blessingx

As a couple of you know, while the pandemic continues I'm switching remote video events/meetings from my house. My desk has four MacBooks running endpoints, videos and slides, an ATEM switcher, a multi-view monitor and a do-everything-else fifth control MacBook. I'm out of space (so adding normal sized extra monitors is out) and need more from that control MacBook (usually running 4-5 apps during events that I need to instantly view, often without hands to jump between). Which lead me to this. By chance anyone have experience with it or suggestions for similar? I wonder how the recent MacBook's top/screen would handle the weight?

For anyone hoping to improve their photography during the pandemic.

The New York Times and Serial (thus This American Life) has released Nice White Parents. Seems lots of controversy already, but the TAL breakout segment was great. https://twitter.com/serial/status/1286322428109438976?s=20

Leon Fleisher RIP Unable to use his right hand, he performed pieces written for left hand only, conducted and taught. After 30 years, he made a triumphant two-handed comeback. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/03/leon-fleisher-us-pianist-dies-92-lost-use-right-hand?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Beyoncé’s Black is King

One of those weird stats concerning Brimley playing older characters - Tom Cruise is now nine years older than when Brimley was "elderly" in 1985s Cocoon.

“Tony, as he was known, dropped out of school at 14 and worked as a cowboy in Idaho, Nevada and Arizona before enlisting in the Marine Corps, which sent him to the Aleutian Islands. After leaving the service, he worked as a ranch hand, wrangler and blacksmith. Briefly, he was a bodyguard for Howard Hughes.”

Why am I so sleepy?

Japanese fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto dies at 76 Unapologetically flamboyant, he shaped the look of David Bowie’s alter ego and also worked with Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Lady Gaga. https://www.dezeen.com/2020/07/29/japanese-fashion-designer-kansai-yamamoto-dies-at-76/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/27/fashion/kansai-yamamoto-david-bowie-japanese-fashion-designer-dies.html?referringSource=articleShare

🤔

To be fair at least five of those are probably better than Watchmen, but ya know, awards. Those first four or five episodes of Watchmen were really pretty engaging. Anyway, I don’t think a weak year.

Judgement call, but some of the other nominees... Better Call Saul The Handmaid’s Tale Ozark Succession Mrs. America Ramy The Morning Show Westworld

Hate the Emmys, but guess who just got 26 nominations?

Happy 25th MP3 https://hackaday.com/2020/07/27/mp3-is-25-years-old/

I haven’t seen them since moving to this house, but they’re around here somewhere. Check your DM.

Thanks for all the Roon information. It's definitely helped bring me up to speed. Feels like beyond all the useful metadata advantages, depending how you're spread out over USB, UPnP, Airplay, etc. libraries and endpoints, Roon tames that complexity. In a simple, direct setup, as others have said, adding middle hardware and centralized software, may add to it. I admire you guys keeping extensive libraries and having favorite masterings, etc. Beyond vinyl, I've gotten lazy and once a decent quality streaming service showed up, and it covered 90% of my library, I stopped the local storage, probably a decade ago. That's also when I stopped using the Squeezeboxes I still love and would make excellent Roon endpoints. 🤕

RIP John Saxon. Moving on to other worlds.

Magnum’s Square Print sale is back on. Theme is Solidarity and 50% of proceeds go to NAACP. https://www.magnumphotos.com/shop/?rfsn=610537.fb00b&subid=IG

^ This. Hope it’s a great one.

Thanks for the above. That makes a lot of sense. It comes after some earlier hardware choices though, no? Are you directly streaming (services) from mobile? Do you run a media server (possibly on a dedicated machine) with networked drives? I know you were talking generally, but concerning Roon specifically, maybe, likely, I don’t understand it outside of mixing local files and streaming services. I’ve never used. If you don’t mind me asking (as in my case), does anyone run Roon as a UI for just Tidal or Qobuz? And if so, do they just not use Roon to stream directly from mobile (electing to remote drive back to a Roon machine)? And in that sense they need a dedicated machine always on? If you don’t mind, just let me know if I’m way off there. Edit: Just found the B-Fi specs: Airplay 1 and maxes at 16/44.1

Same with the Bluesound and Sonos. There’s the Audioengine B-Fi and the discontinued Arcam rPlay too. Thanks for all your help guys. Much appreciated. Welcome any other suggestions. In case it’s wrapped in your question also, I’d love to play YT, Netflix, SoundCloud, podcasts and internet radio on the fly, etc. along with Qobuz, and being on macOS-iOS, focused on Airplay support for effectively OS-level, not only app-level, audio. Support for Qobuz, internet radio, etc. in the device itself is icing. Coming from the $150 Airport Express or $20 Chromecast Audio, many of these come with more options, but have to be willing to pay for functionality you may not use. Please correct me if I’m wrong on the following, but here’s my initial take... Researching last night, the Bluesound seems perfect for several times the APX price. Pootie Pi gives up Airplay 2 for Airplay 1 (which isn’t a show stopper), does so much, and great for USB output, but need to convert/add on to if looking for coax/toslink (which I am). Sonos Port is the most simplistic out of those three, but the Bluesound price. Arcam is discontinued and discontinued is how I ended up in this mess. Audioengine is the most unknown, but also the most APX-like in simplicity. I’m sure there are others. And then there’s the Head-Case (or is it anti-Head-Case?) solution (for my specific use case) - scrap the whole system. Move the vinyl to dedicated simplified rig in another room. Goodbye CD player, streamer, DAC, amp and pre-amp and hello sources (smartphones, laptops, AppleTV) and KEF LS50Ws. Just give up the chase and welcome a Lifestyle lifestyle. I have to admit I’m tempted, even though I still like looking at the Zu Gloss Prismatique Orange Souls. If I’m honest my ratio of HomePod listening in the kitchen is much higher than the focused listening with the main rig in the living room... in an open plan layout about 25 feet between. 🤔

This again. Just assume this is on constant rotation for the next month. Doesn’t rise to Jenny Lewis’ last, but perhaps more fitting in these smaller, breakup-with-the-past, Corona-days. Shades of Kathleen Edwards.

Actress Olivia de Havilland, possibly last of Old Hollywood, dies at 104 https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-12717233 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53546021 Born in Tokyo, grew up in California, settled in Paris. De Havilland’s specialty was the demure, soulful beauty. “Playing bad girls is a bore,” she once claimed. “I have always had more luck with good-girl roles, because they require more from an actress.” But the actor’s soft exterior concealed a core of steel. In the 1940s she successfully sued Warner Bros in a landmark ruling that helped break the stranglehold of the US studio system. As a side note, when younger and I needed an alternative name for a variety of reasons, it was Max Havilland, the last name from her.

Okay, I'm behind the times, but needs are simple. My analog and limited physical media needs are met and otherwise only stream Tidal/Qobuz. No need for everyones favorite Roon at this point or support for media stored on a HD. Used an Airport Express to get a digital signal to a DAC until Apple retired and it eventually became a little flaky, then Chromecast Audio until Google retired and it eventually became a little flaky. Just looking for a simple way to stream audio over wifi (ideally with Airplay2 support) to a digital out. Know Audioengine has a similar device, though next to no specs. I'm sure there are Raspberry Pi options as when are there not? Anyone have a recommendation? I mean besides the Brooklyn Bridge.