What are Internet Pirates?

Where do pirates like to shop the most? Taaaarrrrget! Okay, I know that's a bad joke (and probably doesn't make much sense outside the US and western Europe), but today we're looking at what, exactly are Internet pirates. They get discussed in the media, laws made against them, and are blamed by some to be the cause of all of the music industry's problems. You may be an internet pirate and not even know it!

"Internet pirate" is a term for someone who steals items from the internet instead of buying them through legitimate channels. This can be music, movies, software, or anything else digital. The term "internet pirate" became popular when Napster was at its peak and people were downloading music left and right. Have you ever downloaded a song from a program like Napster, Limewire, or Bearshare? These are all programs that are designed to allow people to share large files between each other, but people have taken over to share large copyrighted files between them and millions of strangers.

I've noticed an uptick in parents unknowingly pirating songs because their children download a program like Limewire on the computer and tell them that it's a place they can get music, TV shows and movies for free. They don't tell them that it's illegal, that they can be fined thousands of dollars, that it's a good way to get computer viruses, and/or have their internet provider refuse them further service. How can you know if you've been accidentally stealing your content? Did you pay for it? Did the maker of content explicitly say they're giving it away for free? If the answer is "no" to those questions, you've been pirating content!

Practical Tip of the Day:

As previously stated, pirating content is a good way to get viruses, malware, corrupted files and content you do not want (like porn instead of a TV show) downloaded onto your computer. Because of these as well as the legal and ethical reasons, I strongly discourage pirating. Where should you go to get these things then? iTunes, Amazon and Google Play are the three biggest content providers on the Internet. And yes, you have to pay.

-----
Don't forget to check out our webpage: www.TechKNOWLEDGEyToday.com and request an appointment for your personalized computer training in your own home or office!

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ !

How Do I Make a Ringtone in Garageband?

Apple’s been enjoying a nice “halo effect” with their iPhones and iPads. With all the people purchasing those devices, many of them are also making the switch to using Macs as their primary computer. One of my favorite things to show new Mac owners who started with an iPhone is how to make a ringtone in GarageBand, Apple’s audio program that comes on every Mac.

The first step is to find a sound that you want to use that is non-copyrighted. Once you have the sound you want, open GarageBand and select iPhone Ringtone from the menu on the lefthand side of the screen that pops up. To the right of that menu, you’ll see three icons that say “Example Ringtone,” “Loops,” and “Voice,” respectively. Select “Loops” and then click the “Choose” button in the lower-righthand side of the screen.

Once you’ve done that, you should be prompted to name the ringtone, asked where you want to keep it, set the tempo, signature, beats-per-minute and key. The only thing you need to change from the default is the name. Give it a name descriptive enough that you’ll be able to find it in a list. “Ringtone 1,” for example, isn’t descriptive, but “Fluffy Barking” is (if, in fact, the sound is your dog Fluffy barking).

Once you hit “Create” the main GarageBand window will open up and you’ll see four instruments listed on the lefthand side and their respective loops (small segments of their sounds) to the right. Click on the instrument on the right and click on “Track” from the menu bar and then click “Delete Track.” This can also be accomplished by selecting the instrument on the right, holding the command key and tapping the delete key.

After that, simply drag and drop your audio file into the GarageBand window and use the yellow bar towards the top of the screen (below the ruler-looking  bar) to adjust which part of the audio file you wish to use as your ringtone. You do this by clicking-and-dragging the ends of the bar to mark the beginning and end of the click you want. Hitting the play button on the bottom of the screen (the triangle pointing to the right) will play the part of the clip you’ve selected. This will help you fine-tune your timing. Remember, you only have 13 seconds for your ringtone length!

Once you’re happy with how your ringtone sounds, click on “Share” in the menu bar at the top of the screen, then select “Send Ringtone to iTunes.” GarageBand will work its magic, iTunes will open up, and the ringtone will be added to your library! Sync your iPhone and your ringtone will be added to the list of options.

Practical Tip of the Day:

Forgot how to change your iPhone’s ringtone? Tap on “Settings” (the icon that has grey gears on it) and then “Sounds.” You’ll be able to change all your sound settings there, including when you want a particular ringtone to be used.

What's the Difference Between MP3 Players and iPods?

There is none! I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say "I couldn't afford an iPod so I bought an MP3 player." That's like someone saying "I couldn't afford a Corvette, so I bought a car." So, what exactly are MP3 players?

MP3s are a type of file on your computer that is music. Remember when we talked about how computers remember things and how they only actually use ones and zeros? Well, computers can remember lots of things. You're probably already familiar with some of them. If you've ever kept a picture or a letter on your computer those are examples of "files" on your computer. Music is just another kind of thing a computer can remember.

A lot of people get overwhelmed at the idea of digital music and MP3 players, but it's really just another step in the evolution of music. There were vinyl records, then 8track tapes, then cassette tapes, then CDs, and now MP3s. With each step we fit more, higher quality, music into more portable forms. The modern MP3 player can fit hundreds of songs into something as small as a Tic-Tac container. How does the music get in it? From your computer usually. (I won't go into the exceptions here. You can message me if you want to know.)

People often say iPod when they speak of MP3 players. I call this the "Kleenex Effect". Kleenex is a brand name of facial tissue that's so popular and ubiquitous that people often ask for it by name, even if they don't mean to. Apple Inc. (Formerly Apple Computers Inc.) is the maker of the iPod, and they're the ones that really made digital music players popular.

Practical Tip of the Day:
One of the most common questions I'm asked when someone first gets an MP3 player is "Do I have to buy all my songs over again?" For someone who's sunk lots of money and time into a CD collection, the idea of having to buy their music over again in digital form is quite daunting, but fear not! As I said earlier, MP3 players get their music from you computer. There is usually a program that helps the MP3 player and the computer "talk" with each other (think of it as a translator). These programs almost always have the ability to copy music from a CD into the computer in a digital form. This is called "importing". I usually will help people learn how to import their CDs before showing them how to buy new digital music.

P.S.- We're getting social! TechKNOWLEDGEy Today now has it's own Facebook page, Twitter account, and Google+ page. Check them out, and subscribe/like/follow to get notifications of blog updates and related news articles as they come out.