful iPhone and iPad app stores. They’ll be inexpensive, easy to buy, and offer automatic updates. Leo says this is the future and will change the way users buy and use software for their computers.
CES is Comin’ next month and TWiT will be there
The Consumer Electronics Show is coming to Vegas next month and Leo will be there with all the TWiT gang. Some of the things Leo’s expecting … Microsoft will finally jump into the slate computing world with a Windows 7 Tablet, which many are yawning over.
Guests
Dick DeBartolo, The Giz Wiz, @thegizwiz
Dick joins us with a very useful gadget: The Panther Vision LightSpecs LED Lighted reading glasses. Batteries are built into frames. Each light can be turned on independently. Magnifications from 1 - 3.0 in 1/4 increments. About $25–30. Batteries last about 15–20 hours. Also available under Foster Grant.
Hour 1
Q John, New York, NY - Broadcasting/Streaming video live online
John is starting an online network, but they have bandwidth issues. They use the Sprint Overdrive, but it doesn’t work well indoors. Can he link them? Leo says that the Overdrive works on Line of Sight, so it’s not surprising that it prevents signal. You could make a repeater that picks up the signal outside and sends it inside. Linking several Overdrives is also an option as long as others in the area aren’t using the same network. The more poeple using the 4G network, the harder it will be.
Leo does use the Live U setup, which uses up to six 3G connections and it works well. But it isn’t cheap.
[http://mushroomnetworks.com/|[Mushroom Networks]] makes a 3G bonding device, along with a “teleporter” for DIY live broadcasting. Also, broadband in the US really isn’t broadband according to a recent study. In fact, the US ranks 20th in high speed internet performance and bandwidth capability. Leo also says that deciding to broadcast in 480p is a better choice, rather than HD. 480p is DVD quality and most people won’t even see HD - which will kill your bandwidth.
John’s network is going to be entertainment related programming of the theater scene.
A great book on how media creativity has become “democratized” and anyone can make it now is called HERE COMES EVERYBODY by Clay Shirkey.
Q Derek, Chicago, IL - Battery issues
Derek has an Acer Laptop and every time he tries to charge his battery, it “beeps.” It’s only about 2 years old. Leo says it sounds like a dying battery, but it’s a bit premature for the battery to die. Derek says he got a replacement and after a week, it started doing the same thing. And it’s even happening on other laptops. Leo says that would tend to make him think that his house is getting an ‘over voltage’ situation, causing damage to the charging system. The “beep” can also be disabled in the hidden devices - look for a plug in play device driver called “beep.” It could be triggered by a lose connection.
Q Marybeth, Brownsburg, IN - Printer problems
Marybeth is having an issue with her HP All In One printer. She’s reinstalled all the software, but she gets several copies of what she prints. Leo says it could be an issue with the spooler file. Leo suggests physically disconnecting the printer, deleting every copy of the spooler and drivers. Reboot and then reinstall with the latest drivers from the printer manufacturer. Install the software and then plug in the printer, letting the printer finish the installation. And plug the printer into every USB port to seal the deal as some USB ports have different drivers.
Q Rich, Findlay, IL - Stereo podcasting via Skype
Rich is doing a podcast for music production, but has found out that Skype does their audio in mono. This can affect his podcast, especially when he’s doing interviews with independent artists and reviews of their work.
But how can he broadcast the podcast in stereo? Leo says that Skype is a great utility for audio/video calls over the Internet in real time. But quality of the audio from a stereo point of view and for podcast and internet broadcasters hasn’t really been a priority. Leo says an open source project needs to be created to do that and TWiT may have to do it via KickStarter.
His podcast is called Music Scene Investigation.
Hour 2
Q Derek, Costa Mesa, CA - Learning online
Derek wants to know where he can learn about hardware and software for communication purposes. Leo says that the Internet is the place to start, particularly iTunes U from Apple. iTunes U is a university project that podcasts lectures from universities all over the country. Stanford, for example, has a course on how to write apps for the iPhone. the lectures are on iTunes U. And it’s all free, notes and all. Leo says it’s the single best resource for learning the bleeding edge of technology development and it can be as close as your iPod screen. And it may be the future of college level education.
