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Szurumbur posted:One more question about that: would it make any sense to convert MP3 to some other format? I don't suppose the files won't magically gain high quality if they didn't have one earlier, but I don't really know much about that, I use MP3 mostly out of convenience, since they are small in size and everything plays them. Absolutely not. MP3 is compressed audio, and if you recompress it with another codec it will sound terrible. Stick with MP3, everything that plays digital audio plays it, and at higher bitrates the file sizes are about the same as AAC. However, I hope you are encoding your MP3s with a variable bitrate (VBR).
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Nov 23, 2012 10:21
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Namarrgon posted:From your stepfather's perspective a new hard drive is probably 'starting over'. Maybe you can just upgrade all the stuff and stick the old hard drive in. Yeah I guess so. I did talk to him about it and he seemed keen though.
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Nov 23, 2012 10:47
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ineptmule posted:My stepfather is trundling along with a crotchety old computer that was new in 2002 because he's convinced it's 'not that bad' and that he doesn't want to 'start over' with a new one. If it's from 2002, it'll be using IDE. SSDs in the sense of the term today don't exist for IDE at all. IDE transfers at... 133mb/s(?) and SATA at 3/6gb/s (Those are maximum speeds though). You've done all you can, really.
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Nov 23, 2012 11:40
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Experto Crede posted:You've done all you can, really.
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Nov 23, 2012 11:51
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Runcible Cat posted:Yeah, new computer time. Is it just that he doesn't want to learn to use a new OS? If it's XP he's used to you should still be able to get that to run on a newer computer - or is he a Windows 2000/Me holdout? Don't do this, you're much better off getting a new O/S and skinning it so that it looks similar to what he's used too rather than running something so insecure.
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Nov 23, 2012 12:59
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axolotl farmer posted:Absolutely not. MP3 is compressed audio, and if you recompress it with another codec it will sound terrible. I hope so, too  I'm hardly an encoding expert, I just use "highest bitrate=highest quality=highest size" option, the only option Windows Media Player has for MP3 files (it caps out at 320 kb/s), WMAs and "lossless" WMA have "variable bit rate" as default. But it seems the MP3 player I'd like to buy can play WMA and FLAC files, hmm... do you think it would be worthwhile to rip the CD tracks as those types of file? It wouldn't be too much of a bother, and if it would make the songs play nicer I'd be glad to do that 
Szurumbur fucked around with this message at 14:03 on Nov 23, 2012 |
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Nov 23, 2012 13:28
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Szurumbur posted:I hope so, too You aren't going to notice a difference between 320kbs .mp3 and FLAC - especially on an .mp3 player. What you will notice is that when you upgrade your music player in the future and the new brand doesn't support FLAC, you'll have to rerip all your music again.
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Nov 23, 2012 13:42
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Szurumbur posted:I hope so, too Unless you plan on dropping mad cash on an audio setup in the future, you're fine with mp3. I mean you could rip it in flac in the hopes of getting that set up someday, and it wouldn't make any difference in the sound except for file size. I personally rip most things in flac simply because I might someday have a use for it, and it's not like hard drive space is a bother at this point.
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Nov 23, 2012 20:31
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What's the best way to check that my computer can run a particular game? I remember seeing "can I run it" or something similar on the internet a long time ago but didn't know if it's something to be trusted to allow on my computer or not. It's been some time so maybe this has changed or there's something better now. Thanks in advance.
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Nov 23, 2012 21:43
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This is a stretch. When I was a kid, there was a really cool tree near my house. The bottom part was holly from what I can tell, but about 8 feet up the tree turned deciduous. The really cool thing was that the holly branches grew out and then back down, and split into literally thousands of branches that grew back into the ground. There was an opening in the branches on one side that made a "door", but standing beneath the tree was like being in a cave. It was totally rain proof on the bottom, and then you could climb up into the much less prickly deciduous part and see the whole neighborhood. I'm trying to write a story and I thought it would be fun to use that spot as inspiration for a setting. But I would really like to know what that tree might of been, or at least learn more about how that combination might have happened. I'm assuming whoever lived in the burned down house that was nearby (It had burned down decades before from what I could tell) had trained the tree to grow that way, but it was most definitely one distinct tree and not 2 growing together or whatever. I have no idea what the deciduous part was. The leaves if I recall were light green and roundish, almost ovoid with a small point at the tip, and they had ridges sort of like ruffles potato chips, if you can imagine. I live in western Washington, if that helps. Any ideas? I wish I had pictures but no one in my family really owned a camera at that point. Sitting Here fucked around with this message at 22:00 on Nov 23, 2012 |
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Nov 23, 2012 21:58
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GreenCard78 posted:What's the best way to check that my computer can run a particular game?
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Nov 23, 2012 22:18
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ineptmule posted:My stepfather is trundling along with a crotchety old computer that was new in 2002 because he's convinced it's 'not that bad' and that he doesn't want to 'start over' with a new one. It's quite likely that it's running slowly because of software anyway. Even if there's no actual malware, people install all sorts of poo poo that runs on startup and even if they never use it they just leave it there because they don't know any better. Getting rid of some of that might help, but it's usually easiest to just reinstall and start from a fresh slate.
