Greg wants to teach his mother how to use a computer, particularly how files are organized. He's been thinking of using Udemy to learn Dos. Leo suggests pointing her towards YouTube. There are likely videos online that are just as good. But Greg would probably want to get that first. Also, check out AARP's online computer classes. There's also Kahn Academy.
If you're looking to create videos and short films/skits (for Youtube or just your school), don't shy away from buying a tripod with your dedicated camera. Keeping your camcorder stable makes a world of difference in the feel of your video. Plus, getting some lighting equipment can illuminate your subjects in dramatic ways that the sun, moon, or room light simply can't. A good microphone and audio equipment can make your dialogue sound more clear than the camera's built-in mic is capable of.
Kevin wants to block YouTube so his first grader won't be distracted during distance learning at home. Leo says that there's a Supervised YouTube account, and he can determine what she can and cannot see. Check out YouTube.com/myfamily. Then he may create her own account and log her into that. It also has screen timers to limit the time.
When will the M1 iMac come out? Leo says no one knows, but he expects it to be the first half of 2021. Look for a presentation closer to summer.
Youtube has been overwhelmed with plenty of advertisements during videos these days. They've increased it so badly, they're likely trying to annoy users into subscribing to Youtube Premium, a $12/mo subscription service that also comes with Youtube Music. It's up to you whether you want to bite their lure, but you can also block ads at the DNS level via NextDNS. If you have an Android phone, Firefox Focus works as an ad blocker and can possibly filter out Youtube commercials. Give it a try!
Yuri is getting tired of ads on YouTube. They are now running ads all the time. It's very annoying. Leo says Google wants to push viewers towards their YouTube Premium service in order to get a monthly subscription rate. So that may be why all of a sudden, everyone is getting more and more ads during a stream. Leo says an ad blocker can help. But you can also block ads on the DNS level with NextDNS.
On Android, Firefox Focus is a good blocker for ads that can filter out things on your apps.
William wants to make a video and use iMovie to edit it and post it online. But how? Leo says the issue isn't what editor you use, but how you host it. Leo recommends hosting it on YouTube. It's free. It's ideal if you don't know video. How to share it? You can embed it to your website or provide a link for the viewer to watch.
Chris wants to know if there's a TWiT show on coping with turbulent times using technology. Leo says mental health is important, and just about everyone has been affected by it. And this year has been tough. We all need resources to cope, but a radio show isn't really the best way to go about it. Leo does recommend the US government's MentalHealth.Gov website, which offers resources to get help. Your doctor can also recommend a good therapist or mental health professional.
Mary uses an ATEM Mini Pro to stream her podcast via YouTube Live. But recently, it stopped streaming from her camera. Leo says the ATEM is a great video switcher for the money. She found out that YouTube changes her streaming key from time to time. Leo says that Leo does that a lot. The key changes randomly. That's likely the issue.
YouTube does offer a permanent key, but Mary tried that and it didn't work. The solution may be to get her key just before she goes live, which can be a tedious thing from week to week.
Jerry watches YouTube travel videos and wants to know if you can embed GPS coordinates for Google Earth into a video like you can with a still image. Leo says that YouTube would have to support it. YouTube recently allowed notes linked to the timecode of a video, so it's possible. If the person making the video wanted to take the time to use that feature, it's possible.
Edward wants an ad blocker for his browser. Leo says that UBlock Origin is the one he recommends. While his program is advertiser supported, he supports ad blockers because online ads represent a potential security risk. The ads also can be tedious when they are popups or use too many ads on a page. But on the other hand, Leo recommends throwing the sites a few bucks a year to make up for it.
Can he get an ad blocker for YouTube Music? Leo says there is ... it's called a paid subscription. If he pays for YouTube Premium, he can enjoy YouTube content ad-free.
