NSLog();

I'm not an audio technician. I can get around an audio application, I know what waveforms represent, and so forth, but when it comes to editing audio my skills are limited.

I've begun using Soundtrack pro to produce my weekly podcast and I have a few questions. Perhaps some people out there can answer them for me.

1. Why, when I "collect" my audio samples, aren't they included in the bundle? Is that even an option? Bundles are great - iMovie keeps all of its files inside the bundle so that they can't (easily) be deleted. Soundtrack Pro just gathers them into the same directory… which very well could be a mess. And then you rename a file and Soundtrack can't find it. What's up with that?
2. Why can't I export my final creation as an MP3? Why must I save it as a high-quality AIFF file, drag it into iTunes, and have it create the MP3. Am I missing something?
3. Can I somehow tell iTunes to work in mono all the time? There's a button near the volume slider that turns mono playback on: can I permanently turn it on?
4. What's the best way to adjust audio levels (volume) across the whole track, remove any fuzz or sound (pops, etc.), and produce a clean, crisp podcast? The first two episodes (and I could be wrong) seem a bit quiet.

I have other questions and I may add to the bottom of this list as I remember them. Right now, the second and third bug me most. The first I can deal with and the fourth I've managed to handle at least moderately well so far.

Question: Has the camera phone craze peaked?

My Answer: I think so. Usage may still be increasing, but I don't know that I'd call it a "craze" anymore.

Since I almost always have my cell phone with me, I don't mind the convergence of cell phones and cameras. What I do mind is the altogether crappy resolution found in camera phones. As that improves, usage will continue to increase, but the "hot new thing," the craze, is over.

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

My thoughts mirror Khoi's. I don't want to know how to manipulate pictures, and I already know how to download pictures: what I want is a class that teaches me how to take good pictures to begin with.

I should check into local colleges. Not that there are too many great ones nearby, but it could be worthwhile.

I watched I, Robot last night, and contrary to what I'd heard, I kinda liked the movie. The concept was sound. The plot and acting left a little to be desired, as always, but the idea, the concept, and what I have to imagine was Isaac Asimov's true intent, lesson, purpose, etc. stood out as an interesting thing.

Perhaps the movie appealed to me a bit more than the general public because I've worked closely with computers most of my life. "The ghost in the machine" is not a foreign concept to me, and I understood it a bit more than, say, Carey who, true to form, fell asleep quite promptly.

I didn't vote, partly because I didn't know where to vote and partly because I don't care and no Republicans ever win anything in Erie. Then again, I think it's better not to have voted. We get Pittsburgh local channels on DirecTV and I don't read the local news anyway, so my votes would have been the epitomy of "uninformed."

Interesting bits in bold, copied from ErieBlogs.com.

NSLog(@"Finish Reading %d Words", 419); »

Question: Have you played iDoom?

My Answer: No. I'm afraid it will break something.

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

Question: Do you think that Wine will triple the Mac's marketshare in two years?

My Answer: I, like Wil, think it could triple. However, I don't think it'll happen unless Apple gets involved with the Wine project and makes it at least a semi-official or pre-installed option, and I don't see them doing that, because then they'd find themselves supporting Wine (or their variation of it).

Update: Yes, I originally misread what Wil had said at first: I thought he was saying that Wine would lead to the increase, not simply installing Windows on another partition and booting into Windows. Dual boot systems aren't really all that great.

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

The most incredible yo-yo work I've ever seen.

I'll have to check back in with Dojo in the next few days or weeks. It's getting interesting.

Question: What's the most politically incorrect thing you believe but are too hesitant to say?

My Answer: I was reading an article in Maxim that talks about military guys coming home from Iraq or Afghanistan and complaining that they're "not properly trained to enter civilian life." I couldn't help but think that these people wouldn't be properly trained for civilian life regardless of whether they were in the military or not. They seemed like the guys you'd find doing minimum-wage work most of their lives.

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Question: RAID on every consumer-level Mac or no?

My Answer: Sure, why not? Give everyone a RAID system. Though fitting the second drive in may create a problem for Ives and his team, I'm sure they can manage to find some place to stick it. Bear in mind it's not only a size but a heat issue… And John is only talking about RAID Level 1, so even the dumber Mac Geniuses could repair it without losing data (how dumb many Mac Geniuses are when it comes to the software side of your computer is beyond the scope of this entry).

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

Recently I read Redesign/Realign at ALA, and today I stumbled onto ColorSchemer/Realign. One of the themes there, Bleeker St, appealed to me, and I've created a mockup of NSLog(); using the Bleeker tones. You can view the full-size JPEG by clicking the image below (in the individual entry page).

I don't particularly care for it, so this blog will, for now, remain as it stands. If you would like the mockup PSD, just ask.

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I forgot to mention… Mike Zornek and I talk a little bit about Backup, the iPod Video Music Store, and the Mac OS x86 project. Grab the show here.

Hey look, my name is on TUAW. Yippee.

BTW, commenter #9 has some nifty ideas.

Question: Is this real? Fake? Something to be used internally only? Would you use it?

My Answer: It looks real, and it looks like something we could see at MWSF. I hope so, too - it looks nice.

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.