Marg’s Tech(nology) Tips – Computers & Gadgets

Chat to Rob & Marg during their trip around the block!
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dream4red
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Re: Marg’s Tech(nology) Tips – Computers & Gadgets

Post by dream4red » Fri Nov 19, 2010 11:00 pm

Next G dongle modems look fantastic. I bought a big pond elite dongle just before they announced the newer model (would have waited for the new one if I had known). Here is our difference though. Like you Marg, when at home we both like to use our computers at the same time. So I researched various routers and found one that I can put the telstra usb modem straight into and then share with both computers. Works a treat and we only have to pay for the one plan.
As far as reception with the older model usb.. so far we have travelled from the Victorian border to as far North as Bundaberg and have had brilliant reception all the way. Admittedly, we are only staying in caravan parks and mainly in cities, so cant really tell you how it would behave out in the bush, away from civilization.
Enjoy the travels, nothing beats a good month or 2 in the van.
Deborah
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Re: Marg’s Tech(nology) Tips – Computers & Gadgets

Post by rodandsue » Sat Nov 20, 2010 4:24 am

Hi dream4red
many thanks for your reply. Our ISP @ home is iprimus, bundled with house phone. Unfortunately Primus uses Optus, not Telstra, so idea of getting a modem for travelling bundled with house is out. :neutral:

We are planning to buy a pre-paid modem. I just looked again @ the Telstra site again for pre-paid sticks – the “elite” says it “supports an optional external antenna” so voila! :roll: (I was only going to buy the cheaper ‘turbo’ modem as I thought it would meet my needs. It doesn’t say if it ‘supports external antenna’. May have to ask Telstra staff)

May just have to spend $50 more for the convenience of using internet when free camping (will depend how far out of town we camp & how good the antenna on the car is I guess)

cheers
Sue

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Re: Marg’s Tech(nology) Tips – Computers & Gadgets

Post by Macka6236 » Sat Nov 20, 2010 12:44 pm

Marg

How do you hook to a telephone line with your modem set up.

Mine needs Power and Phone Line.

I also have a USB Telstra Modem thingy

Macka6236 :confused:

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Re: Marg’s Tech(nology) Tips – Computers & Gadgets

Post by Rob & Marg » Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:05 pm

ashnwendy wrote:
Rob & Marg wrote:Hello again Marg,
Would you have any suggestions on where and how to store Movies/DVD’s? More to the point….our C&M DVD’s!!!! as well as others ofcourse. One thing that’s greek to me is the storage bites on storage re computer,etc, specially the likes of DVD’s :confused: Cheers Wendy
Hi Wendy,

I’ve got a response from Keith for you. He had a bit of trouble logging on to the forum, so he sent it to me in an attachment… here is what he wanted to post:
————————————-
Hi Wendy

As you point out if you have a number of DVDs they either take up a lot of storage in the containers or, out of the containers, they tend to get damaged very easily. Just getting them in and out of the plastic containers can sometimes nearly destroy them!

We am currently touring Australia and have successfully set up a system for storing and playing DVDs. This involves copying them to a hard disk and then using a simple device to play them from the hard disk on the TV.

Starting with the second bit, some TVs can play directly from the disk but I have generally found this to be difficult if not impossible. The nice solution is to use a media player. This sounds complicated but is merely a small box which allows you to locate the DVD stored on a hard disk, it sorts out the technical problems and then plays it on the TV. It comes with a remote to provide stop/start/pause/fast forward etc. Note that it does not have any internal media storage. The cost can be from about $60. A friend of mine gave me 3 of his 8 different brands to try out and the following was my response at the time:

“Eventually settled on the Western Digital. The Astone, as you indicated was easy to drive and was in close competition. It did have some difficulties with certain formats, as did the WD. The Omidte, or whatever the name is, immediately produced a totally unacceptable speaker hum and I did not even proceeed to try it out. The WD seemed marginally better.”

