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Pugwash

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    DVD ripping

    in Technology Chat

    Posted

    Don't bother with the plethora of programs that claim to be able to rip anything to any format and cost $$ or ££. These two programs really are all you need:

     

    DVD Decrypter (it's free) to rip the DVDs to folders on your hard drive. Then use Handbrake (also free) to encode them into MKV or MP4 files. Handbrake can be a bit daunting to start with, particularly the audio and subtitles side of things. I find the standard MKV H.264 settings work well and select search for foreign subtitles. Have a few trials with it and you'll pick it up. Oh and don't worry if you get a series of error message from DVD Decrypter when you shut it down, it just seems to be a bug and doesn't affect the ripping at all.

     

    This two-step combination gives good quality files with reasonable file sizes. Ripping speed is generally about 20 minutes for a typical DVD, with a further 25-30 minutes or so to encode. Speeds will vary according to the power of your PC - best if you're using 64-bit PC and software. Handbrake can rip straight from the DVD and encode in one process, but every time I've tried it, it's taken longer than the two-step process. Also the great benefit of using the two-step approach is that you can rip a batch of DVDs to your hard drive, then queue up the files to encode in handbrake and leave your PC to crunch through them unattended. It will even shut down your PC when it's finished, if you wish.

     

    The other very quick alternative is to use MakeMKV. I used this initially to rip my collections. This will rip a DVD straight to an MKV file in about 20-25 minutes. One downside is that the file can be incompatible with some players. I got a Sony Blu-ray player that was supposed to play MKV files, but wouldn't play these, even though they played quite happily through my WDTV media player. The other downside is that the files are large - about 2GB per hour of movie. This is 2-3 times the size of the files produced by Handbrake as above.

     

    Hope that helps.

    Best intros

    in The Arts

    Posted

    We listened to a lot of Floyd on a recent trip to the Lakes. I think it's something like 8 minutes before you even hear a vocal.

     

    I think that one is about 17 minutes loooong too.

    Best musical climaxes

    in The Arts

    Posted

    Dondante by My Morning Jacket (album version). Defy anyone to say that's not an epic climax.

    Good shout, that SO reminds me of something else. I'll be racking my brains for the rest of the afternoon.

    Best intros

    in The Arts

    Posted · Edited by Pugwash

    Some nice ones in there. Rather than building slowly, this one kicks straight in on the first three notes:

     

    For intros that build, perhaps Pink Floyd 'Shine on you crazy diamond'

    Best musical climaxes

    in The Arts

    Posted

    I'm with Bexy - more of a slow fade-out for insomniacs.

     

    Classical - I guess would have to be Nessun Dorma.

     

    Classic Rock - probably Deep Purple 'Sweet Child in Time', Led Zepp 'Stairway' or a few things by Wishbone Ash, or even Bohemian Rhapsody.

     

    Struggling to think of anything more contemporary, as most of it just fades out. Guess it's a generational thing.

    What are you reading?

    in The Arts

    Posted

    Yep, I agree with your assessment pap. Not his finest. But I hope your average experience doesn't unduly colour your view of CJ Sansom. He is a fine writer of historical fiction and, to my eye, his attention to historical detail is excellent.

     

    I might recommend his Matthew Shardlake series of novels, but I'm not completely sure that they'd be to your taste. It's a retelling of the police procedural genre set in the 16th century. Shardlake is a morally and ethically strong, hunchback lawyer who tries to balance his questionable work for Henry VIII's Thomas Cromwell, against his own morals, troubled faith and his sense of duty; whilst at the same time fighting the prejudice that his lowly birth and twisted back visits upon him.

     

    But, as the ideologue I know you to be, I would recommend you try Sansom's Winter in Madrid.

     

    It details the many political protagonists and their vested interests and ideologies that led to the Spanish civil war. I learned an awful lot about the involvement of individual British citizens whose ideologies led them to head to Spain to fight in a struggle involving republicanism, nationalism, socialism, communism, and fascism. And all of this whilst chronicling the lives of 3 British public school friends who get caught up in spying and the war. Oh and there's a little bit of love interest thrown in. It's a good, if not a truly great book, but I enjoyed the history lesson that it provided.

