Author Topic: Tech question thread (Read 64805 times)

stePH · **Reply #75 on:** October 17, 2008, 04:39:09 PM

Quote from: MacArthurBug on October 17, 2008, 03:11:01 AM

O great and mighty N_sh,

I can no longer upload pictures, I've tried multiple formats (jpg, gif etc) multiple sizes! Whatever am I doing wrong? Should I go find my photobucket account (If I remember where I put it) and use that? And if so... how- I seem to have forgotten. Please help?

I'm having the same problem. It was when I tried to upload a modified version of the Hello Kitty pic I currently have as an avatar. Uploading a local file appears to be broken; I had to link to the online copy that Nash put up in his avatar poll thread.

Heradel · **Reply #76 on:** October 17, 2008, 06:00:01 PM

It looks like there's an issue with the permissions for the upload directory, I'll let Steve know.

Russell Nash · **Reply #77 on:** October 18, 2008, 02:52:19 PM

Quote from: Russell Nash on September 10, 2008, 05:45:08 PM

Quote from: wintermute on September 10, 2008, 04:51:46 PM
Quote from: Russell Nash on September 09, 2008, 05:12:30 PM
NEW QUESTION:

I have a 5th Gen. iPod. I want to be able to use it to record sounds when I'm out and about. Does anybody know how I can do that without modifying the iPod. I know I can do it if I run it on Linux, but I like the OS it uses.

Any help or do I need to get an iRiver?
If buying something like this doesn't count as "modifying the iPod" then you can do it, otherwise, no.

And running iPodLinux (I assume that's what you mean by "if I run it on Linux") or RockBox on it isn't going to magically make it sprout a microphone, so you'll still need to buy the hardware.

Ding! We have a winner. That's exactly what I wanted, just something that I can plug into the bottom.

I ended up getting this.

Cool point:
It integrates with the iPod. When you attach it, it shows up as voice memo in the extras menu. Whe you connect it to iTunes it syncs and downloads the recordings into a playlist in iTunes.

Negative:
There's a nasty hiss. The hiss goes away if I switch it to line in, but I haven't hooked up a line yet. If the problem is just the microphone, then it's perfect for my needs. If the hiss never goes away, I'll have some use for it, but not a whole lot.

Russell Nash · **Reply #78 on:** October 18, 2008, 04:57:37 PM

Quote from: Russell Nash on October 18, 2008, 02:52:19 PM

Negative:
There's a nasty hiss. The hiss goes away if I switch it to line in, but I haven't hooked up a line yet. If the problem is just the microphone, then it's perfect for my needs. If the hiss never goes away, I'll have some use for it, but not a whole lot.

Checked the line in. It sounds very clear. I'll check it with other microphones later.

MacArthurBug · **Reply #79 on:** October 20, 2008, 02:01:24 PM

Thanks much for the input: Nash, StePH, BD and anyone else

I'll go figure out my photobucket account.

Russell Nash · **Reply #80 on:** November 28, 2008, 05:39:13 PM

I'm getting into Photoshop more and more. I've gotten to the point where the mouse is a limiting factor and I'd like to move up to a graphic tablet (for the life of me I can't remember the slang for these things). Who uses one of these things in there work and what tips can you give me for picking one? What features are important and which ones are stupid? Which brands and models are worth the cash? I'm willing to pay a bit for quality, but I don't want to pay through the nose.

cuddlebug · **Reply #81 on:** November 28, 2008, 06:07:17 PM

Same here, I love photoshop and have been contemplating getting a tablet for some time, and am thinking of a small or medium Wacom Bamboo. Is this any good?

But my main problem is photoshop, I have recently become the proud owner of a macbook and only have photoshop on my PC, which I am not using anymore.
I have the Gimp on my Mac but cannot get my head around it, being used to photoshop, which is so much more intuitive.
Obviously, there is no way I can ever afford the real deal and I was wondering whether anyone could give me some advice on Photoshop Elements for Mac and whether it is worth buying. I am not a student anymore (actually work in academia) and cannot get the student version of the full photoshop, unless anyone has an idea of how to get around that.

