Zoe: What's that, sir? Mal: Freedom, is what. Zoe: No, I meant what's that? Mal: Oh. Yeah. Just step around it. I think something must've been living in here.

'Out Of Gas'


Buffistechnology 3: "Press Some Buttons, See What Happens."

Got a question about technology? Ask it here. Discussion of hardware, software, TiVos, multi-region DVDs, Windows, Macs, LINUX, hand-helds, iPods, anything tech related. Better than any helpdesk!


Atropa - Mar 22, 2020 3:33:50 pm PDT #25339 of 25496
The artist formerly associated with cupcakes.

I can, I'd just rather have a larger screen, especially for Zoom.


Consuela - Mar 29, 2020 8:14:49 am PDT #25340 of 25496
We are Buffistas. This isn't our first apocalypse. -- Pix

I decided a good project would be to rip all the CDs I got from Dad so I can actually listen to them.

Does anyone have any recommendations for PC-compatible (Windows 10) software to rip CDs?


Theodosia - Mar 29, 2020 11:34:50 am PDT #25341 of 25496
'we all walk this earth feeling we are frauds. The trick is to be grateful and hope the caper doesn't end any time soon"

I've always just used iTunes on Windows to rip CDs. But the people who are way more knowledgeable than I am about sound software may have much more informed opinions than I do!

Me, I need some kind of microphone so that I can use my desktop (Windows) for interactive Zoom. I can always use my laptop (Mac) with the built-in, but the desktop has a huge screen and I can sit up and look more (OK, a little) professional.

What mic setup would be OK for Windows? Should I just get a cheap gamer's headset. It doesn't have to be Bluetooth, though I suppose if it was I could then you some kind of ear clippy thing with my Android phone...

sigh. technology.


flea - Mar 29, 2020 12:29:26 pm PDT #25342 of 25496
information libertarian

We have a several years old $30 logitech headset with mic and it works fine for meetings. USB.


DXMachina - Mar 29, 2020 1:59:09 pm PDT #25343 of 25496
You always do this. We get tipsy, and you take advantage of my love of the scientific method.

I used Fairstars CD Ripper when I ripped all of my CDs some years ago. It worked fine, and looks up the titles and such for you. Freeware.


Zenkitty - Mar 29, 2020 3:38:45 pm PDT #25344 of 25496
Every now and then, I think I might actually be a little odd.

I also use a headset with a microphone.


Jessica - Mar 30, 2020 3:05:10 am PDT #25345 of 25496
If I want to become a cloud of bats, does each bat need a separate vaccination?

I have a cheap wired gaming headset for video conferencing - it's more comfortable to wear for long periods of time than my earbuds, and the mic works better. The one thing I wish I'd looked more closely at is the weight, because after a couple of hours they do start to feel pretty heavy on the top of my head.


DXMachina - Mar 30, 2020 3:23:14 am PDT #25346 of 25496
You always do this. We get tipsy, and you take advantage of my love of the scientific method.

I use a gaming headset, too. It's comfortable, and mine is pretty light.


Laura - Mar 30, 2020 3:58:36 am PDT #25347 of 25496
Our wings are not tired.

There are zero cameras available here. My doctors all want them for their existing (old) computers, but end up buying laptops because there are no cameras anywhere.


DXMachina - Mar 30, 2020 4:52:57 am PDT #25348 of 25496
You always do this. We get tipsy, and you take advantage of my love of the scientific method.

I've been finding that, at least for teaching, the camera really isn't all that necessary. I find the headshots in a meeting distracting, and my students probably don't need to see my ugly face. OTOH, I do have a couple of lab demos that I am filming using my Lumix, but those will be uploaded to the streaming server.

My first attempt went okay. I couldn't figure out why the camera was giving me such a short maximum record time (only 8+ minutes). I managed to finish my first demo with 3 seconds left to spare. Then when I moved the file off the SD card onto my laptop, I noticed that the file was a 2GB .MOV. Next time I will crank the resolution down a little.