Two of my favorite activities are bicycling and listening to music. Historically, they have not been a good combination, because headphones can block out traffic noise that you need to hear to stay safe.
Last year, I received a Rage helmet with built in speakers. It plugs into standard sound jacks on portable radios, CD players, and mp3 players. I first tried using it with my CD player. I was surprised at how well the speakers worked, and that I could still carry on a conversation with my husband, who was riding next to me. I do mostly trail riding which can be a little rough at times, and I had some problems with the CD player skipping. This convinced me that my new toy (the helmet) needed a new toy of its own. I bought it an MP3 player.
I have been using the combination of the MP3 player with the speaker helmet for about a year now. I absolutely love it, and have loaded music specifically to help me keep a steady cadence when I ride. I find it hard to believe that there are so few helmet options like this.
You can purchase the helmet at many sporting goods or toy stores. They are running between 14.95 and 29.95, depending on where you buy them. Do not expect incredible sound, but you will be able to hear your music and the world around you at the same time. The speakers are located directly above and behind your ears, so that your ears are not blocked from hearing traffic noise. The helmet is really designed for skate boarding, and I would like to see some more options as far as style and color. I would like something with a sun-visor, and more traditional bicycle helmet styling.
It is great to be able to bring my music with me. I hope that this product will get some competition from the more traditional cycling helmet makers. There are a lot more advances that could be made in this direction, hands free radios to talk to other people who are cycling with you would be my number one request for the next gadget and helmet cross.
http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/11024/
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Why Does 57MB of Music Take Up 700MB of Space?
Question:
I ripped a CD to my computer. When transferred, the folder reads 57.8MB. However, when I attempted to burn it back onto another CD, I was only able to add another 5MB of songs. I thought the CD could hold 700MB. Therefore, why couldn't I add at least 30-40 songs if the songs did not exceed 700MB?
-submitted by Robotic007
Answer:
The problem you're facing is that music ripped from a CD is normally compressed to take up less space on your hard disc drive. Otherwise, you'd be taking up 650 or so megabytes with every CD that you rip to a computer. Your CD, when compressed, will take up somewhere between 30MB and 60MB of space, depending on quality settings, format, etc.
In order for a CD to play in standard CD players, the songs need to be decompressed and written back onto the CD as a PCM signal (also known as WAV). Depending on the program that you're using, selecting "Make an Audio CD" tells the program to make CD player compatible discs. So your 57MB files will turn back into 650MB to 700MB files when written back to CD.
Some newer CD and DVD players can playback certain compressed music files. MP3 is the most common, but you may be able to find players that read other formats like WMA, AAC, or OGG. If you have a player like this, don't select anything that refers to an Audio CD in your CD burning program when you burn audio files. Treat it like a data disc, and the files will be written to the disc in a compressed format.
Matt Whitlock - Editor, TechLore.com
Did You Know...
It's possible to put your CDs in storage for good, and play MP3 files on your home stereo instead... and you don't even need an extra computer to do it. Read "How to Play MP3 Files on Your Home Stereo Without a Computer".
You can have access to your entire MP3 music collection from anywhere in your home. The Sonos is a popular new device to get you in control of your music. Read Michael Czyz's long term review.
While You're At It...
There are many different kinds of compressed music formats. Knowing which one to use for your situation can make your music experience much more enjoyable. Read "Understanding Digital Music Formats" to get them straight once and for all.
http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/12079/
I ripped a CD to my computer. When transferred, the folder reads 57.8MB. However, when I attempted to burn it back onto another CD, I was only able to add another 5MB of songs. I thought the CD could hold 700MB. Therefore, why couldn't I add at least 30-40 songs if the songs did not exceed 700MB?
-submitted by Robotic007
Answer:
The problem you're facing is that music ripped from a CD is normally compressed to take up less space on your hard disc drive. Otherwise, you'd be taking up 650 or so megabytes with every CD that you rip to a computer. Your CD, when compressed, will take up somewhere between 30MB and 60MB of space, depending on quality settings, format, etc.
In order for a CD to play in standard CD players, the songs need to be decompressed and written back onto the CD as a PCM signal (also known as WAV). Depending on the program that you're using, selecting "Make an Audio CD" tells the program to make CD player compatible discs. So your 57MB files will turn back into 650MB to 700MB files when written back to CD.
Some newer CD and DVD players can playback certain compressed music files. MP3 is the most common, but you may be able to find players that read other formats like WMA, AAC, or OGG. If you have a player like this, don't select anything that refers to an Audio CD in your CD burning program when you burn audio files. Treat it like a data disc, and the files will be written to the disc in a compressed format.
Matt Whitlock - Editor, TechLore.com
Did You Know...
It's possible to put your CDs in storage for good, and play MP3 files on your home stereo instead... and you don't even need an extra computer to do it. Read "How to Play MP3 Files on Your Home Stereo Without a Computer".
You can have access to your entire MP3 music collection from anywhere in your home. The Sonos is a popular new device to get you in control of your music. Read Michael Czyz's long term review.
While You're At It...
There are many different kinds of compressed music formats. Knowing which one to use for your situation can make your music experience much more enjoyable. Read "Understanding Digital Music Formats" to get them straight once and for all.
http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/12079/
Rootkit On Sony
To those of you who have purchased Sony Walkmans with Sonic Stage 3.1 CD and many other Sony product CD's, There is a big question about rootkits messing up computers. Take it from experience, I've already replaced my hard drive since this NW-E505 MP3 Walkman was purchased for Christmas for my son. I've had nothing but trouble with it since we started, because of all the problems with my computer.
Download Rootkit Revealer, make sure you have a zip program to decompress and run it on your computer. So far there is no way to detect rootkits with any other antivirus or spyware, but it's a problem for sure!!!
Spotting the Affected Discs
To know if the CD you're buying includes a rootkit, look on the back for a little box labeled "Compatible with." If that includes the Web address "cp.sonybmg.com/xcp", or check out the EFF's Spotter's Guide.
http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/13315/
Download Rootkit Revealer, make sure you have a zip program to decompress and run it on your computer. So far there is no way to detect rootkits with any other antivirus or spyware, but it's a problem for sure!!!
Spotting the Affected Discs
To know if the CD you're buying includes a rootkit, look on the back for a little box labeled "Compatible with." If that includes the Web address "cp.sonybmg.com/xcp", or check out the EFF's Spotter's Guide.
http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/13315/
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