Heradel · **Reply #82 on:** November 28, 2008, 07:14:50 PM

Cuddlebug: Try GimpShop, might make it a bit easier: http://www.gimpshop.com/download.shtml
And usually if you're an employee of a school you meet the requirements for the educational discount, but I'm not how Adobe defines it.

The Wacom's are good tablets (I can't actually think of another manufacturer of tablets that's gotten good press), get the one that fits your budget. Most of my Photoshopping hasn't required a lot of pixel manipulation, but when I have used them they've been useful.

I think the only real difference other than size is the pressure sensitivity (expressed in number of levels), but it has been a long time since I looked into getting one.

slic · **Reply #83 on:** November 28, 2008, 11:29:05 PM

I have a wacom tablet - love it. I got it as a present 10 years ago (it cost about $120), and still use it. It is a beige one, and not nearly as cool looking as the ones now.
I recommend them highly. I even use it in place of a mouse. Doesn't take long to get used to them.

Bdoomed · **Reply #84 on:** November 29, 2008, 06:17:53 PM

Quote from: cuddlebug on November 28, 2008, 06:07:17 PM

Same here, I love photoshop and have been contemplating getting a tablet for some time, and am thinking of a small or medium Wacom Bamboo. Is this any good?

But my main problem is photoshop, I have recently become the proud owner of a macbook and only have photoshop on my PC, which I am not using anymore.
I have the Gimp on my Mac but cannot get my head around it, being used to photoshop, which is so much more intuitive.
Obviously, there is no way I can ever afford the real deal and I was wondering whether anyone could give me some advice on Photoshop Elements for Mac and whether it is worth buying. I am not a student anymore (actually work in academia) and cannot get the student version of the full photoshop, unless anyone has an idea of how to get around that.

*cough* torrent a cracked version *cough*
sorry i'm a bit sick at the moment.
i duno what to tell ya!

Russell Nash · **Reply #85 on:** November 30, 2008, 08:28:45 AM

Take care of that cough or you'll bDoomed.

cuddlebug · **Reply #86 on:** November 30, 2008, 01:51:03 PM

Quote from: Bdoomed on November 29, 2008, 06:17:53 PM

*cough* torrent a cracked version *cough*
sorry i'm a bit sick at the moment.
i duno what to tell ya!

Have no idea what you're talking about there, must be my terrible internet connection at home, very, and I mean VERY slow and unstable. (takes forever to download the podcasts for example). Works better on the office mac, but in the office I have a very strict colleague who is responsible for IT stuff and is watching very closely over my shoulder, literally OVER MY SHOULDER, right eytanz? So downloading private stuff on the computer in the office, well, CERTAIN private stuff that could get HIM into trouble, is not an option. $:-\$

slic · **Reply #87 on:** December 01, 2008, 04:48:20 AM

IT guy issues aside, my recommendation is to keep working at using GIMP.

I went through a similar issue with 3D Studio Max. I had been lucky enough to get a slightly older version for cheap and really really enjoyed using it. Unfortunately as time went on, my version got older and older. I missed out on the newer, cooler plugins - it wasn't even a matter of my doing the same stuff with a bit more work - things like hair were just impossible. Then I stumbled upon Blender (www.blender.org) - a freeware, open source modeller and renderer. The interface was/is completely, totally different. Different menus, different names for objects, even different layouts. It took some time, but now I'm proficient, and alot of the nifty features on the big price software are available on Blender. From what I know about GIMP, it's pretty much the same idea.

If I was a professional, I'd probably go with the brand name stuff (support, new features faster sometimes), but as an amateur I am really appreciative of the freeware stuff.

Bdoomed · **Reply #88 on:** December 01, 2008, 05:17:26 AM

i tried blender a while back, i think after your recommendation...
couldnt get it down, didnt try that hard tho.

Russell Nash · **Reply #89 on:** April 12, 2009, 12:08:34 PM

New Question:

I don't know too much about how mail servers work. At home I'm set up with pop (incoming) and SMTP(outgoing) mail servers. Shouldn't these be able to work from any internet connection?

I'm at my parent's and I just set them up with DSL. I can get all of my RSS feeds (both through Safari and Mail), get all my podcasts, and browsing is no problem, but I cannot get or send email. I'm forced to go to my provider's website to get into my mailbox. Is this normal or do I need to track down a problem?