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Nov 24, 2012 02:16
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Is there some reason you can't make a new PC and clone his OS and setup onto the new SSD with a faster mobo/CPU, etc?
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Nov 24, 2012 02:32
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randyest posted:Is there some reason you can't make a new PC and clone his OS and setup onto the new SSD with a faster mobo/CPU, etc? This is probably the best idea. He's just very resistant to any change. The reason he was somewhat happy about just getting a new hard drive was because, to his perspective and limited understanding, 'most of the computer would be the same'. I think mainly he's concerned that the way he interacts with the machine would change, so if I could minimise the difficulties of that transition I don't think he'd mind ... My mum is already talking about buying the new machine outright because we all think it would be good for him not to freak out about losing work to crashes all the time.
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Nov 24, 2012 02:58
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ineptmule posted:This is probably the best idea. He's just very resistant to any change. The reason he was somewhat happy about just getting a new hard drive was because, to his perspective and limited understanding, 'most of the computer would be the same'.  system, clone his drive to a nice new SSD, and put it in the same case / keyboard / mouse / monitor and he'll never know the difference other than it sucks less.
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Nov 24, 2012 03:14
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randyest posted:If you're even a tiny bit handy with a screwdriver and cables that only plug in one way go here and grab some mid-range parts from the newegg/whatever black friday deals, malwarebytes/windows system defender/uninstall away the cruft and crap on his current box, build him a There is almost no way Windows XP will boot with all that new hardware. If you're lucky you can do a repair install, if not you'll have to reinstall XP anyways.
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Nov 24, 2012 03:27
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FCKGW posted:There is almost no way Windows XP will boot with all that new hardware.
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Nov 24, 2012 03:33
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Just get a new PC with windows 7 (8 is too different), copy over his emails and bookmarks and he probably won't miss anything.
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Nov 24, 2012 03:37
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Schweinhund posted:Just get a new PC with windows 7 (8 is too different), copy over his emails and bookmarks and he probably won't miss anything. That's what I did. My last computer was a 2003 Dell running XP and I replaced it with a Windows 7 machine last year. It's obviously much faster, but otherwise there's little difference.
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Nov 24, 2012 05:06
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There's a blog that has tons of Xbox.com forum posts full of idiots trying to get unbanned, but I've completely forgotten what it was. Does anyone have a link? E; Found it! http://whywasibanned.com/ A Real Happy Camper fucked around with this message at 08:31 on Nov 24, 2012 |
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Nov 24, 2012 08:27
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Is there any way to tell if someone has been given kidney dialysis, like scars? Or any way to see if the hospital has a record of them being admitted for it?
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Nov 24, 2012 10:02
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spixxor posted:Is there any way to tell if someone has been given kidney dialysis, like scars? Or any way to see if the hospital has a record of them being admitted for it? The hospital absolutely will not give you anyone else's medical records, unless you're their parent/guardian and they're under 18 years old. Why are you trying to figure out someone else's medical history? I don't want to make any assumptions here, but any method of trying to figure out if someone's been on dialysis beyond "asking them" seems like it's more-likely-than-not going to be a massive invasion of their privacy.
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Nov 24, 2012 10:55
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There didn't seem to be an SH/SC thread for this. When I install a game on my PC, there's normally a checkbox for 'create a desktop icon'. I always uncheck this because I don't want a desktop icon creating - however the installer ALWAYS creates one, regardless of this being unchecked. Does anyone know why this would happen? It's happened on dozens of games from dozens of publishers.
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Nov 24, 2012 11:05
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Well I didn't really want to get all EN, but long story short I was in the process of breaking it off with a guy I've been with for ten years and he just told me he's got kidney failure and has had to have dialysis (supposedly during a period a few months back when we were seperated) He's got a long history of lying and manipulating people, so I'm trying to figure out if there's any way to find out if what he says is true.
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Nov 24, 2012 11:06
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spixxor posted:Well I didn't really want to get all EN, but long story short I was in the process of breaking it off with a guy I've been with for ten years and he just told me he's got kidney failure and has had to have dialysis (supposedly during a period a few months back when we were seperated) He's got a long history of lying and manipulating people, so I'm trying to figure out if there's any way to find out if what he says is true. And if by some remote chance it is, then sucks to be him with a long history of lying and manipulating people. (But it's not true.)
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Nov 24, 2012 11:21
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spixxor posted:Well I didn't really want to get all EN, but long story short I was in the process of breaking it off with a guy I've been with for ten years and he just told me he's got kidney failure and has had to have dialysis (supposedly during a period a few months back when we were seperated) He's got a long history of lying and manipulating people, so I'm trying to figure out if there's any way to find out if what he says is true. Even if it was true (it isn't), does it really matter?
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Nov 24, 2012 11:46
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In that I'd feel like a shitheel dumping a dying guy, yeah. He is a type one diabetic who's never taken care of himself, so it's not beyond the pale to think it might be possible. I was just wondering if there was any way to confirm the truth so I can smack him across the face and leave with a clear concience.
