Technology and Gadgets Thread

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donbosco said:
Im using a MacBook Pro with an external dvd player. Maybe these photos help. IMG_7007.jpegIMG_7006.jpeg
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I think I'm seeing this correctly, the ASUS is an external DVD drive that the MBP recognizes normally, but not when using screen-sharing on Zoom.

I did a brief Google search and ran into the idea that selecting "optimize for sharing video" could be the issue.

See this page for a few more details and the solution: Zoom: Grey Boxes Obstructing Window While Screen-Sharing

If that doesn't do it, I found a page with more potential issues with solutions: very long link

Just to be sure, you have updated Zoom recently? Because outdated Zoom software could be an issue.

If none of these solve it, it could be an issue between various software packages that would take a lot of time and work to resolve. Or it could be an internet bandwidth issue or an outdated piece of hardware issue (depending on how old your equipment is). If you don't do this often, it might not be worth doing all the work to solve.

And you're very welcome for the assist, I weirdly enjoy this kind of stuff (when I'm not facing a deadline of less than an hour to have a solution).
 
@SnoopRob -- Thanks for all of your time and expertise. I'll go through those links tomorrow but I fear it might be a Zoom software upgrade issue...I asked our Zoom guy about that but he passed the buck on to our ITS people. Between classes etc. today I didn't have that kind of time. Our guys are overworked (and underpaid) in the main. I'm due to have a new laptop issued to me in the near future.

We'll see what happens.
 
donbosco said:
@SnoopRob -- Thanks for all of your time and expertise. I'll go through those links tomorrow but I fear it might be a Zoom software upgrade issue...I asked our Zoom guy about that but he passed the buck on to our ITS people. Between classes etc. today I didn't have that kind of time. Our guys are overworked (and underpaid) in the main. I'm due to have a new laptop issued to me in the near future.

We'll see what happens.
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No problem, I hope somewhere in there is the solution!
 
gregh1 said:
unrelated to to printers, but I just got a raspberry pi. Gonna setup a Z wave home automation system for one or two tasks.
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Interested in how you're using your raspberry pi. I know a guy who has a personal railroad crossing signal in the middle of his back yard that he controls with his phone and raspberry pi.
 
BillOfRights said:
Interested in how you're using your raspberry pi. I know a guy who has a personal railroad crossing signal in the middle of his back yard that he controls with his phone and raspberry pi.
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Sounds neat. I don't need a pi to do what I'm doing (could use any computer that never shuts down). But a pi is tiny and $60 bucks, not using much power. And maybe can do something cool one day.
Near term plan is for it to be a z wave controller for a few home automation things like security (old Ring door sensors), turning on a noisemaker at dawn so my toddler sleeps longer, me getting notifications that my toddler is wandering around at nite instead quickly doing his biz then going back to bed. Prob not much else.
 
It's quite remarkable that HP printers have gotten worse over time. HP wanting to force people to use their cartridges/ink has made them so frustrating to use. Bought a inkjet HP printer a year ago (I had used HP printers happily all my life) and its broken down twice.
 
BillOfRights said:
Interested in how you're using your raspberry pi. I know a guy who has a personal railroad crossing signal in the middle of his back yard that he controls with his phone and raspberry pi.
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So I went to the Raspberry Pi website and I still have no idea what it us or what it would be used for.
 
My favorite gadget Ive bought in the last year or so is the Studio Buds. Great battery life. Discreet. Not terribly expensive. easy to connect to Apple gear. Does a great job with noise cancelling which Ive found really useful on plane flights (not as useful at the dentists office...I can hear the drilling up close).

Use to have Apple AirPods (not the pros) but eventually started having battery issues with one of the units. Tried several wireless alternatives but couldn't quite find the right mix of battery life, fit, noise quality (Skullcandy was okay, have that as my backup now).
 
CRHeel94 said:
We don't print enough at home to justify it...at least that was the conclusion I reached last time I was at that decision point.
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My wife is a teacher and it’s easier for her to print a lot if stuff at home than fighting for copier/printer time at school. I also used it a good bit when I was consulting after I retired. We have a Brother color laser all-in-one with an automatic document feeder we bought for 300 bucks and change several years ago. It’s nice to have a quality scanner and copier in addition to a good printer. The fax machine function is rather useless when you don’t have a landline anyway! It’s lasted a lot longer than the disposable inkjets we had in the past and the toner cartridges last a hell of a lot longer than liquid ink.
 
Two recommendations passed along for printers (both recommenders are, coincidentally, academics).

#1: "HP LaserJet M110w Wireless Printer, Print, Fast speeds, Easy setup, Mobile printing, Best for small teams" Link --> Site Maintenance

#2: "HP OfficeJet 200 Portable Wireless Inkjet Color Printer" Link --> Site Maintenance
 
farce© said:
My wife is a teacher and it’s easier for her to print a lot if stuff at home than fighting for copier/printer time at school. I also used it a good bit when I was consulting after I retired. We have a Brother color laser all-in-one with an automatic document feeder we bought for 300 bucks and change several years ago. It’s nice to have a quality scanner and copier in addition to a good printer. The fax machine function is rather useless when you don’t have a landline anyway! It’s lasted a lot longer than the disposable inkjets we had in the past and the toner cartridges last a hell of a lot longer than liquid ink.
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That's a pretty good deal. I'll look into it next time I have to get a printer (which at this rate may be sooner than I'd like).
We have one of those all-in-one machines. The copy function is really useful. I've noticed I use the scan function a lot less now that I can scan from my iPhone.
 
donbosco said:
My recommendation is an old school one but I've got one of these that I've had for over 25 years and when Helene hit Buncombe it was a true lifesaver.

Loading…

www.amazon.com
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Thanks for the rec, don. I didn't pick up this exact one, but it spurned me to click "buy" on a piece of the "go-bag" I had been neglecting.
 
My printer is an HP, the cheapest one they had at Walmart when I needed one.

It's worked for 10+ years now and keeps right on going. But I probably only print less than 10 pages a month.
 
SnoopRob said:
My printer is an HP, the cheapest one they had at Walmart when I needed one.

It's worked for 10+ years now and keeps right on going. But I probably only print less than 10 pages a month.
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I had issues with inkjet cartridges getting gummed up (or at least not working properly) if they were not used for a while.
 
farce© said:
I had issues with inkjet cartridges getting gummed up (or at least not working properly) if they were not used for a while.
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A few times a day it makes a slight noise that is the printer doing something to the print cartridges that helps prevent this.

I often end up printing something at least every week to 2 weeks, so I've never had problems as long as I keep it plugged in & turned on.
 
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