The following site has a long list of these devices:http://www.shopbot.com.au/portable-hdd- … lia/354762

Copying the DVD to the hard disk is probably the more difficult task. Most commercial disks cannot simply be copied using the normal file copy. I use a freeware program call DVD Shrink. Among a number of functions this allows you to “back up” the DVD to a hard disk. It also lets you compress the DVD to take up less disk space however I have found this a bit unreliable and usually request “no compression”. The hard disk you mention would be ideal and simply set up a folder for each DVD you back up. You can of course copy any other movies, photographs, etc to the same disk.

DVD Shrink handles many of the DVD copy protection mechanisms however cannot handle some of the more recent methods. You can hunt around the internet for other programs – I tend to simply bring the DVD if I cannot copy it.

You can download DVD Shrink from many sites (it is free) and the latest version is 3.2.0.15. Only download the program, ignore any invitations to download other software. A possible site is: http://dvd-shrink.en.softonic.com/

I should point out that copying DVDs raises a copyright issue. I understood in the past that copying material strictly for your own use was permissable. Certainly from a moral point of view this seems reasonable. I have read many articles on the subject and I am still confused. There seems to be different interpretations for each media type and between countries. I can understand that there is good reason to clamp down on DVD pirating however it does makes it a little hard to protect your own vulnerable DVDs.

Hope this helps.
Keith

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Re: Marg’s Tech(nology) Tips – Computers & Gadgets

Post by Rob & Marg » Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:19 pm

rodandsue wrote:Hi Marg We have a 6db (or 9 ) aerial for better access to NextG network via a patch lead on mobile for remote areas. How does this apply for a NextG USB internet stick? I’m presuming where you get NextG for mobile,the same applies for the internet? Does the USB stick have better NextG pick up in remote areas, or is there something else required for remote places??? thanks in advance for your reply Sue
Hi Sue,

We just use the NextG dongle or the NextG Home Gateway. We haven’t had to use an extra aerial this time, although we did a few years ago when we travelled. Technology has no doubt moved on since then. We did, however, encounter a couple who had an antenna fitted to their van, so I’ve emailed them about your question. I’ll let you know if I find out more.

Cheers
Marg

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Re: Marg’s Tech(nology) Tips – Computers & Gadgets

Post by Rob & Marg » Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:24 pm

xina wrote:No Marg. What I mean is, I can’t see Pics that I post on forums, and that I can only see some Pics posted by others. As I said, I have changed no settings. Cheers,
xina.
Hi Xina,

I’m not sure why you can see some pictures that are posted but not others. Very strange! Sorry, can’t help with this one at all.

I use PhotoBucket for the pics that I post to the forum. I resize them first (using PhotoRazor, a free download) and them upload them to PhotoBucket. I then copy the code under the photo that will tell the forum where to look for the photo (in a folder on PhotoBucket) and submit the post. The photo then is ‘pulled into’ the forum post by the line of code.

Clear as mud? :roll:

Cheers
Marg

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Re: Marg’s Tech(nology) Tips – Computers & Gadgets

Post by Rob & Marg » Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:31 pm

dream4red wrote:Next G dongle modems look fantastic. … I researched various routers and found one that I can put the telstra usb modem straight into and then share with both computers. Works a treat and we only have to pay for the one plan. Enjoy the travels, nothing beats a good month or 2 in the van.
Hi Dream4Red,

I like the sound of a router that you can plug the USB modem into! Technology these days is amazing.

We’re about to head off across the Nullabor, with a quick dash up to Kalgoorlie to sign up for Nullabor Golf. (Gotta do something across that long trek!) Should be funny since I have never picked up a golf club.) Then it’s home for Christmas.