     

    Just finished Dominion. Quite readable but could probably have shaved 100 pages off with little loss and, as you say, not his finest. I actually thought some of his best writing was in the historical notes at the end, where he makes a very passionate argument against Nationalism in general and the SNP in particular. I don't follow Scottish politics, so was unaware of how the SNP was funded. Bearing in mind this was written last year and the date for the Scottish referendum was announced this week, it makes for a slightly chilling prophecy.

     

    Must pick up Winter in Madrid.

    Pompey Takeover Saga

    in Golden Posts

    Posted

    The last few weeks in my opinion have simply shown up Naivety on behalf of the PDT.

     

    When EVERYTHING hinges on their bid being accepted the lack of work on the politics and legal issues and the PR management just seemed amateur bordering on Arrogant.

     

    Is it REALLY the Benefits Society Mindset? Or was it blind optimism.

     

    I went to a Garage this morning and asked to buy the New Aston Martin.

    They told me the price, but I said I was British and as it was a British Car and as I am a (near) legend in the world I would be the best owner to take the car forwards.

    They told me my $5,000 would not pay for the Insurance, let alone the car but I said do you know who I am? I will take you to court to get the car because I am the bestest.

    Nobody else should ever drive it. And anyone who offers you more is a lying cheat.

     

    Yeah total bullkrap factually, commercially and legally.

     

    The LAST thing Harris needs to do to totally screw the PDT?

     

    Pay the 6.3mil into an Escrow account with all the draft contracts and place them before the Judge in Court and offer to sign them in front of him.

     

    Game over

     

    Phil, I'm really struggling to see the analogy here to Fortress Fatpipes.

    First cup final

    in The Lounge

    Posted

    Everton v Sheffield Wednesday 1966, I supported Wed purely because my hero Ron Springett was in goal (he had played for England and I was a young keeper)

    Saints connections : Jimmy Gabriel (Everton) and Jim McCaliog (Wednesday)

     

    This one. No particular affiliation at the time, but seem to remember Wednesday going 2-up, only for Everton to win 3-2. Also a Cornish striker called Mike Trebilco ck got 2 goals for Everton as a stand-in striker for Fred Pickering, who was an England international at the time I think.

    Iceland( The country)

    in The Lounge

    Posted · Edited by Pugwash

    Much as Kingsland Red's experience. Went for three nights in May about 7 years ago. Took tours rather than driving, so got the commentary and guide which was helpful. Stunning scenery, still daylight at midnight, but was expensive - £85 for four pizzas and three cokes. Did the Golden Triangle tour with Geysers and waterfalls, Blue Lagoon and whale-watching, but didn't have time to get further into the interior. There's a church (Halgrimmskirke or something?) at the top of town with a really tall spire and a statue of Leif Eriksson outside. Worth climbing the bell tower for the view.

     

    Oh, and EVERYONE in Reykjavik goes on the p iss on Friday night. Our transit bus nearly ran down a sixty-odd year-old woman tottering down the middle of the road about midnight...

    Saints 3 Liverpool 1 - Post Match Reactions

    in The Saints

    Posted

    A few liverpool reactions...

    Reply #370 on: Today at 05:22:50 PM »Best team won. Southampton haven't put a performance like that in for more than 10-15 years. Seriously where the **** did a performance like that come from? OK we were pathetic and there are questions to be asked about many of our players but if I was a Saints fan today I'd be delighted to have witnessed that.

     

    Today at 05:24:05 PM »southampton were excellent going forward. put our supposedly more talented and certainly more expensive players to shame with their fluency and desire. in the first half there were three in the box for every attack. neat, tight passing, but mixing it up with the short game and the direct game. a joy to watch, really, were it not for the opposition...

     

    Clearly not seen us play this season then. Thought we played better against Man City TBH. That's not to take away from today's performance, which was excellent. Clyne MoM for me.

    kindle fire or Nexus 7?

    in Technology Chat

    Posted

    Daughter owns an iPad mini, basically for her iPhone, itunes , etc. I've got a N7.

     

    N7 much better, more flexible device. Daughter jealous, but now too locked in to the Apple system. Friend has a Kindle Fire HD, but not a patch on either N7 or mini. Even more locked down, but I can understand it as a good easy choice for book buffs.

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