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Nov 24, 2012 11:57
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I bought my mum a vintage musical powder compact for Christmas, and I'd like to clean it up a bit before I give it to her. Unfortunately, I don't know the first thing about antiques, and I have no idea whether this thing is brass, or gold plating, or what. Below is a picture of a similar compact (mine has a different pattern on the top but is exactly the same shape, colour etc). Help me, fellow goons - what is this made of and how do I clean it?
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Nov 24, 2012 13:13
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spixxor posted:In that I'd feel like a shitheel dumping a dying guy, yeah. He is a type one diabetic who's never taken care of himself, so it's not beyond the pale to think it might be possible. I was just wondering if there was any way to confirm the truth so I can smack him across the face and leave with a clear concience. The worst thing you could do is stay with this guy out of pity. Tell him the truth - that he's lied so many times in the past you have no idea whether to believe him or not, so you're just going to walk away now. It sounds callous but you have no obligation to stay with a douchebag even if he is sick.
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Nov 24, 2012 13:16
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I don't know who could answer this better, here or Goons with Spoons, but I went into Subway and ordered a chopped chicken salad, and the person behind the counter put the ingredients into a bowl and chopped it with something I have never seen before, it resembles a double knife, but it fits in your hand, sort of like an upside down U. I need this, it looks to make salad creation 1000x easier than chopping it bit by bit. What is this kitchen tool called?
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Nov 24, 2012 15:16
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MezzaLuna? http://www.fantes.com/mezzaluna.html
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Nov 24, 2012 16:05
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Party Spock posted:I bought my mum a vintage musical powder compact for Christmas, and I'd like to clean it up a bit before I give it to her. Unfortunately, I don't know the first thing about antiques, and I have no idea whether this thing is brass, or gold plating, or what. Below is a picture of a similar compact (mine has a different pattern on the top but is exactly the same shape, colour etc). Take it to a jeweler or antiques dealer and ask.
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Nov 24, 2012 16:24
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spixxor posted:Well I didn't really want to get all EN, but long story short I was in the process of breaking it off with a guy I've been with for ten years and he just told me he's got kidney failure and has had to have dialysis (supposedly during a period a few months back when we were seperated) He's got a long history of lying and manipulating people, so I'm trying to figure out if there's any way to find out if what he says is true. Kidney failure in diabetics is a progressive, irreversible condition. He would either have undergone a transplant or still be on dialysis. But none of that matters. This is a man who has lied to you so much you simply cannot take him at face value when he talks to you about his health. You need to end this relationship yesterday.
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Nov 24, 2012 16:36
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spixxor posted:Well I didn't really want to get all EN, but long story short I was in the process of breaking it off with a guy I've been with for ten years and he just told me he's got kidney failure and has had to have dialysis (supposedly during a period a few months back when we were seperated) He's got a long history of lying and manipulating people, so I'm trying to figure out if there's any way to find out if what he says is true. Even if it's true (it isn't), it's absolutely lovely to bring that up in a fight about the relationship.
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Nov 24, 2012 17:04
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Party Spock posted:I bought my mum a vintage musical powder compact for Christmas, and I'd like to clean it up a bit before I give it to her. Unfortunately, I don't know the first thing about antiques, and I have no idea whether this thing is brass, or gold plating, or what. Below is a picture of a similar compact (mine has a different pattern on the top but is exactly the same shape, colour etc). Of course if it's not worth all that much in the first place and you'd rather it be shiny 
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Nov 24, 2012 18:07
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How do those radio credit-card debt consolidation things work? How do these companies manage to profit if they do not charge debtors for their services? If they really reduce the total I would have to pay, why aren't more people abusing this system to rack up debt and scoot out of it? etc. I don't have any debt or plan to use them, but I've always wondered how they work.
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Nov 24, 2012 18:48
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moved, thanks.
Tiax Rules All fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Nov 24, 2012 |
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Nov 24, 2012 19:27
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Fontoyn posted:I don't have any debt or plan to use them, but I've always wondered how they work. Most of these offers buy the debt from the bank/credit company at a faction of what is owed (say 50 cents on the dollar.) They would then tell the customer that they have negotiated with the companies and we will reduce the amount you owe by 25%. That is where the profit lies.
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Nov 24, 2012 19:33
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Tiax Rules All posted:There was a song that came out sometime within the last year or two that I really liked. I can't remember any of the words, or even how it sounds. I do remember that it definitely has an indieish feel to it, and that the "band" name is just the first names of a man and a woman. Is that ringing any bells? There is a whole thread for identifying songs in NMD. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2388112
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Nov 24, 2012 19:43
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Human beings have a tendency to believe that other people think like they do. A person think somebody's odd behavior is due to unusual circumstances or misinformation, when in fact that somebody has a fundamentally different psychology, is driven by emotions and impulses that he does not share with the observer. You can see this sort of thing when you read a newspaper story about some grisly murderer or rapist and people ask "How can people do such things? I could never imagine doing them myself!" What is the scientific term for this error in judgment?
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Nov 24, 2012 20:07
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