Cheers
Marg

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Re: Marg’s Tech(nology) Tips – Computers & Gadgets

Post by Rob & Marg » Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:57 pm

Macka6236 wrote:Marg How do you hook to a telephone line with your modem set up. Mine needs Power and Phone Line. I also have a USB Telstra Modem thingy. Macka6236 :confused:
Hi Macka,

We don’t hook to a telephone line at all: it’s wireless, which means it works the same way as your mobile phone. We just plug the BigPond Home Gateway into an electrical outlet (240 volt) and connect to it wirelessly via the laptop. The USB dongle uses the same network (which in our case is NextG).

Cheers
Marg

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Re: Marg’s Tech(nology) Tips – Computers & Gadgets

Post by ashnwendy » Sun Nov 28, 2010 9:41 am

Rob & Marg wrote:
ashnwendy wrote:
Rob & Marg wrote:Hello again Marg,
Would you have any suggestions on where and how to store Movies/DVD’s? More to the point….our C&M DVD’s!!!! as well as others ofcourse. One thing that’s greek to me is the storage bites on storage re computer,etc, specially the likes of DVD’s :confused: Cheers Wendy
Hi Wendy,

I’ve got a response from Keith for you. He had a bit of trouble logging on to the forum, so he sent it to me in an attachment… here is what he wanted to post:
————————————-
Hi Wendy

As you point out if you have a number of DVDs they either take up a lot of storage in the containers or, out of the containers, they tend to get damaged very easily. Just getting them in and out of the plastic containers can sometimes nearly destroy them!

We am currently touring Australia and have successfully set up a system for storing and playing DVDs. This involves copying them to a hard disk and then using a simple device to play them from the hard disk on the TV.

Starting with the second bit, some TVs can play directly from the disk but I have generally found this to be difficult if not impossible. The nice solution is to use a media player. This sounds complicated but is merely a small box which allows you to locate the DVD stored on a hard disk, it sorts out the technical problems and then plays it on the TV. It comes with a remote to provide stop/start/pause/fast forward etc. Note that it does not have any internal media storage. The cost can be from about $60. A friend of mine gave me 3 of his 8 different brands to try out and the following was my response at the time:

“Eventually settled on the Western Digital. The Astone, as you indicated was easy to drive and was in close competition. It did have some difficulties with certain formats, as did the WD. The Omidte, or whatever the name is, immediately produced a totally unacceptable speaker hum and I did not even proceeed to try it out. The WD seemed marginally better.”

The following site has a long list of these devices:http://www.shopbot.com.au/portable-hdd- … lia/354762

Copying the DVD to the hard disk is probably the more difficult task. Most commercial disks cannot simply be copied using the normal file copy. I use a freeware program call DVD Shrink. Among a number of functions this allows you to “back up” the DVD to a hard disk. It also lets you compress the DVD to take up less disk space however I have found this a bit unreliable and usually request “no compression”. The hard disk you mention would be ideal and simply set up a folder for each DVD you back up. You can of course copy any other movies, photographs, etc to the same disk.

DVD Shrink handles many of the DVD copy protection mechanisms however cannot handle some of the more recent methods. You can hunt around the internet for other programs – I tend to simply bring the DVD if I cannot copy it.

You can download DVD Shrink from many sites (it is free) and the latest version is 3.2.0.15. Only download the program, ignore any invitations to download other software. A possible site is: http://dvd-shrink.en.softonic.com/

I should point out that copying DVDs raises a copyright issue. I understood in the past that copying material strictly for your own use was permissable. Certainly from a moral point of view this seems reasonable. I have read many articles on the subject and I am still confused. There seems to be different interpretations for each media type and between countries. I can understand that there is good reason to clamp down on DVD pirating however it does makes it a little hard to protect your own vulnerable DVDs.

Hope this helps.
Keith
Thank you for that Keith,

That’ll take a bit of taking in…. but will definately study it all and put it all to good use.

