Downloading, streaming, or encoding music and movies.
Media
Rod Pyle and the History of Apollo
Episode 1761
Rod Pyle, editor of Ad Astra, joins Leo to talk about his new book on the Apollo Program called FIRST ON THE MOON.
How Can I Catalog and Organize My Library of Music and Movies?
Episode 1759
Nolan fromNolan wants to know if storing passwords on your iPhone is safe. Leo says if you only use Apple devices, it's about as secure as it can get. iOS has it's own built-in password generator and wallet. But your passwords won't be available if you use a Windows Machine or other cross-platform device. That's where a third-party app like LastPass comes in handy.
How Can I Digitize My Old Albums?
Episode 1759
John fromJohn wants to digitize a record album of his mother's appearance on the old game show Queen for a Day. Is there a turntable that he can get, which can convert it to an mp3? Leo says that Crossley makes a turntable with a USB connection. There is also Victrola and ION. They make them as well. And you can get them as little as $100, and it also includes a CD burner. Just do a search on Amazon for a USB Turntable.
How can I rip DVDs to my hard drive?
Episode 1754
Steve fromSteve uses PLEX to stream his home media. He's got over 400 movies on his hard drive. But his DVDs have VOB files on them. How does he rip them so he can add them to his PLEX system? Leo says that what you want on your hard drive is the movie itself. Not necessarily the VOB file. But PLEX should be able to read it. A far easier thing to do is to use Handbrake to convert your DVD movies to MP4 files. You may also need VLC Media Client.
Is There a 3rd-party DAC for My Mac Mini?
Episode 1753
Jeff fromJeff has an online radio network that he runs on a series of Mac Minis. But he found a bug in the audio that's causing a whine. Leo says that it's likely from the digital-analog converter (DAC) chip that has failed. He recommends getting a USB DAC, rather than just paying to repair it. The quality audio will be better. But if he has Apple Care Plus, Apple will just replace the logic board.
How Can I Overdub Using Audacity?
Episode 1752
Tim fromTim runs a low powered radio station. He's been using Audacity to edit his audio, but recently, it has stopped resetting to the beginning when stopping recording. Now it creates a new track, and that prevents him from overdubbing as he had been in the past. Leo says there's likely a setting in Audacity that will disable the change. He's going to have to use a second, separate track and then position them to overlap. But Tim has problems with that since he's visually impaired. Shift+R can create a new track and then use the cursor keys to move along the track.
How Can I Easily Record a Podcast?
Episode 1741
Phil fromPhil produces a podcast for his church and wants to streamline the process so it can be done in his absence. Leo says that Anchor.FM has the simplest podcasting tools. It can record from a computer or phone and it'll automatically publish the podcast. Auphonic is another.
How can I post new episodes of my podcast?
Episode 1736
Kevin fromKevin is starting a new podcast and wants to know how to post updates on his website and then have that go to all the podcast aggregators. Leo says that there's a plugin for WordPress called PodPress that can help. But you can also put it up on iTunes and let it handle it through the RSS feed. There's another one called Seriously Simple Podcasting, amongst others. There's a list here - https://www.podcastinsights.com/best-wordpress-plugins/
How hot can my thumbdrive get?
Episode 1736
Tom fromTom says his computer thumb drive is very hot. Should he be concerned? Leo says thumb drives can get pretty hot and the tolerances are designed to be that way, but most modern electronics are designed to stay under 100 degrees C. So if it's so hot that you can't touch it, then that can be cause for concern. It'll make the drive less reliable and over time, it'll wear out prematurely. But it's within normal limits for the drive to run warm or hot. Just not scalding. Especially when it's not doing anything. That's when Leo would throw it away.
How can I get a better deal on my cable service?
Episode 1734
Marcy fromMarcy is tired of the high cost of cable after that initial bundle deal. She's ready to cut the cable. Leo says that you have to read the fine print in your bundle deal to see what the details are. Usually, they raise the rate pretty dramatically. Marcy went scorched earth and canceled her service, then waited a few months to get the next offer. Leo says you can do that, but you can also threaten to cancel and ask to speak to the retention specialist. They can give you a better bargain.