Heradel · **Reply #90 on:** April 12, 2009, 05:42:21 PM

Quote from: Russell Nash on April 12, 2009, 12:08:34 PM

New Question:

I don't know too much about how mail servers work. At home I'm set up with pop (incoming) and SMTP(outgoing) mail servers. Shouldn't these be able to work from any internet connection?

I'm at my parent's and I just set them up with DSL. I can get all of my RSS feeds (both through Safari and Mail), get all my podcasts, and browsing is no problem, but I cannot get or send email. I'm forced to go to my provider's website to get into my mailbox. Is this normal or do I need to track down a problem?

Odds are they've locked access to the POP/SMTP server from outside their own network, which is just a weird thing to do. I'd check their FAQ page to see if they talk about it there.

slic · **Reply #91 on:** April 12, 2009, 05:44:56 PM

Not an expert, but my answer is yes - provided you have access to the mail server and the correct account information.

When you configure your email client (Outlook, Pegasus, Eudora, Opera, whatever) it needs to be configured to talk with the mail server. The standard setup is pop.domain.com and smtp.domain.com, but your service provider should have instructions on how to do this.

Russell Nash · **Reply #92 on:** April 12, 2009, 06:51:44 PM

It works just fine at home. It's setup according to what Slic said. I'll take Heradel's advice and see what that gets me.

Heradel · **Reply #93 on:** April 12, 2009, 07:04:03 PM

They'll probably have an entry about "accessing your mail overseas or on vacation". It's still bloody stupid to limit it to your own network domain, but maybe there's some German privacy law in place.

RobinR · **Reply #94 on:** April 21, 2009, 03:35:30 AM

Here's a stupid question from a moron. I listen to Pseudo and Escape pods on my iPod touch. It used to stop at the end of each podcast. That's what I want. Then it started immediately playing the next podcast. That's now what I want. I thought I had it fixed but then it started again today. Not only that, but the story it started, even though I stopped it right away, disappeared when I plugged in the iPod to charge. iTunes must have thought I had listened to the whole thing.

Please be gentle when you tell me how simple this is to fix.

Bdoomed · **Reply #95 on:** April 21, 2009, 06:46:22 AM

well i have figured out on my ipod classic that if i am listening to podcasts, and shuffle is on, it does not go to the next one automatically. however when shuffle is turned off, it will automatically go to the next podcast in the list.
so try that!
and something about your settings say that podcasts are deleted once listened to? id just get rid of that option and manually delete stuff. im guessing itunes is deleting it as soon as it is not "marked as unplayed", which you can mark it as by right clicking the episode.

i can clarify if needed

Heradel · **Reply #96 on:** April 21, 2009, 08:05:44 AM

Try restoring the iPod in question.

RobinR · **Reply #97 on:** April 22, 2009, 11:55:42 AM

How do you turn shuffle on and off?
Deleting podcasts that have been listened to is an automatic function that it has always done. I don't know if there is a way to change that.

Russell Nash · **Reply #98 on:** April 22, 2009, 12:30:20 PM

Robin,

When you plug in your iPod you need to click on the iPod in iTunes. It's over on the left below the libraries and above the playlists. You will get your primary iPod window with a series of tabs. The tabs give you access to all the different areas you can setup.

The shuffle control is on the iPod itself and should be (is on the classic) in the setup menu.

On the info page for individual files there is a check box labeled "skip when shuffling" (or something like that). When this is checked, the iPod won't play this file when shuffling. This is checked by default on podcasts. If all o your files in your playlist have this checked, the iPod will stop playing after each file. The same as if the playlist only had one file.

I hope something in there was helpful.

lowky · **Reply #99 on:** April 23, 2009, 02:49:19 PM

anyone have any experience on them especially them suddenly not being accessible. it shows in My Computer, but it is not accessible at all. This is seriously bad news. I have my itunes library on it. I have my television shows on it, it's where uTorrent defaults to download. can you tell i am in panic mode? if anyone has any ideas or suggestions i am open to them. it also seems as if it is accessing the drive constantly (via flashing of the light that is supposed to signify disc usage). I am running windows vista home premium 32bit.
thanks in advance.