Wait -- If I'm converting the files to an iPad friendly format, why does he need GoodPlayer? Can't the native app handle the files? Or is it that the native app can't grab and play them from Dropbox? It's probably not worth it for him to drop $2.99 for GoodPlayer.

okay, let me upload an .mp4 and see if the native app handles it. It has been difficult for the native app to handle files. That's why I recommend Good Player which can handle various video files better than the native.

theoretically, good player can handle avi, but I have found in practice it doesn't work that well.

give me 5-10 minutes.

sorry, 5-10 minutes have long gone!

Okay, on my ipad in the dropbox app, I can view mp4 movies. I chose a 25 minute one and it played right in dropbox. There was no option to view it in the standard app or in any other app.

I don't know if longer movies will play as easily.

Thanks, le nubian. We'll try that first.

Well, I was able to play the files via Dropbox on my iPhone, so that bodes well.

Roundup of Changes in iTunes 11

iTunes 11 has finally arrived, nearly a month after it was originally promised because of the need to "get it right" according to Apple. The app promises a redesigned store, simplified layout, and more.

I really like it so far. Especially this (the bit with the color background matching the album art):

I think my favorite new design element is what Apple is calling “Expanded View”. In a graphical list of albums or movies or shows, you click one and it opens in a subview right there under the album/movie/show. Instead of going to a new view, you stay where you are. No way to get confused about where you are, more of a sense of direct manipulation. I think this is a brilliant design for everyone, particularly typical users. And there’s a neat trick: the colors for the song listing are chosen algorithmically based on the album or poster art. Very clever, very fun. It’s a digital approximation of going through real-world albums or DVD jewel boxes and opening them in place — with the custom color palettes, the listings feel like the “inside” of the albums.

My replacement NAS came in and my original one was fucked up from the get go. I have the DLNA shares showing in Finder which I never managed the first time. And Time Capsule is back to working like a charm.

I decided to go with RAID 1 this time, and am rethinking the organisation of the directories.

I asked the tech support guy how/if people backed up their NAS, and he said it was the backup, so it wasn't a big requirement. Which...why DLNA? Wiki software? C'mon now. If you're positioning it as more than a file store, have a couple more suggestions.

Still, no big. I feel a bit more confident with RAID 1, and I can work out what to burn to optical and when.

Alright, back to copying.

cross posted from natter:

I need some assistance in trying to figure out why minecraft will not run on our old laptop. See how I wrote old there? I think it might not meet the min requirements, but I am not even sure how to check he requirements it says I need. help.

Windows or Mac, and what version of the operating system?

windows xp