Q Joan, Fallbrook, CA - Broken browser
Joan has three older computers and one suddenly can’t access the Internet even though it’s connected by a router. Leo says that since Joan can get eMail, that Windows Internet Explorer is likely broken. Running updates and bringing Internet Explorer to version 7 will likely fix the problem and make Joan’s computer more secure as well. Start. Control Panel. Windows Update. Install them all. Joan will also want to be on the lookout for malware, which may have broken Internet Explorer as well.
Another good idea may be to just restore Windows and then update it like crazy. Backup your data first, mind you, but this will not only repair Joan’s issue, but will also clean up any bitrot or malware that may be lurking about.
Q Kevin, goin’ to Hawaii - Point and shoot recommendation
Kevin is going to Hawaii and is not sure he wants to haul his DSLR around the Islands. Leo says that every professional photographer he knows has a pocket point and shoot they use for that very reason. Kevin wants a nice zoom, pano, video maybe. Leo says that many pros use the Canon G12 or the Lumix LX5, but many people are really raving about the Canon S95 with it’s f2 28mm 3.8x fast lens, great 720p video. It could be the best point and shoot out there.
Hour 3
Q Jacob, Billings, MT - Building an Internet Radio Station
Jacob wants to start his own internet radio station and wants to know what Leo had to do to get permission to do it. Leo said he didn’t. He just up and did it. And that’s how the world is changing when it comes to technology now … you don’t have to ask permission to create a website, movie, internet TV station … you just do it. Now, whether you succeed is another story, but you certainly don’t need anyone’s permission to live your dream anymore and that’s the beauty of the state of technology today. And it’s cheap to do it. You start small and improve as you grow.
Q Steve, St. Louis, MO - digitizing old family videos
Steve has been planning to put all his family videos on DVD. Should he do that or should he do something that is more “future proof?” Leo says that DVD is just an end result. The real key is that Steve will be digitizing all that video and super 8 film and putting it in a digital form. THAT is the future proofing. Once that analog medium is made into “bits,” it can be put on a variety of medium including DVD. Leo says that it can be done on your own, but it may be more beneficial to have a service do it. It’s a balance of time vs. money. SCAN CAFE is a great resource for doing still and slide digitizing. PIXORIAL is another that focuses on video. They send you a box with a prepaid mailing label. They’ll clean up the footage and digitize it. and when you consider they’re cleaning them and color correcting them, you can’t really beat the price.
Q Michael, Shelbyville, TN - Streaming video
Michael and his friends have been doing live video streaming but they’ve maxed out their old PCs running Vidblaster. They want to build a new rig that will take their streaming to the next level. What should they get?
Leo says that since it’s mixing and encoding, as well as streaming, VidBlaster can really benefit from a beefier system. As such, an Intel i7 Processor would really be the way to go. It’s hyper-threaded, allowing for twice as many processes as the i5. Also, going with at least 4GB or RAM. Another issue is whether VidBlaster is using the GPU on the graphics card. That would mean getting a stronger video card. Leo likes N’Vidia. But ATI is good, too. Leo recommends PC Perspectives for what high end video cards Ryan Shrout recommends. But any modern video card will be able to handle it.
And don’t discount audio even over video. People will forgive video, but bad audio will cause them to look elsewhere.
Michael’s show can be seen at TechYouOwnLife.com.
Q Eric, Riverside, CA - Replacing an AC adapter
Eric’s dog chewed up the AC adapter for his Gateway notebook. Can he get a universal AC adapter? Leo says you have to be careful. Better to go on eBay and find the exact one. But you also have to be careful there as people will lie and sell you a third party charger that bricks your laptop.
Monoprice sells replacement adapters. Sticking to the exact model may be pricier than a universal, but they’re safer and have the circuitry designed for your laptop. Or, go to the manufacturer. It’ll be pricey, but the peace of mind will be worth it.
