The Tech Thread (was "Buying tech stuff online")

[RGMike]

I buy Sony discs at Staples, where they're frequently on sale, and have always been satisfied.  (I use iTunes to burn.)

wow, Sony blank CD-R 100-pack: 16.98 @ Staples; The Taiyo Yudens @ tape.com are $27 for 100 (plus shipping).

[Alicat]

I have a stack of Memorex CD-Rs I got at Office Depot. Quite inexpensive if memory serves. Haven't burned in a while, use iTunes. Let's plan a club get together sometime soon and incorporate a CD swap.

[RGMike]

Couple of (CD-)burning questions: Just made my first mix CD, checked all the boxes to delete the pause between songs and changed "2 seconds" to "0 seconds" in that field in the properties for each individual track (this is using Nero).  And there are still pauses. WTF?

Also, one of the CDs I was copying tracks from, a Joan Jett GH comp, is one of those "enhanced" CDs with video'n'stuff on it, and the audio tracks would not show up in Windows Explorer (or WMP) so that I could add them to a burn menu. I actually had to download the song i wanted ("Bad Reputation") individually from Amazon so that I could use it. It was only 99 cents, but still, it shouldn't've been necessary.  Suggestions?

[ggould]

I'll be getting one ASAP.  I've been waiting, and the specs look like more than what I was hoping for.

I'll keep you posted.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

[darryl]

Couple of (CD-)burning questions: Just made my first mix CD, checked all the boxes to delete the pause between songs and changed "2 seconds" to "0 seconds" in that field in the properties for each individual track (this is using Nero).  And there are still pauses. WTF?

Your first mix CD?  Have you been using cassettes up to now?  ;-}

Hrm, are you sure the individual tracks don't have some silence built-in?  They might need trimming.

The other thing you could try is turning on crossfading between tracks...  Not exactly the same, I know.

Also, one of the CDs I was copying tracks from, a Joan Jett GH comp, is one of those "enhanced" CDs with video'n'stuff on it, and the audio tracks would not show up in Windows Explorer (or WMP) so that I could add them to a burn menu. I actually had to download the song i wanted ("Bad Reputation") individually from Amazon so that I could use it. It was only 99 cents, but still, it shouldn't've been necessary.  Suggestions?

Yeah, use a program like CDex to rip the tracks:  http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/

[RGMike]

Couple of (CD-)burning questions: Just made my first mix CD, checked all the boxes to delete the pause between songs and changed "2 seconds" to "0 seconds" in that field in the properties for each individual track (this is using Nero).  And there are still pauses. WTF?

Your first mix CD?  Have you been using cassettes up to now?  ;-}

Hrm, are you sure the individual tracks don't have some silence built-in?  They might need trimming.

The other thing you could try is turning on crossfading between tracks...  Not exactly the same, I know.

Also, one of the CDs I was copying tracks from, a Joan Jett GH comp, is one of those "enhanced" CDs with video'n'stuff on it, and the audio tracks would not show up in Windows Explorer (or WMP) so that I could add them to a burn menu. I actually had to download the song i wanted ("Bad Reputation") individually from Amazon so that I could use it. It was only 99 cents, but still, it shouldn't've been necessary.  Suggestions?

Yeah, use a program like CDex to rip the tracks:  http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/

thank you sir!

[Lightnin' Rod]

Present company excluded, of course, just in case Geoff already has one  :

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10821345/ipad-users-are-selfish-elitists.html?puc=outbrain&cm_ven=outbrain&obref=obnetwork

[ggould]

Present company excluded, of course, just in case Geoff already has one  :

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10821345/ipad-users-are-selfish-elitists.html?puc=outbrain&cm_ven=outbrain&obref=obnetwork

I don't have one, although it would be fun.  Already having a laptop and an iPhone, the space not covered by those two is not large enough to justify the expense.

"It's not necessarily geeks that have gone out and bought it -- if you already have a laptop, do you really need this?" he told TheStreet. "The one exception is marketing people in customer-facing roles who want to show you, for example, a Web-based presentation."

[RGMike]

use your cell phone as a room key:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cmcginnis/detail?entry_id=72999&type=travel

[Gazoo]

This is more of an anti-tech question, but there you have it.

A bit of childhood memorabilia I still keep in the closet is my old TI-99/4A computer.  My roommate Andy (born in '85, same year I got it) was fascinated and wanted to see it.  But back in the day, the computer connected to the TV with a VHF/UHF cable:



It's the box near the middle with two things that small screws hold to the (old) TV.

