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Rod Pyle and the Cube from Mars
Episode 1850
Rod joins Leo to talk about Space News. Going up on the New Shepard soon will be Good Morning America host and NFL legend Michael Strahan, and the daughter of Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, Laura Shepard Churchly.
Meanwhile, China's Horizon rover recently spotted a "cube" on the backside of the moon. It's traveling to investigate, but Rod says it isn't aliens. It's likely a big, square rock.
Why Are Hulu Commercials Too Loud?
Episode 1849
Chuck fromChuck wants to know why commercial breaks online streaming services are so loud. Leo says that the FCC has mandated that commercial volume not get turned up on TV for that reason, but there may be a loophole for streaming, and advertisers are taking advantage of it. But TVs do have a volume leveling option in the settings to compensate. If that's not working, then the advertisers may be doing other tricks to get viewer attention, like echo and reverb. Mikah Sargent also says that without regulation, some will also be too loud and some too low.
Johnny Jet ... Some New Rules
Episode 1849
Johnny Jet joins Leo to talk about the new travel restrictions that are being instituted in the wake of the Omnicron Variant. And it could have been worse. Johnny says that those coming to the US will have to provide a negative test within 24 hours before flying. Airports are also instituting free fast testing for incoming passengers. LAX is opening its test locations this coming week. The mask mandate has also been extended until March. The WHO is also saying that people over 60 shouldn't be traveling right now, but most people traveling are of that age.
Can I Stream Audio in the Background of My Video?
Episode 1849
Kelvin fromKelvin does live streaming via OBS and he wants his audience to be able to hear music that he streams in the background. Leo says that's complicated because he will have to purchase the license to be able to do that online, and it's very expensive. Also, the content may be get taken down by YouTube or Facebook, especially if he doesn't have a license for what he specifically does. The good news about TikTok is that they cover the licensing.
Why Can't I Connect to the Internet via WiFi on MacBook Pro?
Episode 1849
Fran fromFran's WiFi has suddenly stopped working in her MacBook. She can connect to her Airport Extreme in network settings, but her internet connection doesn't work via WiFi. It works via Ethernet, and all her other devices work fine. Leo says that if she's getting strong signal strength, it means the laptop just isn't connecting. What may be happening is that the router isn't giving her computer an IP address, and as such, the OS then assigns a local network address (usually starting with 169).
Rod Pyle and Sounds From Mars
Episode 1848
Today, Rod takes us to Mars. The Mars Perserverence Rover has a microphone on it that can record sounds of the rover as it rolls over the martian soil. It's the first time NASA has recorded actual sound from the Red Planet. They also recorded the sound of the Martian helicopter. What's odd is that with pressure 1% that of earth, it sounds like it's underwater.
The Giz Wiz gets Tested
Episode 1847
Dickie D is back with a Covid19 Rapid test you can take at home. The iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test is a 15-minute self-test to detect COVID-19 infection in the comfort of your own home without the need to ship your sample to a lab. The test can be done by inserting 1/2 to 3/4 inch of a simple non-invasive nasal swab and is easy to use with minimal discomfort. An iHealth Pass can be generated based on the test results for screening purposes. The test is intended to be used twice over two to three days, with at least 24 hours and no more than 36 hours between tests.
Johnny Jet ... Another Variant
Episode 1847
Johnny joins Leo to talk about yet another variant (known as Omicron) that has emerged out of South Africa. The US has instituted a travel ban to several African countries and that means traveling is going to be problematic on the eve of the busiest travel day of the year (Monday after Thanksgiving). And while airlines aren't canceling flights until the last minute, it's wise to keep checking and to make sure you have travel insurance.
How Can I Read a PDF on a Chromebook?
Episode 1847
Ed fromEd wants to know if he has to download a reader to read PDF files on a Chromebook. Leo says most browsers can natively open PDFs now, so using a third-party reader isn't necessary anymore, unless he wants to do any customization, like editing or special printing. But even printing should be OK. He may have to enable settings in Chromebook to do it though.
Why's My Phone Double Dictating?
Episode 1847
Jody fromJody's phone doubles speech to text. His wife's phone does the same thing. Leo wonders if Bixby and the Google Assistant are fighting over Jody. But Mikah Sargent says that it could be Google Voice and Samsung Voice turned on in the settings. So they're both working. Disable Samsung in favor of Google. It's better.