shamino

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shamino
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  • This dongle can upgrade you to wireless CarPlay for cheap

    shaminoshamino
    How's the audio quality?

    I've found that normal Bluetooth audio is often plagued with static and dropouts.  I assume as a result of interference from other 2.4 GHz signals on the road (Wi-Fi and BT from nearby buildings and cars).  Wired audio, whether analog or USB, doesn't have this problem.
    leehammwatto_cobra

  • Neil Young rails against 'Fisher-Price' MacBook Pro audio for music production

    shaminoshamino
    cornchip said:
    well, off to buy a PC which reportedly is far superior for music production...
    As with Macs, a PC's built-in audio isn't going to be very good.  That's why people who care about good sound on their PCs buy third-party sound cards, either installed in a PCIe slot or attached via USB.

    Neil Young seems to have a knack for making a point while simultaneously missing it.  Of course, the built-in DAC of a Mac isn't studio quality.  Neither is the built-in DAC of any other computer.  Yes, you need an external DAC for studio quality work.  Which is why just about every professional musician uses external DACs - on their PCs as well as their Macs.

    Talking about amateurs who are using built-in audio for their pet projects is a non-sequitor.  These people are not releasing studio quality work.  Most of them know it, and those that do decide to take their game up to the next level will either invest in a good DAC or will go lease time in a studio to make good quality recordings.
    sphericwatto_cobra

  • Retro revisit: Using Apple's iPod mini in 2020

    shaminoshamino
    Was the author being humorous or deliberately clueless?

    30-pin cables are easy to get.  Amazon has many.  So do every retail store I know of.

    Compatible headphones?  Apple still sells headphones with 3.5mm plugs.  And there are literally thousands of third-party headphones that do as well.

    I think it is nothing short of amazing that Apple still provides software support for these old iPods.  My minis, nanos and Classics all sync just fine.  No problems at all.

    The only problem with these old units is that the batteries can't hold much of a charge anymore, but even that's not insurmountable.  There are many aftermarket batteries.  Installation can be tricky, but it's quite doable if you're careful (and handy with a soldering iron, for some model iPods).

    Want more capacity?  The mini is based on a MicroDrive, which means you can replace it with any CompactFlash card.  A quick Amazon search shows you can get a 128GB card for about $65-100.  More expensive than an SD card, but not too terrible.
    philboogie

  • Apple Card vs Amazon Prime Rewards Visa: which credit card offers the most cash back and b...

    shaminoshamino
    Only, when you go to buy something on Amazon and you're using its card, you will be offered a discount right away. At checkout time, you can choose to reduce the price by using this cashback figure. All credit card experts say no, though, don't do it. Pay the full price and let your cashback accrue through the month.
    Why?  Who are these "all credit card experts"?  Please provide a link to an article from one of these experts because I couldn't find one after 30 minutes of web searching.
    dpbruno said:
    Does the Amazon card give you credit when you buy gas from a warehouse club ? Do you get 1% or 2%...all credit cards that I know of only give 1-to 1.5%...except buying at costco with their credit card.
    The Costco card is one of the best deals these days.  Assuming you are already paying for Costco membership (of course), you get:

    4% back from gasoline purchases (any gas station, not just Costco) for the first $3,000 per year
    3% back from travel and restaurants
    2% back from purchases from Costco (on-line and in-store)
    1% back from everything else

    The only downside to the Costco card is that your rewards are not cash back, but an annually-issued voucher that can only be redeemed on purchases from Costco.  But that's not a problem for me, because my family shops there a lot.

    In my daily life, I use the Costco card for gas, travel, restaurants and Costco purchases.  For everything else (the 1% tier), I use by bank's card, which is 1% back (in the form of points) on everything, because I can redeem those points for gift cards from lots of different stores (including Amazon and Apple).
    GeorgeBMac said:
    I've caught two separate cases of fraud that way that I would not have caught otherwise.  The first was a $25 charge for gas at a BP.  Just reviewing a statement 30 days later I would not have questioned.  But, from the text I knew something was up.  And, when I called the card company they told it had been made 300 miles away.  (It also helps with Apple's "Family Sharing" since I have the Apple Alert turned off.)
    Another good thing is to log on to the card's web site on a regular basis.  I do so every night as a part of managing my household finances (record the day's expenses, check web sites for all credit cards, check/schedule payments from the bank's web site, etc.)  Fraudulent charges don't happen very often, but when they do, I see them that day and have plenty of time to dispute them before the statement arrives.

    I also make a point of retaining all my receipts from credit purchases until the statement arrives.  I reconcile each month's statement against those receipts and question anything I don't recognize.  It take a bit of time, but it's important because mistakes may go ignored otherwise.  Like one time where a restaurant accidentally (I assume accidentally) mis-typed a gratuity, making it $10 higher than it should have been - when I saw the statement didn't match my receipt, I was immediately able to call the restaurant and get them to fix it.

    The only real pain in the neck here is (of course) Amazon, which will often (but not always) merge the charges for separate orders that ship together or create separate charges for a multi-item order where the items ship separately - making the invoices (printed at the time of purchase) not match the credit statement and forcing me to log-on to Amazon to review the final invoices.
    watto_cobra

  • Justice Department warns Oscar group against blocking streaming services like Apple TV+

    shaminoshamino
    Total government overreach.

    Why should the government have any say at all over what kinds awards a private industry organization wants to give to itself?

    Are they now going to tell the local pre-school that they can't give gold stars to kids because kids from other schools can't also get them?
    dkhaley