My (newer) TV doesn't have those.  Anyone know how I would connect the computer to a modern TV?

[urth]

This is more of an anti-tech question, but there you have it.

A bit of childhood memorabilia I still keep in the closet is my old TI-99/4A computer.  My roommate Andy (born in '85, same year I got it) was fascinated and wanted to see it.  But back in the day, the computer connected to the TV with a VHF/UHF cable:



It's the box near the middle with two things that small screws hold to the (old) TV.

My (newer) TV doesn't have those.  Anyone know how I would connect the computer to a modern TV?

You should be able to find some kind of adapter that would have the two screws to attach your wires to (as you describe above) and then also has a male coaxial connection, to which you could then connect a standard coax cable which would then run to your television. Of course, depending on how new your TV is, the advent of digital TV a couple of years ago may have rendered all that out-of-date as well. It's scary  how fast tech is rendering itself obsolete.

[Tinka Cat]

This is more of an anti-tech question, but there you have it.

A bit of childhood memorabilia I still keep in the closet is my old TI-99/4A computer.  My roommate Andy (born in '85, same year I got it) was fascinated and wanted to see it.  But back in the day, the computer connected to the TV with a VHF/UHF cable:



It's the box near the middle with two things that small screws hold to the (old) TV.

My (newer) TV doesn't have those.  Anyone know how I would connect the computer to a modern TV?

You should be able to find some kind of adapter that would have the two screws to attach your wires to (as you describe above) and then also has a male coaxial connection, to which you could then connect a standard coax cable which would then run to your television. Of course, depending on how new your TV is, the advent of digital TV a couple of years ago may have rendered all that out-of-date as well. It's scary  how fast tech is rendering itself obsolete.

The (Radio) Shack will hook you up. Prolly w something like this:



http://www.summitsource.com/steren-200510-75-to-300-ohm-matching-transformer-connect-balun-75300-ohm-offair-tv-antenna-balum-coax-cable-female-signal-adapter-part-200510-p-8191.html

[urth]

Confession time: Despite my having worked at CNET, that temple of tech gadgetry, for several years, when it comes to my personal tech, I'm kind of a luddite. So when I recently upgraded my cellphone from a pre-Civil War Nokia 6230



to a just-released Inspire Android smartphone



it was kind of a big deal for me. Suddenly I can text without having to hit various keys on the number pad multiple times to select a letter. Suddenly I can view websites and read e-mails wherever I am. And suddenly I have a wealth of apps at my disposal.  All of this is pretty cool. (We'll see how cool I think it is when the first bill arrives however.)

But anyway, assuming that at least some of you have already jumped to using a smartphone of some sort, be it an iPhone (nodding at you, Geoff), an Android, or whatever, I'm just wondering what apps you've found that you think are indispensible, fairly useful or clever, fun, or just really cool. Or any other suggestions or words of advice for a smartphone newb.

[sundaygal]

Congrats!
I also have an Android phone (HTC Hero) and I love it.  It's great for FB, but not so great at posting on this forum because of the touchscreen.  You can tell when I'm using my phone to post during 10@10 - my answers are considerably shorter.  

As far as the apps I use the most go, I use the NextMuni app (not really applicable to you in Portland), the FX camera app is also a good one (lets you take Polaroid, Holga and Fisheye shots).  I also use the IHeartRadio app - too bad KFOG isn't one of the stations on its list.  I also use the Kodak Gallery app by Pixelpipe to download photos from my phone.

Oh, and I also use the Yelp and Facebook apps.  You don't strike me as the celebrity gossip type, but the TMZ app is pretty fun!

That Nokia phone looks like it weighs 5 lbs! 

[urth]

Thanks for the tips! I'll check out those photo apps once I get used to having a decent camera in my phone. The one that was in the Nokia was pretty shabby. (Btw, that Nokia is about three times as thick as my new one, but it weighs about half as much.

I found a free radio-streaming app that has KFOG--in fact, it was the first station they listed! It's called TuneIn Radio. I haven't used it for 10@10 yet, but I expect I will if I'm in the car at the 10am hour. I haven't used the phone to post here yet either, just checking posts a few times. But I'm sure that day is coming as well. Still pretty clumsy with the touch-screen, at least for typing. Hoping there's a learning curve there that I just need to get past.

Going to see Yo La Tengo tonight. Please Lord, don't let me one of those doofuses holding up his phone taking pics for half the evening!