Cheers Wendy

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Re: Marg’s Tech(nology) Tips – Computers & Gadgets

Post by ashnwendy » Fri Dec 10, 2010 2:01 pm

Rob & Marg wrote:
ashnwendy wrote:Hi Marg,
I too am the techno nut of the family…My hubby and I are heading off permanently in 12 months and I plan to buy it all!!! …digital Camera, hopefully one that has GPS…do you know anything about it? …. Another definite want is an ebook reader of some discription…. I want one which is compatable with many ebook downloads formats not just restricted to one seller, like Amazon. We’ll have to do more research into all these things,…We’ve both followed your journey in the Magazine and DVD’s with HUGE interest. And a healthy supply of envy, so thank you for it. We absolutely love the stories of “real” people out there, it’s our favourite bit….We are busting to get going. Cheers Wendy Oh, in regards to storing photos on the web, I use Photobucket and have found it great.
Hi Wendy,

Sorry it took a while to get back to you… during filming weeks life tends to get pretty busy, and we don’t have a lot of time to catch up on email or forum posts. I’m glad you’re enjoying the mag and DVDs… we look forward to seeing you on the road when it’s your turn to set off!

Re all your ‘tech toys’ (always nice to find someone else who loves them as much as I do!):

(1) No, I don’t know anything about GPS functions on cameras.. I know this function exists, but that’s about it! Sounds like a great idea for knowing where a photo was taken if you are looking at a huge bunch of them months later! (I keep a record of where we are and what we’re doing in the calendar function on my iPad, and then I match the date the photo was taken with the calendar, and that gives me a fairly good idea of where it was!)

(2) e-book readers: the technology is moving faster all the time with these. The ‘standard’ appears to be ePub (Kobo, iPad and a few others) so it’ll be interesting to see how this all shakes out in the next 12 months. I find I manage pretty well with the Kindle and iPad, because I could download plugins for Borders and Amazon for the iPad, so I can read either ePub or Kindle eBooks. All I can suggest is that you research this carefully when it’s time to buy, and make a decision based on that. (You’re sure to find that six months later you wish you’d waited because something else has come out!)

(3) Photobucket: yes, I use this too… I use it for photos for forum posts… not much for anything else so far, though. I decided to opt for the paid version because it still wasn’t much and I can store much more.

Meanwhile… enjoy your buying/planning to get all these wonderful things!

OH… I came back to edit this because I just read your post about buying a Kindle! Let me know how you find it. :-)

Cheers
Marg :-)
hi marg
I wanted to get back to you after I had my Kindle for a while and I’m happy to say I couldn’t be happier with it, and Amazon is terrific to upload from instantly, do you get your ebooks from anywhere else?
I got my Kindle 3 WIFI from Amazon.com for under $200 postage included and I still see people here bidding on ebay over $300 for the same thing and they have postage on top of that!!??
I got mine too from USA in less than a week!!
I started a seperate bank account with no more than a max of a couple of hundred $$ to set up for internet accounts like Amazon and Paypal. That way if some horrorhead :evil: gets in, there isnt as much to loose, but having said that, I always check that the little lock is on the search bar before I give sign in details. NO LOCK NO BUY!! I buy heaps on the net, eBay, Amazon etc etc IT’S ALL SOOOOOOO much cheaper and saves me heaps.

Anyway I was saying how much I love my KINDLE 3…..it is fabulous and you can even get audio books. leave notes, highlight quotes/ passages or entire pages! Bookmark multiple books at the same time and come back where you left off each one, when you please. These are just a few features I’ve yet to explore more……..and excellent reading outdoors too, which is hugely important, because I get sore eyes reading back lit screens like computers have and I never had experience with these eInk Kindles so was concerned that maybe they’d be uncomfortable to read too, but it isn’t. I can read this for ages just like a real book.
Another terrific feature is making the fonts or words bigger when I couldn’t be bothered with my glasses!! You can turn the words around to landscape (sideways) or Portrait (straight up) depending on which floats ya boat! :lol:

Anyway I HIGHLY recommend the KINDLE great xmas prezzy.

Thanks Marg Hope you are having the time of your lives .

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